The National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) has named Shenandoah University President Tracy Fitzsimmons, Ph.D., chair of its board of directors of for 2014-15. She assumed her position on Feb. 5, at the close of the NAICU 2014 Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.
As chair, Dr. Fitzsimmons will lead the NAICU board in setting the association’s agenda on federal higher education policy, actively encouraging support of NAICU priorities and initiatives, and overseeing the association’s financial administration. She was elected to a three-year term to the NAICU board in 2011, and will serve as its chair for one year.
“To serve NAICU in this capacity during such an exciting and challenging time for higher education is quite an honor,” said Fitzsimmons. “I will work hard to represent the member institutions and their ideals, pushing aside politics and allowing what is best for student learning to drive key decisions.”
With more than 1,000 members nationwide, NAICU serves as the unified national voice of private, nonprofit higher education. Since 1976, the association has represented this subset of American colleges and universities on policy issues with the federal government, such as those affecting student aid, taxation and government regulation.
The NAICU staff meets with policymakers, tracks campus trends, conducts research, analyzes higher education issues, publishes information, helps coordinate state-level activities and advises members of legislative and regulatory developments with potential impact on their institutions.
NAICU reflects the diversity of private, nonprofit higher education in the United States. Members include traditional liberal arts colleges, major research universities, church- and faith-related institutions, historically black colleges and universities, women’s colleges, performing and visual arts institutions, two-year colleges and schools of law, medicine, engineering, business and other professions. NAICU is committed to celebrating and protecting this diversity of the nation’s private colleges and universities.
Read the NAICU news release here.
