Degree-granting authority for ...]]>

New Hampshire has emerged as a leader in international education. Recognizing the value in offering the opportunity for an American-style higher education in other parts of the world, the New Hampshire Legislature has acted favorably on legislation that my colleagues and I have sponsored to help create universities in Greece, Italy and Jordan.

Degree-granting authority for the three universities was established through New Hampshire law. They are monitored on an ongoing basis to ensure they live up to the standards set by the state. They must produce reports to the state Higher Education Commission and have site visits by a group set up by the commission.

New Hampshire institutions have been involved in international education for a long time. In the past, both Franklin Pierce and New England College offered a semester or a year abroad. In the case of New England College, a campus was established at Arundel, England, but has since closed. But this is the first time that international institutions based in foreign countries have sought degree-granting authority in New Hampshire for campuses abroad. Next, they will seek accreditations from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

The international collaborations will expand opportunities for Granite State students and faculty to go abroad and for their foreign counterparts to travel to New Hampshire.

The overseas programs will be taught by English-speaking faculty, some from the U.S. These are homegrown instructors who are trained in American-style education but remain local.

The Hellenic American University was established in 2004 by an act of the New Hampshire Legislature and is located in Athens, Greece. The university began with a small focus on business administration, but in the ensuing years has grown to offer a variety of liberal arts programs and, in 2008 launched its first doctoral program.

St. John International University is a for-profit American University located in Torino, Italy. It was founded in 2007 and incorporated in 2008 by the state of New Hampshire through legislation providing degree-granting authority. It has a strong emphasis on the environment and promoting a culture of sustainability. St. John is currently authorized to grant five different bachelor’s degrees and three different master’s degrees. The degree areas include environmental studies, art history, film study, business administration and environmental architecture.

In addition to the degree-granting authorization bestowed upon St. John by the state of New Hampshire, the university has taken it upon itself to seek regional U.S. accreditation for all its degree programs. Regional accreditation is a must for all U.S. chartered schools in the world. It is a key to their viability.

I recently traveled to Jordan to attend the grand opening of the American University of Madaba (AUM). The event was attended by the King of Jordan. AUM is authorized by New Hampshire to offer 18 degree programs in seven disciplines, including: engineering, science, health sciences, art and design, business and finance, information technology and languages and communications.

To be sure, each overseas venture offers challenges. AUM has 1,000 students, most from Jordan, most Muslim, both men and women. There is a fear of spillover from Syria’s civil war. In Greece, the housing situation is problematic and the specter of austerity and backlash are real. The St. John campus in Turino, is located in a renovated castle, however recent financial problems have gathered headlines. At this time, these problems have been taken care of and the college is in a positive position. There is no question that this part of the world is not stable. Hopefully education will produce the impetus for better relations.

All these universities embrace the concept of an American higher education and believe wholeheartedly in the opportunities that a quality education can provide. They strive to give each student the opportunity to reach their highest potential. They adhere to the belief that education can transform lives and society as a whole.

These institutions are funded through private capital and tuition. In the case of the University of Madaba, the Catholic Church, through the Vatican, has helped with capital expenditures. The other two institutions, one non-profit, the other for-profit, are funded through tuition and other sources. SJIU offers a 20% discount on tuition to residents of Italy and New Hampshire, similar to the lower in-state tuition rates you see at public institutions in America. The HAU offers a work-study program to help offset tuition costs for students.

While these countries share many of the challenges that the U.S. faces in terms of covering the cost of tuition and expanding access to higher education, they also have added political and economic problems that exacerbate the challenge. Jordan, for example, has the stress of volatilities in its neighboring nations and throughout the Middle East region, and Greece’s financial troubles as a nation have been widely reported. These institutions have been established to emulate the American style education that is desired throughout the world.

Lou D'Allesandro is a New Hampshire state senator and former chair of NEBHE.

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Today’s global economy requires a highly skilled labor force that is prepared to compete on the world stage. Studies from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Brookings Institution and the Conference Board have all identified building ...]]>

While other states are experiencing difficult budget decisions, only New Hampshire has completely de-funded student aid

Today’s global economy requires a highly skilled labor force that is prepared to compete on the world stage. Studies from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Brookings Institution and the Conference Board have all identified building and maintaining a highly skilled workforce as a national and local imperative. If we are truly concerned about our economic future, then ensuring access to higher education opportunities for all our citizens should be the No. 1 priority for state policymakers.

With the demographic changes rapidly taking place in New Hampshire, the future of our state’s economy is integrally tied to the future education of our residents. New Hampshire has long enjoyed the benefits of a highly educated populace, ranking third highest in residents holding associate degrees and ninth in those holding bachelor's degrees. However, when you look a little deeper, you quickly discover that the Granite State ranks near the bottom (46^th) in native population holding bachelor’s degrees. This indicates that many of our high school graduates who leave the state for postsecondary education never return. Additionally, the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire reports we are at a 50-year low in the in-migration of residents to our state. If this trend continues. New Hampshire may well lose its economic edge.

Postsecondary education can produce millions in lifetime earnings

In 2011, the U.S. Census Bureau produced an analysis of estimated earnings over the course of an individual’s working life. The analysis revealed two important factors across all demographic categories: “higher earnings are both the result of higher likelihoods of full-time employment and the higher levels of education required for that employment.” This study demonstrates “a clear and well-defined relationship between education and earnings and that this relationship perseveres, even after considering a collection of other personal and geographic characteristics.”

New Hampshire state data bear this out. According to an outlook report prepared by the New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies for the New England Economic Partnership, “persons with lower levels of educational attainment claim a larger share of the unemployed (relative to their representative size in the overall population). [Conversely] … the higher the level of education attainment, the lower the unemployment rate for that group.”

Thus, it’s no wonder New Hampshire’s unemployment rates are lower than the national average, with so many of our residents holding postsecondary degrees.

New Hampshire will face skills gap

According to studies by the widely respected Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, 64% of jobs in New Hampshire will require some postsecondary education by 2018. Numerically, these 486,000 jobs will span management and professional, education, STEM and healthcare fields. The key question is will we have the educated residents to fill these positions?

I regularly hear from business leaders already concerned about the skills gap of the current workforce. In an August 2012 article from the Laconia Daily Sun, Gary Groleau, corporate manager of labor relations and corporate development at New Hampshire Ball Bearing Inc., was quoted concerning the lack of capacity to train people for new work. "Without the infrastructure to educate and train people for these jobs," Groleau said, "the competitive advantage of the region and its manufacturers erodes very quickly. And this problem is not going to solve itself."

Another concern is both our rapidly aging population and the declining enrollment numbers in our state’s K-12 schools. In 2025 it is projected that New Hampshire will have a skills gap of 50,841 degrees. To bridge the current and looming workforce gap, New Hampshire must work to achieve higher levels of resident degree completion.

Direct student financial aid matters

General fund support for higher education is a wise and necessary investment. State support toward higher education is critical to our state’s economic and cultural future. Unfortunately, many New Hampshire students are being disadvantaged by the unprecedented lack of direct state financial support for their education. The situation for students will likely worsen, as federal Pell Grant funding for FY2014 will face a $5.7 billion shortfall. Low student aid leads directly to high debt, with New Hampshire students now ranking first in the nation for student loan debt at over $32,000 on average.

Most experts agree that need-based grant aid is most effective in ensuring that students can access higher education. Given the importance of higher education to our economic security, it is useful to explore how New Hampshire’s support of students in their postsecondary education compares with other New England states.

In 2011, the Legislature eliminated all student aid from the New Hampshire state budget. While other states are experiencing difficult budget decisions, no other state has completely de-funded student aid.

I believe it imperative that New Hampshire restore General Fund grant aid to the state budget for our neediest students.

A Brookings Institution study, “Beyond Need and Merit: Strengthening State Grant Programs,” reminded legislators that state grant programs are one of the core policy levers available that have a demonstrated ability to “affect students” access to and success in college. These programs should be designed to use taxpayer dollars as effectively as possible to increase the educational opportunities and attainment level of state residents.

It’s time for New Hampshire to get back into the financial aid business. I urge business leaders and all citizens to encourage policymakers to re-dedicate state resources to higher education scholarships.

Lou D'Allesandro is a New Hampshire state senator and former chair of NEBHE.

Clarification: An earlier version of this piece contained a table that inappropriately juxtaposed data from state agencies and the National Association on State Student Grant & Aid Programs.

In 2011, the members of the New Hampshire IHE Network set aside the usual competitive inclinations in order to share best ...]]>

The New Hampshire Department of Education joined a collaboration of 15 higher education institutions to prepare teachers and other educators, according to announcements by Commissioner of Education Virginia Barry and Higher Education Commissioner Richard A. Gustafson.

In 2011, the members of the New Hampshire IHE Network set aside the usual competitive inclinations in order to share best practices and data collection techniques and calibrate evaluation measures of student teachers and interns.

On Nov. 21, the state Education Department formally joined with the campuses to work with the Legislature and professional education groups on building a modern workforce of educators, leaders and scholars committed to excellence.

The initiative is one of the many that emerged from the P–16 Working Group established by former Gov. John Lynch in 2006.

Don Vickers said he also will retire as president and CEO ...]]>

Among recent comings and goings, Father Jonathan DeFelice, O.S.B., president of Saint Anselm College, announced he will retire in June 2013, after leading the college since 1989. Bunker Hill Community College President Mary L. Fifield also announced she will retire in June, after 16 years.

Don Vickers said he also will retire as president and CEO of the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC) in June, after 41 years with the state student aid group.

Richard Pattenaude, chancellor of the University of Maine System from 2007 to 2012 and before that, president of the University of Southern Maine, was named president of Ashford University, an Iowa-based for-profit holding of Bridgepoint Education. Pattenaude recently wrote for NEJHE about the system's attempts to deal with financial stresses.

University System of New Hampshire Chancellor Edward MacKay will step down from ...]]>

Yale University President Richard C. Levin announced he will step down at the end of the current academic year, after 20 years of service—a longer tenure than any other president in the Ivy League or the 61-member Association of American Universities.

University System of New Hampshire Chancellor Edward MacKay will step down from the post in March after 36 years with the system and three-plus as chancellor.

Sacred Heart University appointed John Chalykoff as the new dean of the John F. Welch College of Business. Chalykoff had served in various capacities at Boston University since 1999.

The University of Rhode Island appointed Naomi R. Thompson, an attorney and Northeastern University diversity administrator, to the position of associate vice president of Community, Equity and Diversity, effective Aug. 27. She will act as liaison for the president with commissions, the Bias Incident Response Team, and diversity committees throughout the university. Her office includes the Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity, Multicultural Center, Women’s Center and the LGBTQ Center.

The New England Conservatory appointed Kairyn Rainer, a pianist and manager with the Brown Rudnick law firm, to be conservatory's chief of staff, effective Aug. 27.

Wheelock College named Linda Davis to be dean of its Center for International Programs and Partnerships.

The six-state New England region's population grew by a sluggish 3.8% between 2000 and 2010—while the nation's as a whole grew by 9.7%, according to U.S. Census Bureau’s 2010 population figures released in December.

Among other highlights:

• United Van Lines, the nation’s largest household goods mover, classified four of the six New England ...]]>

Updated May 2012 ...

The six-state New England region's population grew by a sluggish 3.8% between 2000 and 2010—while the nation's as a whole grew by 9.7%, according to U.S. Census Bureau’s 2010 population figures released in December.

Among other highlights:

• United Van Lines, the nation’s largest household goods mover, classified four of the six New England states as “high outbound” (55% or more moves going out of the state) in 2011. They were: Rhode Island (56.3%), New Hampshire (56.1%), Connecticut (55.8%) and Maine (55.8%).

• It's not your grandfather's New England. Exhibit A: The first Somali families moved to Lewiston, Maine, in late Jan. 2001. Ten years later, nearly 10 percent of the city's population is Somali.

• The Massachusetts population grew by only 3.1%—and the state was the only one in New England to lose a congressional district. Massachusetts had 16 districts in the early 20th century, but will sink to nine in the next Congress.

• As the U.S. population seeks warmth, Texas will gain four seats and Florida two. New York and Ohio will each lose two. Michigan will lose one.

• The historical shift in population from New England to the South and West has gradually brought with it political power, research dollars and college enrollment.

For other trend data, visit Newslink and Trends & Indicators: Continually Updated Stats on New England’s Education and Economy.

Figure DEM 1: Resident Population of New England and the United States: 2010 and 2000 Census

Click on the chart to enlarge.

Note: U.S. data do not include Puerto Rico.
Source: New England Board of Higher Education analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.

Fig. DEM 2: Resident Population of New England and the United States: 1970-2010 Census

Fig. DEM 3: Percentage Change in New England and United States Population by Decades

Click on the chart to enlarge.

Note: U.S. data do not include Puerto Rico.
Source: New England Board of Higher Education analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.

Fig. DEM 4: Percentage Change in Population by Decades

Click on the chart to enlarge.

Note: U.S. data do not include Puerto Rico.
Source: New England Board of Higher Education analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.

Fig. DEM 5: Change in Population, 2000 to 2010, New England States and Other Regions

Click on the chart to enlarge.

Note: Middle Atlantic includes New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania. East North Central includes Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin. West North Central includes Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas. South Atlantic includes Delaware, Maryland, District of Columbia, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida. East South Central includes Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi. West South Central includes Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas. Mountain includes Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada. Pacific includes Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska, Hawaii.

Source: New England Board of Higher Education analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.

Fig. DEM 6: Population of New England by Race, 2010

Click on the chart to enlarge.

Note: The above categories reflect the U.S. Census Bureau Guidance on the Presentation and Comparison of Race and Hispanic Origin.

Source: New England Board of Higher Education analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.

Fig. DEM 7: State Projections of Population Aged 60 and Over

Click on the chart to enlarge.

Source: New England Board of Higher Education analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.

Fig. DEM 8: Racial Composition of Northern and Southern New England, 2011

Click on the chart to enlarge.

Source: New England Board of Higher Education analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.

Fig. DEM 9: Growth in the Number of Persons Obtaining Legal Permanent Resident Status in New England, 2000 to 2010

Click on the chart to enlarge.

Source: New England Board of Higher Education analysis of U.S. Department of Homeland Security data.

Back to Trends & Indicators>>

Walter attended William and Mary College and the University of New Hampshire before serving as a naval officer in the Pacific theater of World War II. After the war, he graduated from Dartmouth College. ...]]>

New Hampshire governor and longtime NEBHE delegate and chair, Walter Peterson died at age 88 on Wednesday, June 1.

Walter attended William and Mary College and the University of New Hampshire before serving as a naval officer in the Pacific theater of World War II. After the war, he graduated from Dartmouth College. In 1948, with his father and brother, he founded The Petersons Inc. Real Estate in Peterborough, N.H.

He served four terms in the New Hampshire Legislature, one as majority leader and two as speaker. He was elected governor in 1968 and served two terms. He served as president of the New Hampshire Constitutional Convention in 1974.

He was president of Franklin Pierce College (now university) for 20 years and, in retirement, he served as interim president of UNH and interim commissioner of the New Hampshire Community Technical Colleges. He also chaired the New Hampshire Postsecondary Education Commission, the New Hampshire College and University Council, the New Hampshire Charitable Fund and NEBHE and was a director of the New England Education Loan Marketing Corporation.

NEBHE President Michael K. Thomas told NEBHE friends: "It would be difficult to overstate the value and impact of Walter's leadership and his support for NEBHE over many years.  Moreover, his leadership in government, business and education have had a long and lasting impact in New Hampshire, New England and beyond."

Thomas visited Walter and his wife Dorothy a few weeks ago at their home in Peterborough. "Despite his disease and treatment, both he and Dorothy were upbeat and positive, talking of happenings in the community and church and New Hampshire politics. He talked fondly of his time as president of Franklin Pierce and his pleasure with how the institution continued to move forward. He reflected upon his philosophy of leadership, which was to endeavor to get people of different views and interests to 'work it out' and to 'get things done.' Dorothy showed me a wall filled with photos of big game hunts as a young man with his father, his time as a legislator and governor and as a college president.  She laughed at how some people joked that his official portrait as president of Franklin Pierce, with Walter attired in  academic robes, made him look like a Pope. The photos encapsulated a life of service, leadership and a pragmatic optimism."

Thomas's predecessor, former NEBHE President Jack Hoy, called Peterson "unflappable throughout his career with a great sense of humor and a very kind man." Hoy lauded Peterson for his retirement accomplishments of chairing and serving as acting president of UNH and creating "the amalgamation of tech colleges into a full-scale community college system." Hoy quipped that "every bloody Republican presidential candidate in the county would come down in abeyance to Walter's door."

I remember Walter as utterly unpretentious. When he stepped in to be interim president at UNH, I mentioned to him that my brother's paintings were being shown in the UNH gallery. His face lit up. "I go there once in a while. I like art," he said innocently. A bear of a man and avid sports fan who played semi-pro basketball himself, he took pride in his pioneering work to recruit international students to Franklin Pierce for basketball and academics.

Not surprisingly, NEBHE named its highest award the Governor Walter R. Peterson Award for Leadership. Recipients have fittingly included great New England leaders George Mitchell, Jeanne Shaheen, Patrick Leahy and the late Ted Kennedy.