What the Future Holds for Federal TRIO Programs

Aired January 27, 2026

Questions about the future of federal TRIO programs—academic and support services for low-income, first-generation, and disabled students—come up more than almost any other topic on the podcast. We're joined this week by Kimberly Jones, president of the Council for Opportunity in Education, for a conversation about where TRIO stands and what may be ahead. We begin with some speculation on whether or not we're heading toward a partial government shutdown, and the latest on the Department of Education's moves on accreditation.

Here are some of the links and references from this week’s show:

**Contact Congress to Urge a Broader Professional Degree Definition**

2026 Winter Term Pulse Point Survey (PDF)

Hosts and Guests

Kimberly Jones

President, Council for Opportunity in Education

Guest

Kimberly Jones

President, Council for Opportunity in Education

Mushtaq Gunja

Executive Director

Carnegie Classification Systems

Mushtaq Gunja serves as executive director of the Carnegie Classification systems and senior vice president at ACE, where he is in charge of running and reimagining the Carnegie framework. Prior to joining ACE, Gunja served as assistant dean in academi...

Co-host

Mushtaq Gunja

Executive Director

Carnegie Classification Systems

Jon Fansmith

Senior Vice President

Government Relations and National Engagement

Jonathan Fansmith is the senior vice president for Government Relations and National Engagement at the American Council on Education (ACE), where he leads federal advocacy efforts on behalf of the nation's colleges and universities. He oversees ACE's e...

Co-host

Jon Fansmith

Senior Vice President

Government Relations and National Engagement

Sarah Spreitzer

Vice President and Chief of Staff

Government Relations

Sarah Spreitzer represents ACE and its members on matters related to research policy and funding, federal policy, international students, immigration, and legislative issues. Before joining ACE, Spreitzer held senior positions in higher e...

Co-host

Sarah Spreitzer

Vice President and Chief of Staff

Government Relations

Transcript

Transcript to come

About the Podcast

Each episode of dotEDU presents a deep dive into a major public policy issue impacting college campuses and students across the country. Hosts from ACE are joined by guest experts to lead you through thought-provoking conversations on topics such as campus free speech, diversity in admissions, college costs and affordability, and more. Find all episodes of the podcast at the dotEDU page.

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What the Future Holds for Federal TRIO Programs

Appropriations

Legal Updates

Accreditation

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