dotEDU: Higher Education Policy Explained

Nasser Paydar, assistant secretary for postsecondary education at the Department of Education, joins the hosts to talk about what the department is doing to improve access and affordability for college students. Jon, Sarah, and Mushtaq kick off the show with a discussion of the recent court decision on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and their predictions for the upcoming midterms.

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Here are some of the links and references from this week's show:

Get Your Gold Wine Glasses Ready: 'Love Is Blind' Is Apparently Casting In D.C. DCist | Sept. 27, 2022

Appeals Court Says DACA Is Illegal but Keeps Program Alive for Now The New York Times (sub. req.) | Oct. 5, 2022

Remember the Dreamers

Building on President Biden's Unity Agenda, Education Department Urges Colleges to Use American Rescue Plan Funds to Provide Mental Health Supports to Students

Student Loan Debt Relief Do's and Don'ts

Play It Safe: Protect Yourself From Student Loan Scams

What to Know About the Application for Biden's Student Loan Relief NPR | Oct. 12, 2022

#DoublePell

During 'Raise the B.A.R.' Summit, Education Department Announces College Completion Fund Competition to Support Postsecondary Student Success

OPE Funding Opportunities

Jon Fansmith and Terry Hartle are back to give their predictions for what Congress will dive into this fall before it adjourns ahead of midterm elections. On the table are a continuing resolution to fund the government through the end of the year and NDAA legislation. They also talk about how the administration is getting ready for the rollout of its massive student loan forgiveness plan, despite the continuing threat of legal challenges.

Tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @ACEducation or [email protected].

Here are some of the links and references from this week's show:

Senate Approves Stopgap Funding Bill; House Passage Expected Friday The Washington Post (sub. req.) | Sept. 29, 2022

CBO: White House Plan To Cancel Student Loan Debt Costs $400 Billion The Washington Post (sub. req.) | Sept. 26, 2022

Lawsuit Aims To Stop Biden's Student Loan Forgiveness Plan The Washington Post (sub. req.) | Sept. 27, 2022

New Title IX Rules Get 235,000 Comments Inside Higher Ed | Sept. 14, 2022

ACE's comments to the Education Department on proposed Title IX regulations

Biden Administration Issues Final Rule on Protections for 'Dreamers' Roll Call | Aug. 24, 2022

Student loan debt relief FAQs Federal Student Aid

Student loan debt relief contact information Federal Student Aid

Public Service Workers Have Until October 31 to Apply for Student Loan Forgiveness Under Temporary Waiver CNN | Sept. 28, 2022

The big announcement that the Biden administration is canceling $10,000 in student loan debt for millions of borrowers—and $20,000 for even more—and extending the pause on payments is the main topic of discussion for the kickoff of dotEDU's fourth season. Justin Draeger, president and CEO of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, helps break down what this means for borrowers, institutions, parents, and the higher ed community as a whole.

Tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @ACEducation or [email protected].

Here are some of the links and references from this week's show:

Introduction:

Biden Administration Issues Final Rule on Protections for 'Dreamers' Roll Call | Aug. 24, 2022

Stopgap Funding Bill Set to Dominate September Agenda Roll Call | Sept. 6, 2022

U.S. News Dropped Columbia's Ranking, but Its Own Methods Are Now Questioned The New York Times (sub. req.) | Sept. 12, 2022

Conversation with Justin Draeger:

National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA)

FACT SHEET: President Biden Announces Student Loan Relief for Borrowers Who Need It Most The White House | Aug. 24, 2022

Parents and Graduate Students Officially Qualify for Biden's Student-Loan Forgiveness Business Insider | Sept. 1, 2022

'I'm Drowning': Those Hit Hardest By Student Loan Debt Never Finished College NPR | July 18, 2019

The Legal Dilemma on Student Debt Relief Inside Higher Ed | Sept. 6, 2022

A Fresh Start for Federal Student Loan Borrowers in Default (Operation "Fresh Start") Federal Student Aid

Cardona's Vision for Higher Ed Inside Higher Ed | Aug. 12, 2022

Ed to Focus on Student Debt, Institutional Accountability in Coming Year, Cardona Says NASFAA | Jan. 28, 2022

Colleges have plenty of data but what does that data mean when it comes to improving completion rates, access, and equity? Mamie Voight, president and CEO of the Institution for Higher Education Policy (IHEP), joins the podcast and talks with Jon Fansmith and Sarah Spreitzer about IHEP's work on Capitol Hill in support of students, including through the College Transparency Act, and offers suggestions for colleges looking to avoid the dreaded "data dump." Before that, Jon and Sarah discuss how Congress is wrapping things up before their summer break.

Tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @ACEducation or [email protected].

EPISODE NOTES Here are some of the links and references from this week's show:

Introduction:

Senate Passes Bill to Subsidize U.S.-Made Semiconductor Chips The Washington Post | July 27, 2022

Bill Aimed at Lowering Medicare Drug Prices Faces Next Test in the Senate CNN | July 21, 2022

Student Loan Servicers Told to Hold Off on Sending Billing Statements The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) | July 25, 2022

Conversation with Mamie Voight:

Institute for Higher Education

College Scorecard U.S. Department of Education

Three Metrics I Didn't Have During My College Search, But I'm Glad Students Now Do Data at Work (IHEP Blog)

Research Center National Student Clearinghouse

Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System National Center for Education Statistics

House Approves College Transparency Act Inside Higher Ed | February 7, 2022

Value Data Collaborative Institute for Higher Education

Shifting Focus from Access to Completion Inside Higher Ed | May 3, 2021

Postsecondary Value Commission—Reports

Postsecondary Value Commission—Equitable Value Explorer tool

One year in, momentum builds from the Postsecondary Value Commission's work Higher Ed Dive | May 12, 2022

The 101 on the College Completion Fund College Completion Fund IHEP's May 2022 report from Degrees When Due

Aired July 13, 2022

Jon Fansmith and Sarah Spreitzer update listeners on recent policy developments as Congress heads toward the August recess, then ACE's Anne Meehan and Peter McDonough talk about what the newly proposed Title IX regulations mean for college campuses and the effort to address and prevent sex-based discrimination.

**Tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @ACEducation or [email protected].

Here are some of the links and references from this week's show:

Pre show

Schumer Ups Pressure on McConnell in USICA-Reconciliation Dance Politico | July 7, 2022

Democrats See hope for Spending Deal with Manchin as Congress Returns The Washington Post (sub. req.) | July 11, 2022

Biden Administration Proposals Would Overhaul Student Debt The Washington Post (sub. req.) | July 6, 2022

Pop Up

Biden's Title IX Overhaul Inside Higher Ed | June 24

Federal Register Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 The Department of Education

Fifty Years On, Title IX's Legacy Includes Its Durability The New York Times (sub. req.) | June 23, 2022

U.S. Publishes New Regulations on Campus Sexual Assault Inside Higher Ed | May 7, 2020

Bostock v. Clayton County The U.S. Supreme Court | June 15, 2020

West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency The U.S. Supreme Court | June 30, 2020

Colin Diver, author of Breaking Ranks: How the Rankings Industry Rules Higher Education and What to Do About It, visits the podcast to talk about how U.S. News & World Report and other rankings force colleges into standardized hierarchies and threaten the institutional diversity and social mobility that is the hallmark of American higher education. The hosts open the episode with a brief conversation on how the overturning of Roe v. Wade might impact higher ed and the new proposed rules for Title IX announced by the Biden administration last week.

Here are some of the links and references from this week's show:

Introduction

Supreme Court Ruling Will Upend Reproductive Rights for College Students and Complicate Medical Training The Chronicle of Higher Education (sub. req.) | June 24, 2022

New Rules on Title IX Inside Higher Ed | June 23, 2022

Fifty Years On, Title IX's Legacy Includes Its Durability The New York Times (sub. req.) | June 23, 2022

Conversation with Colin Diver

Breaking Ranks: How the Rankings Industry Rules Higher Education and What to Do About It by Colin Diver

Taking on 'U.S. News'? Inside Higher Ed | June 6, 2022

The Economist Who Would Fix the American Dream The Atlantic (sub. req.) | July 17, 2019

Injecting Equity Into the Carnegie Classifications Inside Higher Ed | March 28, 2022

College Scorecard Department of Education

Washington Monthly's 2021 College Guide and Rankings

Raj Chetty in 14 Charts: Big Findings on Opportunity and Mobility We Should All Know Brookings | Jan. 11, 2018

How Can We Amplify Education as an Engine of Mobility? Opportunity Insights

A number of important pieces of legislation for higher education are stalled in Congress as the midterm elections draw nearer. Issues like student loan forgiveness, immigration, and on the state level—academic freedom and critical race theory. How will higher ed be impacted as the summer closes in? Jon Fansmith and Sarah Spreitzer talk about all this and more in a live recorded episode.

**Tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @ACEducation or [email protected]. EPISODE NOTES

Here are some of the links and references from this week's show:

Remember the Dreamers

#DoublePell

Hearing: Strengthening our Workforce and Economy through Higher Education and Immigration, Senate Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety

With the midterm elections looming and the debate over who benefits from student loan forgiveness heating up, what are voters thinking about the value of a college education in 2022? Kristen Soltis Anderson, pollster and author of The Selfie Vote, joins the podcast to talk about the American public's perception of higher education. Does the noise in the media reflect what people—especially millennials and Gen Z—really think? Is there a split between what people view as good for their own families and what they think is important for society overall, and how has this changed over time? What are the partisan divides on this issue?

From The Introduction

How Soon to Expect Biden's Debt Relief Plan Inside Higher Ed | May 26, 2022

Even as the Pandemic's Effects Ebb The New York Times | May 25, 2022

From Part 2 with Kristen Soltis Anderson

Pollster: Colleges Must Show Clear Return on Investment Diverse: Issues In Higher Education | March 6, 2022 Not All Americans Think College Is Worth It Inside Higher Ed | Nov. 13, 2021 The Growing Partisan Divide in Views of Higher Education Pew Research Center | August 19, 2019 New Research Reveals Millennials and Generation Z Believe American Dream Is Possible Walton Family Foundation | October 6, 2020

Almost everyone has an opinion about student loan forgiveness. But it's often more complicated than many think. There are seven federal student loan programs and 16 repayment options. Which programs might be included in the Biden administration's loan forgiveness plan, if it happens? When might it happen? With potentially 45 million borrowers involved, will the administration make a tradeoff between ease of implementation and the ability to target it? And with the midterms just six months away, what are the politics of loan forgiveness? Jon Fansmith and Terry Hartle (try) to answer these and other questions in a live recorded episode. Here are some links and references from this week's show:

Biden Plunges Into the Risky Politics of Student Loan Debt The Washington Post (sub. req.) | May 15, 2022

OPINION: Student Debt Is Crushing. Canceling It for Everyone Is Still a Bad Idea. The New York Times (sub. req.) | May 14, 2022

Harder Than It Sounds: Income-targeted Student Loan Forgiveness Invites a 'Train Wreck' Politico | May 13, 2022

White House May Limit Student Loan Relief to Incomes under $125,000, Psaki Says Forbes | May 3, 2022

U.S. Forgives $6.8 Billion in Public Service Worker Student Loans Bloomberg | May 4, 2022

White House Officials Weigh Income Limits for Student Loan Forgiveness The Washington Post (sub. req.) | April 30, 2022

Biden's Latest Student Debt Move Will Bring 3.6 Million Borrowers Closer to Loan Forgiveness CNN | April 29, 2022

Schumer Calls on Biden to Cancel $50,000 in Student Debt for All CNBC | September 21, 2021

Can Biden Cancel Student Debt? Depends Who You Ask Inside Higher Ed | August 11, 2021

Community Colleges saw steep declines in enrollment during the pandemic. But creative leaders like President Bill Pink of Grand Rapids Community College are trying to reverse the trend. As he prepares to take on a new role as president at Ferris State University, he talks about how he used millions in federal and state dollars and other initiatives to invest in helping students continue their postsecondary journey and encourage access to college. Jon, Sarah, and Mushtaq also discuss the buzz around the White House's plans for student loan forgiveness, the leaked Supreme Court opinion that could overturn abortion rights, and the status of U.S. research competitiveness legislation.

**Tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @ACEducation or [email protected].