dotEDU: Higher Education Policy Explained

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...

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 competiti...

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 s...

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 pro...

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, syste...

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 admissio...

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 Califo...

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...

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 to...

In this live conversation, hosts Jon Fansmith and Sarah Spreitzer discuss the status of the Build Back Better Act—the budget reconciliation bill that enacts a large chunk of the Biden administration's domestic agenda—legislation dealing with competition with China, a House hearing on the education sector's use of COVID-19 emergency relief funds, and more as Congress pushes toward the end of the ye...

With negotiations taking longer than expected and details still being hammered out on the Biden administration's domestic spending plan, hosts Jon Fansmith, Sarah Spreitzer, and Mushtaq Gunja take time to reflect on whether or not the Virginia and New Jersey governor races will be a bellwether for next year's midterm elections. They also talk about the details in the budget reconciliation bill tha...

As Congress attempts to finish the budget reconciliation bill, a number of provisions in the social spending measure are in danger of being cut. Terry Hartle and Jon Fansmith look at what we know so far, as well as the future of Public Service Loan Forgiveness and the president's order mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for federal contractors. Sarah Spreitzer kicks the episode off with a chat about...

Adam Harris, author of The State Must Provide and staff writer for The Atlantic , talks to hosts Jon Fansmith and Mushtaq Gunja about the state and federal funding mechanisms that continue to support a separate and unequal system of higher education in the United States. First, Jon and Sarah Spreitzer open the show with a look at the gridlock in Congress over the budget reconciliation bill--which...

The fate of two new spending plans—the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the separate $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation bill designed to advance the Biden administration's other priorities, including for higher education—remains uncertain as we open the new season of dotEDU. ACE Senior Vice President Terry Hartle and dotedu host Sarah Spreitzer unpack where Congress stands on reconciliation and...

It's summer but the Senate refuses to leave—and the House refuses to stay home—which means hosts Sarah and Jon are back on the podcast this week for another special dotEDU brief. They discuss the Senate's $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package which includes support for expanding broadband access, before diving into the FY 2022 budget resolution and its provisions for free community college...

The hosts give a brief preview of the rest of the summer session in Congress and their hopes for a smooth August break, and listeners will learn more about how they can take action through the #DoublePell campaign website ( www.doublepell.org ). Stay tuned for the final episode of this season on how the new NCAA policy on name, image and likeness will effect smaller colleges and universities and s...

The hosts dive into the complicated issues facing international students who are hoping to return to campus this fall and why many may not be able to return at all. Our guest, David Winston of the Winston Group, lays out the data around public attitudes toward international students and how leaders can make the case for the positive contributions they make to the U.S. economy and on our campuses. ...

Since spring 2020, ACE has surveyed higher education leaders across the country about their experiences and most pressing concerns dealing with COVID-19 on campus. David Richardson, managing director of research for the TIAA Institute, and ACE's Jon Turk review the year's results and what they tell us about how to move forward in 2021 and beyond. EPISODE NOTES Here are some of the links and refere...

Hosts Jon Fansmith and Mushtaq Gunja talk with Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD), chief author of H.R. 1, the comprehensive election reform bill that could have an impact on how colleges register voters. They also discuss the past, present, and future of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program as Sarbanes moves to strengthen the program under the Biden administration. EPISODE NOTES Here are some of th...

The Department of Education recently released the latest round of emergency funds provided by what will likely be the final COVID-19 relief bill, the American Rescue Plan. Our guest this week is Philip Rogers, chancellor of East Carolina University (ECU) and former ACE senior vice president, who talks about how ECU has used federal pandemic relief to help students and the university at large, alon...

Jon Fansmith and Sarah Spreitzer provide insight into what President Biden's American Families Plan means for higher ed as well as how international students are being affected by the pandemic. ACE Vice President and General Counsel Peter McDonough visits the podcast to talk about what college leaders should know about vaccine requirements and the legal issues associated with making campuses safe...