University President Lawrence Bacow, a leading proponent in the campaign to make Tufts need-blind, will have the opportunity to push for this goal on a broader level as he ascends to the chairmanship of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts (AICUM).
Bacow's one-year term as chairman of the organization, which works to promote the interests of private higher education, began June 1.
"I am very excited that President Bacow is going to be the chair this year," AICUM President Richard Doherty said. "I think he's clearly one of the ... leaders in America on issues affecting higher education."
The appointment continues Bacow's leadership role on the executive committee, a 13-member rotating board that leads the association of 56 accredited independent colleges in the state. Bacow has served on the executive committee for three years, including a one-year term as vice-chair from 2006-07.
Bacow's duties as chairman will be to preside over committee meetings, conduct an annual review of the president [and] speak on behalf of the organization before the legislature, Bacow said in an e-mail.
"The purpose of the executive committee is to define or redefine the agenda for the year," Doherty said. "The idea is to help us collectively come up with the priorities to be emphasized. AICUM has as its top priority advocacy at the state and federal level for more need-based financial aid."
According to Bacow, that agenda includes steps to encourage the legislature to continue to invest in need-based financial aid for Massachusetts students, and responding to calls for legislation that might affect private universities' ability to conduct important research.
"We work collectively to educate the legislature and others on the importance of Massachusetts colleges and universities as engines of economic growth within the state," he said.
Doherty agreed that a main goal of the organization is to get people to recognize the individual contributions of private institutions throughout the state.
"Massachusetts can be defined by the more nationally known institutions such as Tufts, but we have 56 colleges and they all make substantial contributions that I think surprise people when they learn of them," Doherty said. "Part of what we do is try to get that message out there."
Beyond the contributions of individual institutions, Doherty emphasized the importance of private higher education across the state as a whole. For instance, according to Doherty, 80 percent of minority students in Massachusetts who receive a degree earn it from an independent college, and two-thirds of the federal Pell Grant recipients in Massachusetts attend a private rather than a public institution.
Doherty said that in consideration for college and university presidents' challenging schedules, the executive committee will only meet about half a dozen times over the course of the year.
One of these meetings will include dinner in December to recognize public leaders who have been supportive of higher education, Doherty said.
"Additionally, if we need to meet with an elected official to make the case for more need-based aid, we will draw upon the executive committee as the first group to invite to something like that," he said.
According to Doherty, a three-member nominating committee determines the make-up of the executive committee.
"What we try to do is get a good mix of presidents that represent small colleges and large colleges, as well as colleges that represent the western part of the state, the central part of the state and the greater Boston area," he said.
According to Bacow, the chairmanship also rotates based on these factors. He said his successor will be Dennis Berkey, the president of Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
