Higher education must tell legislatures how the state should raise the money the colleges want to spend--even if it means higher taxes--and then lobby on behalf of those proposals. This also means addressing new and potentially controversial issues about the role of colleges in state politics. (MLW)

The activities of a University of Miami lobbying team at the state legislature's annual 60-day session are described. Each of the three team members has specific area and bill responsibilities, but their coordination and teamwork are seen as essential to success in promoting the university's interests. (MSE)

It is essential for a campus to designate a representative to develop a program for both disseminating information to legislators and cultivating good relations with state governments. This person should know area legislators and should work with them to prepare annual programs of activities for members of the general assembly. (MLW)

Many campus administrators in Alabama also serve in the state legislature, participating in debates and votes affecting their institutions. The potential for conflicts of interest has damaged state policy on higher education. Some recent incidents are described. (MLW)

Consideration is given to determining strategies that are most effective, deciding which people from the university are most effective in influencing which government officials using what methods, and presenting a united front to state governments. (Author/LBH)

A model program in New England enhances state government relations by informing legislators about higher education's impact on state economies. The regional undertaking overcame apathy, competing interests, and time pressures to build a close working relationship with legislators. (Author/MSE)

Politics is seen as likely to play an important role in higher education during the 1980s. The best way to ensure continued public support and funding from the state is by demonstrating academic quality. Trustees must play a central role in political influence/pressure brought to bear on legislators. (MLW)

In hopes of shedding light on how public school leaders can better advocate on the state level for the needs of their schools and their students, The School Administrator turned to policymakers in different settings and with different political leanings. They invited a trio--a Republican state legislator from the Chicago suburbs, a rural…

An attitudinal survey of 28 Minnesota legislative and interest-group policy makers in education examined educational groups' fragmentation, linkages, lobbying power, legislators' information resources, and initiation and accommodation between legislators and interest groups. Among the conclusions is that educational lobbyists' power in the…

In order to work within the legislative framework, it is suggested, administrators and trustees must concern themselves with five essentials: key calendar dates, specific committee structures, the chairman's power, the party in control, and the flow of legislation. Administrators must also know the legislators, the issues, and the governor. (MLW)

Lobbying is defined as the function of citizens to express their views and to gain the support of legislators for proposed laws. This guide, for Massachusetts students, is designed to take students step by step through the lobbying process and to suggest strategies and resources to use in their own lobbying efforts. The guide contains the…

More than a decade ago the manner in which the North Dakota educational community related to the state legislature changed suddenly and dramatically. The North Dakota School Boards Association (NDSBA) employed a new executive director. Administrators in the state created a new entity, the North Dakota Council of School Administrators (NDCSA), and…

A "mini-manual" for individuals in education and the human services interested in increasing their involvement in the political process presupposes that much powerlessness is self-imposed, and encourages attitude change to make the most of potential individual power. The manual is also an introduction to lobbying and the legislative process. After…

The eight years of Ronald Reagan's presidency have included tremendous economic, social, and political change. Views on those changes in higher education vary. Six stories tell how colleges and Washington's lobbyists and lawmakers have changed in that period. (MLW)

Brief observations and predictions on the state of postsecondary education and perspectives on federal and state roles are presented. It is suggested that higher education has lost its former high priority status in the minds of the public and ligislators; survival is a major preoccupation with many collegiate institutions; competition for…