Nasfaa's Off The Cuff Podcast

This week on “Off The Cuff,” Justin is joined by Dr. Sandy Baum, a nonresident senior fellow for the Center on Education Data and Policy at the Urban Institute, as they discuss higher education priorities and how in a world of limited resources the federal government can best allocate and target spending. The conversation touches on free community college, debt forgiveness, doubling the Pell Grant, and dives into which of these investments could have the biggest impact on students. Justin and Sandy also cover topical higher education news like recent issues surrounding institutional accountability, student loan repayment plans, and more. Hugh then provides an update on some of the biggest financial aid news on the student loan portfolio, remarks from Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, and highlights profiles of our latest Diversity Leadership Program class.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin is joined by NASFAA Senior Policy Analyst Jill Desjean and NASFAA U Instructor David Tolman, who give listeners an update on a number of regulatory issues. Jill and David provide insight on some questions from NASFAA members concerning the HEERF annual reporting form, regulatory assistance issues concerning institutions packaging  students for 2022-23 award year, setting costs of attendance, and preparations for tuition and assistance for the upcoming academic year. Hugh then provides a quick recap on some of the biggest higher education news of the week, with highlights from the Department of Education’s ongoing negotiated rulemaking sessions, updates on issues concerning the student loan portfolio, higher education enrollment trends, and more.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin and Karen are joined by Jon Fansmith, the American Council on Education's assistant vice president for government relations, to dive into their predictions concerning higher education’s political landscape for 2022. The group covers Build Back Better’s pathway, congressional dynamics on spending bills, the pandemic’s continued impact on higher education, the potential wind-down of the federal student loan moratorium, and more. Hugh also provides an update on congressional Republicans’ efforts to question the Department of Education on its usage of temporary waivers for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, a recap of NASFAA’s article detailing financial aid staffing shortages, as well as a quick resource update on next week’s negotiated rulemaking session.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin is joined by NASFAA’s 2021-22 National Chair Brent Tener and Beth Maglione, NASFAA’s executive vice president. The three dive into conversation surrounding professional experience, NASFAA’s operations, and experiences working with a variety of higher education institutions. The discussion also centers on the most current higher education news, student aid operations, a number of federal policies impacting financial aid, and how the long-lasting impacts of the pandemic are shaping the sector. Hugh also provides a recap of the latest higher education news this week with some handy resources for subscribers to catch up on some of the biggest news stories from 2021.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin is joined by NASFAA’s Vice President of Professional Development & Institutional Compliance Dana Kelly and Shannon Crossland, executive director of student financial aid & scholarships at Texas Tech University. The group discusses Shannon’s career path in financial aid and how administrators can develop and advance in the profession. Shannon shares insight into what skills are valuable as a financial aid director and Dana details the various NASFAA offerings to help administrators develop and grow in the field. Owen wraps up the podcast with a news rundown covering Congress’ end of year activity and a brief recap from the recently completed negotiated rulemaking committee on student loans and affordability.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin is joined by NASFAA Policy Analyst Jill Desjean and NASFAA U Instructor David Tolman to give listeners an update on the Annual Student Loan Acknowledgement (ASLA) and regulatory takeaways from the annual Federal Student Aid Training Conference. David and Justin discuss the Top Audit and Program Review Findings session from the conference, with Return of Title IV Funds topping the list. Owen then gives a quick update on the state of government funding through the new year, as well as what a new negotiating rulemaking committee will discuss when they gather in January.

On this episode of "Off The Cuff," Justin and Karen are joined by Jon Fansmith, the American Council on Education's assistant vice president for government relations, to help break down the latest on the end-of-year activity on Capitol Hill. The group also discusses a recent hearing with Department of Education Under Secretary James Kvaal where lawmakers were briefed on how the COVID-19 Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund allocations are being spent. Plus, the group recaps the highlights from a busy week at the annual Federal Student Aid Training Conference.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin is joined by three financial aid professionals who discuss how their offices plan to operate as we transition into 2022 where higher education, like many sectors, begins to approach a resumption of pre-pandemic operations. Tune in hear firsthand from our guests — Tyler Pruett, director of financial aid at Samuel Merritt University and Melissa Kunes, an assistant vice president for undergraduate education and executive director of the Office of Student Aid at The Pennsylvania State University — how financial aid offices are implementing new remote, hybrid, and in-person work policies. The three discuss their institutions’ plans in the months ahead, and share their thoughts on how the sector will approach a post-pandemic landscape. Plus, Hugh has a recap of the latest higher education and financial aid news.

This week on "Off the Cuff," Justin is joined by NASFAA Policy Analyst Jill Desjean and NASFAA U Instructor David Tolman to catch members up on updates from the Department of Education. Specifically, Jill highlights new agency recommendations concerning updated guidance on institutional aid offers and David details new academic calendar formats and how institutions are navigating structures that don’t clearly fit quarter or semester structures. Hugh then has a quick update on what the NASFAA team is following on the student loan front, as well as the Biden administration’s Build Back Better agenda as it makes its way through Congress.

This week on “Off The Cuff,” Justin and Karen are joined by the American Council on Education’s Assistant Vice President for Government Relations Jon Fansmith. The group kicks things off by detailing what higher education provisions have made the cut for President Joe Biden’s most recent Build Back Better framework. Karen then provides some fodder about the ongoing negotiated rulemaking process, and Hugh has a quick outlook on what NASFAA is tracking when it comes to these big policy debates, detailing how the process might play out.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin is joined by Michael Stratford, an education reporter at Politico, to discuss all things student loans and federal financial aid. The two break down key differences between the Biden and Obama administrations’ higher education agendas before covering how the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) is being run under Richard Cordray — and how FSA is handling student loan servicers. Michael then details his reporting on the Department of Education’s plan to restart student loan payments after what will be a nearly two-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin is joined by Emma Crawford, manager of financial aid and financial wellness at the University of Wisconsin, where she works with medical students advising them on financial budgeting and creating a plan to pay off their student loans. Along with University of Wisconsin medical student Chris Rufus Sweeney, the group discusses the financial wellness course they helped launch at Wisconsin, the impact it’s had, and how students are utilizing the information to help budget for paying their student loans. Plus, Owen and Justin recap the latest higher education and financial aid news.

This week on “Off the Cuff” we’re bringing listeners a new podcast format featuring in-depth discussion with NASFAA staff on the latest pressing regulatory topics and questions. Justin is joined by NASFAA Policy Analyst Jill Desjean and NASFAA U Instructor David Tolman to discuss how a rule from the Department of Education on distance learning changed the treatment of return of Title IV funds in term-based programs that offer modules. David addresses some of the questions he and his team are receiving on the topic before Jill details recent guidance on how student athletes’ academic scholarships could affect their estimated financial assistance and what aid offices should be aware of. Listeners, we want to hear from you! Leave us a comment and let us know what topics you want covered on future episodes.

“Off The Cuff” is back and excited to bring listeners new aspects to the podcast. In this week’s “Inside the Beltway'' episode, Justin is joined by the association’s new Vice President of Public Policy and Federal Relations Karen McCarthy and the American Council on Education’s Assistant Vice President for Government Relations Jon Fansmith. The group breaks down the state of play of the budget reconciliation package and where things stand on Capitol Hill. Jon gives an update on the reconciliation process and discusses hangups between Democrats over the $3.5 trillion price tag and what, if any, higher education policies could get cut from the legislation. Also in this episode: what President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate could mean for higher ed and aid offices, ED's recent announcement regarding PSLF, and the latest on the negotiated rulemaking sessions currently underway. As a reminder, our website will be undergoing system maintenance starting this afternoon, but you can listen to this episode on Spotify or A

This week on a special episode of “Off The Cuff,” the team provides a quick update on developments surrounding the budget reconciliation process and how the Build Back Better Act will impact higher education policies. Rachel and Karen dive right into the legislation making its way through the House and specifically highlight what the current version of the text could mean for maximum Pell Grants, Pell for DACA recipients, free community college, tuition assistance at minority serving institutions, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, and completion grants. Stay tuned to Today’s News for more breaking developments concerning the legislative package.

The group reconvenes amid an extended summer break to chat with Megan, share some fond memories, and wish her the best in her next endeavor as she wraps up her final week with NASFAA. Megan reminisces about how she landed the job, her early days at NASFAA, and how much the advocacy and higher education landscape has changed over the course of her decade in the role. She also discusses how she weighed the decision to make a career move and provides insight into navigating a job change. Plus the team reads comments submitted by listeners regarding Megan and her work. You won't find news or policy updates on this week's episode, but stick around until the end for a note from Justin about the future of Off The Cuff.

This week on a special episode of "Off The Cuff," Rachel hosts a discussion with NASFAA’s most recent Dallas Martin Endowment (DME) Policy Intern, Richard Davis, Jr. The higher education policy experts delve into a host of issues surrounding student aid and recap this summer’s advocacy efforts. Rachel and Richard cover topics concerning Pell Grant restoration, NASFAA’s advocacy pipeline, highlights from the Committee for Education Funding's (CEF) weekly meetings and more. Richard, who recently completed his summer internship, also shares his future plans and offers listeners insight as to what projects NASFAA has planned for the fall that will utilize some of his research. Want to learn more about the Dallas Martin Endowment for Public Policy and Student Aid (DME) summer internship? Be sure to check out the DME Prospectus to learn more about the purposes, policies, and goals of the fund.

This week on "Off The Cuff," the team dives into Congress’ legislative landscape for the summer with the House slated to shortly adjourn until mid-September. Justin and Megan provide updates on the annual budgeting process, what to expect in the reconciliation process and highlight a number of policy proposals that could see floor action in the months ahead. Hugh highlights some recent discussions surrounding the student loan landscape recapping Sen. Elizabeth Warren's second hearing on student loans coupled with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi recent remarks. Jill then covers a number of changes coming for loan servicing as well as the Department of Education’s (ED) recent outreach to collect comments on Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program experiences. Plus the team wants to know: What are your summer vacation plans?

This week on “Off The Cuff,” the team covers the latest news from the Department of Education (ED) concerning changes to the verification process for the 2021-22 award year. Jump to minute 7:03 to dive right into the policy discussion where Karen and Justin break down what impact the changes will have on the upcoming award year. Hugh has an update on congressional spending negotiations and shares how the legislative process could affect a number of higher education programs. Jill also then details an emergency broadband program that can be utilized by Pell Grant recipients. Plus the team wants to know what headlines from the past week made you think to yourself, what did I just read?

This week on "Off The Cuff," the team provides updates on the latest news surrounding efforts to double the maximum Pell Grant award and the developments on the legislative landscape for implementing President Joe Biden’s higher education agenda. Megan previews the House’s next steps on working through the appropriations process with the Department of Education’s (ED) funding bill slated to soon be released. Owen then jumps in to provide details on congressional efforts to extend the federal student loan moratorium past its September 30 deadline. The team then dives into breaking developments concerning the student loan servicing. Plus the team wants to know, what is the best backhanded compliment you have ever received?