Northeastern spent $1,080,000 lobbying the federal government in 2024, ranking first among private colleges and sixth overall. Only the institution of California, California State University, University of Texas, and University of Colorado State University systems outspent the institution, which reported $270,000 in expenditures per quarter, according to public lobbying filings submitted under the Lobbying Disclosure Act.
The university’s expenditures more than quadrupled from $110,000 to $270,000 during the second and third quarters. The institution did not specify any significant changes in the policy subjects it campaigned on in its filings despite the notable increase.
“Including financial aid schemes, work placements, cooperative education, international students, and lifelong learning,” Northeastern stated in its quarterly filings, along with lobbying action involving funding for higher education programs and policy problems. Additionally, the institution provided funding to assist government research projects at the Department of Homeland Security, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Science Foundation, or NSF. The businesses mentioned lobbying for Northeastern on several pieces of legislation, including the National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act, the NSF AI Education Act, and Department of Defense expenditures.
Universities have been wondering how to adjust to a shifting admissions environment since the Supreme Court invalidated affirmative action in June 2023. Joseph E., President, Northeast. In a joint statement following the decision, Aoun was one of more than 130 leaders of Massachusetts’s higher education institutions, advocacy groups. The percentage of Black students in Northeastern’s first-year class fell by 35% from the year before in the first admissions cycle following the Supreme Court’s decision.
The fast growth of generative AI programs last year has attracted increased attention to the future of AI in higher education. Longtime AI supporter Aoun wrote an essay in July 2024 suggesting that universities should keep integrating AI research and teaching into their curricula.
Universities prepared for disruptions in the higher education sector following President Donald Trump’s reelection. By the end of 2024, colleges took proactive measures to protect international students and curtail contentious behaviors like as political declarations and diversity, equality, and inclusion initiatives.
