COVID-19 Resources & Webinars On March 13, 2020, Career Education Colleges and Universities launched an information webpage for institutions responding to Coronavirus (COVID-19). CECU’s Coronavirus webpage includes a multitude of helpful resources to assist higher education leaders understand the various legal and operational implications of temporarily closing a campus or adapting courses to online learning. View all past webinars here. Guide for the Distribution of Student Grants under the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund In the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic, the proprietary school sector has a unique opportunity. The federal government has included our schools in the Emergency Stabilization Fund for institutions of higher education. Starting the week of April 13, 2020, institutions will be given the opportunity to direct critical Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund grants to those students at your institutions most impacted by the pandemic. This guide, developed with the quick help from sector leaders, will support institutions in understanding what they should know regarding the emergency financial aid grants, potential formulas for the distribution of such grants, and a sample grant application form. The guide will be updated regularly based on ongoing stakeholder feedback and federal updates so check back often. View the guide here. Upcoming Webinars Accessing and Using Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds for Students and Institutions Friday, April 24 | 12:00PM ET Presenter: Nicholas Kent, Senior Vice President of Policy and Research, CECU On April 9, 2020, the U.S. Department of Education posted the process by which institutions of higher education could apply for and distribute approximately $6.2 billion in emergency financial aid grants to students that are made available under the CARES Act. On Tuesday afternoon, the Department issued new guidance responding to some of the most common questions related to an institution’s 50 percent direct-to-student allocation as well as announced that institutions can now apply for the remaining $6.2 billion institutional share of funds. Join CECU for an overview of the Department’s most recent guidelines on how to access and use the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund allocations, as well as best practices institutions should consider when managing these critical stabilization supports. Although time is allotted for live Q&A, attendees are encouraged to submit questions ahead of time to through the webinar registration form. "Coping with COVID-19" Financial Resources Webinar for Small Businesses & Private Non-profits Friday, April 24 | 1:00PM ET Join Lender Relations Specialist Rod Johnson of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), as he and DC SCORE conduct a follow-up session to last week's webinar on the financial tools and resources being made available to help small businesses and non-profits navigate today's unprecedented economic crisis. Creating the Right Method to distribute the Emergency Grant Funds to our Students Tuesday, April 28, 2020 | 2:00PM ET Is there a “right way” or “best formula” for allocating the federal grant funds to our students? How does one create something that is fair to all students while still prioritizing those students most in need? How do we distribute such funds over time in ways that meets the students’ needs while protecting the program’s intent? Many schools have asked for additional guidance on the best way to allocate these funds and the ability to talk directly with other school leaders. As you prepare for receipt – and then distribution – of your school’s allocation, we have brought together a panel of school leaders who have carefully created a distribution process appropriate to their school. Please join: Duncan Anderson, Education Affiliates Mitchell Fuerst, Success Education Colleges Nick Mansour, Arizona College This conversation will be moderated by Nicholas Kent, Senior VP for Regulations and Research, who is managing CECU’s COVID-19 Response. A Town Hall Conversation: The State of the Sector in the Midst of COVID-19 Wednesday, April 29, 2020 | 2:00PM ET Join CECU’s senior leadership to get a current update on major challenges and opportunities for our sector moving into the summer and fall. We’ll share the results of a recent survey of the sector showing significant differences in the impact of the shutdown based on geography and academic programs. We’ll give you the current and projected legislative and regulatory activity. We’ll look at CECU’s current and future professional development programming – future webinars, a new Virtual Convention, and the fall CEO Summit. Presenters: Steve Gunderson, President & CEO Steve Gonzalez, SVP for Government, Military and Veteran Relations Nicholas Kent, SVP for Policy and Research Kelley Blanchard, SVP for Professional Development and Engagement Following brief presentations, the conversation will be defined by questions and comments from those participating in this webinar. Reboot: Getting Your Marketing Ready for the Restart. Wednesday, May 6 | 2:00PM ET Presenters: Gregory Gragg, CEO and Chairman of Gragg Advertising Darryl Mattox, President of Gragg Advertising Lisa Olmedo, VP of Business Development at Gragg Advertising If you haven’t outlined a plan to reboot your marketing, you are behind the curve. The time to start planning and launching recruitment campaigns is upon us. In Case You Missed It
CECU Readout of the U.S. Department of Education’s Briefing on COVID-19 and CARES Act – Career Education Colleges and Universities CECU Senior Vice President of Policy and Research Nicholas Kent was invited to Tuesday afternoon’s briefing with several senior U.S. Department of Education officials, including Secretary Betsy DeVos, Acting Under Secretary Diane Auer Jones, and Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education Bob King. The call focused on providing new clarifying guidance regarding the use of the emergency financial aid grants to students as well as announcing that the Department is making immediately available to postsecondary institutions the remaining $6.2 billion for the institutional share of funds made available under the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund. CECU is highlighting several pieces of valuable information. Member Spotlight Florida Career College Campuses to Issue CARES ACT Grants to Students Florida Career College, a subsidiary of International Education Corporation, is proud to announce that it will use the CARES ACT to support its students by providing grants to help cover student living expenses. CARES Act ED Outlines Requirements for CARES Act Emergency Relief Institutional Funds – NASFAA The funds (HEERF-institutional share) will go directly to institutions to be spent on expenses incurred as a result of changes in instructional delivery due to the coronavirus, and are a separate stream from the more than $6 billion institutions are to send directly to students (HEERF-student share). DeVos urges wealthy colleges to give up their coronavirus aid – Politic Three of the nation’s wealthiest universities rejected federal stimulus funding from the Education Department on Wednesday amid a growing backlash stoked by the Trump administration against schools with multibillion-dollar endowments getting a slice of the economic rescue money. DeVos Puts Limited Restrictions On For-Profit Colleges – Forbes In the agreement documents for institutions to receive the funds, the Department met one demand of the lawmakers by specifying that executive salaries, bonuses, stock buybacks, dividends, and more would not be deemed as allowable expenditures of the funds. COVID-19 Reference Page: Student Portion of Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund – NASFAA Department of Education (ED) guidance on the use of Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) funds is changing on an almost daily basis. Check back often as NASFAA will continue to update this reference page as any new guidance becomes available. Coalition of Advocates Urge Congressional Oversight Commission to Aggressively Monitor Over $1 Billion in CARES Act Funds Going to For-Profit Schools – Student Borrower Protection Center Today, a coalition of over 40 consumer advocacy organizations, sent a letter to the Congressional Oversight Commission established to oversee CARES Act implementation calling for aggressive monitoring of funds going to for-profit schools. Given the industry’s track record of deceiving and abusing vulnerable borrowers, the organizations are demanding diligent oversight of how this money is spent.
Coronavirus Education News Federal Funding Left Out Some of the Most Vulnerable – Inside Higher Ed Holes in the formula to divvy up coronavirus stimulus funds to higher education left institutions that serve the most needy students underresourced, experts say. The Quandary: How Available Should Faculty Members Be to Students Online? – The Chronicle of Higher Education How available should faculty members be to students? Virtual office hours can help struggling students but shouldn’t be 24/7. Additional Coronavirus Coverage - Updated Daily Colleges tinker with fall 2020 tuition to aid students – UB; Private colleges brace for downturn amid pandemic fallout – Cal Matters; College students see internships, job offers cancelled due to coronavirus – HR Dive. Comments are closed.
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