dotEDU: Higher Education Policy Explained

Welch Suggs, an associate professor of journalism at the University of Georgia and a former reporter at The Chronicle of Higher Education joins the podcast to look at the state of the name, image, and likeness (NIL) landscape for student athletes and college campuses. Where do we stand since the NIL era began in 2021? Which students are benefitting from these contracts? How much money are they mak...

Hosts Jon Fansmith and Sarah Spreitzer are joined by their Government Relations colleague Steven Bloom to talk about the troubling trend of elected officials intruding on academic freedom and restricting instruction on divisive concepts. They also take questions about the potential for Higher Education Act reauthorization and other potential happenings in federal higher education policy.  Tweet su...

The Department of Education's forthcoming guidance on third-party servicers and online program managers (OPMs) is shining a spotlight on contracts created to expand online academic offerings. Why did these relationships grow dramatically during the pandemic, and why are they needed now? Kelly Otter, dean of the School of Continuing Studies at Georgetown University, joins the podcast to explain. Jo...

In this live episode, hosts Jon Fansmith and Sarah Spreitzer take audience questions on a range of topics, from the Education Department moving quickly on new regulations to the House hearing on the "crisis" in American education to ChatGPT. dotEDU will return on March 9. Links and references from this week's show: House Education Committee Ready to Tackle Short-Term Pell Inside Higher Ed | Feb. 9...

PEN America's Nadine Farid Johnson joins the podcast to talk about the status of "educational gag orders" at the state level, or the legislative efforts to restrict K-12 and college teaching on topics like race, gender, American history, and LGBTQ+ identities. Beyond instruction, we're also now seeing potential restrictions on tenure, gag orders on reproductive health, and services provided to tra...

Hosts Jon Fansmith and Sarah Spreitzer are joined by Terry Hartle to talk about what the new Congress means for higher education policy this year. House Republicans have announced committee assignments and are already talking oversight hearings, and the debt ceiling debate begins. They also discuss the Department of Education's aggressive regulatory agenda for 2023, including proposed amendments t...

Andy Brantley, president and CEO of CUPA-HR, joins the podcast to talk about employee burnout and retention strategies institutions should be thinking about post-pandemic. Before that, Jon, Sarah, and Mushtaq get into what the new Congress has in store for higher education policy moving forward. Tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @ACEducation or podcast@acenet.edu . Here are some of the li...

Hosts Jon Fansmith and Sarah Spreitzer are joined by ACE Senior Vice President Terry Hartle to discuss the federal policy developments in 2022 that impacted students and higher education institutions. They look at what got done, what didn't, and what issues are still pending in 2023, from student loan forgiveness to new Title IX regulations to the upcoming Supreme Court decision on race in college...

With the federal Dream Act in limbo for over 20 years now, states have stepped up with their own solutions to help Dreamers, the population of young immigrants brought to the United States as children. Political activist Tyler Montague and ACE's Derrick Anderson visit the podcast to talk about Arizona's newly passed Proposition 308, which gives in-state tuition for non-citizen residents of the sta...

As the final vote counts start wrapping up, it's become clear that Congress will be even more narrowly divided than it was before. Terry Hartle and Jon Fansmith return to talk about what the midterm elections mean for higher education policy, particularly in the lame-duck session and beyond. Terry and Jon also answer listeners' questions about the future of President Biden's student loan forgivene...

Now more than ever, colleges and universities are taking action to address climate change by embedding sustainable practices on their campuses and conducting research to advance climate science and climate solutions. Chief Sustainability Officer Heidi VanGenderen at the University of Colorado Boulder talks about why higher education, despite deep political divides, is perfectly poised to take on t...

In this bonus episode, Jess Ellsworth drops by the podcast to talk about how attorneys prepare for an appearance before the U.S. Supreme Court. She also describes the significant public service role that the Moot Court Program at Georgetown University's Supreme Court Institute plays. Ellsworth is a partner at the Washington, DC law firm Hogan Lovells, which was instrumental in preparing the higher...

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Oct. 31 in Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina and Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard , the latest cases to look at the legality of the limited use of race and ethnicity in college admissions. Pace University President Marvin Krislov and ACE General Counsel Peter McDonough join host Jon Fansmith for a preview of the h...

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. Tweet su...

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 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 borr...

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 suggest...

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 podca...

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 conversa...

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 su...

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 millenn...

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 betwe...

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 post...

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.   Her...

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...