**CORRECTIONS**

  1. The previous email incorrectly stated that Maine is the only state to have a community college representative on its governor's advisory board. However, Connecticut's reopening committee also has a community college representative: Alice Pritchard.
  2. The link to the summary of state reopening plans in the previous email was incorrect. The link has been corrected below.

We thank those who submitted these corrections and apologize for any confusion.
COVID-19 and Higher Ed: Weekly Update
 May 4-7, 2020
The latest developments regarding the impact of COVID-19 on New England's colleges and universities, students, and families.
Updates from New England Institutions
Check out NEBHE's COVID-19 updated dashboard for complete data
Flexible grading policies for spring semester: 113

HEIs planning to offer fully online summer term: 86

Plans for fall semester announced: 36
  • Colleges planning to be fully online this fall: 4
  • Colleges planning to open as normal: 32

HEIs offering room and board credit or refunds: 116

CARES Act disbursement method (to students) announced so far:
  • Application: 23
  • Formula: 10
  • Not accepting CARES Act aid: 2
Resource Spotlight
State Reopening Plans and Guidance for Repopulating Colleges
To date, only Connecticut has issued guidance regarding the reopening of college campuses. On May 6, Gov. Lamont announced the details of a report containing recommendations for a phased reopening of colleges and universities in Connecticut. It is likely that Maine will announce its own plans for higher education soon. Gov. Mills' Economic Recovery Committee has three higher education leaders, each representing a different sector: private four-year institutions, public four-year institutions, and community colleges. Maine and Connecticut are the only states to have a community college representatives on their advisory committees. Gov. Baker (Massachusetts) has a president of a private college on his reopening advisory board; this board lacks representation from the public sector. Gov. Sununu (New Hampshire) and Gov. Scott (Vermont) lack higher education representation of any kind on their advisory councils. Gov. Raimondo (Rhode Island) does not have a reopening advisory council.

State Reopening Blueprints:
Massachusetts (will be released by May 18)
Economic Impact of Higher Education in New England
NEBHE Analysis: The Economic Impact of Higher Education in New England. This data brief outlines the impact of higher education in terms of labor income and value added to the region's economy.
  • Higher education contributes the third highest Gross Regional Product, just behind hospitals and K-12 schools.
  • The region's colleges and universities added $29.8 billion to New England's economy in 2018.
  • New England's postsecondary institutions employ 250,000 individuals.
  • These colleges and universities pay approximately $18 billion in wages and salaries annually.
Promising Practices

Gov. Lamont Announces Statewide Launch of Free Online Job Training Program for Unemployment Claimants . The  SkillUp CT program , coordinated by the Connecticut Workforce Development Council in collaboration with the Connecticut Governor’s Workforce Council and the Connecticut Department of Labor, will make free online learning licenses available to recipients of unemployment insurance, including those who have been impacted by the economic fallout of the COVID-19 public health crisis.


Is your state or institution offering any free training opportunities to individuals who are receiving unemployment insurance due to COVID-19? Let us know by emailing  policy@nebhe.org .
Distance Learning, Compliance, and New England SARA
Although not specific to distance learning and reciprocity, we'll share this week the recent guidance by the U.S. Department of Education concerning new required disclosures relative the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF).

The Certification and Agreement directs each institution applying for HEERF funds to comply with Section 18004(e) of the CARES Act and submit an initial report (the “30-day Fund Report”) to the Secretary thirty (30) days from the date of the institution’s Certification and Agreement to the Department. The Department will provide instructions for providing the required information to the Secretary in the near future.

The addition, announced this week, requires each HEERF participating institution must disclose on their websites detailed information and data on how they allocate emergency student grant funding under the CARES Act’s HEERF.

N  ancy Anderson, Mike Goldstein and Paul Thompson of Cooley LLP provide a concise summary on its blog , including the information which must appear in the institution's website disclosure:

  1. An acknowledgement that the institution signed and returned to ED the certification agreement for HEERF funding and the assurance that it has used, or intends to use, no less than 50% of its HEERF funding to provide emergency student grants.
  2. The total amount of funds the institution will receive or has received from ED for emergency student grants.
  3. The total amount of emergency student grants distributed to students as of the date of each disclosure.
  4. The estimated total number of students eligible for student grants.
  5. The total number of students who have received an emergency student grant as of the date of each disclosure.
  6. The institution’s methodology used to determine which students receive grants and how much each would receive.
  7. Any instructions, directions or guidance provided by the institution to students concerning the grants.
For more, visit NEBHE's COVID-19 Resource Page
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