Nasfaa's Off The Cuff Podcast

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin and Karen are joined by Jon Fansmith, the American Council on Education's senior vice president of government relations and national engagement, to discuss how Congress avoided a government shutdown and what that means for federal funding for the Office of Federal Student Aid. The team then discusses the upcoming negotiated rulemaking sessions for student debt relief, including the issue paper the Department of Education (ED) released before the October session, and ED's new gainful employment regulations. Justin and Karen also address concerns aid offices have about an influx of borrower defense to repayment claims. 

This week on a special episode of “Off The Cuff,” Justin is joined by Andy Brantley, president and CEO at College & University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR), to discuss findings from the latest iteration of their higher education employee retention survey. The results of the survey found concerning trends related to the financial aid profession’s retention rates, where a majority of financial aid professionals say they’re at least somewhat likely to look for other employment within a year. Justin and Andy go on to discuss factors underlying the retention crisis in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the significant challenges the higher education sector is faced with, and dive into the staying power of remote and hybrid working environments.

This week on "Off the Cuff," Allie, Jill, and David discuss the latest details on the return to student loan repayment and highlight the nuances of a new FAFSA simplification term: “contributors.” Allie and Jill kick things off by running through where things stand with the return to student loan repayment, the on-ramp to repayment, servicer wait times, and the administration’s new income-driven repayment (IDR) plan, the Saving on A Valuable Education (SAVE) repayment plan. David then helps listeners make sense of a new FAFSA term — “contributor” — which refers to anyone who is asked to provide information on an applicant’s FAFSA. David goes on to offer a number of scenarios in which an individual may or may not be considered as a part of that definition.

This week on a special episode of “Off The Cuff,” Justin is joined by U.S. Department of Education Under Secretary James Kvaal to discuss the administration's Saving on A Valuable Education (SAVE) repayment plan, a new income-driven repayment (IDR) plan that the administration has been heavily promoting as student loan repayments resume. The conversation dives into the benefits of the plan, the enrollment process, the timeline associated with its implementation, an overview of ED’s student loan portfolio, and more. Justin and Under Secretary Kvaal also go on to discuss some of the administration’s upcoming priorities for higher education, new regulations, the federal budget, and much more.

This week on "Off the Cuff," Justin and Karen are joined by Jon Fansmith, the American Council on Education's senior vice president of government relations, to dig into the latest state of play surrounding the federal budgeting process. The team highlights how Congress’ end of September deadline could impact a host of priorities for the Department of Education (ED), including its FAFSA simplification rollout, negotiated rulemaking, and general operations. The group also highlights ED’s new repayment plan and discusses some summer news coverage concerning perceptions of investments, and risks associated with higher education.

This week on "Off the Cuff," Justin and Rachel are joined by Jon Fansmith, the American Council on Education's senior vice president of government relations, to recap the most recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions that struck down race-conscious admissions policies and the Biden administration's student loan debt cancellation program. The group dives into what impact these decisions will have on college campuses and also provides details as to how schools can make sense of both decisions. The team then highlights what comes next for the on-ramp to student loan repayment and interest accrual, which will begin this September. Rachel and Justin also update listeners on NASFAA’s 2023 National Conference as well as some timely information from this week’s virtual conference.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin is joined by Dana Kelly, NASFAA's vice president of professional development and institutional compliance, and Kristi Jovell, director of student financial services operations and communications at Middlebury College and NASFAA's 2023 National Conference Program Task Force chair. The group discusses what attendees can expect of the 2023 National Conference in San Diego this month, including what sessions they’re looking forward to and what attendees can do for fun in San Diego. Follow along with the conversation from the National Conference online using #NASFAA2023. Can’t make it to San Diego this year? You can still register for the NASFAA Virtual Conference, which takes place July 10-14. 

This week on "Off the Cuff," Allie, Jill, and David cover the latest developments concerning the Department of Education’s roll-out of its proposed gainful employment regulations and financial value transparency framework, as well as the removal of the housing status question from the 2024-25 FAFSA. Jill dives into how new GE metrics could impact a variety of schools, as well as what comes next for the negotiated rulemaking process. David shares the impact of the removal of the housing question from the 2024-25 FAFSA and how schools can work through the packaging process. Hugh then catches listeners up on some higher education news coming from the White House, including a debt ceiling resolution and the latest on student loan cancellation.

This week on "Off the Cuff," Rachel joins Justin and Karen to discuss some breaking news on the Hill concerning the debt ceiling and congressional efforts to overturn President Joe Biden’s student loan debt cancellation plan. The team starts out with a discussion on the Senate passing a Congressional Review Act (CRA) seeking to rescind Biden’s debt cancellation plan and the fallout from the bipartisan vote. Rachel then provides an update on the debt ceiling deal, and how the measure is expected to impact federal funding for the upcoming fiscal years. The team then digs into some updates concerning SNAP eligibility.

This week on "Off the Cuff," Allie, Jill, and David discuss recent developments related to the Federal Work-Study program and how financial aid professionals can navigate the wind-down of COVID flexibilities. Jill details a recent information collection request from the Department of Education and concerns related to the extent of the collection. David then highlights the murkiness of the end dates of the public health emergency and the general COVID-19 national emergency and in what ways those can impact schools. Hugh then catches listeners up on some news of the week, which included ED’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for an overhaul of gainful employment as well as Education Secretary Miguel Cardona’s remarks on the Hill this week concerning the department’s budget and oversight requests from Congress.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin and Karen are joined by Jon Fansmith, the American Council on Education's senior vice president of government relations, to discuss the implications of the ongoing negotiations surrounding the debt ceiling and how federal higher education programs could be impacted. The conversation dives into congressional negotiations and how the issue differs from the annual budgeting process. The group then turns to the student loan servicing landscape, the latest on the return to repayment timeline, and a discussion on NASFAA’s latest task force providing schools with a toolkit to prepare. Hugh catches members up on some recent news concerning House Republicans’ efforts to rescind the administration’s debt cancellation program and ED updates on PSLF applications. 

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin is joined by NASFAA Policy Analyst Megan Walter and Scott Cline, senior vice president of enrollment management and auxiliary services at California College of the Arts. The group discusses the mission and goals of the cand its efforts to improve college financial aid offers. Megan then shares initial responses to the initiative’s drafted principles and standards, glossary, and aid offer examples. NASFAA members can submit their own comments to these documents by June 1, 2023. 

This week on a special episode of “Off the Cuff,” Justin is joined by Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), ranking member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a discussion on the latest issues impacting the higher education policymaking landscape. The discussion dives into the Pell Grant program and the prospect of short-term Pell, Scott’s bill aiming to address the student loan system, the rollout of FAFSA simplification, and much more. Justin also spoke with Scott about his educational background, his time on the education committee as previous chair and current ranking member, as well as his legislative outlook for this session.

This week on a special episode of "Off The Cuff," Justin is joined by Samantha Hicks, assistant vice president of financial aid and scholarships at Coastal Carolina University. Sam speaks with Justin about her experience of growing up in poverty and navigating higher education. During the conversation Sam also touched on her career in financial aid, which began back when she was a student worker at Coastal Carolina University. This is our third episode in the Voices series where we'd like to talk to our members about issues that touch on all facets of our lived experiences and highlight equity in financial aid, impacts of staffing shortages, personal experiences with financial aid as a student, and more. Interested in joining us on a future episode? Be sure to fill out our interest form located in the resources section. 

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin and Karen are joined by Jon Fansmith, the American Council on Education's senior vice president of government relations, to discuss the road map for the Department of Education’s 2024-25 FAFSA release, and President Joe Biden’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2024-25 and what it means for higher education funding. Jon dives into the main takeaways from the budget proposal, and how the process could unfold in a divided government. Karen then catches listeners up on all things FAFSA simplification, touching on the release of the draft FAFSA, future training, the department’s communication plan, and more. Hugh then updates listeners on some legislative and congressional activity concerning the student loan portfolio.

This week on a special episode of "Off The Cuff," Justin is joined by Alex DeLonis, the director of financial aid at Wabash College. Alex speaks with Justin about his experience as a first-generation college student and the issues he dealt with growing up in poverty. Alex then discusses how he began his career in financial aid at Harper College through the Federal Work-Study program to now being a director of financial aid. This is our second episode in the Voices series where we’d like to talk to our members about issues that touch on all facets of our lived experiences and highlight equity in financial aid, impacts of staffing shortages, personal experiences with financial aid as a student, and more. Interested in joining us on a future episode? Be sure to fill out our interest form located in the resources section.

This week on a special episode of “Off the Cuff,” Justin is joined by Michael Itzkowitz, the former director of the College Scorecard under the Obama administration, in a wide-ranging discussion focused on data and accountability metrics in higher education. Michael, the founder and president of the Higher Education Advisory Group and a non-resident senior fellow at Public Agenda, goes on to share his insights on varying metrics and outcome data, as well as his thoughts on short-term Pell Grants. Hugh catches listeners up on some new institutional oversight from Federal Student Aid and developments concerning the 2024-25 FAFSA.

This week on "Off the Cuff," Allie, Jill, and David discuss highlights from NASFAA’s FAFSA Simplification Implementation Working Group and cover some important details concerning late disbursements and retroactive payments. Jill dives into a pair of recent NASFAA surveys that capture financial aid offices’ preparedness for the impending rollout of FAFSA simplification changes, and also highlights a recent poll digging into the implications of a FAFSA housing question that will no longer be asked in 2024-25. David then follows up with discussion on late disbursements, and how they can impact institutions and student eligibility. Hugh catches members up on some initial topline numbers from President Joe Biden’s budget request and updates listeners on a new lawsuit challenging the administration’s freeze on federal student loan repayment and interest accrual.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin and Karen are joined by Jon Fansmith, the American Council on Education's senior vice president of government relations, to recap and debrief how President Joe Biden’s student loan cancellation program fared in oral arguments heard by the United States Supreme Court. The group then discusses the Department of Education’s (ED) updated guidance on third-party servicers and the removal of the question on the 2024-25 FAFSA that asks students whether they will live on campus or with parents. Maria then updates listeners on the latest news, including updates to the Sweet v. Cardona settlement, a new report from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on student loan debt relief, and a new lawsuit against ED’s borrower defense rules. 

This week on "Off the Cuff," Justin, Jill, and David discuss updated guidance from the Department of Education (ED) about third party servicers. Jill dives into the guidance, including what concerns institutions should have and what it means to be classified as a third party servicer. She also debriefs the listening sessions ED plans to hold in March on incentive compensation. Additionally, David discusses issues that arise when a student is enrolled in multiple programs at the same institution. Maria then shares some recent higher education news, including a new report of institutional endowments and upcoming protests as the Supreme Court prepares to hear oral arguments of President Joe Biden’s student loan debt relief program next Tuesday.