SA Voices From the Field

How do public policies shape the work of student affairs professionals in higher education? This week on NASPA's Student Affairs Voices from the Field podcast, we explore just that. This week host Dr. Jill Creighton is joined by two seasoned experts: Diana Ali, Director of Policy Research and Advocacy at NASPA, and Dr. James Tyger, Assistant Vice President for Student Life at the University of Florida and Chair of NASPA's Public Policy Division. This episode dives deep into the complex regulatory and legislative landscape affecting campuses today. Throughout the conversation, Diana and Dr. James Tyger illuminate why public policy should matter—not just for policy "nerds," but for every student affairs professional. Policy changes at state and federal levels often create a ripple effect, touching everything from compliance to student success initiatives. No matter your role, these shifts impact your work and the students you serve. Key themes in the episode include: Major Policy Shifts: The guests detail dramatic changes in the Department of Education, including workforce reductions, agency restructuring, and the transfer of $33 billion in programs to other government agencies. These developments raise concerns about capacity and continuity in supporting states and institutions. Guidance and Compliance: With new Title VI and Title IX guidance, institutions must navigate both federal directives and state laws, especially regarding DEI and free speech. The episode tackles the resulting confusion and litigation, urging professionals to understand the difference between enforceable legal requirements and advisory guidance. The Value of Staying Informed: Listeners learn about the rich resources provided by NASPA's Public Policy Division, like the Policy Resource Hub, real-time legislative tracking, and regular webinars—tools designed to empower professionals to stay current and make informed choices. The hosts stress that while change can be daunting, student affairs remains crucial to supporting students and fostering vibrant campus communities. The takeaway? Tune in to this episode for practical advice on adapting to policy changes, sharing your impact, and remaining grounded in your mission—even as the regulatory landscape evolves. Whether you're navigating new DEI laws, Title IX updates, or simply want to be more proactive in your advocacy, this episode provides clarity, actionable strategies, and a renewed sense of purpose. Click play and join the conversation—your students' success depends on it! TRANSCRIPT Dr. Jill Creighton [00:00:02]: Welcome to Student Affairs Voices from the Field, the podcast where we share your student affairs stories from fresh perspectives to seasoned experts brought to you by naspa. We curate free and accessible professional development for higher ed pros wherever you happen to be. This is season 13 on the value of student affairs. I'm Dr. Jill Creighton. She her hers your essay voices from the Field host Today on Essay Voices, we're bringing you a public policy conversation with two of our leaders from the Public Policy Division here at naspa. Our first guest is Diana Ali, who is currently the Director of Policy Research and Advocacy at naspa. Diana provides timely analysis of emerging policy issues at state and federal levels, creates tools for student affairs professionals to understand and respond to these issues, and organizes and supports NASPA advocacy and civic engagement efforts. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:00:52]: Since moving to the area, Diana has been a non profit advocate and is currently a mental health group facility in the Chicagoland community. She served as an AmeriCorps volunteer for two years and graduated with a Master's in Social Work and a Master's in Public Policy from the University of Chicago. Our Second guest is Dr. James Tyger, JD, who is the Assistant Vice President for Student Life at the University of Florida. With over 10 years of experience in Student Affairs, James is passionate about creating inclusive and supportive campus communities that empower students to thrive. Currently serving in the AVP role for Student Life at uf, James oversees the Student Engagement Team made up of the Offices of Campus Engagement, Community and Belonging, Sorority and Fraternity Life, and Student Legal Services. He's a proud double gator, having earned both a Ph.D. in higher education administration and a J.D. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:01:37]: from the University of Florida Levin College of Law. He also holds a Master of Education from Vanderbilt University and a Bachelor of Science in Human Resources Management from Virginia Tech. In addition to his role at uf, James is currently the Director for the Public Policy Division here at naspa, as well as serving on the Virginia Tech Student Affairs Advisory Council. Welcome to the podcast, James. Dr. James Tyger [00:01:58]: How are we doing? Dr. Jill Creighton [00:01:58]: And hello Diana. Glad to have you. Diana Ali [00:02:00]: Hey everyone. Happy to be here. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:02:02]: This is our Public Policy episode as we're talking about the value of student affairs. We thought it was really important to continue to include that policy perspective in the student affairs conversation because there's so many shifts happening right now. We've done a specialty episode earlier this season on the OB3 impacts on federal financial aid for undergraduate and graduate students, but today I'm excited to bring you our current Chair of the NASPA Public Policy Division as well as our Director of Policy Advocacy and Research so that we can have a more broad based discussion about what's going on in the policy world affecting U.S. american higher education, and possibly by extension, other higher education industries across the world. So before we get into all of that though, we love to ask the question, how did you get to your current seat? Dr. James Tyger [00:02:51]: Great question. Thanks for asking. I actually had an opportunity to get involved with NASPA Region 3. And so for over four years, I served as the Region 3 representative on the Public Policy Division and Region 3, of course, across the Southeast. So a lot of areas to reflect on in the public policy space. So really enjoyed that opportunity and to get to know folks and then eventually had the ability to move up and be the chair for the Public Policy Division for all of naspa. Diana Ali [00:03:17]: Yeah, and I got a role at Naspa going on 10 years ago now when I was coming right out of grad school and I really wanted to get involved in the world of higher education. I hadn't worked in that landscape before. My background was more in community based work. But it was really interesting to me because the world of student affairs, I think combines issues related to social work, which is a background that I have, and also issues related to student success and wellbeing, which are both important to me. So ever since I've kind of like grown within the organization. NASPA is a really great organization for being able to like, pursue your interests and do what you like. And so my portfolio has really grown since I started. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:04:02]: Both of you have been involved with the Public Policy Division for many, many years now. That's how we all connected in the first place. And I'd love for you all to be able to share with our NASPA listeners, what is the difference between a division and a knowledge community? And what is the PPD all about? Diana Ali [00:04:18]: So the difference between our divisions and our knowledge communities. And this has changed over the years, but one of the key differences is that our division chairs, that's James, has a seat on our NASPA board. So James has a say at our spring and winter board meetings. And that's a really important role. The caseies are obviously really important as well, but since we have so many of them, these are knowledge communities. So like subject matter experts in a certain area have much broader lens of what's going on within the association. And so there aren't a ton of differences between these groups. But I would say that representation on the board is a big one. Diana Ali [00:05:07]: Though the Casey's do have representation on the board as well, just not every Casey director is represented. Dr. James Tyger [00:05:14]: Yeah, and I think what I would Add to that, I think if we I had the opportunity to be the student government knowledge community co chair a few years back, and I think each of the knowledge communities have such a great opportunity to help build community. But when I think about the role of a division, it's more broad across the association, as opposed to many of our knowledge communities provide again, very specific communities, goals and different things that we're advocating for within the association. And so I think for the Public Policy Division more broadly, it's thinking through the entire state of our public policy arena. And so when we talk about what the PPD does, you know, we have representatives from each of the regions. We have, you know, folks that are both at large and also focused on, you know, let's say faculty or our small colleges as well, and thinking through the different impacts of policy across each of those areas. And so at some of the things that we're doing that I will share, you know, we're hoping to see folks at the annual conference. We'll have some different programmatic pieces, whether it be our town hall, our sponsors, sessions, opportunities just to get involved and hear more about what's going on across again, the state of higher education within the US and international. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:06:15]: So policy precon coming up, too. Dr. James Tyger [00:06:17]: Yes. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:06:17]: All right, so let's dig into it. When we think about the Public Policy Division, what are we focusing on ri