Please join us on Tuesday, March 22 for an important webinar where we will provide an update and discuss the status of our pending litigation regarding the Gainful Employment provisions. Our efforts have advanced the issue to the "front of the line" in the deregulation discussions. Furthermore, our advocacy has served as a catalyst for the issuance of EA-105, which provides for a delay in the compliance requirements. While this delay may provide temporary relief, it does not mean that our work is over—in fact, our vigilance is needed now more than ever and we need your financial support to keep fighting. Register here for the webinar.

Students used to show up for interviews, but today prospects are getting harder to contact. Prospective students have more knowledge right at their fingertips with access to all of the information they need on their computer, tablet, or phone. They don’t have questions to ask an admissions representative because they found the information themselves online already? So, has your school adjusted admissions processes to adapt to the changing student? Watch this video as Dr. Jean Norris explains how technology is changing consumer habits and the buying cycle. 

If chaos is synonymous with unpredictability and confusion, then it also infers freedom – freedom to ask for responsibility, freedom to ask for clarity, freedom to take initiative, freedom to pave a new path that hasn’t been explored yet and therefore, the freedom to lead, and to learn. This blog post from Jeff Boss at Forbes explains how to deal with chaos in your business, and how it’s an opportunity to push the boundaries of "what has been" and set new limits for "what might be."

Introducing the Beauty Changes Lives | CosmoProf | Licensed to Create Education Scholarship Program. This newly-launched scholarship provides an opportunity for prospective and newer students enrolled in a cosmetology program to receive $5,000 to help offset tuition costs. Applications for the Spring 2017 application season are being accepted March 13 - May 8. Learn more at https://beautychangeslives.org/cosmoprof/. 

Beware of the ides of March! There are 45 state legislatures actively meeting this week. Last week saw favorable activity in three states in the West seeking to establish standalone hair design or hairstylist licenses. As always, AACS will keep you apprised of the latest developments from across the country of interest to barbering and cosmetology schools. There are quite a few updates to read in this week’s State Relations Update.

AACS is pleased to welcome new staff member, Glen Fernandez. Glen Fernandez is the Project Coordinator for AACS. He has a diverse background in event planning, project management, marketing, and tourism. He also holds an Arizona Cosmetology License and still works behind the chair, specializing in men’s styling. After graduating from Arizona State University, Glen moved to New York City where he worked with Bumble and bumble, coordinating advanced education programs in their University and managing their team backstage at New York Fashion Week. You can reach Glen at 800-831-1086 x104 or glen@beautyschools.org.