CHEQA / Strategic Initiatives / Massachusetts Department of Higher Education

Background

Section 215 of the Massachusetts Fiscal Year 2025 budget created a Commission on Higher Education Quality and Affordability. The 21-member group of higher education, business, civil rights, and other stakeholders is charged with reviewing, evaluating, and making recommendations on:

State [higher education] assistance programs and funding, including, but not limited to, aid for tuition, fees, books, supplies and other costs of attendance … to ensure the accessibility and affordability of higher education institutions and how to achieve best outcomes;
Student costs and debts during and after attending said universities;
Programs that improve student success, including, but not limited to, academic support, career counselling, assistance with applying for state and federal benefits and improvements to facilities;
Improvements needed to increase the recruitment and retention of qualified adjunct and full-time faculty and staff; and
Financial assistance program design and models to efficiently increase state assistance, improve outcomes and reduce student costs

Commission Members

Members

Veronica Conforme	BHE Member & Commission Co-Chair
Chris Gabrieli	BHE Chair & Commission Co-Chair
Viviana Abreu-Hernandez	Executive Director, Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center
Claudine Barnes	Faculty Member, Cape Cod Community College
Joseph Bonilla	Student Government President, Westfield State University
JD Chesloff	Executive Director of the Massachusetts Business Roundtable
Senator Jo Comerford	Co-Chair, Joint Committee on Higher Education
Doug Howgate	Executive Director, Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation
Ed Lambert	Executive Director, Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education
Nate Mackinnon	Executive Director, Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges
Mary Jo Marion	Associate Vice President, Worcester State University
President Marty Meehan	University of Massachusetts
Niki Nguyen	BHE Student Member, Student at UMass Boston
President Nancy Niemi	Framingham State University
Commissioner Noe Ortega	Department of Higher Education
Max Page	President, Massachusetts Teachers Association
Representative Kelly Pease	Ranking Minority Member, Joint Committee on Higher Education
President David Podell	MassBay Community College
Representative Dave Rogers	Co-Chair, Joint Committee on Higher Education
Femi Stoltz	Director of Policy, uAspire
Secretary Patrick Tutwiler	Executive Office of Education