dotEDU: Higher Education Policy Explained

Congress comes back to DC next week to a full agenda and an attention span increasingly absorbed by the midterm elections. What's in store for higher education? Listen to Jon Fansmith and Terry Hartle discuss federal funding, the upcoming Title IX rule—which could break new ground on transgender students—the student loan repayment pause, and possible legislation to aid student mental health.

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

President's Budget for FY 2023 Seeks to Double Pell Grants, but in a Multi-Year Process ACE

New Title IX Rules Set To Assert Rights of Transgender Students The Washington Post (sub. req.) | March 30, 2022

Department of Education Announces Actions to Fix Longstanding Failures in the Student Loan Programs Department of Education | April 19, 2022

Biden's Student Loan Dilemma The New York Times (The Daily podcast) | April 18, 2022

Letter Urging Congress to Support Student Mental Health (PDF)

ACE, AJC, Hillel, Collaborate on Summit to Combat Campus Antisemitism ACE

Guest host Stephanie Giesecke from NAICU joins the podcast to talk about the Biden budget for the upcoming fiscal year and the prospects for increasing funding for Pell Grants. Also on the table: the latest pause on student loan repayments and the Senate's new COVID-19 relief bill, which could be bad news for higher education. Here are some of the links and references from this week's show:

Fox Caught on Capitol Grounds and Euthanized Tests Positive for Rabies The Washington Post | April 6, 2022

Biden-Harris Administration Extends Student Loan Pause Through August 31 Department of Education

The President's FY 2023 Budget

President's Budget for FY 2023 Seeks to Double Pell Grants, but in a Multi-Year Process ACE | March 30, 2022

Senate Punts $10 Billion in COVID Aid Until After Easter Amid Stalemate Over Border Policy Politico | April 7, 2022

ACE Senior Vice President Terry Hartle joins host Sarah Spreitzer to discuss Congress's last-minute push to pass the FY 2022 omnibus spending package and what it means for higher education. Also on the agenda—which proposals Department of Education negotiators reached consensus on in the latest negotiated rulemaking session. Plus, they talk about higher ed's priorities for innovation and competition legislation, how the United States is supporting Ukrainian students, and the resumption of student loan repayments.

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

Supreme Court Takes Affirmative Action Cases Inside Higher Ed Jan. 24, 2022 https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2022/01/24/supreme-court-will-hear-harvard-and-unc-affirmative-action-cases

DHS, State Announce Regulatory Changes to Attract More International Students and Scholars ACE https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2022/01/24/supreme-court-will-hear-harvard-and-unc-affirmative-action-cases

FACT SHEET: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Actions to Attract STEM Talent and Strengthen our Economy and Competitiveness White House https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/01/21/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-actions-to-attract-stem-talent-and-strengthen-our-economy-and-competitiveness/

LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE

Choose your preferred player: [links with images] Apple Podcasts Google Play Music Google Podcasts iHeartRadio Radio.com app Spotify Stitcher TuneIn Amazon Music

ABOUT THE SHOW

Each episode of dotEDU presents a deep dive into a major public policy issue impacting college campuses and students across the country. Hosts from ACE are joined by guest experts to lead you through thought-provoking conversations on topics such as campus free speech, diversity in admissions, college costs and affordability, and more. Find all episodes of the podcast at the dotEDU page.

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

With the thrill of March Madness in full swing, the dotEDU hosts are focusing their policy talk on all things sports. Linda Livingstone, president of basketball powerhouse Baylor University, joins the podcast to break down how the NCAA is working to change with the times, its recent shift on issues such as name, image and likeness (NIL), and how the recently adopted NCAA constitution will affect student-athletes moving forward. Jon, Sarah, and Mushtaq also discuss how institutions are helping Ukrainian students studying in the U.S., as well as the FY 2022 appropriations bill recently signed by President Biden and what that means for higher ed.

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

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

Letter to State and DHS Requesting Support for Ukrainian Students and Scholars https://www.acenet.edu/Documents/Letter-State-Ukrainian-students-022822.pdf

Biden Signs Major Spending Bill That Includes $400 Increase for Pell Grants https://www.acenet.edu/News-Room/Pages/Biden-Signs-Major-Spending-Bill.aspx

NCAA adopts interim name, image and likeness policy https://www.ncaa.org/news/2021/6/30/ncaa-adopts-interim-name-image-and-likeness-policy.aspx

NCAA members approve new constitution https://www.ncaa.org/news/2022/1/20/media-center-ncaa-members-approve-new-constitution.aspx

President Livingstone's Congressional Testimony: "A Level Playing Field: College Athletes' Rights to Their Name, Image, and Likeness" https://energycommerce.house.gov/committee-activity/hearings/hearing-on-a-level-playing-field-college-athletes-rights-to-their-name

President Livingstone's Written Testimony: https://energycommerce.house.gov/sites/democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/files/documents/Witness%20Testimony_Livingstone_CPC_2021.09.30.pdf

Host Sarah Spreitzer and ACE Senior Vice President Terry Hartle discuss the myriad regulations waiting to be finalized at the Education Department and other federal agencies. They also look at where Congress is on legislation targeting competitiveness with China—and what that means for colleges and universities—funding bills for the fiscal year that's already well underway, and the complicated prospects for getting anything done in Washington on the eve of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

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

House Passes America COMPETES Act

Biden Still Touts Build Back Better, but What Does That Mean? The Washington Post (sub. req.) | Feb. 22, 2022

Senate Passes 3-Week Spending Bill, Averting Government Shutdown The New York Times (sub. req.) | Feb. 17, 2022

Biden Administration Expects to Unveil Title IX Proposals in April Politico | Dec. 15, 2021

​​ACE, 45 Other Groups Praise Biden Administration's Effort to "Protect and Fortify" DACA

Negotiated Rulemaking for Higher Education 2021-22 Department of Education

A number of reforms have been put on the table in recent years to make the college admissions process more equitable. But is focusing on one or two areas—say, test-optional admissions—enough to dramatically transform the process? Angel Pérez, CEO of the National Association for College Admission Counseling and Terri Taylor of Lumina Foundation visit the podcast to talk about how broad-based, systemic change and a deep examination of how the barriers arose is the only path to true change. The hosts open the show by talking about ACE's new partnership with the Carnegie Foundation to develop the collaboration on the next incarnation of the Carnegie Classifications, and the latest higher education policy developments in Washington, DC.

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

The Carnegie Foundation and the American Council on Education Announce Partnership on the Carnegie Classifications for Institutions of Higher Education

Toward a More Equitable Future for Postsecondary Access The National Association for College Admission Counseling and the National Association of Student Financial Aid

An Admissions Process Built for Racial Equity? This Report Imagines What It Would Look Like

The Chronicle of Higher Education | Jan. 19, 2022

Higher ed groups offer bold ideas for ensuring racial equity as SCOTUS takes up new admissions case

Medium | Feb. 1, 2022

A Racial Reckoning for College Access In America

Forbes | Jan. 27, 2022

ACE Senior Vice President Terry Hartle joins hosts Jon Fansmith and Sarah Spreitzer of the ACE government relations team to discuss what Congress still needs to finish from 2021 (is Build Back Better really dead?) and look ahead to how the 2022 midterms could impact higher education policy. They also briefly consider what's at stake in the Supreme Court's decision to hear the diversity in admissions cases involving Harvard and UNC-Chapel Hill.

The dotEDU hosts discuss how Congress is trying to clean up the mess it left behind before the holiday break on a number of bills that could affect higher education in 2022, including the Build Back Better Act, which could impact the maximum Pell Grant, other federal spending bills, and the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act. Then Michelle Deutchman, executive director of the University of California National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement returns to the podcast to talk about a range of issues related to critical race theory, academic freedom, and how presidents and campus leaders should be flexible and ready to engage.

Hosts Jon Fansmith, Sarah Spreitzer, and Mushtaq Gunja talk about the restart of student loan repayments on Feb. 1, and how that pandemic-relief policy is related to the Biden administration's broader pledge to cancel $10,000 in student debt. Jon is then joined by ACE Senior Vice President Terry Hartle, who reviews the higher education policy successes and failures of 2021, and what we can expect from Congress and the administration in 2022.

The 'Charlie Brown Christmas Special' Dancers You Most Want To Party With Five Thirty-Eight

Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona on Student Debt, Critical Race Theory, & Howard Housing Crisis The Breakfast Club

The Future of Student Loan Forgiveness dotEDU Episode 54

Nearly $40 Billion in Relief for Higher Education in Sight as Congress Nears Completion on COVID-19 Bill

Reconciliation Framework Increases Maximum Pell Grant, Cuts Free Community College

Biden Administration Outlines Policies to Support International Education; Travel to the U.S. Begins to Ease for International Students

Hosts Jon Fansmith, Sarah Spreitzer, and Mushtaq Gunja talk about the pressing items members of Congress need to wrap up before the end of the year, including a deal on a bill to fund the government. They then dive into a lively discussion with Justin Draeger, president and CEO of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA), about student loan forgiveness and other topics important to borrowers.

EPISODE NOTES

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

Policy Direction on Federal Student Loan Servicing from ED Undersecretary Ted Mitchell

Navient, With Six Million Borrowers, Asks to Stop Servicing Federal Student Loans The New York Times (sub. req.) | Sept. 28, 2021

Biden Quietly Deciding How to Restart Student Loan Payments Politico | Oct. 18, 2021

Biden's $11.5 Billion In Student Loan Forgiveness: Some Is Automatic, Some Is Not. Here's A Breakdown. Forbes | Nov. 2, 2021

Examining the Implementation of COVID-19 Education Funds House Education and Labor Committee Hearing | Nov. 17, 2021

Oversight of Higher Ed COVID-19 Funds Inside Higher Ed | Nov. 18, 2021

Off the Cuff – NASFAA Podcast

ABOUT THE SHOW

Each episode of dotEDU presents a deep dive into a major public policy issue impacting college campuses and students across the country. Hosts from ACE are joined by guest experts to lead you through thought-provoking conversations on topics such as campus free speech, diversity in admissions, college costs and affordability, and more. Find all episodes of the podcast at the dotEDU page.

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

HOSTS

Jon Fansmith is a director of government relations at ACE. He represents ACE and its members on matters related to the federal budget and appropriations process, with a particular focus on student aid.

Mushtaq Gunja serves as vice president and chief of staff at ACE, where he is in charge of strategic initiatives, communications, and membership.

Sarah Spreitzer is a director of government relations at ACE. She represents ACE and its members on matters related to research policy and funding, federal policy, international students, immigration, and legislative issues.