Introduction by Barbara K. Mistick

Dear Colleagues,

With the new fiscal year just three weeks away, this week covered a lot of activity on the funding front at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue.

Yesterday’s notice from the Department of Education to cancel FY 2025 funding for Minority-Serving Institutions programs is greatly concerning, particularly because both the administration and Congress included funding for FY 2026 in their budgets. These colleges and universities provide critical opportunity and support to students who have already started the academic year.

Withholding FY 2025 funds that have been allocated by Congress will create real hardship for students and the institutions that were slated to receive this funding. NAICU urges swift action to restore these resources so students can continue their education without disruption.

This week the House Committee on Appropriations wrote its FY 2026 spending bill for education, which included level funding for the Pell Grant program, TRIO, and GEAR UP but eliminated funding for Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG) and cut Federal Work-Study (FWS) by $450 million.

Last week, I sent an Action Alert to NAICU members who have representatives on the Appropriations committee to urge their lawmakers to restore funding for SEOG and FWS. I thank those who were able to engage with their representative on the committee and encourage others to do so as well. With Congress out of session the week of September 22 for Rosh Hoshana, it now has just seven legislative days to pass a continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown on October 1. It is important for all NAICU members to continue communicating the importance of SEOG and FWS programs to your elected officials throughout the rest of the month.

See our stories below for more details on both these issues. 

Soundbites

• NAICU Urges Student Exemption from Travel Bans. NAICU joined a community letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio asking for an exemption for international students on F, J, or M visas who want to study in the U.S. from the current and any future country-specific travel bans. The administration announced a 12-country travel ban on June 4, 2025, and indicated a possible additional 36-country travel ban could follow. Part of the June 4 proclamation requires several federal agencies to assess and recommend whether any parts of the ban should be modified within 90 days.

• DOE Withdraws Interim Final Rule on Title IX. The Department of Energy has withdrawn an interim final rule on Title IX sports participation that was set to go into effect on September 12. While the Department no longer intends to issue the regulation, the agency is moving forward with several other rules that make changes to the Department’s civil rights regulations.

• Reminder: IPEDS Training Webinar Series. NAICU’s IPEDS trainings, in partnership with Carolyn Sloane Mata, Ph.D., a former IPEDS educator who works with several of our state associations, continues next week with a deeper dive into the IPEDS fall collection. Join us on Sept. 15 from 2:00-4:00 p.m. EDT. You can register for the remaining five webinars and view last month’s session on our IPEDS webpage. These trainings are designed for your campus institutional research staff who are new to IPEDS or looking to reinforce their understanding of the data system.

• Reminder: Voter Registration and Civic Engagement. Next week is National Voter Registration Day (Sept. 16) and Constitution Day (Sept. 17). A reminder that all campuses are required to observe Constitution Day. Later this fall, New Jersey and Virginia have gubernatorial elections, underscoring the importance of campus voter engagement. Under the Higher Education Act, colleges and universities must assist students with the voter registration process prior to each gubernatorial and federal election cycle. NAICU’sYour Vote, Your Voice initiative provides guidance on federal requirements, best practices, and ready-to-use voter registration tools to help campuses meet these obligations and engage students effectively.

I would like to thank Elizabeth Puthoff, president of the Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas, and her colleagues for inviting me once again to speak to their members about the higher education landscape here in Washington. These face-to-face conversations are always informative and a highlight of my travels.

Upon my return to Washington, I also attended a reception with Nicholas Kent celebrating his appointment as Under Secretary at the Department of Education. Joining me among local higher education leaders was Chris Peace, president of the Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia. Together we look forward to a successful working partnership with the Department on issues affecting independent higher education.

I hope you have a pleasant weekend,

Regards

Barbara

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

For more information, please contact:
Barbara K. Mistick, D.B.A.