Among Capitol Hill To-Do Items: Invest in Retraining, Protect Veterans in Higher Ed, Pilot Pells for Dual Enrollment

DC Shuttle ... House Passes Education Funding Bill. The House passed legislation containing an almost $1 trillion minibus spending package (H.R. 2740) that includes funding for the U.S. Education Department. The bill would provide a 6% funding boost in education spending for the coming fiscal year beginning Oct. 1. The package now goes to the Senate, where work has not yet begun on next year's ...

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...

A U.S. Wall for Chinese Students?

DC Shuttle ... China Warns Students of Risk in US. China warned students about the "risks" of going to the U.S. China warned students to think about the risks associated with attending college in the U.S., the Washington Post reported. Speaking to reporters in Beijing on Monday, Xu Yongji, an official from the Education Ministry, said that the Trump administration and Congress had "politicized ...

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...

Fixing Unfair Tax Bill

DC Shuttle ... Student Tax Fix Passes House. The U.S. House passed a measure by a 417 to 3 vote that would fix a provision in the 2017 GOP tax law that taxes low-income college students like high-income individuals. Senate leaders are checking if a retirement security bill that passed the House on Thursday could pass the chamber by unanimous consent and Senate leaders are looking to fast-track ...

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...

Data Connection: Drugs, Rents, PR

Approximate amount physicians in New England received in payments from drug and medical device companies for speaking, travel, education and food and beverages from August 2013 to December 2016: $620,000,000 NEBHE Analysis of ProPublica data Number of New England states among the 20 U.S. "States with the Biggest Drug Problems in 2019," based on 22 key metrics, including arrest and overdose rate...

National SARA Chief, Connecticut and NH Community College Leaders Named

Comings and Goings ... The National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) selected Lori Williams, a 25-year veteran of online higher education, as its president and CEO, succeeding the group's founding president, Marshall Hill, who will retire in August. Williams most recently served as vice president of the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), a...