I was in Washington, D.C. this past week (January 23-28), visiting our Oregon legislators and attending the annual conference of the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). It was sunny and even warm—no coat needed!
On Tuesday and Wednesday, I met with Senators Wyden and Merkley as well as with Congressman Walden and Congressman Schrader and staff members of Congressman DeFazio. Everyone was very supportive of SOU and public higher education as we discussed Pell grants and other thorny issues. They will help as they much as they can in D.C.’s intensely difficult environment.
Then, starting Wednesday afternoon, I met with colleagues from the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC) and attended sessions on the AAC&U conference theme of “Shared Futures, Difficult Choices.” It was refreshing, despite the financial quandaries we all face, to discuss issues such as increasing student success and retention, internationalizing our campuses, and strengthening partnerships with K-12.
As always, I came back to campus with lots of ideas—as well as a sense of what is happening in other states (a few good things, most not so good).