Posts Tagged: State Capital Notes

New England Lawmakers Close the Books on 2015

State Capital Notes ... With the 2016 presidential campaign dominating the airwaves and reauthorization of the landmark federal Higher Education Act looming, one could be excused for focusing on Washington, D.C. But in many ways, state capitals remain the center of action in higher education. Here is our annual attempt to summarize the state legislative sessions and their impact on higher ed ......

As First Few Terms Go, So Goes Success of Students Who Get Maine State Grants, NEBHE Finds

Half of State of Maine Grant recipients completed a postsecondary certificate or college degree, according to a New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) analysis. The NEBHE analysis reveals that the first few terms are a crucial make-or-break time for students’ success. The analysis offers preliminary findings of NEBHE’s research on the impact of the State of Maine Grant, i...

RI State Grant Recipients More Likely to Graduate College, but Grant’s Purchasing Power Weakening, NEBHE Study Finds

Rhode Island students who received the Rhode Island State Grant were 19 percentage points more likely to complete a degree than students who never received the grant, according to a new study by the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE). Recent decreases in the maximum grant award and increases in tuition and mandatory fees, however, weaken the grant’s purchasing power for future stu...

Collaborating on Tuition and Financial Aid Is Critical to the Region

College affordability is an increasingly important public policy issue. With decision-making power over funding to institutions, funding to students and the pricing of institutions, states play a tremendous role in determining what students pay for college. In New England, these decisions are spread across institutional boards, system offices, state agencies and state legislatures. The processes f...

Massachusetts Legislature Ends Session Able to Continue Tuition Freeze at UMass, but not Elsewhere

State Capital Notes ... In 2013, Gov. Deval Patrick was often at loggerheads with legislators on big-ticket items, including education funding and transportation. In 2014, the atmosphere was more cordial. Just prior to the close of the 2013-14 legislative session, lawmakers sent a $36.5 billion FY 2015 budget to the governor. The governor and legislators agreed on a spending plan with no new ta...

RI Governor, Lawmakers Take Steps to Boost Ocean State’s Economy, Extend Tuition Freeze

State Capital Notes … Gov. Lincoln Chafee and state legislators closed out the six-month legislative session by approving an $8.7 billion budget for fiscal year 2015, taking steps they believe will turn the state’s economy around and put people back to work. Rhode Island has the highest unemployment rate in the U.S. at 8.3%. The budget plan fills a $67 million gap, which includes $24...

New Hampshire Legislative Session: Bipartisan Efforts Produce Results in Healthcare

State Capital Notes … In the 2014 session, the second year of the biennium, not a budget-writing year, two issues that were holdovers from the first session, commanded the attention of the governor, lawmakers, attorney general, state healthcare agencies, hospitals and other healthcare providers. Gov. Maggie Hassan and state lawmakers reached agreement on the Health Care Protection Program...

Transference!

State Capital Notes ... Amid enrollment declines, state systems turn to new policies to fill seats and improve college completion Many state colleges and universities throughout the region are facing enrollment declines after a nationwide period of growth between 2006 and 2011 that saw overall enrollment increase by 3.2 million students. Among the reasons for this drop off is the improving econo...

An Oregon Trail to Paying for College

State Capital Notes ... Last July, the Oregon Legislature made national headlines when it unanimously passed a bill to develop a pilot project that would overhaul the way college students finance their education at the state’s public institutions. The proposal, known as “Pay It Forward, Pay It Back,” has quickly gained the attention of policymakers looking for ways to save colle...

NE Higher Ed’s Changing Weather … Introducing NEJHE’s “State Capital Notes”

State Capital Notes ... New England's public education and higher education governance structures have always varied. Some states have designated state agencies focused on higher education; others have an office within a state department of education. The executives at the top—commissioners of higher education, chancellors of state postsecondary systems or directors of state higher educatio...