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July 31, 2017
DC Shuttle ... House Passes Forever GI Bill. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Forever GI Bill (H.R. 3218) with overwhelming support, 405-0. The House Veterans' Affairs Committee passed the bill the previous Wednesday and it moved quickly through the House. A companion bill has been introduced in the Senate and moved through committee last week. The legislation, a...
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July 31, 2017
Higher education has provided New England with an economic advantage, as the region without strong natural resource advantages has relied on its higher education institutions (HEIs) and brainpower. A higher education-based economic advantage has enabled the region to develop strong well-paying technology and knowledge-based industries tied to New England’s academic research and development (R&am...
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July 25, 2017
In the coming decades, the U.S. will see large-scale offshore wind energy (OWE) development in which hundreds of billions of dollars are invested in building and operating OWE capabilities that are price-competitive with fossil fuel-based electricity. European market commitment, investment in infrastructure and R&D focused on cost reduction has enabled this competitiveness. New England is pois...
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July 24, 2017
DC Shuttle ... House Appropriations Committee Passes Education Funding Bill. The House Appropriations Committee held a hearing and adopted the fiscal year 2018 Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations bill by a vote of 28 to 22. The legislation would cut nearly $2.4 billion from the Education Department's budget, but did not include many of the cuts recommended...
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July 22, 2017
Comings and Goings ... New Hampshire divided its Department of Resources and Economic Development into two new agencies. Gov. Chris Sununu nominated Taylor Caswell, who is currently executive director of the New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority, to serve as commissioner of the new Department of Business and Economic Affairs, while Jeff Rose, the current commissioner of that agency, will...
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July 17, 2017
DC Shuttle ... Appropriations Bill Cuts Ed Dept Funding. The House Appropriations Committee released a draft Labor-HHS-Education spending bill which would significantly decrease the U.S. Education Department's budget. The bill would provide more money for charter schools but cut training programs, according to the House Appropriations Committee draft bill. The House Appropriations Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee voted along party-lines, 9-6, to send...
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July 12, 2017
On June 28, the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) convened members of the Commission on Higher Education and Employability (CHEE) in Providence to discuss concrete ways New England employers, education leaders and policymakers can work together to ensure a successful, equitable workforce future. The Commission comprises high-powered educators, employers, economists, policymakers and...
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July 7, 2017
Regardless of where you come from, the ability to access and receive a high-quality education is the key to success. The dream of an accessible education will now become a reality for many New Hampshire youngsters, thanks to a new University of New Hampshire (UNH) initiative called the Granite Guarantee Program. The UNH Granite Guarantee will begin with the incoming freshman class in fall 2017....
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July 5, 2017
Luczko Comings and Goings ... Kate Luczko announced she will step down as president and CEO of Stay Work Play New Hampshire, a nonprofit dedicated to retention and attraction of young talent in New Hampshire. Lawrence McHugh announced he will step down as chair of the University of Connecticut Board of Trustees after eight years. McHugh received a New England...
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July 3, 2017
DC Shuttle ... Ed Dept Requests Comment on Regulations. The U.S. Department of Education put out notice calling for public comment regarding which regulations should be targeted for elimination. The comment period will be open until Aug. 21, 2017. Bill Addresses Income-Share Agreements. Lawmakers introduced a bill that would set new legal frameworks for income-share agreements. The bill filed by...
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June 27, 2017
Comings and Goings ... The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education appointed Deputy Commissioner Jeff Wulfson to be acting commissioner, following the death of Commissioner Mitchell Chester, who became commissioner in 2008 and was one of America's longest-serving education commissioners. Three Connecticut community college presidents will assume dual roles and receive temporary stipends starting July 1 for the additional work. Paul...
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June 26, 2017
DC Shuttle ... Ed Dept Announces Year-Round Pell Grants. The U.S. Department of Education announced that year-round Pell Grants would be made available to students beginning on July 1, 2017. The policy change will provide financial resources that will allow thousands of students to to complete their coursework on their own schedules. In making the announcement, Secretary of Education Betsy...
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June 26, 2017
A Massachusetts resident, Faustina began working on her college applications last August. In the beginning, the process was going well. However, as she began receiving acceptance letters and financial aid award letters, things became difficult. As an undocumented student, Faustina did not have a permanent residency card, which most colleges need in order to provide financial aid. Unwavering in her...
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June 20, 2017
Cain Comings and Goings ... Former NEBHE Chair Emily Cain was named executive director of EMILY's List, which helps elect female Democratic candidates who support abortion rights. She succeeds Jess O'Connell, who is now CEO of the Democratic National Committee. Cain was elected to the Maine House in 2004 at age 24. In 2010, she became House minority leader. In 2012,...
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June 20, 2017
Strada Education Network is collaborating with Gallup, the world leader in consumer insights, to launch the Education Consumer Pulse. Through 350 daily interviews of U.S. adults ages 18 to 65, this three-year survey will create the largest set of education consumer insights in the nation to date. We believe understanding the consumer’s perspective is critical to addressing the many issues facing...
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June 19, 2017
DC Shuttle ... Trump Begins Work to Boost Apprenticeships. President Trump announced new administrative actions as well as legislative proposals aimed at boosting apprenticeship programs and other worker training, The Wall Street Journal reports. In a speech at a community college in Wisconsin, Trump unveiled a White House push on apprenticeship programs and workforce development issues. He said it was...
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June 14, 2017
SelingoThrough its partnership with RadioHigherEd.com, NEJHE presents a conversation with Jeff Selingo about how students navigate the postsecondary education landscape and policy options to ensure student success to and through college. Selingo is the former editor of the Chronicle of Higher Education and author of There Is Life After College. Radio Higher Ed's entire podcast collection can be accessed by visiting...
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June 13, 2017
Wyke Comings and Goings ... University of Maine System Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Rebecca Wyke was named the next president of the University of Maine at Augusta (UMA), succeeding James Conneely, who resigned in April after less than two years on the job. UMA has a statewide mission to serve nontraditional, adult and placebound learners. Bentley University President...
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June 13, 2017
A NEJHE interview on the future of consolidating colleges and merging universities ... NEBHE has been deeply interested in how New England higher education institutions can collaborate with one another and with other leaders to confront threats to their economic sustainability. These threats stem partly from shifts in academic content and delivery, student demography and institutional finances�...
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June 12, 2017
DC Shuttle ... FAFSA Data Breach. The U.S. Education Department announced that it has partially restored an online tool that automatically provides borrowers' income data when they repay their students loans through an income-driven repayment program. The IRS and Education Department suspended the tool in March. A grand jury indictment gave greater detail about why the Department of Education and...
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June 7, 2017
Some dates to save … The New England Council's Congressional Roundtable Series will feature talks by lawmakers and others in D.C. and New England, including U.S. Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) at the Providence Biltmore Hotel on Monday, June 12 from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thomas College will host an entrepreneur speaker and networking event on Tuesday, June 13 at...
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June 7, 2017
Krebs Comings and Goings ... Paula Krebs, dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Bridgewater State University, was named the next executive director of the Modern Language Association, succeeding Rosemary Feal, who announced plans to step down after 15 years in charge of the national organization. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker appointed banking executive and anti-Trump activist Rosalin...
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May 31, 2017
Keenan Comings and Goings ... Former Massachusetts state Rep. John Keenan was chosen by the Salem State University's Board of Trustees to become the next president of the state university, where he is currently general counsel and vice president for administration. Saint Michael's College President John J. Neuhauser announced he'll leave the post in June 2018. Carol A. Moore, who...
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May 30, 2017
DC Shuttle ... Budget Proposal Funds School Choice, Hits Aid to to Low- and Middle-Income Students. The White House released President Trump's budget proposal for fiscal year 2018, which cuts spending at the U.S. Department of Education and focuses on school choice. The budget would reduce the Department of Education's discretionary funding from $68.2 billion to $59 billion, 13% below...
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May 23, 2017
Adams Comings and Goings ... William D. Adams announced his resignation as the 10th chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Before being appointed NEH chair in 2014, Adams spent 14 years as president of Colby College. The University of Maine System Board of Trustees appointed Raymond Rice to be president of the University of Maine at Presque...
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May 23, 2017
Karen Gross is senior counsel with Finn Partners, former president of Southern Vermont College and author of Breakaway Learners: Strategies for Post-Secondary Success with At-Risk Students, from which this piece is excerpted. (Endnotes have been deleted from this excerpt.) How we foster wise decision-making generally and among young people in particular has been the subject of numerous studies....
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May 22, 2017
DC Shuttle ... Senators Introduce Unit Record System Bill. U.S. Senators Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) introduced legislation that would change how schools report data and overturn the federal ban on a unit record system. The College Transparency Act (H.R. 2434) would transition to the collection of data on the individual...
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May 16, 2017
Hadsell Comings and Goings ... Hartford Seminary President Heidi Hadsell announced she will retire following the 2017-18 academic year after 18 years in charge of the graduate theological institution. Neil A. Salonen announced he will resign as president of the University of Bridgeport following the 2017-18 academic year, also after 18 years.Charles Lloyd, associate vice president for enrollment and student...
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May 16, 2017
The classic image of a college classroom often includes a professor standing at the front of a room or hall, often standing near a chalkboard or projector screen, lecturing to a room full of 30 to 100 students diligently taking notes. This model of instruction, often referred to as direct instruction, however, is grounded in somewhat-outdated theories of learning behaviorism and cognitivism. Altho...
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May 15, 2017
DC Shuttle ... DeVos Visits HBCU, Trump Questions HBCU Funding. U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos visited Bethune-Cookman University to deliver its commencement address. She was met with controversy as hundreds of graduating seniors booed and turned their backs on her, the NY Times reports. The Trump administration has had a rocky start with HBCUs (historically black colleges and universities). Last...
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May 14, 2017
Space still remains for fall admission at many New England campuses
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May 12, 2017
According to the annual College Openings Update provided at the beginning of May by the National Association of College Admissions Counselors (NACAC), 50 New England colleges and universities reported they could consider additional freshman and transfer applications for fall 2017. Of the 50, the following 13 public colleges reported freshman and transfer openings: Eastern Connecticut State University CT Southern Connecticut...
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May 10, 2017
Tweeting is getting a bad name under President Trump. But let me implore you to pay attention to NEBHE’s Twitter feed @nebhe. You won't see any posts at 2:30 a.m. But it’s about the closest thing we have to a news service on New England higher education and the many areas it affects. In that way, it reminds me of why NEJHE was once called Connection. It was a bit too generic a name, but it nic...
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May 9, 2017
Huddleston Comings and Goings ... Mark Huddleston announced he will retire as president of the University of New Hampshire at the end of the 2017-18 academic year, leaving as the longest-serving president in the university's 150-year history. The State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO) association appointed Robert E. Anderson, the interim chief academic officer for the University System of Georgia and...
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May 2, 2017
Nemec Comings and Goings ... Fairfield University trustees appointed University of Chicago dean of continuing liberal and professional studies Mark R. Nemec as the university's ninth president and the first non-Jesuit to hold the post.Lyndon State College interim President Nolan Atkins was named provost of Lyndon and Johnson State Colleges and of their to-be-unified institution, Northern Vermont University. Atkins chaired Lyndon's...
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May 2, 2017
Scanning internet news headlines on any given day will quickly confirm we live in litigious times ... especially when it comes to money and investing. Currently, higher education is being roiled by class-action lawsuits filed against high-profile institutions, including MIT, Yale and New York University, over management of their retirement plans. As the lawyers are deployed and the billable hours...
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May 1, 2017
DC Shuttle ... Year-Round Pell Included in Spending Bill. Lawmakers reported that they had struck a deal to fund the government through the rest of fiscal year 2017 and it is expected that Congress will vote on that bill this week to avoid a government shutdown on Friday. The deal reached Sunday includes year-round Pell Grants, lawmakers have confirmed. Through...
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April 25, 2017
The Trump administration has sent mixed signals about the future of the DACA program, creating uncertainty among recipients and their families. In February, a leaked draft of an internal memo hinted that the Trump administration intends to cut the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. As of March 2017, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was continuing to review DACA applica...
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April 18, 2017
The Commission on Higher Education & Employability (Commission) held its opening event at the Rhode Island State House on Wednesday, April 12. The Commission is a collaboration of the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) and Gov. Gina M. Raimondo of Rhode Island, who is serving as chair. The Commission membership includes business leaders, college presidents, chancellors, state ...
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April 12, 2017
Rhode Island Gov. Gina M. Raimondo joined the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) to announce the creation of a new regional Commission on Higher Education & Employability, designed to work with the private sector to improve the career readiness of New England college and university graduates. Raimondo will serve as the Commission’s chair. “When the private and public s...
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April 11, 2017
The New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) honored U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders with a 2017 Excellence Award at the Vermont State House in Montpelier on April 11. Sanders was first elected as a U.S. senator from Vermont in 2006, and was reelected in 2012 with 71% of the vote. He was Vermont's sole member of the U.S. House of...
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April 11, 2017
Motley Comings and Goings ... University of Massachusetts Boston Chancellor J. Keith Motley will step down at the end of the academic year. He has headed the diverse campus of 17,000 students since 2007 and increased its stature with new programs and buildings, but the campus faces a deficit up to $30 million, declining enrollment, overdue construction projects and weakening...
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April 11, 2017
Students in New England take increasingly varied pathways to a degree. They are highly mobile and move among two-year colleges and four-year public and private higher education institutions (HEIs), among four-year and two-year colleges and back, and transfer in-state and out-of state. Four in 10 students who begin college at a New England institution transfer from one institution to another at lea...
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April 10, 2017
DC Shuttle ... DeVos Tours Florida Schools. U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos visited Florida schools, including Florida International University. She addressed the concerns of many educators by saying she understands the concerns of undocumented students and the Trump administration is "not seeking to go and find them in schools." DeVos also told reporters there's a "possibility" that Florida's tax credit...
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April 4, 2017
Comings and Goings ... Brenda Dann-Messier Brenda Dann-Messier, former assistant U.S. secretary of education for vocational and adult education, was appointed acting commissioner of postsecondary education for Rhode Island, succeeding Jim Purcell, who left to become executive director of the Alabama Commission on Higher Education. Vermont Technical College named its first female president in its 150-year history. The Vermont State...
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April 4, 2017
DC Shuttle ... Lawmakers Push Back on Ed Dept, NIH Cuts in Budget Proposal. Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO), chair of the Appropriations subcommittee that handles funding for the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, pushed back against the Trump administration's call to cut nearly $18 billion in domestic programs in fiscal 2017, including $3 billion at the...
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April 4, 2017
Learning the intricacies of STEM subjects can be a challenge. But teaching these complex subjects presents its own unique set of obstacles. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 48% of undergraduate students who entered STEM degree programs between 2003 and 2009 left them by spring 2009. Considering the rising demand for educated STEM professionals, students’ dissatisfact...
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March 28, 2017
Comings and Goings ... Marc M. Camille Marc M. Camille, vice president for enrollment management and communications at Loyola University Maryland, was named president of Albertus Magnus College. He succeeds Julia McNamara, who served 34 years until stepping down in June 2016, and Sister Anne Kilbride who has been interim president since then. Quinsigamond Community College trustees named Luis G....
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March 28, 2017
The New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) announces the appointment of Susan Lane as senior director of policy and research. Lane has more than 35 years of experience working across campuses, P-12 districts, businesses and government to strengthen the reach of education though collaboration around common goals. Most recently, as senior advisor to the commissioner for P-16 access and...
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March 28, 2017
Colleges and Universities have experienced a noticeable increase of students diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) who are pursuing a postsecondary degree. This may be a victory for the population with ASD in terms of their general acceptance into institutions of higher education, but it also poses some real challenges for the faculty working with them in the classroom. Although this popu...
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March 27, 2017
DC Shuttle ... Administration Rolls Back Regulations on Student Loan Defaults. The Trump administration reversed guidance from the Obama administration that forbade student loan debt collectors from charging high fees to defaulted borrowers. Loan guarantee agencies that collect on defaulted debt will now be permitted to charge borrowers who have defaulted on their federal student loans fees up to 16%...
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March 21, 2017
Through its partnership with RadioHigherEd.com, NEJHE presents a podcast on unionization and collective bargaining in U.S. higher education institutions, with William Herbert, the Executive Director of the National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in U.S. Higher Education Institutions. The podcast offers a primer on collective bargaining in higher education, tracing historical developments of unionization in public and private...
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March 21, 2017
Most employers hiring college graduates take it for granted that these candidates are more qualified than other potential employees who don't have a degree. Many job postings emphasize a college degree as a requirement for a position. And there is longstanding evidence that people with college degrees make more money over their lifetime than those without a degree. Employers make a lot of assu...
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March 20, 2017
DC Shuttle ... Trump's Budget Proposal. President Donald Trump released his FY 2018 federal budget blueprint or "skinny budget." Trump's budget proposal would cut $9.2 billion, or almost 14%, from the Education Department's budget. The proposal would downsize or eliminate a number of grants, including for teacher training, afterschool programs, and aid to low-income and minority college students. The proposal...
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March 14, 2017
Wolk Comings and Goings ... Castleton University President Dave Wolk announced that he will leave his post at the end of this year. A Rutland, Vt. native, Wolk served as a school principal, superintendent, Vermont's commissioner of education, Vermont state senator and a NEBHE delegate. He wrote recently for NEJHE about Castleton's polling center. Carpenter Megan Carpenter, founder and co-director of...
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March 13, 2017
DC Shuttle ... Senate Overturns Teacher-Preparation Regulation Under CRA. In a 59-40 vote, the Senate passed a resolution (HJ Res 58) to repeal a rule requiring states to report and evaluate teacher-training programs. The Senate vote will halt the new requirements for teacher-training programs, finalized by the Obama administration in October, before they would go into effect in the summer....
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March 13, 2017
There are two initiatives that can dramatically change the way college pricing and student debt are being handled under the current system. Both are commonsense solutions that would, if accepted, dramatically help students, graduates and families burdened by the cost of tuition and the loans they take to earn their degrees. First, income-based loan repayment (IBR) should be the default mechanis...
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March 7, 2017
Johnson Comings and Goings ... The University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees tapped Becker College President Robert E. Johnson to be chancellor of UMass Dartmouth, succeeding Peyton Randolph Helm, who served as interim chancellor after the departure of Chancellor Divina Grossman. In a letter to Becker faculty and staff, Johnson said Nancy Crimmin, Becker's senior vice president and chief academic and...
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March 6, 2017
DC Shuttle ... Hearing on Education Budget. The House Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies held a hearing to discuss potential budget action. Subcommittee Chair Tom Cole (R-OK) said that $20 billion in cuts is expected to spending on labor, education and health programs. "There's no part of this budget that can escape...
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March 3, 2017
The recent controversy surrounding a proposed ban on immigration from seven Middle East countries recalls similar times in our history. More than 130 years ago, Chinese immigration was restricted. In 1924, Japanese immigrants were effectively barred from entering the U.S., and Mexicans living here during the Depression were the subject of repatriation, even those who were U.S. citizens. Other rest...
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March 1, 2017
Herbert Comings and Goings ... The University of New England named Drexel University Executive Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate College James Herbert to be the Biddeford, Maine-based university's next president, effective July 1. He will succeed Danielle Ripich, who has led the university for 11 years. Saint Anselm College appointed Allegheny College Associate Provost for Diversity and Organizational Development...
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February 27, 2017
Tuition prices at colleges and universities are high. On that, pretty much everyone—from parents to students to college administrators—can agree. It’s also true that salaries and benefits are the single biggest chunk of every higher education institution’s (HEI) budget. And one of the largest and most difficult costs to contain is group employee health insurance. In fact, health insurance ...
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February 21, 2017
DC Shuttle ... DeVos Outlines Policy Intentions. U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos gave remarks to the Association of Community College Trustees' National Legislative Summit. During her remarks, DeVos praised the work of community colleges, calling them "essential engines of workforce and economic development." Diverse: Issues In Higher Education reports that she promised that community colleges will play a key role in...
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February 21, 2017
Not long ago, “brand” was an unmentionable word in the higher education landscape—one that came with suspicious connotations of consumer packaged goods and retail. Today, however, there’s increasingly broad acceptance that a higher education institution’s (HEI’s) brand is critical to attracting and retaining the best students and faculty, as well as engaging alumni in meaningful ways. ...
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February 13, 2017
DC Shuttle ... House Approves Bills to Limit Role of Ed Dept. and ESSA. Under the Congressional Review Act, the House voted to overturn to Obama administration regulations. The House passed two resolutions to end department regulations dealing with state assessments (H.J. Res. 57) and teacher-preparation programs (H.J. Res. 58). H.J. Res. 57, which passed 234-190, would nullify an Education...
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February 7, 2017
DC Shuttle ... Jerry Falwell to Lead Higher Ed Task Force. Liberty University President Jerry Falwell has been asked by President Donald Trump to lead a task force that will identify changes that should be made to the U.S. Department of Education, the Chronicle of Higher Education reports. Falwell said he sees "overreaching regulation" as a target of his work....
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February 6, 2017
It took me 15 years to figure out, but I finally did: When students are offered choices within assignments it increases buy-in and therefore motivation toward the task—and ultimately for the class itself. Back when I was parenting, we called it “choices within limits” (“you can have peas or carrots as your vegetable”), and it worked then too. Simply having the opportunity to make the cho...
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February 3, 2017
Kendrick Comings and Goings ... Dorsey Kendrick announced she plans to retire June 30 as president of Gateway Community College, a post she has held since 1999. She boosted enrollment by 100% in her first eight years and presided over Gateway's consolidation of two campuses into a new $198 million, 3.7-acre central location in downtown New Haven in 2012. Charles...
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January 30, 2017
By 2032, the number of new high school graduates in New England is projected to decline by 22,000 to a total 140,273, according to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education’s (WICHE) most recent Knocking at the College Door report. New England’s challenge with an aging population and falling birth rates has been well chronicled. With fresh projections and an...
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January 30, 2017
DC Shuttle ... New House Education Committee Holds First Meeting. The House Committee on Education and the Workforce met for the first time in the 115th Congress under the new leadership of Chair Virginia Foxx (R-NC). Lawmakers voted on rules for the committee, and considered and adopted an "oversight and investigation" plan for the next two years. Republicans targeted the...
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January 30, 2017
University's purchase of GE site means opportunity for the region and Connecticut ... Sacred Heart University (SHU) has purchased General Electric’s (GE’s) former global headquarters site in Fairfield, Conn. This 66-acre parcel will become an extension of SHU’s nearby main campus, as well as its Stamford Graduate Center. The acquisition is a strategic and practical move for the university...
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January 23, 2017
Comings and Goings ... New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu tapped one-term state Rep. Frank Edelblut, a Wilton businessman who homeschooled his seven children, to be the state's education commissioner. Partners In Health CEO Gary L. Gottlieb, M.D., was named chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. (NEJHE has featured Gottlieb's thoughts drawing parallels between healthcare and higher ed.) MIT former...
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January 23, 2017
DC Shuttle ... Temporary U.S. Secretary of Education. Former U.S. Secretary of Education John King stepped down on Thursday, sending a letter of farewell that outlined his quick year of work at the department. Phil Rosenfelt, deputy general counsel at the Education Department's Office of the General Counsel, has been named acting education secretary until a new secretary is confirmed....
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January 19, 2017
Through its partnership with RadioHigherEd.com, NEJHE presents a podcast about the value and nuances of adopting a "student unit record" system. The podcast features an interview with Aimee Guidera, president & CEO of the Data Quality Campaign, and Mamie Voight, director of policy research at the Institute for Higher Education Policy. It is the third in a three-part series on student...
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January 18, 2017
The New England Economic Partnership (NEEP) explored "What’s Ahead After This Historic Election?" at the group's outlook conference held Jan. 17 at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. Their general conclusion: New England's economy will stay robust through 2017 and 2018 ... but then watch out! (And that's just economists—groups of scientists, multiculturalists, educators, philosophers and oth...
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January 17, 2017
DC Shuttle ... Confirmation Hearing for Betsy DeVos. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee planned to begin its confirmation hearing for Betsy DeVos, the nomination for secretary of education on Jan. 17. The hearing was originally scheduled for the previouss week but was delayed over concerns that an ethics review had not been completed. Democrats criticized Republican leaders...
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January 11, 2017
Register Today for NEEP Conference, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017 at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston! The New England Economic Partnership (NEEP) will explore "What's Ahead After This Historic Election?" at the group's outlook conference to be held Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017 at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. Jeffry Frieden, professor of government at Harvard University, will deliver a...
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January 10, 2017
It’s a Wednesday night in November and a doctor, a software engineer, a CFO and I are rearranging the furniture in a cramped, overheated room on the third floor of a late Victorian landmark in Boston’s Fenway neighborhood. A young professor arrives flushed from the cold and quickly jumps in to help. We swap stories about rush-hour traffic, complain about parking, exchange home renovation tips ...
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January 9, 2017
DC Shuttle ... Education Secretary Hearing Set. The Senate Health Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee will hold a confirmation hearing this week to consider the nomination of Betsy DeVos to be education secretary. Democrats have raised concerns about her previous financial contributions to the campaigns of lawmakers that will now be considering her nomination. Six Democrats on the HELP...
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January 9, 2017
Meotti Comings and Goings ... Michael Meotti, former commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Higher Education and executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Connecticut Board of Regents for Higher Education, was appointed executive director of the Washington Student Achievement Council, which coordinates the state's higher education system with workforce and education needs. Salem State University President Patricia Maguire...
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January 6, 2017
The New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) is launching a new interstate initiative to facilitate transfer from community colleges to out-of-state bachelor's degree programs offered under NEBHE's Regional Student Program (RSP), also known as Tuition Break. NEBHE's RSP Community College Transfer Initiative is supported by a four-year $300,000 grant from the Lloyd G. Balfour Foundation. Through the RSP Tuition...
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January 3, 2017
Through its partnership with RadioHigherEd.com, NEJHE presents the release of Federal Student Loan Servicing: Strengths and Weaknesses/The Borrower Perspective. The podcast features Jennifer Wang, the D.C. Office Director for The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS). It is the fourth in a series of podcasts produced in partnership with the Postsecondary National Policy Institute, the leading source of professional development...
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January 3, 2017
Protecting public mission requires the courage to change ... Despite the serious headwinds buffeting small, rural, tuition-dependent public colleges, they can survive—and even thrive—where leadership is proactive, courageous and doubled-down on our mission to serve. Unfavorable demographics, inadequate state funding, disruptive technologies and increases in costs can either choke us or m...
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December 19, 2016
Different images come to mind when thinking about college fraternities and sororities, depending on who you are. Some people love them, some hate them, and some have only experienced them through movies, like Animal House. Whether your images are positive or negative, one thing is constant: You envision a group of same-sex young people. But 2017 is knocking on our door and one of the major social...
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December 16, 2016
Comings and Goings ... The Massachusetts Board of Higher Education tapped Christina Royal, the provost and vice president for academic affairs at Inver Hills Community College in Minnesota, to be the first woman president of Holyoke Community College. She will succeed William Messner, who retired in August after 12 years as the Massachusetts community college's president. The Bristol Community College...
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December 16, 2016
The New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE), in association with Boston magazine, has produced the 2017 Guide to New England Colleges & Universities, the sixth edition of the annual guide. Boston magazine published and distributed the 2017 Guide in combination with its December 2016 issue. NEBHE is distributing complimentary copies of the 2017 Guide throughout New England, including to school guidance offices, public libraries, GEAR UP...
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December 12, 2016
DC Shuttle ... International Student Data. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement released new data detailing the number of international students studying science, technology, engineering and math fields in the U.S. The data suggests that international STEM students jumped a full 10% over the past year alone. There are 1.23 million international students with F (academic) or M (vocational) status studying...
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December 9, 2016
State Capital Notes ... All six New England states voted for Hillary Clinton in the race for the White House, despite her loss nationally in the electoral college. It's unclear how the 115th Congress and President-Elect Donald Trump will act on proposals by Clinton and her Democratic rival Bernie Sanders for free college and reduced student debt. Among highlights of...
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December 5, 2016
DC Shuttle ... President-elect Trump Nominates Betsy DeVos as Education Secretary. President-elect Donald Trump announced in a statement that he is nominating Betsy DeVos to be the secretary of education. She followed with an announcement of acceptance. Betsy Davos is an activist, philanthropist and former chair of the Michigan Republican Party. She has traditionally advocated for conservative approaches and supported...
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December 1, 2016
Flynn Comings and Goings ... Jobs for the Future (JFF) named Maria K. Flynn to be its president and CEO, effective Dec. 15, 2016. Flynn joined JFF nine years ago, serving as vice president of JFF's Building Economic Opportunity Group, and then senior vice president. She has spearheaded JFF's economic mobility and equity work. She was a speaker at NEBHE's...
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December 1, 2016
The Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Massachusetts (AICUM) will honor Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker at its annual dinner on Monday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. at the Seaport Hotel in Boston. The New Hampshire College & University Council (NHCUC) will hold the annual NH Scholars Breakfast of Champions to explore ways to better prepare today's students for tomorrow's...
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November 29, 2016
Through its partnership with RadioHigherEd.com, NEJHE is pleased to present the release of Federal Student Loan Servicing: Strengths and Weaknesses/The Financial Aid Administrator Perspective. The podcast features Justin Draeger, president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. It is the third in a series of podcasts produced in partnership with the Postsecondary National Policy Institute, the leading source of...
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November 29, 2016
Colleges and universities experienced something of a wakeup call in 2010, when hackers breached an Ohio State University system containing the social security numbers, dates of birth and physical addresses of 760,000 people. Though it was unlikely that data was released, the investigation and remediation effort was massive and incredibly costly, including offering 12 months of free credit-monitori...
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November 21, 2016
DC Shuttle ... Transition Team Expected to Visit Education Department this Week. President-Elect Donald Trump's transition team is expected to visit the U.S. Education Department this week. Landing teams will work with federal agencies on the transition and are being launched in three waves. The Education Department and other domestic agencies such as the Department of Labor and the EPA...
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November 21, 2016
Sanctuary? How will higher education fare under a President Donald Trump? The campaign’s misogyny shouldn’t sit well with a student body that is now majority-female. Its disavowal of climate changes won’t impress research universities. And the xenophobia won’t help economies and cultures bolstered by foreign enrollment. The number of foreign students in the U.S topped 1 million in 2015-16....
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November 10, 2016
In September 2016, I wrote an op-ed for Harvard Business Review called “We Need a Better Way to Visualize People’s Skills." In it, I describe a Github of competencies for the workforce, but here’s how the same idea would translate into higher education. George McCully wrote recently in “Pushing Back on Higher Education as Trainer for High-Tech Jobs” (The New England Journal of Higher Ed...
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November 7, 2016
The relationship between employer and employee has changed significantly over the past 40 years. One of the greatest changes in this relationship is in the nature of employee retirement. While pension reform at public and private colleges has helped ensure institutional financial viability, retirement security for employees has declined. With the redirection of retirement plans from defined ben...
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October 21, 2016
University System of New Hampshire (USNH) Chancellor Todd J. Leach was named the next chair of the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) at the board's annual fall meeting. Leach is the seventh chancellor of USNH, New Hampshire's four-year public higher education system comprising the University of New Hampshire, Plymouth State University, Keene State College and Granite State College. Prior to...
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October 21, 2016
Colleges and universities have a significant role to play in shaping the future of race and class relations in America. As exhibited in this year’s presidential election, race and class continue to divide us. Black Lives Matter movements, campus protests and police shootings are just a few examples of the proliferation of intolerance. It seems like we understand each other less each day. Higher ...
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October 19, 2016
The New England Council (NEC) published its first edition of “Partnerships for the Talent Pipeline: Directory of New England Higher Education & Industry Partnerships.” In addition to traditional classroom training, New England educators and employers have forged partnerships to provide experiential learning opportunities that prepare students for future job opportunities and post-graduation career success. The partnerships listed in the directory...