American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) is a network of 350 state colleges and universities. AASCU provides support to its members to increase its admissions of low-income students and students of color and to incorporate civics into the student curricula to encourage “democratic engagement.” It organizes networking events, provides equity-focused leadership development programs, and advocates for federal legislation relating to higher education. AASCU advocates for left-of-center policies that support financial aid to institutions, student loan forgiveness, affirmative action to advance diversity and inclusion in its populations, and financial support for “Dreamers,” or immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children. ^{1 2}

AASCU receives funding from several large left-of-center philanthropies and nonprofits including Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Eos Foundation, Ford Foundation, the Lumina Foundation for Education, the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, and the Aspen Institute. ³

Background

American Association of State Colleges and Universities is a network of 350 state colleges and universities that are focused on providing post-secondary education to low-income students and students of color. Ninety-five percent of public HBCUs (historically black colleges or universities) and 64 percent of HSI-eligible institutions (Hispanic-Serving Institutions) are AASCU members. AASCU institutions are located in the United States, its territories, the Bahamas, Canada, and Mexico. ⁴

AASCU is considered one of the “Big Six” higher education associations in the United States, an informal group of Washington, D.C.-based higher education associations. ⁵ The others are American Council on Education, National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, Association of American Universities, American Association of Community Colleges, and National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges. ⁶

AASCU works with the chancellors and presidents of member colleges and universities through task forces, committees, and commissions. ⁷ A major focus is to support members’ efforts to increase the number of racial and other minorities in student populations. AASCU provides support to ensure that student curricula incorporate civics and global engagement, provides equity focused training and leadership development programs for teachers and academic leaders, organizes events to ensure networking opportunities across members, and advocates at the federal level for left-of-center higher education policies. AASCU advocates for policies that support financial aid to institutions, student loan forgiveness options, diversity and inclusion in its populations, and financial support for “Dreamers,” immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children. ⁸

Programs

American Association of State Colleges and Universities program areas include student success, leadership development, policy and advocacy, civil engagement, providing grants, and consulting. The Student Success Equity Intensive is a learning program for leaders at four-year regional colleges designed to ensure increased student admissions for what it terms “Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and low-income students.” The program is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. ⁹

The American Democracy Project (ADP) is a program offered through AASCU in partnership with the New York Times. It provides its member institutions with the tools to educate the “new American majority” (students of color, women, and low-income students) in civics and democratic engagement. ¹⁰ It was established in 2003 to “prepare the next generation of informed, engaged citizens for our democracy.” ¹¹ William Paterson University in New Jersey participates in the ADP. Its curriculum requires credits in Community and Civic Engagement. Its ADP website includes an emphasis on voting and links to left-of-center Rock the Vote, All In to Vote, and Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement. ¹²

The Communities and Convening program provides academic leadership with networking opportunities. 2023 events include an annual conference and online meetings to address topics such as voter engagement and education, civic learning, and democratic engagement. ¹³

AASCU provides advocacy tools for member institutions, including a weekly newsletter, advocacy alerts, and a list of federal legislation that AASCU tracks. ¹⁴ AASCU publishes a Public Policy Agenda each year which is used to communicate to Congress and the administration AASCU’s priorities. The highest priority is financial incentives and investments in public higher education and targeted financial aid for low-income and “historically underserved communities.” AASCU supports left-of-center policies such as income-based student debt repayment programs and loan forgiveness options; leveraging affirmative action in promoting diversity in admissions, financial aid, and faculty appointments; and legislation that allows “Dreamers,” immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children, to be eligible for federal student aid and financial support. ¹⁵

Funding

For the tax year beginning July 1, 2021, American Association of State Colleges and Universities reported revenues of $11,380,212 and expenses of $12,313,157. ¹⁶

AASCU is funded through corporate, philanthropic, and nonprofit partnerships that provide funding and thought leadership. Corporate partnerships include EAB, a consulting firm focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion in educational institutions, ¹⁷ and the New York Times. ¹⁸ Philanthropic partnerships include the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Eos Foundation, Ford Foundation, and the Lumina Foundation for Education. Nonprofit and other partnerships include Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, Aspen Institute, the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the United States of America, and Council on Foreign Relations. ¹⁹

Leadership

Mildred Garcia was president and CEO of American Association of State Colleges and Universities from January 2018 until October 2023. She received a Doctor of Education degree at Columbia University and was president of California State University – Fullerton. In October 2023 Garcia became chancellor of California State University. ²⁰ Previously Garcia was appointed by the Obama administration to serve on several advisory boards, including the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. ²¹

Jose Cabrales is vice president and chief operating officer. With Garcia’s departure, he is executive in charge as of October 2023. He earned a Ph.D. from Iowa State University and has worked in higher education throughout his career, including left-leaning advocacy group Education Trust. ²²

Heidi Anderson is board chair and president of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, an HBCU, since 2018. ²³

Ronald Rochon was elected board chair elect in November 2022 and will become AASCU board chair in 2024. He is president of University of Southern Indiana. ²⁴

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4. “Our Members.” AASCU – About Us. Accessed October 25, 2023. https://aascu.org/our-members/
5. “National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges.” Encyclopedia.com. Accessed October 25, 2023. https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/national-association-state-universities-and-land-grant-colleges
6. Alton L. Taylor, Dana R. Brower, Constance Ewing Cook. “Lobbying for Higher Education: How Colleges and Universities Influence Federal Policy.” The Journal of Higher Education. May 2000. Accessed October 25, 2023. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274245364_Lobbying_for_Higher_Education_How_Colleges_and_Universities_Influence_Federal_Policy
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8. AASCU website. Accessed October 25, 2023. https://aascu.org/
9. “Student Success Equity Intensive.” AASCU – Student Success. Accessed October 25, 2023. https://aascu.postsecondarytransformation.org/
10. “American Democracy Project.” AASCU – Civil & Global Engagement. Accessed October 25, 2023. https://aascu.org/civic-global-engagement/american-democracy-project/
11. “American Democracy Project.” Fort Hays State University. Accessed October 26, 2023. https://www.fhsu.edu/polisci/americandemocracy/
12. “American Democracy Project.” William Paterson University. Accessed October 26, 2023. https://www.wpunj.edu/adp/index.html
13. “Communities & Convening.” AASCU. Accessed October 25, 2023. https://aascu.org/communities-convening/
14. “AASCU Advocacy Center.” AASCU – Policy & Advocacy. Accessed October 25, 2023. https://aascu.org/policy-advocacy/advocacy-center/
15. 2023 Public Policy Agenda. AASCU – Policy & Advocacy. Accessed October 25, 2023. https://aascu.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/2023_ppa_book_final.pdf
16. American Association of State Colleges and Universities. Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990 – Part I). 2021.
17. “About Us.” EAB. Accessed October 25, 2023. https://eab.com/about/
18. “Our Partners.” AASCU – About Us. Accessed October 25, 2023. https://aascu.org/our-partners/
19. “Our Partners.” AASCU – About Us. Accessed October 25, 2023. https://aascu.org/our-partners/
20. LinkedIn – Mildred Garcia, Ed.D. Accessed October 25, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/mildred-garc%C3%ADa-ed-d-88386092/
21. “Dr. Mildred Garcia.” California State University. Accessed October 25, 2023. https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/about-the-csu/leadership/Chancellors-Council/Pages/Mildred-Garcia.aspx
22. LinkedIn – Jose A. Cabrales, PhD. Accessed October 25, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcabrales/details/experience/
23. “Heidi M. Anderson.” AASCU – About Us – AASCU Board of Directors. Accessed October 26, 2023. https://aascu.org/people/heidi-anderson/
24. “USI President Rochon appointed Chair-Elect of the AASCU Board of Directors.” University of Southern Indiana. November 16, 2022. Accessed October 26, 2023. https://www.usi.edu/news/releases/2022/11/usi-president-rochon-appointed-chair-elect-of-the-aascu-board-of-directors