May 18, 2015
DC Shuttle ...Student Data Bills. This Congress, several lawmakers have introduced legislation to protect student data, with two such bills in May. The first bill came from the Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), who had previously introduced the legislation last Congress. It would prevent education companies from selling or using student data to target ads and...
May 18, 2015
Philip G. Altbach Comings and Goings ... Hans de Wit was named director of the Center for International Higher Education at Boston College, succeeding Philip G. Altbach, who authored NEJHE pieces including Education Mecca Will New England Continue to Attract the World's Students? Michelle R. Weise left her position as senior research fellow at the Clayton Christensen Institute to become...
May 18, 2015
This is an unprecedented era of human history, in which simultaneous transformations of every technically advanced field are being driven by the powerful technological revolution in information and communications. Technically, these transformative changes are “paradigm shifts”—a distinct kind of historical change in which the governing model of a mature field is superseded by a radically new...
May 13, 2015
Through its partnership with RadioHigherEd.com, NEJHE is pleased to provide a conversation with the American Enterprise Institute's Andrew Kelly on the "Completion, Costs and Value of a College Education." Radio Higher Ed's entire podcast collection can be accessed by visiting www.radiohighered.com or by subscribing through iTunes at www.iTunes.com. It is also available in the University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository, where it can be...
May 11, 2015
DC Shuttle ... HEA Reauthorization. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing on reauthorizing the Higher Education Act (HEA). The hearing was titled "HEA Reauthorization: The Role of Consumer Information in College Choice." During the hearing, committee members asked the witnesses how, or if, the federal government can improve data systems to better inform students...
May 11, 2015
College affordability is an increasingly important public policy issue. With decision-making power over funding to institutions, funding to students and the pricing of institutions, states play a tremendous role in determining what students pay for college. In New England, these decisions are spread across institutional boards, system offices, state agencies and state legislatures. The processes f...
May 8, 2015
CassidyU.S. Navy Captain and NASA astronaut Christopher Cassidy will keynote Husson University's 116th commencement on Sunday, May 10 at 2 p.m. at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, Maine.Salem State University will hold commencement activities Thursday, May 14 and Saturday, May 16. News anchor and consumer activist Susan Wornick will address graduate school students on Thursday, May 14 at 4 p.m....
May 5, 2015
Comings and Goings ... [table id=16 /] The University of Massachusetts board of trustees named UMass Lowell Chancellor and former U.S. Congressman Martin T. Meehan to be the next president of the five-campus state university system. Jackie Jenkins-Scott announced she will conclude her presidency of Wheelock College in June 2016, a position she has held since 2004. Association of American...
May 5, 2015
Notes from the Classroom ... This is the most common question I hear at conferences. Inevitably, upon the conclusion of my presentation, which focuses on working with college students who may experience barriers to learning—who are “at risk” in some way—somebody raises his or her hand and asks with a sense of frustration, “Yes, but, how do I get them to do the home...
May 4, 2015
DC Shuttle ...Student Data Privacy Bill. Two bipartisan pairs of legislators are working on bills to protect student data after President Barack Obama called for a stronger plan in January. Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO) and Rep. Luke Messer (R-IN) released a bill last week, called the Student Digital Privacy and Parental Rights Act of 2015, according to the New York...
May 3, 2015
State Capital Notes ... If current education patterns continue, Connecticut will produce 23,000 fewer graduates due to a projected decline in high school graduates over the next decade and beyond, according to a Strategic Master Plan for Higher Education released by the Planning Commission for Higher Education in the state. The plan examines the impact of demographic, workforce and education...
April 29, 2015
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Anyone who thinks higher education's vitality can be reduced to numbers of degrees granted and college rankings, needs to see the diversity and depth of New England's commencement speakers. Not just the fuss of pomp and circumstance but perhaps the finest lecture series the world has to offer. To wit, here are the most recently announced 2015...
April 27, 2015
DC Shuttle ... College Affordability Plan Introduced in U.S. Senate. Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) introduced her College Affordability Plan, which comprises of four bills affecting Pell Grants. The first would restore the year-round Pell Grant, allowing students to use Pell funding for three academic semesters per year instead of the current two. Senators Ed Markey (D-MA) and Jack Reed (D-RI)...
April 20, 2015
New Edition of Advanced Manufacturing PBL Newsletter ... NEBHE published the fifth edition of Advanced Manufacturing Problem Based Learning (AM PBL) News. NEBHE in September 2012 was awarded a three-year $900,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for a New England-wide project titled Problem Based Learning (PBL) in Advanced Manufacturing: Transforming 21st Century Technician Education. Funding is provided through the...
April 20, 2015
DC Shuttle ... ESEA Reauthorization Passes Senate Committee. Legislation to replace No Child Left Behind (NCLB) passed unanimously out of committee with a vote of 22-0. About a week before the committee considered it, Chair Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee had released their long-anticipated bipartisan rewrite...
April 15, 2015
Comings and Goings ... The University of Miami appointed Dr. Julio Frenk, current dean of faculty at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Mexico's former minister of health, to be its next president, succeeding Donna E. Shalala, who led the university since 2001 and before that, was the longest-serving U.S. secretary of health and human services. The...
April 14, 2015
The New England Journal of Higher Education (NEJHE) announces a new partnership with RadioHigherEd.com to provide readers with access to higher education policy podcasts designed to inform and challenge listeners to consider higher education policy issues and their implications. The podcasts feature interviews by cofounder and former New Hampshire State Higher Education Executive Officer Kathryn Dodge, and colleagues Denver-based higher education policy...
April 13, 2015
Times are tough for institutions that do not have access to substantial endowment funds or benefit from a top ranking position. Whether with a rural or metropolitan setting, a large number of colleges are discovering that there is a limit to raising tuition prices. Prospective students no longer automatically queue up. And once the “at risk” notice is up, the perceived deficiency becom...
April 8, 2015
Do more with less is a rarely questioned mantra in an age of austerity. But higher education consortia can turn that declaration on its head, allowing each partner higher education institution (HEI) to do more with more. Consortia can offer ways to save money without killing jobs and valuable programs. The Higher Education Consortium of Central Massachusetts began getting Worcester colleges to ...
April 7, 2015
Neil deGrasse Tyson Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York City, will keynote the undergraduate commencement of the University of Massachusetts Amherst on Friday, May 8 at 4:30 p.m. at McGuirk Alumni Stadium. Public health advocate Karen A. Daley, who was president of the American Nurses Association, will address Rivier University's commencement at the Tsongas...
April 7, 2015
More Journal Archives Now Available! We have enriched our website with the history of New England higher education and the economy. For the complete archive of back issues of The New England Journal of Higher Education in PDF format, please visit our Journal Archives on the pull-down menu under The Journal at the top of our homepage. NEBHE's quarterly journal...
March 30, 2015
Editor's Note: A previous version of this Newslink incorrectly reported New Hampshire as ranking first in the U.S. for completion rates of students who began at four-year public institutions. It actually ranks second. This Newslink has been updated to reflect that. New Hampshire is among the top states in the U.S. in completion rates of students who began studies at four-year...
March 26, 2015
Comings and Goings ... Vermont lawyer Michael Wool became chair of the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE), succeeding former Maine state Sen. Emily Cain, who stepped down as NEBHE chair to run for a seat in the U.S. Congress. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker appointed Chris Gabrieli and Sheila Harrity to the Board of Higher Education, and designated Gabrieli...
March 24, 2015
Joyce Banda, former president of Malawi Naturalist and free-speech advocate Terry Tempest Williams will address the Unity College graduation on Saturday, May 9 at 1 p.m. in the Unity gym. Joyce Banda, president of the Republic of Malawi from 2012 to 2014, will deliver the Wheelock College undergraduate commencement address on Friday, May 15 at 10 a.m. Temple Israel. MSNBC...
March 23, 2015
DC Shuttle ... Higher Education Act Reauthorization. The House Education and Workforce Committee's Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training held a hearing entitled, "Strengthening America's Higher Education System." Lawmakers held the hearing to gain more input from education experts as they move closer to a reauthorization attempt for the Higher Education Act (HEA). The Republicans on the committee have...
March 23, 2015
Forget disruption. This is the age of chaos in higher education. First MOOCs. Now Sweet Briar. Seemingly every day brings a new moment where we must confront the reality that we no longer know how to control nor predict what higher education will become. And with this lack of control comes a flailing for next steps, any steps, in an attempt to secure our future. We suggest that there is a way t...
March 17, 2015
Comings and Goings ... The University of Maine System announced that Harvey Kesselman will become the new president of the University of Southern Maine. Kesselman is currently provost and executive vice president of Stockton University in Pomona, N.J. The University of Saint Joseph Board of Trustees appointed Rhona Free, to be its next president, effective July 1. Free has had an...
March 17, 2015
Across the U.S., an estimated 60% of incoming community college students require developmental courses to be ready for college-level work, according to estimates by experts. As these courses act as a gateway to further studies, those who fail are most often lost to higher education: Less than a quarter will earn a degree or certificate within eight years. Connecticut’s Middlesex Community Colleg...
March 16, 2015
DC Shuttle ... President Obama Announces Student Aid Bill of Rights. President Barack Obama announced the "Student Aid Bill of Rights," a series of proposals which the administration says will help simplify and improve the college loan system. In a speech at the Georgia Institute of Technology, the president remarked that higher education is not only a good investment for...
March 10, 2015
We’ve heard the term “innovation” a lot lately. Boston’s Innovation District is booming. Life sciences and biotechnology companies throughout New England are creating innovative approaches to solve some of medicine’s most challenging problems. Companies across New England have “Chief Innovation Officers.” The universities and colleges around New England are innovating daily. The t...
March 9, 2015
DC Shuttle ... Ed Department Budget Weighed. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan testified on the Department of Education's fiscal year 2016 budget request at a hearing before the House Appropriations Committee's Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee. The administration has requested $70.7 billion in discretionary appropriations this fiscal year, up 5.4% from the previous year. Duncan broke down...
March 9, 2015
Comings and Goings ...The Vermont State Colleges Board of Trustees named Elaine Collins to be the next president of Johnson State College, succeeding President Barbara Murphy when she retires June 30. Collins is currently dean and chief operating officer of the College of Education at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Mich., and served as interim vice president of academic...
March 3, 2015
Comings and Goings ... The University System of New Hampshire selected UNH Vice President for Student and Academic Services Mark Rubinstein to be the next president of Granite State College, effective March 31. ACT named Cito leader Marten Roorda to be its next CEO, succeeding Jon Whitmore, who is retiring in the fall. Cito is a nonprofit test publishing company...
March 2, 2015
DC Shuttle ... Hearings Begin on HEA Reauthorization. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held its first hearing of the 114th Congress on reauthorizing the Higher Education Act (HEA). The hearing marks the beginning of efforts by new Chair Lamar Alexander (R-TN) to reauthorize HEA. Tuesday's hearing focused on a report released last Friday by the Task...
March 2, 2015
Community colleges have traditionally responded to the financial needs of their students by removing or minimizing financial barriers to attending. Efforts to make community college tuition free fit with this philosophy. But where efforts to minimize or remove financial barriers to attending community college fall short is in empowering students to navigate the next financial crossroads they encou...
February 24, 2015
Comings and Goings ... Rhode Island School of Design's Board of Trustees appointed furniture designer and interim President Rosanne Somerson to be the college's 17th president. The board of directors of the Online Learning Consortium (OLC), formerly The Sloan Consortium, named acting chief operations officer Thomas Hargis to the post on a permanent basis, and Karen Pedersen, most recently associate...
February 23, 2015
In the space of a few weeks in February, we lost the well-regarded journalists Bob Simon, David Carr and Ned Colt, while NBC’s Brian Williams was dethroned amid scandal. In all these cases, the words “truth” and “trust” and less commonly “transparency” have taken center stage. Quality media professionals succeed because they are truthful, and there is transparency in verifying that t...
February 17, 2015
DC Shuttle ... House Begins Work on Student Data Privacy Legislation. The Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education of the House Committee on Education and Workforce held a hearing entitled "How Emerging Technology Affects Student Privacy." During the hearing, the subcommittee discussed possible revisions to the Family Educational Right and Privacy Act (FERPA). Rep. Todd Rokita, chair of...
February 17, 2015
As the lowest-priced higher education institutions serving the greatest share of students in New England, public institutions are a crucial access point for the region’s students who may not have other opportunities to enroll in college. Maintaining the cost of attending a public institution in New England is imperative for students, families, communities, states and the region. Yet, the pri...
February 16, 2015
Comings and Goings ... Gist Rhode Island Education Commissioner Deborah A. Gist was chosen to be the new school superintendent in her native Tulsa, Oklahoma. Rhode Island Gov. Gina M. Raimondo announced she would nominate Citizens Financial Group Executive Vice President Barbara Cottam to chair the state Board of Education. She also planned to nominate First Bristol Corporation CEO and...
February 16, 2015
Should university endowments divest from fossil fuels? A public discussion of this question has seen some university presidents issuing statements that they would not divest—that investments should not be used for “political action.” Many universities hold large endowments that have significant positions in fossil fuel companies or funds that hold fossil fuel assets. Universities consume fos...
February 9, 2015
DC Shuttle ... Education Priorities in President Obama's Budget. President Obama released his fiscal year 2016 budget request. Among his requests were many provisions for education. For higher education, the budget proposals include: Proposals to change some benefits in the income-based repayment program (IBR) for student loans Tuition free community college for responsible students whose families make less than $200,000...
February 9, 2015
Albright While parts of New England were digging out from several feet of snow, a few of the region's colleges were naming their spring commencement speakers—and not surprisingly, some of the early birds are national figures ...Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright will deliver the commencement address at Tufts University on May 17 at 9 a.m. on the academic...
February 2, 2015
DC Shuttle ... White House Drops Plan to Tax 529 College Savings Accounts. White House officials announced that President Obama would drop his proposal to tax 529 college savings accounts, just a week after the proposal was first made in the president's State of the Union. Revenues from the 529 taxes would have been used to offset the cost of...
February 2, 2015
In this installment of NEJHE's New Directions for Higher Education series, Philip DiSalvio, dean of the College of Advancing & Professional Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston, interviews Deborah Floyd, professor of educational leadership at Florida Atlantic University, editor in chief of the Community College Journal of Research and Practice and author of the book, The Community...
January 30, 2015
Woolridge Comings and Goings ... Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker appointed Victor Woolridge to chair the University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees. A vice president of Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers and current UMass trustee, Woolridge will succeed Henry M. Thomas III, as chair. Thomas, president of the Urban League of Springfield, will stay on the UMass board. Woolridge's first priority will be...
January 28, 2015
President Obama started off the year with a proposal to make a community college education as “universal” as high school by making the associate degree or first two years of a bachelor’s degree tuition-free. The details of how this would be funded are still emerging. Should the proposal successfully move through Congress, Massachusetts, for one, stands to gain much from it. Here’s why: ...
January 26, 2015
DC Shuttle ... Education priorities outlined in State of the Union. President Obama addressed several education initiatives in his State of the Union address, stating, "In a 21st century economy that rewards knowledge like never before, we need to up our game." He touted positive education statistics, including higher graduation rates and test scores, but emphasized that there is still...
January 24, 2015
Slaughter Comings and Goings ... Educause named Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Senior Vice Chancellor John O'Brien to be its next president and CEO, O'Brien succeeds Diana G. Oblinger, who has led the the higher education technology association since 2008. In October 2012, Oblinger addressed more than 400 New England educators gathered by NEBHE on the topic of Game Changers Revolutionizing...
January 20, 2015
DC Shuttle ... NCLB reauthorization debate heats up. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan gave remarks regarding the reauthorization of the now-expired No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. He said that the administration would not back away from annual testing as it works to reform K-12 education, according to a report in the New York Times. Annual testing was enshrined in...
January 16, 2015
Florida State University quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston was recently cleared of sexual assault charges following the university’s two-day investigative hearing. The high-profile investigation was launched under Title IX, which requires schools to investigate such allegations even in the absence of criminal charges. Winston’s attorney immediately took to his Twitter accoun...
January 15, 2015
Comings and Goings ... Fitzsimmons John Fitzsimmons, president of the Maine Community College System for almost 25 years, resigned under pressure from Gov. Paul LePage, who criticized him for being unresponsive to the governor's higher education priorities. System trustees expressed support for Fitzsimmons shortly before he stepped down. The Connecticut Board of Education named Dianna Wentzell to lead the agency...
January 14, 2015
President Obama will outline a plan during next week's State of the Union address to make the first two years of community college tuition-free. The president's proposal—if adopted by the Republican Congress—could smooth America's notorious educational inequity while acknowledging that some college education is as important economically today as high school education was nearly a century ago when that it...
January 12, 2015
DC Shuttle ... President proposes free community college. President Obama announced a plan to make two years of community college free, called America's College Promise. The first question asked by proponents and opponents alike was how funding for the proposal would be found. The administration has not said how much the program will cost or where it will find the...
January 8, 2015
In a stunning and far-reaching decision, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) opened the door to union organizing among faculty at thousands of private-sector institutions, both secular and religious. The board’s majority decision in Pacific Lutheran University (12/16/14), issued in the face of powerful dissents, will inevitably spark controversy and ongoing litigation both about the leg...
January 5, 2015
With its October 2014 daylong conference on competency-based education and Higher Education Innovation Challenge (HEIC), the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) has firmly grasped the horns of disruptive change. It is creating a space in which New England states and institutions can wrestle with the critical issues driven by abundant information. Collectively, these issues encompass ever...
December 30, 2014
We are familiar with the Greek concept of chronos, or chronological time, of which we too often lament there is not enough. Perhaps we should embrace the other Greek concept of time: kairos, or the right time, the time when something remarkable is about to happen. I believe that now is the right time for higher education to distinguish itself by becoming, from its leadership to its staff and stude...
December 23, 2014
Comings and Goings ... The University of Maryland confirmed that Robert Caret will resign as president of the University of Massachusetts system to take over as the new Maryland chancellor. Massachusetts Gov.-elect Charlie Baker named James A. Peyser, a charter school advocate and former chair of the state Board of Education, to be his secretary of education. The 17-campus University...
December 22, 2014
If higher ed is to remain relevant, faculty and students must find common ground on what it means to teach and learn at “college level.” In 2011, PayPal co-founder Peter Theil introduced the first Thiel Foundation Fellows—students who agreed to drop out of college to do scientific research, start a tech company or work in a social movement. Although this may have been seen as a ...
December 17, 2014
Comings and Goings ... Former speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives Christopher G. Donovan was hired to be a field representative with the Connecticut Education Association, the state's largest teachers union. Another legislative leader, Donald E. Williams Jr., the outgoing Democratic leader of the Connecticut Senate was recently named the association's deputy director of professional policy, practice, research and...
December 15, 2014
DC Shuttle ... Spending bill proposes few changes for education. The appropriations bill introduced in Congress will provide slight tweaks and modest increases to student aid and other programs. The restoration of the "ability to benefit" program is among the more significant higher education changes within the spending package. The program would allow students without a high school diploma or...
December 15, 2014
Comings and Goings ... James Mabry, vice president of academic affairs for Mesa Community College in Arizona, was named the next president of Middlesex Community College in Massachusetts. He will succeed Carole Cowan, who was Middlesex president from 1990 to 2014 and chaired NEBHE from 2002 to 2004. Joyce B. Hedlund was named interim president of the University of Maine...
December 15, 2014
Within the information technology sector, cybersecurity is considered its own supersector. As information becomes increasingly digitized and a growing array of transactions can be completed in the cloud, people, governments and enterprises become increasingly more vulnerable. This vulnerability is capitalized upon by hackers and other cybercriminals, as evidenced in the high-profile ...
December 10, 2014
Bridgewater State University is celebrating its 175th anniversary as one of the first teacher-preparation institutions in the U.S. Founded by Horace Mann as one of the first "normal" schools in America, the university is hosting a conference on the history of teacher preparation. The conference will be held on March 26, 2015, on the university campus in Bridgewater, Mass.. The...
December 9, 2014
The recent midterm elections brought New England two new governors. Rhode Island elected its first woman chief exec in Gina Raimondo (D). Massachusetts elected Charlie Baker (R), a former Harvard Pilgrim CEO and official in the Weld and Cellucci administrations. Otherwise, the New England corner offices cautiously welcomed back incumbents: Democrats Dannel Malloy in Connecticut, Maggie Hassan in N...
December 8, 2014
DC Shuttle ... White House hosts College Opportunity Summit. The Obama administration hosted hundreds of college leaders and other officials for a summit to promote new commitments to students. Approximately 500 participants, including college leaders, states, higher education associations, nonprofit organizations and other entities, made commitments aimed at producing more college graduates, helping prepare more low-income students for college, improving...
December 2, 2014
Much has been written in both the business and higher education press about the gap between today’s jobs and the skills presented by those seeking work. The fact that U.S. Department of Labor statistics show 9.6 million people out of work with 4.8 million jobs still unfilled (August 2014) suggests a problem. However, little agreement exists as to the source of this disparity or what needs to...
December 1, 2014
Students in Boston College's Splash program and teacher Roy Y. Chan armed with the 2015 Guide to New England Colleges and Universities. Visit www.nebhe.org/guide to order print copies of the Guide and to access digital versions The New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE), in association with Boston magazine, produced the 2015 Guide to New England Colleges and Universities. Boston magazine published the Guide in...
November 30, 2014
Economist Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, will deliver the next Shepard Lee lecture on "Full Employment: A Better Bargain for Working People" on Monday, Dec. 1 at 6 p.m. at Portland Public Library's Rines Auditorium. The University of Massachusetts Cybersecurity Taskforce will meet with corporate leaders at a national cybersecurity event on "Educating the...
November 25, 2014
Comings and Goings ... Andrew H. Card, former White House chief of staff and acting dean of the George H.W. Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A &M University, was named the fifth president of Franklin Pierce University, effective in January 2015. Donald E. Williams Jr., outgoing Democratic leader of the Connecticut Senate, was named the Connecticut Education Association's...
November 24, 2014
DC Shuttle ... Harkin proposes reauthorization of Higher Education Act. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) introduced a draft bill to reauthorize the Higher Education Act. Harkin said that his 874-page proposal is aimed at holding institutions more accountable while reining in tuitions and easing loan repayment. Among several new provisions, the bill allows for...
November 24, 2014
It’s not every day that one finds Harvard Business School (HBS) advocating for community and technical colleges. Adding its own voice to an increasingly loud refrain on the country’s "middle-skills" gap, HBS’s recent report co-authored with Accenture and Burning Glass, addresses this problem from a unique perspective—that of U.S. competitiveness. Bridge the Gap: Rebuilding America’s M...
November 18, 2014
Laurie Patton Comings and Goings ... Middlebury College Trustees named Laurie L. Patton, dean of Duke University's Trinity College of Arts and Sciences and the Robert F. Durden Professor of Religion, as Middlebury's next president, effective in July. She will succeed Ronald D. Liebowitz, who has beens president since July 2004. Bridgewater State University's Board of Trustees recommended alumn and...
November 17, 2014
DC Shuttle ... DOE issues No Child Left Behind waiver renewal guidance. The Education Department released new guidance on waiver renewal for the No Child Left Behind Act. Under these guidelines, states wishing to extend their waivers will be able to, for up to four years, after adequately showing how they plan to identify and intervene in low-performing schools. The...
November 13, 2014
In this installment of NEJHE's New Directions for Higher Education series, Philip DiSalvio, dean of the College of Advancing & Professional Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston, interviews Stephen Trachtenberg, president emeritus & University Professor of Public Service at George Washington University. NEJHE launched the series in 2013 to examine emerging issues, trends a...
November 11, 2014
State Capital Notes ... The midterm elections brought New England two new governors. Rhode Island elected its first woman governor, Democrat Gina Raimondo. Massachusetts elected Republican Charlie Baker, a former Harvard Pilgrim CEO and official in the Weld and Cellucci administrations, including a time as secretary of administration and finance. The other four New England states reelected incumbent governors (though...
November 6, 2014
Comings and Goings ... Southern Vermont College (SVC) selected Buena Vista University Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty David Rees Evans to be the ninth president of SVC, succeeding President Karen Gross. Barbara E. Murphy announced she will retire as president of Johnson State College on June 30, 2015, after a 32-year career in Vermont higher...
November 6, 2014
As the president of a university focused on educating women, I ask myself daily how we can make an impact on the millions of women who have not yet earned a college degree. The number of educationally underserved women in this country is truly staggering. According to U.S. Census figures, 76 million adult women do not have a bachelor’s degree. It is incumbent upon us to help each one of these wo...
November 3, 2014
New England is the slowest-growing and most significantly aging region in the country, according to data released earlier this fall by the U.S. Census bureau. Select analysis for the New England region is now available in the demography section of NEBHE's recently revamped Trends & Indicators. As demographer Peter Francese notes, the elderly will increasingly outnumber school-age children—a demographic shift...
November 3, 2014
Lyndon State College (LSC), a public liberal arts college with a focus on rural and first-generation students, in 2013 initiated an incremental approach toward the creation of a Lyndon Learning Commons. The Commons model emphasizes the integration of a variety of academic support services, increasing both their proximity to one another and cross-unit collaboration, in order to make these services ...
October 30, 2014
At NEBHE's recent board meeting in Stowe, Vt., University of Vermont President Tom Sullivan gave a brief lesson on higher education cost drivers. The top cost drivers, Sullivan said, at least at bricks-and-mortar institutions like his, are: 1) compensation of faculty and staff, including employee benefits; 2) student financial aid; 3) facilities of quality to attract students, including the amenities...
October 27, 2014
There is a growing national conversation about the role of Children’s Savings Accounts (CSAs) in building assets and creating opportunities for the next generation of students—and New England is right in the middle of it. In many respects, New England is leading the way. Through the support of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston’s Regional & Community Outreach Department and the experi...
October 24, 2014
Comings and Goings ... Richard M. Freeland Massachusetts Higher Education Commissioner Richard M. Freeland told the state Board of Higher Education that he will leave his post at the end of the 2014–15 academic year. Freeland has been a member of NEBHE's board since his appointment as Massachusetts chancellor in 2009. As chancellor and in his previous role as president...
October 21, 2014
NEBHE published the fourth edition of Advanced Manufacturing Problem Based Learning (AM PBL) News. NEBHE in September 2012 was awarded a three-year $900,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for a New England-wide project titled Problem Based Learning (PBL) in Advanced Manufacturing: Transforming 21st Century Technician Education. Funding is provided through the NSF's Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program to...
October 21, 2014
Some upcoming events of interest ... Dan Sichel, professor of economics at Wellesley College and former senior official at the U.S. Treasury and Federal Reserve, will present The Financial Crisis, the Great Recession, and the Long Road Back at Clark University on Thursday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m. in the Jefferson Academic Center. Massachusetts Board of Higher Education Commissioner Richard...
October 17, 2014
New England Council President James T. Brett will be among luminaries recognized by the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) in March 2015 at the regional organization's 13th annual New England Higher Education Excellence Awards. Each year, NEBHE presents Regional Excellence Awards to individuals and organizations that have shown exceptional leadership on behalf of higher education and the advancement...
October 16, 2014
Now that members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) have voted to approve a sweeping, if not radical, proposal giving the five largest athletic conferences “autonomy” to establish new governance rules regarding a compensation pay package for the recruitment of athletes, three very important public policy concerns need to be addressed. The five largest conferences now have ...
October 13, 2014
“The Great Recession and not-so-great recovery applies to all of us.” That was University of Southern Maine professor Charlie Colgan’s quip at last week’s New England Economic Partnership (NEEP) conference noting that Maine was just two-thirds of the way back to pre-recession employment levels. Generally, the New England forecasts at the Fall Economic Outlook conference...
October 10, 2014
Mike Winders and Richard Bisk raise many important points in their recent article for the NEBHE Journal, but curiously choose to ignore the substance of the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education's (BHE) policy on developmental math that followed a careful review of task force recommendations. Their characterization of the BHE policy is simply misleading. I believe we would agree, however,...
October 7, 2014
More than 250 higher education leaders from campuses across the U.S. met last week in Boston for the 2014 Presidential Summit on Climate Leadership. The summit was organized by Second Nature, the supporting organization for the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). Almost 700 colleges and universities have signed the ACUPCC and committed to achieve carbon ne...
October 6, 2014
The influential Northeastern University think tank that authored several NEJHE articles in recent decades ended it operations this month. The closing of the Center for Labor Market Studies follows the retirement last summer of its director Andrew Sum, who had launched the center in 1979 with a U.S. Department of Labor grant. In 2011, Paul Harrington, who co-directed the center...
October 1, 2014
Lumina Foundation will convene education experts nationwide for a webcast on Wednesday, Oct. 8, marking the launch of a new version of the Degree Qualifications Profile (DQP). The profile defines clear learning outcomes for associate, bachelor's and master's degrees that reflect a quality postsecondary education which will serve students well as they prepare for further education, rewarding careers and fulfilling lives. Lumina...
September 30, 2014
The number of incoming college students who require development mathematics coursework is a national problem. As reported by the National Center for Educational Statistics, 42% of students entering college for the first time in fall 2003 took a developmental math course. At our institution, Worcester State University, 54% of students entering in fall 2004 placed into developmental math. This is an...
September 30, 2014
Over the past four years, there has been intense talk about the middle-skills gap in New England. In Massachusetts—from the governor, often flanked by business leaders, to the commissioner of higher education, to President Obama speaking at a high school in Worcester this past spring—it appears that everyone is concerned with the middle-skills gap. And Massachusetts is not alone. For southe...
September 24, 2014
Comings and Goings ... Vermont Secretary of Administration Jeb Spaulding was named the next chancellor of the Vermont State Colleges, replacing chancellor Tim Donovan who will retire at the end of this year. Before joining the governor's staff in 2011, Spaulding spent 16 years in the Vermont State Senate and eight as state treasurer. He founded Montpelier's WNCS-FM in 1976...
September 23, 2014
What is the true value of higher education to military veterans? Some military veterans may be underrepresented in higher education due to life adversities including homelessness, medical disabilities, substance abuse, family hardships and deficient academic skills. With the transition of veterans to colleges and universities, Veterans Upward Bound (VUB) projects nationwide provide life transforma...
September 22, 2014
DC Shuttle ... Student loan debt at forefront of education discussion. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) asked that the Senate take up a vote on the Bank on Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act (S.2432) which she sponsors. The bill would allow those with outstanding student loans to refinance them to today's lower rates of less than 4%. The difference would be paid...
September 16, 2014
Advanced manufacturing, an industry with strong growth potential in New England, currently faces a shortage of talent. In response some of the region's colleges and universities have developed cutting-edge programs to prepare qualified graduates. Central Connecticut State University's new bachelor's degree program in Robotics and Mechatronics is one example, and it is unique among New England public colleges. (Mechatronics, for...
September 16, 2014
DC Shuttle ... GAO report and Senate committee hearing on student loan debt. The Senate Special Committee on Aging held a hearing titled "Indebted for Life: Older Americans and Student Loan Debt." At the hearing, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report that reveals student loan debt among seniors is on the rise. The report found that the amount...
September 16, 2014
The debate over the value of a college education appears to be settled. Not only do employers value employees with a bachelor’s degree, they may actually value them too much. The fact is there’s a dramatic credentials gap in the American workforce between the education levels employers are requesting in job postings and the education levels of workers already in those jobs. In some middle-s...