Brought to you by:

Campus Ivy. Campus Ivy pairs cloud technology with experts to help schools: boost efficiency, ensure compliance & reduce costs - let us do the same for you. In addition to a world-class student/mobile-friendly financial aid platform, our expert financial aid staff is ready to assist or provide full outsourcing of Verification processing and automation.

This week on a special episode of "Off The Cuff" we hear from Federal Student Aid's (FSA) Chief Operating Officer Richard Cordray as he spoke at the NASFAA 2021 virtual conference and detailed his vision for FSA. Justin then dives into a Q&A with Cordray where they discuss potential reforms for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program and the transition of millions of borrowers back into repayment when the federal forbearance period on federally-held student loans comes to an end. Plus, we want to know how you are spending your holiday weekend?

On Thursday, NASFAA submitted written comments to the Department of Education (ED) concerning the most recent negotiated rulemaking hearing in which Karen McCarthy, NASFAA’s Director of Policy Analysis, urged ED to reduce complexities in the income-driven repayment (IDR) plans and income-contingent repayment (ICR) plans so more borrowers can utilize them. The written comments aimed to provide ED with additional details for the negotiated rulemaking process and focused on issues surrounding gainful employment, public service loan forgiveness, prison education program, administrative capability, parent PLUS underwriting and responsible borrowing.

The NASFAA office will be closed on Monday, July 5 in observance of the Independence Day federal holiday. NASFAA's Today's News will not be sent and AskRegs and technical and membership support will not be available until the office reopens.

NASFAA has created a new reference chart to outline the changes that will be implemented for the 2023-24 academic year to Federal Methodology and the Pell Grant due to the signing of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. The chart includes information on where the change is located in the Higher Education Act, what is changing and any supplemental information or background on the change.

This is the final week we're running our Student Aid Reference Desk scavenger hunt and we're pleased to announce our final five randomly selected winners are: Claudia Wohlfeil of Washington State University; Elizabeth Elder of Colorado Christian University; Jade Leighty of Community College of Vermint; Mayra Gonzalez of California State University, Fullerton; and Stephanie House of North Idaho College. We'd like to extend our sincere thanks to everyone who participated. The Ref Desk was designed to provide trusted advisors and college access professionals with direct links to important financial aid regulations, legislation, research, and other key resources. We hope you'll continue using the Ref Desk as your one-stop shop for all things financial aid related.

While some financial aid offices have remained open with on-site staff, other offices are planning to reopen soon. Join Blue Icon Advisors at either 11:00 a.m. or 2:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 15 to discuss best practices for reopening and managing transitions as students return. Blue Icon hosts Let's Talk events to give you the opportunity to engage with peers, learn from presenters and each other, share information, and discuss best practices. There is no cost to attend, but registration is required. Sign up today!

Please join us in congratulating Tiffany Floyd, who was promoted to senior financial aid counselor at Rush University Medical Center, and offering a fond send-off to James Kubacak, director of financial aid at McLennan Community College, who retired after 42 years of working in financial aid. Celebrate your own career developments by completing the "Movers and Shakers" form to share the news with your colleagues.

VIEW NEXT ISSUE

Contact us to submit questions, content or to purchase advertisements.