Running Head: Politics and Leadership

Politics and Leadership in Higher Education Paper

There are several important political issues that affect higher education and impact leaders and leadership. As a nation we have lost confidence in many of our most important institutions including our colleges and universities. A common criticism focuses on how education expenses continue to rise in America. Although America continues to be one of the most educated countries in the world, we have fallen behind in the percentage of young people with a college degree. As the numbers of problems have increased over the past decades, many constituencies of the higher education system have searched for stronger managers and visionary leaders. Colleges and universities need leaders and managers who can turn their visions into realities (Pietrucha, 2012). It is wise for leaders to start thinking about the needs of their followers who require support, encouragement, and reassurance and guide them through this period of vagueness and uncertainty.
Summary of Political Arguments
A recent political argument, the post-trillion dollar status achievement in the area of student loan debt shows no signs of reversing itself. In 2010 there were $100 billion in education loans taken out by U.S. citizens (Pietrucha, 2012). The rate of higher education cost has increased at a rate three times that of inflation over the last two decades, with average increase in college tuition around four percent annually (Pietrucha, 2012). Notwithstanding, government is continuing to encourage young people to take out higher education loans in their continued pursuit of a college degree.
In his speech in Ann Arbor, Michigan, President Obama offered a plan to reduce the costs of higher education by “increasing the amount of federal grant money available for low-interest loans and tying it