A Whole New U
Message from NEBHE’s President:
Michael K. Thomas
With its blessed regularity, fall has come again to New England. Despite concerns among college and university leaders about the impact of the economic downturn on admissions and student decision-making, the students have come again to New England, as well. Though many institutions had to increase the level of “tuition discounting” needed to help students and parents commit, a small sense of relief is apparent—a collective sigh to acknowledge making it through another period of uncertainty.
The reality, of course, is that the admissions cycle never ends, so colleges are back to work quickly. And while the chairman of the Federal Reserve recently pronounced the “technical end” to the economic recession, higher education leaders know that significant challenges linger. With no more federal stimulus funds to back-fill higher education appropriations, many observers agree that if the FY10 state budget cycle was bad (and it was), the next cycle will be worse.
Higher education will make it through another round of budget cuts, staff reductions and tuition increases to welcome another fall and another generation of students, young and old.
Year-to-year and budget-to-budget survival must not overshadow the need for significant reinvention however. The imperative facing higher education leaders is to look at the major trends confronting us—fiscal, demographic, financial and other— and to question whether the enterprise as we know it can be sustained. Moreover, state and federal governments must give institutional leaders greater cause and incentives to look beyond annual survival to the critical role of generating degree-holders. Consider these key challenges:
2010-11 Tuition Break Catalog
In an effort to be “green” and economical, NEBHE has published the 2010-11 annual Regional Student Program (RSP) Tuition Break catalog online only. The catalog is available in two versions – 2010-11 Undergraduate Tuition Break Catalog and 2010-11 Graduate Tuition Break Catalog – on our website at http://www.nebhe.org/tuitionbreakcatalog.
New for this fall, NEBHE has produced state-specific 2010-11 Tuition Break Brochures, which provide a quick overview to prospective undergraduate students and a readily available list of bachelor’s degree programs and offering institutions. Printed brochures are being distributed to high school guidance offices and public libraries, as well as to prospective college students at college fairs; the brochures are available on our website at http://www.nebhe.org/tuitionbreak or download the PDFs directly:
2010-11 Connecticut Tuition Break Brochure
2010-11 Maine Tuition Break Brochure
2010-11 Massachusetts Tuition Break Brochure
2010-11 New Hampshire Tuition Break Brochure
2010-11 Rhode Island Tuition Break Brochure
2010-11 Vermont Tuition Break Brochure
Our website features comprehensive Tuition Break information, including the searchable program database at: http://www.nebhe.org/tuitionbreakdatabase.
In all, 17 new programs were approved for Tuition Break eligibility for 2010-11; 11 bachelor’s, 3 associate and 3 master’s degree programs, as follows:
Early bird gets the worm
Or in this case, the early registrant gets the discounted registration price. Register today and lock in the early registration fee of $99 for one registrant; price increases to $149 after September 11, 2009.
The New England Board of Higher Education is pleased to present:
After the Crash: A New Reality for Higher Education
Lessons, strategies and innovations for New England
Monday, Oct. 26, 2009
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
Special Keynote Address by
Martha J. Kanter
U.S. Under Secretary of Education
Learn how New England colleges and universities have responded to the economic, fiscal and management challenges resulting from the largest economic crash since the Great Depression and how to successfully navigate higher education’s new reality.
Confirmed speakers include:
- Dennis Jones, President, National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS)
- Carol Twigg, President and CEO, The National Center for Academic Transformation (NCAT)
- Michael K. Townsley, Author of Small College Guide to Financial Health: Weathering Turbulent Times and Dean of Undergraduate Studies at Becker College
- Janet C. Moore, Chief Knowledge Officer, The Sloan Consortium
- Donald J. Boyd, Senior Fellow, Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government
- John Maguire, Founder & Chairman, Maguire Associates
- Sandy Baum, Senior Policy Analyst, The College Board
This event follows NEBHE’s highly-successful December 2008 conference, Higher Education in a Troubled Economy: How New England’s Colleges and Universities Can Survive the Downturn and Prepare to Thrive.
Hear from top higher education leaders, economists, financial experts and government leaders on:
- Key developments in federal policy, stimulus funding, the Obama administration’s top priorities and the changing landscape of federal financial aid;
- The truth about costs and productivity in higher education;
- The changed world of admissions, tuition and financial aid;
- Lessons for financial management amid heightened scrutiny of college and university finances;
- New England’s economic, fiscal and budgetary outlook.
Learn from national and regional innovators about cutting-edge issues and strategies such as:
- From three-year programs to course redesign: new delivery models to meet student needs, save money and increase success;
- Alternative real estate development partnerships to expand financial flexibility, campus growth and high-quality facilities.
Join leaders of higher education, business and government to explore the New Reality in higher education.
Please click here to visit our website for further information about registration, payment details and to view a preliminary agenda.
New Degree Programs Approved for 2010-11
The New England Regional Student Program, Tuition Break*, offers more than 700 undergraduate and graduate programs at a discount at specific public colleges and universities in the region.
We are excited to let everyone know about the 18 new programs that have been added for the 2010-11 academic year.
Tuition Break Logo Refreshed
Three years ago the New England Regional Student Program began to go by the shorter, Tuition Break, name. It was also known as ‘the Apple program’ for many years, as an apple was usually on the program catalogs’ cover. The logo featured the words tuition break side-by-side, with the ‘T’ in tuition capitalized, along with the full spelling of break. The word break, was also slightly smaller than tuition. I believe it was the Futura typeface that was used, which appears blocky but with curve to the letters as well (I’m not a designer so please bear with me on these explanations).
Logo created in 2006 for the 2007-08 catalog:
The Tuition Break logo is being refreshed for the current 2010-11 catalog. We are trying to keep up with design trends. We noticed a lot of companies and organizations are going for a softer look to their logos. Logos are being toned down – block letters are dying, lowercase is becoming increasingly popular. Some may think that capitalizing the first letter or entire word will gain more attention or look professional, but I think it is beginning to look out-dated. But then again, when everyone seems to be changing to a similar design, whatever was done before will look out of place.
We are also changing the colors on the design too; the green will stay, but the red will be replaced by a dark, but softer blue which has a hint of purple as well. The new logo is easier on the eyes, which we hope translates to looking friendlier. We are using the font, Helvetica and both words will appear in lowercase. This typeface gives the logo a softer, smoother look, without losing the boldness that the previous letters had.
Here is the refreshed Tuition Break logo for the 2010-11 catalog:
Is anyone else experiencing design changes with their logos or publications?
- Erica
Policy and Research Director Position Available
Job Title: Director of Policy and Research
Start Date: September 1, 2009 (or sooner)
Reports to: President and CEO
Position Description
Responsible for formulating and executing the New England Board of Higher Education’s (NEBHE’s) policy and research agenda; producing reports and analysis of salient trends and developments affecting higher education and the economy in New England; also responsible for assisting in the development and implementation of programs, workshops, meetings and research reports relating to college readiness and success.
Continue reading for job responsibilities and qualifications.
New Englanders have benefit of Regional Student Program
UMass Dartmouth Illustration Class. CT, ME, RI, VT residents eligible for tuition break @ UMD in Visual Design BFA.
As the summer comes to a close, it is time for students to prepare to head back to school – and for seniors, especially, to buckle down and spend time on the college search and admissions process. Typical questions arise, “Where will I go?” “What will I study?” and what just might be the most important question, “How will I pay for it?”
Public colleges and universities are becoming a popular, affordable option among students who may not have considered applying to them in past years. But what do you do when the public institutions in your state don’t offer the major you want? Going to a private institution could potentially break the bank. Even going to public institutions that are out-of-state can be just as costly as private schools.
For example, if a New Hampshire resident is accepted to the University of New Hampshire, the tuition cost is just over $10,000 per year (for an in-state resident, 2009-10 academic year). Now let’s say that UNH and all the other New Hampshire public institutions don’t offer a particular major that a student wishes to pursue, that student could attend a private institution, or an out-of-state public college or university. Tuition at some private institutions is over $30,000 a year. Tuition at most out-of-state public institutions within New England is at least $20,000. That’s double what it would typically cost a student at a public college or university in-state.
FORUM: Higher Education Attainment
For the Summer 2009 issue of The New England Journal of Higher Education’s Forum, we asked thinkers to assess President Obama’s goal to make the U.S. the world leader in college degree attainment. Authors include U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Capitol Hill education expert Terry Hartle, new American Association of State Colleges and Universities President Muriel Howard, and Nellie Mae Education Foundation President Nicholas C. Donohue. Donohue urges attention to a key group lacking college attainment: “disconnected” young adults who are unemployed and not enrolled in school.
Our Most Valuable Population
The case for disconnected young adults
NICHOLAS C. DONOHUE
In May, President Obama stated the need for every American to have at least one year of postsecondary education. That sentiment echoes the Nellie Mae Education Foundation’s 2008 report, “What It Takes to Succeed in the 21st Century—and How New Englanders Are Faring.” The report cites a growing consensus that reveals the minimum indicator of the skills and knowledge necessary for success as a two-year postsecondary credential of some kind. Working toward this goal becomes even more challenging when you consider the large number of young adults, ages 16 to 24, across the region who are unemployed and not enrolled in school. If we are to maintain—or hopefully improve upon—our current level of collective prosperity, we must begin to better engage this growing demographic with the goal of attaining some postsecondary credential. And we must begin to expand our current notions of what that credential could look like and which institutions facilitate its attainment.
Double-Teamed
College coaches and faculty share a joint interest in the development of student-athletes
SUZANNE R. COFFEY
“There are now more than 400,000 NCAA student-athletes … and almost all of them will go pro in something other than sports.” This commercial hooks me every time. If you’ve witnessed another March Madness season, you know the ad I mean. The image is black and white. The message is one of anonymity. These students grew up in your town, participate at your alma mater and will eventually work in every profession. The NCAA wants us to know that there are hundreds of thousands of college men and women doing what they’ve done since grade school: transporting themselves emotionally and intellectually between classrooms and athletics venues.
Consider the earlier version of the NCAA’s campaign to promote student-plus-athlete. In 2003, the association rolled out its first of these advertisements. It said simply, “360,000 student-athletes, and each one of us is getting two educations.” It was more representative of, or should I say more consistent with, what athletes and coaches know and what faculty resist. Two educations are available to those who are fortunate enough to continue their athletic careers at our nation’s colleges and universities. The first kind, the most obvious and most important, is the education garnered when students are challenged to excel, experiment and stretch intellectually. Many faculty colleagues see this principal education as exclusively important. But for college athletes, it’s one component of a full education.
The 
