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...
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...
Comings and Goings ...
Dartmouth College named mathematician and University of Michigan Provost Philip J. Hanlon to be its next president starting in July. Hanlon will succeed Jim Yong Kim, who resigned in April to become the president of the World Bank.
The Atlantic Union College Board of Trustees appointed general surgeon Duane M. Cady, M.D. as interim president of the Lancaster, Mass. col...
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...
Westfield State University math professors were awarded a $550,600 grant from the National Science Foundation to support an innovative approach to teaching mathematics to non-mathematics and science students.The grant, titled “Discovering the Art of Mathematics (DAoM): Inquiry-Based Learning in Mathematics for Liberal Arts,” supports development of a library of 10 full-length, standalo...
The New Hampshire Department of Education joined a collaboration of 15 higher education institutions to prepare teachers and other educators, according to announcements by Commissioner of Education Virginia Barry and Higher Education Commissioner Richard A. Gustafson.In 2011, the members of the New Hampshire IHE Network set aside the usual competitive inclinations in order to share best pract...
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%...
At least 117 of 259 nonprofit two- and four-year institutions in New England offer some sort of “prior learning assessment,” according to data collected by NEBHE for the 2013 Annual Guide to New England Colleges and Universities.Institutions use student results on prior learning assessments to determine whether students’ education and professional experience warrant advance stand...
Democrats and women were the big winners of the 2012 elections, scoring impressive victories throughout New England. Among highlights:
New England put the U.S. Senate solidly in the hands of Democrats with the election of Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. Sen.-Elect Angus King of Maine who ran as an Independent is expected to join Bernie Sanders (I) of Vermont in t...
NEBHE held its University Unbound conference in Boston last month, bringing together more than 400 educators and opinion leaders to discuss how MOOCs and other innovations are disrupting higher education's hold on knowledge, instruction and credentialing. Here is some of what Mozilla's Erin Knight said about her "Open Badges" work—an alternative credentialing system allowing learners to cont...
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... 
Westfield State University math professors were awarded a $550,600 grant from the National Science Foundation to support an innovative approach to teaching mathematics to non-mathematics and science students.The grant, titled “Discovering the Art of Mathematics (DAoM): Inquiry-Based Learning in Mathematics for Liberal Arts,” supports development of a library of 10 full-length, standalo... 
Democrats and women were the big winners of the 2012 elections, scoring impressive victories throughout New England. Among highlights:
New England put the U.S. Senate solidly in the hands of Democrats with the election of Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. Sen.-Elect Angus King of Maine who ran as an Independent is expected to join Bernie Sanders (I) of Vermont in t...