Among its many responsibilities, the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education is required to:
1. Define the mission of and coordinate the Commonwealth's system of higher education. The Board, in conjunction with colleges' Boards of Trustees, holds the system accountable for achieving its goals and establishing a comprehensive system to measure quality by defining educational achievement and success with the use of standards and measurements.
M.G.L. Chapter 15A, Section 1
2. Approve the awarding of degrees and define and authorize new functions or new programs or consolidate, discontinue, or transfer existing functions, educational activities, and programs.
M.G.L. Chapter 15A, Section 9(b)
3. Analyze present and future goals, needs, and requirements of public higher education and establish goals to achieve a well-coordinated quality system of public higher education in the Commonwealth.
M.G.L. Chapter 15A, Section 9(c)
4. Develop a rational and equitable statewide tuition plan for the state colleges and the community colleges.
M.G.L. Chapter 15A, Section 9(c)
5. Establish, where appropriate, coordination between and among post-secondary institutions, public or private, and resolve conflicts of policies or operations arising in public higher education.
M.G.L. Chapter 15A, Section 9(u)
6. Insure public inspections through publication of institutional spending plans; require, collect, analyze, maintain such data from institutions and agencies for public higher education as may be relevant to the careful and responsible discharge of its purposes, functions and duties and such data shall include information available from private institutions of higher education. In the case of public institutions, such data shall include, but not be limited to, analyses of the rates of graduation and the scores received by students on standardized examinations.
M.G.L. Chapter 15A, Section 9(r and s)
7. Approve the appointment and removal and fix the compensation of the chief executive officer of each state and community college.
M.G.L. Chapter 15A, Section 9(q) and Section 21
A full compilation of the authority of the Board can be found in the Massachusetts General Laws
The Higher Education Authority Overview outlines the Board of Higher Education's responsibilities alongside those of the Boards of Trustees of Massachusetts' public colleges and universities.
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