Posts Categorized: Trends

College Board and NCSL Issue Strategies on Boosting Completion

Policies 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 ear...

New Enrollment Data Show NE College Student Pop. Nears Million Mark, But Region’s Share of US Total Dips

New 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 Engl...

DC Shuttle: One Report Finds Fears of STEM Overlap Exaggerated; Another Counts Schools Not Making Adequate Yearly Progress

On 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...

DC Shuttle: Obama Meets with University Presidents on College Costs

On 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 ...

Ross Gittell Named NH Community College Chancellor

Trustees 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 ...

Mass. OKs Casinos, Redistricting, Transgender Equality; Mass. and RI Reform Pensions

After 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 encompa...

Science (Non)-Fiction … The Latest from NE Campuses

A 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. Resear...

DC Shuttle: Obama Admin Cuts Pell Grant Overpayments, New Eye on Private Student Loans

As 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 for 2010, but an increase in the...

Celebrating 10th Year, NEBHE Announces 2012 Excellence Awards; Mass. Gov. Patrick and former RI Gov. Carcieri Among Recipients

The 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 organ...

DC Shuttle: Obama Moves to Ease Student Loan Debt

On 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 eligible for loan...