What is CICV?
The Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia (CICV) was founded in 1971 and currently operates as Virginia Private Colleges, a nonprofit, 501(c)(6) organization representing 28 accredited nonprofit independent colleges and universities in Virginia.
What do we do?
We work collaboratively in the areas of public policy, cost containment, and professional development as well as providing support to our member institutions and their students in the following areas:
- Government relations. We serve as the voice of Virginia’s independent higher education community before state agencies and legislators and coordinate government relations activities for our members, advocating for Virginia’s Tuition Assistance Grant (VTAG) program and other programs assisting students at Virginia’s private colleges.
- Collaboration. We work with Virginia’s private colleges to leverage collaborative opportunities – ranging from consortium purchasing agreements that help campuses control costs and improve efficiency to creating a multiple-employer retirement plan to hosting Virginia Private College Week and other events.
- Research. Our staff works with Virginia’s private colleges, the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU), and other organizations to provide data analysis to advance and promote the role independent higher education plays in Virginia.
- Public Relations. We work closely with our members and the media to provide information and materials that highlight the contributions of Virginia’s private colleges.
Our organization is governed by a Board of Directors, which is comprised of presidents of member institutions.