For A Great State of Mind – Invest In Public Higher Education

 

For a Great State of Mind is PHENOM’s multi-year grassroots campaign to have Massachusetts dramatically increase its investment in public higher education and lower the costs for students. With the rising cost of tuition and fees, immigrants, the poor, and increasingly the middle class are being squeezed out of higher education, at exactly the same time that college is becoming increasingly necessary for the well-being of our residents and for the economic future of the state. Learn more about the campaign.

Launched in January 2010, this campaign involves thousands of people signing on to a statement calling on Massachusetts to getup to the national average in state support and down to the national average in student costs.

Who can argue when we say, Let’s Be Average! These will then be used to urge candidates for public office to endorse this goal. We are determined that the crisis in public higher education must be a major issue in the 2010 election campaign in Massachusetts.

Massachusetts is 46th in the country in per capita support for higher education, and cut its support more than any other state in the last 5 years. Since 1990 funding for need-based financial aid declined by 53%, while costs have doubled at 4-year colleges and increased by 60% at 2-year colleges. This constitutes a crisis that is devastating to our students, potential students and economy.

If you agree, sign on here. See the campaign brochure – contact us and let us know how many we should send you.

See more data on Massachusetts public higher education.

List of Legislators who have Endorsed the Campaign Statement For a Great State of Mind 
Rep. Denise Andrews
Rep. Thomas Calter
Sen. Katherine Clark
Sen. Sal DiDomenico
Sen. Benjamin Downing
Rep. Michael Finn
Sen. Jennifer Flanagan
Rep. Gloria Fox
Rep. Sean Garballey
Rep. Mary Grant
Rep. Jonathan Hecht
Rep. Donald Humason
Sen. Patricia Jehlen
Rep. Jay Kaufman
Sen. Michael Knapik
Rep. Peter Kocot
Rep. Paul Mark
Rep. James O’Day
Rep. Smitty Pignatelli
Rep. Denise Provost
Sen. Michael Rodrigues
Sen. Stanley Rosenberg
Rep. Tom Sannicandro
Rep. Frank Smizik
Rep. Thomas Stanley
Rep. Ellen Story
Rep. Timothy Toomey
Rep. David Torrisi
Sen. Sue Tucker
Sen. James Welch