News from NAICU

WASHINGTON, D.C., February 10-The members of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) have selected 14 new board directors and four new board officers for 2012-13. They were officially appointed on Feb. 1 at the NAICU 2012 Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

Members of NAICU's board of directors set the association's agenda on federal higher education policy; actively encourage support of NAICU priorities and initiatives; and oversee the association's financial administration. Members serve three-year terms. Officers hold their positions for one year.

"NAICU's new board members and officers were selected by their peers because of their expertise in the field, proven leadership, and commitment to America's college students," said NAICU President David L. Warren. "They assume their responsibilities at a time of great challenge and transformation for American higher education."

New NAICU Board Officers

Dr. Nathan O. Hatch, president of Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C., has been elected chair of the NAICU board of directors for 2012-13. Hatch, who has served in his role at Wake Forest since 2005, is an active leader in American higher education and in local and community affairs. He recently served on the board of the American Council on Education, and he is currently a member of the Division I Board of Directors of the NCAA. Vice chair of the NAICU board in 2011-12, Hatch succeeds Dr. Daniel J. Carey, president of Edgewood College in Madison, Wis., who remains on the board as immediate past chair.

Dr. Eileen B. Wilson-Oyelaran, president of Kalamazoo College in Kalamazoo, Mich., will serve as vice chair of the NAICU board of directors. She will assume the position of chair next year.

Dr. Elizabeth Kiss, president of Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Ga., has been named treasurer.

Dr. Dale T. Knobel, president of Denison University in Granville, Ohio, has been named secretary.

New NAICU Board Members

Eight new members were elected to three-year terms on the NAICU board, representing the association's national regions:

Dr. Pamela Trotman Reid, President, Saint Joseph College, West Hartford, Conn.
Region I (Conn., Maine, Mass., N.H., R.I., Vt.)

Dr. Barbara-Jayne Lewthwaite, President, Centenary College, Hackettstown, N.J.
Region II (Del., D.C., Md., N.J., N.Y.)

Mr. William D. Huston, President, Saint Catharine College, St. Catharine, Ky.
Region III (Ky., Ohio, Pa., W.Va.)

Dr. Cleveland L. Sellers, Jr., President, Voorhees College, Denmark, S.C.
Region IV (Fla., Ga., N.C., S.C., Va.)

Dr. David L. Parkyn, President, North Park University, Chicago, Ill.
Region V (Ill., Ind., Mich., Wis.)

Dr. Forrest E. Harris, President, American Baptist College, Nashville, Tenn.
Region VI (Ala., Ark., La., Miss., Okla., Tenn., Texas)

Dr. David L. Sallee, President, William Jewell College, Liberty, Mo.
Region VII (Iowa, Kan., Minn., Mo., Neb., N.D., S.D.)

Dr. Gayle D. Beebe, President, Westmont College, Santa Barbara, Calif.
Region VIII (Alaska, Ariz., Calif., Colo., Hawaii, Idaho, Mont., N.M., Nev., Ore., Utah, Wash., Wyo.)

Four presidents have been named to three-year terms as at-large members of the board:

Dr. Pamela R. Fox, President, Mary Baldwin College, Staunton, Va.

Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, President, DePaul University, Chicago, Ill.

Mr. Marvin Krislov, President, Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio

Dr. John M. McCardell, Jr., Vice-Chancellor, Sewanee: The University of the South, Sewanee, Tenn.

A voting member of the National Association of Independent College and University State Executives will serve a three-year term:

Dr. Ed H. Moore, President, Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida, Tallahassee, Fla.

An ad-hoc, non-voting government relations person will also serve a three-year term:

Ms. Jennifer Grodsky, Executive Director of Federal Relations, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Calif.

NAICU serves as the unified national voice of independent higher education. With more than 1,000 member institutions and associations nationwide, NAICU reflects the diversity of private, nonprofit higher education in the United States. NAICU members enroll nine out of every 10 students attending private, nonprofit institutions. They include traditional liberal arts colleges, major research universities, church- and faith-related institutions, historically black colleges, Hispanic-serving institutions, single-sex colleges, art institutions, two-year colleges, and schools of law, medicine, engineering, business, and other professions.

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Media Contact:

Tony Pals
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WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan. 31, 2012 - United Technologies Corporation (UTC) received the 2012 Award for Advocacy of Independent Higher Education today from the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU). The award was presented by NAICU President David L. Warren and Fairfield University President Rev. Jeffrey P. von Arx during a luncheon at the NAICU 2012 Annual Meeting. The meeting is being held in Washington, D.C., at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill.

UTC Chairman & CEO Louis Chênevert accepted the award on behalf of the corporation.

The NAICU Advocacy Award was established in 1993 to recognize individuals outside of academe who have championed the cause of independent nonprofit higher education. No single contribution makes one eligible to receive the award. Instead, it recognizes an extended record of service, initiative, and determination.

The presentation of the 2012 NAICU Advocacy Award to United Technologies marks the first time a corporate entity, rather than an individual, has received the award. This special recognition is a reflection of the extraordinary commitment the corporation as a whole has demonstrated through its Employee Scholar Program to the transformative power of higher education.

This year, the 16th anniversary of the program, UTC's Employee Scholar Program will exceed a landmark investment of $1 billion in employer-provided educational assistance since its inception. Over those years, UTC employees in more than 50 countries have earned more than 32,000 associate's, bachelor's, and master's degrees through this program.

"For its vision and its commitment to the education of its employees as exemplified by its Employee Scholar Program, and for its enlightened view of the power of higher education to transform people and the nation, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities is pleased to present United Technologies Corporation with the NAICU Award for Advocacy of Independent Higher Education," said NAICU President David L. Warren.

"The UTC Employee Scholar Program stands as a model, worthy of emulation across corporate America, of investment in education for the betterment of individuals and society," Warren said.

The Employee Scholar Program strives to remove barriers for employees dedicated to learning. United Technologies pays for tuition, books and fees for recipients, upfront and directly to the educational institution. These employee-students also receive up to three hours a week of paid release time for study. The program is open to all employees - domestic and international, professional, and hourly - and, for a defined period of time, to employees who lose their jobs due to work-related circumstances. There is no obligation on the part of degree recipients to stay with the corporation. Employees are free to pursue any field of study that interests them. Currently there are more than 11,000 UTC employees enrolled in college programs.

NAICU serves as the unified national voice of independent higher education. With more than 1,000 member institutions and associations nationwide, NAICU reflects the diversity of private, nonprofit higher education in the United States. NAICU members enroll 90 percent of all students attending private institutions. They include traditional liberal arts colleges, major research universities, church- and faith-related institutions, historically black colleges, Hispanic-serving institutions, single-sex colleges, art institutions, two-year colleges, and schools of law, medicine, engineering, business, and other professions.

Media Contact:

Tony Pals
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direct office: (202) 739-0474
cell: (202) 288-9333

WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan. 31-Patricia McGuire, president of Trinity Washington University received the 2012 Henry Paley Memorial Award today from the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU). She received the award from NAICU President David L. Warren and Herbert Tillery, executive director of the College Success Foundation - District of Columbia, at the NAICU 2012 Annual Meeting. The meeting is being held in Washington, D.C., at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill.

Since 1985, the Paley Award has recognized an individual who, throughout his or her career, has unfailingly served the students and faculty of independent higher education. The recipient of this award has set an example for all who would seek to advance educational opportunity in the United States. The Paley Award is named for Henry Paley, president of the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities of New York from 1975 until 1984.

"Pat McGuire is an icon of higher education leadership," said NAICU President David L. Warren. "She has transformed her institution into a national model of private, nonprofit higher education serving a public purpose, and is a tireless, passionate, and articulate voice for the value of America's colleges and universities."

What was then Trinity College was under financial duress when McGuire took the helm in 1989. She assumed the office as the college's sixth president in eight years. A generation later, Trinity is booming. Enrollments have more than doubled, successful capital campaigns have been completed, award-winning buildings now enrich the campus, and academic programs have been expanded-including the only degree program in Washington's poorest neighborhood.

Trinity has reached these goals while staying true to its Catholic mission to ensure justice for all, and remaining rooted in the historic tradition of women's colleges to transform and empower women through education. Seventy percent of Trinity's student body qualifies for Pell Grants, a majority of students are the first in their family to attend college, and 90 percent are minority. Trinity serves more District of Columbia public school graduates than any other private institution in the nation.

McGuire's commitment to higher education for all goes far beyond the students she serves at Trinity.

NAICU has long relied on her to represent independent higher education at the federal level. McGuire has testified before congressional tax, banking, education, and funding committees. She has spoken at Capitol Hill rallies. She has served on Department of Education panels. She has defended student aid, once warning a banking committee-when the housing bubble first burst in 2008-that student loans could be at risk if the federal government didn't act. McGuire has defended universities against taxation through her articulate defense of higher education and all non-profits-using her personal credibility as a president who makes a conscious decision to pay for her own off-campus home, car, and travel.

"In deep appreciation for all she has done for the association, for the colleges and the students we serve, and for her continuing crusade in support of higher education, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities is pleased to honor the contributions of Pat McGuire," Warren said.

NAICU serves as the unified national voice of independent higher education. With more than 1,000 member institutions and associations nationwide, NAICU reflects the diversity of private, nonprofit higher education in the United States. NAICU members enroll 90 percent of all students attending private institutions. They include traditional liberal arts colleges, major research universities, church- and faith-related institutions, historically black colleges, Hispanic-serving institutions, single-sex colleges, art institutions, two-year colleges, and schools of law, medicine, engineering, business, and other professions.

Media Contact:

Tony Pals
tony@naicu.edu
direct office: (202) 739-0474
cell: (202) 288-9333

Related Sessions Examine Rising College Costs and Challenges to Access; and Institutional Strategies for Rethinking the Higher Education Model

WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan. 27-A week after President Barack Obama warned colleges and universities in his State of the Union address that they were "on notice" to keep tuition increases in check or risk losing federal money, senior White House education adviser Zakiya Smith and three private college presidents will address higher education affordability on Tuesday, Jan. 31, at a panel session titled "College Affordability: Issues and Solutions."

The session, part of the NAICU 2012 Annual Meeting (Jan. 29 - Feb. 1), will run 11 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, Jan. 31, at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill.

As part of the panel discussion, Smith will elaborate on President Obama's proposal, released today, to tie colleges' eligibility for campus-based student aid programs to institutional success in enhancing affordability and value for students. She is expected to take questions from audience members.

NAICU's annual meeting will draw up to 400 private college and university leaders. Media registration information is available online at www.naicu.edu/AnnMtgMediaReg.

Joining Smith on the affordability panel will be Hardin-Simmons University President Lanny Hall; Huntington University President Blair Dowden; and William Peace University President Debra Townsley.

All three institutions have announced new affordability initiatives for 2012-13. Hardin-Simmons is freezing tuition at the 2011-12 rate, and giving incoming students the opportunity to lock it in for as long as they are enrolled. Huntington is increasing tuition by the lowest rate in recent memory, and has begun to offer a loan repayment assistance program to students. William Peace is cutting tuition by 7.7 percent.

Related NAICU Annual Meeting Sessions:

• Monday, Jan. 30 - 3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.: Economists Robert Archibald and David Feldman, coauthors of Why Does College Cost So Much?, will address tuition trends, federal and institutional financial aid policies, and the growing threat to access.

• Wednesday, Feb. 1. - 9:15 a.m. to 10 a.m.: In a session titled "Staying Ahead of the Curve: Rethinking the Higher Education Model," the presidents of Heritage University, Saint Leo University, and Sewanee: The University of the South will examine creative, unconventional strategies being undertaken by their colleges as the "new normal" forces higher education to re-evaluate tuition and student aid strategies, revenue sources, educational and administrative efficiency measures, and academic programs and delivery options.

The full NAICU 2012 Annual Meeting schedule is available at www.naicu.edu/AnnMtgSchedule.

Media registration information is available online at www.naicu.edu/AnnMtgMediaReg.

The NAICU annual meeting Twitter hashtag is #naicu12.

Media Contact:

Tony Pals
tony@naicu.edu
direct office: (202) 739-0474
cell: (202) 288-9333

"We welcome the president's commitment to increasing the federal government's investment in student assistance, including his call for doubling Federal Work-Study funding, expanding the Perkins Loan program, and making the tuition tax credit permanent. We also welcome a more robust conversation on college affordability.

The presidents of private, nonprofit colleges and universities understand the challenges facing students and families who are struggling to afford a quality college education. Independent institutions nationwide are redoubling efforts to cut operating costs, enhance efficiency, and, most important, keep students' out-of-pocket costs as low as possible, while maintaining access for students from all backgrounds and protecting academic quality.

The collective challenge facing the nation is to make college more affordable, without losing our position of having the best higher education system in the world-one in which all Americans can take pride.

The answer is going to come by having colleges continue the on-going, daily work being done to find efficiencies in delivering a quality education. We must continue to do so without cutting support to those students who need extra academic and financial help to stay in school. It will come by having the federal government continue to provide financial support to low-income students who are willing to work hard. And it will come with the federal government also highlighting and encouraging innovative and cost-reducing practices by colleges that can be shared and duplicated.

In short, colleges, states, and the federal government must work together in a climate of mutual trust and collaboration. The answer is not going to come from more federal controls on colleges or states, or by telling families to judge the value of an education by the amount young graduates earn in the first few years after they graduate.

Together, we must ensure the president's proposal does not have unintended consequences for students. Low-income students must not lose the opportunity to use their aid to attend the college that best fits their academic needs, and at which they are most likely to succeed. Students must not see a decline in educational quality and reduced academic support services, if colleges have to start cutting corners.

If colleges are forced toward a more uniform federal model, the range of higher education options for students will shrink, in both the private and public sectors.

Collectively, we must build upon a system that promotes competition, quality, and choice, and brings all the benefits of a free economy to American higher education. Our institutions look forward to working with the administration, Congress, and all of higher education to ensure that college is available to all hard-working Americans."

Media Contact:

Tony Pals
tony@naicu.edu
direct office: (202) 739-0474
cell: (202) 288-9333