BPPE introduces new OSAR chief; reports closed-school outreach and STRF payouts tied to Icon Collective closure

Yan Keogh, who joined the bureau the week before the meeting, introduced herself as the new chief of the Office of Student Assistance and Relief (OSAR) and said she looks forward to building on the bureau's work on behalf of harmed students. "I'm excited to be addressing issues that are facing students and facing unmet needs," Keogh said.

Brian Vest, OSAR manager, detailed outreach and closed‑school work. He said the office participated in 24 informed-choice outreach events this year and met with 1,891 prospective students; OSAR also reached out to 1,355 students affected by school, branch or program closures and conducted closed-school workshops and one-on-one appointments after the Icon Collective closure. OSAR said Icon Collective accounted for 310 affected students, and the office followed up with webinars and in-person workshops where about 40 students received detailed assistance.

Yvette Johnson, chief of the Student Tuition Recovery Fund unit, reported that STRF approved roughly $1.8 million in reimbursements in the quarter and paid 99 claims totaling nearly $1.75 million. She said STRF received more claims in Q4, largely driven by the Icon Collective closure, and that the fund balance at quarter end was $33,891,000. Johnson noted staffing vacancies in STRF and that some claims remain in queue or pending review; "in queue" indicates a claim has been received but not yet assigned to an analyst, she said.

Committee members asked for regular tracking of school closures and student impact counts and whether federal changes at the U.S. Department of Education had affected state-level responses. Bureau leadership said the loss of a U.S. Department of Education regional office has had broad impacts on partnership work and that the bureau would continue to assess resource needs.