As you prepare to take office for a second time, we know you have ambitious plans to address the nation’s challenges and build a more secure and prosperous America. Achieving those goals will require contributions from many areas of society, and we urge you to see the value in partnering with our nation’s colleges and universities.
Campuses across the country are deeply embedded in local communities and work every day to build their communities while meeting national needs. Let me share just three of many examples:
- East Carolina University, spared the worst damage this fall from Hurricane Helene, quickly sent volunteers and assistance to storm-ravaged areas in western North Carolina.
- David Baker, a professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine, received the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for designing new proteins that can neutralize viruses and target cancer cells.
- Westminster University in Utah has launched a community clinic and training center to provide free mental health counseling for students and non-students alike.
Many, including you, have criticized higher education in recent years. We know that we always have room to innovate and improve. But we also know a basic truth: higher education builds America. This has been understood by American presidents since the nation’s founding. That conviction inspired landmark legislation such as the land-grant acts of the 19th century and the GI Bills of the 20th and 21st centuries—measures that contributed to unprecedented economic and technological growth.
Study after study has documented the benefits colleges and universities provide to the workforce and the economy. For example, Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce found that less than a decade from now 72 percent of jobs in the American economy will require some level of postsecondary education or workforce training. Simply put, every pathway to expanding our economy and filling employers’ needs runs through colleges and universities.
The American Council on Education (ACE), which I lead, is the major coordinating body for the nation’s colleges and universities. Our members include community colleges, liberal arts colleges, regional universities, and research universities. They are public and private, large and small, urban and rural. Many have religious affiliations.
We have common-sense recommendations to help your administration and the new Congress deliver on the goals of all Americans: a safe and secure country, a prosperous economy with good jobs, and uncontested global leadership in developing new technologies. You can do that by extending Pell Grant eligibility to those who enroll in high-quality, short-term programs. You can do that by helping military service members and veterans further their careers through higher education. And you can do that by advancing research that saves lives and bolsters national security.
Our colleges and universities work on behalf of all Americans, from every walk of life and every political perspective. While you may not always agree with us on every issue, ACE and our members are committed to fighting for the policies, principles, and values that ensure our students, their families, and our nation will flourish. So while we may differ in some areas, we also know there is much common ground.
We are deeply concerned about the impact of proposed immigration changes on students, staff, and families, and appreciate your concern for those known as “Dreamers,” who came to the United States as children. As you stressed in a recent interview, these outstanding young people have made numerous contributions to America, and we must safeguard their futures in the only country they have ever known as home. Likewise, we fully agree that America benefits immensely by continuing to attract the brightest and most talented students from around the world to study, work, and innovate here.
We pledge to be accountable to your administration, Congress, and the public. If you, Secretary of Education-designate Linda McMahon, and others in your administration see areas where we can do better, we are eager to sit down and discuss them. We hope, in turn, to have the opportunity to demonstrate how the know-how and creativity that runs deep through our campuses can help you accomplish your most important objectives.
Our overriding goal is to provide more opportunity for all Americans. Like you, we are ready to get to work to deliver results. Together, we can build a better America.
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