What's New
Governor Patrick, Education Leaders to Honor “29 Who Shine” for Academic Excellence, Civic Achievements
April 27—The Massachusetts Department of Higher Education today kicked off the 2012 college commencement season by announcing the student winners of the 29 Who Shine awards. These awards honor 29 outstanding public college and university graduates—one from each community college, state university and UMass campus in the state—for their academic achievement and community service.
The students will be honored May 10 at a State House ceremony attended by Governor Patrick, state education officials, campus presidents, faculty and students.
Association of American Colleges and Universities and the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education Announce Massachusetts As Eighth Partner State in AAC&U’s LEAP States Initiative
March 20—The Association of American Colleges and Universities and the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education announced today that Massachusetts is now a state partner in AAC&U’s signature national initiative, Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP): Excellence for Everyone as a Nation Goes to College. The LEAP initiative provides a framework for Massachusetts’ groundbreaking work, through the Vision Project, to develop a model for system-level assessment of student learning, one that relies on campus-based approaches linking assessment to actual curricula and real student work rather than on standardized testing.
Board of Higher Education Adds Civic Engagement Goal to Vision Project
March 6—The Massachusetts Board of Higher Education voted today to begin tracking public college and university success in producing the “best-educated citizenry” in the nation, effective 2013, as part of the Vision Project. Specifically, the Board action will require the Department of Higher Education to “develop a plan for incorporating a civic education and engagement key outcome” into the Vision Project, which already includes the key outcomes of national leadership in College Participation, College Completion, Student Learning, Workforce Alignment, Closing Achievement Gaps, and University Research. The new focus on citizenship was suggested by dozens of faculty members attending Vision Project meetings at campuses across the state.
Governor Patrick Appoints Two New Members to the Board of Higher Education
On March 5, Governor Deval Patrick announced the appointments of David J. Barron and Fernando M. Reimers to the Board of Higher Education. “David and Fernando both understand the critical role higher education plays in preparing our students to succeed in the 21st century global economy,” said Governor Patrick. “They will bring diversity and depth of experience to the board to ensure every student in Massachusetts has access to a world-class, affordable higher education.”
Massachusetts LEAP State Proposal Receives Campus and Board of Higher Education Endorsements, Moves Toward Submission
February 1—The Massachusetts Board of Higher Education voted January 31 to authorize Commissioner Freeland to apply to the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) for status as a Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP) State. LEAP State status will allow the Commonwealth to work with other states to devise a system for inter-state comparisons of student learning outcomes to further the work of the Vision Project.
Public Higher Education Advocacy Day: March 8, 2012
The Public Higher Education Summit, which includes representatives from the Legislature, UMass President’s Office, State University System Council of Presidents, Community Colleges Executive Office, Massachusetts Teachers Association, PHENOM, and Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, is pleased to announce that Public Higher Education Advocacy Day will take place at the Massachusetts State House on Thursday, March 8, 2012, from 11 a.m. to ~2:30 p.m. Advocacy Day will bring together students, faculty, staff and presidents to visit with legislators and discuss the importance of state investment in Massachusetts' public colleges and universities and financial aid.
Participants are asked to register in advance. We look forward to a great event.
Request for Proposals: 2012 STEM @Scale Endorsements
Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray (fourth from right) and Secretary of Education Paul Reville (far right) pose with 2011 @Scale Endorsement recipients. (Photo Credit: Norm Birenbaum/Lt. Gov's Office)
February 3—The Massachusetts Department of Higher Education has released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the @Scale Project Initiative to promote projects aimed at increasing K-12 student interest in and readiness for STEM college majors. Proposals will be accepted between February 29 and March 16, 2012.
Three Campuses Share Early Reports on Performance Incentive Fund Initiatives
February 1—At its January 31 meeting, the Board of Higher Education invited three of the 18 campuses that received FY2012 funding from the $2.5 million Vision Project Performance Incentive Fund to provide status reports on the implementation of their grant initiatives. The Performance Incentive Fund is designed to support innovative work that will advance the Vision Project goals for Massachusetts' national leadership in certain key educational outcome areas. The Board has requested an increase to $10 million for the Performance Incentive Fund for FY2013; Governor Patrick's budget proposal, released January 25, includes level funding of $2.5 million.
Annual FAFSA Day Offers Free Help Applying for Financial Aid for College
January 31—The Massachusetts Department of Higher Education is proud to support FAFSA Day Massachusetts, an annual statewide event designed to help future students and their families understand the financial aid process and to provide information on the availability of financial aid for college applicants. FAFSA Day also offers one-on-one assistance to complete the FAFSA in English or Spanish. The 2012 event, held Sunday, January 29, helped 1630 students and families around the state with FAFSA completion.
Board of Higher Education Hears Reports on Developmental Education and Science Admissions Requirements
December 6—Board of Higher Education hears reports from Vision Project working groups on potential recommendations to better align Massachusetts' public universities' science admissions requirements with current high school standards and on policies and practices to transform developmental education and support higher degree completion rates
Massachusetts Veterans Choose State Colleges, Universities to Advance Educational, Career Goals
November 9—New data from U.S. Veterans Administration show majority of GI Bill Recipients in Massachusetts enroll at public campuses; also public colleges and universities plan Veterans’ Day salutes, activities
Of the 8,280 veterans using GI Bill Benefits in Massachusetts in 2011, 58 percent were attending Massachusetts' public colleges and universities. (Source: U.S. Veterans Administration RCS Report, April 2011.)
Board of Higher Education Hears Reports on Early Enrollment Estimates for Fall 2011, Next-Generation Assessments of College and Career Readiness
October 18—Board of Higher Education hears reports on new all-time high in Massachusetts public higher education enrollments and the development of new K-12 assessments for college and career readiness
Massachusetts GEAR UP Program Wins $5M U.S. DOE Grant
October 14—The Massachusetts Department of Higher Education announced that the Commonwealth has received a $5 million award from the U.S. Department of Education to expand GEAR UP, a grant program to help low-income students prepare to enter and succeed in postsecondary education.
Recognizing Latino Educational Excellence
Higher education honorees for the "Recognizing Latino Educational Excellence" celebration.
October 6—As part of the Commonwealth's ongoing Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration, Governor Deval L. Patrick today honored nine Hispanic educators and leaders in higher education in a "Recognizing Latino Educational Excellence" ceremony at the State House.
New Phone Number for Office of Student Financial Assistance
September 26—Please note: As of today, the phone number for the Department of Higher Education's Office of Student Financial Assistance has changed. The new number is (617) 391-6070. Please see our Staff Directory for specific staff members' new phone numbers.
Current Initiatives
- College Access Challenge Grant
- Commonwealth Dual Enrollment Program
- STEM Pipeline Fund
- Nursing & Allied Health Initiative
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Recent Reports
Phase I Report on Student Learning Outcomes and Assessment- Phase I/II Report from the Commissioner’s Task Force on Collaboration and Efficiency (.PDF)
- Final Report from the Commissioner's Advisory Group on Undergraduate Education (.PDF)
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