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NASFAA's Off the Cuff Podcast

Hosted by NASFAA staff, this weekly podcast offers an unscripted view of hot financial aid and higher education-related topics. Justin Draeger and co-hosts will discuss what's happening inside the beltway to give you an insider's perspective.
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Now displaying: March, 2022
Mar 24, 2022

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin is joined by Dr. Ellie Bruecker, a senior research associate at the Seldin /Haring-Smith Foundation, to dive deep into the growing trend of states requiring FAFSA completion for high school graduation and what it means for postsecondary enrollment. Bruecker shares insights from data collected during her dissertation on the topic and touches on the costs and benefits of the policy, as well as how higher education enrollment trends can be impacted by student access to information surrounding the costs of a given program. Justin then brings in Hugh to recap some of the latest news concerning the negotiated rulemaking committee, and a new policy out of ED that aims to keep corporate owners of private colleges on the hook for paying student loan discharges following school closures. 

Mar 17, 2022

This week on "Off the Cuff," Justin is joined by NASFAA Senior Policy Analyst Jill Desjean and NASFAA U Instructor David Tolman to discuss some significant updates to HEERF reporting, with the Department of Education recently making changes to the Quarterly Budget and Expenditures Report, as well as changes to the clock hour-to-credit hour conversion formula related to distance learning final rules. Justin then brings in Hugh to recap some of the latest news concerning the ongoing negotiated rulemaking committee, enactment of the fiscal year 2022 spending bill, and coverage of the student loan moratorium.

Mar 10, 2022

This week on “Off The Cuff,” Justin is joined by Scott Buchanan, Student Loan Servicing Alliance’s (SLSA) executive director, to discuss the somewhat contentious environment facing the student loan servicing industry as well as its role within the highly complicated world of higher education financing. The conversation is a deep dive about where student loan servicing stands today, how the Department of Education (ED) is handling the communication efforts surrounding the payment pause, what the eventual resumption of repayments looks like, critiques of the servicing industry, and much more. Hugh then provides a news recap including Congress’ work on a massive omnibus bill and its implications for higher education, how the administration is highlighting the one-year anniversary of the American Rescue Plan, and hints that the administration might be considering another extension of the student loan moratorium.

Mar 3, 2022

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 recap President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address and discuss the speech’s implications for the administration's higher education agenda. The team then dives into additional administrative priorities, with Karen highlighting the impact of the White House’s extension of the national emergency declaration, as well as other pressing issues concerning the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program and the practice of transcript withholding. Hugh then provides a recap of some higher education news, including a recent hearing hosted by a House Education and Labor subcommittee, an update from FSA on the processing time of payment counts for PSLF borrowers, as well as a recent settlement Navient made with a group of state attorneys general.

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