Posts Categorized: News

Teachers Sue DeVos for Deliberately Mismanaging Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program

DC Shuttle ... Lawsuit Filed Against Secretary DeVos. The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) filed a lawsuit against U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, alleging deliberate mismanagement of the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. The PSLF program, authorized by Congress in 2007, was designed to enable qualifying public service workers to discharge the balance on their stu...

Maine’s 2019 Legislative Session Produces Less Rancor, More Healthcare

Maine lawmakers adjourned the 2019 legislative session, passing a two-year budget of $8 billion for FY20 and FY21, absent the partisan rancor of previous years. The budget contains no tax increases or tax cuts. Senate Majority Leader Nate Libby (D-Lewiston) noted the budget committee cast more than 1,100 votes on budget line items with 99% being unanimous. The budget was the first for new Demo...

New Hampshire Scholars: Ready to Succeed

A former NEBHE chair reflects on a pathway to success ... As a father of three and a grandfather of nine, I could not be prouder of the accomplishments of my loved ones. I am blessed with a tremendous family and it seems like only yesterday my grandchildren were taking their first steps. The milestones come quickly and memories of birthday parties, kindergarten, graduations and learning to ride...

Former SVC Prez Takes Over at Bulgarian University Developed in ’90s by UMaine System’s Woodbury

Comings and Goings ... David Evans, the last president of the now-defunct Southern Vermont College, was named interim president of the American University in Bulgaria, succeeding Steven Sullivan, who will return to teaching full time. The Eastern European campus was developed in the early 1990s, partly by the University of Maine System under the late Chancellor and NEBHE Chair Robert Woodbury. ...

Connecticut Makes Community College Free, while Raising Minimum Wage and OK’ing Paid Family and Medical Leave

Connecticut lawmakers ended their session and sent a balanced budget of $43 billion for FY20 and FY21 to Gov. Ned Lamont. Democrats, who hold a majority in both legislative branches, said the budget erases a deficit without raising tax rates. Progressive Democrats in the General Assembly unsuccessfully pushed to tax the wealthiest Connecticut residents on investment income. The effort to tax th...

New Prez at Saint A’s; NH Institute of Art, Champlain Leaders to Step Down

Comings and Goings ... Saint Anselm College named Joseph Favazza, a former Stonehill College administrator, to succeed outgoing president Steven DiSalvo, who departed Saint Anselm to become president of Endicott College in Beverly, Mass. New Hampshire Institute of Art President Kent Devereaux announced he is leaving the Manchester college he has led since 2014 to become the 12th presid...

Crackdown on Donations-for-Admissions

DC Shuttle ... Legislation Would Require Reporting of Donations to Colleges. U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) introduced legislation that would eliminate tax deductions for donations made to colleges unless the institutions have policies asserting that family donations don't influence admissions. The bill, the College Admissions Fairness Act, would amend the Higher Education Act to require colleges r...

Vermont 2019 Session Ends with Wage, Paid Leave Deliberations To Be Continued …

The Vermont General Assembly adjourned the 2019 session in stages as the House and Senate, both with Democratic majorities, were unable to resolve their differences on two major proposals. At issue were proposals to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour and a plan to provide paid family and medical leave to Vermonters. Despite broad agreement among Democrats to approve both measures, final agreeme...

Big New Education Posts for Two Former New England Guvs

Comings and Goings ... The University of Maine System Board of Trustees appointed former Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy to be the next chancellor of the University of Maine System, succeeding James Page, who will retire on June 30. The Chronicle of Higher Education characterized Malloy's new challenge this way. After declining to seek reelection as governor in 2018, Malloy served as a vi...

A Look at Higher Ed’s Value

NEBHE examines how more education means more benefits for individuals who earn postsecondary credentials and for the general public ... Despite the alarming and unsustainable rise of college tuition and fee rates, the greatest cost associated with higher education is still the opportunity cost in terms of lost wages, according to NEBHE’s latest report What’s the Value of Higher Education? I...