January 27, 2012
Out-of-State Tuition Break Helps More StudentsThis academic year marks the third consecutive year of record-high enrollments in the New England Regional Student Program (RSP), Tuition Break.The New England Board of Higher Education's program provided 9,293 New England residents with an estimated total savings of $53 million on their 2011-12 out-of-state tuition bills. The average savings for a full-time RSP student was $6,900. Meanwhile, the region's...
January 23, 2012
Comings and Goings: Pedone to Head Mass. Council of Presidents; New Presidents at Suffolk, SCSUMassachusetts state Rep. Vincent Pedone announced he'd leave the Legislature to become executive director of the Council of Presidents of the Massachusetts State University System. Pedone represented Worcester for nearly 20 years. He will succeed Frederick Clark, who left the council in November to become executive vice president of Bridgewater State University.****James McCarthy, provost and senior vice president for academic...
January 23, 2012
Manager of Mass. Race to the Top-Early Learning Application to Lead Rennie CenterThe Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy hired Chad d'Entremont as its new executive director. A former research and policy leader at Teachers College of Columbia University and Strategies for Children, d'Entremont managed Massachusetts' successful application for a $50 million Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge award. At Rennie, he succeeds Jill Norton, who oversaw the center's research...
January 11, 2012
Breathe Easier: EPA Announces Grants to New England for Healthy CommunitiesThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded approximately $372,000 in grants to support 13 New England community projects that address environmental and public health issues.Among examples:• Bridgeport Neighborhood Trust in Connecticut was awarded $25,000 for its 'Bridgeport East Side Healthy Homes Initiative' to address environmentally related illnesses including allergens that contribute to asthma and lead contamination that poisons young children.• ...
January 10, 2012
DC Shuttle: House Ed and Workforce Chair Releases Plan to Replace No Child Left BehindHouse Education and the Workforce Committee Chair John Kline (R-MN) released two new drafts of legislation to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) on Friday afternoon. Legislators and stakeholders from both parties have agreed that the accountability measures put in place by the law's current authorization—No Child Left Behind—are not working. Under the current law, 100% of students...
January 6, 2012
Ms. Gross Goes to WashingtonSouthern Vermont College President Karen Gross was named a senior policy advisor to the U.S. Department of Education for one year, starting Jan. 17.SVC trustees granted Gross a one-year leave of absence from the college, during which time chief operating officer James Beckwith will be acting president.A NEBHE delegate since 2010, Gross has authored several articles for NEJHE, including: Helicopters,...
January 5, 2012
Learner-Centered Education Gets Super Push in Conn.It may be known as the "Land of Steady Habits," but Connecticut's new habit in education in this new year looks like steady change.Recently, Connecticut school superintendents advanced a package of 134 recommendations to replace the state's current school system with a 'learner-centered' education program. The program would begin at age 3; offer parents a menu of options, including charter...
January 4, 2012
Which Prof Has the Most Impact on Debates Over Schools? There's a Ranking for ThatThe academic who contributed the most to public debates about schooling in 2011 was Stanford University education prof Linda Darling-Hammond, according to the RHSU Edu-Scholar Public Presence Rankings.The rankings were compiled by Frederick M. Hess, director of Education Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, and published in Education Week, where Hess writes a blog.Darling-Hammond is one of six Stanford...
December 22, 2011
Forum at Saint Anselm to Feature Gergen, New Hampshire's U.S. Senators on Upcoming Prez PrimaryThe New Hampshire Forum on the Future will feature a talk on "Renewing America's Political Culture" by Harvard Kennedy School professor and CNN political analyst David Gergen on Monday, Jan. 9, 2012, from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., at the NH Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College.New Hampshire's U.S. senators, Jeanne Shaheen and Kelly Ayotte, are also scheduled to...
December 20, 2011
College Board and NCSL Issue Strategies on Boosting CompletionPolicies to foster college completion in three New England states are cited in The College Completion Agenda 2011 Progress Report and State Policy Guide, new national reports published by the College Board and National Conference of State Legislatures.The policy guide cites Connecticut Public Act 04-212 as a low-cost way to coordinate workforce training and professional advancement ladders for early-childhood providers.The...
December 19, 2011
DC Shuttle: One Report Finds Fears of STEM Overlap Exaggerated; Another Counts Schools Not Making Adequate Yearly ProgressOn Thursday, the White House National Science and Technology Council released a report detailing science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education spending across all federal programs. According to the report, 13 federal agencies spent about $3.4 billion on STEM programs in 2010, 80% of which was split between the National Science Foundation ($1.2 billion), the Education Department ($1 billion), and...
December 19, 2011
New Enrollment Data Show NE College Student Pop. Nears Million Mark, But Region's Share of US Total DipsNew England's public and private nonprofit colleges and universities enrolled nearly a million full- and part-time students in 2010. But the region's historically disproportionate share of total U.S. enrollment continued to decline to 4.7%, down from 5.4% early in the decade.For more than a half-century, NEBHE has been publishing tables and charts exploring "Trends & Indicators" in New England's demography,...
December 16, 2011
NE Colleges Announce Spring Commencement Speakers Even Before Winter Arrives (smtms in 140 chars max)It's not even officially winter, and New England colleges are starting to announce their spring commencement speakers.Former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell will deliver Northeastern University's 110th commencement address on May 4, 2012. Northeastern President Joseph E. Aoun made the announcement via Twitter!Fareed Zakaria, host of CNN's international affairs program 'GPS," editor-at-large of Time magazine, Washington Post columnist and...
December 12, 2011
Ross Gittell Named NH Community College ChancellorTrustees of the Community College System of New Hampshire (CCSNH) appointed University of New Hampshire economist Ross Gittell to be the system's new chancellor.Gittell will assume the post in February, succeeding J. Bonnie Newman, who has served as interim chancellor since August, while the national search for a permanent chancellor was underway.A distinguished professor at the University of New Hampshire's...
December 12, 2011
DC Shuttle: Obama Meets with University Presidents on College CostsOn Dec. 5, President Obama held a meeting with Education Secretary Arne Duncan, university presidents and higher education policy experts which focused largely on the issue of college affordability and productivity. Participants discussed how new strategies for increasing affordability and producing more graduates at individual institutions could be scaled up to the state or national level. Jamie Merisotis, president and...
December 8, 2011
Among Comings & Goings: Bates Taps Harvard Exec for PrezBates College trustees elected A. Clayton Spencer to be the eighth president in the school's 156-year history. Currently vice president for policy at Harvard, Spencer assumes the Bates post on July 1, 2012. She succeeds Nancy Cable, who has been interim president since July 1, 2011, when Elaine Hansen stepped down after nine years to lead the Center for Talented...
December 6, 2011
Mass. OKs Casinos, Redistricting, Transgender Equality; Mass. and RI Reform PensionsAfter decades of debate, the Massachusetts Legislature passed and Gov. Deval Patrick signed legislation providing for casino gambling in the Bay State. The law creates the Massachusetts Gaming Commission to regulate casino gambling and authorizes three licenses for a resort casino in three regions of the state: Eastern Massachusetts between Boston and Worcester, Western Massachusetts which encompasses Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin...
December 2, 2011
More Data Connection: Peace in the Valley? Scientists and KidsEarly this year, we revived the collection of facts and figures called "Data Connection" that we had published quarterly for nearly 20 years in the print editions of The New England Journal of Higher Education.The latest ...Ranks of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont among most peaceful U.S. states in terms of absence of violence: 1,2,3 Institute for Economics and PeaceNumber...
November 29, 2011
Science (Non)-Fiction ... The Latest from NE CampusesA look at recent developments in New England higher education shows a region struggling to hold onto its historical research prowess and adding new health programs, but also facing rising costs and declining funds.Holding onto research power University of Connecticut Vice President for Research Suman Singha reported to university trustees that research dollars are drying up. Research funding has declined...
November 29, 2011
Among Comings & Goings: Delta Cost Project Will Dissolve, but its Work on Higher Ed Spending Will Go OnAfter five years bringing attention to how colleges spend money, the Delta Cost Project will dissolve in 2012. On Jan. 1, the database portion of its work will become part of the U.S. Department of Education's IPEDS data-collection and communication work. The project's analysis and communication about revenue and spending trends will shift to the American Institutes for Research (AIR),...
November 21, 2011
DC Shuttle: Obama Admin Cuts Pell Grant Overpayments, New Eye on Private Student LoansAs part of the Campaign to Cut Waste, the Obama administration cut erroneous Pell Grant payments to 2.7% in 2011, the lowest it has been since 2005. White House officials estimate that reform measures saved $300 million in overpayment through the Pell Grant student aid program. The 2011 payment errors totaled $1 billion, approximately the same as the payment errors...
November 15, 2011
View and Hear Remarks from NEBHE's New England Works Summit on Bridging Higher Education and the WorkforceNEBHE convened approximately 400 New England higher education, government and business leaders on Monday, Nov. 7, at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston to discuss the role of higher education in preparing the highly skilled workers that will drive innovation in the region. Featured speakers included: U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) Gov. Dannel P. Malloy (D-Conn.) Jane Oates, Assistant Secretary,...
November 14, 2011
DC Shuttle: Boston Schools Finalists for Innovation Grants; US Ed Secy Supports In-State Tuition for Kids of UndocumentedThe Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) held a hearing Tuesday to discuss legislation to reauthorize the 2001 No Child Left Behind (NCLB) education law, which has approved by the committee on Oct. 20. Committee Chair Tom Harkin (D-IA) acknowledged that "everyone has something they would like to change" about the draft, but encouraged his fellow lawmakers...
November 10, 2011
Celebrating 10th Year, NEBHE Announces 2012 Excellence Awards; Mass. Gov. Patrick and former RI Gov. Carcieri Among RecipientsThe New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) named recipients of its 10th 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 of educational opportunity, and State Merit Awards to honor the innovative work of organizations, institutions or...
November 8, 2011
DC Shuttle: HELP Still Coming for NCLB; Five NE States Rank in Top 10 in Student Loan DebtThe Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) scheduled a final hearing on legislative language to reauthorize the 2001 No Child Left Behind (NCLB) education law for Tuesday, Nov. 8. Educators and administrators are expected to testify to the burdensome requirements of the NCLB law, which the new legislation is intended to ameliorate. Although the HELP Committee voted...
October 31, 2011
DC Shuttle: Obama Moves to Ease Student Loan DebtOn Wednesday, President Obama announced a new proposal to ease the burden of student loan debt. The "Know Before You Owe" initiative will allow students with multiple government-backed loans to consolidate them into one loan under the federal Direct Loan program with an interest rate reduction of 0.25% to 0.5%. The administration estimated that about 5.8 million students could be...
October 28, 2011
Economists to Hold Conference at UNH at Manchester on "Millennials, Baby Boomers and New England’s Future"Demography is destiny, especially if you are in higher education. Consider: There are 200,000 fewer children in New England today, compared with 10 years ago—a 6% decline. The number of married couples with children has declined by 10% since 2000—and they now account for fewer than one in five New England households. The number of single parents has grown by...
October 24, 2011
DC Shuttle: HELP Committee Advances Reforms to No Child Left BehindOn Thursday, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee voted 15-7 to advance legislation to replace the 2001 No Child Left Behind (NCLB) federal education law, with three Republicans joining Democrats in support of the bill. The legislation would replace NCLB's requirement that all students achieve proficiency in math and reading by 2014 with a mandate that states...
October 18, 2011
DC Shuttle: Congress Still Trying to Fix No Child Left BehindSenate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chair Tom Harkin (D-IA) released his draft of legislation to update the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) education law on Tuesday. The legislation frees states from NCLB's strict requirement that all children be proficient in reading and math by 2014, a standard which the Department of Education has estimated that 80%...
October 11, 2011
DC Shuttle: Congress Holds Hearing on Stemming Brain Drain of Foreign GradsThe House Education and Workforce Committee's Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training held a hearing Wednesday on the benefit of encouraging foreign graduates of U.S. universities to remain in the U.S. Employment visas are currently restricted to 140,000 annually, with no more than 7% going to any single country. Supporters discussed various possible strategies for preventing the brain drain...
October 6, 2011
Higher Ed Prices Still Going Up: NEBHE Releases 2011 Report on Tuition and Mandatory Fees at Public Postsecondary InstitutionsNEBHE released its 2011 report on tuition and mandatory fees at public postsecondary institutions available online. In an effort to inform the decision-making of state policymakers as well as public higher education leaders and trustees, this report provides details of public postsecondary tuition and mandatory fee rates for the past five years, collected during the summer of 2011.Questions about the...
October 1, 2011
Walzer of Dissent Magazine to Speak at MECEP LectureMichael Walzer, professor emeritus in the School of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, N.J., and co-editor of Dissent magazine, will deliver a Maine Center for Economic Policy (MECEP) lecture on "Why Do We Fight for Social Justice?" on Tuesday, Oct. 11, at the University of Southern Maine's Wishcamper Center. The event will begin with a...
September 27, 2011
NE Losing Three Eminent College ChiefsThree distinguished leaders announced their decisions to leave New England college presidencies ...Most recently, Jane Sanders announced she will step down as president of Burlington College, effective in mid-October, after seven years at the helm. In mid-September, Ruth J. Simmons announced she will step down as president of Brown University at the end of this academic year. She became the...
September 26, 2011
DC Shuttle: Congress Looking at Changing Rule that Requires For-Profit Colleges Get No More than 90% of Revenue from FedsThe Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill's $158 billion in discretionary funding provides a 0.12% funding increase from FY 2011 Education Department funding levels, and includes a provision to maintain Pell Grants at their current $5,550 maximum level. FY 2012 funding for the Education Department's Race to the Top competitive grant program would match current funding at $698.6 million. The Promise Neighborhoods program...
September 23, 2011
Talent Search: Bunker Hill CC Snags Grant to Prepare Disadvantaged StudentsBunker Hill Community College and partners were awarded a five-year grant of $230,000 per year by the U.S. Department of Education Talent Search program to prepare high school students from disadvantaged backgrounds for entry and success in college.The project's other partners include the Chelsea (Mass.) Public Schools, Families United in Educational Leadership (FUEL) and Choice Thru Education.Through BHCC's program, 500...
September 19, 2011
DC Shuttle: Congress to Update No Child Left Behind?On Tuesday, the House voted 365-54 to pass the latest in a series of bills to update the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) education law. This latest legislation (H.R. 2218) aims to establish more charter schools in order to increase student achievement around the country. Currently, the national charter school program provides funding for states to establish new charter schools....
September 16, 2011
NEBHE Collaborates with Boston Magazine for New-Look Guide to CollegesNEBHE is working with Boston magazine to publish a 2012 Guide to New England Colleges & Universities.The 2012 Guide will be distributed as a standalone publication, accompanying the winter issues of Boston magazine and Philadelphia magazine.NEBHE will also distribute copies of the Guide throughout the region, and NEBHE and Boston will post much of the data on their websites.Since the...
September 15, 2011
Former NH Postsecondary Ed Commissioner Dodge Returns to Keene State; Succeeded on NEBHE Board by BarryKeene State College appointed former executive director of the New Hampshire Postsecondary Education Commission Kathryn Dodge as special assistant to the president.Dodge was admissions director at Keene State from 1990 to 2001.At the commission, Dodge oversaw regulation of all public and private, for-profit and nonprofit higher education institutions and career schools in the state and those that wished to enter...
September 12, 2011
DC Shuttle: Obama Proposes $5 Billion for Community College InfrastructureIn his speech before a joint session of Congress Thursday evening, President Obama put forward several proposals aimed at bolstering the economy and creating jobs. Among these proposals was $30 billion to repair and revamp school facilities, including $5 billion specifically for community college infrastructure.Education advocates in the administration and Congress have attempted to advance funding for school improvement and...
September 8, 2011
Public Radio Program Explores Why So Many Americans Drop Out of CollegeMore people are going to college than ever before. But in the U.S., about half of the people who start don't finish, leaving about 37 million Americans with some college credit but no degrees, according to "Some College, No Degree," a new documentary from American Radioworks.The first in a three-part series exploring how higher education is changing, "Some College, No...
September 7, 2011
Among Comings and Goings, Pennington Leaving Gates Foundation; New Ed Commish in Conn.Hilary Pennington, who has led the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Postsecondary Success efforts for the past five years, emailed her colleagues that she was leaving the foundation. Before joining Gates, she was a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and CEO of Jobs for the Future, which she co-founded. Inside Higher Ed reports that Tom Dawson, a...
September 6, 2011
New England Works: NEBHE to Convene Leadership Summit on Bridging Higher Ed, WorkforceNEBHE will bring together hundreds of New England higher education, government and business leaders on Monday, Nov. 7, at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston to discuss the role of higher education in preparing the highly skilled workers that will drive innovation in the region.Presenters and panelists at the New England Works conference will explore: What projections say about the...
September 2, 2011
URI Fall 2011 Honors Colloquium to Feature Talks by Inventor Kurzweil, other Futurists on TechnologiesThe University of Rhode Island's honors colloquium will address technological advances expected over the next 20 to 30 years and their impact on humankind.Talks will take place Tuesday evenings, at 7:30 p.m. from September through December 2011, at Edwards Auditorium on URI's Kingston campus. The complete season line-up follows:Tuesday, Sept. 13Inventor and futurist Ray Kurzweil on exponential growth and its...
August 30, 2011
Filmmaker Michael Moore to Speak at Bunker Hill CCAcademy Award-winning filmmaker Michael Moore will speak at Bunker Hill Community College's Health & Wellness Center Gymnasium on Thursday, Sept. 15, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Moore's latest book, Here Comes Trouble: Stories from My Life, is scheduled to be released in mid-September. The event is free but seating is limited....
August 25, 2011
Salman Rushdie to Open ECSU Arts and Lecture SeriesAward-winning author Salman Rushdie will open Eastern Connecticut State University's 11th Annual Arts and Lecture Series on Tuesday, Oct. 4, at 7 p.m., in the university's student center. Rushdie is the author of 10 fictional novels inspired by his homeland of India, including The Satanic Verses, which led the spiritual leader of Iran to issue a fatwa calling for Rushdie's...
August 23, 2011
New Chiefs of NH Community Colleges, Connecticut Regents, COA, Maine Think TankJ. Bonnie Newman, the former interim president of the University of New Hampshire, was named interim chancellor of the New Hampshire Community College System, succeeding Richard Gustafson, who is retiring as chancellor of the seven-campus system. Newman was executive dean of Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, an assistant to President George H.W. Bush, president of the Business and Industry...
August 17, 2011
Conn. Gov. Malloy to Speak at Conference on Growing Economic Divide and Implications for EdConnecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy will be among speakers at 'To Have and Have Not: The Growing Economic and Social Divide and its Implications for Educational Leaders,' a conference scheduled for Monday, Oct. 3, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., at Boston University's Metcalf Trustee Center.The conference sponsored by Concord, Mass.-based Maguire Associates will also feature Barry Bluestone, dean of the...
August 15, 2011
Jobs, Jobs, Jobs: NEBHE Collaborates with New England HERC to Introduce Constantly Refreshing "Joblink" for Higher EdAs part of its mission to tie higher education to the economic well-being of New England, NEBHE has partnered with the New England Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (NE HERC) to provide access to recruitment and employment resources to address faculty and staff hiring needs.The mission of the NE HERC, which was founded in 2006, is to advance the efforts of...
August 11, 2011
Foreign Correspondent Lara Logan, O.J. Lawyer Scheck, Globetrotter Meadowlark Lemon Among Speakers in Fairfield U 2011-12 SeriesConnecticut's Fairfield University announced the roster for its 2011-12 Open VISIONS Forum at the university's Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts.The complete season line-up is as follows:Monday, Sept. 19, 2011, at 8 p.m.Chuck Todd: 'State of the Nation: Polling the Mood'Monday, Oct. 3, 2011, at 8 p.m.Lara Logan: 'Apartheid to Afghanistan, Reporting from the Front Lines'Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2011,...
August 8, 2011
DC Shuttle: Debt Deal Boosts Pell GrantsThe debt-ceiling deal signed by President Obama last week will cut over $900 billion in federal funding over the next 10 years. Yet even in an extremely budget-conscious atmosphere, members of Congress singled out the Pell Grant program for an increase in funding to guarantee college access for low-income students. Under the terms of the new law, the Pell program...
August 5, 2011
NE Budget Math: Two More Plus Four Equals All Six NE States with Budgets PassedAll six New England states have completed the initial step in their budget processes in this very difficult fiscal year.In mid-June, we reported that Connecticut and Vermont had completed budgets in record time, followed by completions in Maine and New Hampshire. Now, Massachusetts and Rhode Island ...Massachusetts BudgetTo the consternation of labor leaders, Democratic lawmakers in Massachusetts, who have had...
August 1, 2011
DC Shuttle: Duncan Defends Ed Budget Request ... and Other Higher Ed News from WashingtonEditor's Note: A reminder that our DC Shuttle column has changed gates. Our news from Washington will now appear in Newslink, rather than the Journal section, of http://www.nebhe.org.On Wednesday, Education Secretary Arne Duncan defended the department's budget request for FY 2012, including a 10.7% increase over 2011 funding levels, to the Senate Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education....
July 29, 2011
Among Comings and Goings, UVM and Carsey Institute Name Interim Chiefs; Former Unity Prez Seeks Sustainability Leaders at Second NatureUniversity of Vermont trustees named former Provost A. John Bramley to serve as interim president, beginning Aug. 1. He will succeed Daniel Fogel, who is resigning the presidency after nine years in charge and will join the UVM faculty. Bramley, himself a longstanding member of the UVM faculty, served as acting president in 2006 when Fogel suffered from acute pancreatitis....
July 27, 2011
Clark U Joins NEBHE's Master Property ProgramClark University of Worcester, Mass., is the latest New England campus to join NEBHE's Master Property Program (MPP). Clark joins the University of Maine System in New England and 49 institutions nationwide that cover more than 100 campuses with total insured values exceeding $78.9 billion. Established in 1994 by the Midwestern Higher Education Compact, the MPP saved participating members approximately...
July 25, 2011
DC Shuttle: White House Meeting with CEOs Spawns New Ed Grants ... and Other Higher Ed News from WashingtonEditor's Note: Our DC Shuttle column has changed gates, so to speak. With frequent arrivals of higher ed news from our partner The New England Council, DC Shuttle will now appear in Newslink, rather than the Journal section, of http://www.nebhe.org. President Obama hosted an education roundtable on July 18 with Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Domestic Policy Chair Melody Barnes and...
July 20, 2011
Two More NE States Close Books on Tough Budget YearIn mid-June, we reported that Connecticut and Vermont had completed budgets in record time. Now it's Maine and New Hampshire's turn in this very difficult budget year. Maine State Budget After a rocky start, Maine's newly elected Republican Gov. Paul LePage got much of what he asked for, as the Republican-controlled Legislature approved a $6.1 billion two-year budget, which included...
July 14, 2011
Nellie Mae Education Foundation Issues Report Boosting Technology in SchoolsMore than 40% of high school students feel unprepared to use technology as they look ahead to college and work, and only 8% of teachers fully integrate technology in the classroom, according to Integrating Technology with Student-Centered Learning, a new report prepared for the Nellie Mae Education Foundation (NMEF) of Quincy, Mass., by Education Development Center (EDC) of Newton, Mass.The...
July 13, 2011
Down Economy Still Shaping College Enrollment, Consulting Firm SaysTwo years after the depth of the Great Recession, the economy is still a major factor in college-enrollment decisions, according to a new survey by Concord, Mass.-based Maguire Associates and Fastweb.com. Nearly one-third of high school seniors who did not enroll in their first-choice college said the main reason was that they could not afford it, according to the survey...
July 1, 2011
Among Latest Comings & Goings, Meotti Named Interim Chief of New Conn. RegentsConnecticut Higher Education Commissioner Michael P. Meotti, a NEBHE delegate, was named interim president of the the state's new Board of Regents of Higher Education. Under the state's recent education reorganization, the Regents will serve as the board for the community colleges, state universities and Charter Oak State College, as of Jan. 1. 2012. ****Vermont State Colleges Chancellor Tim Donovan...
June 29, 2011
Number of HS Grads Dropping in NE StatesThe number of new high school graduates will plunge in the New England states between now and 2020, according to a new report by the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) and the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS). The report Not Just Kid Stuff Anymore: The Economic Imperative for More Adults to Complete College forecasts no...
June 15, 2011
Conn. and Vt. First NE States to Complete Legislative SessionsTwo newly elected Democratic governors pushed through ambitious legislative agendas in record time, with the support of legislatures controlled by Democrats. Both states took bold steps to jumpstart the economy in their states by passing bills to create jobs and to cut costs. Connecticut passed the biggest tax increase in the state's history, while Vermont passed the nation's first single-payer...
June 13, 2011
Chronicle of Higher Ed Asks Where State Legislators Went to CollegeFor years, we asserted that New England's struggles with low state fiscal support for higher education stemmed in part from the under-representation of public higher education alums in the region's state legislatures. This week, the national Chronicle of Higher Education published a major review of where state lawmakers went to college. Among the findings: New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and Rhode...
June 13, 2011
Two New Presidents Among Latest Comings and Goings in NE Higher EdLandmark College hired Endicott College dean of arts and sciences Peter Eden to be the new president of the Putney, Vt. two-year college for students with learning disabilities, effective July 1.**** The Massachusetts Board of Higher Education approved John O'Donnell as the next president of Massachusetts Bay Community College. O'Donnell, current president of Stark State College in Ohio, will succeed...
June 6, 2011
Mass. Forum to Ask What Is Meant by "College and Career Readiness"The Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy and the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education will hold a forum on "Defining and Assessing College and Career Readiness" on Tuesday June 14, at 8:30 a.m. at the Seaport World Trade Center Boston. "While the goal of the previous Massachusetts State Curriculum Frameworks was to ensure students' proficiency in specific disciplines," says...
May 27, 2011
Here Come the Guvs ...New England's governors on strategies for higher education We've invited each of the six New England governors to write short articles for The New England Journal of Higher Education on future challenges facing higher education in their respective states. In June, we'll begin posting each piece by the chief executives in alphabetical order by state, starting with Connecticut Gov. Dannel...
May 26, 2011
Consulting Firm to Hold Free Webinar on Net Price CalculatorMaguire Associates of Concord, Mass. will hold a free webinar on "Getting Smart with Your Net Price Calculator" on Tuesday, June 7, at 1 p.m. EST. Under the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008, Congress mandated that higher education institutions offer the net price calculators (NPCs) to allow prospective students and families to estimate personal out-of-pocket expenses at a particular...
May 25, 2011
Study Projects Big Job Cuts in Schools for 2011-12A quarter-million jobs in education are in jeopardy next school year, according to the latest economic impact survey by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA). Two-thirds of U.S. school districts eliminated personnel in the 2010-11 school year, and nearly three-quarters expected to cut more jobs in the 2011-12 school year, according to the Projection of National Education Job Cuts...
May 20, 2011
Maine Chancellor Pattenaude Won't Seek Contract Extension, Duncan to Leave Carsey InstituteUniversity of Maine System Chancellor Richard L. Pattenaude planned to tell system trustees that he will not seek an extension of his current contract, which expires next year at the end of June. Pattenaude has served as chancellor since 2007 and, before that, was president of the University of Southern Maine for 16 years. In May, he shared views on...
May 19, 2011
Study Finds In-State Tuition for Undocumented Students Boosts College Enrollment, Lowers High School Dropout RatesShould states allow undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition at public campuses? If the goal is to increase college enrollment and reduce the number of high school dropouts, the answer is yes, according to a new study by researchers at Roger Williams University's Latino Policy Institute. The study shows in-state tuition would result in a 31% increase in the college-going...
May 18, 2011
A Start-Up in Peace: Israeli and Palestinian Students to Launch Businesses at BabsonMore than 40 Israeli and Palestinian students will learn about entrepreneurship and establish businesses this summer at Babson College and, ideally, bring a spirit of peace and understanding back to their countries. The three-part program will begin with orientation in the Middle East during the last week in May, entrepreneurship education at Babson during July and August, and business launch...
May 17, 2011
Nellie Mae Education Foundation Awards Seven Organizations, Schools and Districts Almost $1 Million for "Proficiency-Based Pathways"The Nellie Mae Education Foundation (NMEF) awarded one-year grants to seven organizations, schools, and districts across New England as part of the foundation's effort to prepare all learners with the skills and knowledge needed for success in postsecondary education, work and life. Proficiency-Based Pathways allow students to progress toward their goals based on mastery rather than a required number of...
May 14, 2011
Hot off the Prez: Hampshire Plucks Lash; Scientist Mulkey to Lead UnityHampshire College named sustainability leader Jonathan Lash to be its next president. Lash has been president of the environmental think tank World Resources Institute since 1993. From 1993 to 1999, he was co-chair of the President's Council on Sustainable Development, the group of government, business, labor, civil rights and environmental leaders appointed by President Clinton to develop strategies to promote...
May 11, 2011
Maine Gov. LePage to Address Grads at his Alma Mater HussonMaine Gov. Paul LePage (R) will deliver the 112th commencement address at his alma mater Husson University on Saturday, May 14, at 10:30 a.m., in the Winkin Sports Complex on Husson's Bangor campus. Husson will hold a second commencement on Saturday, May 21, at 11 a.m., at the Woodfords Corner Congregational Church in Portland, with Rep. Marc Dion (D-Portland) and...
May 7, 2011
Among Comings & Goings, Moore to Leave Lyndon State, Staples to Head NEASCLyndon State College President Carol A. Moore announced her retirement from the college, effective July 1, after 13 yeas in charge of the Lyndonville, Vt. college. A NEBHE delegate since 2002, Moore recently wrote for NEJHE about college retention.**** Former Connecticut state Rep. Cameron Staples, who was House chair of the Education Committee and a longtime NEBHE delegate, was chosen...
May 6, 2011
Big Oil CEO and Carbon Opponent to Each Address WPI Grads After Speaker Dustup; Gov. Malloy to Deliver Keynotes in ConnecticutWorcester Polytechnic Institute's invitation to ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson to deliver this year's commencement address on May 14, sparked protests from WPI's Students for a Just and Stable Future. The students noted that the world's largest oil company and a major funder of climate deniers has given more than $1.3 million to the school. After WPI President Dennis Berkey's threat...
May 5, 2011
Full Content of Journal Issues, 1998 to 2010, Now Available!Looking for a thoughtful recent history of higher education and New England life? Check out our archives of The New England Journal of Higher Education and Connection. Please visit our Journal Archives via the pull-down menu under The Journal. ...
May 4, 2011
From Noted Neurosurgeon to Newark, N.J. Mayor, More Grad Speakers AnnouncedNeurosurgeon Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine will keynote Southern Vermont College's 84th commencement on Saturday, May 7, at 1 p.m. Ethiopian-born, Swedish raised, award-winning chef and food activist Marcus Samuelsson will also address graduates. Oscar-nominated screenwriter and scholar of communications ethics Richard LaGravenese will keynote Emerson College's 131st commencement exercises on Monday, May 16, at 11...
April 29, 2011
Wentworth Aims to Engineer Prestige with New Emphasis on Need-Based AidHigher education is no stranger to the quest for prestige. With the increasing pervasiveness of college and university rankings from publications such as U.S. News and World Report, the public has instant access to what is heralded as the best of the best, be it the best college, the best engineering program, and yes, even the best party school. Higher...
April 28, 2011
URI Hooks $11.5 Million to Boost Sustainable Fishing in SenegalThe Coastal Resources Center and the Fisheries Center at the University of Rhode Island were awarded a five-year, $11.5 million grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development to help the sub-Saharan African country of Senegal promote sustainable fishing. Fishing has been an economic safety net in Senegal, which has created competing interests familiar in some parts of New England....
April 27, 2011
CollegeWeekLive to Feature Chats with New England Students, Reps on May 3The world's largest online college fair, CollegeWeekLive, will feature New England Day on Tuesday, May 3. Attendees may log in to chat with admissions representatives from more than 20 local colleges and hear about campus life from students via webcast. All registrants will be eligible for a $5,000 scholarship available. Participants will include the University of Massachusetts, University of Vermont,...
April 25, 2011
Vt. Gov. Shumlin to Address Green Mountain College Grads ... and More Commencement NewsVermont Gov. Peter Shumlin will deliver the commencement address at Green Mountain College's 174th graduation ceremony on Saturday, May 14, at 10 a.m. on the college's Griswold Library lawn. Boston TV journalist Liz Walker will deliver the commencement address at Regis College on Saturday, May 14, at 10 a.m. in the Tower Gardens. Walmart Foundation President Margaret A. McKenna will...
April 22, 2011
Walking Wounded: Education Budgets Taking Shape Across NEGovernors, Legislators Seek Concessions From Labor Deep Cuts Applied to Higher Education and Scholarship Programs K-12 Treading Water After Losing Stimulus Funds Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy's two-year plan to deal with a $3.2 billion deficit (in the first year alone) relies on significant concessions from labor to the tune of $1.5 billion. Unions gave Malloy strong support in his race...
April 21, 2011
B-School Students Behaving Badly?The New York Times and The Chronicle of Higher Education recently collaborated on a piece that investigated the concerns about undergraduate business students' study habits that are highlighted in the popular book Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses and elsewhere. Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa, authors of Academically Adrift, claim that business majors had the "weakest gains" in...
April 20, 2011
Events: Economic Conference to Focus on New England-Canada ConnectionsThe New England Economic Partnership (NEEP) and the Consulate General of Canada in Boston will explore economic connections between Canada and New England at NEEP's Spring Economic Outlook Conference to be held Thursday, May 19, from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston....
April 20, 2011
Events: MIT to Screen Documentary on Finland's School SuccessMIT will screen 'The Finland Phenomenon: Inside the World's Most Surprising School System' on Thursday, May 5, at the Ray and Maria Stata Center, beginning with a 6 p.m. reception and followed by an 8 p.m. panel discussion with: Massachusetts Secretary of Education Paul Reville, Cambria Managing Director Ellen Kumata, Harvard Graduate School of Education Academic Dean Robert B. Schwartz,...
April 20, 2011
Events: MECEP Lecture on America's Midlife CrisisAuthor and community organizer Michael Gecan of the Industrial Areas Foundation will deliver the Maine Center for Economic Policy (MECEP) Shepard Lee Lecture on "Building Community Power After America's Midlife Crisis" on Wednesday, May 4, at 5 p.m., at the University of Southern Maine's Wishcamper Center in Portland. Gecan's most recent book, After America's Midlife Crisis (MIT Press 2009) outlines...
April 18, 2011
The Edvolution Continues: Western NE is Latest College to Graduate to UniversityWestern New England College of Springfield, Mass., was awarded "university" status by the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education and will change its name to Western New England University on July 1, 2011. Why the name change? Western New England will develop a Ph.D. program in Engineering Management to join its existing Ph.D. in Behavior Analysis. But as we noted in...
April 14, 2011
Worcester State U Taps Westfield State Exec as Prez; Former Boston Fed Chief to Head Simmons Biz SchoolWorcester State University trustees voted to recommend Barry Maloney be the university's next president, starting July 1. Maloney, currently vice president for student affairs at Westfield State University, will succeed Janelle Ashley, who will step down at the end of this academic year after 13 years on the job in Worcester. **** Cathy E. Minehan, president and CEO of the...
April 11, 2011
Up for a New Challenge? Check out the Spring STEM PBL Newsletter TodayThe second edition of the STEM PBL newsletter is available now! The newest issue details the latest in STEM PBL "Challenge" development and field-testing, green-chemistry reports, student learning, dissemination and more! The current goal of STEM PBL is to increase the number of job-ready STEM workers by engaging high school and college students with challenging learning materials and innovative teaching...
April 11, 2011
More Caps and Gowns: NE College Commencement Season Shifting to High GearPremier of Quebec Jean Charest will keynote Champlain College's 133nd commencement on Saturday, May 7, at 10 a.m. in the college's Memorial Auditorium. Former Vt. Gov. Jim Douglas will speak on behalf of honorary degree recipients during the ceremony. Author and sustainable agriculture activist Gary Paul Nabhan will deliver the commencement address at Maine's Unity College on Saturday, May...
April 8, 2011
Drugstore Giant Writes $10k Prescription for Diversity at Saint Joseph Pharm SchoolThe Saint Joseph College School of Pharmacy was awarded a $10,000 grant from the Walgreens Diversity Scholarship fund to develop programs to promote diversity at the school. Offering a unique three calendar-year doctorate program in pharmacy, the school will welcome its inaugural class this fall in Hartford. It will mark the West Hartford-based Saint Joseph's first campus extension into Connecticut's...
April 7, 2011
Not Off That Easy: Government Responds to University Inaction on Sexual AssaultsYale is no stranger to Title IX controversies. In 1976, Women's Crew accused the university of unequally funding its athletic team. One year later, a Title IX suit was brought against the university after four female undergraduates and one male assistant professor alleged that quid pro quo sexual harassment by male professors prohibited women from receiving access to the same...
April 6, 2011
UMaine Center Developing Wood Composites to Withstand Earthquakes, Bridges You Can Carry in Duffel BagsThe University of Maine's state-of-the-art Advanced Structures and Composites Center (AEWC) was awarded the Charles Pankow Award for Innovation by the American Society for Civil Engineering for its whimsically titled "Bridge-in-a-Backpack" technology. The technology allows builders to pack in duffel bags materials used to build arches for bridge spans and carry them to a construction site. They can then build...
April 3, 2011
Middlesex CC Names Library for Evan DobelleMiddlesex Community College named the library on its Lowell, Mass. campus, for its second president Evan S. Dobelle. Now celebrating its 40th anniversary, MCC is the second largest public two-year college in New England, with 21,000 students. The library named for Dobelle is housed in MCC's F. Bradford Morse Federal Building in the historic mill city. Dobelle was the mayor...
April 1, 2011
Roger Williams, Cambridge and Gordon Appoint New PresidentsRoger Williams University trustees named scientist and attorney Donald J. Farish, to be the Bristol, R.I. university's 10th president. Farish served 13 years as president of Rowan University in Glassboro, N.J. He will take office at RWU on July 1, succeeding Ronald O. Champagne, who has been interim president since August 2010. **** Cambridge College appointed Deborah Jackson as its...
March 31, 2011
Pattenaude Emphasizes Higher Ed as Key in MaineUniversity of Maine System Chancellor Richard L. Pattenaude emphasized the confluence of economic development and higher education in a joint session of the Maine state Senate and House of Representatives in his "State of the University" biennial address on March 30. 'Historically, higher education has meant personal growth and discovery, creating and preserving knowledge, and helping our students become lifelong...
March 31, 2011
Doing Good and Doing Well: Performance-Based Funding in Higher EdThe New England Board of Higher Education released a policy brief that encourages states to tie a portion of higher education appropriations to institutional outcomes. Currently, New England states tend to apportion institutional funding based on enrollment levels—a practice that rewards quantity, but not necessarily student success and degree attainment. From President Obama to private foundations like Lumina and Gates,...
March 30, 2011
CONNECT Partnership Lists Events at SE Mass CampusesBridgewater State University will host a spring forum featuring Neil Donovan, executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, on Wednesday, April 6, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., at the university's Moakley Auditorium. Massachusetts Maritime Academy will host a Sci-Tech Girls Expo featuring Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution CEO Susan Avery on Saturday, April 9, from 8:30 a.m. to...
March 29, 2011
Pooling ResourcesFrom academic resources to insurance, NEBHE has been finding economies of scale for more than a half-century. NEBHE recently began offering New England campuses a comprehensive property insurance program tailored specifically to higher education at costs that have consistently been below industry trends. Established in 1994 by the Midwestern Higher Education Compact, this Master Property Program is based on a...
March 29, 2011
Bleeding at NE Statehouses: The Latest on BudgetsThe author, NEBHE consultant and former director of the Caucus of New England State Legislatures Carolyn Morwick, notes that this update on state budgets was accurate as of March 29, but events are changing rapidly in the six state capitals. Connecticut Biennial Budget Gov. Dan Malloy's two-year $40 billion budget calls for $1.5 billion in new taxes, which includes hikes...