Draft:Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania

The Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania ("AICUP") is an advocacy nonprofit 501(c)3 representing independent and nonprofit higher education in Pennsylvania. Founded in 1995, AICUP comprises 90 member schools across the state, from small schools in rural communities to famous schools in major cities.

Impact of AICUP schools
The 90 AICUP schools in Pennsylvania account for:

·       54% of all minority students seeking bachelor’s/advanced degrees

·       49% of all working-age students seeking bachelor's degrees

·       45% of all low-income Pell-eligible students seeking bachelor's degrees

·       44% of all PHEAA PA State Grant Recipients seeking bachelor's degrees

·       45% of all bachelor's degrees awarded in STEM fields

In official testimony to the PA House of Representatives Education Committee, Representative Paul Takac was recorded saying about AICUP schools that, quote, "Pennsylvania's independent nonprofit colleges actually serve students with the most financial need in Pennsylvania. 45% of all low-income, Pell and PHEAA Pennsylvania students go to an independent college or university including 45% of our teacher candidates, almost half of all adult learners,, over 50% of under-represented minority students and almost 70% of our nurses."

The independent and nonprofit colleges and universities of Pennsylvania make a significant contribution to the state’s economy, including:

·       $24 billion in annual economic impact

·       $1.1 billion in state and local taxes

·       $1 in every $32 in the PA economy is supported by an AICUP school

·       195,000 jobs supported and sustained in Pennsylvania because of AICUP schools

·       1 in every 32 jobs in PA is supported by an AICUP school

·       Pennsylvania is the 2nd largest net importer of college students in the USA

·       279,000 students attend annually

·       $3.4 billion in student spending impact annually

·       44,000 new workers produced annually, and 79,000 degrees

·       138 years is the average time these schools have been an anchor in their community

·       https://aicup.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/AICUP-Making-the-Case-2023.pdf

Data Sources:

·       U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDs)

·       USDOE College Scorecard

·       USDOE Office of Federal Student Aid

·       Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce

·       The Economic Impact of AICUP Schools (2022, Parker Phillips, Inc., Erie, PA)

·       Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA)

·       Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry

·       Pennsylvania Office of the Budget.

Advocacy for Higher Education
Each spring, AICUP hosts an annual advocacy day for college students from across Pennsylvania. “Day on the Hill,” hosted at the state capitol in Harrisburg, sees hundreds of student leaders, college advocates, news reporters, and state legislators converge to discuss vital topics of access and affordability in higher education. Here are examples of news stories about college students participating in the AICUP "Day on the Hill" advocacy day:

·       The College prepares for 2023 AICUP Day on the Hill (Elizabethtown College)

·       AICUP Day On The Hill (Wilson College)

·       Nine Lafayette students visit the Pennsylvania Capitol at annual AICUP on the Hill (Lafayette College)

·       Keystone College students attend AICUP Day on Capitol Hill (Keystone)

·       Waynesburg student advocates for continued PHEAA funding (Waynesburg)

·       Students Lobby Pennsylvania Legislators to Preserve Financial Aid (Allegheny College)

In 2018, AICUP successfully advocated for the largest funding increase for low-income students in the history of Pennsylvania's higher education aid program (PHEAA).

AICUP produces studies and communications about the impact of higher education for state leaders and voters. These include:

·       Making the Case, 2023: https://aicup.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/AICUP-Making-the-Case-2023.pdf

·       Economic Impact Report – poster – 2023: https://aicup.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Economic-Impact-Study-2-Page-Handout-2023.pdf

·       Economic Impact Report – full – 2023: https://aicup.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/AICUP-Economic-Impact-Report-2022-Update.pdf

·       Business Efficiency Programs, 2023: https://bluetoad.com/publication/?i=798592

Membership
The member schools of AICUP include:

·       Albright College

·       Allegheny College

·       Alvernia University

·       Arcadia University

·       Bryn Athyn College

·       Bryn Mawr College

·       Bucknell University

·       Cabrini University

·       Cairn University

·       Carlow University

·       Carnegie Mellon University

·       Cedar Crest College

·       Chatham University

·       Chestnut Hill College

·       Clarks Summit University

·       Delaware Valley University

·       DeSales University

·       Dickinson College

·       Drexel University

·       Duquesne University

·       Eastern University

·       Elizabethtown College

·       Franklin & Marshall College

·       Gannon University

·       Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine

·       Geneva College

·       Gettysburg College

·       Grove City College

·       Gwynedd Mercy University

·       Harcum College

·       Harrisburg University of Science and Technology

·       Haverford College

·       Holy Family University

·       Immaculata University

·       Thomas Jefferson University

·       Johnson College

·       Juniata College

·       Keystone College

·       King's College

·       La Roche University

·       La Salle University

·       Lackawanna College

·       Lafayette College

·       Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

·       Lancaster Bible College

·       Lebanon Valley College

·       Lehigh University

·       Lycoming College

·       Manor College

·       Marywood University

·       Mercyhurst University

·       Messiah University

·       Misericordia University

·       Moore College of Art & Design

·       Moravian University

·       Mount Aloysius College

·       Muhlenberg College

·       Neumann University

·       Peirce College

·       Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

·       Pennsylvania College of Art & Design

·       Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences

·       Pennsylvania Institute of Technology

·       Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine

·       Pittsburgh Technical College

·       Point Park University

·       Robert Morris University

·       Rosemont College

·       Saint Francis University

·       Saint Joseph's University

·       Saint Vincent College

·       Salus University

·       Seton Hill University

·       Susquehanna University

·       Swarthmore College

·       Thiel College

·       University of Pennsylvania

·       University of Scranton

·       University of the Arts

·       Ursinus College

·       Valley Forge Military College

·       Villanova University

·       Washington & Jefferson College

·       Waynesburg University

·       Westminster College

·       Widener University

·       Wilkes University

·       Wilmington University

·       Wilson College

·       Wistar Institute

·       York College of Pennsylvania

Leadership
AICUP is led by Tom Foley, as president since 2018, and former chair of the board. Foley previously served as president of an AICUP school, Mount Aloysius College in Cresson, Pennsylvania.

AICUP initiatives under Foley’s leadership include new collaborative programs that promote innovation and efficiency, cost-savings, research at the intersection of education, the pandemic, and public policy, an enhanced communications hub for its members, and publication of the influential annual reports, The Economic Impact of AICUP Schools in Pennsylvania.

Foley led the AICUP institutions’ response to COVID-19, with ongoing updates to college presidents, dozens of webinars on pandemic-specific topics, and serving as the only higher education representative on the Governor's COVID education reopening committee (PA Path Forward).

Prior to AICUP, Foley served as the president and CEO of the American Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania, president of the United Way of Pennsylvania, Secretary of Labor for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and Chief Speechwriter in Congress for Senator Joe Biden and Congressman James Shannon. Foley is a prolific writer and orator, with over 150 op-ed articles to his credit, and he has testified before state and federal legislatures over 50 times. A first-generation college graduate himself, Foley earned a Bachelor's degree at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, and a Juris Doctorate at Yale Law School.

The current chair of the AICUP Board of Directors is Joanathan Green, president of Susquehanna University. Previous chairs of the AICUP Board include:

·       Sister Mary Persico, president of Marywood College (2022-2023)

·       James Troha, president of Juniata College (2021-2022)

·       Allyson Byerly, president of Lafayette College (2020-2021)

·       Kent Trachte, president of Lycoming College (2019-2020)

·       Barbara Mistick, president of Wilson College (2018-2019)