Includes Updates on Advocacy Activities, Focus on Former Vice President Joe Biden’s and Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) Higher Education Plans.

New “NCHER in 30” Podcast Includes Updates on Advocacy Activities, Focus on President’s Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2021 In episode 16 of the “NCHER in 30” podcast, the NCHER staff provides updates on several advocacy activities of importance to the membership that occurred in late January to early February. In particular, James and Shelly discuss the President’s budget request for Fiscal Year 2021, which includes $66.6 billion for the U.S. Department of Education and several proposals to reform the federal student loan program. Then, they discuss the recent Congressional Budget Office report examining cost and policy options for income-based repayment plans and the Department of Education and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s new Memorandum of Understanding on the sharing of complaint information. If you have any feedback or have topic suggestions for future episodes, please send comments to [email protected].  

New “NCHER in 30” Podcast Includes Updates on Advocacy Activities, Preview of the Second Session of the 116th Congress In Episode 15 of the “NCHER in 30” podcast, the NCHER staff provides a preview of the second session of the 116th Congress and updates on several advocacy activities of importance to the membership that occurred since the last monthly call in mid-December.

In Episode 14 of the “NCHER in 30” podcast, the NCHER staff provides updates on several advocacy activities of importance to the membership that occurred in late November and early December. In particular, James and Shelly discuss the recent speech by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to the Federal Student Aid (FSA) Training Conference and her call for Congress to make FSA an independent agency to improve oversight and customer service. Then, Pam Shepherd interviews Christiana Thornton, President and Chief Executive Officer of the New Hampshire Higher Education Assistance Foundation Network Organizations, on being a new leader in the higher education finance industry. If you have any feedback or have topic suggestions for future episodes, please send comments to [email protected].

New “NCHER in 30” Podcast Includes Updates on Advocacy Activities, Focus on House Education and Labor Markup of the College Affordability Act In Episode 13 of the “NCHER in 30” podcast, the NCHER staff provides updates on several advocacy activities of importance to the membership that occurred in the month of October. In particular, James and Shelly discuss the recent introduction and markup of H.R. 4674, the College Affordability Act, a comprehensive reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, by the House Education and Labor Committee and its prospects for passage later this year. Then, Pam Shepherd interviews Elise Nowikowski, Principal of Evidens Group, on implementing and complying with federal laws and regulations. If you have any feedback or have topic suggestions, please send comments to [email protected].  

October 10, 2019 - In this month's podcast - New “NCHER in 30” Podcast Includes Updates on Advocacy Activities in October. In Episode 12 of the “NCHER in 30”podcast, the NCHER staff provides updates on several advocacy activities of importance to the membership that occurred in the month of September and a preview of several upcoming events in October. James discusses House and Senate action involving the FUTURE Act and its provision to eliminate the payment of Account Maintenance Fees to guaranty agencies and provides an update on the annual appropriations process to fund the U.S. Department of Education, while Shelly previews several recent regulatory actions by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. If you have any feedback or have topic suggestions, please send comments to [email protected].

In this week’s podcast—A Review of Major Senate Bills Impacting Student Loans—James and Shelly review the major Senate bills which will have the greatest impact on student loans. New NCHER Board Chair Scott Giles then joins the conversation to discuss what goals he has for his tenure and what he would like to see in the future for NCHER and the industry. Meanwhile, Pam caps the first 2020 Democratic Presidential Debate which took place June 26-27.

June 21, 2019 – In this week’s podcast, James and Shelly review the major House bills which will have the greatest impact on student loans. NCHER Board Chair Ron Gambill then joins the conversation to share his thoughts on his year as Chair and what he would like to see in the future for NCHER and the industry. Meanwhile, Pam talks about the first 2020 Democratic Presidential Debate which is scheduled for June 26-27, sharing who will be debating and when.

In this week’s podcast, recorded during NCHER’s Second Annual Conference James speaks with Vic Klatt, Principal at the Penn Hill Group, who gives listeners an insider’s review of the 116th Congress. Their discussion provides grading the 116th Congress up to this point on their successes, Congress’ interaction with the Trump Administration, the possibility of reauthorizing the Higher Education Act, other committees that impact higher education legislation, and the outlook for higher education policy at the national level over the next year. Meanwhile, Pam outlines Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden’s education plan and discusses President Trump’s recent comments on helping borrowers get out of student loan debt.

In this week’s podcast, James provides a history of actions from the CFPB since its inception and addresses a number of changes that were put in place by previous leaders that impact in the higher education finance industry. He then addresses the most recent developments at the Bureau that have taken place under the direction of Director Kathy Kraninger. Shelly provides a review of the Bureau’s proposed rule on debt collection and gives a preview of NCHER comments. He also discusses the Bureau’s complaint database. Vicki provides an update on the Cancer Treatment Deferment and a Federal Register notice and comment dealing with military borrowers and U.S. Department of Education and Department of Defense sharing data. Meanwhile, Pam notes that ‘free’ is currently the most popular word in the higher education realm while Stef highlights NCHER’s upcoming Annual Conference and announces our first trivia question winner. If you have any feedback or have topic suggestions, please send comments to [email protected].