dotEDU: Higher Education Policy Explained

Latest Episodes:

Episode 34: Responding to Last Week's Attack on the Capitol; International Student Policy in the Biden Administration Jan 15, 2021

Show notes

The hosts talk about the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, both what it meant to them as residents of Washington DC and the implications for American democracy. Later they are joined by Jill Allen Murray, deputy executive director of public policy for NAFSA: Association of International Educators, to discuss current policy climate for international students in the United States and what the higher education community would like the Biden administration to prioritize in this area.

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

Introduction

'The Worst Day for American Democracy in My Lifetime' Inside Higher Ed | Jan. 7, 2021

Higher Ed Reacts With Shock and Condemnation as Trump Incites Mob to Terrorize U.S. Capitol The Chronicle of Higher Education (sub. req.) | Jan. 6, 2021

Riots at U.S. Capitol Prompt Strong Response from Higher Ed Leaders Diverse: Issues in Higher Education | Jan. 6, 2021

A Fraught Balancing Act Inside Higher Ed | Jan. 11, 2021

Colleges are Under Pressure to Hold Accountable Those who Sought to Overturn Election, Attended Capitol Riot The Boston Globe (sub. req.) | Jan. 11, 2021

Statement by ACE President Ted Mitchell on the Violence in DC and Attack on Our Democracy

New COVID-19 Relief Bill: An Estimate of What Individual Institutions May Receive

Conversation with Jill Allen Murray

Open Doors Survey

Immigration Executive Actions Under the Trump Administration (NAFSA)

The Can-Do Power: America's Advantage and Biden's Chance Foreign Affairs | Jan./Feb. 2021

Homeland Security Academic Advisory Council

Rebuilding and Restoring International Education Leadership (NAFSA)

Sen. Paul Simon Study Abroad Program Act

The Way Forward (NAFA's issue brief on the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Program Act)

U.S.-Japan COIL Initiative

Norway Latest Country to Partner with ACE and U.S. Institutions to Maintain Global Learning Through Virtual Exchange

Episode 33: Mental Health on Campus as 2020 Winds Down Dec 11, 2020

Show notes

With an epic year winding down and colleges transitioning to a much-needed holiday break, hosts Jon Fansmith, Mushtaq Gunja, and Sarah Spreitzer discuss the last minute flurry of activity in Washington, DC, as the transition to a President Biden administration begins. Later, Mushtaq and Sarah talk with cognitive scientist and Barnard College President Sian Beilock about how she is using her own research as a psychologist to talk about the need for new ways to improve mental health and well-being on campus.

**Tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @ACEducation or podcast@acenet.edu.

EPISODE NOTES

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

President Sian Leah Beilock Barnard College

TED Talk: Why we choke under pressure—and how to avoid it with Sian Beilock YouTube, Oct. 9, 2018

Students need tools to safeguard their mental health in uncertain times The Hechinger Report, Nov. 18, 2020

Jed Foundation

"Feel Well, Do Well" @ Barnard

Virtual Tutoring Corps Barnard College

Access Barnard Barnard College College Student Mental Health and Well-Being: A Survey of Presidents Higher Education Today

Pulse Point Surveys—Leaders Respond: COVID-19 on Campus

Episode 32: What Higher Education Can Expect From the Biden Administration Nov 13, 2020

Show notes

The Biden-Harris platform unveiled during the 2020 presidential campaign suggests that higher education will be a primary focus of the new administration. ACE Senior Vice President Terry Hartle joins the hosts to talk about what we can expect to see come January, including attempts to double Pell Grants and make public college free for middle-income families and roll back a range of Trump-era regulations and orders such as Title IX and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. They also discuss the need to pass a comprehensive COVID relief package, ideally in the lame duck congressional session.

Biden Will Take a Decisively Different Approach to Higher Education

Biden's Victory Could Be Transformative Inside Higher Ed | Nov. 9, 2020 With DeVos Out, Biden Plans Series of Reversals On Education The Washington Post (sub. req.) | Nov. 9, 2020

Joe Biden Won. Here's What Higher Ed Can Expect. The Chronicle of Higher Education (sub. req.) | Nov. 7, 2020

ACE, Other Associations Ask DHS to Withdraw Flawed Duration of Status Proposed Rule

Renewing the Higher Education Act

The Biden Presidency and International Education Inside Higher Ed | Nov. 12, 2020

Episode 31: Debates, Flies, and Political Engagement at the University of Utah Oct 29, 2020

Show notes

Co-hosts Jon Fansmith, Mushtaq Gunja, and Sarah Spreitzer talk about higher education policy developments in the week before the election, including how work on the COVID-19 relief bill has ground to a halt and the Trump administration's effort to curb international student visas. Later they are joined by Jason Perry of the University of Utah's Hinckley Institute of Politics, who talks about hosting the vice presidential debate earlier this month, getting students involved in the debate process, and how the university is promoting student engagement during the pandemic.

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

Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah Pandemic-Theater Plexiglass Barrier Will Separate Both VP Candidates After All New York Magazine | Oct. 7, 2020 Andrew Goodman Foundation TurboVote Pac 12 Voting Challenge The National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement dotEDU Episode 30: What Higher Ed Needs to Know About the New Supreme Court

Episode 30: What Higher Ed Needs to Know About the New Supreme Court Oct 15, 2020

Show notes

Just three weeks before the presidential election, hosts Jon Fansmith, Mushtaq Gunja, and Sarah Spreitzer discuss the surprising early voter turnout, higher ed's response to the Trump administration's executive order restricting diversity training and federal grants, and the Justice Department's lawsuit against Yale for its consideration of race in admissions. Later they are joined by Phi Beta Kappa CEO Fred Lawrence to explore how Amy Coney Barrett's inevitable confirmation as the next Supreme Court justice will affect colleges and universities on issues such as diversity in admissions policies and immigration.

**Tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @ACEducation or podcast@acenet.edu.

EPISODE NOTES

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

From the Introduction:

dotEDU Episode 29: Preparing for the 2020 Election on Campus

Civic Engagement and Democracy: Special Focus on the 2020 Election

ACE, Higher Education Groups Ask White House to Withdraw Executive Order Restricting Diversity Training and Federal Grants

ACE, Yale Decry Department of Justice Lawsuit Claiming Yale Admissions Practices Violate Federal Civil Rights Law

College and University Presidents Respond to COVID-19: 2020 Fall Term Survey

From conversation with Fred Lawrence:

ACE amicus brief opposing the most recent challenge to diversity in admissions policies, Students for Fair Admissions, Inc., v. Harvard

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.

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.

Episode 29: Preparing for the 2020 Election on Campus Oct 01, 2020

Show notes

Co-hosts Jon Fansmith and Mushtaq Gunja discuss the new COVID-19 relief bill from House Democrats, keeping the government funded through the end of the year, and why the Education Department has targeted Princeton for discussing institutional racism. In Part 2, Jonathan Alger, president of James Madison University, joins the discussion to talk about promoting civic democracy and engagement on campus and how JMU is approaching the 2020 election in light of the pandemic and the extreme partisanship that has gripped the country.

EPISODE NOTES

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

JMU's Center for Civic Engagement On the Board of Campus Compact All In Democracy Challenge The National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement Issue Brief: Student Voting and College Political Campaign-related Activities in 2020

ABOUT THE SHOW

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.

Episode 28: Dreamers and Immigration Policy: Past, Present, Future Sep 17, 2020

Show notes

dotEDU returns for a second season with Jon Fansmith, Sarah Spreitzer, and ACE's newest co-host, Mushtaq Gunja. They discuss the state of higher ed policymaking, or the lack of it, as legislators gear up for the election. Later, Sarah and Jon are joined by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, filmmaker, and immigration rights activist, Jose Antonio Vargas to discuss the prospects of DACA in the U.S., immigration policy in general, and what colleges and universities can do to help these students who are living in limbo.

Tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @ACEducation or podcast@acenet.edu.

EPISODE NOTES

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

From the Introduction:

Remember the Dreamers

From Conversation with Jose Antonio Vargas:

About: Jose Antonio Vargas

Immigrants Rising

Golden Door Scholars

ABOUT THE SHOW

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.

Episode 27: dotEDU Turns One! Aug 12, 2020

Show notes

As colleges settle into their reopening plans and Congress takes a break from negotiating a relief bill, dotEDU hosts Jon Fansmith, Sarah Spreitzer, and Jon Turk look back on the first year of the podcast and talk about their favorite episodes. They also look ahead to what will happen in a post-COVID higher ed world.

dotEDU is taking a break until September! In the meantime, please go ahead and subscribe to a short podcast series from ACE focused exclusively on reopening college campuses also from the American Council on Education. You can find it at www.acenet.edu/conversations or search "American Council on Education" on your podcast app.

EPISODE NOTES

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

ACE's Pulse Point Surveys ACE

Episode 19: A College at the Crossroads of COVID-19 and DACA dotEDU

Episode 18: Higher Education in the Time of COVID-19 dotEDU

Episode 15: College Admissions Under the Microscope dotEDU

Episode 14: Community Colleges Bring Dreams Within Reach dotEDU

Episode 12: Giving All Learners a Chance dotEDU

ABOUT THE SHOW

Each episode of dotEDU presents a deep dive into a major 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 podcast@acenet.edu.

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.

Jon Turk is the associate director for research at ACE. In this role, he conducts original research on a number of topics, including student success and completion, organizational change, and higher education policy.

Episode 26: More COVID Funding From Congress; Supporting Students' Return to Campus Jul 27, 2020

Show notes

Hosts Jon Turk and Sarah Spreitzer discuss the next round of COVID funding coming out of Congress and what that might mean for higher ed and its students. Also, (6:50) they talk with Lamar Hylton about his experience as the newly appointed vice president for student affairs at Kent State University and how his institution is preparing for a very unique and challenging fall semester.

EPISODE NOTES

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

From the Introduction:

Trump Administration Withdraws Directive Banning International Students ACE

Letter to DHS Following up on ICE Directive and FAQ ACE

From Conversation with Lamar Hylton:

Lamar Hylton Bio Kent.edu

Reopening Kent State Kent.edu

Flashes Safe Seven Safety Principles Kent.edu

Pulse Point Survey of College Presidents ACE

ABOUT THE SHOW

Tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @ACEducation or email podcast@acenet.edu.

HOSTS

Episode 25: "Horrifying" Guidance on International Students; All About the Title IX Final Rule Jul 13, 2020

Show notes

Hosts Jon Fansmith and Sarah Spreitzer have a lively discussion about the recently issued ICE directive that bans international students from remaining in the United States if their colleges adopt an online-only instruction model for the fall, and speculate on what this means for institutions moving forward. Later, their colleague Anne Meehan and Holland & Knight Senior Counsel Jeff Nolan join them to talk about the Department of Education's new rule on Title IX and how colleges must handle sexual assault and sexual harassment complaints beginning Aug. 14.

EPISODE NOTES

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

New ICE Guidance Bans International Students From Online-only Instruction ACE

Statement by ACE President Ted Mitchell on ICE Guidance on International Students ACE

From Conversation with Jeff Nolan and Anne Meehan:

Comments to the Department of Education on Proposed Title IX Rule ACE

Amicus Brief and Motion to Delay Effective Date of Title IX Regulations ACE

Joint Guidance prepared by SUNY System

First Steps and Decision Points: Preparing for the New Title IX Reality Holland & Knight

Fair, Witness-Centered/Trauma-Informed Training Programs Holland & Knight

Recorded Webinar: Discussing the Title IX Final Rule ACE Engage

Title IX Resource Page ACE