Selena M. Grace, President, NWCCU
Thank you for the warm congratulations, support, and confidence you’ve shown me. I’m excited to continue our work together in this new role. While I’ve collaborated closely with many of you over the past several years, I look forward to working with those I haven’t yet had the opportunity to partner with directly. I’m eager to engage with each member institution to better understand how NWCCU can enhance our support for your work – advancing innovation, delivering quality educational programming, and ensuring student success. NWCCU has always prided itself on being a true partner in continuous improvement while honoring each institution’s unique mission. I’m committed to building on that foundation. This issue of The Beacon includes several important updates I’d like to share.
Following last week’s NWCCU Board of Commissioners meeting, we have several significant updates to share. You’ll find comprehensive details throughout this issue of The Beacon, but I’d like to draw your attention to a few critical developments.
For the 2026 fiscal year, there will not be an increase in member dues. The current dues and fees will remain the same and can be found on our website. The Board of Commissioners are mindful of the financial challenges facing our member institutions.
We welcomed three new Commissioners, all elected by the membership, as well as confirming two Commissioners for second terms. Please be sure to read more about them on our website.
The Board of Commissioners approved removing the pilot designation for the accelerated bachelor’s degrees currently being offered by Brigham Young University-Idaho and Ensign College. In addition, they approved allowing institutions to submit substantive changes proposals to offer bachelor’s degrees based on students’ achieving specific learning outcomes rather than a specified credit hour amount. This will fall under NWCCU’s Substantive Change policy and process. You can find more details about this in our newsletter.
The Commission also established a standing Ad Hoc Strategic Pathways committee of the Commission. Stay tuned for more information coming from that committee and their work.
Finally, I’m pleased to announce that Dr. Ed Harri has been appointed and has accepted the role of Executive Vice President of NWCCU. We’re confident he will continue to serve NWCCU and our members with the same excellence he’s always demonstrated. This means that we will immediately launch a search for our next senior vice president. During this interim time, Dr. Harri will maintain his portfolio of institutions, and those institutions who were in my portfolio will be distributed among the current senior vice presidents. If you are in my portfolio, you will be hearing from me early next week regarding these changes. Our goal is to ensure as little disruption as possible while maintaining the strong support you are used to.
I’ll be reaching out to each of our member institutions in the coming months, but please don’t wait – contact me anytime with questions, concerns, or ideas about how we can enhance our support.
