2025 Higher Ed Law Conference Adds Major Keynotes
Despite their pivotal role in American life, culture, and economic health, colleges and universities face increasing and shifting regulatory mandates, political scrutiny, and legal challenges. The field can expect significant changes in light of the incoming federal administration. With a new roster featuring some of higher-ed’s most prominent thought leaders, Stetson’s annual National Conference on Law and Higher Education will help industry professionals face those challenges.
Taking place March 5-9, 2025 at the stunning Wyndham Grand Clearwater Beach, the conference fosters compelling conversations known to influence law and policy in the higher ed space.
The keynote speakers are:
- American Council on Education (ACE) Senior Vice President of Government Relations and National Engagement Jonathan Fansmith
- Jim Moore, senior advisor for Clery Act compliance and campus safety operations with the U.S. Department of Education
- and Law Professor Patricia E. Salkin, who is senior V.P. of academic affairs and provost of graduate and professional divisions at Touro University Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center
A premier event
Throughout the year, staff and leadership of Stetson’s Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law and Policy work tirelessly to identify emerging topics for discussion and secure influential figures in the higher education industry who can offer insights and updates throughout the conference, which is now in its 46th year. Popular sessions include the Crystal Ball session, during which panelists make informed (and often humorous) predictions about higher ed in the coming year.
“Stetson’s leadership in analyzing developments in higher education law and policy has never been more critical than in this moment of transformation at the federal policy level,” said Professor Peter Lake, who directs the Center and chairs the conference.
The event’s 2025 theme is “The 2025 Compliance Reset: Navigating the New Landscape of Federal and State Regulatory Mandates.” It will explore the potentially profound federal law and policy changes – particularly the Supreme Court’s Chevron and Corner Post cases – that will alter higher education compliance requirements.
Lake, a leading higher ed law expert, wrote a piece, “Management by Judiciary,” for Inside Higher Ed following the U.S. Supreme Court’s Chevron decision that garnered the attention of college presidents, boards and administrators across the country.
“Do not be lured into thinking that this is the end of dynamic, challenging, at times inconsistent compliance mandates for higher education. Instead, higher education’s lived regulatory experiences likely will only become more complex and legalistic,” Lake wrote in the article.
Other topics to be explored include artificial intelligence’s impacts on higher education, academic freedom, athletics, and crisis management.
About the keynote speakers
Lake and his team are thrilled to host the high-caliber speakers who will headline the event. They represent a broad range of perspectives from within the federal government, university administration, and beyond.
Jonathan Fansmith, Senior Vice President, Government Relations and National Engagement, American Council on Education (ACE)
Leading ACE’s efforts to engage federal policymakers on issues affecting colleges and universities, Fansmith coordinates the government relations response of approximately 60 higher education associations in Washington, DC. His work involves representation before Congress, administrative agencies, and the federal courts. Fansmith’s writing has appeared in publications ranging from The Washington Post to The Journal of College and University Law, and he is a frequent speaker for association, academic, and corporate audiences.
Jim Moore, Senior Advisor for Clery Act Compliance and Campus Safety Operations, U.S. Department of Education
Serving as the federal government’s top expert on the Clery Act, the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act, and other campus safety and crime prevention initiatives, Moore has led numerous high-profile investigations, including the Department’s examinations of the Jerry Sandusky and Larry Nassar scandals at Penn State and Michigan State, respectively. He has helped institutions develop sexual assault prevention programs and leads the Department of Education’s Clery Act training, technical assistance, and outreach initiatives. From 2014 to 2017, he served on the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault and joined the ED-DOJ-HHS Task Force on Sexual Violence in Education and the Violence Against Women Act Interagency Working Group in 2022.
Patricia E. Salkin, Senior VP of Academic Affairs, Provost, Graduate and Professional Divisions and Professor of Law, Touro University Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center
Dr. Salkin currently serves as Provost, Graduate and Professional Divisions and Professor of Law at Touro University Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center. She is co-chair of the NYS Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Legal Education and Admission to the Bar and she was a member of the City Bar’s Task Force on New Lawyers in a Changing Profession. She is a past chair of the American Association of Law School’s State & Local Government Law Section, and is the author of hundreds of articles, columns and books including MAY IT PLEASE THE CAMPUS: LAWYERS LEADING HIGHER EDUCATION (Touro University Press, 2022).
To learn more about the conference, see the speaker list and register for the event, visit the main conference page.
Post date: Nov. 12, 2024
Media contact: Kate Bradshaw
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