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From left to right: Richard Jacob, Associate Vice President for Federal and State Relations, Yale University; Marc Camille, President, Albertus Magnus College; United States Representative Rosa DeLauro (CT-03); Tracy Espy, President, Mitchell College; Rhona Free, President, University of Saint Joseph; Mark Nemec, President, Fairfield University; and Jennifer Widness, President, Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges.
University of Saint Joseph President Rhona Free was in Washington, D.C. recently, advocating for some of the most pressing issues facing USJ and other independent colleges, as part of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) Annual Meeting and Advocacy Day.
USJ is a member of Connecticut’s Conference of Independent Colleges (CCIC); President Free joined other member leaders of the caucus to engage with members of Congress and their staff. As Advocacy Day is organized by the NAICU, President Free and fellow caucus members heard first from the government relations staff of NAICU about some of the predominant policy debates in Congress and how those debates might impact independent colleges and universities. Those topics included the future of Affirmative Action, student loan debt forgiveness, preparing for Title IX, and doubling the Pell Grant maximum award to $13,000.
“Our presence in Washington is critically important,” President Free said, “to explain to our Congressional representatives the impact of policies and legislation upon our campuses, to express our gratitude for support we’ve received from Congress, and to stay engaged in the political process with our elected officials.”
The NAICU breakout sessions and updates about current policy debates helped President Free and the other members of the Connecticut caucus as they met with Congressional members and their staffs, specifically those on committees on appropriations, taxes, and education. The meetings included expressions of gratitude for the very important COVID relief funding that has helped keep institutions open, students with funding to stay in school, employment security for faculty and staff, and strong and connected communities.
President Free shared one measure of particular importance to USJ—to raise the limit of the amount that is not taxed of the employer-provided education and loan repayment assistance known as the Annual Tax-Free Benefit for IRC Sec. 127. The annual benefit amount was set more than 35 years ago and hasn’t been adjusted since. “This is particularly important to USJ,” she explained, “as many of our employees are taking our classes to complete degrees and they benefit from not having to pay tax on the value of the tuition.”
Another measure—this one less likely to pass this year–is the request for doubling the amount of Pell grants. “While it seems there are many competing pressures on the federal budget at the moment, doubling the Pell grant is a good investment that will boost economic mobility,” said President Free. “Many of our students are eligible for Pell grants and given our commitment to increasing access and equity in education, so we’ll keep advocating for this reform.”