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The Value of NAICU Membership

As one of the six presidential higher education associations in Washington, D.C., NAICU is instrumental both in shaping higher education policy and in assisting its members with those issues at the intersection of the institution and the federal government - Congress, the administration, and the regulatory agencies.

NAICU works hard to increase federal student aid, seek regulatory relief, and advocate for tax policy that is advantageous to our students and institutions. We are a collective voice for the independent (private) nonprofit sector, and serve as a watchdog for its interests.

NAICU's success grows out of both its extensive membership base and the direct involvement of member presidents in developing, articulating, and implementing public policy positions. NAICU members enroll 90 percent of the students in U.S. private nonprofit higher education.

What NAICU Offers

- Advocating for Student Aid

NAICU has been working tirelessly to mobilize our members against ongoing congressional efforts to cut Pell Grants and other vital student aid programs, which allow more than 9 million low-income students to attend college. In addition to spearheading the Student Aid Alliance, we have created a special webpage to assure that members have ready access to the federal funding information they need.

- Navigating Federal Concerns

NAICU helps our members navigate the sometimes turbulent waters of congressional concerns and federal mandates. We have developed a number of tools to provide support. New resources are added regularly as fresh issues emerge. Here are some of our member support initiatives:

• U-CAN - NAICU created, launched, and continues to refine the University & College Accountability Network (U-CAN), a resource for prospective students and their families. The initiative grew out of demands in Washington and in the media for greater transparency and accountability by colleges and universities. Now completing its third year, U-CAN continues to grow in popularity and in value to the college-going public.
  
  
• The GI Bill and Yellow Ribbon Program - NAICU not only fought for the full inclusion of private colleges in the new GI Bill provisions, but also has been instrumental in helping colleges understand and participate in the Yellow Ribbon program.

- Working for Balanced Tax Policy

NAICU advocates tax policies that help families save and pay for college, and also helps private colleges fulfill their distinctive missions. A long list of important higher education tax benefits are scheduled to expire at the end of 2011 and 2012. Independent higher education's collective voice will be crucial if these provisions are to survive.

- Making the Case for Independent Higher Education

NAICU makes the case for independent higher education - with Congress, the Department of Education, the news media, and the general public. We help our members make that case as well by providing them with talking points, background documents, supportive examples and data, and printed pieces like Independent Colleges and Universities: A National Profile. This piece is available in bulk for members' use with their own constituencies.

- Providing Timely and Relevant Communications

Given the increased need for timely contact with our members, NAICU has over recent years adopted electronic communication as our primary means to reach and inform member presidents and their staff.

• PresNet - We use it very judiciously to inform members of important developments in higher education policy.
  
  
• NAICU Washington Update - Washington Update offers brief summaries of higher education policy developments, with links to more extensive information on the NAICU Web site.
  
  
• NAICU Headline News Service - This highly popular service provides a summary of higher education news from national, regional, and local media, with links to the full articles on line. It is available as a daily e-mail, RSS feed, and via Twitter and Facebook. The service is free but optional.
  
  
• Specialized Staff List Serves - Supplementing PresNet, above, we offer dedicated list serves for government relations staff (GovNet) and public relations staff (PRNet). Staff of member institutions may subscribe by sending a request to deborah@naicu.edu.

- Connecting with Your Peers

NAICU membership provides an opportunity to connect and share information with fellow presidents of private colleges and universities. Our web site membership directory is updated virtually daily. Included is basic information on all member institutions, including the name of the president. Also available to members only - once they have established a log-in account - is full contact information on all presidents, including direct phone number and e-mail address. Members also may download and print a current PDF version of the full membership information.

- NAICU Annual Meeting

The NAICU Annual Meeting affords an excellent opportunity to catch up with colleagues on an informal basis, and to participate in three days of informative programming. The meeting is always held in Washington, D.C., around the end of January, with hundreds of presidents in attendance.

- One-to-One Counsel

The NAICU staff is always available to provide information and counsel as needed on a one-to-one and confidential basis. This assistance might take the form of our research staff providing data for use in a presidential speech, asking those in government relations for insights into congressional or agency actions, or having our communications staff offer comment on an opinion piece for media placement.

Eligibility

Membership in NAICU is open to all accredited independent (private) nonprofit colleges and universities, subject to approval by the association's board of directors.

Contact Us

For detailed information on membership dues and procedures for joining NAICU, contact Deborah Reilly at (202) 785-8866 or deborah@naicu.edu.