Student health program offers significant advantages for students
Is your campus struggling with its student health insurance program renewal and the impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA)? Look to MHEC for assistance with potential short- and long-term strategies. The MHECare student health collaborative can offer significant advantages for your students. With over 12,000 covered student lives across 18 campuses, MHECare has delivered proven savings to students, and because MHEC has completed its due diligence in creating MHECare, a member institution does not need to conduct a formal request for proposal to obtain a MHECare quote. To learn more, please contact Jennifer Dahlquist, MHEC’s vice president and chief financial officer, at 612-677-2762.


MHECtech goes live with a new look
Behind the scenes, MHEC has been making a number of technological improvements. One such update has been a renovation of the electronic commerce website for the Midwestern Higher Education Compact - www.MHECtech.org.  One of MHEC's goals is to help institutions enhance productivity through reductions in operational costs. MHEC is able to further this goal through the creation of group aggregation programs that reduce costs and bring value-added benefits. Purchasing directors, chief information officers, or others involved with technology purchasing decisions are encouraged to review all of MHEC's contracts for cost-savings and service opportunities with key technology vendors. MHEC has been able to extend these savings to higher education and in some instances this includes K-12 districts and schools, state and local governments, and not-for-profit entities. Questions, please contact Nathan Sorensen, strategic information technology (IT) procurement officer, at 612-677-2767.

 

MHEC signs new contract with Info~Tech Research Group
Info~Tech Research Group is a research and advisory firm providing practical solutions to IT challenges via executable research, tools, and advice that have a clear and direct impact on institutional business objectives. Services include research and advisory memberships, best practice development programs, and consulting services. Solutions include tools and templates to support IT initiatives that provide immediate practical application for measurable results. For additional information, please reference the service agreement details for the solutions offered and the service pricing exhibit for the appropriate membership level on the MHECtech website. For questions contact Shannon Rowe, business development manager, at 888-670-8889 ext. 2972.

Technologies Committee prioritizes activity for coming year
MHEC's Technologies Committee convened on February 19 and 20 for their annual meeting. Chairing the meeting was John Dunning, chief information officer for Wayne State College (NE). The meeting included over 30 IT and procurement professionals who gathered to promote collaboration amongst Midwestern states and institutions in technology-related areas for the purpose of furthering education opportunities and services in the region. Representatives of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee opened the meeting by sharing their progress with the inception of the university's Cloud Services Advisory Board. Attendees participated in: a video chat with Susan Grajek, vice president for data research and analytics at Educause; an update on Novell's Mobility Solutions; and an overview from representatives at Info~Tech Research Group, MHEC's newest contract. The committee conducted an exercise to determine the technology focus areas for the coming year. Additionally six new members were welcomed to the committee: Jason Brames, director of technology at Avon Community School Corporation (IN); Chip Eckhardt, chief information officer for University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire; Jacques du Plessis, associate professor and IST program director for University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Chris McCoy, interim vice chancellor and CIO for Minnesota State Colleges and Universities; Brian Rellinger, executive director of information technology for Ohio Weleyan University; and Phillip Thorson, director of IT services for St. Cloud State University (MN). For more information on MHEC's technologies programs or to add your input on the committee's activities, please contact Nathan Sorensen, MHEC's strategic information technology (IT) procurement officer, at 612-677-2767.


State visits throughout the region
After visiting Minnesota on January 14, MHEC staff have continued to meet throughout the region continuing on to South Dakota on January 16, Kansas on January 22-24, Iowa on January 29, Missouri on January 30-31, and North Dakota on February 6. Commissioners, advisory committee members, legislative leaders, and former MHEC commissioners joined MHEC President Larry Isaak and MHEC Director of Government Relations Pam Schutt for a discussion on advancing postsecondary opportunity, completion, and productivity in their states. All state reports are now available on MHEC's website. The next state visits will be held in Indiana on March 18, Illinois on March 19, Michigan on April 9, Wisconsin on April 10, and Ohio on April 24. Nebraska dates are still pending. Questions or suggestions for future state visits may be directed to Pam at 612-677-2764. Images have been posted on MHEC's Facebook and Flickr pages.



MHEC holds 15th annual Loss Control Workshop
The MHEC Master Property Program's (MPP) 15th Annual Loss Control Workshop was held March 5-7, and featured two plenary sessions and 15 concurrent sessions categorized by risk management, facilities, and EH&S topics. The nearly 150 attendees with positions in risk management, facilities management, environmental health and safety (EH&S), public safety, fiscal administration, and emergency management participated in a wide variety of sessions including an actual research loss experience following a tornado at The Ohio State University, a live demonstration of fire protection technologies, and extreme violence on campus. Support for the workshop came from Marsh USA, Inc., and Captive Resources, LLC, MHEC's program administrators, and from Lexington Insurance Company, the primary insurer on the program. Additional sponsorships were received from CBIZ, Global Risk Consultants, and Hartford Steam Boiler, engineering vendors for the program. All insured members attended an annual meeting prior to the start of the workshop. The property insurance program now insures 54 participants (over 145 campuses) and has institutions from the MHEC region as well as MHEC's sister compacts – the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) and the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE). MPP insures over $83.1 billion in total insurable values and has saved MHEC participating states over $84.4 million since the program's inception. Committee members discussed the upcoming July 1 policy renewal. For more information on MHEC's property insurance program, please contact Rob Trembath at 612-677-2763.
 

MHEC Commissioner News
MHEC welcomes new commissioner: Dr. Susan Fritz (NE); Mr. Gerald Whitburn (WI); new commissioner alternates: Ms. Morna Foy (WI); and reappointments: Sen. Nancy Boettger (IA); Dr. David Eisler (MI); Rep. Naomi Jakobsson (IL); Rep. Stephen Nass (WI); and Sen. Brian Schoenjahn (IA).

MHEC Staff News 

Jennifer Dahlquist, MHEC’s vice president and chief financial officer, received her Project Management Professional (PMP) certification on March 2. This certification demonstrates her knowledge, experience, and skills in leading and directing projects. The PMP certification is offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI), a worldwide organization dedicated to project management advocacy and research.

Chris Rasmussen, MHEC vice president for research and policy analysis, participated on a panel addressing “Fairness in Access to Higher Education: Policy Trends and Innovations in Comparative Perspective” at the Comparative and International Education Society annual conference in New Orleans on March 12. The panel was comprised of authors of the book Access to higher education in a global society: Reconciling excellence, efficiency, and justice, which will be released later this year by Sense Publishers. Chris contributed a chapter titled “Income-contingent repayment as public policy: Application of the Australian higher education finance model to the American context”. Chris was also recently recognized in the College Productivity Spotlight for his role at the Big Ideas Fest annual event, read more.