dotEDU: Higher Education Policy Explained

Latest Episodes:

Does Your Campus Outsource Its Online Programs? Prepare for Changes Mar 09, 2023

Show notes

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. Jon, Sarah, and Mushtaq get into the Supreme Court hearing that could determine the fate of President Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness initiative and other happenings in Washington.

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

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

Introduction:

On Student Loan Forgiveness, Conservative Justices Skeptical of Biden Plan The Washington Post (sub. req.) | Feb. 28, 2023

Plan B To Cancel Student Loan Debt? The White House Won't Go There Even as Pressure Mounts USA Today (sub. req.) | March 4, 2023

Fact Sheet: The President's Budget: Extending Medicare Solvency by 25 Years or More, Strengthening Medicare, and Lowering Health Care Costs The White House | March 7, 2023

House Republicans Introduce 'Parents Bill of Rights' Aimed at Oversight in Education CNN | March 2, 2023

House Panel To Consider GOP Bill Banning Transgender Women, Girls From Team Sports The Hill | March 6, 2023

Conversation with Kelly Otter:

USC Pushed a $115,000 Online Degree. Graduates Got Low Salaries, Huge Debts. The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) | Nov. 9, 2021

GAO Takes Moderate Stance on Online Program Providers Inside Higher Ed | May 6, 2022

Request for Extension on Third-Party Servicers Comment Deadline ACE | Feb. 23, 2023

Competing Models Among OPM Providers Inside Higher Ed | Oct. 25, 2017

dotEDU Live: New Rules from ED, Culture War Rhetoric Ramps Up, the End of the COVID Emergency, More Feb 17, 2023

Show notes

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, 2023

ACE, Groups Call for Overhaul of the Federal Financial Aid System in Comments on Education Department's Income-driven Repayment Plans

U.S. Department of Education Launches Review of Prohibition on Incentive Compensation for College Recruiters Department of Education

The Culture Wars Have Come for American Higher Ed. Again. dotEDU Episode 82

U.S. Faces Possible Default Between July and September as Deficit Rises The Washington Post (sub. req.) | Feb. 15, 2023

Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund 2021 Annual Performance Report (PDF) Department of Education (Feb. 2023)

OPINION: I'm a Congressman Who Codes. A.I. Freaks Me Out. The New York Times (sub. req.) | Jan. 23, 2023

The Culture Wars Have Come for American Higher Ed. Again. Feb 09, 2023

Show notes

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 transgender students. What does the upswing in activities by state legislatures in the ramp up to the 2024 election mean? Could these gag orders happen at the federal level?

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

COVID State of Emergency Ends in May; Federal Pandemic Aid was Key to Supporting Students ACE | Feb. 6, 2023

More than 100 House Republicans File Amicus Brief on Biden Student Loan Forgiveness The Hill | Feb. 3, 2023

Campus Free Speech PEN America

Education Gag Orders PEN America

PEN America Index of Educational Gag Orders

In Higher Education, New Educational Gag Orders Would Exert Unprecedented Control Over College Teaching PEN America | Feb. 1, 2022

ACE Statement on Open Academic Inquiry (2022)

Florida Rejects A.P. African American Studies Class The New York Times | Jan. 19, 2023

Will a Small, Quirky Florida College Become 'DeSantis U'? The Washington Post | Jan. 23, 2023

DeSantis Aims To Cut College Diversity Efforts; New College Ousts President The Washington Post | Jan. 31, 2023

Education Issues Vault to Top of the G.O.P.'s Presidential Race The New York Times | Feb. 2, 2023

Attempt to Defund UW Gender Studies Fails Again Casper Star Tribune | Feb. 3, 2023

What the New Congress and Biden Administration Have in Store for Higher Ed in 2023 Jan 26, 2023

Show notes

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 to accreditation, state authorization, and distance education rules.

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

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

DACA Remains Intact as Appeals Court Sends Case Challenging Its Legality Back To Lower Court in Texas The Texas Tribune | Oct. 5, 2022

Here's the Education Department's Next Regulatory Agenda Higher Ed Dive | Jan. 5, 2023

Federal Student Loan Office Has Lots To Do but No New Money To Do It CNN | Jan. 16, 2023

Pace of FAFSA Simplification Concerning Inside Higher Ed | Oct. 10, 2022

Biden Administration Proposes New Student Loan Repayment Plan That Could Cut Some Payments in Half CNBC | Jan. 10, 2023

Education Department Plans To Publish List of Low-performing Programs Inside Higher Ed | Jan. 13, 2023

DOL Plans May Release for New Overtime Threshold Higher Ed Dive | Jan. 6, 2023

Faculty, Staff Are Burned Out. How Should Higher Ed Respond? Jan 12, 2023

Show notes

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 links and references from this week's show:

Introduction:

These Republicans Were Selected to Chair House Committees After Speaker Battle Delay The Hill | Jan. 9, 2023

What To Know About Biden's Income-driven Repayment Proposal The New York Times (sub. req.) | Jan. 10, 2023

Conversation with Andy Brantley:

CUPA-HR

The CUPA-HR 2022 Higher Education Employee Retention Survey: Initial Results

The CUPA-HR 2022 Higher Education Employee Retention Survey: Focus on Supervisors

The Great Attrition Is Making Hiring Harder. Are You Searching the Right Talent Pools? McKinsey | July 13, 2022

Great Expectations: Making Hybrid Work Work Microsoft | March 16, 2022

It's Not About the Office, It's About Belonging McKinsey | Jan. 13, 2022

New EY Consulting Survey Confirms 90% Of Us Workers Believe Empathetic Leadership Leads To Higher Job Satisfaction and 79% Agree It Decreases Employee Turnover Ernst & Young | Oct. 14, 2021

Majority of Workers Who Quit a Job in 2021 Cite Low Pay, No Opportunities for Advancement, Feeling Disrespected Pew Research Center | March 9, 2022

Staffing Woes Continue at Community Colleges, Stalling Their Pandemic Recovery The Chronicle of Higher Education (sub. req.) | Dec. 16, 2022

The Year in Higher Education Policy Dec 21, 2022

Show notes

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 admissions.

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

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

Congress to Boost Pell Grant by $500 Inside Higher Ed | Dec. 21, 2022

Effort in U.S. Congress to Protect 'Dreamer' Immigrants Stalling Reuters | Dec. 15, 2022

Student Loan Borrowers Thought They were Getting Relief. Now, Courts Have Put Their Lives on Hold. NBC | Dec. 10, 2022

360,000 Student Loan Borrowers Received $24 Billion in Forgiveness from Fix to Public Service Loan Forgiveness CNBC | Dec. 8, 2022

International College Enrollment Ticks Back up After Pandemic The Washington Post | Nov. 14, 2022

CHIPS+ Could Change the U.S. Semiconductor Supply Chain, and More The Washington Post | Dec. 19, 2022

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

Financial Aid Letters Don't Reveal the Real Cost of College The Washington Post | Dec. 7, 2022

ACE, Higher Ed Groups Launch Task Force to Improve Student Aid Offers and Price Transparency ACE | Dec. 2, 2022

States Step in as Federal Action on Dreamers Goes Nowhere Dec 08, 2022

Show notes

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 state. The hosts also break down recent higher education policy developments, including government funding, the Biden student loan forgiveness plan, a new report on college financial aid award letters, and more.

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

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

Arizona Proposition 308: 'Dreamer' Tuition Measure Passes as Final Votes Tallied Arizona Republic (sub. req.) | Nov. 14, 2022

Proposition 308

Yes on 308

Best Unpaid Political Strategist Phoenix New Times | 2014

Arizona Proposition 300, Prohibit Education Financial Assistance and In-State Tuition for Non-Citizens Measure Ballotpedia

From the introduction:

Senators Draft Bipartisan Framework To Legalize DACA Recipients and Extend Trump-era Border Policy CNN | Dec. 5, 2022

Lawmakers Labor to Break Impasses Stalling Massive Spending Bill Politico | Dec. 6, 2022

GAO Blasts Colleges on Aid Offers Inside Higher Ed | Dec. 6, 2022

Supreme Court to Hear Student Debt Forgiveness Case The New York Times | Dec. 1, 2022

Are the U.S. News College Rankings Finally Going to Die? The New York Times | Nov. 22, 2022

Midterm Election Aftermath Nov 21, 2022

Show notes

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 forgiveness program.

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

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

How Joe Biden and the Democratic Party Defied Midterm History CNN | Nov. 13, 2022

Elections 2022: The Educational Divide That Helps Explain the Midterms Politico | Nov. 17, 2022

McCarthy Passes First Test in His Bid for Speaker. Now Comes the Hard Part. NBC News | Nov. 15, 2022

Amid Court Challenges to Its Student Debt Forgiveness, Biden Administration Could Extend Payment Pause Yet Again CNBC | Nov. 15, 2022

Democrats Mull Debt Limit Options as Lame-duck Window Narrows Roll Call | Nov. 15, 2022

Is It Now or Never for DACA? Politico | Nov. 15, 2022

Letter Urging 117th Congress to Protect Dreamers Before Adjourning

Remember the Dreamers

Cassidy in Line for Top Help GOP Slot as Paul Takes Oversight Role Axios | Nov. 17, 2022

Oversight a Priority for GOP on House Education and Labor Panel Bloomberg Law | Nov. 17, 2022

Making the Case for Sustainability in Higher Ed Nov 10, 2022

Show notes

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 the climate crisis.

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

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

Introduction:

Dual Mission Summit Colorado Mountain College

Dueling Purpose: Can The Dual-Mission College Change Higher Education? Forbes | March 16, 2021

Conversation with Heidi VanGenderen:

Sustainability at CU Boulder

Chancellor Names Inaugural Members of University Sustainability Council CU Boulder | July 23, 2021

Five Questions with Heidi VanGenderen, Co-Chair of the Right Here Right Now Global Climate Summit CU Boulder | May 9, 2022

Right Here Right Now Global Climate Alliance

Right Here Right Now Global Climate Summit

Climate Change Rises as a Public Priority. But It's More Partisan Than Ever. The New York Times (sub. req.) | Feb. 20, 2020

Global Education Coalition UNESCO

Why Climate Action Is in Higher Education's Best Interest Higher Education Today | Nov. 10, 2022

Bonus: Prepping for a Supreme Court Hearing Starts at Georgetown Oct 27, 2022

Show notes

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 education association community's amicus brief in the upcoming hearing on the use of race in college admissions.

ACE Leads Nearly 40 Associations Urging the Supreme Court to Reaffirm the Legality and Value of Race-Conscious Admissions

Moot Court Program Georgetown Law