Goodwin University President Mark Scheinberg appeared recently on The Wheelhouse, a Connecticut Public Radio program, to discuss how federal caps on financial aid under the Trump administration could affect students pursuing professional degrees — particularly in nursing and other healthcare fields
The episode, which aired Jan. 7 at 9 a.m., was hosted by Frankie Graziano and also featured U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and CT Mirror health reporter Katy Golvala. During the discussion, Scheinberg emphasized that the new limits on federal student loans could have far-reaching consequences for Connecticut’s healthcare workforce and the communities that depend on it.
“I’ve been around for a long time, and I had no sense that this would be what I would be going into so many years ago,” Scheinberg said, reflecting on the growing challenges facing higher education and health care training.
Goodwin University plays a significant role in preparing Connecticut’s health care professionals. The University educates a significant percentage of the working nurses in its region, along with respiratory therapists, dental hygienists, and other vital healthcare professionals.
“We know that we have many, many students who are not going to be able to continue or are not going to be able to start school because of the limits that have been put in place,” he said.
Scheinberg warned that the effects could extend beyond campuses and into hospitals, clinics, and emergency care settings across the state. Connecticut sees between 1.5 million and 2 million emergency care visits each year, he noted, and many of those patients are treated by advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) and physician assistants (PAs). Furthermore, these effects have significant implications for those providing and accessing emergency care statewide.
“This will affect not only everybody in the state, but particularly people in poor communities or in rural communities,” Scheinberg said, explaining that those areas are more likely to rely on APRNs and PAs rather than primary care physicians. “For all purposes, the APRNs in our state have become the new primary care physicians.”
The financial aid changes also impact undergraduate students, particularly those attending school part-time. Scheinberg noted that loan eligibility for these students has been halved.
“Eighty-five percent of the students at Goodwin University are working adults,” he said. “They can’t quit their jobs, and they have families.” About two-thirds of Goodwin students are single parents, he added, making part-time enrollment essential. “If the funds are cut in half, they can’t afford to come to school.”
Scheinberg said Goodwin is already hearing directly from students who are worried about affordability. “We have students calling us right now, getting their packages for the fall,” he said. “They’re asking very logical questions: How much am I going to pay? Where is it going to come from?”
Despite the challenges, Scheinberg said Goodwin remains committed to keeping education accessible. “We are finding ways to save every dollar that is possible to keep tuition low,” he said, pointing to partnerships with industry, expanded high school collaborations, and accelerated pathways that allow students to earn credits more quickly.
“Higher education changes lives one at a time,” Scheinberg closed, “but entire communities in aggregate.”
Bri Gagné is a content developer at Goodwin University, bringing backgrounds in literary studies, creative storytelling, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and social justice. They earned their bachelor’s degree in English Literature, Film Studies, and Gender Studies from University of Connecticut and a master’s in Elementary Education from Eastern Connecticut State University.
After teaching English abroad and locally, Bri transitioned to a full-time writing career, contributing to the University’s educational narratives and brand-building efforts. They are currently earning their Master of Fine Arts in Popular Fiction Writing and Publishing at Emerson College.