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The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) is the biggest shake-up to federal higher education policy in more than a decade. And while the bill passed on partisan lines, implementing it to maximize student success and postsecondary value requires real bipartisan cooperation.

With negotiated rule making under way, and 2026 implementation deadlines looming, Inside Higher Ed invites you to a live webcast, based on findings from our new deep dive report. Senior Editor for Special Content Colleen Flaherty and Ben Upton, the report's author, along with a panel of higher education experts, will take a closer look at conservative, progressive, and institutional priorities and perspectives on three key areas of the OBBBA: 

  • Institutional accountability for student outcomes
  • New loan limits and payment reforms
  • Changes to the Pell Grant program, including the introduction of Workforce Pell

The discussion will also cover common concerns around the OBBBA, such as the tight timeline for adoption, the data infrastructure to support changes, aligning earnings regulations, handling repayment plan transfers with care, protecting the Pell Grant budget and more. Another challenge: execution by an Education Department in transition. 

Can't attend the webcast? You should still register -- all registrants, including attendees and absentees, will receive a recording of the webcast and a copy of the presentation slides.

Wednesday, January 21, 2026 | 2 p.m. E.T.

After Reconciliation: Higher Ed Reform and Where Left–Right Collaboration Matters Most

PANELISTS

Ben Upton
Freelance Journalist and Report Author

Ben Upton is a freelance journalist based in Washington. He served as Times Higher Education’s Europe reporter between November 2021 and October 2023 and previously covered European research policy for Research Professional News. Before graduating from City, University of London’s journalism school in 2017, he worked in academic publishing and taught at a private university in Wuhan, China.

Sara Custer 
Editor in Chief at Inside Higher Ed

Sara Custer became Inside Higher Ed's editor-in-chief in March 2024. Before joining Inside Higher Ed, she was editor of Times Higher Education's (THE) Campus, a collection of daily resources designed for higher education faculty and staff members to learn, share and connect with colleagues at universities and colleges worldwide. Prior to that, she shaped THE’s online presence as its digital editor, helping to launch THE’s newsletter strategy and overseeing daily, weekly and monthly publications. From 2012 to 2017, she served as editor and senior reporter at The PIE News, covering the international education industry. Sara grew up in Cushing, Okla., and earned a B.A. in English literature from Loyola University Chicago and an M.A. in international journalism from City, University of London.

Colleen Flaherty
Senior Editor of Special Content at Inside Higher Ed

Colleen Flaherty, senior editor of special content, previously served as Student Voice editor for Inside Higher Ed. Prior to joining the publication in 2012, Colleen was military editor at the Killeen Daily Herald, outside Fort Hood, Texas. Before that, she covered government and land use issues for the Greenwich Time and Hersam Acorn Newspapers in her home state of Connecticut. After graduating from McGill University in Montreal with a degree in English literature, Colleen taught English and English as a second language in public schools in the Bronx, New York. She earned her M.S.Ed. from City University of New York Lehman College as part of the New York City Teaching Fellows program.