Our Voices
Sky High Tuition Carnival
By Jeron Mariani Step right up! Come one, come all to the Sky High Tuition Carnival!!From tuitions and fees that skyrocket year after year, to the nationwide admissions scandal and small private colleges shuttering their campuses, the whole higher education system is...
State and National Higher Ed Policy Updates — May 2019
Massachusetts Updates: The fight for Mt Ida students is not over By dismissing the lawsuit by former students of the now-closed Mount Ida College, a Federal judge has set some dangerous precedents. The ruling establishes that college officials do not owe...
The Magic Formula to More than Doubling State Funding for Public Higher Education
A Closer Look Higher Education Endowments in Massachusetts Click to download this issue paper the program was included in the 2020 supplemental budget which passed by both chambers of the Legislature and signed by the Governor last week. Great win for Massachusetts...
Testimony: An Act Relative to the Endowment Match Program
By Bob Hildreth Testimony Before the Joint Committee on Higher Education on H.1201, H.1228, H.1232, & S.753, “An Act Relative to the Endowment Match Program” Chairs Gobi and Roy, Vice Chairs Comerford and Arciero, and members of the Joint Committee on...
State and National Higher Ed Policy Updates — April 2019
Massachusetts Updates: Important Higher ed bills in hearing! Since 2001, state funding for public colleges and universities has declined by one-third, from $12,000 per student each year to only $8,000 per student. That is a dramatic cut that hurts our students...
Campus Update — April 2019
This month we have been proud to stand in solidarity with coalition partners on the Debt-Free Future Act as well as the Act related to Endowment Match Program and the CHERISH Act at the State House! The hearing room was filled with Massachusetts Teachers...
State and National Higher Ed Policy Updates — March 2019
Massachusetts Updates: Press Conference - Student Loan Bill of Rights in Massachusetts Lawmakers urged Massachusetts to adopt adequate protections for student borrowers at a press conference held earlier this month. Our legislators, along with student loan...
Advocating for #ZeroDebt -March 2019
This month was a busy one for us in the State House! We made several visits, including an awesome press conference for the Student Loan Bill of Rights: On the left is Nathan Foster, a young Tufts alum who joined us to talk about his experiences with student...
Campus Update-March-2019
Here you can see Bob speaking to a small group of leaders from Suffolk. These students are not happy seeing their tuition rise every year, and they are ready to take action. March may have included Spring Breaks for our students, but our work towards #ZeroDebt...
Why Has Massachusetts Short Changed Low Income College Students?
(Letter sent to all MA legislators and also published by WGBH) Dear Senator/Representative, As a state that prides itself on the excellence of its higher education, Massachusetts falls far behind the rest of the country in aiding low-income students. The evidence...