2023 Year in Review: The 10 Most Downloaded “Off The Cuff” Episodes
By Hugh T. Ferguson, NASFAA Senior Staff Reporter
NASFAA's weekly policy podcast, "Off The Cuff," reached tens of thousands of listeners in 2023, keeping members up to date on all things related to financial aid and higher education amid a busy year full of changes and challenges. Check out the top 10 most downloaded episodes and relisten to your favorites from the past year.
OTC AskRegs Experts: Examining New Guidance From ED on Third Party Servicers
February 24, 2023 - Justin, Jill, and David discuss updated guidance from the Department of Education (ED) about third party servicers. Jill dives into the guidance, including what concerns institutions should have and what it means to be classified as a third party servicer. She also debriefs the listening sessions ED plans to hold in March on incentive compensation.
OTC Inside the Beltway: What the End of the COVID-19 National Emergency Means For Financial Aid
Feb 3, 2023 - Justin and Karen are joined by Jon Fansmith, the American Council on Education's senior vice president of government relations, to discuss new data from the Department of Education on how Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) grants helped students and what President Joe Biden’s decision to end the COVID-19 national emergency means for financial aid.
OTC Inside the Beltway: Biden's Student Debt Relief Program Faces SCOTUS
March 3, 2023 - Justin and Karen are joined by Jon Fansmith, the American Council on Education's senior vice president of government relations, to recap and debrief how President Joe Biden’s student loan cancellation program fared in oral arguments heard by the United States Supreme Court.
OTC AskRegs Experts: Deep Dive on Proposed GE Regs and Removal of Housing Question on FAFSA
June 9, 2023 - Allie, Jill, and David cover the latest developments concerning the Department of Education’s roll-out of its proposed gainful employment regulations and financial value transparency framework, as well as the removal of the housing status question from the 2024-25 FAFSA. Jill dives into how new GE metrics could impact a variety of schools, as well as what comes next for the negotiated rulemaking process.
OTC AskRegs Experts: FAFSA Simplification Surveys and Making Sense of Payment Periods
March 10, 2023 - Allie, Jill, and David discuss highlights from NASFAA’s FAFSA Simplification Implementation Working Group and cover some important details concerning late disbursements and retroactive payments. Jill dives into a pair of recent NASFAA surveys that capture financial aid offices’ preparedness for the impending rollout of FAFSA simplification changes, and also highlights a recent poll digging into the implications of a FAFSA housing question that will no longer be asked in 2024-25.
OTC Inside the Beltway: Working Through the FAFSA Roadmap and the White House Budget Request
March 31, 2023 - Justin and Karen are joined by Jon Fansmith, the American Council on Education's senior vice president of government relations, to discuss the road map for the Department of Education’s 2024-25 FAFSA release, and President Joe Biden’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2024-25 and what it means for higher education funding.
OTC From the Field: A Conversation on Higher Ed Policymaking With Rep. Virginia Foxx
February 17, 2023 - Justin is joined by Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a conversation that focuses on the policymaking landscape for higher education. The discussion dives into a number of topics including short-term Pell Grant legislation, implementation of FAFSA simplification, oversight on the administration’s higher education policies, and the committee’s higher education agenda for the upcoming session.
OTC From the Field: Concerningly High Turnover Rates for Financial Aid Employees
September 29, 2023 - Justin is joined by Andy Brantley, president and CEO at College & University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR), to discuss findings from the latest iteration of their higher education employee retention survey. The results of the survey found concerning trends related to the financial aid profession’s retention rates, where a majority of financial aid professionals say they’re at least somewhat likely to look for other employment within a year.
OTC AskRegs Experts: Hey ChatGPT, Can You Draft This Week’s Podcast Title?
January 20, 2023 - Justin, Jill, and David put the latest artificial intelligence (AI) software to the test and cover the nuance of “unusual circumstances” for FAFSA simplification. Jill kicked things off with a recap of how ChatGPT, a chatbot that can be used for natural dialogue processing, fared in answering a number of financial aid-related questions. David covers the difference between special and unusual circumstances and how it relates to FAFSA simplification.
OTC Inside the Beltway: Working Through Those FAFSA Fears
November 3, 2023 - Justin and Karen are joined by Jon Fansmith, the American Council on Education's senior vice president of government relations and national engagement, to discuss the latest fears from the financial aid community surrounding outstanding questions on the rollout of FAFSA simplification. The team digs into those concerns, offers suggestions on contingency planning, and stresses for aid offices to remain flexible as the department approaches its December rollout.
Publication Date: 11/28/2023
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