ABSTRACT
This chapter details the work of the National Forum both to anticipate changes in state and federal policies on the issue and to advocate for inclusive practices on the part of postsecondary institutions. It examines the strategic activity of the National Forum’s immigration initiative, which has operated under a change strategy that acknowledges the domains of federal and state policy, institutional practice, and public will in improving access to higher education for undocumented students. The National Forum has developed a collective vision of a country in which all capable individuals have access to postsecondary education in order to create a nation where more of our future citizens are prepared to contribute to our social, civic, and economic prosperity. Until 2009, the National Forum had based its immigration initiative on the traditionally held assumption that professional associations could influence institutional behavior at the local level through the interpretation of federal access policies for undocumented students.
