← Research & Public Scholarship
Public voice & media engagement
Ideas in public Research connected to the moment
Commentary, reporting, and public conversations that bring evidence on higher education finance, student debt, policy, and student well-being to broader audiences.
Choose a collection
Explore public scholarship and media engagement
Select a pathway to replace the collection below. Everything stays on this page.
Selected collection
OpEds and Invited Commentary
Arguments and research-informed commentary written for public audiences.
New PSLF Rules Break Promises to Borrowers
Eligibility for Public Service Loan Forgiveness should not change across administrations.
Collier argues that changing PSLF eligibility across presidential administrations destabilizes a promise borrowers have used to plan careers and lives. The piece calls for a rules-based program grounded in the statute Congress created, rather than shifting political discretion.
Back on Track
Why student loan visual trackers should be restored immediately.
This commentary makes the case for restoring clear visual progress trackers for federal student loan borrowers. Accessible progress information can reduce confusion, make repayment milestones visible, and help borrowers judge whether the system is recording their work correctly.
Deep Dive: New Research Shows the Profound Impact of Debt on Perceptions of Higher Ed
Student debt changes how borrowers understand the value and promise of higher education.
Collier and Huelsman translate new borrower research into a broader account of how debt affects confidence in higher education. The commentary shows that repayment experiences shape not only household finances, but also whether borrowers see college as worthwhile for themselves and the next generation.
It’s Not 2008 Anymore
With recession risks rising, higher education faces very different circumstances than during the Great Recession.
Collier and Kofoed caution higher education leaders against assuming that a new recession would repeat the enrollment patterns of 2008. Changed demographics, labor markets, college costs, and public confidence create a different operating environment that calls for different institutional responses.
An Unreliable Partner
Colleges should prepare for student aid policy characterized by inefficiencies and overreach.
This piece examines what Linda McMahon's leadership of the Education Department could mean for colleges and student aid. Collier urges institutions to prepare for administrative instability while keeping the consequences for students and borrowers at the center of their planning.
A New Attitude
Why McMahon isn't DeVos 2.0.
Collier considers how Linda McMahon's background, governing context, and likely approach differ from Betsy DeVos's tenure. The analysis looks beyond a simple comparison to identify the distinct risks and dynamics higher education should anticipate.
The Risks of Omicron Mean Starting the Semester Online Was the Right Move
A case for beginning the semester remotely during a period of serious public-health uncertainty.
Written during the Omicron wave, this commentary argues that a temporary online start was a reasonable way to protect campus communities. It frames flexibility as a practical response to risk, staffing pressure, and rapidly changing public-health conditions.
Congress CARES, but Private Student Loan Debt Remains a Blind Spot
Private student loan borrowers were left outside major parts of the COVID-19 relief package.
Collier, Marsicano, and Fitzpatrick identify a major gap in the CARES Act's student loan protections. Their commentary explains how excluding private student loans left many borrowers without the payment relief and safeguards available to federal loan borrowers.