October 26,  2026

Leading the News this Week

Thank you to everyone who attended our annual ACCT Leadership Congress in Chicago last week! This year's Congress featured over 1,800 registrants, 431 first-time attendees, and representatives from 39 states (including Micronesia and Guam). This year's theme was Driving Change, Leading with Care: Where Vision Meets Compassion.

Some key issues discussed in this year's sessions included Workforce Pell advocacy, accreditation, trustee leadership, and navigating postsecondary education in an increasingly AI-driven world. 

Furthermore, Dr. Pretta VanDible Stallworth became the new ACCT Board Chair. Below is the new ACCT Board of Directors' Executive Committee:

• Dr. Pretta VanDible Stallworth (Houston City College, TX): ACCT Board Chair
• Oscar Valladares (Rio Hondo College, CA): ACCT Board Chair-Elect
• Tim Hardy (Louisiana Community and Technical College System, LA): ACCT Board Vice Chair
• Tony Colón (Mohawk Valley Community College, NY): ACCT Secretary-Treasurer

Read on for more top federal news affecting community colleges.

News in Higher Education

Take Action on CCAMPIS

In this year's Child Care Access Means Parents In School (CCAMPIS) program, the Department of Education (ED) made 40 new awards out of an expected 148 initially planned awards in the FY26 competition. Moreover, Secretary McMahon announced there were nearly 300 applicants, of which 79 applicants earned a perfect score. This year, ED chose to front-load all four years of funding using FY26 funding, resulting in fewer awardees.

ACCT has developed an email template for contacting members of Congress to encourage support for the program. The message asks that the final bipartisan FY27 spending bill include language to continue funding down the FY26 competition slate, while saving some funding for a new FY27 competition.

As always, please coordinate any outreach with your college's leadership, and CC PublicPolicy@acct.org.

Trump Administration Reportedly Planning to Make FSA an Independent Agency

According to an October 15 report by the Washington Sun, the Trump Administration is planning to "spin off" the Federal Student Aid office (FSA) into an independent agency, separate from its current home in the Department of Education (ED). The administration reportedly plans to transition FSA into an independent agency by October 1, 2027. The report follows many changes to ED and FSA, including the offloading of defaulted loan collection to the Treasury Department via an interagency agreement and the firing of roughly a quarter of FSA staff last year.

ED and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) have disputed the report’s accuracy, and a source reported to Inside Higher Ed said that there is no “substantive plan” to make FSA independent, viewing the report of a transition as a means to encourage faster adoption of the existing Treasury-ED interagency agreement.

Critics have warned that making FSA independent would have negative consequences for borrowers and disrupt the disbursement of Pell Grants and student loans while limiting FSA’s ability to ensure institutional compliance with federal law.

Undergraduate Certificates Most at Risk of Failing ED Student Earnings Test

A new analysis by Validated Insights found that 29% of undergraduate certificate programs failed the Department of Education’s Student Tuition and Transparency System (STATS) and Earnings Accountability test. Cosmetology and massage therapy programs fared the worst.

The accountability rule released in June will require undergraduate programs to demonstrate that their graduates make more than the average salary of a high school degree holder in their state. The Department of Education (ED) plans to first test undergraduate programs in early 2027, and programs failing the test in two out of three consecutive years will lose federal loan eligibility.

ED Approves Workforce Pell Grant Program in Arizona

On October 22, the Department of Education (ED) approved a new Workforce Pell grant for Arizona's Pima Medical Institute, making Arizona the seventh state in the nation to receive a program approval. The institute is the first for-profit institution to be approved as a Workforce provider. Community colleges in Iowa, Indiana, Nebraska, Texas, North Carolina, and Florida have also received program approval to become Workforce Pell providers.

Intern Blog Post: Both Ends of the System 

Intern Blog: Check out a new blog post by one of ACCT’s Public Policy Interns, Paige Podesta! She discusses her experiences with remote learning, early childhood education programs, and the vitality of strong childcare programs on community college campuses.

Snapshots

1. Report: What Is at Stake for Minority-Serving Institutions (Urban Institute)

2. Report: Student Loans: Late Payment Trends, Servicing Practices, and Credit Reporting Issues (Congressional Research Service)

This Fall: Invite Your Members of Congress to Campus!

ACCT's Toolkit to Host Congressional Visits

During this year’s long congressional state work periods in September and October, congressional lawmakers return to their home states and districts to engage with their constituents and to pitch the many accomplishments they have made throughout the congressional session. Community college leaders have an optimal opportunity to establish, strengthen, or renew relationships with the lawmakers that represent their campuses and advocate for community college legislative priorities.

Take a look at ACCT’s new Toolkit on How to Host Your Member of Congress, which offers strategies to strengthen relationships with congressional lawmakers. On ACCT Now, read the blog, Community College Advocacy Continues All Year Round: Invite Your Member of Congress to Meet Back Home!

Remember -- you can use this time to:

• Invite your Member of Congress to visit your community college.
• Meet your Member of Congress at the congressional district office.
• Attend a congressional town hall, parade, BBQ, or other event that features your Member of Congress.
• Host a nonpartisan candidate forum, town hall, or tour with your Member of Congress or candidates seeking election for that congressional seat. If you invite a candidate that is not yet in office, you must invite all candidates for that seat and provide equal time, without endorsement.
• Invite your Member of Congress to speak at a program graduation or annual commencement.

Please contact the ACCT Government Relations team with information and pictures of your visit: publicpolicy@acct.org. We would like to uplift your member of Congress’s engagement with your community college to inspire others.

Grant Opportunities

Please view ACCT's new resource highlighting top competitive grant opportunities for community colleges. These below are the top highlights:

Specialty Crop Multi-State Grant Program 2026

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in collaboration with the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is accepting proposals for its Specialty Crop Multi-State Grant Program. This grant aims to facilitate multi-state partnerships to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops through competitively funded initiatives and projects. The grant is intended to address regional and/or national specialty crop issues, including, but not limited to: food safety, plant pests and disease, research, crops-specific projects addressing common issues, and marketing and promotion. USDA anticipates about 20 awards ranging from $250,000 to $1,000,000. Cost sharing is required, and applicants must demonstrate 25%. The application deadline is Friday, December 4, 2026. Learn more and apply here.

Collections Stewardship

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Division of Collections & Infrastructure is currently accepting proposals for the Collections Stewardship, a program that aims to advance the preservation and availability of physical and digital collections crucial for research, education, and public engagement in the humanities. Projects may include conservations and preservation, digitization and description, enhancement of existing digital resources, and preservation services & education training. All public and private institutions of higher education are eligible to apply. NEH anticipates around 50 awards ranging from $50,000 to $500,000. Awards are available in three tiers: tier 1 consists of planning projects that range from $50,000 to $100,000; tier 2 consists of individual implementation projects ranging from $100,001 to $350,000; and tier 3 consists of implementation projects involving more than one organization ranging from $350,001 to $500,000. The application deadline is Tuesday, December 15, 2026. Learn more and apply here.

• October 29, 2-3 PM ET -- FSA FVT/GE, STATS Webinar #1
• November 4, 11:59 PM ET - NSF State and Regional AI Infrastructure Hubs
• November 6, 1-2 PM ET -  ACCT LAW Live 
• November 10, 12:30-1:30 PM ET - Midterm Election Results: Impacts on Congress, the President, and Higher Education Webinar
• November 10, 2-3 PM ET -- FSA FVT/GE, STATS Webinar #2
• December 4, 1-2 PM ET- -  ACCT LAW Live
• December 4 - Specialty Crop Multi-State Grant Program
• December 15 - Collections Stewardship

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:

Would you Like a Federal Update Session for Your Team?

Both this new presidential administration and new Congress have brought with them a flurry of developments in the federal landscape that can make keeping up a monumental task. ACCT's Government Relations team is here to help by offering a 45-minute to an-hour federal update session to community college leadership teams who are ACCT members. To request a session, fill out this form and please email publicpolicy@acct.org with any questions.

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.

If you no longer wish to receive ACCT's Latest Action in Washington alerts, reply to this email with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line. For more information about ACCT's advocacy services, visit acct.org/advocacy

Spread the Word.

Please encourage your fellow trustees, presidents and colleagues to stay up to date about legislation that affects their community colleges by joining the Latest Action in Washington (LAW) Alert network. To join, simply register here. 

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