Winter/Spring 2018: NACE Representatives Meet With Public Policy and Higher Ed Leaders

Winter/Spring 2018: NACE Representatives Meet With Public Policy and Higher Ed Leaders

NACE representatives met with a variety of public policy and higher education leaders in Washington, D.C. A range of issues were discussed, including DACA, immigration, federal student aid, funding for cooperative education students, and apprenticeships.

Over the winter and spring, Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director, took part in monthly meetings of the Washington Higher Education Secretariat as part of NACE’s ongoing collaboration with other higher education associations. She was elected to the group in fall 2017. The Secretariat provides a forum for consideration and review of strategic issues, trends, and challenges facing higher education.

In mid-February, Dan Black, chair of the Advocacy Advisory Committee; Mackes; and Edwin Koc, NACE director of research, public policy, and legislative affairs, met with the following to discuss DACA, immigration, and related issues:

Department of Homeland Security
Trent Frazier, Executive Director, Office of Academic Engagement
Lindsay Burton, Assistant Director, Office of Academic Engagement

U.S. House of Representatives, House Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security
Andrea Loving, Majority Staff, Deputy Chief Counsel
David Shahoulian, Minority Staff, Chief Counsel

U.S. Senate, Judiciary Committee
Amy Granger, Majority Staff
Jenn Platt, Minority Staff Counsel to Senator Feinstein

During the same period, Black, Mackes, and Koc met with Diane Jones, senior adviser, Department of Labor, regarding the apprenticeship program. In addition, they held separate discussions with Steve Bloom, director of government relations, American Council on Education, and Esther Brimmer, chief executive officer and executive director of NAFSA. Both meetings focused on how NACE and the respective associations could collaborate on public policy issues.

In mid-March, Koc and Matthew Brink, NACE assistant executive director for programs and services, met with staff of Senator Kristen Gillibrand (D-NY) to discuss a proposal put forth by Northeastern University to change federal work-study rules to allow funds to be allocated to full-time co-op students. Koc met in April with staff of Senator Robert Casey (D-PA) and Senator Patrick Toomey (R-PA) on the same topic.

Also in April, Glen Fowler, NACE president, and Mackes met with Scott Pattison, executive director of the National Governors Association, to discuss options for collaboration and content sharing.