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May 8, 2018

NEBHE is pleased to announce the following grant from Lumina Foundation to launch the High Value Credentials for New England (HVCNE) initiative. The initiative is part of the ongoing work stemming from NEBHE's Commission on Higher Education & Employability. The Commission, chaired by Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo, brought together leaders of education, business and policy for nearly a year...

May 8, 2018

Long Comings and Goings ... Bridget Terry Long, Saris Professor of Education and Economics and former academic dean at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE), will become the next dean of HGSE in July, succeeding James E. Ryan, who will become president of the University of Virginia. Long co-authored the article "As Student Debt Increases, Colleges Owe More in Performance"...

April 30, 2018

DC Shuttle ... States Move Legislation on Student Loan Servicers. States have continued to move legislation regarding student loan servicing, despite the fact that the Trump administration says it should be handled by the federal government, and not state governments. The administration sought to put an end to states' regulation of the companies that collect federal student loans. U.S. Education...

April 24, 2018

Comings and Goings ... Sandra J. Doran NEBHE's Sandra J. Doran, who in January 2014 became the first director of the New England State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA), was named interim president of Salem Academy and College, while the private women's school in Winston-Salem, N.C., seeks a new permanent leader. At Salem, Doran replaces Lorraine Sterritt, who in January was...

April 23, 2018

DC Shuttle ... House Committee Passes Apprenticeship Bill. The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee unanimously approved the Innovations in Mentoring, Training, and Apprenticeships Act (H.R. 5509), introduced by Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and cosponsored by Chair Lamar Smith (R-TX). The bill directs the National Science Foundation to provide grants for innovative approaches to STEM education and related workforce...

April 16, 2018

DC Shuttle ... Universities Targeted by Department of Justice in Antitrust Probe on Early-Decision Policies. The U.S. Department of Justice has launched an investigation into antitrust violations related to early-decision college admissions. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Justice Department has sent letters to top U.S. universities notifying them of the investigation. The letter also asks institutions to preserve...

April 10, 2018

Ferrini-Mundy Comings and Goings ... The University of Maine System appointed National Science Foundation COO Joan Ferrini-Mundy to be the 21st president of the University of Maine, succeeding Susan Hunter, who will retire this summer. Ferrini-Mundy will also serve as president of the system's smallest campus, the University of Maine at Machias as part of a partnership established last summer.The...

April 3, 2018

NEBHE announces 2017-18 Regional Student Program annual report ... The New England Board of Higher Education's Regional Student Program (RSP), also known as Tuition Break, provided more than $59 million in tuition savings in academic year 2017-18 to 8,654 participating students, according to the recently published 2017-18 Annual Report of the New England Regional Student Program (RSP). The RSP allows eligible...

April 2, 2018

PROVIDENCE, R.I., March 19, 2018--The New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) Commission on Higher Education & Employability today released a major report with recommendations to increase the career readiness of graduates of New England colleges and universities and improve their transitions to work.Click here to read and download the Learning for Life and Work report in PDF format.Chaired by...

March 27, 2018

Olian Comings and Goings ... Judy D. Olian, dean and John E. Anderson Chair in Management at the UCLA Anderson School of Management, was named the first woman president of Quinnipiac University, succeeding John L. Lahey. Thomas Bailey, director of the Community College Research Center at Teachers College, Columbia University, since the center's founding in 1996, was named the next...

March 27, 2018

DC Shuttle ... Omnibus Spending Package Boosts Ed Funding Where Trump Wanted Cuts. President Trump signed into law spending legislation that provides a significant funding increase for the U.S. Department of Education, including more money for educator development, afterschool programs and special education. The bill funds the Department of Education at $70.9 billion, which is $2.6 billion above the fiscal...

March 19, 2018

DC Shuttle ... Students March to Address School Shootings. Thousands of students and teachers joined a National School Walkout on March 14 in Washington, D.C. and across the nation, to call for stricter gun-control measures. The actions came on the one-month anniversary of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Hundreds of students gathered at the White House,...

March 19, 2018

Mandel Comings and Goings ... Maud S. Mandel, dean of the college and professor of history and Judaic studies at Brown University, was named president of Williams College, succeeding Protik (Tiku) Majumder, who has served as interim president since Adam F. Falk left the Williams presidency after eight years to be president of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Massachusetts College...

March 5, 2018

DC Shuttle ... Senators Ask for Loan Forgiveness for Disabled Borrowers. Senators Angus King (I-ME), Rob Portman (R-OH) and Chris Coons (D-DL) led a group of senators including Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) in writing a letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin and Acting Commissioner of Social Security Nancy Berryhill, urging them to...

February 21, 2018

Comings and Goings ... Lawrence Bacow, former Tufts president, was named the next president of Harvard University, succeeding Drew Gilpin Faust, who became Harvard's first woman president in 2007 and is set to retire in June. As president of Tufts, Bacow wrote a piece for NEJHE (when it we called Connection) arguing that early decision while a "highly effective—and therefore...

February 20, 2018

DC Shuttle ... Administration Planning Education Department Reorganization. The Trump administration is proposing a major overhaul of the U.S. Education Department's organizational structure, according to reports. The plan would eliminate or consolidate more than a half-dozen offices at the agency. The restructuring would affect nearly every major unit of the department, including K-12 education, higher education, communications and legislative affairs,...

February 13, 2018

New England higher education professionals gathered last month at NEBHE's Next Generation Transfer event at the College of the Holy Cross and called for increased open discussion of college transfer, with the aim of greater sharing of data, information and policy. Four in 10 students in New England transferred at least once in their college career, according to 2015 data from...

February 12, 2018

Bipartisan Budget Act Adds Ed Funding. Following a short government shutdown overnight, both chambers voted to approve spending for the federal government. The bipartisan budget bill funds the government through March 23 and raises spending caps.

February 6, 2018

Davis-Blake Comings and Goings ... Bentley University appointed Alison Davis-Blake, the former dean of the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business and the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management, to be its eighth president, succeeding Gloria Cordes Larson, who will step down in June 2018 after 11 years as president. Saint Michael's College named North Carolina's Salem Academy...

February 5, 2018

DC Shuttle ... Trump Talks About Community Colleges and Vocational Training. The Washington Postreports that President Trump had only one sentence relating to education in his State of the Union, and it was about vocational schools. Speaking at a GOP retreat after the address, he said, "We can open more vocational schools because we want every American to reach their...

January 29, 2018

DC Shuttle ... HEA Hearings in Senate. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing on reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA). The hearing focused on access and innovation in the higher education space. The committee heard testimony from Barbara Brittingham of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) as well as other...

January 26, 2018

Arbaje-Thomas Comings and Goings ... Milagros 'Milly' Arbaje-Thomas was named chief executive of Metco, the Massachusetts program that sends 3,300 mostly African-American and Latino students from Boston and Springfield into predominantly white suburban schools. Arbaje-Thomas, who spent 15 years managing neighborhood antipoverty programs for Action for Boston Community Development, will succeed Jean McGjuire, who led Metco from 1973 to 2016....

January 22, 2018

Video snippets from NEBHE's Summit on Employability: A National Imperative ... Northeastern University President Joseph E. Aoun spoke at last month's summit about the future of higher education in the age of artificial intelligence and the work of the Commission on Higher Education & Employability. Here, Aoun discusses a new curriculum he calls "humanics" ... And here on lifelong learning...

January 22, 2018

DC Shuttle ... Labor Dept Issues New Internship Guidance. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced changes to the way it defines interns. DOL issued an updated fact sheet on internship programs under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The "primary beneficiary" Fact Sheet lists seven factors for determining whether an intern is an employee and thus should be paid. That...

January 16, 2018

DC Shuttle ... Response and Debate Follow Committee Passing of HEA Reauthorization. The House bill (H.R. 4508) to reauthorize the Higher Education Act would overhaul the federal student aid programs and eliminate some regulations on for-profit colleges, such as the 90/10 rule and gainful employment regulations. The bill takes some steps toward a unit-record system, Inside Higher Ed reports. It...

January 9, 2018

Isaak Comings and Goings ... Midwestern Higher Education Compact (MHEC) President Larry Isaak announced he'll retire as MHEC president, effective Nov. 16, 2018, after nearly 15 years as the compact's president. Before joining MHEC, Isaak was the chancellor of the North Dakota University System for 10 years. Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy named Greenwich corporate attorney Thomas E. Kruger to be...

December 22, 2017

Video snippets from NEBHE's Summit on Employability: A National Imperative ... NEBHE's Dec. 4, 2017 Summit included a session on "Educating Workers for the Digital Economy." Companies are looking for qualified applicants who have 'digital' skills. The challenge for educators is to find ways to integrate the current digital skills needed into the curriculum while teaching students to be agile...

December 18, 2017

Video snippets from NEBHE's Summit on Employability: A National Imperative ... Estela Mara Bensimon, founder and director of the Center for Urban Education at the University of Southern California, spoke at the Dec. 4 Summit about the Commission on Higher Education & Employability's 'Equity Imperative.' Here, Bensimon suggests a higher ed institutions have a performance gap in educating African-American, Latinx...

December 18, 2017

DC Shuttle ... House Education and Workforce Committee Passes HEA Reauthorization. The House Education and the Workforce Committee marked up and passed legislation to reauthorize the Higher Education Act. The legislation, the Promoting Real Opportunity, Success, and Prosperity through Education Reform (PROSPER) Act (H.R. 4508), was approved on a party-line vote, with all democrats opposing the measure introduced by Chair...

December 11, 2017

Video snippets from NEBHE's Summit on Employability: A National Imperative ... Former U.S. Secretary of Education John King Jr., now president and CEO of The Education Trust, spoke at the Dec. 4 Summit about the Commission on Higher Education & Employability's 'Equity Imperative.' Here, King notes how institutional forces exacerbate segregation ... and suggests that institutions should help first-generation students...

December 11, 2017

DC Shuttle ... Tax Bill Moves Forward Despite Educators' Resistance. Both the U.S. House and Senate voted to go to conference on their versions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The bills would make significant changes to higher education. Between the House and Senate versions of the legislation, the following changes would impact higher education institutions and students: Endowment...

December 8, 2017

Video snippets from NEBHE's Summit on Employability: A National Imperative ... Eastern Connecticut State University President Elsa Núñez led a session at the Dec. 4 Summit about the Commission on Higher Education & Employability's 'Equity Imperative.' NEBHE aims to ensure that the Commission's workforce vision serves all New Englanders ... as a matter of social justice, but also as a...

December 4, 2017

DC Shuttle ... House Ed and Workforce Releases Draft HEA Reauthorization. Republican leadership of the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce released a bill that would reauthorize the federal law governing higher education, the Higher Education Act of 1965. The "Promoting Real Opportunity, Success, and Prosperity through Education Reform (PROSPER) Act," H.R. 4508, was introduced by the Committee's...

November 30, 2017

Apply now for 2018-19 scholarship. The New England Board of Higher Education is pleased to announce the NEBHE-Chinese Government Scholarship, a timely opportunity for New England college and university students. Over the past decade, China has become a top study abroad destination for U.S. students. According to the Institute of International Education's Open Doors report, the number of American students studying...

November 29, 2017

Through its partnership with RadioHigherEd.com, NEJHE presents a conversation with Martha Kanter, who is leading the College Promise Campaign's national initiative to increase college access, affordability, quality and completion.Kanter is the former U.S. undersecretary of education, where she had oversight responsibility for all federal postsecondary statutory, regulatory and administrative policies and programs in Obama Administration. NEJHE was pleased to feature Kanter's...

November 28, 2017

NEBHE's 2018 Guide to New England Colleges & Universities lists key data for public and independent, degree-granting colleges and universities based in New England—such as admissions application deadlines and acceptance rates; faculty-student ratio; enrollment totals and breakdowns for part-time, commuting, female, international and minority students; cost of attendance; and degrees offered. NEBHE gathered the information for the college listings through...

November 20, 2017

DC Shuttle ... FAFSA Simplification Hearing and Bill. The Senate Health, Education Labor & Pensions (HELP) committee will hold a hearing on Nov. 28 to take a look at simplifying the free application for federal student aid (FAFSA). The committee will hear from witnesses representing researchers, students, schools and financial aid professionals on proposals to simplify the FAFSA. Committee Chair...

November 13, 2017

DC Shuttle ... Senate Releases Tax Bill. The Republican-led U.S. Senate released a tax bill that would impose a new 1.4% excise tax on the earnings of endowments at private universities. The new tax, which is also in the House bill, would apply only to private, not public, universities that have at least 500 students and endowment assets of at...

November 7, 2017

DC Shuttle ... House Tax Plan Would Hit Higher Education. Republican leadership in the U.S. House released its draft "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act", which would have major implications for the higher education community. A new tax would make private colleges subject to a 1.4% excise tax on the net investment income of their endowments. The provision would apply only...

October 30, 2017

DC Shuttle ... Hearing on Free Speech on Campus. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing on free speech on college campuses. The only legislation proposed to address the issue is a House resolution (H Res 307) to ban campuses from designating specific areas where students can protest or pass out flyers. In September, Attorney...

October 24, 2017

Studley Comings and Goings ... Former U.S. Department of Education official and Skidmore College President Jamienne S. Studley was named president of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges' Senior College and University Commission, one of the seven U.S. regional accreditors. Studley has been featured several times in NEJHE, speaking about college rating systems and other initiatives to promote access,...

October 23, 2017

DC Shuttle ... College Presidents Ask for Solution to Dreamers' Status. Presidents from almost 800 colleges and universities sent a letter to leaders of Congress, calling on them to "pass a long-term legislative fix as soon as possible to protect Dreamers." In the letter, presidents argue that "Colleges and universities have seen these remarkable people up close, in our classrooms...

October 18, 2017

Mills Comings and Goings ... Barry Mills, the former Bowdoin College president who became interim chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Boston in July after the resignation of Chancellor J. Keith Motley, will step down from the UMass Boston post in June 2018. Regis College appointed former professor and later chief diversity officer at Vermont's School for International Training Michelle Cromwell...

October 16, 2017

DC Shuttle ... Ed Secy Outlines Priorities. U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos outlined her vision and policy priorities for education in the U.S. In a document published in the Federal Register, the Department of Education details 11 proposed priorities for use in competitive grant programs that "reflect the Secretary's vision for American education." The department said that its 11 initiatives...

October 10, 2017

DC Shuttle ... Executive Order Extends Presidential Commissions on Education. President Trump signed an executive order extending three presidential advisory commissions on education until Sept. 30, 2019. All three had been set to expire over the weekend. Trump's order extends the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics and...

October 3, 2017

Scolforo Comings and Goings ... The Vermont State College System appointed Central Penn College President Karen Scolforo to be the next leader of Castleton University, succeeding Dave Wolk, who is retiring from the post after 16 years. Vermont State Colleges Chancellor Jeb Spaulding noted that with Scolforo's appointment, all five institutions in the Vermont State College System will all be...

October 2, 2017

DC Shuttle ... Perkins Loan Program Expires. The federal Perkins Loan program expired with the end of the fiscal year on Saturday night. More than 200 House lawmakers asked leadership for a vote on the legislation (H.R. 2482) to reauthorize the Perkins Loan program for an additional two years. A bill was also introduced in the Senate (S. 1808) sponsored...

September 25, 2017

DC Shuttle ... Ed Dept Solicits Feedback on Regulation Reduction. The U.S. Department of Education will hold the first of two public hearings tomorrow to solicit additional public input on which federal higher education regulations it should roll back. The hearing will be at Salt Lake Community College's Miller Campus in Sandy, Utah. A second hearing will be held on...

September 19, 2017

As a Tick superhero gathers comic book and video followers, Maine state Sen. Jim Dill, a UMaine Cooperative Extension professor, has emerged as a key expert in the real-life challenge of understanding the often-disease-carrying insects. NEBHE presented its 2017 regional Higher Education Excellence Award to Dill, during the organization's board meeting at the Sable Oaks Marriott in South Portland, Maine,...

September 18, 2017

NEBHE on Sept. 15 issued the following statement ... The New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) urges Congress to follow the president's direction to legislate permanent protections for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). DACA allowed "Dreamers" to "come out of the shadows," enroll in postsecondary opportunities and legally secure jobs. "Dreamers" are required to follow specific rules to...

September 18, 2017

DC Shuttle ... House Approves Spending Package with Ed Dept Cuts. The House of Representatives approved an omnibus spending package (H.R. 3354), by a 211-198 vote, to fund the government, including the U.S. Department of Education funding bill (H.R. 3358). The bill, as approved, would cut about $2.3 billion from the Department of Education, a roughly 3.5% reduction from the...

September 12, 2017

New Hampshire lawmakers ended hard-fought budget deliberations on June 22 and passed a two-year $17.7 billion budget along party lines. During House budget deliberations, Republicans faced opposition in their own party coming from the newly formed Freedom Caucus. The result was the Republican-dominated House failed to produce a budget, which hadn't happened in several decades. The Republican House and Senate...

September 12, 2017

The first regular session of Maine's 128th state Legislature was exceptionally challenging, as lawmakers engaged in a bitter fight over the budget while wrestling with four ballot questions approved by voters in the November 2016 election. Lawmakers were divided on Question 2, which was approved by voters and would have imposed a 3% tax on those making $200,000 or more....

September 12, 2017

Two weeks into FY 2018, Gov. Charlie Baker signed a $39.4 billion spending package that increases spending by 1.7% over the prior year. He vetoed $320 million from the budget, including $222 million in spending for MassHealth, the state's Medicaid program. Baker has proposed reforms to MassHealth including a 'gate' which blocks eligibility for full-time workers who have access to...

September 12, 2017

On June 7, 2017, Connecticut legislators wrapped up their session without passing a two-year budget. The failure to pass a budget or a provisional budget reflects a deeply divided Legislature with an 18-18 split in the Senate and a slight Democratic majority, 79-72, in the House. As lawmakers adjourned, Gov. Dannel Malloy chastised them for failing to break the deadlock...

September 12, 2017

The Rhode Island General Assembly abruptly ended its 2017 legislation session on Friday evening, July 1, following a protracted disagreement between House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello and Senate President Dominick Ruggerio related to the car tax. Eliminating the car tax was a high priority of Mattiello's. But some lawmakers expressed concern that with revenues lagging by approximately $100 million, eliminating the...

September 12, 2017

From January to April, there appeared to be an unusual degree of cooperation among legislators and newly elected Gov. Phil Scott. The House and Senate passed a budget with minor differences. Up until this point, some legislators were characterizing the session as “boring.” All that changed on April 20, when Scott proposed that the Legislature adopt the Vermont School Boards...

September 11, 2017

DC Shuttle ... DeVos to Change Sexual Assault Rule. U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos gave a speech in which she said she would replace an Obama-era schools directive on sexual assault with an alternative that she said would do a better job balancing the rights of victims and the accused, Politico reports. The plan is to develop new guidance through...

September 11, 2017

Immerman Comings and Goings ... Steve Immerman announced he will retire as president of Montserrat College at the end of the 2017-18 academic year, after nearly nine years leading the four-year visual arts and design college. Immerman authored Letting Off STEAM at Montserrat College of Art for NEJHE. Bob Pura announced he will retire as president of Greenfield Community College, ...

August 24, 2017

NEBHE Senior Fellow Stafford Peat teamed up with Sarah Linet, a policy specialist with the Great Schools Partnership, to write a piece for the online collaborative CompetencyWorks titled Debunking a Myth–Competency-Based Transcripts Don't Disadvantage High School Graduates in the Admissions Process. Peat and Linet note that a focus group of deans and directors of admission from the most selective private...

August 9, 2017

The affordability of public colleges and universities, whose primary mission is to serve state residents, is top-of-mind for students and parents, institutional leaders and state policymakers. NEBHE's 2016-17 tuition & fees report New England Fast Facts: The Price of Public Colleges in New England, 2016-17 shows that since fall 2011, tuition and required fees have risen 16% at community colleges and...

August 9, 2017

From time to time we revive 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 (formerly Connection). The latest ... "Patriotic" rank of northern New England states measured by indicators such as share of enlisted military population, share of...

August 7, 2017

DC Shuttle ... Justice Dept Memo Suggests Lawsuit on College Discrimination. A leaked document suggested that the U.S. Justice Department may soon begin investigating whether colleges are discriminating in the way they use race in admissions. An internal Justice Department posting seeking lawyers for "investigations and possible litigation" relating to university affirmative action policies was leaked to the New York...

August 1, 2017

Treadwell Comings and Goings ... The University System of New Hampshire appointed Antioch University Provost and CEO Melinda Treadwell to be interim president of Keene State College, succeeding Anne Huot, who resigned after four years as president and will return to her faculty position as a biology professor after a year-long unpaid leave of absence. Treadwell previously served as interim...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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....

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...

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%...

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...

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...

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...