Cyndy Littlefield, Rep. Tim Bishop (D-NY)

WASHINGTON, DC - On Thursday, October 6th, the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities hosted the 14th annual Federal Relations Conference at the U.S. Capitol Visitor's Center in Washington, DC. Representatives from the 28 Jesuit colleges and universities attended the conference, which was organized by AJCU Director of Federal Relations Cyndy Littlefield.

Three members of Congress, Assistant Majority Leader Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL), Representative Tim Bishop (D-NY) and Representative Rodney Alexander (R-LA), spoke during the morning session of the conference. Other speakers throughout the day included David Reich, Minority Clerk for the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, H&HS and Education, and Zakiya Smith, Senior Advisor for Education, White House Domestic Policy Council.

In the afternoon, conference attendees heard from two U.S. Department of Education officials, David Bergeron, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, Planning & Innovation, and Dan Madzelan, Senior Director, Strategic Planning, Analysis, and Initiatives Services. A second panel on taxes and higher education featured Tiffany Smith, Tax Counsel, Majority, Senate Committee on Finance, and Theresa Pattara, Tax Counsel, Minority, Senate Committee on Finance.

Critical issues, such as ongoing funding for Pell Grants and SEOG, were the highlight of the conversations. In addition, discussions also focused on the regulatory burdens that Jesuit campuses have to comply with. Cyndy Littlefield remarked, "Once again, AJCU is able to participate in the political process, as it relates to critical funding decisions by the "Supercommittee" and the appropriators. Our dynamic AJCU Federal Relations Network remains a critical lobbying tool for our Jesuit institutions."

The Federal Relations conference was held in conjunction with the annual Committee for Education Funding legislative conference and gala, both of which took place on Wednesday, October 5th. During the morning, representatives from Jesuit colleges and universities joined representatives from other institutions and higher education associations to hear from several members of Congress. Speakers included Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), House Minority Whip Representative Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Representative George Miller (D-CA), Representative Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Representative Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX), Representative Duncan Hunter (R-CA), and Representative Chaka Fattah (D-PA). Three former members of Congress, Representative Vic Fazio (D-CA), Representative Steven Gunderson (R-WI), and Representative David Obey (D-WI) spoke on a panel to discuss ways to handle debt reduction.

On Wednesday evening, the annual CEF reception and gala, which were co-chaired by Cyndy Littlefield, was held at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill. Guests heard from Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), who received the William H. Natcher Award from CEF, and Representative Dale Kildee (D-MI). CEF also awarded the William H. Natcher Award to Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI), whose assistant spoke at the gala on his behalf. CEF awarded the Special Recognition Award to Bettilou Taylor, Former Clerk, Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, H&HS and Education. Earlier in the evening, former Senator Arlen Specter (D-PA) spoke about Taylor at the reception.

Photos courtesy of Sean Yanosh, Parallax Productions, Inc.