
On March 20, the executive order “Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities” was published on The White House official website initiating the order immediately.
Matthew Stokan is the Director of Financial Aid at Waynesburg University. Stokan said that he recently attended a recertification training to process e-applications which are used for federal grants and loans.
Stokan talked with the man running the recertification and got some insight on what was going on as of right now, which was that they shut down all but 2 offices (Chicago and Philadelphia) who are now processing all the federal funding and loans.
Stokan relayed the man’s words and said, “The e-application that normally should take 30 days to process at maximum 90, he said don’t expect it until well after 90 because the personnel who used to do things like that are just not working anymore and they don’t know if they’re ever going to come back to work.”
When asked what the Department of Education does for colleges like Waynesburg, Stokan said that it processes federal grants, is in charge of paying many work study students, and is in charge of loans.
One of the biggest things the Department of Education is known for is Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Stokan said that last year FAFSA was “messed up” leading to the application time getting pushed back. Stokan said it might happen in the near future again due to this executive order when transitioning the processing over to the states.
Stokan said that incoming students for next semester shouldn’t be affected by this as they have already gotten their financial aid, but it may affect other incoming students later on.
When asked what he wanted students to know Stokan said “Stay on top of things,” and don’t be afraid to ask questions.
Tom Szejko, Vice President for Finance and Chief Operating Officer wrote that he had attended a webinar presented by the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) on the current state of the Department of Education.
Szejko replied similarly to Stokan when he wrote “…to date there is nothing to report on how the Executive Orders related to the DOE will play out in the higher ed sector. The DOE is stating that there will be no disruption of the services by the reduction in workforce.”
Szejko echoed Stokan when he wrote “As of right now, there is no mention of reducing Pell Grants and Student Loans. The funding for Pell Grants and Federal Work Study are set a year in advance. Therefore the funding for 2025-2026 has already been determined.”
Szejko did mention that graduate student loans might be affected when he wrote “Graduate School loans are being evaluated and are at higher risk of being reduced however this is not at the top of lawmakers priority list.”
The executive order stated that the Department of Education was created in 1979 due to the urging of President Jimmy Carter. The document also stated, “While the Department of Education does not educate anyone, it maintains a public relations office that includes over 80 staffers at a cost of more than $10 million per year.”
The reasoning behind the executive order is because “This year’s National Assessment of Education Progress showed that 70 percent of 8th graders were below proficient in reading, and 72 percent were below proficient in math,” stated the document.
The plan as stated in the document is to “facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return authority over education to the States and local communities while ensuring the effective uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely.”
This is for basic education levels and about how it will help them, so how will this affect college students? In the official document there is no mention of higher education such as colleges and universities, or how they will be helped or harmed with this change.
College students are mentioned in the U. S. Department of Education press release by Secretary of Education Linda McMahon on the U. S. Department of Education website. The press release stated, “Closing the Department of Education does not mean cutting off funds from those who depend on them—we will continue to support K-12 students, students with special needs, college student borrowers, and others who rely on essential programs. We’re going to follow the law and eliminate the bureaucracy responsible by working through Congress to ensure a lawful and orderly transition.”
“K-12 students and college students will be relieved of the drudgery caused by administrative burdens—and positioned to achieve success in a future career they love,” stated the press release.