While New England's population remains predominantly non-Hispanic white, the region has diversified considerably in recent years, as most population growth has occurred among minority groups. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, between 2010 and 2018, New England's non-Hispanic white population shrank by 3.1%. During this same period, the region's…

Higher education institutions--as major employers of the workforce, purchasers of goods and services, managers of real estate, and attractors of external investment--are frequently the subject of research measuring economic impact. This research often falls into one of two categories: (1) institution-focused studies that measure the monetary…

A college degree has become the ticket to the middle class. Yet, at the same time, the cost of achieving this milestone has increased considerably. For many students and families, the only way to meet the substantial cost of higher education is to take out loans. While some amount of debt may be acceptable--after all, it is important for students…

In February 2006, Nellie Mae Education Foundation President and Chief Executive Officer Blenda J. Wilson convened a roundtable discussion on trends in education philanthropy. Wilson's guests were Ron Ancrum, president of Associated Grant Makers, which serves grantmaking members in Massachusetts and New Hampshire; Nancy P. Roberts, president of the…

This article presents an interview with historian David Halberstam who graduated from Harvard University in 1955 after serving as managing editor of the "Harvard Crimson." Upon graduation, he joined the staff of the "Daily Times Leader" newspaper of West Point, Mississippi, and then moved on to the "Nashville…

To mark New England Board of Higher Education's (NEBHE) 50th anniversary year, "Connection" invited a small group of visionary commentators to submit short "statements" on the future of New England's economic and civic development, tomorrow's technologies and the changing shape of higher education. This article includes the…

Describes the Department of Education's 2003 proposed revision of the Expected Family Contribution formula, which determines family eligibility for federal financial aid. In many cases, it will mean that parents requesting aid for September 2004 will appear to have higher after-tax incomes than they did the year before. Such changes would cut…

This issue contains data on trends and indicators of New England higher education, including demography, admissions, enrollment, degrees, educational attainment and income, student migration, retention and graduation, financing higher education, and university research and development. It also includes articles related to the data and on New…

Congress has begun to rewrite the Higher Education Act, the federal law that authorizes student aid programs like Pell Grants, student loans, Federal Work-Study, TRIO and GEAR UP. This will mark the eighth time that the law has been formally revisited since it was enacted in 1965. It is still early in the process and it is uncertain what the…

Recent headlines about spiraling college prices combined with congressional proposals to penalize colleges and universities that increase their tuitions much faster than the rate of inflation could lead one to conclude that America faces an unprecedented crisis in college affordability. Closer examination of what students actually pay for college,…