DC Shuttle: NIH Issues Plans for Biomed Research

Last Friday, the National Institute of Health (NIH) approved a broad implementation plan for a set of initiatives intended to strengthen and shape the biomedical research workforce based on the recommendations of the NIH Biomedical Workforce Working Group. The plan calls for institutions to create individual development plans for all research trainees and to track outcomes for all research trainee...

NEBHE Collaboration Aims to Turn Over a New LEEF

The New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) announced a new collaboration with the Leaders in Energy Efficiency Financing (LEEF) Network. The LEEF Network is a regional program of the Sustainable Endowments Institute that empowers Massachusetts and New England institutions of higher education by demonstrating the financial case for treating energy-efficiency projects as an investment. Deve...

Mass. Kicks Off Aid Program for High-Demand Fields

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...

DC Shuttle: Congress Ponders Visa, Loan Reform Bills as Cliff Fears Grow

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...

Dartmouth Names Prez; AUC Appoints Interim in Quest to Win Back Degree Granting; Amherst Taps Its First Provost

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...

DC Shuttle: House Passes STEM Visa Bill Prompting Veto Threat

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...

The Art of Math at Westfield

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...

All Together Now: NH Ed Dept Collaborates with Colleges to Improve Teacher Workforce

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...

DC Shuttle: Sequestration Would Bring Larger Classes, Fewer Offerings, Four-Day Weeks, Teacher Layoffs and More (Or Less)

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%...

Credit Where It’s Due: NEBHE Survey Finds More Colleges Rewarding Prior Learning

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...