ASHE Graduate Student Policy Seminar 2025

The Graduate Student Policy Seminar, presented by the ASHE Council for Public Policy in Higher Education (CPPHE), provides graduate students with opportunities to interact with researchers and policymakers who are knowledgeable about critical public policy issues related to higher education. The seminar also offers participants an opportunity to engage other advanced graduate students with similar interests and ambitions from universities across the nation.

Who should attend:

• Doctoral and Graduate Students who are interested in or whose research focuses on the intersections of public policy and higher education

This workshop is for scholars who want to learn how to write compelling and jargon-free policy briefs. Participants move through each step of the policy brief drafting process and actively shape their idea into a first draft. The workshop includes practical information on how to distribute your policy brief for maximum impact.

During this workshop, you will:

• Learn how policy briefs are used in the policymaking process
• Understand the components of a policy brief
• Begin writing the outline of your brief through a guided exercise with feedback
• Read and evaluate a sample policy brief
• Have best practices for sharing your brief with a policymaker

Learning/Program Outcomes

The Graduate Student Policy Seminar will:

1. Engage students in critical analysis of substantive state and federal policy issues that influence American higher education (such as free college/finance, financial aid, accountability, equity and social justice, HEA reauthorization, degree attainment, governance and leadership, the CARES Act to name a few) and institutional responses to and agency in shaping those policies.
2. Expose students to career networks crucial for transition to scholarship or policy work.