Federal Updates

Another HEA extension
With the current extension of the Higher Education Act (HEA) set to expire on March 31, 2008, Congress has approved another short-term extension, this one through April 30, 2008. The bill, S 2733, provides for a “clean” extension and was signed by the President on March 24.

Proposed regulations issued for TEACH Grant Program
Following several months of public hearings and negotiated rulemaking sessions, ED has published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) for the TEACH (Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education) Grant Program, available in the March 21, 2008, Federal Register.

New brochure from ED explains advantages of federal student loans
During her March 14 testimony before the House Committee on Education and Labor, Education Secretary Margaret Spellings introduced a new brochure developed by ED to encourage students and families to maximize more affordable federal student aid options available to them before pursuing other options.

TG Updates

Ohio sixth-graders gain ‘real-world’ money management experience thanks to a TG Grant
Planning and awareness — especially as it pertains to college — are often the keys to students pursuing and attaining their career goals. In today's rapidly evolving world, it is never really too early to start the process. Courtesy of TG's Public Benefits Grant Program, a number of sixth-grade students in Ohio have received first-hand experience in how important it is to prepare for the future.

Pre-order the new TG Loans By Web™ instructional flyers
TG now offers free instructional flyers to help borrowers complete loan applications through TG Loans By Web.

Tech Report

TG to release latest enhancements for AdvanTG Web™ and TG Loans by Web™
On April 5, TG will roll out enhancements to both AdvanTG Web and TG Loans By Web. School and lender customers provided many of the ideas for this latest round of changes, including additional fields that make comparing lender benefits easier for borrowers.

TG offers webinars for latest AdvanTG Web and TG Loans by Web enhancements
Before and after the release of the enhanced AdvanTG Web and TG Loans By Web products, TG will offer training webinars on the latest changes. The webinars will provide users an overview of all modifications to screens and functions and include an opportunity for asking questions.

Trends and Issues

Question of the week
Q.: If a student in a standard, term-based, credit-hour program fails a course and chooses to retake it, is the student eligible to receive federal student aid for the course?

This, That, and the Other...

The composition of the nation's student body is headed for a major change, according to an analysis of population data conducted by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education.

After this year, the number of graduates nationwide will begin a slow decline until 2015, according to the commission. At the same time, the number of minority graduates is expected to grow rapidly as Hispanic and Asian students replace white ones.

Nationwide, the number of high-school graduates should peak this year at 3.34 million. The number of graduates is expected to start growing again in 2015, when the rapidly-growing Hispanic and Asian populations will begin pushing that number to new highs.

The source for this week's "This, that, and the other" is located at http://chronicle.com/weekly/v54/i29/
29a00102.htm.

Note that The Chronicle of Higher Education requires a paid subscription to review some content.