Student loans are among the areas overseen by the U.S. Department of Education and since President Donald Trump has followed through on his threat to gut the agency, questions are mounting about the fate of loan services.

The president signed an order Thursday he said begins the process of dismantling the department, even as questions mount about the limitations of executive power for this move.

A White House official said the skeleton agency will continue to run student loan programs and Pell grants but higher education advocates worry about borrowers running into issues.

Mike Pierce, cofounder and executive director of the Student Borrower Protection Center, feels the system was already broken.

"We expect that things will only get harder for working people with student debt and for families that are trying to pay for college," Pierce projected.

Pierce explained he hears from borrowers who have waited on the phone for several hours to talk with private companies the government contracts with. He predicted longer delays. There is also concern about updating eligibility for income-driven repayment plans. The Center said if you have service issues, contact your local member of Congress and submit what is called "casework," so a staffer can help. The White House said its actions can drastically improve program implementation in higher education.

Consumer advocates encouraged families to see if their state has a Student Loan Ombudsman, who could provide critical information. The executive order comes after the administration recently cut 50% of the Education Department's staff.

Pierce argued creating even more chaos and confusion could undercut the higher-education path for students coming from disadvantaged households.

"When these programs are run poorly, families that wouldn't otherwise be able to go to college, they're the first to miss out," Pierce contended.

The department is tasked with keeping for-profit colleges in check. Pierce noted there has been a lot of progress in weeding out problematic schools but he worries Trump's actions will lead to a resurgence of institutions engaging in predatory tactics.

Groups like Lumina Foundation have echoed similar concerns about the agency's fate and the effects on student loans and financial aid.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.


get more stories like this via email

For Minnesota households planning future college enrollment, there is a good chance tuition will cost more, as public campuses facing tighter budgets hope their outreach can keep low- to middle-income students enrolled.

As the Legislature maps out Minnesota's next spending plan, higher education most likely will not see extra funding, even as school operating costs keep rising. During this week's board meeting for the state colleges and universities system, tuition hikes ranging from around 4% to 9% were floated for the next two budget years.

John Hoffman, president of Bemidji State University and NTC: Bemidji's Technical College, said it is concerning as he considers his student population.

"Half of our students are first-generation college students," Hoffman pointed out. "The majority of our students come from rural communities, where they have faced educational barriers in their prior educational experiences."

Hoffman emphasized Bemidji State, along with its affiliated technical college, closely advises affected students to manage an efficient course load, which means avoiding taking on classes not key to their graduation plans as one way to avoid pausing their higher-ed career when costs go up. The potential increases are well above the average 1.7% hikes over the past decade.

In the current budget cycle, tuition levels for state colleges and universities are frozen and Bemidji State is coming off a 10% enrollment increase for new students. Hoffman added they know it could change.

"We are aware that the number of students who were born back in 2008 and in the years following (is) smaller," Hoffman acknowledged. "So the number of students who are graduating from high school over the next several years in north central Minnesota is going to be down."

To prevent it from becoming another budget problem for the school, he noted Bemidji State will keep emphasizing its value as a haven for transfer students, and for adult learners seeking a career change.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.


get more stories like this via email

Arizona already faces a critical shortage of nurses and it is projected to get worse.

Now, a new initiative at Arizona State University could make getting a nursing degree more accessible and place more nurses in rural parts of the state.

Victoria Scheer, director of master's entry and accelerated nursing programs at the university, said rural Arizona communities struggle to attract and retain nurses. But the school's "Learn Where You Live" initiative will bring nursing education to people from those communities to build a workforce pipeline.

"Research shows nursing students who train in their own communities are more likely to stay and serve in the communities after graduation," Scheer reported. "This model really removes barriers like having to relocate to another community, having to pay for housing costs outside of their own community and maintains the 'embeddedness' in home communities."

Scheer noted the approach will be fully remote and students can expect to attend live, interactive lectures and complete their clinical rotations in partnership with local health organizations. While the program's details are still being finalized, Scheer added they are eager to launch soon.

Rural Arizonans who need medical care likely have to travel longer distances, which may deter them from getting that care. Scheer sees the new program's approach as a way to diminish barriers and cultivate deeper connections between nurses and their patients.

"Having nurses who appreciate the culture, and appreciate the everyday lived experience of people in the community, best serves those clients," Scheer contended.

She stressed the university is confident having consistent care in underserved communities will help them achieve better health outcomes. The school is working to build relationships with local health care organizations and providers to understand their needs and how they can be part of solutions.

"One of the biggest areas that we are seeking right now are those clinical partnerships across the state," Scheer explained.

Kentucky lawmakers have opened a path for more public universities to offer professional and advanced degree programs.

Senate Bill 77, which received bipartisan support in the General Assembly and was signed into law by Gov. Andy Beshear, allows the state's universities to seek approval to start professional and PhD programs.

Aaron Thompson, president of the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, said the change will expand opportunities for people to get into medical and veterinary school.

"That provides a kind of opportunity to move into our rural areas, especially, to move in the hard to serve health care areas that we surely need more primary physicians to go in," Thompson explained.

Eastern Kentucky University wants to open a school of osteopathic medicine and aims to graduate its first class of physicians in 2034. Murray State University has been working to win approval to open a veterinary medicine school and got a boost last year when the legislature allocated $60 million to construct a new veterinary sciences building. Western Kentucky University wants to start research doctoral programs.

The Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education is tasked with reviewing a university's proposal and making recommendations to the Legislature about whether it is viable and should be funded. Thompson added the Council will play an active role in creating policies to determine eligibility.

"Once people apply, we'll ensure that all things are in place," Thompson outlined. "The funding will ensure that the quality is in the program will ensure that they are on the path of getting accreditation."

Before submitting a proposal, the law requires a comprehensive university must demonstrate student success measures, such as having a first-to-second year retention rate and a six-year graduation rate in the 75th percentile of all comprehensive universities nationwide and in the 80th percentile of all comprehensive universities within the Southern Regional Education Board.

This story is based on original reporting by McKenna Horsley for the Kentucky Lantern.


get more stories like this via email