Dear Colleagues,
As I reflect on our 2023 Annual Conference in Chicago, I am struck anew by how deep our community’s dedication to excellence truly is. This year was the biggest conference in NACUA history, with 1,954 members, sponsors, and friends of the association in attendance. Throughout the event, our members’ enthusiasm and passion shone through during our time together.
Our opening plenary featured Dean Erwin Chemerinsky with an update on the Supreme Court’s current term as well as his predictions for the following term and the impacts on higher education institutions. If you were unable to join us for the session, you can access the recording here.
While we were in Chicago, the race-conscious admissions decision was issued and I am grateful to the NACUA staff and volunteer leaders for stepping up to respond in real time. Thanks to Maya Kobersy (University of Michigan) and Art Coleman (EducationCounsel LLC) we were able to hold a pop-up Live Briefing on the decision and what it may mean for high education law. The briefing recording can be accessed here. A continuation of that conversation, Part 2: The Supreme Court Decides the Race-Conscious Admissions Cases, took place in the form of an online briefing on July 31. If you were unable to join us, the recording is now available.
There are several pending regulations that we expect to be issued in the next few months. New guidance in the areas of Title IX, Section 504, and race in admissions will have great impact on our member-institutions and your work. The NACUA staff and I will be ready to support you as you navigate the changes to come.
To ensure that NACUA is providing our members with the resources and community that you need, the NACUA Board and the Committee on Strategic Planning have been working to develop a new, high-level strategic framework to guide the organization’s work in the coming years. On September 14 at 12:00 PM ET (9:00 AM PT) we will be hosting the 2023 Strategic Framework: Virtual Town Hall to share the draft framework. The town hall is open to all members and I hope you will participate. An invitation will go out via email in late August, but if you would like save your space today, you can register here.
I wish you a restful and healthy end of summer. I look forward to seeing you at the virtual town hall!