Introduction by Barbara K. Mistick

Dear Colleagues,

I’d like to start by thanking you for your patience as we navigated the twists and turns this week on the data submission deadline for responding to the IPEDS Admissions and Consumer Transparency Supplement survey (See our story for more details). Given the questions we were getting from our membership and the fluid legal status, we felt it was important to keep updating you as the status changed throughout the week. 

With all the concerns and questions associated with the July 1, 2026 implementation of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, as well as several other issues that will affect independent higher education on the horizon, we will be hosting a series of webinars to provide insights and answers for our membership. Please save these dates for the upcoming webinars:

• A Deep Dive on Workforce Pell, March 27, 2:00-3:00 p.m. EDT [register]
• Breaking Down President Trump’s FY 2027 Budget; Addressing the Pell Shortfall, April 13, 2:00-3:00 p.m. EDT [register]
• A Deep Dive on Federal Lending Changes, April 21, 2:00-3:00 p.m. EDT [register]
• A Deep Dive on Accountability Metrics, May 4, 2:00-3:00 p.m. EDT [register]
• Accreditation: Breaking Down Negotiated Rulemaking, June 2, 2:00-3:00 p.m. [register]
• What You Need to Know as July 1 Approaches, June 4, 2:00-3:00 p.m. [register]

We will provide additional details on each of the webinars in the coming weeks. I hope you and members of your campus team will consider joining us for these sessions as we shed light on the implications of forthcoming policy changes in Washington.

Thank you to those who have contacted their congressional delegations about the Pell Grant shortfall. New this week is that the deadline for House appropriations requests in the Labor-HHS-Education funding bill has been extended to March 27. If you have not already done so, please ask your Representatives to request “sufficient funding to maintain the current Pell Grant maximum award of $7,395.” We have prepared a sample letter to customize and use to help make the request.

While the Senate has yet to establish a deadline or open its request portal, you can still engage your Senators now on this critical issue. All Members of Congress can make this request to shore up bipartisan support for Pell.

Finally, we are keeping a close eye on the upcoming accreditation negotiated rulemaking panel, which is now less than a month away. NAICU is keenly interested in who the Department of Education chooses as negotiators and will keep you updated as they are chosen and the rulemaking process moves forward.

I hope you have a pleasant weekend.

Regards

Barbara

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