CECU Daily Update Email

​CECU Applauds Increase of Annual Pell Grant Awards
Steve Gunderson, president and CEO of Career Education Colleges and Universities, commented on the increase of the annual Pell Grant award in H.R. 1865:
 
“Career Education Colleges and Universities warmly welcomes the news that the maximum Pell Grant award has been increased by $150 for the 2020-2021 school year. The action taken by President Trump’s Administration and the Congress will enable more students to access and afford career education.
 
“While the American economy continues to grow, there are still millions of Americans lacking in-demand skills and millions of job vacancies because employers cannot find job ready employees. Our members continue to work to address this demand and additional Pell Grant funding will ensure more students succeed.
 
“We hope the Congress can continue to find avenues of agreement to further education access, outcomes, and opportunities.” 

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​Education Politics and Policy
CBO: Democrats’ College #unAffordability Act Costs Billions
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) found the Democrats’ so-called College Affordability Act will cost more than $330 billion in mandatory funds and nearly $150 billion in discretionary funds in just the first 10 years of the bill’s enactment.
 
Democrats Question Education Department Hiring Practices – Politico
House Democrats are questioning what they say are DeVos’ “new and disturbing hiring practices and policies” at the department that were adopted without input from the union representing agency employees.
 
Pell Grants, NIH Get Boost in Budget Deal – Inside Higher Ed
The deal includes a $150 increase in the maximum award for federal Pell Grants compared to the 2019 enacted level.
 
Durbin Introduces Legislation To Improve Accountability Of Foreign Medical Schools Receiving Federal Student Aid
U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced legislation that would protect students and taxpayers by closing a loophole that gives special treatment to a small number of overseas medical schools.
 
Department of Education Earns A+ for Technology Modernization
The U.S. Department of Education, under the leadership of U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, has earned high marks from the House Committee on Oversight and Reform for its work to modernize and secure its information technology systems. 

​Financial Aid/Student Loan Issues
OUTAGE ALERT – Federal Student Aid Website and System Outages December 21, 2019 – IFAP
On December 21, 2019, we plan to complete important system work that will impact Federal Student Aid websites and systems. This work is related to the Next Gen FSA website consolidation described in the December 13, 2019 Electronic Announcement and is in addition to the regular weekly maintenance that occurs each weekend. 

Meeting with VA officials
CECU's Exec. VP and Director of Government Relations, Mike Dakduk (middle), meets with senior Department of Veterans Affairs officials. Pictured here is Dr. Paul Lawrence (left), the Under Secretary of Benefits, and retired Army Sergeant Major Mike Stoddard (right), VSO Liaison for the Veterans Benefits Administration.

​Member Spotlight
Providing Exceptional Customer Service Through Improved Operations
On December 6, 2019, Unitek College hosted their third Operations Summit at the DoubleTree Hilton Hotel in Newark, California. The theme of the event was “Exceptional Customer Service Through Improved Operations.

​Education News
The Biggest Movers Online – Inside Higher Ed
Federal data show the colleges and universities with the most students enrolled online in 2018 — and which institutions grew and shrank from the year before.
 
The potential disaster of free community college – Politico
Free community college is a big hit on the campaign trail as candidates battle over student debt plans but there’s a downside — schools could be overwhelmed by a tide of new students who’d still wind up without degrees.
 
Students are desperate to get into college. So why is enrollment dropping? – CBS News
The hardest-hit are private four-year colleges, where enrollment declined 2.1% from a year earlier.