Introduction by Barbara K. Mistick
Dear Colleagues,
Last week, I had the opportunity, along with several of my NAICU colleagues, to attend and participate in the annual summer workshop hosted by our State Executives. This is such an important opportunity to connect, strategize, and discuss the issues affecting colleges and universities at both the state and federal levels. In addition to a year of challenging work on reconciliation, federal funding, and regulations, state associations secured hard fought wins for state student aid funding and DEI legislation targeted at private colleges.
Looking ahead to fall, state leaders are closely monitoring trends in international student enrollment and graduate borrowing, both of which have substantial implications for college campuses. We also took time to reflect on our shared work in membership and advocacy and discussed the next phase of work on federal issues.
Here in Washington, the Senate Appropriations Committee released its FY 2026 education spending bill on July 31 just before heading home for August recess. (See our story for more details.) The good news for higher education is that the bill demonstrates bipartisan support for the student aid programs.
While Senators are back in their states this summer, please take time to thank them for maintaining funding for Pell Grants, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants and Federal Work-Study. Remind them how important these programs are to the students at your institution and encourage them to maintain their position in negotiations this fall. This bill is a major step in pushing back against proposed cuts in the president’s budget. Please encourage your Representative to support the Senate student aid funding levels when they return to write their bill in September.
IPEDS Training Webinar Series. Earlier this year, the Trump Administration terminated its contract with the Association of Institutional Research (AIR) to provide free training for campus professionals on how to report data to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). In response, NAICU is partnering with Carolyn Sloane Mata, Ph.D., a former IPEDS educator who works with several of our state associations (Georgia, Oregon, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas) to provide a series of six webinars to help fill the void left by the decision to discontinue the AIR trainings.
These trainings, the first of which takes place on August 25 from 2:00-4:00 p.m. EDT, are designed for your campus institutional research staff who are new to IPEDS or looking to reinforce their understanding of the data system before diving into the next collection cycle.
Washington Update Publishing Note. Our next issue will be published on September 8, unless there is breaking news to cover.
Soundbites
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NAICU Joins Amicus Brief in Support of NIH Grants. NAICU, along with other higher education associations, signed onto an amicus brief in support of a lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s cuts to National Institutes of Health research grants that were delayed or terminated for failing to effectuate the agency’s new priorities. The case is currently on appeal to the Supreme Court after a federal appellate court refused to block a district court’s injunction that has halted the funding cuts while the litigation proceeds.
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Voter Registration and Civic Engagement. Next month we will celebrate National Voter Registration Day (Sept. 16) and Constitution Day (Sept. 17). As a reminder, all campuses are required to observe Constitution Day. Additionally, this fall Virginia and New Jersey will hold gubernatorial elections that will affect students from and/or campuses in those states. Prior to each gubernatorial and federal election cycle, colleges and universities are required by the Higher Education Act to assist students with the voter registration process, and NAICU’s Your Vote Your Voice initiative offers guidance on federal requirements, best practices, and ready-to-use voter registration tools to help campuses comply with these obligations.
Enjoy the rest of August! Washington Update will return after Labor Day.
Barbara
For more information, please contact:
Barbara K. Mistick, D.B.A.