today’s news for Monday, June 29, 2015

ED Appoints Special Master For Corinthian Debt Relief Plan

The Department of Education (ED) last week appointed consumer and taxpayer advocate Joseph A. Smith as a special master to inform the debt relief process for former Corinthian College students. Smith's appointment is part of a larger ED plan to assist the students impacted by the closure of Corinthian Colleges and students who believe they were victims of fraud, regardless of whether their school closed.

AskRegs Knowledgebase Answers: What Is the Difference Between an Embedded Certificate and Concurrent Enrollment for Gainful Employment Purposes?

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.

Learn About Events for First-Time Attendees and Sign Up for a Conference Mentor

There are over 400 first-time attendees who attend the National Conference each year, and this year, we have a special program packed full of fun and opportunities! Join us for all of the First-time Attendee Networking Events, including events in the First-Time Attendee Lounge where you can win fabulous prizes and network with colleagues. If you are attending the conference for the first time and would like a conference mentor, please complete this quick online form.

THE D.C. DOCKET

With the summer now in full swing, and the House and Senate on recess, there are not any events of note this week. The D.C. Docket will return the week of July 6. In the meantime, check out NASFAA's summer 2015 policy intern for the Dallas Martin Fund for Education Angel Flores' most recent blog entry for a roundup of the policy events he attended last week and updates on the projects he's working on for NASFAA this summer. Email us at [email protected] if you're aware of upcoming policy events that could be of interest to the financial aid community.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

6-26: 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.

FEDERAL REGISTER

Comment Request: GEAR UP Applications for Partnership and State Grants

Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) is a discretionary grant program which encourages applicants to provide support and maintain a commitment to eligible low-income students, including students with disabilities, to assist the students in obtaining a secondary school diploma and preparing for and succeeding in postsecondary education.

Notice: Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Information To Be Verified for the 2016-2017 Award Year

For each award year, the Secretary publishes in the Federal Register a notice announcing the FAFSA information that an institution and an applicant may be required to verify, as well as the acceptable documentation for verifying FAFSA information. This is the notice for the 2016-2017 award year.

HEADLINES

National News

5 Ideas To Ease The Burden Of Student Loans

"The total outstanding balance of federal student loans: $1.3 trillion. Whether it's because of for-profit colleges shutting down or popular debates about the moral necessity of repayment, the issue consistently makes headlines, and it shows signs of emerging into political prominence during this election cycle," NPR reports.

Education Adds Likelihood Of Holding Work Credential

"A new report from the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics shows that the proportion of adults with a work credential typically increases with educational attainment, excluding those adults with a doctoral degree," Inside Higher Ed reports.

First-Generation Students And Academic Preparation

"A new report from ACT and the Council for Opportunity in Education found that the vast majority of first-generation students who take ACT's college entrance exam plan to attend college, but about half of them are academically unprepared to succeed," Inside Higher Ed reports.

State News

Oregon Senate OKs Bill Giving Aid To Students Here Illegally

"Some Oregon students living in the U.S. without legal permission could qualify for state financial aid under a measure advanced by the state Senate Thursday, despite criticism that the state can't afford the additional grants," The Associated Press reports.

Opinions

Opinion: Higher Education Reform Should Start With For-Profit Schools

"As the presidential campaign season heats up, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are talking about debt-free or tuition-free college," Alexis Goldstein and Luke Herrine write in an opinion piece for Al Jazeera America.

Blogs and Think Tanks

The Relationship Between Student Debt and College Completion

"The District of Columbia is the student debt capital of America. At nearly $41,000, the average student loan burden for someone living in Washington, D.C., is $10,000 higher than in any other state," the Center for American Progress reports.

NASFAA UNIVERSITY

• NASFAA University Half-Day Workshops At The National Conference  
• Complimentary Training Video, NASFAA University - Packaging Lessons  

NASFAA CAREER CENTER

• Assistant Director of Financial Aid, Lake Superior State University, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
• Associate Director - Student Financial Aid Services, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut

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