
Jared C.
Bass
Senior Director
The Higher Education team works toward building an affordable and high-quality higher education system that supports economic mobility and racial equity.
Our team explores how to reform a higher education system that is failing to adequately serve students of color and other overlooked populations, including adults, student parents, part-time students, veterans, and individuals impacted by the justice system.
We call for changes to make college affordable for current and future students and their families. We also work to lift the burden of student debt and fix a troubled student loan repayment system for current and future borrowers.
We advocate for a system where all colleges and programs offer a path to economic security and make sure their students reach the finish line. We also seek to hold education providers, accreditors, loan servicers, and other actors accountable for their service to students and borrowers.
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In the third and final installment in a series on Tribal colleges and universities (TCUs), the Center for American Progress and American Indian College Fund examine how a Tribal university in New Mexico is creating engineering and advanced manufacturing career opportunities on the rural Navajo Nation.
In the second installment in a three-part series on Tribal colleges and universities (TCUs), the Center for American Progress and American Indian College Fund look at Leech Lake Tribal College’s law enforcement degree program and the college’s work on cultural revitalization and basic needs insecurity.
The U.S. Department of Education’s final rules on borrower defense to repayment, closed school discharge, and false certification will help protect students and taxpayers from predatory institutions.
This coalition letter, led by the Center for American Progress, asks the U.S. Department of Education to work closely with the U.S. Department of Justice to distribute information about student loan debt relief to incarcerated student loan borrowers.
In the first installment in a series on Tribal colleges and universities (TCUs), the Center for American Progress and American Indian College Fund explore the essential role TCUs play in their communities and why investing in them should be a priority for policymakers.
Race-conscious remedies, such as voting rights protections and affirmative action in college admissions, are supported by the Constitution, are a part of American history, and are essential to equal opportunity.
The Future of Higher Education in a Post-Debt Cancellation United States
Jared Bass discusses what the U.S. Congress must do next to address the root causes of the student debt crisis.
Jared Bass discusses why President Joe Biden’s student debt cancellation plan was a meaningful step in what should be a broader mission of upholding the promise of higher education.
Student debt cancellation is a bold step for the higher education system—and one that will benefit a wide cross-section of people and communities throughout the country.
Bradly D. Custer submitted a comment letter to the U.S. Department of Education on the Prison Education Program regulation.
Student debt cancellation would help people of all ages, reduce the racial wealth gap, and help borrowers weather turmoil in the student loan system.