Higher Education in Massachusetts - Report Example

I. Historical overview of higher education in Massachusetts Massachusetts is the most populated state in New England and has historically been a major center of higher education. In being rich with early American and colonial history, the state caters to the education needs of over 6.4 million people and is very well known for its high standards of education. The world renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University are located in the suburbs of Boston, the state capital. The main state supported university in Massachusetts is the University of Massachusetts with affiliated colleges in Worcester, Lowell, Dartmouth, Boston and Amherst. Harvard University was the first college of America and there are other big colleges such as Boston University and North eastern University in Boston, Amherst College in Amherst, American International College in Springfield, Williams College in Williamstown, Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Wellesley College in Wellesley, Springfield College in Springfield, Smith College in Northampton, Clark University, Worsester, College of Holy Cross Worcester; Tufts University, Medford; Massachusets Institute of Technology, Cambridge; Brandeis University, Waltham. The following is a detailed list of community, state and private colleges in Massachusetts: University Name (Featured Universities) University City University Type Branford Hall Career Institute Multiple Campuses Private Center for Digital Imaging Arts at Boston University Waltham Private Empire Beauty Schools Multiple Campuses Private Everest Institute Multiple Campuses Private Gibbs College Boston Private Hallmark Institute of Photography Turner Falls Private ITT Technical Institute Multiple Campuses Private Jolie Hair and Beauty Academy Ludlow Private Kaplan Career Institute Multiple Campuses Private Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Cambridge Private Lincoln Tech Multiple Campuses Private New England Tractor Trailer Training School North Andover Private Salter College Multiple Campuses Private Spa Tech Institute Multiple Campuses Private The Career Institute of American International College Multiple Campuses Private The New England Institute of Art Brookline Private The Salter School Multiple Campuses Private Universal Technical Institute Norwood Private University of Phoenix Multiple Campuses Private University Name University City University Type American International College Springfield Private Amherst College Amherst Private Andover Newton Theological School Newton Centre Private Anna Maria College Paxton Private Art Institute of Boston Boston Private Assumption College Worcester Private Atlantic Union College South Lancaster Private Babson College Babson Park Private Bard College at Simon's Rock Great Barrington Private Bay Path College Longmeadow Private Becker College Worcester Private Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology Boston Private Bentley University Waltham Private Berklee College of Music Boston Private Berkshire Community College Pittsfield Community College Blessed John XXIII National Seminary Weston Private Boston Architectural Center, The Boston Private Boston College Chestnut Hill Private Boston Conservatory Boston Private Boston University Boston Private Brandeis University Waltham Private Bridgewater State College Bridgewater Public Bristol Community College Fall River Community College Bunker Hill Community College Boston Community College Cambridge College Cambridge Private Cape Cod Community College West Barnstable Community College Clark University Worcester Private College of the Holy Cross Worcester Private Curry College Milton Private Dean College Franklin Private Eastern Nazarene College Quincy Private Elms College Chicopee Private Emerson College Boston Private Emmanuel College Boston Private Endicott College Beverly Private Episcopal Divinity School Cambridge Private Fisher College Boston Private Fitchburg State College Fitchburg Public Forsyth Institute, The Boston Private Framingham State College Framingham Public Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering Needham Private Gordon College Wenham Private Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary South Hamilton Private Greenfield Community College Greenfield Community College Hampshire College Amherst Private Harvard University Cambridge Private Hebrew College Newton Centre Private Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology Brookline Private Holyoke Community College Holyoke Community College Hult International Business School Cambridge Private Laboure College Boston Private Lasell College Newton Private Lesley University Cambridge Private Longy School of Music Cambridge Private Massachusetts Bay Community College Wellesley Community College Massachusetts College of Art Boston Public Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts North Adams Public Massachusetts College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences Boston Private Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge Private Massachusetts Maritime Academy Buzzards Bay Public Massachusetts School of Law Andover Private Massasoit Community College Brockton Community College Merrimack College North Andover Private MGH Institute of Health Professions Boston Private Middlesex Community College Lowell Community College Montserrat College of Art Beverly Private Mount Holyoke College South Hadley Private Mount Ida College Newton Centre Private Mount Wachusett Community College Gardner Community College New England College of Optometry Boston Private New England Conservatory of Music Boston Private New England Institute of Art & Communications Brookline Private New England Law-Boston Boston Private New England School of Acupuncture Newton Private Newbury College Brookline Private Nichols College Dudley Private North Shore Community College Danvers Community College Northeastern University Boston Private Northern Essex Community College Haverhill Community College Pine Manor College Chestnut Hill Private Quincy College Quincy Community College Quinsigamond Community College Worcester Community College Regis College Weston Private RETS Technical Center Boston Community College Roxbury Community College Roxbury Crossing Community College Saint John's Seminary Brighton Private Salem State College Salem Public Simmons College Boston Private Smith College Northampton Private Southern New England School of Law North Dartmouth Private Springfield College Springfield Private Springfield Technical Community College Springfield Community College Stonehill College Easton Private Suffolk University Boston Private Tufts University Medford Private University of Massachusetts - Amherst Amherst Public University of Massachusetts - Boston Boston Public University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth Dartmouth Public University of Massachusetts - Lowell Lowell Public University of Massachusetts Medical School Worcester Public Urban College of Boston Boston Community College Wellesley College Wellesley Private Wentworth Institute of Technology Boston Private Western New England College Springfield Private Westfield State College Westfield Public Weston Jesuit School of Theology Cambridge Private Wheaton College Norton Private Wheelock College Boston Private Williams College Williamstown Private Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester Private Worcester State College Worcester Public Zion Bible College Haverhill Private Source: http://www.univsource.com/ma.htm, II. Historical overview of Massachusetts higher education governance system The Board of Higher Education in Massachusetts is the agency created statutorily in being held responsible to define the mission and to coordinate the Commonwealth systems of education with involvement of its institutions. The powers of the Board of Overseers in Massachusetts higher education is derived from the constitution of the state and the rulings of the State Commissioner of Education. The four main areas of responsibility of the Board are to: Establish all the policies of the school district Develop an yearly financial budget for approval by the public Approve or disapprove the recommendations of the Superintendent in regard to personnel matters and the varied contracts entered into by the district. Act as a facilitator and as a link between students and the Superintendent. All colleges in Massachusetts have college corporations with responsibilities of: The determination and regular review of the educational mission and characters of the institution and over seeing its activities Improving upon the educational strategies in the institution Make effective and efficient use of resources and to safeguard its assets Approve annual income and expense estimates Appointment and determination of the pay and allowances and service conditions of all staff Set a framework for pay and working conditions of staff Appointment and dismissal of the Principal, clerks and other staff Revocation and modification of the Articles According to Scmidt (1930), the President in the earlier colleges was the most important person in the institution in being a very strong entity. He was required to take care of the students’ needs by serving as a disciplinarian, guide, teacher, role model and spiritual counselor. The role of the President has now become primarily of an administrative nature. The role varies from college to college depending upon the number of students, the kind of institution and the supervision structure prevalent in the college. A lot also depends on the number of programs offered, geographic location and historical background of the institution. Present day functions of the president, as is also evident in Massachusetts, primarily relate to the quest of money as observed by Wiseman (1991). There are very few who can be found pursuing academic scholarships and research activities, and for most it is a way to pursue business interests. The primary function of the President is seen as being accountable for administration functions which too are delegated to subordinates. Presidents are mostly engaged in promoting their friends and in raising funds for different causes by way of interaction with friends and alumni, community leaders, philanthropic agencies, government officers and legislators. Alumni trustees are required to accept primary responsibility for taking collective action in perpetuating the institution and in ensuring that its future is proactively designed and that such designs are executed effectively in supporting the missions. They have to preserve the land grant missions of the University in serving the people of Massachusetts. They are required to attend Board meetings and take part in the activities of the standing committees to which they are assigned. They must cooperate with fellow trustees in supporting majority decisions so that the decision of the Board carries value. Even if faced with time constraints they are expected to give high priority to the university and are expected to devote several weeks of personal initiatives in promoting the goals of the university. They must attend all university functions and social events such as academic convocations, graduation and medallion dinners. They should take pride in making personal financial contributions as per their personal circumstances and support the role of the President as chief functionary in addition to becoming active and probing members of the board in putting into use his critical judgments. The Alumni Trustee is expected to be in full knowledge of the statutes of the university, Trustee Manual and the mission of the university. Alumni Trustees are not given any monetary compensation but they can be reimbursed for the expenses incurred on attending meetings of the board and its committees. The Board of Trustees define the mission of the University and endorse plans to achieve the goals in this regard. The Board of Trustees are held responsible to approve the different types of degrees, the number of departments, colleges, schools and divisions which will make the curriculum to be directed. The Board of trustees also determines the extent to which the institutions will provide programs of distant learning. They have to constantly maintain an effective means of communication with the administration. The Board has a vital role to play in terms of appointing, monitoring, advising, motivating, supporting, evaluating and if required, to replace the President. It approves important policies, long term strategies, education programs and the yearly budget. It can delegate some of these functions to the administration of the university. The Board assumes fiduciary responsibilities in regard to university properties and the long term well being of the university. It regularly monitors and evaluates the university’s efforts in achieving its missions and goals. The Board has to ensure that the university consistently remains an equal opportunity university. In terms of state policies the teachers unions in Massachusetts have not been very strong during the last two decades. They had complied with the reforms bill of 1993 in being made to feel that it would enable the inflow of millions of dollars in renewed spending. However they were unable to successfully contest the adversities of the new reforms in terms of the new accountabilities, tests and higher standards set for new teachers. This happened primarily because Massachusetts had a large number of republican governors during the 1990s and 2000s which made reformist Democrat legislators ineffective in fighting for their cause. However after the arrival of a Democrat governor, the unions in the state have begun to have their say. The unions have been able to get some level of stability in terms of minimum policy variation for teachers across states. Massachusetts has made a great deal of progress but not much effort has been made in empowering principals of educational institutions in regard to freely hiring, firing and fixing salaries. The ineffectiveness of teacher unions in the state has been aptly described by Mike Petrilli: “If in the gubernatorial elections in 1994, 1998, or 2002, a Democrat had won, [the state's education reform law] would likely have been seriously watered-down. This would have been especially true in 1998 [Scott Harshbarger] and 2002 [Shannon O'Brien]. Even still, between 1993 and 2006, reformers (Dems and GOP alike) were constantly beating back efforts by the unions to derail MCAS, academic standards, charters, teacher testing, district accountability, etc” (Petrilli, 2009). In keeping with educational reforms, it has been proposed by the administration in Masachusetts, (Doherty, 2009), to introduce legislation in stripping teachers of having collective bargaining rights. Teachers in the entire state ate unionized and work under conditions that are collectively bargained with school administrations. It is known that schools that do not give collective bargaining rights to teachers fair badly in terms of student performance. But contracts of teachers in all schools are almost the same, whether the students perform well or not. Hence there is no basis to deprive teachers of their right for collective bargaining. Educators in colleges have helped a great deal in developing innovative programs which have enabled Massachusetts institutions to bring the best student results in the country. Lawmakers ought to protect the collective bargaining rights of teachers in making sure that they continue doing their best in further enhancing the standards of education in the state. There is a strong need within the education districts of Massachusetts to include objectives of eradicating the alienation that exists between students and adults so as to work jointly in building a better educational community. The Chairmen of educational institutions, principals and superintendents need to coordinate with students in working towards a movement that shares the involvement of students in the education process. The administrators of the school systems play a very important role in shaping sound education systems and in rationally implementing programs that are mutually agreed upon. III. Continuum of critical issues affecting Massachusetts higher education Investment in education is a part of the recovery plan in Massachusetts to help preserve educational programs, avoid lay offs and to tone down the hikes in student fees. In keeping with the Massachusetts Recovery Plan and in order to ensure the economic future of the state, Governor Deval Patrick announced a $162 million fund that will assist the University of Massachusetts and all state and community colleges in preventing lay offs and cuts in programs in addition to alleviating fee hikes. Till date the Governor has provided $620 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for education and higher education services and programs in the state. This is primarily in keeping with the immediate need to assist students because many of them had to postpone their plans of higher education due to the current economic crisis and colleges raised fees and tuition to meet the rising costs (Sullivan, 2009). Governor Patrick has given top priority to public higher education in Massachusetts and although the budget year is difficult in the face of constant decline in revenue and budget short fall for financial year 2009, legislation has been introduced that ensures that every district gets the expected FY 09 Chapter 70 grants for education. Although the districts will witness a reduction under the state aid payment plans, they will be compensated for the loss from the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFSF) programs. In meeting the total fund outlay of $620 million for education, 81.8% of the SFSF funds will be used for education in meeting the given requirements. In recent times higher education in Massachusetts has been serving as a major attraction for prospective employers who wish to employ educated and skilled workers, although in the past there was limited scope for the outcome of the higher education systems in the state. Policy initiatives have been taken in elevating the attention paid to higher education. The Board of Higher education has approved the implementation of performance accountability systems with specific participant and program parameters that includes outcome of labor markets. The National Governors Association in partnership with the Lumina Foundation and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has taken measures in increasing access and participation in post education programs for students. In recent years Massachusetts had lagged far behind other states in providing financial assistance to needy students. From 2000 to 2006, the state was amongst a few states in the country that had reduced state appropriation in terms of financial aid to students. The aid had dropped by over 22% in clear contrast to the increase of about 52% as an average for other states in the country. However the Massachusetts legislature has recently taken positive steps in increasing financial aid by more than $5 million for residents in Massachusetts who attend college in the commonwealth. This has been the largest provision in the last six years (Doherty, 2006). IV. Current overview of higher education in Massachusetts There are 99 private colleges, 12 public colleges and 19 for profit institutions in Massachusetts. Most of the higher education establishments in the state are private institutions and the University of Massachusetts is the state’s flagship university system which excels in fine arts, academics and research with an enrolment of over 25,000 students. The university offers 50 doctoral programs, 68 master’s programs and 88 bachelor degree programs in ten colleges and schools. The state has 15 four year colleges, 39 two year colleges and 23 technical schools. Among the 94,652 students who were pursuing some form of education, 43,198 received bachelor’s degree and 26,618 received a master’s degree. Almost 75% of the completed educations pertained to bachelor’s or master’s degree levels. A little less than 20% of the completions was below the level of bachelor’s degree and at the top level there were 6898 completions in doctoral and professional degree programs. The following is the pattern of students who enroll and graduate in terms of trends for race and ethnicity groups by gender, special education students and limited English proficient students. “Among the public high school classes more than 19,000 students (33 percent) enrolled in a Massachusetts public postsecondary institution. Of these students, 45 percent enrolled at a community college, 25 percent at a state college, and 30 percent at a state university campus. African American, Hispanic, low-income and limited English proficient students and students receiving special education services in high school were more likely to enroll at a community college. Asians were more likely to enroll at a state university campus. Public high school graduates who enrolled as first-time, full-time degree seeking students completed an average of 26.1 credits and earned an average GPA of 2.7 in their first year in college. More than 80 percent of first-time, full-time degree seeking students re-enrolled for a second year of college in fall 2006. Among public high school graduates, 37 percent enrolled in at least one developmental (remedial) course in their first semester in college. Of students enrolled at community colleges, 65 percent enrolled in at least one developmental course, versus 22 percent at state colleges and 8 percent at state university campuses. Remediation rates were higher for some student groups: 63 percent of students receiving special education services in high school 59 percent of African Americans 58 percent of Hispanics 52 percent of low-income students 50 percent of limited English proficient students” Source: Massachusetts Board of Higher Education, (February, 2008). Massachusetts School to College Report, Massachusetts department of Education. V. Current overview of the higher education governing board structure for Massachusetts The governing boards in Massachusetts comprise of Board of Trustees with 19 voting members and three non voting members. The President of the University officiates from the university and oversees the different campuses spread in different places. Every campus of the university is headed by a Chancellor. The sources of funding of universities in Massachusetts are varied and consist of yearly state appropriations from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, tuition fees from students and other fee and research grant funding from state, federal and private resources. The university also generates revenues from its divisions that deal with commercial ventures and intellectual property, Umass Online and the continuing and corporate educational programs. The University of Massachusetts Foundation manages donation funds obtained from private sources and other matching funding as given by the state government. The Board of Trustees function as a legislative entity and deals with policy issues and sometimes functions as an appeals body. The Board introduces the general policies that govern the university and delegates functions to appropriate university personnel who are held responsible to develop sound administrative practices. The present size of the Board fluctuates between 12 and 24 members. Presently the Board comprises of 19 voting members and three ex-officio non voting members. The founding Board had fourteen appointed members and four ex officio members. Formerly, Trustees were appointed by the Legislature or the Board itself; currently, members are appointed by the Governor. The size of the Board has fluctuated between twelve and twenty-four members. 17 Board members are appointed by the Governor of the Commonwealth and the remaining two members are from the student community. The Board and its Trustees are entrusted with the responsibility to ensure that university funds are spent judiciously with positive operating results. The Board sets the policies for the university, plans capital and operating budgets, monitors fiscal performance and set mandatory student charges for the university students. The trustees of the Board are not empowered to involve in procurement activities and hiring of employees and faculty, which is handled by the President and Chancellors. The Board oversees the academic policies and student affairs. It votes on tenure and personnel issues of faculty, determines student and academic policies and recommends on matters relating to academic programs, financial aid, admission requirements, technical issues and public service matters. Examples in this regard are the Policy on the Awarding of Honorary Degrees, the Undergraduate Admissions Policy and Policy on Centers and Institutes (University of Massachusetts, 2009). VI. Whether or not state governing board of Massachusetts public college/universities have board of trustees/governing boards and the type of relationship that exists between these individual college/university boards and the state board/councils The Massachusetts Board of Higher Education has 12 Board members with voting rights and another two who represent the students but do not have voting rights. The Board of Higher Education is the statutory body responsible for framing the mission and for coordinating the systems of the Commonwealth in regard to public higher education within its institutions. Its objective is to provide citizens of the state with academic opportunities and educational programs for betterment and personal development. Its central responsibility is to function in the areas of Research and Performance Measurement, Fiscal and Capital Planning, Financial Aid and Academic Policy and Program Approval. The Board conducts its functions in keeping within the framework of the integrated public education systems that extend from childhood to university in promoting effective synchronization. The Board of Higher Education takes all possible initiatives in encouraging coordination and partnerships with educational institutions along with businesses to create opportunities of employment, improvement in standard of education, eventually to achieve economic growth. There is no direct interference by the Board in matters relating to Board of Trustees of University of Massachusetts and state and community colleges (Massachusetts Board of Higher Education, 2009). VII. Massachusetts higher education budget and how funds are derived The Board of Higher education has a budget formula that is a virtual tool for statement of needs and advocacy in becoming the basis for the annual budget request of the Board of Higher Education. The Board’s budget formula enables an impartial method for allocating funds for state appropriations to the different community and state colleges. Such a budget formula was created in the mid 1980s and utilized by the Executive Office of Administration in being the basis for making funding decisions. The budget allocations are made on the basis of Board of Higher Education targets, national benchmarks and on the basis of profiles of individual institutions in keeping with course offerings, enrolment and facilities offered. As a consequence of the serious economic slowdown suffered by the US economy due to the collapse of the housing markets, the financial markets have been adversely impacted because of the destabilizing impact of the housing implosion as also because of the steep hike in oil prices. Massachusetts has been significantly impacted in terms of the increase in unemployment that reached 5.7% in July 2008. It is in fact much worse if the labor market is considered since workers are working for lesser hours than they wish to, they have been forced to take cuts in pay and are now becoming much discouraged in searching for work. The funding provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will enable Massachusetts to balance its state budget for the financial years 2009, 2010 and 2011.Under the increased federal funding for Medicaid (FMAP), Massachusetts will receive about $3.09 billion in FMAP enhancements. Under the Education Block Grant Massachusetts will receive $813 million which will enable the Governor to finance the budget provisions laid down for the current fiscal. In addition to the Education Block Grant, the federal government will provide Flexible Block Grant to Massachusetts, amounting to $181 million to be used for public safety, education and other services. The state can tide over its funding difficulties by using these funds for modernizing, renovating and repairing of education facilities (Mass Budget, 2009). The $162 million from ARRA designated for use in higher education will be primarily utilized for rolling back fees increases for students in Massachusetts educational institutions. VIII. Critical legislative higher education issues currently being addressed in Massachusetts Massachusetts is a world leader in management education and R&D and exports top talent to the business and technical world to lead management functions throughout the world. While the educational standards in the state are very high, students in Massachusetts are having problems in affording the high costs of education which is evident from the fact that the cost per student in the state was $12774 in 2006 as compared to the national average of $10885 per student (Mass Budget, 2009). Especially in view of the current economic slowdown several families are just managing to survive and students find it extremely difficult to meet the high cost of tuition in public colleges within the state. There is need for the government to provide relief to such students so that the future of the state becomes brighter in avoiding the future generation to suffer in not getting adequate higher education. There is an intense debate about whether undocumented immigrants should be allowed to pay in-state tuition at Massachusetts public colleges/ universities. The college tuition paid by a resident to a university or public college within his or her home state is called in-state tuition. This is usually much lesser than what is charged for students coming from other states. Hence the question of why an alien should be allowed to compete with internal residents of the state where the college is situated, which will invariably imply that such students are getting advantage at the cost of home students. However it is essential to provide adequate educational opportunities to immigrants in Massachusetts since they will comprise of the future human capital of the state. By strengthening the work force, the state will eventually stand to gain in the long term. List of References Colleges, Community Colleges, & Universities in Massachusetts, USA(MA, USA), http://www.univsource.com/ma.htm, Accessed on 21 October 2009. Doherty Richard, (July 16, 2006). Financial aid boost for students welcome, The Republican. Doherty Ed, (August 22, 2009). Hurting Teachers Won't Help the Students, http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/08/22/, Accessed on 21 October 2009 Lingenfelter Paul, Responsibilities of Governing Bodies in the United State of America, OECD, http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/55/26/37378272.pdf, Accessed on 21 October 2009. Massachusetts Board of Higher Education, (2009). Board Members, Accessed on 21 October 2009. Massachusetts Board of Higher Education, (February, 2008). Massachusetts School to College Report, Massachusetts department of Education. Mass Budget, (2009). American Recovery and Reinvestment Act & Massachusetts, Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center. Mass Budget, (2009). Education Financing in Massachusetts and the 50 States, Fiscal Year 2006, Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center Petrilli Mike, May 18 2009, What does the Massachusetts Miracle teach us about teachers, Flypaper. Schmidt, G. 1930. The old time college president. New York: Columbia University Press. Sullivan Kyle, (March 24, 2009). GOVERNOR PATRICK DIRECTS $162 MILLION IN FEDERAL RECOVERY FUNDS TO PUBLIC COLLEGES, http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=gov3pressrelease&L=1&L0=Home&sid=Agov3&b, Accessed on 21 October 2009. University of Massachusetts, (2009). Board of Trustees, http://www.massachusetts.edu/bot/index.html, Accessed on 21 October 2009. Wiseman, L. 1991. The university president: Academic leadership in an era of fundraising and legislative affairs. Found in Managing institutions of Higher education into the 21" Century. Sims, R. and Sims, S., ed. New York: Greenwood Press. Read More