The National Association of System Heads (NASH) is the association of the chief executives of the 52 colleges and university systems of public higher education in the United States and Puerto Rico. Formed in 1979 for the purpose of seeking improvement in the organization and governance of public higher education systems, NASH serves as a forum for the exchange of views and information among its members and with other higher education organizations, with special attention to the perspectives, problems, and opportunities of heads of systems as a unique category of higher education executives.

NASH has defined a public higher education system as a group of two or more colleges or universities, each having substantial autonomy and headed by a chief executive or operating officer, all under a single governing board which is served by a system chief executive officer who is not also the chief executive officer of any of the system’s institutions. Such a system is to be distinguished from a “flagship” campus with branch campuses, and also from a group of campuses or systems, each with its own governing board, that is coordinated by some state body.

Additional information on the NASH organization is available from any member of the Executive Committee.