Higher education faces a “substantial access crisis” that could make it harder for young people to attend college, the president of Baker University said in a speech Monday to the Lawrence Rotary Club.

Dan Lambert said that as Congress moves to reauthorize the Higher Education Act — which makes student aid available to lower-income students — the emphasis seems to be on regulating colleges and universities instead of providing assistance to students.

“This move toward centralized control of higher education will narrow the choices for our students,” Lambert said.

Discussion about reauthorization of the act has included the following issues:

• A proposal to require colleges to create “intellectual diversity” by hiring faculty across the ideological spectrum — a suggestion from conservatives who believe that college faculties lean left.
• A requirement to make universities publicly disclose their accreditation reports.
• Suggestions that colleges should be held accountable for cost increases.

Lambert said higher education is an “easy target” because of big tuition increases in recent years. But he said much of the problem is out of the control of colleges and universities — like private employers, he said, colleges must pay the skyrocketing cost of health care for employees.

“When you’re labor intensive, that’s a major concern,” Lambert said.

And he added that, while tuition rose nationwide by 6 percent last year, financial aid increased 15 percent; much of that latter increase was paid by the colleges and universities.

Institutions of higher education, Lambert said, “have stepped up to meet that need.”

Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act is expected in January.