I recently
attended briefings on Capitol Hill, sponsored by the National
Association of Independent Colleges and Universities at its annual
meeting. On the agenda was launching the Independent College Caucus, a
bipartisan initiative to recognize contributions of independent colleges
and universities.
Virginia’s U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte is a
co-sponsor of the caucus, and I’ve invited our Hampton Roads
congressional delegation to join as well.
With the confirmation
of Betsy DeVos as secretary of education, we await the administration’s
actions on various issues that affect colleges and universities and
especially the students we serve.
In its “Public Policy
Objectives for the 115th Congress,” NAICU reiterated strong support for
federal student aid programs (Pell Grants, Perkins Loans, the federal
student loan program).
Of importance to our military community in
Hampton Roads, we have expressed continuing support for the Post-9/11
GI Bill, affording educational opportunities to thousands of veterans
and their families, and the “Yellow Ribbon” program that offers
veterans’ tuition assistance at both public and private institutions.
Virginia’s colleges and universities are well-represented in this
program.
A number of NAICU’s policy topics have particular relevance as the Trump administration takes charge.
We
recommend a renewed government commitment to international education in
that “the ability of colleges to admit and educate students from
throughout the world is a vital national interest, (supporting) measures
to keep our borders open, with reasonable safeguards against the
inappropriate use of student visas.”
I have long been an advocate
of globalization of higher education, including making it feasible and
affordable for American students to study abroad. As NAICU points out,
“In an increasingly global community, our economic future and national
security will depend on a citizenry with a deeper understanding of
diverse cultures and a broader, more inclusive world view.”
In
recent years, calls for greater scrutiny and accountability of higher
education — including independent institutions — have led to concern
about excessive, unreasonable regulation. The higher education community
has resisted federal efforts to impose conformity on colleges and
universities in areas such as admissions, assessment, program content,
and value-for-cost considerations.
Traditionally, oversight of
institutional accessibility and performance, quality of academic
programs, and strength of co-curricular offerings has come from the
nation’s regional accrediting bodies, a system that has worked well for
generations.
I am hopeful that Washington’s apparent interest in
reducing excessive government regulation will extend, appropriately, to
colleges and universities — leaving intact the independence and
credibility of accrediting agencies.
Other potential areas of
concern include ensuring that donors are not encumbered in making
charitable, deductible gifts to colleges and universities; fostering
scientific research and data collection through government grants to
institutions; and maintaining the tax-free status of endowments, which
provide essential financial security to campuses.
Most important,
however, in the view of many of my colleagues is resisting arbitrary
bans on immigration and travel that negatively impact our nation’s
campuses.
Virginia Wesleyan recently joined with nearly 600
universities and colleges from around the United States in voicing
concerns about recent executive orders banning travel from seven
predominantly Muslim nations.
Our letter to Secretary of Homeland
Security John Kelly, sent by the American Council on Education, notes
that while we “take seriously the need to safeguard our nation and also
the need for the United States to remain the destination of choice for
the world’s best and brightest students, faculty and scholars. … [W]e
are confident that our nation can craft policies that secure us from
those who wish to harm us, while welcoming those who seek to study,
conduct research and scholarship, and contribute their knowledge and
talents to our country.”
American higher education is respected throughout the world.
Our ability to foster dialogue, perform research, document new knowledge, and forge collaboration is unmatched.
In
the rush to guarantee “America First” in the new administration’s
agenda, it should be noted that we are clearly already prominent and
competitive as a higher education community in countless ways. Yet we
thrive on the diversity found on our campuses, our innovative
partnerships, and our respect for the free flow of ideas.
I would
therefore hope that American colleges and universities will not enter a
new age of isolationism but instead have the freedom to continue our
work in productive, non-partisan ways — ensuring our role not only in
keeping America first but also truly great.
Note: This was written as my monthly column for The Virginian-Pilot and The Huffington Post.
