A Trip to DC for Private Higher Education

Last week, I traveled on behalf of MWU to our nation's capital to attend the annual conference of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU). I was able to network with other academic administrators, hear from Washington influence leaders, and visit with our legislators. I also took the time to take in a few sights.

The event kicked off with a presentation by David Gregory, host of NBC's Meet the Press. He spoke from the context of being a graduate of a private university and a supporter of liberal arts education. He shared his insights after a year hosting the political show. The President of Cornell University then spoke about partnerships between private education and the public sector. Next we heard from another DC insider, Charlie Cook, who gave his reflections on the political scene.

The next day kicked off with a presentation by the NAICU lobbyists, who spoke about the top issues of the private schools, mostly involving funding for Pell grants and federal work study. Iowa Senator Tom Harkin shared his views on education and increasing support for students at all levels of the system. We then heard from a panel of college presidents, who spoke about increasing access to education in the context of NAICU's initiative to support President Obama's goal of having 60% of our citizens graduate from a 2- or 4-year college by 2020. To conclude the program, New York Times columnist David Leonhardt spoke on the impact of the current recession.

The afternoon, then, was open for meetings with legislators. I took the opportunity to visit the new Capitol Visitor's Center and take a tour of the Capitol. While the tour was fairly tourist-y, I did spend a lot of time exploring the exhibits in the visitor's center. I then had the opportunity to join about 12 other representatives of Illinois colleges and universities in a meeting with Senator Dick Durbin. Since he is a member of the majority leadership, he has an office right in the Capitol building, so we were given special passes and escorted to his conference room. He was able to spend a half hour with us, sharing his views on increased funding for education and listening to updates from schools around his state. We thanked him for his support, and he clearly appreciated the chance to visit with his constituents.

Photo: The balcony of the Ford Theater, where President Lincoln was shot.

That evening I was able to enjoy another event that is special to the state of Illinois: a trip to The Ford Theater to see a play on the Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858 called "The Rivalry." As a former history major and a long-time admirer of Lincoln, it was interesting to see a play about him while sitting in the very place where he was assassinated. The theater has an excellent museum in the ground floor as well, with actual artifacts from the night Lincoln was shot. Nerd that I am, I enjoyed every minute!

The next morning before catching my flight back to Chicago, I stopped by the Newseum. I would highly recommend a visit to this fairly recent addition to the DC museum scene. I especially enjoyed their special exhibit on presidents and their dogs and a permanent exhibit on the news coverage during 9/11/2001. On my way back to the hotel, I caught a glimpse of the presidential motorcade, as President Obama was leaving the Newseum at the same time after a speaking engagement.

Washington, DC is one of my favorite cities, mostly because of my love of history and politics. I was honored to be able to represent MWU amongst our fellow private schools across the country, and be informed about legislative efforts for higher education. Visiting our nation's capital always reminds me how proud I am to be an American every single day.