Dear Colleagues:

The countdown to our 2023 Annual Meeting and Advocacy Day, which starts on Sunday, is now fully underway.  I’m pleased to report that we will have nearly 500 attendees at this year’s conference, representing one of our largest ever gatherings.
 
We’ve also had an important recent addition to the program that will help inform and prepare attendees for their Capitol Hill visits during Tuesday’s Advocacy Day.  I will be moderating a session with former Members of Congress, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R) and Filemon Vela (D), who represented Florida and Texas respectively in the House of Representatives.  We will be discussing their unique perspectives, as former members, on the current state of affairs in Congress.  Additionally, they will offer their advice on how best to maximize your Hill meetings and their predictions for the 118^th Congress.

It's getting late – but It’s not too late! – to register and join your colleagues in Washington to learn about and discuss the issues and opportunities ahead for private, nonprofit higher education. 

I also want to take a moment and congratulate you!  The Department of Education released its 2021 Annual Performance Report this week (see story below for more details) detailing the distribution and use of the Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds (HEERF).  As of the end of 2022, 90% of the $76 billion in HEERF funds that were distributed had already been spent.  The report showed conclusively that the funds clearly helped millions of students stay enrolled and colleges to remain open.

The data also show that 2.3 million students at private, nonprofit colleges and universities received emergency grants, with an average grant of $1,719.

So thank you for working with us to ensure that our institutions were treated equitably throughout the pandemic.  The results clearly show that the funds were used quickly, efficiently, and for their intended purposes of helping students and institutions. 

Soundbites

• The Biden Administration announced that it plans to end the COVID-19 emergency declaration on May 11. The Department of Education has relied on the authority contained in the emergency declaration to provide pandemic relief on a number of fronts, including student debt forgiveness. The Administration has said the end of the pandemic would not affect its debt relief proposal.
• The White House released national and state by state data on the 26 million student loan borrowers who had applied or been deemed automatically eligible for student debt relief.  In all, 16 million borrowers have been determined to be eligible.  Loan forgiveness is on hold, pending the Supreme Court review of the proposal. Oral arguments in the case are scheduled for February 28.  
• The Biden Administration also announced that the president’s FY 2024 budget request will be submitted to Congress on Thursday, March 9, slipping from the anticipated first Monday in February. The release of the president’s budget marks the official start to the annual budget process, however, the highlights of the Administration’s priorities should be evident in the upcoming State of the Union address on February 7. 

Today’s Washington Update also reports on the introduction of the Promoting Employment and Lifetime Learning (PELL) Act by Republicans in the House and guidance issued by the Department of Education on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

I look forward to seeing many of you next week here in Washington!