June 5, 2024

Leading the news this week: The  House and Senate are back in session after a week long recess. Today, the House prepares to bring the first of 12 appropriations bills to the floor for a vote, while in the Senate, allocation levels for FY 2025 remain undisclosed. 

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

*NEW* Centers of Excellence for Veteran Student Success Program

The Department of Education (ED) issued a notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2024 for the Centers of Excellence for Veteran Student Success. The purpose of this program is to encourage institutions of higher education to develop model programs to support veteran student success in postsecondary education by coordinating services to address the academic, financial, physical, and social needs of veteran students. Additional information can be found here.

The deadline to submit applications is July 29, 2024. ED will host a pre-application technical assistance webinar on June 20, 2024 at 2:00 pm ET, register here.

*NEW* Basic Needs for Postsecondary Students Program 

ED issued a notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2024 for the Basic Needs for Postsecondary Students Program. The Basic Needs for Postsecondary Students Program provides grants to eligible institutions of higher education, or a consortia or system of such institutions, to advance systemic and sustainable solutions to student basic needs insecurity through support programs that address the basic needs of students and to report on practices that improve outcomes for students.

Additional information can be found here. The deadline to submit applications is August 5, 2024. ED will be hosting informational webinars for interested applicants in the near future, we will share registration details as soon as they are publicly available.

Comment Request for Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment Reporting Requirements

ED is currently soliciting written feedback and suggestions regarding Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment (GE) reporting requirements. These regulations aim to mandate that institutions participating in Title IV programs provide data on students' enrollment, completion, or withdrawal from both GE programs and eligible non-GE programs.

ED is especially interested in feedback on the necessity of this data collection for the Department's operations, the timeliness of processing and utilizing the information, the accuracy of burden estimates, opportunities to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the collected information, and strategies to minimize the burden on respondents, including the potential use of information technology. 

The deadline to submit public comments is June 17, 2024. For more information, click here. 

• Accepting applications on a rolling basis - SNAP Employment and Training (E&T) Cohort 2 Applications
• June 16 - Deadline for Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment Reporting Requirements comments 
• July 29 - Centers of Excellence for Veteran Student Success
• August 5 - Basic Needs for Postsecondary Students Program

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:

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