Pete Zuraw, vice president of market strategy and development at Gordian, joins Neil Gavigan, policy and advocacy manager at NACUBO to discuss the latest in higher education facilities management. The conversation centers around the 11th edition of Gordian's State of Facilities in Higher Education study, released earlier this year. Pete and Neil focus on the various human elements that provide a foundation for higher education facilities: an aging facilities workforce, changing demographics in higher education, and the mission-driven purposes of facilities. Links & Notes

• Download The State of Facilities in Higher Education, 11th Edition
• Download Gordian, APPA, and NACUBO's Framework for Rethinking Collaboration in Higher Education
• Explore NACUBO's State of Higher Education series
• Connect with Pete on LinkedIn
• Connect with Neil on LinkedIn

In this episode, NACUBO's senior director, research and policy analysis, Ken Redd joins vice president, policy and research, Liz Clark to dig into the inputs and impacts of NACUBO's research projects. Beginning with the 2023 NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments, a report that marks the 50th anniversary of NACUBO's endowment study, they walk through the evolving research process and changing policy considerations of this flagship report on college and university endowments. Next they discuss results of the 2023 NACUBO Tuition Discounting Study—an annual study of tuition discounting practices, the use of institutional grant aid to reduce undergraduate tuition, at private nonprofit institutions. On the whole, Liz and Ken shed light on how these studies help inform business officers, the higher education sector, and members of the public about key trends in higher education finance. Links & Notes

• Download the 2023 NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments
• Read the press release: U.S. Higher Education Endowments Report 7.7% Return for FY23 While Spending More in Support of Their Missions
• Read the 50-year NACUBO endowment study retrospective
• Download the 2023 NACUBO Tuition Discounting Study
• Read the press release: Annual NACUBO Tuition Discounting Study Finds Financial Aid Awards on the Rise
• Read insights from Wofford College about tuition discounting
• Learn more about NACUBO Research
• Connect with Liz on LinkedIn
• Connect with Ken on LinkedIn

During the 2024 NACUBO Annual Meeting, NACUBO will unveil a new Student Success Hub, a toolkit designed to offer pragmatic approaches to evaluate and sustain student equity and student success initiatives. The Hub is the result of work from NACUBO that has been supported by three 3-year grants to produce a bank of resources to strengthen schools' ability to analyze financial and student outcomes-related data. In this episode, NACUBO's vice president for policy and research, Liz Clark speaks with Kelli Rainey, Ed.D., senior director for grants management about the project and Amber Randolph, senior vice chancellor for administration and economic development, and chief financial officer at Rutgers University-Newark to learn more about the journey she and representatives from the 25 other participating colleges and universities undertook to develop this important project. Links & Notes

• Listen to NACUBO In Brief Episode 84: Breaking Down Silos to Create and Sustain Equitable Student Outcomes
• Connect with Amber on LinkedIn
• Connect with Liz on LinkedIn
• Connect with Kelli on LinkedIn

Sharon Butler is deeply familiar with the "uneasiness and concerns" that international students face when it comes to paying tuition and other expenses. As Executive Vice President of Global Education at Flywire, a global payments enablement company that partners with institutions across the world, she is looking for solutions to these problems. In a conversation with NACUBO's Bryan Dickson, director, student financial services and educational programs, Sharon shares findings from a recent a survey of more than 1,800 students across the world and talks about the importance of reducing friction to help students find the right solution. Links & Notes

• View Flywire's study Unlocking the Door to Higher Education
• Connect with Sharon on LinkedIn
• Connect with Bryan on LinkedIn

On the heels of a recent fly-in advocacy day on Capitol Hill, NACUBO's director, government affairs, Ashley Jackson speaks with policy and advocacy manager Neil Gavigan about the state of play in Congress. The conversation touches on highlights from that fly-in and examines how fallout from the protracted FY24 appropriations process, along with upcoming elections, may affect the legislative calendar for months to come. Links & Notes

• Visit NACUBO's Advocacy Issues Page
• Watch NACUBO's Advocacy 101 Webinar
• Connect with Ashley on LinkedIn
• Connect with Neil on LinkedIn

Every year, students and families rely on federal student aid to make decisions about higher education. As the Department of Education has struggled to implement a streamlined version of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), pressure has steadily increased on students, families, and the institutions that serve them. In this episode, Justin Draeger, president and CEO of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) joins NACUBO's Bryan Dickson, director of student financial services and educational programs, to discuss the far-reaching challenges brought about by this rough rollout. Links & Notes

• Visit NASFAA's FAFSA Simplification Center
• Watch NACUBO's Update on "Better FAFSA" Implementation
• Connect with Justin Draeger on LinkedIn
• Connect with Bryan Dickson on LinkedIn

In this special episode, Kara Freeman, NACUBO's president and CEO, interviews two familiar higher education colleagues about their recent book, The Resilient University: How Purpose and Inclusion Drive Student Success. Throughout the conversation, Freeman Hrabowski III, president emeritus, and Lynne Schaefer, vice president emerita for finance and administration at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), share insights earned through careers in together in higher education leadership at UMBC. Their discussion touches on the role leaders must play in meeting campus challenges, building an inclusive community, the purpose and value of higher education, and much more. Links & Notes

• The Resilient University: How Purpose and Inclusion Drive Student Success
• NACUBO's State of Higher Education Series: More Is Possible With Higher Education
• Connect with Kara on LinkedIn
• Connect with Lynne on LinkedIn
• Watch this episode on YouTube

NACUBO's Liz Clark, vice president, policy and research, speaks with Emily Brock from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) about what's expected from Washington policymakers this year. Emily is director of GFOA's Federal Liaison Center and shares her thoughts on what legislative and regulatory actions may impact financings (bonds) and talks about the patience needed as we await additional guidance from the federal government on several fronts. Links & Notes

• About GFOA
• GFOA Best Practices
• GFOA ESG Disclosure
• Resource Page on the Financial Data Transparency Act (FDTA)
• Background on the FDTA
• NACUBO News: IRS Opens Direct Pay Election Tool for Clean Energy Credits
• Connect with Emily on LinkedIn
• Connect with Liz on LinkedIn

In a conversation based around their NACUBO 2023 Annual Meeting session, Lou Mayer, chief finance officer, vice president of finance and treasurer and Tej Patel, vice president for information technology and chief information officer at Stevens Institute of Technology talk with Neil Gavigan, policy and advocacy manager at NACUBO about cyberattacks and higher education. Throughout the conversation, Lou and Tej illustrate why higher education is a prime target for cybercrime and share lessons learned from a 2019 ransomware attack on Stevens. Links & Notes

• Connect with Lou on LinkedIn
• Connect with Tej on LinkedIn
• Connect with Neil on LinkedIn

On this all-NACUBO episode of the podcast, Liz Clark, vice president, policy and research speaks with Kelli Rainey, senior director, grant programs about Kelli's ongoing work to help institutions strategically finance equitable student outcomes. Supported by a series of multi-year grants, this effort has partnered NACUBO with a diverse group of 26 institutions across the country to build understanding around how to improve student outcomes and provide higher education leaders with the tools and information they need to best serve their students. Links & Notes

• Connect with Kelli on LinkedIn
• Connect with Liz on LinkedIn
• NACUBO Grant and Foundation Partners