Page 34 - Claflin Cabinet Retreat

National Data

Educational Conversation

• FAFSA fiasco continues: Financial-aid administrators balked after the U.S. Department of Education
on Monday said institutions won’t be able to correct students’ Free Application for Federal Student
Aid in large batches until the first half of August. That effectively means some students with special

circumstances can’t get final financial-aid offers for the upcoming year, and available workarounds
are impractical at best, said Justin Draeger, president of the National Association of Student
Financial Aid Administrators. (NASFAA)

• Alverno declares financial emergency: The Catholic women’s college in Milwaukee plans to slash a

third of its majors, a quarter of its graduate programs, 25 full-time faculty positions, and 12 staff
roles. It’s about to close the books on a $9-million loss this year after running deficits in four of the
last five years. English and history are among the majors being discontinued as leaders pledge to
focus on strengths such as nursing, education, business, the sciences, and psychology and social
work. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

• Hampshire tightens belt: The Massachusetts college temporarily suspended staff retirement
contributions and cut senior leaders’ pay for a year, blaming low enrollment and problems with the
FAFSA. Hampshire nearly closed in the face of financial headwinds in 2019, but outcry from
alumni kept it open. (MassLive, The Chronicle)

• Another Wisconsin campus closing: The University of Wisconsin system plans to shut down a

campus in Fox Cities after the spring of 2025 term, citing declining enrollment and financial
challenges. It’s the system’s sixth two-year campus pegged for closure since the beginning of 2023.
(Associated Press)

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