A New Year’s Message from President Jason Lane

As we start the new year, I am deeply honored to assume the role of President of the newly rebranded NASH: The National Association of Higher Education Systems.

NASH has a storied history rooted in unwavering dedication to collaboration in higher education. At the core of our mission lies the concept of systemness – the theory that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. This guiding principle is core to our efforts to transform the landscape of higher education. It will elevate the impact of your systems and institutions on the hundreds of communities and more than 5 million students we collectively serve.

Our vision for NASH is to create a network of sustainable, equitable, and innovative systems capable of addressing the diverse needs of our students and states. Through systemness, we can drive meaningful change and advance prosperity for the nation.

As leaders of higher education systems, you understand the importance of collaboration in driving progress. By embracing systemness, we can seed new ideas, test what works best, and scale those best practices to pioneer innovative efforts in ensuring equitable student success.

Undoubtedly, we face formidable challenges in the current environment. However, I am confident that, together, we can confront these challenges head-on and with resilience, creating a thriving higher education sector.

As President, I want to reaffirm NASH’s commitment to not just advocacy and leadership, but action. We have plans to reinvent our role-alike groups as new and empowered Councils, to establish a Leadership Academy that fills the unique gap in training for system leaders, and to expand implementation of our Equity Action Framework.

This coming year for NASH will also be one focused on listening. We’ll be reaching out to hear from you about the challenges and opportunities confronting your systems to make sure that our efforts are responding to your needs and supporting your work. In addition, our team will keep our eyes and ears open to help uplift and amplify the many successful ways your institutions demonstrate the Power of Systems each and every day.

We are also doubling down on our focused approach to using data. Metrics are no longer simply an important tool to measure progress toward our goals. The team at NASH is fully ingrained in work that will harness national data to better understand the challenges students face and streamline how we can quickly respond to shifting changes and demands.

I express my heartfelt gratitude to you for your ongoing commitment to NASH. Together, as champions of systemness, we can make a lasting and profound impact on the future of higher education – one that is equitable, sustainable, innovative, and brighter for all.

As we embark on this journey, I extend my warmest wishes for a Happy New Year filled with hope and optimism.

Now, let’s get to work.

Jason E. Lane

President

NASH: The National Association of Higher Education Systems