Washington Update

Introduction by Barbara K. Mistick

Dear Colleagues:

With Congress in recess until after the November elections, there was little activity in Washington related to higher education policy. Washington Update this week leads with reporting on the progress – some good, some bad – the Department of Education is making on issues pertaining to the FAFSA and new resources to help colleges and universities recognize potential foreign threats on campus.

While official Washington was quiet this week, there are several issues I’d like to cover today. First, the thoughts and prayers of all of NAICU are with those who are still recovering from the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. The storm cut a 500-mile swath of destruction from Florida to Virginia. As I write this, search and rescue efforts are ongoing, especially in North Carolina. For those in the affected areas, I hope you and your campus community are safe and that support reaches everyone in need soon.

As a reminder, NAICU works with FEMA to stay abreast of natural disasters affecting our institutions. For more information on working with FEMA, we have created an issue brief that summarizes FEMA disaster-related resources. Additionally, we hosted a webinar on how best to work with FEMA before, during and after a disaster. I was informed this week that FEMA’s Denver Appelhans, who was a panelist on that webinar, is currently on the ground helping in North Carolina.

Monday will mark one year since the deadly October 7 attacks in Israel. The conflict continues to reverberate around the world, affecting millions of lives. Here at home, the escalating situation in the Middle East and next week’s anniversary has the potential to spark renewed protests on college and university campuses. In response, the Department of Education and other agencies created resources for students, educators and communities to help foster safe and welcoming learning environments. The Department’s resources can be found on its Shared Ancestry or Ethnic Characteristics webpage. Additionally, here is a list of key resources from across federal agencies.

Finally, it is with mixed emotions that I write to inform you that after 30 years, Sarah Flanagan, NAICU’s vice president for government relations and policy development, has announced her plans to retire next spring. Throughout her career at NAICU, and before us on Capitol Hill, Sarah has had an outsized impact on private, nonprofit higher education. She has been a staunch supporter and advocate for the equitable treatment of private, nonprofit colleges and universities by policymakers in Washington. She has also been a champion for the federal student aid programs, especially the Pell Grant, dating back to her days as the higher education staff specialist on the Senate Subcommittee on Education, Arts and Humanities under the late Senator Claiborne Pell.

In the press release issued on October 11, 1994, announcing her hiring, NAICU wrote that Sarah “knows the structure and content of the Higher Education Act Amendments as well as anyone in the country, and has a superb grasp of higher education policy.” That was true in 1994, and it remains true today. Sarah has embodied NAICU’s policy mission for three decades and assembled a team of colleagues dedicated to advancing the interests of private, nonprofit higher education.

While we will be sad to see Sarah leave for her well-earned retirement, I am heartened to know that she will now have more time for hiking, traveling, and spending time with her family and other hobbies.
NAICU has engaged with a search firm to help find Sarah’s successor. I will provide more details on our search process in the weeks ahead. For now, I hope you will join me in thanking Sarah for her commitment and service to NAICU and wishing her well in her retirement.

FAFSA Follow Up Survey. Today, October 4, is the last day to complete NAICU’s follow up FAFSA survey. A reminder that we are conducting this follow up survey so we can gather additional feedback and compare the situation before and after the start of the academic year.

Soundbites

  • A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis filed against the Biden Administration over its accreditation policy. The lawsuit originally stemmed from a political dispute over a Florida law that requires public colleges and universities to switch accreditors. After the Florida law was passed, the Department of Education issued guidance that requires “reasonable cause” before an institution can switch to a new accreditor. Both the Florida law and the guidance continue to remain in place.

I hope you have a pleasant weekend.

Regards,
  
Barbara
   
Barbara K. Mistick, D.B.A.
President, NAICU

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