Reject changes that undermine the mission of public higher education
NECHE Commissioners and the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education
Accreditation and governing bodies set standards for what quality education in Massachusetts will look like and the changes being considered to lower standards and reduce credit requirements represent real concerns about the ways in which our leaders may be quietly capitulating to pressures that will diminish the quality of public higher education in our state.
We hope you will share your concerns with both NECHE and the BHE by signing on to this ACTION NETWORK and sharing it with others you know who care about public higher education in Massachusetts.
While recent federal attacks on higher education have made headline news, in our own state several looming changes will also have devastating consequences for the quality of higher education in Massachusetts.
NECHE Standards
NECHE (New England Commission of Higher Education), which is the accreditation body for all of our public colleges and universities in Massachusetts, has submitted a draft of revised accreditation standards. These standards are used by higher education institutions to shape programming, invest resources, and determine quality and accountability. The revision of these standards significantly reduces the overall standards, but particularly concerning are the complete elimination of references to diversity, equity, and inclusion; the erasure of the focus on civic education and much of the language about the importance of public service; and the complete absence of standards relative to the important role of libraries and librarians at institutions of higher learning. These revisions evoke serious concerns about a retreat from the values of academic integrity, shared knowledge, and social responsibility that our public colleges are meant to uphold.
90-credit Bachelor’s degree
In addition to the proposed changes to accreditation standards, the Board of Higher Education is currently entertaining a pilot proposal for a 90-credit Bachelor’s degree. This reduces more than just the time students must spend in college, it reduces the opportunity for a broad educational foundation that supports students in their personal, civic, and social development. It reduces learning and career flexibility by eliminating opportunities for exploration and investigation in their college degrees. And most concerning, it risks a two-tier system of education whereby students who may lack resources are funneled into a diminished educational track. The current costs of public higher education are a serious issue and should be addressed through increased state support, not by limiting educational opportunities of students.
Accreditation and governing bodies set standards for what quality education in Massachusetts will look like and these two proposed changes represent real concerns about the ways in which our leaders may be quietly capitulating to pressures that will diminish the quality of public higher education in our state. We hope you will share your concerns with both NECHE and the BHE by signing on to this ACTION NETWORK and sharing it with others you know who care about public higher education in Massachusetts.
Sponsored by
To:
NECHE Commissioners and the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education
From:
[Your Name]
To: NECHE Commissioners and the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education
From: [Your Name]
Over the past year, higher education institutions from across the nation have faced a number of attacks coming from the Trump administration. The coercive push for compacts, the attacks on programs designed to enhance diversity, equity and inclusion, and the cuts to research funding have set into stark relief the need to support the mission of higher education as an engine for knowledge creation, civic development and socioeconomic mobility.
While these federal attacks have received visible attention, in Massachusetts we are seeing additional challenges that threaten the very commitment and missions of our institutions to provide the highest quality educational opportunities to the students, families and communities of the Commonwealth.
Two important changes under consideration will have significant consequences for higher education in Massachusetts. They include proposed changes to the NECHE Standards and the Board of Higher Education’s consideration of a pilot program for a 90-credit bachelor’s degree.
As a key accrediting body in New England, NECHE has long set standards for the quality of higher education in Massachusetts. In the past, these standards have guaranteed that Massachusetts institutions of higher education have key commitments to shared governance, public service, quality research and diversity, equity and inclusion.
Unfortunately, the proposed changes to these standards would have detrimental consequences for the quality of higher education in our region. In particular, these proposed changes remove all language of diversity, equity and inclusion; remove all language specific to civic education; and remove all references to libraries and librarians. Removing or weakening this language from the NECHE standards is a retreat from the values of academic integrity, shared knowledge and social responsibility that our public colleges are meant to uphold.
In addition to these proposed changes to NECHE standards, the Board of Higher Education is considering a pilot proposal that would open the door for the creation of bachelor’s degrees requiring fewer than 120 credits. Reducing the credit requirement would compromise both the quality and the purpose of higher education in the Commonwealth, undermining the promise of an education that enriches lives, deepens civic growth and leads to socioeconomic progress.
One of the most concerning risks to a diminished-credit bachelor's degree is the possibility of a two-tiered system of higher education. This would be a system where first-generation, working-class and low-income students are disproportionately funneled into fast-track programs that limit their exposure to the liberal arts and humanities and restrict their education and career flexibility compared to students with the resources to pursue a more traditional degree. While the rising costs of a college education are real, they should be addressed through state investment and support, not by simply reducing the quality and breadth of what a college education should offer.
NECHE Commissioners and members of the Board of Higher Education, along with the trustees and administrators at our public colleges and universities, have been trusted with the responsibility of determining the standards that would ensure Massachusetts is a state where all students have the opportunity for a high-quality, public education that is as much about personal development as workforce preparation. These standards should move us toward a more equitable society, not exacerbate inequities that may already exist. As members of our Massachusetts public college and university communities, we are calling on you to reject changes that will undermine the substantial work that has already been done to move us in the right direction and to uphold the standards that ensure progress will continue into the future.