Opening Keynote Address
A Reform Agenda for American Higher Education
Eric D. Fingerhut, Chancellor, Ohio Board of Regents

Presentation (ppt)

Unrelenting pressures beckon for new strategies to maintain access, quality, affordability and productivity in higher education. Bold thinking and a far-ranging reform agenda are behind Chancellor Eric Fingerhut’s ambitious efforts to revitalize Ohio’s higher education system. His leadership agenda is informed by his experience as a higher education system head, state senator and U.S. congressman.

Plenary Session:

Elevating Higher Education as a State Priority
Leaders representing some of the largest higher education systems in the country will share insights into how to “make the case” for higher education in the midst of severe economic pressures, working together across all postsecondary sectors.

Mark Yudof, President, University of California








Charles Reed, Chancellor, California State University

Link to presentation






Jack Scott, Chancellor-Designate, California Community Colleges

Higher Education State Relations Awards Program
Recognition of the 2008 recipients of the Edward Crawford Award for Innovation in State Relations and the Marvin D. “Swede” Johnson Achievement Award

Plenary Session:

Bolstering State Relations Through Strategic Grassroots Advocacy
If politics is about the business of relationships, then advocacy is about the effectiveness of your stakeholders and their relationships with legislators. Managing and fully utilizing a multitude of institutional contacts is key to a sound grassroots advocacy program that delivers dividends in the legislature and the broader public domain. This session will feature a case study of a successful grassroots advocacy program, including tools, tips and strategies that can be replicated to advance your college or university’s standing.

Beth McInnis, Director of Advocacy, Clemson University

Presentation (ppt)






Andy Paul, President, Capitol Impact, LLC

Plenary Session:

Coming to a Legislature Near You? A Costly Mandate to Fight Illegal File Sharing and Online Piracy

Steve Worona, Director of Policy and Networking Programs, Educause

On the issue of how to best address illegal peer-to-peer file sharing, the higher education community and the recording and entertainment industries are not exactly singing the same tune. The industries have pushed legislative proposals at the federal level that would require higher education institutions to implement costly and arguably unproven strategies aimed at eliminating student downloading of music and video files. Now aggressive attempts are being made to seek enforcement via state legislatures. What institutions can do to fight online piracy while avoiding a costly and burdensome state mandate will be the focus of this panel discussion.

Terry McLennard, Assistant Director of State Relations University of Illinois

Concurrent Sessions (Two):

Of Carrots and Sticks: Higher Education Performance Funding
Brenda Norman Albright, Consultant, Albright Consulting

Presentation (ppt)

An increasing focus on productivity and accountability in higher education has policymakers looking anew at performance-based funding for colleges and universities. This session will include an overview of funding formulas, recent case illustrations of how they were developed and utilized at both the system and state level, and key strategies to ensure equity and effectiveness in the process.

Tracking and Securing Federal Dollars Channeled Through the States
Richard Dunfee, Director, Grants Resource Center, AASCU

Presentation (ppt)

The US Departments of Education, Labor and Commerce, and other agencies provide block grant funding to the states. These allocations, often intended for re-granting, are in fulfillment of particular national priorities such as increasing access to higher education or the promotion of economic development initiatives. The categories of funding and strategies for tracking the state processing of these allocations will be reviewed in this session.

Welcome Reception at the Omni San Diego Hotel

Plenary Session:

Learning From Crisis and Controversy
Repeating the theme of the popular 2007 conference session, case illustrations will be featured dealing with controversial and crisis-induced issues that had the propensity to impact college-state relations. Gain valuable insights on how institutional responses in the aftermath of significant events can play a critical and positive role in the political and legislative domains.

Jack Beresford, Assistant Vice President, Marketing and Communications, San Diego State University

Presentation (ppt)





Ken Zehnder, Associate Director External Affairs, Northern Illinois University

Presentation (ppt)

Plenary Session:

Anticipating the Unanticipated: Responding to State-Instigated Financial Crises
Mid-year cuts, new unfunded mandates and other actions brought on by revenue-starved states in recent years have at time left institutions and systems facing severe fiscal threats. This session will feature case illustrations of how potentially harsh and unforeseen budgetary impacts were mitigated through focused, strategic, and collective action.

Mary Evans Sias, President, Kentucky State University








Remmele Young, Director, Government Relations, Houston Community College

Concurrent Sessions (Two):

The Value Proposition: Assessing and Promoting the Economic Impact of Higher Education
John “Matty” Mathieson, Director, Center for Science, Technology and Economic Development, SRI International

Presentation (ppt)

This session will focus on the value that public higher education institutions bring to society, through the lens of economic impact analyses. Discussion items will include the major inputs and outcomes of colleges/universities, a primer on how these variables are measured, and case illustrations of various studies that have been conducted of higher education-related institutions and enterprises and how these studies were used to elevate higher education as a public policy and funding priority.

External Relations and the New Media: Best Practices for the Changing World of Communications
Jolene Koester, President, California State University, Northridge

Presentation (pdf)

From the blogosphere to social networking sites, new communication technologies are undoubtedly shaping issues that influence institutional reputation. Failure to utilize new media can detrimentally affect college and university relations with students, the public and policymakers. This session will highlight strategies that college and university leaders can use to effectively harness evolving technologies and subsequently enhance institutional and stakeholder relations.

Luncheon and Featured Guest Presentation

Perils and Pearls of Political Folly: Symbols over Substance
William Sederburg, Commissioner, Utah System of Higher Education

Presentation (ppt)

State relations officers are called upon to mediate and resolve challenging, politically sensitive issues often compounded by attributes unique to the college campus: numerous stakeholders with sometimes competing agendas, enhanced freedom of expression, and intense scrutiny by policymakers, the media and the public. The featured speaker will share insights from experience as a state senator, college president, and state commissioner of higher education on how government relations professionals can serve as effective problem-solvers in the midst of politically challenging circumstances.

Plenary Session:

Squeeze Play: American Public Perception of Higher Education Today
John Immerwahr, Senior Fellow, Public Agenda

Presentation (ppt)

Understanding the public’s view of higher education is integral to building a successful strategy for making the case for higher education – especially when it comes to how state legislators act on these public perceptions. Hear from one of the nation’s foremost experts on public perception of American higher education – and how these viewpoints can be translated to effective action by college and university government relations officers.

Affinity Group Meetings
Join fellow colleagues in round-table discussions to discuss contemporary issues and opportunities for community colleges, state colleges and research universities.

Plenary Session:

Post General Election: The New Policy and Political Landscape
Karl Kurtz, Director, Trust for a Representative Democracy, National Conference of State Legislatures

Presentation (pdf)

Gain insights into the political composition of the states’ gubernatorial and legislative bodies post-general election and the implications that may lie ahead for public higher education from a widely respected individual who has written, consulted and lectured widely on American state legislatures and elections.

Plenary Session:

Federal and State Issues Round-Up
2008 has been a very busy year in Washington and in state capitols. Gain insights from an expert panel of higher education association government relations professionals on the implications of the HEA reauthorization, passage of the new GI Bill and other Congressional efforts. Other topics to be addressed include the president-elect's higher education platform, the balance of power in Congress and in state legislatures, and an assessment of state ballot referendums that may impact higher education.

Ed Elmendorf, Senior Vice President, Government Relations & Policy Analysis, AASCU

Daniel Hurley, Director of State Relations & Policy Analysis, AASCU

Jim Hermes, Senior Legislative Associate, AACC

Jennifer Poulakidas, Vice President for Congressional Relations, NASULGC