On Wednesday, September 16, 2015, PHENOM’s Executive Director, Natalie Higgins, testified before the Joint Committee on Higher Education. Here is her testimony: I am writing to you today as the Executive Director of PHENOM (the Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts), as a proud graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and a concerned citizen. […]
“When education is made unaffordable you severely limit the upward mobility of the most vulnerable segments of our population. Education for me is the only way I can create a better life for myself and family,” said Lynn resident Marven-rhode Hyppolite. “Many families are working two jobs and long hours for very little and are […]
The Tennessee Promise is both a scholarship and mentoring program. High school seniors receive a last-dollar scholarship, covering tuition and fees not already covered by the PELL Grant, the HOPE Scholarship, or other state student assistance funds. In order to remain in the program, Tennessee Promise recipients must complete eight hours of community service per […]
Yesterday, the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center released a new report: Debt-Free Public Higher Education: What Would It Take? The Report calculates the cost of (1) eliminating tuition and fees for all current in-state students at Community Colleges and State Universities, (2) providing grants to cover Community College costs, including tuition, fees, books, and transportation, […]
Excerpted from 2015 Spring Newsletter STCC PHENOM Chapter by Juhi Dasrath Springfield Technical Community College’s campus chapter had the great opportunity to be a part of Advocacy Day, where we addressed our concerns about making higher education more affordable and accessible for college students. We started making waves by taking small strokes on our […]
By Natalie Higgins, PHENOM’s Executive Director Excerpted from 2015 Spring Newsletter President Obama’s free community college proposal put affordability and accessibility of public higher education on the national agenda in a big way. PHENOM has been organizing around affordable and accessible high quality public higher education since its beginning. And we know that removing tuition and fees also removes […]
As the new state legislative session is kicking off, there are many proposals PHENOM is excited to support because they will promote accessible and affordable, quality public higher education in the Commonwealth. PHENOM’s Finish Line Grant proposal would cover tuition and fees for one year for students who have completed a year already, and whose […]
Check out PHENOM’s Board member Max Page discussing free higher education with WWLP 22 News.
Check out PHENOM’s Spring 2015 Newsletter by following this link. Some highlights include a recap of Public Higher Education Advocacy Day, PHENOM’s state legislative agenda, a response to President Obama’s Free Community College Proposal, and highlights of a new paper on the student debt crisis.