PHENOM: Public Higher Education of Massachusetts

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For a great state of mind: invest in public higher education. A PHENOM INDEX - 1 Where “education of work force” ranks in reasons corporations give for choosing a location 8 Number of dollars in economic activity generated by every $1 in state investment in UMass 4.3 Total impact of the five UMass campuses on the economy, in billions of dollars 9 Number of states that decreased their support for public higher education between 2005 and 2010 9 Rank of Massachusetts in this group 25.6 Percentage by which Massachusetts decreased its support for public higher education in last 5 years 85 Percentage of Massachusetts public higher education students who stay in Massachusetts to work and pay taxes upon graduation 55 Percentage of Massachusetts private college students who are residents of the state 43 Number of states that have lower average tuition and fees at public 4-year colleges than Massachusetts 46 Massachusetts’ rank among the 50 states in per capita appropriations for higher education 53 Percent decrease in the state’s main financial aid program, MASSGrant, 1989 to 2008 3 Percentage of Massachusetts budget that goes to public higher education 6 National average, percent of state budgets that go to public higher education 4 Number of states that spend a smaller percentage than Massachusetts 49 Percent by which Massachusetts 2-year College cost exceeds the national average 135 Number of dollars that Massachusetts spends per person age 18-24 on financial aid grants 269 Dollars the average state spends 1 Number of states that cut public higher education more than Massachusetts, 2008-2010 1/2 proportion of national average that MA spends on financial aid grants per person age 18-24 5.8 percent increase in enrollment at public colleges from 2008 to 2009

P. O. Box 2281 ● Amherst, MA 01004-2281 ● Phone 413.461-3300 ● Fax 413.545.5798 ● Email:massphenom@gmail.com ● Webwww.phenomonline.org

Join PHENOM's Campaign for a Great State of Mind:

Ask Every Candidate for Statewide and Legislative Office to Increase Funding for Public Higher Education.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN OUR STATEMENT

PHENOM engages in grassroots organizing, policy analysis, education and advocacy in leading the fight for affordable, well-funded, high quality public higher education in Massachusetts.

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.

Let’s Be Average! 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. PHENOM’s campaign goal is get us up to the national average in state support and down to the national average in student costs. 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.

College Costs Very High in Massachusetts

Friday, 23 July 2010 09:07

"The College Completion Agenda 2010 Progress Report" is a very detailed new report by the College Board. It evaluates national and, in many cases, state-by-state progress on 10 recommendations toward an overall goal of increasing to 55% the proportion of 25 to 34 year-olds holding at least an associate's degree by 2025.

Some key findings include:

Only 3 states have higher average in-state tuition at public 2-year colleges than Massachusetts ($4,273 compared to the national average of $2,982).

US News & World Report: Higher Ed Cuts Worst in Massachusetts

U.S. News and World Report has a new report and interactive map with data about higher ed cuts in the 50 states.

From 2008 to 2010, the change in state tax support for higher education here was -37.0%, compared to the national average of -6.9%. This is especially dramatic in light of the state's budget shortfall of 8.5% -- just half the national average of 16.9%.

Legislators make choices, and ours have chosen to disproportionately target our public campuses, our students, and our economic future. Legislators in other states also face difficult choices and they have not all made the same choices.

So what does it mean? Massachusetts spends $5,591 to support the typical in-state student at a public college. Nationally, the average is $6.928.

We urge you to bring this report to the attention of your State Representative and State Senator.

Thursday, 01 July 2010 23:15

PHENOM Criticizes State Budget which Makes the Largest Cut to Public Higher Education in a Decade

The budget Governor Patrick signed on June 30 slashes funding for Massachusetts Community Colleges, State Colleges and the UMass campuses by close to $145 million, or almost 15%. This is the largest cut to the state’s public higher education campuses in a decade. About 3% of the cuts are due to the U.S. Senate's failure to pass an extension of the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) because of a threatened filibuster by, among others, Scott Brown of Massachusetts.