By Catherine Brown, Senior Director, Policy and Advocacy
Reading time: Four minutes
I had the honor of participating in the Philadelphia College Prep Roundtable’s Fall Symposium, New Rules, Real Impact: College Access and Success in Transition. What an inspiring day of hearing from experts in the field about advances in supporting college
access and success in Philadelphia! One speaker, Jordan Harris (D-PA), Chair of the Pennsylvania House Appropriations Committee, pulled back the curtain on how to influence state legislative and budgetary decisions from his perspective as a powerful
decisionmaker in Harrisburg (PA). I found his guidance energizing, and I hope you will too. Below is a summary.
Lesson One: Don’t be intimidated by the process
“It is intentionally set up to be intimidating,” he said. “They've got these beautiful mahogany desks, and you are sitting in a small chair. It's designed for that power dynamic,” Chairman Harris shared. “But your voice matters and is, in fact, what
lawmakers most want to hear,” he continued. The foremost question on the minds of elected officials is how issues affect their area. The biggest mistake advocates make, he said, is to come into his office and talk about an issue without bringing along
any constituents. “Why should I care? The first thing about elected officials is the elected part,” he advised. Advocates should be very specific about the local impact. “If you have 100 kids in your program who live in my district, say so!” he said.
Lesson Two: Discuss the economic impact
Chairman Harris implored advocates to do their homework on the issue they want to advance, as well as on the members’ background and priorities. “Every member has different priorities. Describe the specific economic impact on members' constituents and
connect it to their personal priorities too. If the representative received [the Pell Grant], for example, mention it! They will remember you for making that connection,” he said. He often has back-to-back meetings throughout his days and advised
people to think about how to make their issue and their meeting memorable with facts about the impact of the policy on the local economy.
Lesson Three: Effective advocacy doesn't always happen in the State House
“A lot of times we don't utilize the tools at our disposal,” Chairman Harris shared. Social media can be particularly powerful, he noted, and elected officials do read their social media, including comments, particularly the comments. “They are looking
at the comments. They are looking at what people are saying,” he said. “They read Instagram, they read [X]. They want to know how their policy decisions are going to affect their neighbors,” he said, “Think about how you would want to be engaged and
what moves you,” he advised. Elected officials live in your neighborhoods, they go to your schools. “All of the connection points that you experience, they do too,” he said. If you attended the same high school or university, look for shared connections
and values.
Lesson Four: Your voice and your advocacy is needed now more than ever
Chairman Harris strongly advised advocates to reach out to their elected representatives when they are experiencing problems. “No one is reaching out” to explain why the hold on state financial aid funding is hurting students, he said. “They live all
over [the state] and need to call [their representatives]” he continued. “How about doing a TikTok about that? We have to reach them and figure out how to channel our creativity into making change,” he concluded.
Lesson Five: You must remove your emotions
Understanding that he was speaking to a room of people who are passionate about college access and success and what it can mean for students’ trajectories, Chairman Harris advised the audience to put themselves in the shoes of the lawmaker. Instead of
trying to convince or compel them with our perspective, try to think about what matters to them. “They don’t care about it the way I care about,” he said, but “I need 52 votes in the House, 26 votes in the Senate, and the Governor’s signature, and
I don’t give a damn why,” he said.
The National College Attainment Network (NCAN) has many ways you can get involved in both state and federal policy and advocacy. To join NCAN’s Rapid Response team, please contact Louisa Woodhouse at woodhouse@ncan.org.
NCAN’s 2026 Leadership Summit is scheduled for April 7-8 of next year in the nation’s capital and is a great opportunity to network, learn, and speak directly to policymakers - register to attend here.
Thanks to all the NCAN members who advocate for their students each and every day!
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