Former Maine State Senator Mary R. Cathcart Becomes nebhe Chair

BOSTON—Former Maine state Sen. Mary R. Cathcart of Orono, became chair of the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) on Feb. 25.

Cathcart served three terms in the Maine House of Representatives and four terms in the Maine Senate representing communities in Penobscot County before she was term-limited in 2004. She is now a senior policy fellow at the University of Maine’s Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center.

NEBHE was established in 1955 by a congressionally authorized, interstate compact designed to encourage cooperation among New England colleges and universities, which now number more than 270. NEBHE programs focus on the relationship between New England higher education and regional economic development.

NEBHE’s board is comprised of distinguished academics, business leaders and elected officials from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. Cathcart succeeds New Hampshire state Sen. Lou D’Allesandro (D-Manchester) as the board’s chair.

“I am honored to chair NEBHE as it begins its second half-century,” said Cathcart. “We must continue to expand educational opportunities for all our citizens and show the world that New England higher education is ready for the challenges of the global economy.

“Mary Cathcart is recognized nationally for her legislative and public policy leadership on behalf of higher education, children and families,” said NEBHE president and CEO Evan S. Dobelle. “NEBHE and the New England region will benefit greatly from her experience and insightful leadership.”

During her career in the Maine statehouse, Cathcart chaired the Joint Standing Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs, the Joint Select Committee on Research & Development and the Joint Standing Committee on Labor. She was also a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs.

Cathcart also chaired the Children and Youth in Need of Services Commission, the Children’s Mental Health Oversight Committee and task forces on safer schools.

Outside state government, Cathcart chaired the U.S. Commission on Child & Family Welfare from 1995 to 1996. She is a member of the Maine Compact for Higher Education, a privately funded group focused on increasing Maine’s educational attainment.

NEBHE Programs

Principal NEBHE programs and initiatives include:

The Regional Student Program (RSP) provides New England residents with major tuition breaks at out-of-state public colleges and universities within New England if they pursue majors that are not available at their home state’s public institutions. Last academic year alone, more than 8,400 New England residents participated in the program and saved nearly $44 million in tuition. The RSP also saves New England’s taxpayers millions of dollars because the states don’t have to start up and maintain expensive academic programs that are already offered by their neighbors.

NEBHE’s Excellence Through Diversity program aims to create a regional environment that supports the full participation of groups that are traditionally underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines in academia and industry—particularly African-Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans and Southeast Asians.

Connection: The Journal of the New England Board of Higher Education, published five times per year, offers expert commentary, vital data and insightful analysis of issues ranging from business-higher education collaboration to New England’s changing demography.

NEBHE’s Professional Development programs provide cutting-edge curriculum and professional development for community college faculty in collaboration with secondary teachers and college and university faculty.

NEBHE’s newest initiative, College Ready New England, will unite leaders of education, business and government from all six New England states to develop strategies to increase college preparation and completion and boost the economic competitiveness and well-being of the region and its residents.