Newly elected House of Representatives Majority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) has been a driving force on higher education issues for half a decade, but his appointment may not mean changes for universities like Penn.
Boehner, an eight-term congressman, was elected to the second-highest position in the House of Representatives last Thursday. Boehner replaced Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas), who has been indicted on corruption charges.
Prior to his election, Boehner had been chairman of the Committee on Education and the Workforce since 2001, meaning that he shaped much of the House's education policy. California Republican Howard McKeon is the current frontrunner replace Boehner as the committee chairman.
Experts doubt that Boehner's elevation will have any major consequences for colleges and universities or that it will bring higher education issues into the spotlight.
In particular, the impact on federal financial aid will most likely be slim.
Financial aid is the primary government-related issue in higher education, according to Bill Schilling, Penn's director of student financial aid.
"I don't know how much [Boehner's] election to majority leader is going to affect higher education," Schilling added.
Boehner, like many Republicans, has been a supporter of the Federal Family Education Loan Program, which offers financial aid funded by private lenders rather than directly by the government.
Penn currently participates in the program, and this is unlikely to change, Schilling said.
However, Boehner, as House Majority Leader, will have other duties and be able to spend less time on higher education, Schilling said.
He added that much will also depend on what McKeon does if he is chosen as the new chairman of Boehner's old committee.
Boehner's influence is also minimized by the fact that he is a member of the same political party as the president.
Though being House majority leader will give Boehner a certain degree of authority in determining which issues get on the congressional agenda, he will most likely be looking to President Bush for guidance, according to Political Science professor Rogers Smith.
Although studies have shown that officials at colleges and universities tend to be politically liberal, Boehner's election is an opportunity for higher education to reach out to the new Republican leadership, according to Vanda McMurtry, Penn's vice president for government and community relations.
While McMurtry said higher education is "a Democratic constituency, by and large," he believes that education officials will find more common ground with Boehner than they expect.
In particular, one of Boehner's serious interests -- access to higher education for middle- and lower-income students -- is also one of the three focuses of Penn President Amy Gutmann's plans, McMurtry said.
