AMERICAN COUNCIL ON EDUCATION

Government relations & public affairsace's division of government relations and national engagement (grne) coordinates the efforts of the higher education community in representing its concerns to the federal government. Staff members , engage with federal policy makers on proposed federal legislation and regulations, prepare testimony for congressional hearings and file amicus curiae briefs on court cases with important implications for higher education, and create shared advocacy materials among other activities. For federal government policy makers, the division acts as the central source of information and counsel on issues important to the higher education community. Division staff members also communicate information on relevant federal and state educational concerns and ace policy positions to the media, college and university officials, and the general public. Another means of dissemination of this information is the ace annual meeting, which is an ideal setting for networking with colleagues and addressing future challenges of higher education, including in the public policy arena.the office of public affairs works to maintain the council's presence as a top source for media on higher education issues and policy, enhance public understanding of a wide range of higher education topics, advocate on behalf of ace membership on key issues, and promote the important work of ace programs.

Carnegie classificationfor the last 50 years, the carnegie classifications of institutions of higher education have been the gold standard for organizing colleges and universities by a variety of characteristics, and they are used by researchers around the world to study the higher education sector in america. Ace began a partnership with the carnegie foundation in february 2022 to redesign the carnegie classifications so they better reflect the diverse set of institutions and missions in higher education today and to establish new classifications, including ones that are centered on students' social and economic mobility. In fy24, ace continued engagement with a large, diverse set of stakeholders, ultimately reaching more than 10,000 people in total since the project began, including 550 unique institutions. Ace released nine white papers focused on different aspects of the carnegie classifications, supported a variety of internal analyses on use-cases, and in may, the organization launched its framework for a new social and economic mobility classification, which outlined a way the carnegie classifications could visualize and measure access and outcomes for students. Ace continued meetings with core advisory groups, meeting with the technical review panel for a total of 15 times and the institutional roundtable for a total of seven times by the end of fy24, and moved forward with significant planning and finalization efforts to launch the 2025 carnegie classifications in fy25. Additionally, ace furthered work on the elective classifications, including announcing 40 colleges and universities received the 2024 elective classification for community engagement and 25 colleges and universities received the 2024 elective classification for leadership in public purpose. The elective classifications also moved forward with establishing community engagement classifications for australia and canada and developing an elective classification for sustainability, which will launch in fy25.

Policy analysis and researcheducation futures lab is the unit that conducts research and analysis that advance the council's thought leadership areas, as well as delivers a suite of programs and services that enrich the capacity of institutions and individual leaders to innovate, adapt and promote high quality practice within higher education. Broadly, the unit focuses on the thematic areas including but not limited to: (1) postsecondary leadership, (2) postsecondary learner success, and (3) systems dynamics in postsecondary education. The unit produces major reports, topical research briefs, research-informed practice guides, blogs, and other products that provide college and university leaders, policymakers, and other stakeholders with key insights to inform policy and practice. The unit also facilitates workshops that convene stakeholders and subject matter experts around questions/challenges of practice/policy and co-design solutions for the field. In addition, the unit offers leadership and capacity building services for individual leaders, institutions, and postsecondary systems by leveraging a suite of blended solutions that provides training and technical assistance support, including but not limited to ace's transformation labs and ace fellows.

Annual meeting and other programs: ace's annual meeting brings together higher education leaders from all sectors. The annual meeting is an event to network with colleagues, hear about emerging trends from national thought leaders, and learn about new approaches to campus challenges.