GUEST COMMENTARY

APAHE’s Commitment to Defending Higher Education

By Rowena Tomaneng
June 5, 2025

Key points: APAHE and AAPI Data are partnering to lead advocacy efforts to support AAPIs in higher education. Through research, outreach, policy engagement, and public education, APAHE, AAPI Data, and various partners will amplify AAPI voices and defend equitable access to higher education.

At this critical juncture for higher education, the AAPI community is looking toward organizations for leadership, guidance, and strategy. As one of the leading organizations for AAPIs in higher education, APAHE (Asian Pacific Americans in Higher Education) is ready and energized for the work and fight ahead. We have strategically partnered with AAPI Data, using survey and policy research to create a playbook for informed action that will guide our work in the coming months. 

As a recent AAPI Data and AP-NORC survey demonstrated, AAPIs believe strongly in the value of higher education. A large majority of AAPIs believe additional investments in education are needed, with 64% expressing a belief that the federal government spends too little on education. AAPIs are also extremely or very concerned about increases in student loan debt (63%), restrictions to free speech on college campuses (57%), and federal cuts to university research (56%).

As APAHE approaches its fourth decade, our mission to fight for equity and fair treatment in higher education remains as urgent as ever.

Given this data, it is vital that AAPIs come together to organize and defend institutions of higher education. Since our inception in 1997, APAHE has led advocacy efforts on multiple fronts, including federal programs, policy changes in testing, and hiring practices in government and academia. APAHE has also been a strong supporter of the federal AANAPISI program, engaging in critical AANAPISI program advocacy with the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders as well as university chancellors and presidents. 

Despite the perception of AAPIs as a successful minority, our representation in leadership remains disproportionately low. APAHE is dedicated to enhancing educational opportunities for Asian and Pacific American students, promoting and supporting the hiring, retention, and advancement of qualified Asian and Pacific American faculty, staff, and administrators, and creating a better understanding of issues affecting Asian and Pacific Americans in higher education. As APAHE approaches its fourth decade, our mission to fight for equity and fair treatment in higher education remains as urgent as ever.

Given our mission, our network of over 2,700 higher education practitioners, and our strategic partnerships within individual states and other national organizations, APAHE is committed to the following actions: 

  • Conducting intentional outreach via email, virtual and in-person engagement opportunities to its diverse set of constituents;
  • Raising awareness in webinars, AANAPISI regional convenings, and in-person events, including in the leadup to AANAPISI week, September 22-28, 2025;
  • Raising awareness at other education conferences and legislative and policy summits;
  • Raising awareness via interviews for a variety of media outlets, including educational podcasts; 
  • Producing social media content in collaboration with AAPI Data and other strategic partners to amplify student and institutional stories—including in compelling video formats—for use before, during, and after AANAPISI week in September 2025; 
  • Organizing engagement with elected and appointed officials at the federal and state levels, including coordination of calls, emails, and virtual and in-person visits to federal elected officials, drafting memoranda to be submitted to Congressional leaders, field hearings with institutions and stakeholders invited to present/testify, and the production of an advocacy toolkit for higher education leaders, student leaders, and education partners. 
  • Increasing partnerships with civic engagement organizations such as the Asian Pacific American Leadership Institute (APALI), NCAPA members such as APIA Vote, OCA National, SEARAC, and EPIC, and student coalitions such as the East Coast Asian American Student Union (ECAASU), and the Midwest Asian American Student Union (MAASU).

We are facing the most pressing threats to higher education that APAHE has seen since our founding. The data tells us that higher education is of vital importance to AAPIs. Now, by taking collective action and engaging critically with our audiences, we can defend higher education against various political threats and continue to preserve it for generations to come.

—

Rowena Tomaneng is the president of APAHE. A copy of the coauthored playbook, “Defending AAPI Access to Higher Education,” can be found on the AAPI Data website at https://aapidata.com/data/reports.