Introduction by Barbara K. Mistick

Dear Colleagues,

Today marks day 17 of the federal government shutdown as disagreements on spending levels and other priorities continue to leave policymakers at an impasse.

As a reminder, NAICU conducted an analysis on the impact the shutdown would have on several Department of Education operations and the implications for students, aid, and campus operations. The analysis included a table with eight Department operations and their expected status during the shutdown. 

While the government is closed, our work continues. This week, NAICU, along with others in the higher education community, urged Congress to act on multiple fronts. In letters to the House and Senate leadership, higher education leaders:

• Urged Congress to ensure that all FY 2026 appropriations bills contain legislative language mandating that the administration allocate funds as directed by Congress; and
• Urged Congress not only to maintain and expand funding for Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs), Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and Tribal Colleges and Universities in FY 2026 but also to restore the critical funding for MSIs that was unilaterally and unexpectedly terminated in FY 2025.

With the federal government is in its third week of a shutdown, campuses are feeling the impact of the last-minute cancelation of FY 2025 minority-serving grants and are rightfully concerned about future student aid funding.

Upcoming Webinars

• IPEDS Training Webinar Series. NAICU will host the third of six IPEDS trainings from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. EDT on October 20. The webinar will focus on using IPEDS for campus benchmarking and state and federal data advocacy. You can register for this and the remaining webinars and view the first two trainings on our IPEDS webpage.

• Sponsored Webinar. Pearl Meyer is sponsoring a webinar next week for NAICU members focused on building a thoughtful evaluation process for presidential performance and leadership sustainability. The webinar will be on October 23 from 3:00-4:00 p.m. EDT (Register). Among the topics covered will be how to combine measurable goals with leadership characteristics, institutional stewardship, and leadership development, and practical guidance on designing the evaluation process, incorporating presidential self-assessment, gathering stakeholder input, and comparing perspectives.

Soundbites

• NACIQI Delayed Again. Due to the government shutdown, the Department of Education has once again delayed the scheduled meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI). The advisory group was slated to meet in October after its original July meeting was scrapped, but it will now meet in December. When NACIQI eventually meets, it will consider the compliance reports of three of the six former regional accreditors.

• Ruling Vacates DOD F&A Policy. A federal district court vacated the Department of Defense (DOD) policy imposing a rate cap on reimbursement for facilities and administrative costs incurred by institutions with research grants from the agency. Although the Trump Administration is likely to appeal, the ruling found that DOD’s new policy was both arbitrary and capricious and contrary to law.

• NAICU Weighs in on IES. NAICU submitted comments this week regarding how to maximize the relevance and utility of products generated by the Institute of Education Sciences that included several recommendations to strengthen federal data policy. To help inform its comments, NAICU convened a working group of campus professionals to discuss priorities and organize feedback.

I hope you have a pleasant weekend.

Regards

Barbara

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