Nearly 50 AASCU presidents and chancellors joined journalists from The New York Times on August 5 for a frank discussion about what distinguishes regional comprehensive institutions.

The 90-minute conversation covered a host of critical and pressing issues, such as how AASCU institutions serve the most vulnerable student populations including a large share of low-income, students of color and/or first-generation students; how AASCU institutions are Stewards of Place and remain central to our communities; and that AASCU institutions move the greatest number of students from the lower socioeconomic strata to the middle class and beyond.

AASCU presidents encouraged Washington Correspondent Erica Green and National Correspondent Anemona Hartocollis to urge editors to expand the paper’s coverage of higher education and not to focus so heavily on the Ivy League but on the rich fabric of all of higher education and to tell those stories.

The conversation deepened the journalists’ understanding of AASCU and the role our colleges and universities play in the lives of more than 3.5 million students.

This screenshot captures some participants in The New York Times meeting with AASCU presidents and chancellors.