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TODAY'S NEWS

today’s news for Monday, March 9, 2015

The College Board: Since helping to shape the field in 1954, the College Board and its member partners have collaborated to provide leadership, expertise, and a suite of reliable, consistent, and user-designed financial aid solutions including PowerFAIDS®, the Institutional Methodology, CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE®, and others. Visit us at collegeboard.org.


NEWS FROM NASFAA

AskRegs Knowledgebase Answers: Can We Complete Verification If The IRS Extension to File Taxes Has Expired?

Learn the answer to this question and learn how to instantly find credible and reliable solutions to your most pressing regulatory and compliance questions with NASFAA's AskRegs Knowledgebase. The Knowledgebase guide and video tutorials highlight the many features of this tool.

Trending @ NASFAA: NASFAA Members Advocate For Student Aid On Capitol Hill

Attendees of last week's Leadership and Legislative Conference and Expo had the chance to put conference lessons into practice as they visited Capitol Hill to advocate for student aid. The Hill visits capped off a few full days of leadership training and networking, which members NASFAA caught up with hailed as an exciting and worthwhile experience. When asked her advice for other financial aid administrators considering coming next year, Kristen Gibbs from Central Methodist University had just one recommendation: "Without a doubt, come."

Did You Miss NASFAA's Live Webinar on Verification for 2015-16? Catch It Now On Demand

Want to learn how your colleagues are handling verification challenges on their campuses? Watch the 2015-16 Verification Webinar to delve deeper into verification issues as NASFAA reviews Department of Education guidance provided over the past year and explores challenges schools face with the verification process. The webinar is $115 for members, $230 for non-members and no additional fee for webinar package purchasers. The archive of this webinar will be available for viewing until April 18, 2015.

THE D.C. DOCKET

NASFAA is here to help you stay up to date on the top policy events occurring throughout the week in Washington, D.C. and, when applicable, across the country. Make sure to check back in to Today's News each morning for coverage of some of the events, and email us at [email protected] if you're aware of upcoming policy events that could be of interest to the financial aid community.

Congress:

  • The House and Senate are in session the week of March 9.

Monday:

Tuesday:

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

3-06: Operational Implementation Guidance - Federal Student Aid's Implementation of 2015-2016 Federal Pell Grant Payment and Disbursement Schedules

This Electronic Announcement provides institutions with important information about the system, Web, and software modifications we are making to reflect the 2015-2016 Federal Pell Grant (Pell Grant) payment and disbursement schedules, including changes the Department must implement to the Central Processing System (CPS), the ISIR Analysis Tool, the Common Origination and Disbursement (COD) System, and the EDExpress for Windows software.

3-06: COD Processing Update

The COD Processing Update provides information related to COD System processing and includes the following sections: COD News and Updates, Current Issues (with a subsection for All Programs, Direct Loans, and Grants), and Reminders.

HEADLINES

National News

Education May Be Priceless, But A College Degree Isn't

"Paying for college gets more expensive every year. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Americans owe more than a trillion dollars in outstanding student loan payments," NPR reports.

The School Where Everyone Fills Out The FAFSA

"Every year, more than 2 million students who would qualify for federal Pell Grants fail to fill out the form that determines eligibility - the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. But not one of those 2 million students goes to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. College Preparatory School in Chicago," NPR reports.

Sweet Briar's Demise Is A Cautionary Tale For Other Colleges

"Among the striking statements that came with the announcement this week of the planned closure of Sweet Briar College were those by the college's president and its Board of Trustees, which painted the decision as inevitable," The Chronicle of Higher Education reports.

Southern New Hampshire U President Takes Temporary Post At Education Department

"The White House is running short on time to accomplish its goal of encouraging more experimentation with competency-based education and new accreditation pathways. So the Obama administration's Department of Education this week tapped a seasoned university president for help," Inside Higher Ed reports.

Still At A Disadvantage

"Throwing another wrench into the belief that higher education is the great equalizer, a new paper suggests that African-American graduates from elite institutions do only as well in getting jobs as white candidates from less-selective institutions," Inside Higher Ed reports.

Just How Private Are College Students' Campus Counseling Records?

"The U.S. Department of Education on Wednesday weighed in on an alleged case of sexual assault at the University of Oregon that has prompted heated debate about how privacy protections apply to students' therapy records," The Chronicle of Higher Education reports.

529 College Savings Plans In A State Of Evolution

"Early this year, 529 college savings plans stirred a lot of attention - outrage, really - when President Obama proposed eliminating the tax-free status of withdrawals from the accounts, which millions of Americans use to save for higher education costs," The New York Times reports.

It's Better To Struggle At A Good School Than To Ace Community College

"Borderline students with marginal SAT scores often have two choices: They could scrape their way into a four-year public university, or they could enroll in community college," Bloomberg Business reports.

State News

Connecticut: Yale Students Protest Work Requirement For Aid Recipients

"A requirement that Yale undergraduates on financial aid pay up to $6,400 annually toward their education is coming under protest from students who argue it creates a divide along class lines and keeps them from participating more in campus life," The Associated Press reports.

Opinions

Opinion: Proven Private-Sector Practices Can Bring Down Student Loan Defaults

"Why are delinquency rates still rising for student loans while those for mortgages, home equity lines of credit, auto loans, and credit cards are all declining now that the economy is recovering?" Balaji Rajan, president and CEO of Ceannate Corp, asks in an opinion piece for The Hill.

Blogs and Think Tanks

Here's What Will Truly Change Higher Education: Online Degrees That Are Seen As Official

"Three years ago, technology was going to transform higher education. What happened?" The New York TimesThe Upshot asks.

INDUSTRY NEWS

NASFAA UNIVERSITY

NASFAA CAREER CENTER


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