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This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin is joined by financial aid professionals who discuss how their offices plan to operate as we transition into 2022 where higher education, like many sectors, begins to approach a resumption of pre-pandemic operations. Tune in hear firsthand from our guests — Tyler Pruett, director of financial aid at Samuel Merritt University and Melissa Kunes, an assistant vice president for undergraduate education and executive director of the Office of Student Aid at The Pennsylvania State University — how financial aid offices are implementing new remote, hybrid, and in-person work policies. The three discuss their institutions’ plans in the months ahead, and share their thoughts on how the sector will approach a post-pandemic landscape. Plus, Hugh has a recap of the latest higher education and financial aid news.

NASFAA has joined a group of higher education stakeholders in urging Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to provide more concrete details concerning the department’s efforts to seamlessly transition student loan borrowers back into repayment, which is slated to begin on Feb. 1, 2022. While NASFAA recognizes that the Department of Education (ED) has taken a number of important steps to prepare for the transition, there are still outstanding questions concerning the agency’s roadmap and timeline, as well as the need to finalize significant policy decisions, like a potential 90-day safety net period, that could significantly impact the rollout of payment resumption for nearly 40 million borrowers. “To the extent ED is simultaneously developing and rolling out plans, in effect building the airplane while it’s in the air, we ask that ED share information on a rolling basis so that institutions can support and communicate the right information to their borrowers,” the letter reads. Signatories also committed to provide help wherever is needed for borrowers struggling to resume their student loans payments. 

With virtual conferences, there is no chance to network or discuss what you heard during sessions. Join Blue Icon and your colleagues the week following the annual Federal Student Aid Training Conference to talk about what you heard. Don't miss this opportunity to engage with your peers, learn from presenters and each other, share information, and discuss best practices. This 60-minute event will take place at 2:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, December 7. Register now to save your spot.

Nowhere else can you get the depth and breadth of professional development opportunities NASFAA offers. Every year, we provide a wide variety of programs for beginning, intermediate, and experienced financial aid administrators delivered in a multitude of ways to support different learning styles. Explore the options available to you, which range from attending NASFAA U online courses, to earning professional credentials, to becoming certified as an FAAC^®. Join Dana Kelly, NASFAA vice president of professional development & institutional compliance, on Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022 as she reviews all of the opportunities available and helps you determine which path best aligns with your career goals or your office's needs. Register today. 

Please join us in congratulating: Belinda Pena, who was promoted from coordinator of work-study/outreach to manager of financial aid outreach and special programs at Austin Community College; Bethany Leary, who was promoted from senior financial aid counselor to assistant director of financial aid at Tiffin University; McKayla McCarty, who was promoted from specialist of financial aid to coordinator of work-study/outreach at Austin Community College; Michael Montoya, formerly the director of student financial assistance at Luna Community College who is now the associate director at St. John's College; Timothy Sampson, formerly the assistant director of financial aid production at Fayetteville Technical Community College, who is now the director of financial aid and scholarships at University of North Carolina at Pembroke; and Keith Williams, who was promoted from senior associate director to executive director of financial aid at Michigan State University. Celebrate your own career developments by completing the "Movers and Shakers" form to share the news with your colleagues.

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