Negotiated Rulemaking Explained

Send us Fan MailMost people feel federal higher education rules as a surprise email from financial aid or a sudden compliance deadline. We wanted to show you the machinery behind those moments and why negotiated rulemaking is where so many high-stakes decisions actually take shape. I sit down with Kristen Holtquist, founder of HCM Strategists, and Dr. Andy Vaughn, president and CEO of Alliant University, fresh off their work inside recent negotiated rulemaking committees. We break down what negotiated rulemaking is, how the Department of Education turns legislation into regulations, and why the “bumpers” set by Congress matter more than most outsiders realize. You’ll hear how Workforce Pell moved from a long-advocated idea to real regulatory design, and why the new accountability baseline is being sold as common-sense consumer protection for learners, especially first-generation students who need clear signals about program value. We also get into graduate student loan limits, the Graduate PLUS debate, and why “denial is not a strategy” for campus leaders. Andy explains how showing up with facts, data, and a coalition can change outcomes, while Kristen shares what surprised her most about federal policy, including the system’s obsession with time as a proxy for quality. We talk accreditation reform as the next big lever, especially for professional licensure programs with specialty accreditation requirements that drive costs. If you care about Title IV, student debt, accountability, and how to influence federal higher education policy before it becomes your next emergency, this conversation is your roadmap. Subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a review with the question you want us to tackle next.