# Inside Neg Reg and the 2026 Higher Ed Changes

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/changing-higher-ed-205463/inside-neg-reg-and-the-2026-higher-ed-changes
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/changing-higher-ed-205463/inside-neg-reg-and-the-2026-higher-ed-changes.md
Podcast: [Changing Higher Ed](https://stenobird.com/podcast/changing-higher-ed-205463)
Published: 2026-03-31T17:30:00+00:00
Episode link: https://changinghighered.libsyn.com/draft-p304-andy-vaughn-pt-1
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/changinghighered/CHE-305_-_Andy_Vaughn_FINAL.mp3?dest-id=751925
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/changing-higher-ed-205463/episodes/inside-neg-reg-and-the-2026-higher-ed-changes
Duration seconds: 2245

## Resource

Higher education has spent years hearing that affordability, student debt, and public skepticism are putting pressure on colleges and universities. What is different now is that those pressures are shaping federal action in ways that will directly affect Title IV funding, graduate program financing, accreditation reform, and institutional decision-making before July 1, 2026. In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast , Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Dr. Andy Vaughn, President and CEO of Alliant University and one of three higher education representatives on the 2025 Negotiated Rulemaking RISE Committee , about what the latest Neg Reg signals for colleges and universities and why institutions that have not started preparing are already behind. Drawing on Vaughn's firsthand experience in federal rulemaking and Dr. McNaughton's strategic perspective on higher education leadership, this conversation examines why this round of Neg Reg is different from prior cycles, why the One Big Beautiful Bill changed the operating landscape, and why the next major pressure point is likely to be accreditation reform tied to cost and value. The discussion also explores what these changes mean for graduate programs, why institutions need to involve faculty early in redesign decisions, and how leaders should be thinking now about financing, delivery costs, and institutional relevance in a rapidly changing environment. This conversation is especially relevant for presidents, provosts, CFOs, trustees, graduate enrollment leaders, and others responsible for institutional planning, financial sustainability, and academic strategy in a time of federal change. Topics Covered: Why this Neg Reg is different from prior negotiated rulemaking cycles How the One Big Beautiful Bill changed the…

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## Transcript

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