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 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…

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.…

An earlier article evaluating Massachusetts' recent long-range plan for higher education is criticized. Aspects of the plan omitted in the first article are noted, including state financing improvements, incentives for institutional action, and increased local autonomy. (MSE)

This summary report about Project Renewal provides an overview of the need for faculty development and the concept of a representative faculty collaborative. The purpose of the project was to prepare the State College System for the establishment of a Center for Educational Development, a conceptual center, rather than a geographical center.…

This Massachusetts Senate committee study examined public endowment fund development at public institutions of higher education in the state in comparison with institutional development at institutions in other states. The study used data from the Massachusetts Attorney General's Division of Public Charities, from colleges and universities, from…

The New England Regional Student Program provides major savings to both the participating student and the New England state government. Students qualifying for study under the program receive admissions preference among out-of-state applicants and are charged only the equivalent of the in-state tuition fees. These are the arrangements agreed to by…

While private institutions flourished in Massachusetts, it is suggested, there was little interest in developing state-supported institutions of higher education. The comprehensive overhaul of an uncoordinated network of 28 institutions on 30 campuses governed by six autonomous boards is described. (MLW)

Financial support to college students and public and private colleges in Pennsylvania is described. The philosophy in Pennsylvania regarding the survival of private institutions is to provide money to the students, the consumers, and let them decide which institutions fit their basic needs and goals. Pennsylvania has established the Pennsylvania…

Results of a study concerning teaching about the third world in colleges in Massachusetts are presented in this second of three volumes. Attention is focused on the survey of eastern Massachusetts and Boston, which involved 40 public and private institutions. Courses dealing with the third world were identified and estimates were made of the…