Introduction by Barbara K. Mistick

Dear Colleagues,

This week brought good news on the student aid front as Congress negotiated a final FY 2026 spending bill that rejected the proposed deep cuts to the Pell Grant maximum award, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, and Federal Work-Study and instead level funds all the student aid programs. (See story for more details.) The bill also funds programs for minority-serving institutions and blocks the Trump Administration from changing negotiated rates for research indirect costs.

The advocacy and outreach from so many NAICU members played a vital role in maintaining and protecting these critical student aid programs. Thank you for your advocacy on these issues. Congress is expected to pass the bill before the January 30 deadline.

Also this week, I was pleased to participate in a roundtable discussion on Capitol Hill organized by Reps. Deborah Ross (D-NC), chair of the Congressional Independent Colleges Caucus, and Alma Adams (D-NC), ranking member of the Higher Education Subcommittee and chair of the Congressional HBCU Caucus.

The roundtable, which focused on the challenges institutions are facing and how they intersect with federal policy, featured leaders from several North Carolina NAICU member institutions, including Paulette Dillard, president, Shaw University, Anthony Davis, president, Livingston University, and representatives from Duke University and Wake Forest University.

While we secured important student aid funding this week, there are still key pieces to advocate for and dozens of other federal issues, notably the upcoming July 1, 2026 implementation of key pieces of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, being debated that we’ll be discussing during our Annual Meeting & Advocacy Day. During the meeting, NAICU will be sharing new institution-specific estimates of the modeled impact of the new Gainful Employment for All accountability metrics.

If you haven’t already, I hope you will register and join us in Washington, February 1-4.

I hope you have a pleasant weekend,

Barbara

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

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