US: Governor backs student loan plan for New York

Governor David A Paterson has called for a publicly financed, low-interest student loan programme, saying New York had fallen behind other states in making college more affordable for its residents, reports Newsday. The loan programme, a version of which was approved by the State Senate last month, is among recommendations - also including hiring 2,000 faculty and creating a $3 billion science research grant programme - from the state Commission on Higher Education, which delivered its report last week.

"We are the largest urban state that doesn't have these loans, the only large state in the union that doesn't have them, the only state in the Northeast that doesn't have them," Paterson said. With the economic downturn, "this is the kind of remedy that we're going to need during this crisis".
Report on the Newsday site
New York State Commission on Higher Education