WSW Successfully Secures $14 Million for a Midwest Higher Education Institution While Also Advancing Policy Priorities

WSW has partnered with a mid-sized Midwestern University to advance a comprehensive federal agenda focused on proprietary issues like enhancing campus infrastructure, health sciences education programs, and community-based legal services, while also advancing broader higher education priorities spanning workforce development, student financial aid, and Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) policies. Through a strategic approach that aligns the University’s long-term priorities with the federal budget and appropriations process, targeted congressional engagement, and direct Executive Branch advocacy, WSW has helped the University secure meaningful federal investments and navigate an increasingly complex and rapidly evolving higher education policy landscape.

WSW’s work on the appropriations front draws on the firm’s deep expertise in the Community Project Funding and Congressionally Directed Spending processes. We work collaboratively with University leadership to identify and develop the most compelling project narratives for each funding cycle, prepare and submit all required congressional forms, and advocate directly for the University’s requests with Members of Congress and their staff. Once funding is secured, WSW assists with the drawdown process to ensure resources reach the campus programs they were designed to support. WSW also coordinates an annual Washington, DC fly-in for the University’s senior leadership, scheduling and preparing the University for meetings with key Members of Congress, Senators, and higher education stakeholders, and managing all necessary follow-up.

In parallel, WSW has facilitated the University engaging directly or through its national association partners with an array of Executive Branch agencies and officials across a broad range of regulatory and policy matters, including student financial aid rules, NIL policies, consumer protection, and DEI and free speech enforcement. Agencies engaged include the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor. This ongoing Executive Branch engagement helps the University anticipate policy changes before they take effect, ensures they have a “seat at the table” during policy development, and can assess their potential impact on students and operations.  Overall, WSW has positioned the University to engage federal decision-makers proactively rather than reactively.