WSCUC brought together higher education leaders November 18 to identify potential challenges and opportunities as a new presidential administration prepares to take office.

Post-Election Outlook: What to Watch in Higher Education welcomed Vice President for Public Policy and Executive Director of Lumina Foundation’s Washington DC office Michelle Asha Cooper and ACE President Ted Mitchell. Moderated by WSCUC President Studley, the event distilled potential policy shifts, regulatory changes, and emerging trends and pressures that may impact students and institutions.

“We all should be watching for the ways in which, during the transition and the first several weeks, rhetoric gives way to policymaking,” said Mitchell.

Mitchell served as undersecretary at the U.S. Department of Education (ED) from 2014 to 2017, leading all postsecondary education policies, including initiatives focused on student success, accreditation, federal student aid, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities and minority serving institutions.

Underscoring Mitchell’s observation, Cooper stated, “This whole notion around the value proposition of higher education. It’s a big conversation. It’s one that certainly predates the election, and I think it will be one that continues.”

Cooper served at ED as deputy undersecretary and acting assistant secretary for postsecondary education and earlier as president of Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP).

Both Mitchell and Cooper pointed to the possibility of rapid legislative developments affecting higher education, noting student financial aid funding and potential taxation of university endowments as early areas to watch, and a range of possible executive orders.

Potential Bipartisan Interest

Accountability will remain a central theme for the new administration, Mitchell said, commenting on accreditor’s heightened focus on student outcomes.

“Accreditation has moved significantly in the last 10 years or so to develop outcome measures that matter, that are consistent with the mission of our institutions, said Mitchell, adding, “The more we can be aggressive and be on a forward foot in acknowledging and building accountability tools, the better off we’ll be.”

Cooper added that bipartisan interest in accountability, affordability, outcomes, and workforce development offers opportunities for collaboration, noting these ideas “can bind us together.”

DACA and International Students

The future of DACA students and DREAMERs is uncertain, with potential executive orders posing new challenges for undocumented students and staff, Mitchell and Cooper said.

The new administration may mirror past policies, such as stricter visa requirements, which could hinder recruitment of international students. Additionally, Mitchell and Cooper noted that international collaborations may face increasing scrutiny due to geopolitical tensions and funding restrictions tied to national security concerns.

Navigating a Changing Landscape

Cooper encouraged institutional leaders to continue “to protect students, to ensure that they learn and do well, and have outcomes that are going to be beneficial and add value to their lives, that lead to good jobs, good lives.”
Mitchell emphasized the contributions of affordable higher education to the world of work and a vibrant democracy, and suggested directed, nuanced advocacy for what higher education does and stands for, along with candor about shortcomings.

Studley reinforced the importance of continuous improvement and collective action: “Each of us in our way has a part to play in preserving the best of higher education while continuing progress in places where we have room for improvement. And those will be important conversations.”

The Post-Election Outlook webinar was one of three recent WSCUC events aimed at supporting institutional effectiveness. Additional learning opportunities will be available in the spring and at ARC2025.