the weekly digest from NEJHE and other news from the New England Board of Higher Education
Oct. 20, 2021

Students of color are closing the gap with white students in high school graduation rates. The U.S. Department of Education recently reported that the national adjusted cohort graduation rate (the percentage of public high school freshmen who graduate with a regular diploma within four years of starting 9th grade) in 2018-19 was 89% for white students, 93% for Asian/Pacific Islander students, 82% for Hispanic students, 80% for Black students and 74% for American Indian/Alaska Native students. Donald Brown—who led the Office of AHANA Student Programs at Boston College to help African American, Hispanic, Asian and Native American students succeed—writes that these findings also suggest an opportunity for predominantly white institutions (PWIs) that are at financial risk of closure. "Their doors can remain open, if they begin immediately to prioritize recruitment in overlooked communities of color. These institutions will probably find that there is an abundance of qualified, committed students who are ready and eager to enroll," writes Brown. "The students will need adequate financial aid and, importantly, a sense that the institution is welcoming, inclusive and committed to diversity." It won’t be easy. As Sara Jean-Francois has written in NEJHE: “The hard truth is that traditional PWIs do not adequately make space for the cultures, knowledge base and languages of students of color ...“
Newslink

Cambridge College Dean of Student Affairs Regina Robinson was named deputy commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Known for standing up for marginalized students, Robinson served one term on the Boston School Committee. ... Keene State College named University of Southern Indiana Dean James M. Beeby, a historian, to be the New Hampshire college’s provost and vice president for academic affairs. Beeby is a first-generation college student who graduated from a public university in his native United Kingdom. ... See more on these and other changes in NEJHE's Comings and Goings tally of new appointments in New England higher ed and beyond.

Pictured: Regina Robinson
ICYMI from The New England Journal of Higher Education ... A Look Back at Our Final Print Edition

The Winter 2010 NEJHE, the final print issue before NEBHE's journal went all-digital, featured articles on: an admissions innovation to help applicants flaunt their creativity; ways to close the achievement gap facing boys; tips on finding price and value in college; the "swirling" nature of today's students; and features on higher education after the economic crash by then-U.S. Education Under Secretary Martha Kanter, data guru Jane Wellman and Boston University Dean Jay Halfond.

News Around NEBHE
A Blog of Note

We're pleased to note that our friends at the Connecticut State Colleges & Universities System have launched the new OpenCSCU blog. The blog's aim is to support dissemination of open practices, recognize the work of practitioners and advocates and grow the open community. Check out its initial post, Presenting and Promoting Open Pedagogy Through Different Frameworks.

This image by Inayaysad is licensed under the Creative CommonsAttribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
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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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