This graph shows how state support for public higher education students has declined dramatically, But if the budget proposed by the House Ways and Means Committee is passed, we’ll start to reverse this trend. Per Student Support for Massachusetts Public Higher Education FY2000 – FY2012 Continue reading »
Category Archive: Reports & Publications
Feb 19
3 Proposals for Funding Public Higher Education
PHENOM belongs to the Campaign for the Future of Higher Education (CFHE) . At a recent news briefing, three scholars representing faculty across the U.S. strongly advocated for a change in state and federal funding of public higher ed. Their request— stop capitulating to a dysfunctional NEW NORMAL — was directed at politicians and administrative …
Jan 24
Why Student Costs Have Risen: A Simple Graph
Yes, it is really this simple. AS STATE APPROPRIATIONS WERE CUT, CAMPUSES RAISED STUDENT FEES. IF STATE SUPPORT WENT BACK UP, STUDENT FEES COULD GO DOWN!
Jan 11
PHENOMenal News- Fall 2012
Read the fall-winter issue of the PHENOM newsletter on your screen, and then let us know if you would like a batch to distribute. It includes interesting material on adjunct faculty, student debt, State House advocacy, the Quebec student uprising, diversity, and more. Please write to us at massphenom@gmail.com if you would like copies to use …
Jan 11
Advocacy Day Infects State House with Higher Ed Fervor
Over 500 students, staff and faculty from almost every one of the public campuses came to the State House on March 8, 2012 with a simple powerful message: Public Higher Education is critical to the residents of Massachusetts, to our economy, and to our future, and must be adequately funded. “Costs have risen dramatically,” said …
Jan 11
Could this be the year we win progressive taxes?
by Max Page First, the bad news. Once again, when all the dust settled on the budget, the Governor and Legislature pushed through takeaways from public employees and continued to underfund public services, all the while refusing to ask the wealthiest members of the Commonwealth (who have been getting much wealthier) to contribute a …
Jan 11
Adjunct Faculty Victory at UMass Lowell
by Ellen Michaud Martins, UMass Lowell On May 18, 2012, the Adjunct Faculty at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell overwhelmingly ratified their first-ever union contract–between the University and United Auto Workers Local 1596. In voting to ratify, the adjunct faculty made history at UML and became part a growing trend of unionization in …
Jan 11
Students Prevail in Quebec
In February of this year, Quebec students began an unlimited general strike to oppose a tuition increase from $2,168 to $3,793 between 2012 and 2017 announced by the Liberal government of Premier Jean Charest. In October, following massive demonstrations and the resignation of one education minister and then another, Charest and his government were defeated …
Jan 11
Focus on Diversity Updates PHENOM Agenda
by Lisa Field At the annual Delegate Assembly, held at UMass Boston in June, a group of delegates brought forward a proposal to increase diversity and representativeness in PHENOM. They cited several reasons for focusing the organization on diversity issues. PHENOM’s credibility as the voice of Public Higher Education in Massachusetts depends on being …
Jan 11
Nothing As Certain As Debt and Taxes
by Ferd Wulkan The Massachusetts class of 2010 (public and private 4-year colleges) graduated with an average debt of $25,541, 12th highest among the 50 states. 63% of students graduated with some amount of debt, 16th most among the 50 states. Among public 4-year colleges, Westfield State had the highest percentage with debt (75%) with …
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