CICC Hill Briefing Focuses on Delivery of Graduate Education

Representatives Deborah Ross (D-NC) and Ben Cline (R-VA), co-chairs of the bipartisan Congressional Independent Colleges Caucus (CICC), joined higher education leaders for a Capitol Hill briefing on the importance of graduate education at private, nonprofit colleges and universities. NAICU President Barbara K. Mistick moderated the briefing, attended by dozens of Hill staff, by emphasizing the need to preserve access to graduate education as Congress considers higher education policy.

Tracy Fitzsimmons, president of Shenandoah University, and Bryon L. Grigsby, president of Moravian University, discussed how recent changes to graduate student aid could reduce access for low- and middle-income students while exacerbating workforce shortages in critical fields, including healthcare and aviation.

Ross emphasized that restricting federal student aid also restricts opportunity, stating, “When we place limits on student aid, we limit the opportunities for people who can make a positive impact in their communities.” Meanwhile, Kline highlighted the growing importance of private, nonprofit institutions in meeting workforce needs, noting that as AI and other economic changes reshape the labor market, developing strong talent pipelines is more critical than ever.

The panel concluded that federal higher education policy should support student choice and expand—not restrict—pathways to graduate education, ensuring students have access to the advanced credentials needed to meet the nation’s evolving workforce demands.

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Dorian Wanzer