This September, AACRAO hosts its first-ever virtual Hill Day event. The virtual format provides a new opportunity for AACRAO members who may not have been able to attend the in-person event previously. It also allows the association to focus on our ability to maximize the greatest legislative impact.
This year’s AACRAO advocates possess a wide range of expertise in admissions, enrollment services, financial aid, veterans and servicemember issues, community colleges, and graduate and professional education, among other things. They represent public, private non-profit, private for-profit two-year and four-year institutions from 20 states represented on the House and Senate education committees.
Meet our 2021 Hill Day Advocates.
Attendees engage with congressional offices to advocate for AACRAO’s policy priorities. In particular, the group encourages lawmakers to support the recently reintroduced Reverse Transfer Efficiency Act to assist institutions in identifying students who have earned enough credits to be awarded an associate's degree through reverse transfer. The bipartisan, bicameral bill would establish a new exemption under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) to allow the sharing of student information between institutions to facilitate increased college completion rates. The legislation includes language, championed by AACRAO, to increase the flexibility to complete an assessment of student records while still adhering to FERPA standards.
Additionally, advocates urge congressional offices to raise the maximum Pell Grant as part of the #DoublePell initiative. AACRAO recently helped launch the national campaign to increase the maximum Pell Grant to $13,000 and bring affordable, high-quality college education within reach of all students. The campaign, developed by a coalition of higher education organizations and advocacy groups, aims to encourage students, families, institutions, and others to speak out and communicate to Congress the urgency of doubling Pell.
Learn more about how you can help to promote the #DoublePell campaign and visit AACRAO's Advocacy Center to learn about other issues we support and lend your voice.