Posts Categorized: Technology

DC Shuttle: More Arguing Over NCLB Waivers, STEM Plugged, Climate Research Dissed

HELP Committee examines NCLB waivers. On Thursday, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing on No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and State Flexibility Waivers. Education Secretary Arne Duncan testified. Ranking Member Lamar Alexander (R-TN) sharply criticized the administration for granting NCLB waivers to states that shift towards policies that the administration...

NEBHE Updates T&I Figures on University Research

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

DC Shuttle: Bill Would Require In-State Tuition for all Vets at Public Campuses Regardless of Residency

In-state tuition for veterans. On Tuesday, House Veterans' Affairs Committee Chair Jeff Miller (R-FL) and Ranking Member Michael Michaud (D-ME) introduced the GI Bill Tuition Fairness Act (H.R. 357) in the House of Representatives. The bill would require public universities to charge in-state tuition to veterans in order to qualify to receive veterans' education benefits. The law would go int...

LEEF Season in Maine and NH: Announcing Workshops at Bates and Dartmouth

The Leaders in Energy Efficiency Financing (LEEF) Network will gather sustainability leaders from colleges, healthcare institutions, municipalities and other nonprofits to explore "Investing in Energy Efficiency" during workshops in January at Bates College in Maine and Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. The LEEF Network, a regionally based program of the Sustainable Endowments Institute (SEI), b...

DC Shuttle: NIH Issues Plans for Biomed Research

Last Friday, the National Institute of Health (NIH) approved a broad implementation plan for a set of initiatives intended to strengthen and shape the biomedical research workforce based on the recommendations of the NIH Biomedical Workforce Working Group. The plan calls for institutions to create individual development plans for all research trainees and to track outcomes for all research trainee...

NEBHE Collaboration Aims to Turn Over a New LEEF

The New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) announced a new collaboration with the Leaders in Energy Efficiency Financing (LEEF) Network. The LEEF Network is a regional program of the Sustainable Endowments Institute that empowers Massachusetts and New England institutions of higher education by demonstrating the financial case for treating energy-efficiency projects as an investment. Deve...

Mass. Kicks Off Aid Program for High-Demand Fields

Massachusetts students working toward careers in high-demand fields such as science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and healthcare are eligible for a new scholarship program tied to the most critical employment needs, according to the state Department of Higher Education (DHE).The Massachusetts High-Demand Professions Scholarship, created by the Massachusetts Legislature in FY13, will pro...

DC Shuttle: Congress Ponders Visa, Loan Reform Bills as Cliff Fears Grow

STEM visa bill doesn't move in Senate. While STEM Visa legislation passed the House of Representatives last Friday, the STEM Jobs Act was not considered by the Senate due to the objection of Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY). The bill passed the House by a near party-line vote of 245-139, and consideration by the Senate was proposed by Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX). The bill would offer visas for skilled immi...

DC Shuttle: House Passes STEM Visa Bill Prompting Veto Threat

On Friday, the House voted 245-139 to pass the STEM Jobs Act (H.R. 6249). The bill would offer visas for skilled immigrants who earn advanced degrees from American institutions. Many Democrats are opposed to the bill because it includes the abrogation of the diversity immigration program, which allocates visas by lottery. The 55,000 visas originally distributed by the diversity program would be re...

DC Shuttle: Sequestration Would Bring Larger Classes, Fewer Offerings, Four-Day Weeks, Teacher Layoffs and More (Or Less)

Sequestration on education. Sequestration remains the greatest concern for education funding in the immediate future. State school board leaders went on the offensive last week to highlight the threat to education. Education funding has not been the focus of fiscal cliff discussions and is largely swept into the larger picture when discussing sequestration. The administration estimates an 8% to 9%...