By Maria Carrasco, NASFAA Staff Reporter
Over 500 financial aid professionals gathered in Washington, D.C., this year for NASFAA’s Leadership and Legislative Conference & Expo to learn and discuss the issues facing current and future financial aid leaders.
NASFAA’s 2024-25 National Chair Kristi Jovell, FAAC®, kicked off Monday’s opening session by touching on the importance of resilience in the profession.
This year, aid offices have remained incredibly busy with the federal and regulatory landscape continuing to undergo significant changes due to a new presidential administration and Congress, FAFSA simplification, gainful employment (GE) and financial value transparency (FVT), and more.
“We as leaders need to not only be thinking about and building our own resilience but also supporting and fostering resiliency with our teams,” Jovell said. “We're in a marathon, not a sprint, and we need to prepare properly. The sessions that you will attend over the next couple of days will equip you with the skills to more effectively lead through these times.”
The multi-day conference separates attendees into five different pathways where they can speak about these issues with their peers. Over the first two days, members will learn new skills to serve as state and regional association leaders, pick up new strategies for association leadership, compliance management, financial aid management and leadership, strategic enrollment, and network and explore important issues facing the financial aid community.
Beth Maglione, NASFAA’s Interim President and CEO, also touched on resiliency in the face of change within the profession and noted that NASFAA is also in a state of transition as NASFAA’s Presidential Search Committee works to fill the presidency position in the association.
“I want to tell you what won't change, and that is NASFAA's commitment to you,” Maglione said. “Our core values remain strong. We stand in the gap between schools and our federal partners when we need to do that, to provide the information that's necessary for you. We ensure that your voices and challenges are heard at the highest levels.”
The opening session also included a question and answer portion with Maglione and Karen McCarthy, NASFAA’s Vice President of Public Policy & Federal Relations, answering pressing questions from the profession.
A big topic of discussion was recent news reports that President Donald Trump is planning to sign an executive order that would “dismantle” the Department of Education (ED). McCarthy reiterated to attendees that dismantling ED would not just take an executive order, it would also require an act from Congress. Furthermore, McCarthy stressed that Title IV programs have bipartisan support and are statutes in the Higher Education Act (HEA).
McCarthy and Maglione also touched on what may be at stake with a new Congress, particularly with the budget reconciliation process – a legislative process that allows for lower vote thresholds in the House and Senate to enact policies that directly impact the federal budget.
News reports have shown a “menu” of possible reconciliation options that could impact higher education, such as repealing the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) repayment plan and reforming GE. Earlier this year, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) began to outline a timeline for the reconciliation process with the goal of enacting legislation around Memorial Day.
Aside from reconciliation, Congress also needs to address the annual appropriations cycle since the current continuing resolution only funds the federal government through March 14, requiring Congress to pass new legislation to avoid a government shutdown. McCarthy said financial aid professionals can expect a really tight budget environment for the next few years with Republicans controlling both the House and Senate,
Another topic of discussion during the question and answer session surrounded GE and FVT, especially with the latest news that ED has reopened the GE and FVT reporting process until February 18, in order to provide institutions that were unable to complete their submissions more time. McCarthy said NASFAA has not yet heard from ED about its future plans around GE and FVT. Since the new administration has taken office, NASFAA has advocated ED to extend the institutional reporting deadline to July 2025.
Additionally, attendees had questions surrounding the FAFSA, with members seeking guidance on changes to the question on gender identification. McCarthy said that department officials could provide more details in upcoming sessions and reminded attendees that the FAFSA comment period was now open, during which attendees could submit comments to ED about any changes to the form.
Throughout Monday, attendees had the opportunity to join sessions on issues related to trends in higher education enrollment, policy creation, scholarshipping, marketing strategies for student recruitment, institutional compliance, financial aid management, and much more.
Be sure to keep up with NASFAA's social media channels throughout the week for updates and photos from the conference, and utilize the hashtag #NASFAALeads25 to keep up with what members are talking about!
Publication Date: 2/11/2025
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