Independent Colleges of Washington (ICW) believes in championing educational opportunities for all students. We work to break down the barriers to higher education and to foster inclusive student bodies on campus by highlighting the essential role of private, not-for-profit, liberal arts-based colleges and universities. We support the students attending our member colleges through a combination of policy engagement, fundraising, and strategic partnerships so they can thrive during their college experience and make a difference in their communities.
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Engaging State & Federal Policymakers
In today’s economy, an increasing number of adults entering the workforce need a degree to compete in the job market. According to The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, an average of 436,000 jobs will be opening annually in Washington between 2021 and 2031. More than 7 in 10 of those jobs (72%) will require a bachelor’s degree or other education beyond a high school diploma. Alumni of Independent Colleges of Washington member campuses are well-prepared for their first jobs and full careers in the state and beyond. They have the benefit of degrees grounded in the liberal arts: a broad education and practiced skills in teamwork, problem-solving, perseverance, and communication.
ICW builds relationships with government and businesses to provide students with the financial and academic support necessary to earn their degree. Thanks to support from our donors, students can enroll at the campus that best supports their needs. ICW’s targeted investments make it possible for students to access the full range of educational opportunities available across Washington’s independent colleges.
RECENT HIGHLIGHTS
Year-round, ICW member campuses welcome state and federal policymakers to see first-hand how they are supporting the needs of students. Here Representative Alex Ybarra meets with Zenaye Brown, a Gonzaga University Class of 2024 alumna from Camas, WA, who used the Washington College Grant to study business administration with a management information systems concentration and a health equity minor.
When the House of Representatives proposed eliminating funding for the Federal Work Study (FWS) and Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG) programs, ICW strongly advocated for college students across the state of Washington urging strong support for fully funding these student aid programs.
ICW President and CEO Terri Standish-Kuon joined colleagues at the Council of Independent Colleges’s Presidents Institute in January 2024 for a panel discussion focused on actionable ideas for building relationships with local, state, and federal policymakers.
ICW Board Chair and University of Puget Sound President Isiaah Crawford joined with National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) Board member and Gonzaga University President Thayne McCulloh and Whitman College President Sarah Bolton and NAICU colleagues to honor retiring U.S. Representative Derek Kilmer with the NAICU Award for Advocacy of Independent Higher Education at the 2024 Annual Meeting in February. The Advocacy Award recognizes individuals for a lifetime of service, initiative, and determination in recognizing the role of independent colleges and universities in serving public purposes.
During the NAICU Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. in February 2024, an ICW delegation met with members of Washington’s Congressional delegation, including Senator Maria Cantwell, Representative Derek Kilmer and Representative Marilyn Strickland. ICW engages with NAICU and the American Council on Education (ACE), the Washington Congressional delegation, and the U.S. Department of Education on issues involving student aid to tax policy and regulation.
In 2023-24, ICW launched an educational fellowship to support students in learning about policy making and the state legislative process. Fellows met regularly across four months, and during a dedicated “Olympia Day,” they met with legislative offices as well as with key staff in the State Senate and the Office of Financial Management.
Student voices are central to ICW’s work, and this year ICW was pleased to support Saint Martin's University junior Cher Abigail Aguilar Henriquez (L) and Whitman College junior Margaret Kanyoko (R) in sharing their perspectives with lawmakers.
ICW ensured that member campuses were represented at legislative hearings as well as in meetings with legislators and higher education stakeholders throughout the 2023-24 interim and during the 2024 Legislative Session. During the “short session” in the second year of the 68th Legislative Session, ICW engaged 1:1 with 68 legislators. The ICW Board of Directors met with higher education committee leaders Senator T’wina Nobles and Representative Vandana Slatter during its spring meeting in April 2024.
Sustaining Communities
of Practice
ICW provides member campuses with opportunities to share high-impact practices seeks to strengthen these ties throughout Washington, both on campuses and beyond. Every year, ICW supports dozens of communities of practice, and brings together academic, fiscal, and administrative leaders to connect both virtually and in person.
RECENT HIGHLIGHTS
ICW’s bi-annual Burlington Forum brought together advancement leaders with members of ICW’s Government Affairs Council. Over two days in Spokane, the group discussed ways to work together on helping key audiences better understand and appreciate the value and return on the investment in higher education. Additionally, advancement colleagues had the chance to discuss how they are using artificial intelligence to support their work, and building a work culture that supports talent attraction and retention.
Academic leaders from across ICW member campuses gathered quarterly via Zoom to share updates, seeking support and insights, and learn about developments at the state and federal levels. In January 2024, academic and enrollment leaders from ICW joined with the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges’s Deputy Executive Director for Education and the Director of Transfer Education for conversations around supporting students who transfer from two-year campuses in Washington to ICW.
Chief financial officers gathering virtually in December 2023 and in-person at Gonzaga University in May 2024. Discussions focused on state and federal regulations, grant opportunities, the effect of the difficult roll-out of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), risk and compliance, and opportunities to reduce costs.
In partnership with the Oregon Alliance for Independent Colleges and Universities, ICW co-hosted a PNW Higher Education Leadership Academy in June. Member presidents nominated participants for this two-day workshop, which focused on understanding leadership styles and meeting the challenges facing colleges and universities.
Throughout the year, ICW coordinates with its Government Affairs Council. This group of colleagues have a wide range of roles on their respective campuses, and bring diverse perspectives to ICW’s work to help ensure responsiveness and outreach with state and federal policymakers. The Council met in person in June at ICW’s office in downtown Seattle to focus on upcoming voter registration and Constitution Day planning, federal regulations, and the year ahead.
Supporting Students Through Strategic Partnerships
ICW supports Washington students through dozens of competitive and named scholarship funds, including the Leaders for Tomorrow Scholarship and the Transfer Pathways Fund. During FY 2022-23, our partners and donors have together helped provide our organization with more than $1.2 million in student financial aid, in-kind support, and strategic investments.
The ICW member campuses share a goal of improving access to post-secondary education across Washington, regardless of economic means. Through our association, students receive the support they need to make a difference in their communities, whether they are the first person in their family to attend college, or they are transferring from a community or technical college. Additional strategic partnerships, such as the Coalition for College Savings, assist campuses with national purchasing agreements.
RECENT HIGHLIGHTS
ICW’s Strengthening Transfer Pathways to the Liberal Arts initiative focuses on smoothing the path to liberal arts disciplines at private, not-for-profit four-year colleges in Washington for students who wish to enroll from two-year campuses in the state. In August 2023, ICW awarded the first scholarships through a new Transfer Pathways Fund for Washington state community college students who transfer to an ICW member college or university. In April 2024, ICW faculty and staff met with faculty and staff from community college partners to examine institutional practices that best support students in transferring from 2-year to 4-year campuses and evaluate the practices in place at ICW member campuses.
As part of its commitment to the College Promise Coalition in Washington, ICW proudly administers the Washington Student Engagement Networks (WA-SEN), a Gates Foundation-funded initiative that provides opportunities for students from independent colleges and universities, community and technical colleges, and public baccalaureate institutions to share their stories and perspectives to educate policymakers. Through WA-SEN students emphasize the importance of student financial aid programs in ensuring that the state of Washington achieves its 70% post-secondary attainment goal.
Celebrating Community Impact
Every student is different, and their individual needs to succeed and thrive in college are just as singular. Whether they need financial aid, behavioral health support, resources for nutrition or housing, or help with their academics – ICW member colleges work to cultivate a sense of belonging for everyone.
RECENT HIGHLIGHTS
As part of ICW’s commitment to Washington students, the association offered tailored professional development training for the College Success Foundation’s Rally for College advisors and College Success coaches. Year-round, counselors and college advisors can access resources via ICW’s website as they work to support students.
ICW regularly joins with partners to support Washington’s high school students in learning about their higher education options. Each fall, the ICW team joined with admissions representatives from member campuses for the Washington Council for High School to College Relations workshops for school counselors and college advisors. In 2023, we were in Bellingham, Bothell, Cheney, Pasco, and Tacoma to provide information to high school counselors and community-based organization professionals who offer college advice.
In 2023, ICW commissioned a study to understand our member campuses’ economic impact. The findings show that the membership’s total impact of $2.2 billion held steady, even following the loss of enrollment and upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Through e-newsletter and social media that included video clips and data points, we shared the results of the study and student stories with high school counselors, principals, and superintendents, as well as legislators, ICW Board Members, and partners around the state of Washington.
As the new FAFSA roll-out continues to challenge students and their families, ICW partnered with high school and college stakeholders to keep Washingtonians informed about efforts on our campuses. We created a FAFSA-specific website; participated on a panel for a FAFSA webinar hosted by League of Education Voters aimed at high school counselors, students and their families; and together with higher education partners, made the case for filing the FAFSA through a joint letter and op-Ed in The Seattle Times.
ICW launched a “Lunch & Learn” series of virtual professional development sessions in 2024, with sessions on the legal and communications aspects of supporting free speech on campus, on the new federal Title IX regulations, on the development of multiple employer retirement plans. In June 2024, ICW joined with the Oregon Alliance of Independent Colleges and Universities to offer a “PNW Leadership Academy” for campus colleagues who are preparing to move into roles with greater responsibility.
