On average, only about 16 percent of annual union dues paid by members in 19 Massachusetts public school districts stayed with local union chapters. The remaining 84 percent of dues revenue went directly to the state (Massachusetts Teachers Association) and national (National Education Association) union affiliates. But what about public higher…

State policymakers and the public at large have a vested interest in the successful governance of their higher education institutions. The citizens who are appointed or elected to serve as board members of a state's colleges and universities oversee valuable public assets that they hold in trust for the state and for current and future…

In 1998, the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education, with assistance from the Developmental Assessment and Placement Advisory Committee, adopted an assessment policy that set standards for college placement testing at Massachusetts public colleges and universities. The purposes of the policy were to place students more adequately suited for…

This dissertation examines the formation, reformation, and standardization of land-grant colleges in the Northeastern United States during the last four decades of the nineteenth century. It is a history that explores the turbulent origins of land-grant colleges in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont,…

Ten states now offer in-state college tuition rates to illegal immigrant students. Others are struggling to enact similar policies. But while many advocates want to open the doors to higher education for undocumented students, critics say the laws granting in-state tuition discriminate against other low-income students and legal residents of the…

This article investigates the convergent institutional logics driving decision making at an activist governing board in higher education. Through a case study of policymaking by a state-level coordinating board in Massachusetts, the article identifies four primary logics of action: mission differentiation, student opportunity, managerialism, and…

Since the founding of Framingham Normal School in 1839 as the first state-supported school in the United States for training teachers, Massachusetts state colleges have evolved in response to the changing needs of the regions they serve. The Massachusetts state Legislature and Gov. Deval Patrick are now considering whether to move from the…

Massachusetts is the first State in the nation to provide for the election of students to serve on the boards of trustees of State colleges and universities. This fall, five enrolled students will be elected to five boards. (Author/MF)

Drawing on comparative case studies of public higher education in Massachusetts and New York, examines recent policy initiatives to terminate academic programs, eliminate remedial education, and promote honors colleges. Describes how these policies contribute to increased stratification of programs and students within a state system as well as…

Two brief papers examine the "vanguard college" proposal, postsecondary education concept that parallels the charter school movement for K-12 education. Vanguard colleges would agree to exceed state (Massachusetts) performance standards in exchange for greater operational freedom, fiscal autonomy, and faculty benefits. Guidelines focus…

This report presents segmental and institution-specific enrollment and admissions data for 28 of the 29 institutions that comprise the Massachusetts public higher education system: the University of Massachusetts (4 campuses), the state colleges (9 institutions), and community colleges (15 institutions). Data are collected for the University of…

Southeastern Massachusetts is home to six public institutions of higher education. In 2003, at the invitation of Bridgewater President Dana Mohler-Faria, five of them joined together to form a regional collaborative called CONNECT. (The original members were Bridgewater State College, Bristol, Cape Cod and Massasoit community colleges, and the…

The new chancellors of the Maine, Massachusetts, and West Virginia state higher education systems use different styles to tackle highly political jobs that frustrated their predecessors. (MSE)

A fact book about 260 New England colleges, universities, and postsecondary institutes presents addresses and telephone numbers, tuition and fees, room and board charges, levels of offerings, application deadlines, admission requirements, and enrollments. Summary tables, charts, and graphs describe the institutions on a state-by-state basis.…