dotEDU

American Council on Education
  • 4.8 (24)
  • EDUCATION
  • UPDATED MONTHLY

​​​​​​​​Each episode of dotEDU presents a deep dive into a major public policy issue impacting college campuses and students across the country. Hosts from ACE, joined by guest experts, lead you through thought-provoking conversations on topics such as campus free speech, diversity in admissions, college costs and affordability, and more.

  1. JAN 29

    What the Future Holds for Federal TRIO Programs

    Questions about the future of federal TRIO programs—academic and support services for low-income, first-generation, and disabled students—come up more than almost any other topic on the podcast. We're joined this week by Kimberly Jones, president of the Council for Opportunity in Education, for a conversation about where TRIO stands and what may be ahead. We begin with some speculation on whether or not we're heading toward a partial government shutdown, and the latest on the Department of Education's moves on accreditation. Here are some of the links and references from this week's show: Contact Congress to Urge a Broader Professional Degree Definition 2026 Winter Term Pulse Point Survey (PDF) Appropriations House Passes FY 2026 Spending Package Preserving Education and Research Funding as Senate Showdown Looms  ACE | Jan. 26, 2026 ACE, Higher Ed Groups Urge Congress to Safeguard FY 2026 Education Funding  ACE | Oct. 1, 2025 Letter to Congress on MSI Funding  ACE | Oct. 3, 2025 Legal Updates Education Dept. Drops Appeal of Court Order Blocking Anti-DEI Guidance  Inside Higher Ed | Jan. 22, 2026 Higher Ed Groups Back Harvard in Appeal Challenging Trump Proclamation on International Students  ACE | Jan. 21, 2026 Accreditation U.S. Department of Education Announces Negotiated Rulemaking to Reform and Strengthen America's Higher Education Accreditation System  Department of Education | Jan. 26, 2026 ED Eyes Rewrite of Accreditation Rules  Inside Higher Ed | Jan. 27, 2026 Comments on the Education Department's Proposed Revisions to the Accreditation Handbook ACE | Jan. 26, 2026 NACIQI Members Stalemate on Picking New Chair Republic Report (December 2025) TRIO Council for Opportunity in Education and TRIO Programs COE Trio Advocacy Congressional Outreach Packet Federal Court Orders Reconsideration of Canceled TRIO Grants Inside Higher Ed | Jan . 20, 2026 Trump's DEI Crackdown Closes 120 TRIO Programs Inside Higher Ed | Oct. 27, 2025 Trump Administration Delays $660M for College Access Programs  Inside Higher Ed | Sept. 12 2025

    1h 1m

  2. JAN 16

    What Counts as a Professional Degree in 2026?

    Valerie Fuller, president of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, visited the podcast to talk about how new federal loan limits will change what graduate students can borrow and why nursing may no longer be considered a professional degree. The hosts also looked at the appropriations outlook on Capitol Hill, negotiations on rulemaking to implement the One Big Beautiful Bill, and more. Here are some of the links and references from this week's show: Graduate Loan Limits Valerie Fuller, president of American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP)  Graduate and Professional Student Loan Limits Under the OBBB National Nurse Practitioner Organizations Express Concern Over Department of Education Negotiated Rulemaking Nov. 21, 2025 AANP Advocacy Center Bills Introduced to Address Changes to Graduate Lending Programs  NAICU Washington Update | Dec. 19, 2025 Nurses Continue to Lead in Honesty and Ethics Ratings Gallup | Jan. 12, 2026 Constitutionality of Race-Based Higher Education Grant Programs U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon Statement on the Office of Legal Counsel's Opinion on the Constitutionality of Race-Based Higher Education Grant Programs Negotiated Rulemaking  Negotiated Rulemaking for Higher Education 2025 Department of Education AHEAD Committee's Second Rulemaking Session Results in Consensus on Accountability Framework ACE | Jan. 12, 2026 ED Panel Signs Off on New Earnings Test  Inside Higher Ed | Jan. 9, 2026 Negotiators Reach Consensus on Pell Regulations  ACE | Dec. 15, 2025 Consensus Reached on Workforce Pell, Earnings Test Looms Inside Higher Ed | Dec. 15, 2026

    1 hr

  3. 12/18/2025

    The dotEDU Wrap Party for Policy Nerds

    In this final episode of 2025, hosts Mushtaq Gunja, Sarah Spreitzer, and Jon Fansmith spend the hour taking questions on the policy shifts and challenges campuses are watching most closely and the developments expected to matter early in 2026.  Here are some of the links and references from this week's show: Lucy Dacus and Hozier, Bullseye  Jason Isbell, Bury Me Stranger Things Season 5 (Netflix)

    1 hr

  4. 12/04/2025

    2025 in Review: A Year That Redefined the Higher Ed Landscape

    The dotEDU hosts look back at a year that reshaped higher education in ways few expected back in January. Mushtaq, Sarah, and Jon talk through their top five stories of 2025, including  the push to dismantle the Department of Education, the cuts at NIH and NSF, the sweeping changes in the One Big Beautiful Bill, and Congress's response to it all. Here are some of the links and references from this week's show:  Register now for ACEx, Feb. 25-28, 2026, in Washington, DC  Higher Education & The Trump Administration: Resources Trump Administration Higher Ed Executive Order Tracker Full coverage of the 2nd Trump administration from The Chronicle of Higher Education  The U.S. Is Funding Fewer Grants in Every Area of Science and Medicine The New York Times (sub. req.) | Oct. 3, 2025

    1h 4m

  5. 11/20/2025

    Judyth Sachs on International Students and a Changing Landscape

    For International Education Week, Sarah and Jon talk with Dr. Judyth Sachs, chief academic officer at Studiosity, about the pressures students face across borders—well-being, finances, language, and the challenge of feeling at home on campus—and how these issues are shaping the choices international students make about where to study. Sachs also offers a frank view of how "Brand USA" is being perceived abroad and what that means for global competition for students and scholars.  But first, the hosts walk through the newest Open Doors data showing a 17 percent drop in new international student enrollment and what the numbers suggest about visa policy, research funding, and the trajectory of U.S. higher education in the year ahead.  Here are some of the links and references from this week's show:  2025 Open Doors Report Open Doors Data Portal IIE Press Release on Open Doors 2025 Studiosity website Studiosity Global Student Wellbeing Survey Australian Government Department of Education Student Experience Survey (SES) – International Key Findings From Cash Cows to Valued Voices Report (Australia) International Students and the Australian Economy (Reserve Bank of Australia Bulletin) — July 2025

    52 min

  6. 11/14/2025

    From Big Beautiful Bill to Big Complicated Rules

    The One Big Beautiful Bill may have made headlines but now comes the hard part: writing the rules. In this episode of dotEDU, we unpack the Education Department's massive regulatory to-do list, from loan caps and professional degree definitions to new Pell and accountability rules. But first: the government shutdown has ended. What's next?  Here are some of the links and references from this week's show:  Register now for ACEx, Feb. 25-28, 2026, in Washington, DC  Reopening the Federal Government  With Government Reopened, Will Education Department Staff Return?  Inside Higher Ed | Nov. 12, 2025  FIPSE Notice  Federal Register Announcement  Nov. 12, 2025  Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) Home Page  Department of Education  ED's 'Special Projects' Grants Spark Concern Over Congressional Intent  Inside Higher Ed | Nov. 12, 2025  Negotiated Rulemaking  Summary: One Big Beautiful Bill Act  ACE  Negotiated Rulemaking for Higher Education 2025  Department of Education  Comments on the Education Department's Proposal to Implement the One Big Beautiful Bill  ACE | Aug. 29, 2025  How the Loan Cap Committee Reached Consensus  Inside Higher Ed | Nov. 10, 2025  ED Panel to Weigh Sorting of Grad and Professional Programs  Inside Higher Ed | Sept. 26, 2025

    1h 3m

  7. 10/31/2025

    If it's a shutdown, why are we so busy?

    The Trump administration's "Compact for Academic Excellence" faces near-universal rejection from the nation's leading universities, even as the White House continues to look for takers. Hosts Mushtaq Gunja, Jon Fansmith, and Sarah Spreitzer unpack why the compact's demands are legally shaky and practically unworkable. Then they turn to UVA's separate civil rights settlement, what it signals for Title VI enforcement, and how DOJ's growing role is reshaping oversight. Also in this episode: the shutdown that isn't shutting down, deep cuts to the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights and TRIO programs, and  the new $100,000 H-1B visa fee.  Here are some of the links and references from this week's show:  The Trump Administration's Higher Education Compact  Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education White House   Statement by Higher Education Associations in Opposition to Trump Administration Compact   ACE | Oct. 17, 2025  How the Trump administration is pressuring universities to fall in line  NPR | Oct. 27, 2025  UVA  UVA reaches agreement with US Justice Department on outstanding compliance investigations  UVA Today  Government Shutdown and Higher Ed  Federal Judge Indefinitely Blocks Trump's Latest Layoffs  Inside Higher Ed | Oct. 29, 2025  H-1B Visas  Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers  White House | Sept. 19, 2025  ACE, Higher Ed Groups Warn New H-1B Policies Could Undermine U.S. Competitiveness   ACE | Oct. 27, 2025  Letter to DHS on H-1B Visa Fee Increase (PDF)  ACE | Oct. 23, 2025  Comments to DHS on the Proposed H-1B Lottery Rule (PDF)  ACE | Oct. 24, 2025  Higher Ed Institutions Raise Concerns About H-1B Visa Fee  Inside Higher Ed | Oct. 29, 2025  Higher Ed Groups Push for Colleges To Be Exempt From $100K H-1B Visa Fee  Higher Ed Dive | Oct. 29, 2025

    1h 4m

  8. 10/08/2025

    Can They Do That? The White House's Higher Ed Compact and Shutdown Fallout

    The Trump administration's proposed "Compact for Academic Excellence" lands on nine campuses with vague perks and 23 demands, including tuition freezes, international caps, and "viewpoint diversity" audits. Hosts Mushtaq Gunja, Jon Fansmith, and Sarah Spreitzer ask can they do that?—then discuss the shutdown's real impacts, week one of negotiated rulemaking, the stalled $100,000 H-1B fee, and a Dear Colleague reminder on federal funds and lobbying.  Here are some of the links and resources from this week's show:  Economic Indicator Tool  The Economic Impact of Higher Education in America  The Trump Administration's Higher Education Compact  Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education  White House   White House Calls for Institutions to Sign Compact With Federal Government   ACE | Oct. 3, 2025  Trump's Proposed 'Compact' Asks Colleges to Show They're 'Pursuing Federal Priorities'  The Chronicle of Higher Education (sub. req.) | Oct. 2, 2025  OPINION: Trump's 'Compact' With Universities Is Just Extortion  The New York Times (sub. req.) | Oct. 2, 2025  Higher Ed Sounds Off on Proposed Compact  Inside Higher Ed | Oct. 6, 2025  Government Shutdown and Higher Ed  Government Shutdown Could Set Off Uncertainty for Research, Oversight, Some Student Benefits and Services   ACE | Sept. 30, 2025  From the Department of Education   Negotiated Rulemaking for Higher Education 2025  Reminder Regarding Prohibited Use of Federal Grants Funds for Lobbying and Allowable Membership Costs  What Would a Shutdown Mean for Rule Making?  Inside Higher Ed | Sept. 29, 2025

    1h 1m
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Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
24 Ratings

About

​​​​​​​​Each episode of dotEDU presents a deep dive into a major public policy issue impacting college campuses and students across the country. Hosts from ACE, joined by guest experts, lead you through thought-provoking conversations on topics such as campus free speech, diversity in admissions, college costs and affordability, and more.

Information

  • Creator
    American Council on Education
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    152
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © American Council on Education 2019
  • Show Website
    dotEDU

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