New England Board of Higher Education » Trends & Indicators

High-Impact Practices for Cultural Competency

John O. Harney — Fri, 09 Aug 2013 10:51:48 +0000

We live in a knowledge-driven global society. The world has closely knitted economic, social and cultural relations that offer greater entrepreneurial and professional opportunities than ever before. Since meritocracy is considered the basis for success, institutions of higher education like to invest in high-impact practices and programs that raise the quality of academic experiences for students. These include honors programs and study abroad.

In recent years, realization that globalization and global knowledge have an impact on students’ current and future prospects for success, universities and colleges have expanded study-abroad programs, and greater numbers of students are taking advantage of study-abroad opportunities. In 2011-12, 273,996 of the roughly 21 million students enrolled in higher education participated in study-abroad programs, according to the Institute of International Education (IIE). That’s an increase from 62,000 in 1987-88. Still, increased number of students in study-abroad programs is a fraction of total student population in higher education—just over 1%, These statistics demonstrate that due to cost associated with such educational experiences, logistical difficulties, and higher risk element in a volatile world, the number of students who will take advantage of such programs will remain relatively small.

IIE data suggest that personal and family resources finance 63% of study-abroad trips and students’ respective colleges or universities support about 23%. This information puts the burden of study-abroad programs on a student’s capacity to pay for the program, excluding students and families who are unable to pay. Education systems have hierarchical structures in terms of prestige and social and academic value attached to them. As IIE’s “Open Doors” data for 20011-12 indicate, the universities that could financially support students’ study-abroad are predominantly private or elite schools or four-year research universities. Community colleges are less common participants in study-abroad programs. Hence, social class plays a role in study-abroad programs. In recent years, state-supported universities and colleges have seen declining revenues from state sources. Therefore, programs such as study abroad will have diminishing support from the state governments and public institutions.

Privilege for a few

Study-abroad experiences will remain a privilege of a few. A majority of students will remain within the country, or within their institutional confines for their entire academic experiences. Hence, it becomes imperative that all students acquire knowledge and skills that enrich their cultural and educational experiences and have competencies to successfully live and work in a global society. Scarcity of study-abroad opportunities should not hinder students’ future success or limit their opportunities for global experiences. The institutions of higher education should consider revising and updating curricula, extracurricular programs and institutional culture where students could encounter global cultural diversity and acquire cultural competency for a global society.

One of the important steps toward global cultural competency is that campuses integrate international knowledge and experiences as a part of the academic and non-academic experiences on campus. The U.S. offers tremendous diversity of cultures, social classes and religions. Some institutions and students take advantage of such diversity of experiences available through service and internship opportunities in communities. Universities and colleges should continue to expand and enhance learning outcomes from these opportunities and connect them with comparative and global contexts.

Conference call

One of the enduring educational experiences students could have is to attend conferences. Major national professional associations such as the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators and American Education Research Association have regional chapters’ conferences and offer institutes and workshops on various important topics to students and professionals. Conferences provide intensive immersion experience with regard to students’ field of education or profession. Fortunately, national and regional conferences are held in almost all states. University departments could develop a curriculum in their respective curricular fields for students to obtain maximum benefit from conferences and to achieve specific learning outcomes. Regional conferences or student focus conferences such as the New England Latino Student Leadership Conference, Southwestern Black Student Leadership Conference are some examples of student focused regional conferences that are relatively inexpensive or give significant discounts to students. The result would be significant: Students of diverse backgrounds will develop camaraderie, build professionalism, acquire knowledge by listening to various experts, acquire a range of skills by attending workshops, networking and finding role models to emulate. They could learn about a range of possible paths they can take in their lives, potential professions and get motivated to follow their dreams.

Another option is that universities should build strategic partnerships with one another, allowing students to visit various towns and campuses to learn about the culture of a state or city and about campus environments. For example, a student from a rural school could visit a metropolitan college or university or vice versa. This could be an exhilarating experience. The U.S. offers tremendous diversity of landscape, people, and cultures and universities could find the communities or cultures to which students are least exposed and arrange trips to those cultural environs.

Students in the 21^st century global society will live and work in a rapidly changing social, economic and political world and require global cultural competencies to be successful. They need knowledge, skills, and dispositions to be conscientious global citizens. They need a global outlook to examine issues from diverse perspectives and have the ability to access professional and entrepreneurial opportunities around the globe. Study abroad is just one of the several opportunities and strategies to achieve that goal.

Aziz Talbani is director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs at the University of South Florida.

State Budgets Slowly Recovering, Reports NEBHE as it Updates Figures on Higher Ed Finance

John O. Harney — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 18:14:06 +0000

While some economists see the national economy poised to come back, state budgets and economies aren’t yet in the clear, according to the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO) and National Governors Association (NGA) 2013 Fiscal Survey of States.

As it is, New Englanders pay just $179 per capita toward higher education, compared with $230 per capita nationally.

The NASBO and NGA survey projects some tough state budget decisions in FY 2014 and beyond. Continued high unemployment and slow expected revenue growth—combined with spending pressures in healthcare, education, and other areas put on hold during the recession—mean that there’s a lot of catching up to do.

How will this impact students and families? It’s hard to tell if the affordability crisis in higher education will be solved anytime soon. Certainly, tuition and fees in the near future may continue to rise at a rate that outpaces growth in student aid programs, meaning that over time, students and families pay more even when financial aid is taken into account.

For a snapshot of New England postsecondary tuition and fees, financial aid, and state appropriation levels, check out the recently updated Trends & Indicators Finance Figures.

Limping to the Top

John O. Harney — Fri, 21 Jun 2013 18:23:32 +0000

New England is aging ... but gracefully?

Last week, the Census Bureau reported that three New England states are the oldest in the U.S. in median age: Maine (43.5 years), Vermont (42.3 years) and New Hampshire (42 years). The other states in the region are old too: Connecticut (40.5 years); Rhode Island (39.8 years) and Massachusetts (39.3 years), compared with a national median age of 37.4 years.

New England's aging has been rapped before as a threat to regional economic growth. See our Fall 2004 Connection piece (before the journal was rebranded as NEJHE) noting that the region was "perceived as 'old and cold'—and no longer viewed as a major competitive threat by other parts of the United States."

Not everyone is sold on the self-pitying brand of competitiveness. Former Providence Journal editorial page editor Bob Whitcomb commented on our item on aging: "Some might see the aged population of the three northern New England states as an unvarnished drawback. However, the states are notable for their very low crime rates, beautiful natural environments, good healthcare indices and indeed high overall quality of life. I see many advantages to such regions in the fact that the median age is rising there and population growth is slowing to a crawl."

Asked Whitcomb: "Must everything be measured in terms of faster economic growth? And are there really too few people in the world?"

To judge from the congested highways around Boston, the answer is "no."

Still, the prevailing concern is that New England will suffer for lack of educated young workers.

Now, however, comes some vindication for Whitcomb's view that faster growth isn't everything.

This week, the Social Science Research Council published its 2013-14 report, Measure of America, showing that Connecticut and Massachusetts rank first and second nationally in the index measuring not only economic benchmarks but also various measure of health and educational attainment. Rhode Island ranks sixth; New Hampshire, 14th; Vermont, 15th: and Maine 25th.

New England may limp to the top yet. See the interactive maps.

John O. Harney is executive editor of The New England Journal of Higher Education.

Lowell Team Wants to Spin Peels, Algae into “Surfactants”

John O. Harney — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:11:37 +0000

A team of students from the University of Massachusetts Lowell will receive up to $90,000 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop nontoxic, biodegradable "surfactants" from fruit peels and algae and potentially bring the invention to market.

Surfactants are cleaning agents used in soaps, inks and other products to help them apply more easily to surfaces. Many surfactants are non-biodegradable or degrade into toxic products. The UMass Lowell students developed a process to convert polysaccharides from fruit peels or algae into safer surfactants

The grant is one of seven awarded nationally under the EPA's People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) program.

With Population Aging, Who Will Power Economy?

John O. Harney — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 17:45:43 +0000

The oldest U.S. states in median age are: Maine (43.5 years), Vermont (42.3 years) and New Hampshire (42 years), according to newly updated data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The three remaining New England states are up there too: Connecticut (40.5 years); Rhode Island (39.8 years) and Massachusetts (39.3 years).

Nationally, the median age was 37.4 years.

More than 43 million Americans are age 65 and over—up more than 7% since 2010, compared with total population growth under 2%.

Moreover, more white people died in the U.S. last year than were born. That, on top of last year's revelation that minorities now account for the majority of babies born in the U.S., shows the nation will increasingly depend upon its young, largely minority population, to power the economy and the well-being of its aging white population, Brookings Institution demographer William Frey told The Washington Post.

New England Enrolls 61,000 Foreign Students, According to NEBHE’s Updated T&I Figures on International Enrollment

John O. Harney — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 20:35:46 +0000

NEBHE’s newly updated Trends & Indicators series features an updated section on New England's international college enrollment and study abroad.

New England colleges and universities enrolled nearly 61,000 foreign students in 2012—more than three times as many as they did in 1980, according to NEBHE's data from the New York City-based Institute of International Education.

New England campuses attract 8% of all foreign students who enrolled in the United States.

Related Posts:
Internationalization (pdf)

An International Strategy (pdf)

World Ready: A New View of the Global Student Marketplace (pdf)

NEBHE Updates T&I Figures on University Research

John O. Harney — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 22:22:38 +0000

NEBHE’s newly updated Trends & Indicators features an updated section on University Research showing that New England colleges and universities spent nearly $5 billion on research in 2011, but the region’s share of total U.S. university R&D expenditures sat at 7.7%, down significantly from more than 10% in the 1980s.

The share of money from federal sources also has declined slightly since 2006, with larger shares coming from institutions and other sources.

Trendsetting: A New Way to Keep Up With Trends & Indicators in New England’s Education and Economy

John O. Harney — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 16:16:13 +0000

Introducing NEBHE's new Trends & Indicators ...

It should go without saying that data is tricky (or is it are tricky?).

Take the issue of student aid as one example. Some states have annual budgets; some have biennial. Some states report all kinds of aid in one place; others leave it to observers to patch together the hodgepodge of merit and need-based programs from the state’s general fund and various state agencies. Different people have different definitions of “grant” and “scholarship.” And all know that this state gift aid is dwarfed by federal sources and by “loans.”

As musician David Byrne once sang, "Facts don’t do what I want them to/Facts just twist the truth around.”

For more than half a century, NEJHE has been publishing tables and charts exploring "Trends & Indicators” (T&I) in New England’s demography, high school performance and graduation, college enrollment, college graduation rates and degree production, higher education financing and university research.

In the past, we have drawn the data from a variety of sources, including the U.S. Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, the College Board, the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems and NEBHE’s own Annual Survey of New England Colleges and Universities.

It’s a pleasure to join this year with NEBHE colleague, Director of Policy & Research Monnica Chan, to expand our sources and inaugurate a more robust T&I feature.

As part of the plan, we will post short trend-related Newslink items within our T&I section. So, for example, if a new report is issued on net tuition, we’ll connect our brief coverage of the report to the T&I sidebar on our homepage—adding a bit of color to our valuable, but sometimes gray, tabular T&I data and better connecting similar topics via searches.

Ultimately, we seek to build a substantive back and forth among readers to create a vibrant living T&I whose figures, with your help, will be as accurate and useful as possible.

Click here for our latest relevant Newslink items.

For the full charts and figures for each of our T&I topic areas, please use the tabs at the top of the newly formatted T&I page.

Check back periodically as we continue to update new trend data. And many thanks,

John O. Harney is executive editor of The New England Journal of Higher Education.

Trends & Indicators: College Success

Shoshana Akins — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 12:52:33 +0000

Updated November 2012

New England’s traditional public and private nonprofit colleges and universities conferred more than 201,000 degrees at all levels in 2010—or more than 6% of the U.S. total, compared with the region's less than 5% of the U.S. population. However, those traditional public and private nonprofit colleges make up an ever-smaller portion of the U.S. total, and the U.S. represents a shrinking part of the global higher education market.

Among other highlights in NEBHE's annual update on measures of "College Success" ...

Amid national calls for increasing degree attainment, only 16% of students at New England’s traditional two-year community colleges graduate within three years of enrolling—and the rate is even lower among U.S. minority groups.
NEBHE and other experts are refocusing attention on student transfer between institutions—and not simply from two-year to four-year institutions, but also “reverse transfer” in an age of student "swirl."
Nearly 60% of all higher education degrees awarded in New England are conferred on women.

For other trend data, visit our continually updated Trends & Indicators or Newslink.

Figure CS 1: Graduation Rates by State, Race/Ethnicity and Type of Institution, 2010

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Note: The graduation rate is the percentage of students who complete an associate degree (at two-year institutions) within three years, or a bachelor's degree (at four-year institutions) within six years.

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

Figure CS 2: Graduation and Transfer Rates by State and Type of Institution, 2010

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Note: The graduation rate is the percentage of students who complete an associate degree (at two-year institutions only) within three years or a bachelor's degree (at four-year institutions) within six years. Figures are based on cohorts entering in 2002 (four-year institutions) or 2005 (two-year institutions). New England data is based on the aggregate numbers of all institutions of a given type, rather than an average of the states' graduation rates.

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

Figure CS 3: Total Degrees Awarded at New England's Colleges and Universities and New England's Share of U.S. Degrees, 2000 to 2010

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

Figure CS 4: Degrees Awarded in New England by Gender, 1972 to 2010

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

Figure CS 5: Attainment of College (Tertiary-Type A) Degrees for 25- to 34-Year-Olds in OECD and Partner Countries, 2009

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Note: Tertiary-type A programs are largely theory-based and designed to provide sufficient qualifications for entry to advanced research programs and roughly correspond to bachelor's and master's degree programs in the U.S. Advanced research programs correspond to doctorate programs.

Source: Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators 2010, Table A1.3a.

Figure CS 6: Associate Degrees Conferred on Men, Women, Minorities and Foreign Students, 2010

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

Figure CS 7: Associate Degrees Awarded at New England Colleges and Universities by Selected Fields of Study, 1971 to 2010

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Note: Disciplines not listed include: Arts and Music, Education, Social Service Professions, Communication and Librarianship, Psychology, Social Sciences, Geosciences, Law, Interdisciplinary or other Sciences, Architecture and Environmental Design, Humanites, Religion and Theology, Math and Computer Sciences and unknown disciplines. These unlisted disciplines awarded 13,869 degrees in 2010.

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

Figure CS 8: Bachelor's Degrees Conferred on Men, Women, Minorities and Foreign Students, 2010

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

Figure CS 9: Bachelor's Degrees Awarded at New England Colleges and Universities by Selected Fields of Study, 1971 to 2010

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Note: Data from 1971 to 2001 reflect 10-year intervals and data from 2003 to 2008 reflect one-year intervals. Disciplines not listed include: Communication and Librarianship, Math and Computer Sciences, Engineering, Vocational Studies and Home Economics, Science and Engineering Technologies, Social Service Professions, Physical Sciences, Architecture and Environmental Design, Geosciences, Religion and Theology, Interdisciplinary or other Science, Law and unknown disciplines. These unlisted disciplines awarded 29,977 degrees in 2010.

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

Figure CS 10: Master's Degrees Conferred on Men, Women, Minorities and Foreign Students, 2010

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

Figure CS 11: Master's Degrees Awarded at New England Colleges and Universities by Selected Fields of Study, 1971 to 2010

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Note: Data from 1971 to 2001 reflect 10-year intervals and data from 2003 to 2008 reflect one-year intervals. Disciplines not listed include: Physcial Science, Geosciences, Math and Computer Science, Psychology, Science and Engineering Technologies, Interdisciplinary or other Sciences, Religion and Theology, Arts and Music, Architecture and Environmental Design, Communication and Librarianship, Law, Social Service Professions, Vocational Studies and Home Economics and unknown disciplines. These unlisted disciplines awarded 13,460 degrees in 2010.

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

Figure CS 12: Doctorates Conferred on Men, Women, Minorities and Foreign Students, 2010

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Note: Includes all doctorate degrees, doctorate degree professional practice, doctorate degree research/scholarship and other doctorate degrees.

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

Figure CS 12a: Doctorate Research and Scholarship Degrees Conferred on Men, Women, Minorities and Foreign Students, 2010

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Note: A Ph.D. or other doctor's degree that requires advanced work beyond the master’s level, including the preparation and defense of a dissertation based on original research, or the planning and execution of an original project demonstrating substantial artistic or scholarly achievement. Some examples of this type of degree may include Ed.D., D.M.A., D.B.A., D.Sc., D.A., or D.M, and others, as designated by the awarding institution.

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

Figure CS 12b: Doctorate Professional Practice Degrees Conferred on Men, Women Minorities and Foreign Students, 2010

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Note: A doctor’s degree that is conferred upon completion of a program providing the knowledge and skills for the recognition, credential, or license required for professional practice. The degree is awarded after a period of study such that the total time to the degree, including both pre-professional and professional preparation, equals at least six full-time equivalent academic years. Some of these degrees were formerly classified as “first-professional” and may include: Chiropractic (D.C. or D.C.M.); Dentistry (D.D.S. or D.M.D.); Law (L.L.B. or J.D.); Medicine (M.D.); Optometry (O.D.); Osteopathic Medicine (D.O); Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); Podiatry (D.P.M., Pod.D., D.P.); or, Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.), and others, as designated by the awarding institution.

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

Figure CS 12c: Other Doctorates Conferred on Men, Women, Minorities and Foreign Students, 2010

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Note: A doctorate degree that does not meet the definition of a doctorate degree-research/scholarship or a doctorate degree-professional practice. An example would be doctorate degrees awarded in a single subject non-education field.

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

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Trends & Indicators: College Readiness

Shoshana Akins — Sun, 19 Aug 2012 14:00:29 +0000

Updated August 2012

The enigmatic term "college readiness" is increasingly used in education and policy environments across the country. While school-university partnerships, school-community initiatives and state and federal legislation have shown promise in preparing students for college study, a common definition of the term remains elusive, and many students are still underprepared for college-level coursework. For its College Readiness figures, NEBHE continues to use commonly cited indicators of college readiness to provide one perspective on New England students' preparation and interests in postsecondary education.

Recent data show:

• Slightly over four in 10 high school seniors have "college-ready" transcripts across the New England states; even so, New England students on average perform above the national norm on various indicators of college readiness.

• Each school day, New England high schools "lose" 192 students.

• Approximately 80% of New Englanders enroll in college the fall after they graduate from high school, and 80% of those students enroll in a New England postsecondary institution.

Figure CR 1: Indicators of College Readiness: A State-by State Comparison

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Notes: New Hampshire has no distinct state preschool programs. NAEP Achievement Levels represent the percentage of students that scored proficient on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) exams. In order to have a "College-Ready Transcript," students must have taken at least four years of English, three years of math, and two years of natural science, social science and foreign language before graduating from high school. In the class of 2011, 18% of public high school graduates participated in AP and earned at least one AP Exam score of 3 or higher. The PSAT/NMSQT College Readiness Benchmark represents the score a student should meet or exceed to be considered on track to be college ready.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau; National Institute for Early Education Research; Editorial Projects in Education Research Center; The College Board; National Center for Higher Education Management Systems; Kids Count / Annie E. Casey Foundation; National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP); The Manhattan Institute For more information on how college ready benchmarks were established a research report is available from The College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Indicators of College Readiness.

Figure CR 2: Projection of High School Graduates and Nongraduates in New England and the U.S., 2010-11

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Source: New England Board of Higher Education analysis of Editorial Project in Education (EPE) Research Center data, Diplomas Count 2011.

Figure CR 3: Percent of High School Graduates Enrolling in College Immediately, 2010

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Source: New England Board of Higher Education analysis of U.S. Department of Education data and National Center for Education Statistics data.

Figure CR 4: Migration of First-Time Freshmen to and from New England, 2010

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

Figure CR 5: Intended College Majors of College-Bound Seniors in New England, 2011

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Source: The College Board.

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