MADISON, Wis.—University of Wisconsin System President Ray Cross announced today his intention to retire, capping off his 42-year career in higher education.
Cross, 71, will continue to serve as UW System president until his successor is found after a national search. He notified chancellors, regents, system leadership, and employees of his decision this week.
Columbia, S.C.–The South Carolina Commission on Higher Education (CHE), in partnership with The Hunt Institute and the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO), will convene education, business and government leaders from across the state for the newly formed South Carolina Higher Education Advisory Committee. Under the new leadership of Dr. Rusty Monhollon, president and executive director of the CHE, the Committee will work to support efforts to drive change in the state’s higher education policy.
The Committee, led by former South Carolina Gov. Jim Hodges, includes a diverse group of stakeholders who will develop a set of recommendations that will build on the statewide higher education Public Agenda, which was developed by the CHE in 2017.
Meeting for the first time on October 24 in Columbia, S.C., the Committee will discuss strategies to increase dual enrollment opportunities for all students as well as efforts to help families understand and cover the cost of higher education. The Committee will meet for two additional in-person meetings over the next four months before final recommendations are made.
“The Hunt Institute is excited for this partnership with the Committee and the CHE to help South Carolina make progress toward statewide higher education goals,” said The Hunt Institute’s President & CEO Dr. Javaid Siddiqi. “With Gov. Hodges’ experience and leadership, this diverse group of state leaders can build consensus around the topics and policy issues most in need of immediate action.”
In addition to Gov. Hodges and Dr. Monhollon, the Advisory Committee will include Hunt-Kean Leadership Fellows Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, Attorney General Alan Wilson and Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, as well as presidents and faculty of institutions of higher education, regional business leaders, student representatives and members of the K-12 education policy community.
“As we focus on strengthening postsecondary education in South Carolina, we must ensure that we are bringing together diverse perspectives to create meaningful change that supports our students in their postsecondary pathways,” said Dr. Monhollon. “I’m looking forward to working with The Hunt Institute and SHEEO in this collaborative effort.”
“South Carolina and its students benefit when leaders come together to discuss long-term higher education policy solutions,” said SHEEO President Rob Anderson. “We at SHEEO are pleased to support these efforts and join in this critical conversation. This broad-based group of state leaders, students and educators will assist in ensuring that quality postsecondary education opportunities that lead to workforce outcomes will exist for all students moving forward.”
The Hunt Institute has developed the Advisory Committee model to bring together diverse voices during periods of state leader transition and to build consensus around pressing education policy issues. The Institute has implemented the model in two states, including in Virginia, supporting the Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. James Lane in establishing the Virginia is for Learners Advisory Committee. Additionally, through a partnership with Dr. Margie Vandeven, Missouri Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education, The Hunt Institute adapted this model to coordinate the Commissioner’s Education Policy Committee.
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About The Hunt Institute
An affiliate of the Duke University Sanford School of Public Policy, The Hunt Institute is a recognized leader in the movement to transform public education. Marshaling expertise from a nationwide partner network since it was established in 2001, The Institute brings together people and resources that help build and nurture visionary leadership and mobilize strategic action for greater educational outcomes and student success. For more information, please visit: http://www.hunt-institute.org/
About South Carolina Commission of Higher Education
The CHE is committed to access, affordability, and quality in the state higher education system through coordination, regulation, advocacy and oversight, as directed by the South Carolina General Assembly. The CHE serves as the coordinating board for SC’s 33 public institutions of higher learning. It acts both as an oversight entity on behalf of the General Assembly and as an advocate for higher education. The Commission is responsible for assuring a balance between student and taxpayer interests and institutional policies, aspirations, and needs. For more information, please visit: http://www.che.sc.gov.
About State Higher Education Executive Officers Association
The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) is the national association of the chief executives of statewide governing, policy, and coordinating boards of postsecondary education. Founded in 1954, SHEEO serves its members as an advocate for state policy leadership, a liaison between states and the federal government, and a vehicle for learning from and collaborating with peers. SHEEO also serves as a manager of multistate teams and as a source of information and analysis on educational and public policy issues. Together with its members, SHEEO advances public policies and academic practices that enable Americans to attain education beyond high school and achieve success in the 21st century economy.
California State University (CSU) Chancellor Timothy P. White today announced his plan to retire in 2020. White has served as CSU Chancellor since 2012 and led the university’s restoration and resurgence from Great Recession-era cuts to achieve unprecedented heights for student enrollment and graduation.
For this report, SHEEO surveyed selected historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and HBCU-adjacent school districts to help state higher education executives (SHEEOs) and nongovernmental organizations understand what drives successful teacher preparation at HBCUs. The report suggests ways to use HBCUs as resources to resolve longstanding racial disparities and inequities in majority-minority school districts. We address partnerships with surrounding school districts, professional development, college preparedness, standardized exams, and quality teacher training.
Paul Lingenfelter, president emeritus of the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO), has been awarded the Association for the Study of Higher Education Council on Public Policy in Higher Education Excellence in Public Policy Higher Education Award. The award is intended to recognize excellence in work at the nexus of academic scholarship and policy practice in the field of public policy and higher education. The award committee made decisions based on such factors as a demonstrated commitment to promoting equity, prominence and impact in the field of higher education and in public policy, public scholarship, and excellence in scholarship.
Lingenfelter has been an active and steady voice in the field of public policy for higher education for decades and a leading voice on state higher education finance and state leadership and governance for higher education. For 13 years, Lingenfelter served as the president of SHEEO, the national association of the chief executives of statewide governing, policy, and coordinating boards of postsecondary education. SHEEO endeavors to serve as an unbiased advocate for state policy leadership, as a vehicle for learning from and collaborating with peers, and as a source of information and analysis on educational and public policy issues.
Under Lingenfelter’s tireless leadership, SHEEO focused on increasing successful participation in higher education; accountability for improving learning; finance; and building more effective relationships between K-12 and postsecondary educators. Under his leadership, SHEEO organized the National Commission on Accountability in Higher Education, created the annual study State Higher Education Finance (SHEF), published More Student Success: A Systemic Solution (among many other publications), and substantially expanded SHEEO’s collaborations with the Council of Chief State School Officers, while providing direct technical assistance, professional development, and consultation to state higher education executive officers from across the country. Lingenfelter has been a constant figure on national commissions, working groups, and committees. He has frequently been called upon to testify before Congress, state legislatures, and executive branch offices.
Rob Anderson, current president of SHEEO, shared this regarding Lingenfelter, “Paul’s thinking, writing, and work regarding the position of the state higher education executive officer and state governance and leadership for higher education generally have been extremely impactful. He has been a constant advocate of the role of the state higher education executive officer and for the professionalization of the position. Paul’s career-long dedication to advocating for and improving state higher education finance, policy, leadership, and governance make him an ideal candidate for the CPPHE Excellence in Public Policy Higher Education Award.”
Through Lingenfelter’s writing and work, he has made significant contributions to the way the field thinks about and understands state higher education finance and policy leadership and governance. Lingenfelter’s development of and work on the SHEF report fundamentally changed the way the field measures and thinks about state funding for higher education. The annual data collection has served as a primary data source for those interested in understanding, explaining, and predicting state funding for higher education. Further, Lingenfelter authored “Proof,” Policy, & Practice, a book of significant scholarship, that takes a critical and informed perspective on policymaking, research, and the use of evidence. His recent chapter, in The State Higher Education Executive Officer and the Public Good, on the history of the state higher education executive officer is the only comprehensive history of state higher education policy, leadership, and governance and will likely serve as the source of record on the topic for some time forward.
Massachusetts Department of Higher Education Commissioner Carlos Santiago was recently named the chair of the State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO) Executive Committee.
Before serving as chair-elect, Santiago served the SHEEO Executive Committee as treasurer during 2018-19.
“We are excited to have Dr. Santiago serve as our Chair this year,” said Dr. Robert Anderson, president of SHEEO. “I have had the opportunity to get to know Carlos through his service on the Executive Committee, and look forward to working with him as we strive to help graduate more students in a time- and cost-efficient manner while focusing on closing persistent postsecondary equity gaps. His distinguished career at the institution, system, and state level will equip us to better serve our students and states.”
The Executive Committee is responsible for shaping SHEEO’s federal priorities and strategies and for leading its communications with Congress, the U.S. Department of Education, and other federal agencies.
“I’m very much looking forward to assuming the chairmanship of the SHEEO Executive Committee and working with my state counterparts on issues that have a direct impact on students, faculty and the institutions we serve,” said Santiago. “I am also delighted to work with the exceptional staff of SHEEO to ensure that the organization meets the needs of its members and that it continues to lead national discussions and debates on the role and promise of higher education.”
SHEEO, the national association of the chief executives of statewide governing boards and coordinating boards for postsecondary education, works to assist its members and states in developing and sustaining excellent systems of higher education.
Carlos E. Santiago is commissioner of higher education for Massachusetts, appointed to this position by the Board of Higher Education (BHE) in July 2015. Working with the BHE, he is responsible for providing overall direction to public higher education in Massachusetts and helping shape state-level policies that maximize the benefits of higher education to the Commonwealth and its citizens.
Santiago joined the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education in April 2013 as the senior deputy commissioner for academic affairs.
His past academic appointments include that of chancellor of the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee (Wisconsin’s second largest research university). He brings over 30 years of experience in public higher education. Santiago also served as provost and chief operating officer at the University at Albany, (SUNY). He was a professor of economics at UWM and SUNY-Albany and holds a Ph.D. in economics from Cornell University.
A native of Puerto Rico, Santiago is also the author or co-author of six books and has published dozens of articles and book reviews, of which many focus on economic development and the changing socioeconomic status of Latinos in the United States. A new edition of his book, Puerto Ricans in the United States: A Contemporary Portrait, was published in 2018. On two separate occasions, in 1996 and 2011, Santiago has been named one of the 100 most influential Hispanics in the United States by Hispanic Business magazine.