MHEC February 2025 News
Greetings from MHEC
It's state visit season at MHEC, one of our favorite times of the year! These visits allow us the opportunity to listen to what our member states are excited and concerned about in higher education. We deeply value our relationships with Commissioners, higher education leaders, and policy makers. When we are face-to-face, we understand each other better, listen more closely, and find solutions to our common challenges.
So far this year we have spent time in Kansas, testifying before three committees. In Nebraska, we visited the campuses of Creighton University and the University of Nebraska, both equally extraordinary places. I had the pleasure of talking with the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber of Commerce and then meeting with North Dakota leaders for two days. Back in my home state of Minnesota, MHEC presented to the Senate Higher Education Committee. All of that happened in the just three weeks!
We look forward to visits to our other member states in the coming weeks. I thank our talented MHEC staff for helping us make the most out of our visits and to our state hosts who offer tremendous guidance and hospitality.
Susan G. Heegard
President
Latest News: Policy & Research
Midwest States Retain Majority of College Graduates Over Ten Years
The latest update to MHEC's Interactive Dashboard shows that a substantial majority of employed college graduates were working in their respective Midwest states one, five, and ten years after completing a certificate, associate degree, or bachelor's degree. One year after graduation, for example, 77% of employed certificate graduates, 83% of employed associate degree graduates, and 70% of employed bachelor's degree graduates were working in the state of their graduating institution in selected Midwest states.
This indicator uses data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Postsecondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) initiative. Participation in PSEO data collection is voluntary, and the scope and comprehensiveness of the data currently varies significantly across states. The available data currently represent participating institutions in nine Midwest states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. The Midwest percentages include graduates from both public and private institutions as well as graduates with either in-state or out-of-state residency status upon initial enrollment.
Selected workforce indicators are also available for MHEC states in the report Higher Education in Focus.
Strategic Updates
Driving cost savings & business solutions
Interested in Helping Shape the Future of Student Health Contracts and Programs?
We invite you to join MHEC’s Student Health Benefits Advisory Committee. Help us explore new contract areas that would save time and money for higher education institutions and improve student health and outcomes. This committee meets virtually throughout the year, with the opportunity for an in-person meeting. To learn more about the committee's purpose and meeting structure, download the Student Health Benefits Advisory Committee Background and Charge. To join or request more information, please contact Breanne Hegg, vice president of programs and contracts, at breanneh@mhec.org.
Open Educational Resources Result in Significant Savings for Wisconsin
After the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) scaled up its open educational resources (OER) with a $3 million allocation in the 2023-25 biennium state budget, WTCS reports that more than 60,000 students, including 10,000 dual enrollment high school students, saved $10 million. "This is just one example of the significant savings OER can offer," says Jenny Parks, MHEC’s vice president of research and policy. "Investments that schools make yield ongoing student savings year after year."
Learn more about how MHEC is helping its member states increase their capacity to scale and sustain OER, with the support of the Hewlett Foundation. In addition, MHEC is one of the partners in the National Consortium for Open Educational Resources (NCOER), a collaboration of the four regional higher education compacts in the U.S. NCOER recently launched a new website that offers a wealth of resources to help educators adopt OER and to inform policymakers about the transformative power of these materials.
Developing collaborative solutions to regional problems & opportunities
Webinar Highlights Success and Impact of Dual Enrollment Outcomes
More than 100 people from across the region joined a conversation on February 6 with Tatiana Velasco and John Fink from the Community College Research Center (CCRC) on the latest research on dual enrollment outcomes. CCRC provided a deep dive into state-by-state postsecondary enrollment and success outcomes for dual enrollment students, with a special focus on MHEC states.
Dual enrollment is a growing, high-impact, evidence-based practice that states can use to increase the number and scope of students who attend and succeed in post-secondary education and secure high quality jobs. Dual enrollment has doubled in the last ten years. According to CCRC, as show on a new data dashboard, students who take dual enrollment courses perform better after enrollment than demographically similar students who did not take dual enrollment courses. These positive outcomes are more profound for students who come from backgrounds not usually associated with attending and succeeding in postsecondary education.
“Our CCRC presenters took complicated data and made it less intimidating and really useful,” says Jenny Parks, MHEC’s vice president of policy and research. “I encourage anyone who is interested in this topic to view the webinar. Participants raved about it!”
Convenings
Creative Commons
March 13, 1 p.m. CT
Creative Commons Certificate Alumna Angelique Carson discusses the program and her passion for OER advocacy. | REGISTER
Access to and Success in Dual Enrollment Courses in Indiana and North Carolina
March 19, 1 p.m. CT | REGISTER
Post-event Resources
Postsecondary Outcomes of High School Dual Enrollment Students: A National and State-by-State Analysis | LEARN MORE
Strengthening the Education-to-Workforce Data Ecosystem
February 26, 1 p.m. CT Presented by PSEO Coalition | REGISTER
Commissioner News
Locations Set for Executive Committee and Annual Commission Meetings
The Executive Committee Meeting of the Commission will be held June 2–3 in Detroit (a change due to a citywide convention in Chicago during our scheduled dates, which made securing accommodations difficult). The meeting will be held at the Shinola Hotel, a great location with plenty to do and see.
MHEC's Ohio commissioners will host the Annual Commission Meeting in Cleveland on November 5–7. More details are forthcoming for both meetings.
Ken Sauer Honored for Service
The State of Indiana Commission for Higher Education issued a resolution on January 30, praising former MHEC Commissioner Dr. Ken Sauer for his four decades of service "to the State of Indiana and the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, bringing an unwavering commitment to academic excellence, and increasing opportunities for educational attainment for all Hoosiers." READ THE RESOLUTION
Commissioner Appointments
Jesse Green
Iowa Legislature
State Senator; Chair, Education Appropriations Subcommittee
Term: 1/13/2025 to 1/10/2027
Renee Erickson
Kansas Legislature
State Senator; Chair, Senate Committee on Education
Term: 1/28/2025 to 1/11/2027
Jana Hughes
Nebraska Legislature
State Senator; Vice Chairperson, Education Committee
Term: 1/16/2025 to 1/1/2027
Reappointed Commissioners
Sen. John Cavanaugh (NE)
Mr. Tim Flakoll (ND)
Sen. Sean McCann (MI)
Sen. Curtis Trent (MO)
Sen. Cindy Winckler (IA) (alternate)
Articles and Resources of Interest
Investing in Value Policy Brief
HCM Strategists | January 2025
The Nation's Report Card Shows Declines in Reading, Some Progress in 4th Grade MathNational Assessment Governing Board | January 29, 2025
NC-SARA, SARA, and SAN: The Power of Collaboration
Five Ways the Education Department Impacts Higher Education
Inside Higher Ed | February 7, 2025