The American Council on Education (ACE) launched the National Engagement Office in response to the growing trend of state-based policies that impact public institutions and the national discourse on the value of higher education. This marks a significant shift in ACE's advocacy strategy, emphasizing a state-by-state approach to advancing national priorities.
As the major coordinating body for the nation’s colleges and universities, ACE established the National Engagement initiative within ACE’s hallmark Division of Government Relations to ensure seamless coordination between our federal and state efforts. The initiative focuses on building a nationwide infrastructure that empowers our member institutions with the resources, strategies, and knowledge to drive meaningful, sustainable change at the state level. This portfolio of state-focused initiatives strengthens ACE's mission to lead higher education with a united vision for the future, empowering our members to take action.
Our Partners
National Engagement engages in network building to address the most pressing state policy issues in higher education. These initiatives support coalition efforts that seek to advance solutions that address student access and success, campus health, academic freedom and institutional autonomy, and strategic state policy development. The National Engagement office fosters partnerships and alignments between member institutions as well as communities adjacent to postsecondary education with the shared mission of advancing the value of higher education in our states. These include issue-based state policy consortiums and leadership in coalitions such as the Freedom to Learn Network.