November 6, 2024

Leading the news this week: 

Americans across the country have casted their votes to elect their new president along with other elected officials at the federal, state, and local levels. President Trump reclaims victory, meanwhile the Senate has turned over to a Republican majority. The outcome of the House races is still uncertain as many races are too close to call. However, we can expect to see many new faces from both sides of the aisle regardless of who ends up in the majority for the 119^th Congress.

Now let's dive into the latest news in higher education!

November 1^st Deadline Passes for Pending Higher Education Rules

As the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) has shared, the November 1^st deadline for finalizing rules regarding Return of Title IV Funds, TRIO eligibility, and distance learning has passed. As a result, regulations that ask institutions to take attendance for all distance education courses; eliminate online asynchronous clock-hour programs; and report the students who are enrolled in at least one distance education course to the Department of Education will not take effect on July 1, 2025, even if they are published before the end of the Biden Administration. The Trump Administration will likely come with its own regulatory agenda that may cast aside these proposed rules along with other rules currently in place.

Department Sends Latest Draft of Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment Completers List

The Office of Federal Student Aid has sent schools a revised draft of the Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment (FVT/GE) Completers List. Schools will have until January 15, 2025, to review and correct student information on the revised draft. To form the List, the Department of Education evaluates the number of students who completed their programs in a two- or four- year cohort period; the List then identifies all relevant Title IV aid recipients for the 2022 earning year who completed a qualifying program. The debt and earnings of the students on the List are used to calculate the debt-to earnings rates and earnings premium measures. Refer to the announcement page for additional information.

Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education Updates Community College Webpage

The Department of Education’s Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) updated its Community College web page which now features a list of federal grants that community colleges are eligible for; the latest statistics on community colleges and its students; research and data resources; and community college priorities and initiatives established by the Biden administration. Check out the new website.

The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center Releases Findings on Fall 2024 Enrollment Trends

The latest reporting from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center indicates that since Fall of 2023, there have been enrollment increases in the undergraduate and graduate populations regardless of institution type. What is notable is that freshmen enrollment is at a decline, which means that enrollment growth is stemming from student retention. Moreover, public 2-year and public primarily associate-degree granting baccalaureate institutions have shown the greatest enrollment percent increases in comparison to their public and private nonprofit 4-year counterparts. Finally, this report shows that enrollment among white students for all institution types is at a decrease except for a slight percent increase at public 2-year institutions.   

Webinar: Helping Community College Students Build a More Secure Financial Future

The Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) alongside the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation is hosting a webinar on December 5^th for Community College Leaders on the Federal resources available to address student financial literacy. This webinar is to take place 3:00-4:15PM EST. Click here to register.

Grant Opportunities

Please review the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education's Community College webpage for new grants community colleges are eligible for.

Ports for the Future Partnerships: The Department of State is looking to partner with organizations, such as institutions of higher education, to coordinate closely with Quad partners and hold the inaugural Quad Ports and Transportation Conference in Mumbai India. The Ports of the Future program will also explore opportunities to actively engage with Quad partners to coordinate technical assistance and capacity building efforts to ensure efforts under this new partnership meet the significant infrastructure demands in the region. Here is additional information. The closing date for applications is December 16, 2024.

Ethiopia Rapid Response Mechanism:  The Agency for International Development issued a notice of funding opportunity for applications to support the overall goal of Ethiopia Rapid Response Mechanism activity, which is to “rapidly respond to urgent humanitarian needs across Ethiopia for vulnerable and shock-affected populations to preserve human dignity and save lives.” This application is open to any type of entity, including community colleges. Here is additional information. The closing date for this application is December 19, 2024.

Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad (GPA) Program—Short-Term Projects: Fulbright-Hays GPA Program is to promote, improve, and develop the study of modern foreign languages and area studies in the United States. The program provides opportunities for faculty, teachers, and undergraduate and graduate students to conduct group projects overseas. Projects may include either (1) short-term seminars, curriculum development, or group research or study, or (2) long-term advanced intensive language programs. Community colleges are eligible to apply. Click here for more information. The closing date for applications is January 21, 2025.

• November 12 - Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act State Plan Guide Comments Due
• November 12 - Consolidated Annual Report for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act Comments Due
• November 13 - College Assistance Migrant Program Grant closing date
• November 13 - High School Equivalency Program Grant closing date
• November 19 - Foundational Learning Program (Tanzania)
• November 19 10:00 AM CT - Supporting Minds, Supporting Learners Webinar
• November 30 -  Celebrating the Contribution of African Food to American Cuisine Application Deadline
• December 5 3:00-4:15PM EST - Helping Community College Students Build a More Secure Financial Future Webinar
• December 12, 11:59 PM EST - Save America's Treasures Preservation Grant
• December 13, 5:00 PM EST - Offshore Wind Workforce Readiness Programs Application Deadline
• December 19 - Ethiopia Rapid Response Mechanism Grant closing date
• January 6, 2025 11:59PM EST - Head Start/ Early Head Start Recipient, Early Head Start Expansion and Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership Grants
• January 15, 2025 - Accurate Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment Completers List due to ED
• January 16, 2025 - Ports for the Future Partnerships Grant Closing Date
• January 21, 2025 - Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad (GPA) Program—Short-Term Projects
• January 22, 2025 - Addressing Systems Challenges through Engineering Teams Grant Closing Date
• February 9-12, 2025 - National Legislative Summit

Outreach Efforts

Is your institution meeting or hosting an event with federal elected officials?

We created a Congressional Contact Form that will help us track outreach efforts of community college leaders across our membership. By filling out the form, you are better informing ACCT's advocacy efforts and our advocacy team is able to continue those conversations with congressional staff in DC. 

ACCT NOW is the go-to resource for issues affecting community colleges. Our new website features original reporting and research, as well as of-the-moment legislative updates. ACCT NOW also includes articles, reports, and research from outside sources that benefit the ACCT community. Read the Latest Articles on ACCT NOW:

Have a Question?

Contact us with any questions or concerns about public policy and ACCT's advocacy on behalf of two-year colleges and two-year college trustees. ACCT's Latest Action in Washington alerts are sent to interested ACCT members to keep you up to date on important legislative activities that impact community colleges.

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