February 27, 2025

Dear ASHE Members-

On February 25, 2025, ASHE joined the American Council on Education (ACE) and 67 other higher education associations urging the U.S. Department of Education to rescind the February 14, 2025 Dear Colleague Letter and then engage with the higher education community to consider obligations and responsibilities under existing laws including Title VI and federal nondiscrimination law.

As you are reviewing this letter, additional resources that provide additional context include:

• An opinion article in The Chronicle by ASHE member Liliana Garces
• Information provided by EdCounsel
• ACE's DOTEDU Live from February 19, 2025

ASHE Leadership continues to monitor actions at the federal and state levels as well as review feedback from the member survey sent out two weeks ago. In these trying times, I am grateful for our scholarly community and the collective knowledge we share to inform these threats to higher education.

Sincerely,

Eboni M. Zamani-Gallaher, PhD

she/her

ASHE 2025 President

president@ashe.ws

Professor and Renée and Richard Goldman Dean, School of Education

University of Pittsburgh