Bulldog Bites

News and Views from the University of Redlands

U of R president urges action to protect higher education

Memorial Chapel
Ralph Kuncl, president of the University of Redlands, urges members of the community to actively oppose the House and Senate tax proposals in their current form to “provide a clearly unified response to the onerous impacts of these provisions that will limit access to higher education.” His letter reads:

As you have likely seen recently in the news, there has been considerable conversation about the House and Senate tax reform proposals.  The Joint Committee on Taxation estimates the proposals as they stand will cost students and families pursuing higher education an additional $71 billion over the next 10 years.

As a member of the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities (AICCU), the University of Redlands stands alongside our partner members in opposing this bill, which would negatively impact many areas of our community, including:

  • employer tuition waiver assistance programs
  • taxation of endowments and elimination of lower-cost, tax-exempt bond financing for private universities like ours
  • student loan interest deductions
  • Lifetime Learning Opportunity Credits, which help non-traditional students/adult learners and people seeking job retraining
  • charitable deductions

letter from the Association details many of the bill’s proposed provisions in these and other areas.

Staff from the offices of both Senators Feinstein and Harris have encouraged AICCU members to weigh in with the California Congressional Delegation.  [If you] value the lasting impact of higher education, you are strongly encouraged to reach out to your Congressional representatives and express your opposition to the proposed changes in tax policy, which will negatively affect higher education institutions including the University of Redlands. For a simple way to make your voice heard, go to the following American Council on Education (ACE) web pages and click through to send a topic-specific email to your representatives related to the higher education provisions in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act: 


Additionally, both ACE and the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) provide extensive resources (talking points, background pieces, and advocacy materials on tax reform).

It is important that members of our University community, along with others throughout the country, provide a clearly unified response to the onerous impacts of these provisions that will limit access to higher education.  Thank you in advance for your willingness to advocate on behalf of the University in this important conversation.