Higher-Ed Lobbyists Are Told to Make Peace With Republicans

The opening speech at the annual Higher Education Government Relations Conference is often a feel-good event that reiterates the value and importance of public colleges.

Wednesday’s speech was not that kind of event, or not entirely that kind of event. Instead, Eileen Klein, president of the Arizona Board of Regents, started her remarks with a heavy critique of higher education and all the ways it has lost touch with conservative lawmakers and constituents.

Ms. Klein knows those criticisms well: Before becoming president of the Arizona regents, who oversee the state’s three public universities, she was chief of staff to Gov. Jan Brewer, a firebrand conservative who, coincidentally, does not have a college degree.

Ms. Klein has a bachelor’s degree from Florida State University and a master’s degree in public administration from Arizona State. But those connections to higher education have not dimmed her willingness to call out public colleges for their shortcomings.

Confusion about the pricing model, athletics scandals, and a general perception that higher education is a bastion of elitism are all dragging down the public view of colleges, Ms. Klein said.

“I don’t say any of this to make people feel bad, but we have to be very respectful of the people paying the bills,” Ms. Klein said.

At the same time, some states are still struggling with their budgets, she said, so higher education can’t expect appropriations to return to pre-recession levels.

What that means for the statehouse advocates of public colleges is that they have to move past the blame game for budget cuts, which she said had started to sound like the playground taunts of “No, you shut up.”

Arizona’s current governor, Doug Ducey, a Republican, has been straightforward with the universities, Ms. Klein said, in looking at state appropriations as one of many revenue sources.

Higher-education lobbyists need to shift their focus onto the outcomes of their institutions in key areas such as graduation rates and job placement, she said. And don’t spend a lot of time emphasizing research unless you are emphasizing its economic value. State legislators are more interested in hearing about dollars going to classroom teaching, she added.

A final bit of advice: Whenever possible, bring the athletic mascots to statehouse events, she said. “Legislators want to be part of whatever event has your mascot.”

Eric Kelderman writes about money and accountability in higher education, including such areas as state policy, accreditation, and legal affairs. You can find him on Twitter @etkeld, or email him at eric.kelderman@chronicle.com.