Introduction by Barbara K. Mistick

Dear Colleagues,

I would like to start this week by sending my condolences to those who are mourning the victims of the tragic airline collision that happened Wednesday night in Washington, DC. My thoughts and prayers are with the families who lost loved ones and all who are suffering, and my gratitude goes to the first responders who worked through the night on the rescue and recovery process.

Wednesday’s awful events overshadow what was a very hectic and challenging week here in Washington on the policy front. From Executive Orders (EO) to memos issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), there was confusion, concern, and then some temporary relief for higher education. 

While the temporary funding freeze issued by President Trump and OMB has been rescinded, it does not preclude agencies from reviewing the use of funds per the president’s EOs. Thank you to those who talked with their Members of Congress about the OMB memo; those efforts were critical to the outcome. (See our story below for more details.)

I know many questions remain about complying with EOs, Trump’s first 100 days, the start of the new Congress, and what’s happening at the Department of Education. NAICU is in the process of creating a webinar series to provide more clarity and analysis on the implications of actions taken by the new administration and Congress and is making minor modifications to next week’s Annual Meeting schedule to help attendees understand what the various directives do and do not cover. Stay tuned for more details on the webinars in the weeks ahead.

In other news, the NAICU team is in the homestretch of our preparations for next week’s 2025 Annual Meeting & Advocacy Day. We have a terrific lineup of speakers, headlined on the policy front by Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), House Chair of the Committee on Education & Workforce Tim Walberg (R-MI), and House and Senate Democratic and Republican lead education staff members. 

Finally, I am pleased to announce that Sarah Flangan, NAICU’s vice president for government relations and policy development, is the 2025 recipient of the Henry Paley Memorial Award. The Paley Award recognizes an individual who demonstrates an unfailing service toward the students and faculty of independent colleges and universities and sets an example for all who would seek to advance educational opportunity in the United States. Sarah, who is retiring from NAICU after 30 years, has earned this recognition for her tireless efforts on behalf of NAICU, our member institutions, our state executive and Secretariat networks, and, most importantly, the students we serve.

To those who are attending this year’s annual meeting, I hope you will join me on Wednesday morning as we recognize Sarah’s many contributions to independent higher education.

I hope you have a pleasant weekend. I look forward to seeing many of you next week in Washington, DC!