Briefs from the Field is a moderated panel on the status of policy and practice in admissions and campus programming in the aftermath of the Supreme Court ruling: How does it feel to educate in a polarized environment?
Barbara K. Mistick, President, National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU)
Barbara Mistick has led NAICU as president since September 2019. During her tenure, she has worked to ensure private, nonprofit colleges and universities are equitably treated, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when Congress distributed $77 billion in Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds. Coming out of the pandemic, she helped organize the higher education community and spearheaded efforts to double the Pell Grant maximum award. The effort led to the largest increases in the Pell Grant maximum award since 2009. Mistick also led the development and publication of NAICU’s first-ever national economic and community impact study, Private, Nonprofit Higher Education: Shaping Lives and Anchoring Communities, which found that the private, nonprofit sector of higher education generates nearly $80 billion in local, state, and federal tax revenue, supports 3.4 million jobs while directly employing over 1 million people, and produces over 1 million graduates annually. Mistick is also the author of Stretch: How to Future-Proof Yourself for Tomorrow’s Workplace. She is a graduate of Carlow University (PA) and the University of Pittsburgh (PA), and earned a doctorate of management from Case Western Reserve University (OH).
Paulette Granberry Russell, President, National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE)
Paulette Granberry Russell, JD, was elected president of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education in 2020. She is a leading national voice and sought-after presenter on issues related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in higher education and beyond. Granberry Russell retired in 2020 from Michigan State University as senior advisor to the president for diversity, emerita, after more than 20 years advising on diversity and inclusion efforts at the institution.
Vern Granger, Director, Office of Undergraduate Admissions, University of Connecticut (CT)
Vern Granger is Director of Admissions at the University of Connecticut. In his current role, he works on UConn’s worldwide outreach to high-achieving and diverse students, its selection process, development of the university admission process and practices, the transition of new students, and the advancement of UConn’s position as one of the preeminent institutions in the country. Vern is also the Chair of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC). He received his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, and his master’s degree from North Carolina State University.
Moderator: Marjorie Hass, President, Council of Independent Colleges