Kimberly Mann spent what felt like her whole summer reading applications for the social work master’s program at Chicago State University, where she is dean.

“All of these young, aspirational folks who want to change the world and make it better,” Mann said of the applicants. She has taught at the Far South Side university for 18 years.

“I vaguely remember being that person,” Mann added with a laugh.

Mann said she, like the applicants to her program, chose a career in social work to help others despite relatively low pay, long and intense hours and the requirement for a costly master’s degree. But Mann now worries that upcoming changes to federal lending will imperil that already fragile pipeline.

Sun-Times file

Signed into law in July, President Donald Trump’s legislative package cal

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