Although much of the media coverage has focused on personality, some reports have examined the impact the 2024 presidential election will have on  education policy. Advocacy organizations have been calling attention to issues that matter to the sector and mobilizing citizens to vote. On the heels the release of its latest HBCU Economic Impact Report, the UNCF launched a nonpartisan campaign to encourage young people to vote. The TMCF also launched a nonpartisan voter mobilization campaign. The Hechinger Report published articles speculating how education would fare both under a Trump presidency and under a Harris presidency, NPR looked at the candidates views on six key education policies, and the Chronicle of Higher Education warned the the sector is not prepared for the attacks that might accompany a Trump presidency. The American Council on Education made it clear that it is ready and willing to work with the next president of the United States—period. The organization took out a full-page ad in the New York Times and penned an open letter to both candidates. One important thing to note is that former President Trump has promised to dismantle the Department of Education. Although critics say it would be difficult to get the congressional support needed for that to happen, even a failed attempt could cause disruption. Closing the agency could make all student aid funding a state responsibility. Considering that all but two states failed to fund their HBCU land-grant institutions equitably in the past, such an outcome could be harmful to HBCUs, tribal institutions, and small colleges. The candidates have campaigned at colleges and universities. Former president Trump visited Penn State University and Saginaw Valley State University. Vice President Harris’ campaign toured HBCUs during homecoming and stepped up its outreach to Black men. Black and Latino Americans are key demographics important to both candidates. Although, former president Trump is said to have made several racist comments, pollsters claim a fifth of Black males support him. However, others say that statistic is misleading.

■The College Board published its annual Trends in College Pricing and Student Aid for 2024. The report looks at institutional finances, pricing, enrollment, and student aid. According to the report, tuition is not rising as fast as it did in the past. The report also revealed that in the prior academic year, the bulk of grant aid—52%—came from colleges and universities. Only 9% came from states and 28% came from the federal government.

■The Department of Education (Department) will publish a rule that provides debt relief to federal student loan borrowers facing extreme hardship. The rule is intended to help individuals experiencing large-scale long-term financial disruptions not covered by other debt relief options. Generally, the category would include people suffering financial hardship related to natural disasters, unexpected medical bills, and the high cost of caring for children or the chronically ill. Under the plan, the Secretary could cancel a debt if an analysis revealed a very high probability that the borrower would default. Once the proposed rule is published in the Federal Register, the public will have 30 days to submit comments. Earlier this month the Department announced it had provided relief under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program to 60,000 workers.

■An article by the Century Foundation noted that a recent study found HBCUs, long extolled for enabling economic mobility, accomplish that outcome by spending a higher percentage of revenue on instruction and student support than all other types of institutions. The authors contend that investment in HBCUs should be prioritized as a means of promoting economic mobility and ensuring the positive outcomes continue. The study was commissioned by Wesley Peachtree Group, Wesley Peachtree Institute, and Genesis Ed Solutions.

■The American Council on Education (ACE) published a fact sheet and paper on endowments. The paper used data from the latest National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) and Commonfund Institute endowment study.

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■Considered a key demographic in determining the outcome of the 2024 presidential election, HBCU students are being courted by both candidates. Interviews published on Open Campus suggest HBCU students plan to vote and are actively encouraging their peers to vote as well. Both the UNCF and TMCF have voter mobilization initiatives. An HBCU alumna, Vice President Harris has actively campaigned on campuses and will spend election day at Howard University.

■In the report Tech Troubles: How Technology-Student Interactions Impact

Retention, researchers revealed that, due to its central position, technology can be either a help or a hindrance. Unstable internet, glitchy portals, poorly designed websites, and confusing LLMs can have a negative impact on enrollment, performance, retention, and completion.

■Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce released Graduate Degrees: Risky and Unequal Paths to the Top. The researchers examined costs, earnings, debt, gender, and race related to the pursuit and attainment of mater’s professional, and doctoral degrees. and provides recommendations intended to improve accountability and transparency. Over half the professional degree programs they examined would not pass a debt-to-earnings test modeled after the Department of Education’s Gainful Employment and Financial Value Transparency rules.

■According to a report from cybersecurity firm Sophos, although overall cyberattacks were down, recovery times and ransom payouts were higher for institutions of higher education in 2024. In many cases, victims ended up paying more than the original ransom demand. Experts say this suggests the institutions are not using professional ransom negotiators. However, it may be indicative of the pressure to resume operations quickly. The report also noted that in about three-quarters of the incidents, attackers encrypted their victim’s data. Nearly all victims reported that the attackers went after their backups as well. On average, the institution provided 55 percent of the ransom with insurance providers and others covering the rest.

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The deadline to file beneficial ownership information with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) is fast approaching. Although some are exempt from the rule, many entities are required to report their beneficial ownership information. Entities affected by Hurricanes Beryl, Debby, Francine, Helene, and Milton may qualify for an extension. Failure to comply can result in a stiff civil penalty of up to $591 per day and criminal penalties of up to two years imprisonment and a maximum fine of $10,000. Whether you have a simple situation or a complicated one— such as a pooled investment vehicle or an LLC as real estate investment vehicle, WPG CPAs is available to assist with filing.

■Washington Post reporters found that most of the $125,000,000 that has been paid to student athletes under name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals consists of small payments—amounts as low as $10. Typically, the payments are made by corporations to student athletes in hopes of reaching the large groups of fans who follow them on social media.

■The Department will rescind guidance that imposed federal oversight over companies that provide educational content, retention, and other services. Taking into consideration comments received in response to the Dear Colleague Letter, the Department will proceed via negotiated rulemaking. In the meantime, third-party definition and requirements are rolled back to their previous status. 

■In a landmark decision a federal court gave final approval to the settlement between Walden University and Black and female students. The decision is noteworthy as it validates a reverse redlining claim against an institution of higher education. The plaintiffs accused the for-profit university of targeting Black and female prospective students and promising them a quick path to a doctoral degree. However, the plaintiffs found the program actually was designed to take longer and cost more than the initial disclosure. Between 2016 and 2020, the institution awarded more doctoral degrees to Black students than any other institution in the United States. In one year, Walden University students are said to have taken out over $800,000,000 in federal student loans.

■In a recent webinar, Fitch Ratings, discussed its deteriorating outlook on the higher education sector. The agency noted heavy reliance on tuition and inflexible operating costs continue to strain budgets, particularly at small private institutions. Fitch predicts operating costs—driven by payroll obligations, technology upgrades, tuition discounting, and facility maintenance—will remain high into 2025, despite a decrease in inflation.

■In a letter to Republican Tax Teams of the House Ways and Means Committee, ACE and a coalition of higher education associations urged the legislators to repeal the tax on scholarships and grants—particularly the Pell Grant— and take other steps to ensure updates to the tax code benefit students, families and institutions of higher education.

■Public colleges and universities in Florida are reorganizing their academic offerings to designate courses that are about race, gender, or ethnicity as elective rather than required. The reorganization is mandated by the Stop Woke Act which became law in 2022. Florida is home to one public HBCU, Florida A&M University. 

■Institutions are bragging about seeing a record number of Pell Grant-eligible students this fall. They are suggesting it reflects their ability to recruit without affirmative action. However, experts say the increase could be attributed to the new FAFSA rather than post affirmative action recruitment strategies. They stress that, without additional data, it is difficult to know if institutions are serving more students from lower income brackets or more Pell-eligible students from the same income brackets that they've served in the past.

■The George E. Battle School of Business at Livingston College will hold the 2024 ICRABIF International Business Conference. The School of Business collaborated with Howard University, Brainware University, and Invertis University on the conference, which will highlight advances in business, information systems, and finance.

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■The Netwrix Hybrid Security Trends Report for 2024 included an addendum for the education sector. In it researchers reported that nearly half of institutions surveyed were burdened by unexpected security expenses. These were generally the result of security incidents which left institutions on the hook for remediation, fines, and lawsuits. As a precaution, researchers advised institutions vet their systems for dormant accounts, accounts with unnecessary privileges, accounts with weak passwords, and vulnerable software.

■The National Conference of State Legislatures’ Task Force on Higher Education, a bipartisan group of legislators from 32 states, released a report on higher education policy. The brief focused on trends in higher education, relationships between states and the federal government, and strategies that enhance the value of degrees.

■Over 60 institutions remain under investigation by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights for antisemitism and islamophobia. Federal scrutiny has led many to tighten rules governing protests and beef up security. Harvard administrators temporarily banned over ninety individuals, including faculty members, from physical access to the Widener and Law School libraries in response to several “study-in” protests.

Across the country, chapters of the National Students for Justice in Palestine held vigils, fundraisers and other events during what was dubbed a Week of Resistance.

Students for a Democratic Society took over and barricaded an administrative building at the University of Minnesota. They demanded the university divest from entities that do business with Israel. However, the university indicated its investment decisions will be based on financial rather than social or political objectives. Eleven students were arrested.

■Forty colleges are accused of conspiring with the College Board in a price-fixing scheme that significantly increased tuition for a particular student demographic. The lawsuit alleges the defendant’s NCP Agreed Pricing Strategy utilized data from the College Board’s College Scholarship Service Profile form (CSS) with the intent of reducing need-based eligibility of students who have a noncustodial parent. Unlike the FAFSA, the CSS form includes noncustodial parents’ assets. The College Board is also accused of coercing the institutions to adopt the policy. Plaintiffs are seeking class action status. No HBCUs were named in the lawsuit.

■The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has filed a lawsuit against Climb Credit and its parent company and owners. Climb Credit offers loans for coding bootcamps and vocational programs it claims to have vetted for quality. The lawsuit alleges the company included programs that had failed its quality analysis and did not vet all the programs that it offered loans for. The lawsuit also accused Climb Credit of failing to properly disclose loan origination fees and annual percentage rates and making false claims about graduate outcomes.

■The CFPB recently reached a settlement agreement with Navient, a former federal student loan servicer. The agency sued the company in 2017, alleging it financially abused borrowers. Under the terms of the settlement, Navient will pay $100,000,000 to compensate borrowers in addition to a $20,000,000 penalty. The company is barred from servicing federal student loans in the future.

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■  Paine College Board of Trustees named the Rev. Dr. Lester A. McCorn its 16^th president. Dr. McCorn hails from Clinton College where he served as president, and was lauded for adding degree programs, securing grants, and increasing enrollment. Dr. McCorn, an ordained elder in the AME Zion Church, will begin his tenure at Paine College on January 2, 2024. He takes the reins from Dr. Cheryl Evans Jones, who is retiring.

■  The chair of Bethune-Cookman University Board of Trustees announced the presidential search committee voted 11-5 in favor of advancing Dr. William Berry as the sole candidate for the position of president. Dr. Berry is currently serving as president on an interim basis.

■  Fisk University named Dr. Tiffany Bellafant Steward vice president of student enrollment and success. She comes to the university from the Tennessee Board of Regents where she served as assistant vice chancellor for student enrollment and retention services.

■  The African American Board Leadership Institute named Ms. Trella Randolph-Cole managing director. She has served on the board for several years and is a certified executive coach trained in conflict management.

■  Central State University named Ms. Rebecca Kocher vice president for institutional advancement and executive director of the Central State University Foundation. Ms. Kocher hails from Wittenberg University where she served as vice president for advancement and alumni engagement.

■  Florida Memorial University named Ms. Chandra Dorsey-Felton interim deputy athletic director for student success and compliance and Mr. Kevin Nesfield interim athletic director. Ms. Dorsey-Felton has more than twenty years’ experience in collegiate coaching and athletic administration. Mr. Nesfield had been serving as senior associate athletics director for student success and compliance since 2021.

■  Spelman College announced President Dr. Helene D. Gayle has taken a person leave of absence. Alumna, prominent business executive, and former chair of the Spelman College Board of Trustees, Ms. Rosalind Brewer, will serve as interim president.

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■Sanofi announced a ten-year $18,000,000 commitment to Howard University College of Medicine, Meharry Medical College, and Morehouse School of Medicine to strengthen their Centers of Excellence in their drive to increase participation of underrepresented communities in clinical studies.

■The Kresge Foundation created two $1,000,000 endowed scholarships for Detroit Public School graduates who want to attend an HBCU. One scholarship will be managed by UNCF and the other by TMCF. If either or both organizations can raise an additional $500,000, on their own, the foundation will match it—boosting the total award to $3,000,000.

■The National Institutes of Health renewed a $15,700,000 grant to the Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) program and a $7,991,046 grant the Turning Discovery into Health Initiative (TDHI) at Florida A&M University College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Public Health. The grant will enable the RCMI program to expand research in artificial intelligence, bioinformatics, and cancer biology. The grant awarded to the TDHI will fund a new multidisciplinary research facility.

■Entergy Charitable Foundation contributed $2,000,000 to Jackson State University to aid in the creation of a Critical Power Grid Network Security Lab. The lab will offer cybersecurity training to meet the needs of energy providers. The grant was made during a press conference attended by US congressional representative Bennie Thompson (D-MI) and other local community leaders.

■Howard University announced a donation from the Schwartz Family Foundation will be used to add a scholarship to the Howard University Graduation Retention Access to Continued Excellence (GRACE) program that provides financial help to students who would not be able to continue their studies otherwise. The Schwartz Family GRACE Scholarship Fund will support undergraduate pre-med students.

■Benedict College partnered with AT&T to provide laptop computers to 100 students in need. The donation was part of the AT&T Connected Learning initiative aimed at providing access to high-speed internet.

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■Edward Waters University will host the first NCAA Division II national championships to be held in Jacksonville, Florida. The university will host the NCAA Division II Women’s Volleyball Championship in 2027. In 2028, the university will host both the NCAA Division II Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Championship and the NCAA Division II Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Championship. The events will provide benefits for the university and the community at large.

■Hampton University hosted the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Justice and Equity’s second annual DOE to the People. The two-day event provided the campus and public the opportunity to learn about energy efficiency and view the agency’s programs, projects, and initiatives. The event included a tour of the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility which features a unique particle accelerator. 

■The inaugural HBCU Tech Summit was held at Claflin University. Several HBCU presidents joined representatives of non-profit organizations, members of the US Congress, elected officials, and others convened at Claflin University for the inaugural HBCU Tech Summit. Presentations were made by executives from tech companies, including Apple, Microsoft, Google, Dell, OpenAI, and TalentSprint. Faculty and students also attended

■Howard University Center of Excellence in Housing and Urban Research Policy hosted Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Adrianne Todman during her visit to the university. Research fellows and associates presented their findings on topics such as the efficacy of rent control, the relationship between climate change and homelessness, and public housing policy. 

■Central State University hosted the Dayton Development Coalition Economic Development Forum. The Dayton Development Coalition is a regional network partner of JobsOhio whose mission is to promote employment in the area. Attendees were given a tour featuring various research labs on the campus. 

■HBCU Gameday, a website devoted to HBCU sports, has reached an agreement with Fox Soul to broadcast a weekly sports show. The show will air on Sundays and will be available on various streaming services including Apple TV, Roku, Amazon, and Samsung TV Plus. 

■Wilberforce University established relationships with Kettering College and the University of Akron School of Law. The agreement with Kettering College creates a path for Wilberforce University graduates to enter the A-BSNz upon completion of required coursework. The agreement with the University of Akron School of Law establishes a three-plus-three program that will allow students to earn both a bachelor’s degree and a Juris Doctor degree in six years.

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■  Federal Student Aid (FSA) published information on the procedure to follow to review and validate TG/FT Numbers (SAIG Mailboxes) and Electronic Services User Accounts. The deadline to do si is December 10, 2024.

■  FSA updated the information for instances where students who do not have a social security number exit the FAFSA app before completing the residency question. They will not be able to continue filling out the form nor will they be able to start a new form. They should be advised to fill out the paper FAFSA.

■  If a student has missing family size information, the SAI may not be calculated even if the form is submitted. If it is not, the parent should initiate a correction by selecting YES to the question "has your family size changed since you last filed your taxes?" in the financial section and entering the family size. 

■  The revised draft Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment Completers List is available in the Student Aid Internet Gateway. Institutions have until January 15, 2025, to review and correct student information.

■  FSA published an electronic announcement regarding the methods and data the Department will use to determine compliance with financial responsibility, administrative capability, certification procedures, and ability to benefit rules.

■  FSA provided information and guidance clarifying the maximum program length for certain Gainful Employment programs, the Ability to Benefit rule, and program licensure and certification requirements.

■  Batch institutional corrections via the Electronic Data Exchange will not be available for the 2024-2025 FAFSA cycle. The 90-day requirement for institutions whose Program Participation Agreement expires in December 2024 is waived. The suspension of routine program reviews has been extended and the deadline for disbursement reporting has been extended to November 30, 2024 or 15 calendar days after the disbursement is made, whichever is later.

■  FSA announced the identity validation flexibility for individuals who do not have a social security number will be extended. However, functionality of some components of the FAFSA Partner Portal will be delayed until later in the award year. Those include: initial ISIRs; ability to request missing ISIRs; requests for sweep of ISIRs (YTD); ISIR Compare; and V4 and V5 Verification outcomes reporting.

■  FSA published an interim solution for cases where an applicant has failed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) primary match and the secondary match field shows a pending status but the DHS Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements system returns a “No Cases Found” message.

■  FSA published details of the Incarcerated Student Report, which lists Pell Grant recipients who have been flagged as confined or incarcerated without a reported release date in the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS). Institutions can use this data to aid in fulfilling the Pell Incarcerated Student Spreadsheet Submittal reporting requirement.

■  FSA published the 2025-2026 Student Aid Index (SAI) and Pell Grant Eligibility Guide. It includes worksheets, tables, and the methodology to be used to determine SAI for the 2025-2026 award year.

■  The Department announced that initially, the 2025-2026 FAFSA form will be released on October 1, 2024, to a limited number of institutions for testing. The number will be expanded in a controlled process to ensure a smooth launch on December 1, 2024.

■  FSA provided guidance for institutions and states on the use and disclosure of FAFSA data to identify students for outreach about means-tested benefits programs including: Medicaid; Section 8 Housing Assistance; Special Supplemental Nutrition Programs; Supplemental Security Income Program; Temporary Assistance for Needy Families; Earned Income Tax Credit; Child Tax Credit; and the Affordable Care Act.

■  FSA published information on the permissibility of providing information about hate crimes to members of the campus community beyond what is required by the Clery Act.

■  FSA has updated their course offerings for financial aid staff with award year specific content. FSA advises staff to complete training every year.

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Event: Survey of Campus CTOs & CIOs

Date: November 13, 2024

Location: Virtual

Information: Details

Event: EDUCAUSE Annual Conference

Date: November 13-14, 2024

Location:  Virtual

Information: Agenda

Event: FSA Training Conference for Financial Aid Professionals

Date: December 3-6, 2024

Location: Virtual

Information: Registration

Event: SACSCOC Annual Meeting

Date: December 7-10, 2024

Location: Austin, TX

Information: Details

Event: SSTI Annual Conference

Date: December 10-12, 2024 

Location: Phoenix Metro, AZ

Information: Agenda

Event: Council of Independent Colleges Presidents Institute

Date: January 4-January 7, 2025

Location: An Antonio, TX

Information: Agenda