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Some good news here... ...and more bad news from PHEAA
I’m very happy to see that St. John’s Community Garden hangs in the balance no longer. Yes, the labyrinth may be lost, but at least there will be some green space left as the housing authority decides what to do with the rest of the property. I won’t go on about this since Brian is doing a column on it, but I just wanted to share a smile.
Similarly, it’s good to see that the borough council decided to accept John Messina’s resignation from the planning commission and can now get on with interviewing him, Michael Hott and Michelle Beaver. It seems like the fairest way to handle the situation.
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So, the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency is in the news again, and of course it’s for another problem. Do we ever hear good news from PHEAA? Well, OK, it was good to hear about the recent court judgement against the agency in regard to open records, and it was good to hear about the former boss quitting in October, after a string of spending scandals, but the only really positive thing I can think of in connection to that agency is when Andy Dinniman was appointed to the board in December. I’ll have to ask how that’s going for him.
Anyway, the latest is that PHEAA is going to temporarily suspend loans made outside the state through the Federal Family Education Loan Program. The agency will send borrowers to banks instead, which supposedly will assure “a seamless transition,” but surely some students will lose out on opportunities as the borrowers’ pool gets more shallow.
Acting PHEAA president and CEO James Preston told a Pa. House committee, “Right now, it’s not profitable at all to finance (FFELP) loans.”
Last time I checked, PHEAA wasn’t a for-profit institution (although executives and staff have certainly had some nice perks for their “service”). Maybe he means that more people can be helped by focusing on other programs, but it’s hard to give the benefit of the doubt to that agency.
To be fair, student lending is being squeezed across the country due to the shaky economy, but PHEAA would have considerably more financial security (and goodwill) if it hadn’t been handing out lavish bonuses and luxurious trips to its executives and staffers for years.
Posted by
Patricia Matson
Similarly, it’s good to see that the borough council decided to accept John Messina’s resignation from the planning commission and can now get on with interviewing him, Michael Hott and Michelle Beaver. It seems like the fairest way to handle the situation.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So, the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency is in the news again, and of course it’s for another problem. Do we ever hear good news from PHEAA? Well, OK, it was good to hear about the recent court judgement against the agency in regard to open records, and it was good to hear about the former boss quitting in October, after a string of spending scandals, but the only really positive thing I can think of in connection to that agency is when Andy Dinniman was appointed to the board in December. I’ll have to ask how that’s going for him.
Anyway, the latest is that PHEAA is going to temporarily suspend loans made outside the state through the Federal Family Education Loan Program. The agency will send borrowers to banks instead, which supposedly will assure “a seamless transition,” but surely some students will lose out on opportunities as the borrowers’ pool gets more shallow.
Acting PHEAA president and CEO James Preston told a Pa. House committee, “Right now, it’s not profitable at all to finance (FFELP) loans.”
Last time I checked, PHEAA wasn’t a for-profit institution (although executives and staff have certainly had some nice perks for their “service”). Maybe he means that more people can be helped by focusing on other programs, but it’s hard to give the benefit of the doubt to that agency.
To be fair, student lending is being squeezed across the country due to the shaky economy, but PHEAA would have considerably more financial security (and goodwill) if it hadn’t been handing out lavish bonuses and luxurious trips to its executives and staffers for years.
Posted by
Patricia Matson
posted by The Phoenix Files at
5:26 PM
2 Comments:
Note:
Marcia Eldred has also submitted a letter of interest, resume and reference for consideration for the open Planning Commission seat.
They should give her that George Martynick seat.From what i understand is that he was going to resign.But after taking to a fowl he change his mind ,thinking that Mr.John M.would not quit after he quit.Leaving Mr. John M. on the planning board. Now thats a good one.I would take Mr. John M. word before i take a chickens word.Where do they get this crap from?
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