Does your school have a lobbyist?

[financeguy]

If so, are they an employee or retained consultant or firm? Do you have any clue what they have attempted to advocate for and if so, if they have had success? Primarily state or federal issues?

[Hibush]

If so, are they an employee or retained consultant or firm? Do you have any clue what they have attempted to advocate for and if so, if they have had success? Primarily state or federal issues?

We have one in DC and one in the state capital. They make sure that the school is appreciated by our representatives for all it does. On the basis of that goodwill, they ask for higher appropriations to the myriad programs that pay for our enterprise. They also lobby for processes and regulations that make it easier to operate.

Those roles are pretty standard for lobbyists for schools and nonprofits.

We'd be in deep trouble without the relationships the lobbyists maintain.

The Hall of the States is a building near the Senate Office Buildings in DC. It is full of lobbyists for schools and US. NGOs. If your school wants to feel normalized in this activity, a visit to that building should do it.

[mahagonny]

If so, are they an employee or retained consultant or firm? Do you have any clue what they have attempted to advocate for and if so, if they have had success? Primarily state or federal issues?

What they should do if they're smart, given how things work,  is use sympathy for low paid adjunct faculty to get more funding, so those same faculty can be fired, or alternatively, kept at the same pay rate, and the money goes somewhere else.

[Vkw10]

Our system has an office of governmental relationships, which coordinates communication with legislators and lobbying. According to https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying, my university spent funds on federal lobbying several years ago, but not recently. I have no idea if the federal lobbying was effective.

[Volhiker78]

Our state university has. fairly large office at the city of the state capital.  Much of their work is lobbying like what Hibush mentioned.  They also have people who help faculty make contacts with other non-university groups.  I was invovlved in a research proposal that needed the support of both secondary schools and nurses.  A person at our state capitol group worked with us to contact the appropriate people and get their support.  Although we didn't get the proposal funded, it was helpful to have people familiar with school boards and nursing association help us. 

[larryc]

My regional comprehensive has two lobbyists, one employed by the admin and another a rotating faculty member chosen by the faculty organization. It seems to work well.