JFF Chief of Staff David Soo was quoted in the January 6 issue of “The Edge,” a weekly newsletter from the Chronicle of Higher Education, which examined how officials in the incoming Biden administration’s Education Department might address calls for innovation in higher education, with a specific focus on the growing influence of online program management (OPM) companies, the push for income-share agreements as a college financing option, and the rise of alternative credentials.

Discussing OPMs, Soo noted that, now that schools have had to pivot to online instruction during the pandemic, “a lot of higher-ed institutions like [OPMs] and are making a lot of money off them.”

On the topic of how the department should prioritize innovation in general, Soo pointed out that money and policies matter, but advocacy can make a big difference, too. “There’s so much that can be done with the bully pulpit that hasn’t been used in the past four years,” he said.