October is National Higher Education Month
Celebrate National Higher Education Month with These Special Events
Borders Cannot Contain Ideas: Defending Academic Freedom Worldwide
Borders Cannot Contain Ideas: Defending Academic Freedom Worldwide Academic freedom is under attack --- and not just in the U.S. Join us Tuesday, October 21, at 6pm ET for a webinar with NEA experts and international union leaders. Together they’ll share how faculty abroad have defended free inquiry and speech, and what lessons we can draw for safeguarding higher education in the United States now and in the future.
Register Now
Beyond the Lab and Lecture Hall: Graduate Assistants Building Union Power
This session on Wednesday, October 22, at 6pm ET will be led by grad workers, who will highlight strategies to build solidarity across campus unions and expand the power of the labor movement in higher education
Register Now
Dual Enrollment Unconference
Join us Tuesday, October 28, at 6pm ET for a robust conversation regarding the current trends and issues when it comes to dual enrollment.
Register Now
We program webinars about higher education all year long — check out the schedule.
NEA Higher Education Updates
Higher Education Salary Analysis
The Union Boom in Higher Education!
Mental Health in Higher Education
We're proud to be NEA Higher Ed...
Downloadable Posters
In Memory of Valerie Wilk, 1950–2024:
A Champion for Higher Education Workers
As we celebrate National Higher Education Month, we pause to remember our esteemed colleague, Valerie Wilk, who dedicated over two decades of her life to the advancement of higher education at NEA. Val's commitment to justice, fairness, and the rights of workers was at the core of everything she did.
Val had a favorite poem that reflected her approach to life and work. It spoke of those who throw themselves into the tasks at hand, “who do what has to be done, again and again,” and find satisfaction in work that is real and necessary. Her life and legacy mirror these lines—Val embodied a relentless drive to make a difference, whether advocating for farmworkers' rights or uplifting higher education professionals.
From her work in the Peace Corps to her role as a tireless advocate in the labor movement, she touched many lives and left an indelible mark on all who had the privilege of knowing and working alongside her.
Val passed away on August 31, 2024, just one day before her planned retirement. Her unwavering dedication to higher education will continue to inspire us as we move forward, remembering her not just for her achievements, but for her passion, heart, and commitment to real, meaningful work.
