the weekly digest from NEJHE and other news from the New England Board of Higher Education
Sept. 30, 2020

NEBHE is pleased to announce two key promotions on its Policy & Research team.

Stephanie Murphy will take on the role of associate director of policy research & analysis. In just over two years at NEBHE, she's jumped in to manage NEBHE's Legislative Advisory Committee, while generating salient research and reports. Murphy works closely with the policy team to lead the advancement of NEBHE's research agenda. At NEBHE, she has authored original reports on topics like the value of higher education and military credit for prior learning, spearheaded COVID-19-related research and a newsletter for the region's institutions, and managed Policy & Research's internship program. As a first-generation college graduate who grew up in an immigrant household, she inherently understands the power that research has to equip people to make informed decisions that can change their lives. In August 2020, she completed her doctorate in political science from the University of Toronto.

Charlotte Peyser has become senior policy & research analyst. In her year at NEBHE, she has provided valued energy to our agenda for serving adult learners. Over the past year at NEBHE, Peyser has helped lead initiatives focused on adult learners in the region, co-authored NEBHE’s most recent white paper, "Upskilling New England: Bridging the Gaps between Educators and Employers," and is currently working on NEBHE’s newest project, All Learning Counts, in partnership with Lumina Foundation. Prior to joining NEBHE, Peyser earned her master’s degree in education policy and leadership studies from Boston University. She has spent her career in education policy and is passionate about creating greater opportunities and support structures for adult learners to enroll in and complete postsecondary credential programs.
Stephanie Murphy
Charlotte Peyser
That's Our Policy ...

Visit nebhe.org for our Policy & Research team's high-quality data analysis and our New England Journal of Higher Education (NEJHE) for the perspectives behind the numbers. Also, don't forget NEBHE resources such as our online directory of New England Public Policy Institutes.
Recently from The New England Journal of Higher Education

The shift to online learning prompted by fear of coronavirus has challenged instructors to create courses that are as engaging online as they are in person. "As many faculty prepare for online learning again this fall, open educational resources (OER) can be part of the solution to help students stay safe and be successful," writes NEBHE's Open Education Fellow Lindsey Gumb. Moreover, because of financial barriers, many students borrow textbooks and other learning materials from classmates and campus libraries instead of buying them, Gumb notes. But, she adds, some experts believe that borrowing is no longer a safe option, as the coronavirus can live on surfaces for up to nine days.

Amid the college admissions scandals revealed by the federal "Varsity Blues" investigation, enrollment management pioneer Jack Maguire reflects on challenges to the "integrity" of the enrollment process. "At the highest levels of American leadership, there are now documented examples of secret payments to stand-in SAT test-takers to gain undeserved university admissions and to assist with writing assignments to cover up laziness and corruption—and nonstop braggadocio about fraudulent academic achievements," writes the former Boston College admissions dean and founder of Maguire Associates. He also weighs in on the legal actions of "entitled well-to-do” students who are accusing Harvard and Yale of law-violating affirmative action, and concludes that those elite institutions should be doing more—not less—to support affirmative action.

Along the back wall of University of Vermont President Suresh Garimella's office is the 150-plus-years-old desk of Vermont Sen. Justin Morrill, the author of the Morrill Act of 1862 establishing the country’s first land-grant universities. It's a handsome piece of 19th century craftsmanship, but more importantly, a vivid reminder of UVM’s status as one of the earliest land grants. What comes with that designation: bright students, enterprising faculty and intellectual firepower to fuel state businesses and help local and state policymakers address socioeconomic challenges the state is facing, not the least of which, recovering from the ravages of COVID-19.
News Around NEBHE

Under the direction of the NEBHE president and board, the Fellow for Faculty Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) will provide vision, leadership and planning in the development and implementation of a new regional strategy to expand faculty diversity at postsecondary institutions throughout New England. The Fellow will assist in developing an inclusive, long-term action plan to address societal, institutional and structural impediments to faculty diversity as a core premise for equity and inclusion in postsecondary education.
Newslink

Eight Connecticut four-year independent institutions and all 12 of the state's community colleges signed onto NEBHE's Connecticut Independent College Transfer Guarantee. The so-called Connecticut Guarantee ensures acceptance at a participating Guarantee institution for associate-degree-holding students who have met a designated GPA requirement.

Read the latest from NEJHE's DC Shuttle, featuring national news drawn from our friends at the New England Council.

NEJHE's Comings and Goings highlights key appointments and job changes in New England higher education and beyond.
Laura R. Walker

From time to time, NEJHE revives the presentation of facts and figures called “Data Connection” that we had published quarterly for nearly 20 years in the print editions of The New England Journal of Higher Education, formerly known as Connection.
Our Webinars
Tracking Coronavirus
NEBHE's Tracking Coronavirus web resource features an easy-to-use display showing institutions' plans for the fall in light of COVID-19. It also details institutions' healthcare capacities and their proximity to external healthcare resources. Also find links to: COVID-19 News; Governmental Responses, Guidance & Advocacy; Distance Education Resources & Compliance; Institutional Finance Information; and Admissions and Enrollment Information. Please share updates from your institution at: cpeyser@nebhe.org.
NEJHE NewsBlast is a summary of NEJHE content and other news around NEBHE prepared weekly by NEJHE Executive Editor John O. Harney and emailed every Wednesday to opinion leaders and practitioners. When responding to NEJHE content, please make sure that your remarks are relevant, courteous and engaging. Individuals are responsible for their comments, which do not represent the opinions of the New England Board of Higher Education. We urge commenters to briefly note their occupational or other interest in the topic at hand. Please refrain from offensive language, personal attacks and distasteful comments or they may be deleted. Comments may not appear immediately. Thank you for staying engaged.
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