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.