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ELM Resources. From our family to yours, we send a warm Happy Holidays greeting your way! And, ELM's Season of Thanks continues this month with a celebration of our recent survey results. We are so honored and proud of the trust you place in us each day. Your needs are our focus. Contact us to learn more about how we can help you. Visit www.elmresources.com or contact us at [email protected].

The NASFAA headquarters are closed today along with federal agencies due to a snow storm impacting the Washington, D.C. area. NASFAA staff who can telework are working to the extent they are able, but phone and email responses may be delayed. Online services should continue uninterrupted.

Individuals from all corners of college and university campuses received a crash course on the most pressing issues facing higher education today as they gathered in Washington, DC on Tuesday for the first in-person convening of the Higher Education Committee of 50.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Tuesday testified before a House appropriations subcommittee to answer questions about and justify the Department of Education's (ED) fiscal year 2019 budget. DeVos said the budget "sharpens and hones the focus of our mission: serving students by meeting their needs." Much like the Trump administration's 2018 budget proposal, the latest one would significantly curtail funding for some student aid programs while eliminating others. While the hearing focused mainly on K-12 education policy, Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK), chairman of the subcommittee, said he was "concerned about the Administration continuing to request cuts that the Congress has rejected." Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), ranking member of the subcommittee, also pressed DeVos on ED's recent announcement regarding federal preemption over state law in student loan servicing oversight. Watch the full hearing on the subcommittee's website.

Schools can originate 2018-19 Federal Pell Grants, TEACH Grants, and Direct Loans starting March 25, 2018. Different timeframes apply to Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants. Head to the AskRegs Knowledgebase for the full answer to this question, and for credible and reliable solutions to your other pressing regulatory and compliance questions.

Are your graduating students ready to hit the "real world" and manage their finances? If you were unable to join us for the live webcast of our "Student Financial Wellness in a Credit Card World" webinar, you may now view it on-demand. Brad Barnett, director of financial aid & scholarships at James Madison University, discusses the 3-credit-hour class JMU has been offering to seniors that reviews the effect a personal philosophy on money and the influence of societal expectations can have on the management of personal finances. You'll learn how to ensure your students are equipped to manage their own financial wellness. Order the on-demand webinar.

"It's college admission season, the time of year when you find out whether you're accepted by the schools you hope to attend this fall. It's also the time that you find out something else—how much financial aid the schools are offering you," according to Consumer Reports. NASFAA President Justin Draeger is quoted.

"The U.S. Education Department is granting full forgiveness of $322 million in loans made to four historically black colleges and universities that suffered damage after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck the Gulf Coast in 2005," The Washington Post reports.

"Five years ago the Georgia Institute of Technology began a bold experiment -- to take a high-profile graduate program, put it online and offer it to students at a fraction of the cost of the in-person degree," Inside Higher Ed reports.

"Many first-generation students don't see themselves as belonging in college," according to Inside Higher Ed. "At Arizona Western College, that doubt is one of the biggest barriers to getting students in and through the two-year institution. The college, which enrolls 8,000 students, has the highest proportion of first-generation students -- 66 percent -- in the state."

"After the story of a Tennessee nurse whose license was revoked for defaulting on student loans went viral, a bill to prevent it from happening again passed in the state Senate on Monday," the Tennessean reports. 

"One thousand DACA students, also called 'Dreamers,' will receive full scholarships to pursue an associate’s or bachelor’s degree at Southern New Hampshire University over the next five years," Diverse: Issues in Higher Education reports.

"The price of college has increased at rates that far exceed inflation and price growth in most other areas of the marketplace. For those working in higher education, issues surrounding college affordability have received increased attention given recent federal action, including conversations around the potential reauthorization of the Higher Education Act," David Tandberg, Robert Kelchen, and Sarah Pingel write in Medium. This article references NASFAA's Monograph 24.

"Supporters of tuition-free higher education say it is an investment that benefits all Americans. But opponents say expecting taxpayers to shoulder the cost is unfair," according to The Wall Street Journal. "Sara Goldrick-Rab, a professor of higher-education policy and sociology at Temple University, argues in favor of free college education. Neal McCluskey, director of the Cato Institute’s Center for Educational Freedom, opposes the idea."

"Kelly Morrissey, director of financial aid at Mount Wachusett Community College in Massachusetts, has been elected to serve a two-year term as a representative at large on the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators board," Community College Daily reports. 

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