What Policymakers Should Know about Completion Colleges

The higher education policy world has been abuzz discussing and strategizing the best ways to serve adult learners—whether those adults are currently enrolled at a postsecondary institution, wish to be, or are stranded outside the system. In New England, the focus on adults is particularly relevant because experts increasingly believe economic success depends on workers with higher education...

Mass Technology Group, CollegeVine Tap New CEOs

Comings and Goings ... Timothy Connelly, most recently a partner at Brown Brothers Harriman, became executive director of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. The collaborative is known as the Massachusetts Technology Park Corporation, and oversees the Massachusetts Broadband Institute, electronic health initiatives and the John Adams Innovation Institute. Jon Carson was appointed CEO of ...

No Such Thing as a Free Lunch?

DC Shuttle ... Report Estimates States' Costs for Free College. Eliminating tuition for all in-state undergraduates at public colleges would cost more than $1 billion in 15 different states, according to a report by Mark Schneider, vice president and institute fellow at the American Institute for Research and a former commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics. The report, which...

Mixed Bag: Dual Enrollment Policy in New England

Dual enrollment programs across the country share little in common with one another. Generally, they allow secondary students to take postsecondary courses while enrolled in high school. But the relevant terminology, eligibility requirements and transferability of credit varies nationally and here in in New England, where: Four of the six New England states’ dual enrollment programs are ma...

Senate Bill Would Boost Grad Rates for Low-Income Students

DC Shuttle ... Bill on Federal Funding Introduced. U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) and Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA) introduced a bill to reshuffle federal funding of colleges to encourage institutions to enroll and graduate low-income students. The bill would tie some federal student aid funding to new accountability metrics. The bill is aimed at providing incentives for colleges to boost graduation ...

Radio Higher Ed Posts Podcast on Direct Loan Servicers

Through its partnership with RadioHigherEd.com, NEJHE is pleased to present  the release of Federal Student Loan Servicing: A Podcast Primer, the second in a series of podcasts produced in partnership with the Postsecondary National Policy Institute, the leading source of professional development for federal policymakers working on higher education issues. Federal Student Loan Servicing...

New York Votes to Join SARA

DC Shuttle ... New York Votes to Join SARA. New York state announced that it will join the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement, known as SARA. The interstate agreement will allow higher education institutions from other states to offer online courses in New York, and expand the opportunities for New York State colleges and universities to do the same in other states. The state Board of Rege...

New Hampshire College and University Council’s Horgan to Retire Next June

Horgan Comings and Goings ... Thomas R. Horgan announced he will leave his post as president and CEO of the New Hampshire College & University Council, effective June 2017. A NEBHE delegate since 2006, Horgan has played a key role advancing New England collaborations, including work on NEBHE's Higher Education Innovation Challenge. Also see Labor Day and Some Crumbs from the NEJHE Beat. Qui...

Elections Cast Spotlight on Student Loan Repayment

DC Shuttle ... Momentum for Easing Student Loan Repayment. Both parties are looking to appeal to young voters this fall and student loan repayment has gained support as a result. Rep. Luke Messer, chair of the House Republican Policy Committee, plans to push for student loan tax breaks, such as a proposal (H.R. 5415) by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) to exclude from a worker's income up to $10,000 ...

Does Khan Academy Help Community College Students Destined for Noncredit Developmental Math?

Too many students enter college without being ready, especially in math. Many of them are placed in a developmental noncredit course. Fully 68% of community college students and 40% of students at four-year public institutions were required to take one or more developmental education courses (sometimes called “remedial” courses) before enrolling in credit-bearing college-level courses...