SHEEO partners with Sova to align student success across higher education institutions & state agencies

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Four states to join new learning community focused on student success

The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) is excited to announce our partnership with Sova to form a new learning community that fosters a collaborative relationship between state agencies and higher education institution student success teams. This new partnership, with generous funding from the Ascendium Education Group, will support better alignment of student success policies and practices. The Pursuing Alignment for Student Success Across Higher Education Institutions & State Agencies (PASS) project will partner with higher education leaders in Kentucky, North Carolina, Louisiana, and Wyoming through 2025. 

“This new initiative adopts a networked strategy, emphasizing the importance of alignment between state higher education offices and institutions to foster more equitable student success,” said SHEEO President Rob Anderson. “Our members are uniquely positioned to serve as pivotal intermediaries, bridging state policy and higher education for the benefit of students. We look forward to seeing how these efforts can be scaled to make a broader impact across our membership.”

PASS will focus on scaling the impact of student success efforts statewide by formalizing state networks and promoting strategies between institutional leadership teams and state higher education leaders. Institutional chief academic officers will provide insights into current initiatives and best practices to support student needs and catalyze campus-wide support for their success. In addition, institutions will benefit from enhanced access to policy development across sectors, missions, geographic regions, and service areas statewide. At the same time, SHEEO agencies will use their state and system-wide platforms both to serve as conduits of this best-practice exchange and to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges institutions face and how best to coordinate advocacy for their students. 

Each state team will receive planning grants and strategic planning and technical assistance that recognizes their unique context and needs. This networked approach aims to achieve the following:

  • a better understanding of the impacts of state policy on campus transformation efforts; 
  • render campus-based student success work less vulnerable to changes in leadership, policy, and political circumstances; and 
  • an opportunity to benefit SHEEO’s full membership nationwide.

“We’re excited about the work our campus and state teams have committed to create and build on the habits of practice and cultures of collaboration that allow for durable, meaningful, and impactful partnerships between state agency offices and institutional leaders. Sustained student success requires institutions and state agencies to align on goals, leverage their respective strengths, and work in partnership to ensure that today’s students receive the education they deserve and their communities require for economic growth,” said Brian A. Sponsler, partner at Sova.

About SHEEO

The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) serves the executives of statewide governing, policy, and coordinating boards of postsecondary education and their staffs. Founded in 1954, SHEEO promotes an environment that values higher education and its role in ensuring the equitable education of all Americans, regardless of race/ethnicity, gender, or socioeconomic factors. Together with its members, SHEEO aims to achieve this vision by equipping state higher education executive officers and their staffs with the tools to effectively advance the value of higher education, promoting public policies and academic practices that enable all Americans to achieve success in the 21st century, and serving as an advocate for state higher education leadership. For more information, visit sheeo.org. 

About Sova 

Together, we build the capacity for large-scale change. Our focus is not just on the systems and institutions themselves but on the incredible people behind them. By joining the Sova community, you become part of a collective force dedicated to achieving impactful results. We offer personalized support, tailored strategies, and hands-on guidance to help you navigate the path toward transformation. Our approach is grounded in collaboration, empathy, and a genuine understanding of your challenges. We provide the tools and resources needed to turn your vision into reality, ensuring that every step you take is purposeful and clear.

For more information, visit sova.org or contact Brian Sponsler, brian.sponsler@sova.org.

About Ascendium

Ascendium Education Group is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to helping people reach the education and career goals that matter to them. Ascendium invests in initiatives designed to increase the number of students from low-income backgrounds who complete postsecondary degrees, certificates and workforce training programs, with an emphasis on first-generation students, incarcerated adults, rural community members, students of color and veterans. Ascendium’s work identifies, validates and expands best practices to promote large-scale change at the institutional, system and state levels, with the intention of elevating opportunity for all. For more information, visit https://www.ascendiumphilanthropy.org.

SHEEO is hiring an Administrative Coordinator

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About the organization

The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) serves the chief executives of statewide governing, policy, and coordinating boards of postsecondary education and their staffs. Founded in 1954, SHEEO promotes an environment that values higher education and its role in ensuring the equitable education of all Americans, regardless of race/ethnicity, gender, or socioeconomic factors. Together with its members, SHEEO aims to achieve this vision by equipping state higher education executive officers and their staffs with the tools to effectively advance the value of higher education, promoting public policies and academic practices that enable all Americans to achieve success in the 21st century, and serving as an advocate for state higher education leadership.

SHEEO is particularly interested in providing equal employment opportunities and creating a diverse work environment. Read more about SHEEO on our website: sheeo.org.

About the position

The position will be based in Washington, D.C., and is eligible for a hybrid remote/in-office work schedule. Reporting to the Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff, the Administrative Coordinator is responsible for providing administrative, logistical, and office management support across the organization, including support for meeting and event planning, scheduling, and day-to-day operational needs of the organization.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Provide administrative support to staff including scheduling, light research, project management, and team-building activities.  
  • Foster and sustain positive, collaborative relationships with colleagues, members, and external partners through effective communication and engagement.
  • Support our meeting and event planning functions, including registration processes; communicating with attendees and presenters; preparing and distributing materials; coordinating with vendors; and coordinating travel arrangements and reimbursements.
  • Serve as a liaison with the executive committee, establish and maintain professional relationships with SHEEO members, and exhibit a member-centered approach to tasks.
  • Provide day-to-day management of the office, including maintaining our physical space, office supplies, and inventory; managing vendor relationships; and coordinating with building management. Light lifting may be required.
  • Support hiring and onboarding processes, including advertising job descriptions, managing applications and applicant correspondence, scheduling interviews, and helping coordinate logistics of onboarding new hires.

Qualifications and Experiences: 

We are looking for a combination of the following qualifications, skills, and experiences:

  • At least two years of experience in a role with similar responsibilities (experience working at a membership organization, state higher education agency, or postsecondary institution a plus).
  • A self-starter with meticulous attention to detail and follow-through to ensure accurate and timely completion of tasks.
  • Strong team-building and interpersonal skills and the ability to develop professional relationships with staff, members, and external partners.
  • Expertise in Microsoft Office Suite and virtual meeting tools such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams.
  • Familiarity with event registration software (Cvent experience a plus), web-based platforms/software applications, and audio-visual equipment.
  • A passion for advancing educational and economic opportunity, diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and social mobility.

Location and Travel:

This position is based in Washington, D.C., and is eligible for a hybrid remote/in-office work schedule and will require periodic national travel.

Salary and benefits: 

Salary will be commensurate with candidate’s experience and demonstrated skill level, with a range of $55,000 to $65,000. SHEEO provides a comprehensive benefits package, including health, dental, and vision benefits; life and disability insurance; retirement plan contributions; educational assistance; and paid time off. 

Application Process:

SHEEO is not able to sponsor work authorizations, therefore applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States. 

The application window has been extended to Friday, March 29, 2024.

Please apply through this website and include the following: 

  • A cover letter. 
  • A resume or curriculum vitae. 
  • Names and contact information of three professional references. (References will not be contacted until you have permitted us to do so.) 

SHEEO is committed to providing equal employment opportunities and believes that recruiting and developing a diverse and inclusive staff is vital to the success of the organization.  

SHEEO releases new FAFSA Simplification Guidebook and FAQ to help guide states through financial aid challenges

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A new guidebook from the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) was published online today to provide insights for state higher education agencies to navigate and understand both the benefits and implications associated with the change to a new simplified Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in regard to state financial aid. 

The 2024-25 Simplified FAFSA, rolled out by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) at the end of December, includes a new needs analysis formula. This change requires states to make alterations in how they administer their financial aid programs, such as updating their financial aid processing systems or altering their respective aid formulas to determine state aid eligibility.

While every state administers its financial aid programs in a different way, this new guidebook serves to highlight:

  • changes to the new FAFSA and needs analysis formula, 
  • ways in which students and their families may be impacted, 
  • issues associated with the new FAFSA that state agencies and legislatures may want to consider, 
  • and examples on how the new needs analysis formula alters the eligibility distribution for state aid programs.

The new guidebook examines how state aid could be impacted by the new Student Aid Index. SHEEO examined the design of four different state aid programs: first dollar scholarships, last dollar scholarships, eligibility based on an EFC/SAI threshold or Pell Grant, and eligibility based on adjusted gross income.

The intent of the changes to the FAFSA is to lead to expanded Pell Grant eligibility and higher award amounts, which prior research has demonstrated will occur. However, certain students, especially those from families with multiple members in college or families with a farm or business, may experience a loss of federal and state aid eligibility.

“The updated FAFSA and new needs formula offer states an opportunity to really examine their financial aid programs,” said Rachel Burns, SHEEO senior policy analyst. “States may need to adapt their grant and scholarship programs to ensure they continue to maintain the goal of promoting college access and success.”

State higher education agencies are working to develop processes to award aid in a timely manner, but they are not anticipated to receive necessary FAFSA data elements from ED until mid-March. States will need to work with postsecondary institutions on communication strategies to inform students and their families that postponement in awards is due to the delayed release of the FAFSA.

The 2024-25 FAFSA delay and ongoing issues are causing frustration within the higher education community. SHEEO will continue to advocate for its members and share concerns with the U.S. Department of Education in pursuit of timely solutions to minimize confusion and hardship for students and families. 

On a new webpage with frequently asked questions, SHEEO will update states on how to troubleshoot known issues on the form and ways peer states have moved forward. 

Find the new FAFSA guidebook and a link to the FAQ webpage at https://sheeo.org/project/fafsa-simplification/.

SHEEO Seeking State Policy Summer Interns for 2024

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The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) is excited to announce an opportunity for students interested in higher education policy and governance, policy analysis, and research methods. SHEEO is seeking candidates for its paid State Policy Summer Internship for the summer of 2024.

This internship is ideal for motivated, active learners pursuing graduate study or a career in higher education, public policy, public administration, or related fields. Interns will have the opportunity to work remotely or on a hybrid schedule in either SHEEO’s Boulder, Colorado, or Washington, D.C., office.

Selected interns will collaborate with SHEEO on a variety of projects depending on their skills and interests. The internship duration is flexible, lasting approximately 10 to 14 weeks, beginning in May or early June. Interns will receive a living stipend for those relocating for the summer, and remote interns are invited to visit one of the two offices for a week-long stay at the beginning of their internship period. Interns will have the chance to attend and help host the SHEEO Higher Education Policy Conference in Washington, D.C., from August 5-8, 2024.

Interns will be engaged in diverse duties and responsibilities, including maintaining state policy and news inventories, conducting data analysis, generating website content, contributing to meeting agenda planning, drafting various publications, and completing an independent research project using SHEEO resources.

Applicants should have a demonstrated interest in higher education policy, a commitment to advancing equity and student success, experience with large quantitative datasets, proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, and excellent written and oral communication skills. Interns are considered non-exempt employees and are expected to work a minimum of 25 hours per week, with schedules determined by mutual arrangement. This is a paid internship ($23 per hour).

The application deadline is March 1, 2024. Interested candidates are encouraged to review the full job listing and complete the application process.

SHEEO is dedicated to providing equal employment opportunities and believes that recruiting and developing a diverse and inclusive staff is essential to the organization’s success.

For more information about the State Policy Summer Internship program, please find the full job posting here.

Annual Grapevine Data show initial 10.2% increase in state support for higher education

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Data reported by states in the latest Grapevine survey indicate that initially approved state support for higher education in fiscal year (FY) 2024 reached $126.5 billion, a 10.2% increase over 2023.[1] This is the third year state fiscal support for all higher education has topped $100 billion. This increase reflects a 36.5% increase over the past five years. Tax appropriations, non-tax support, non-appropriated support, and returns from state funded endowments make up total state support. The Grapevine report provides a first, tentative look at state higher education funding in the new fiscal year. However, an important caveat is that the Grapevine data do not account for inflation.[2]

Although states allocated 50.5% less federal funding to support higher education than in FY 2023, an additional $801.3 million in federal stimulus funding brings the total state fiscal support for higher education in FY 2024 to $127.3 billion.[3]  Since 2020, states allocated just under $10 billion in federal stimulus to higher education.

Grapevine data are collected annually by the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO). The FY 2024 data represent initial allocations and estimates reported by the states from October 2023 through January 2024 and are subject to change. 

Both including and excluding federal stimulus dollars, 19 states saw increases of at least 10% since 2023. Including federal stimulus, 10 states saw increases greater than 15%. Eight states saw increases greater than 15% without federal stimulus. 

Nine states and Washington, D.C., reported an overall decline in state support, including federal stimulus funding, between 2023 and 2024. Four states and Washington, D.C., had one-year declines excluding federal stimulus. Excluding federal stimulus funding, only two states (Alaska and Wyoming) had lower state support in 2024 than in 2019.

The Grapevine tables include data on how total higher education state support allocations were used across two-year public operating, four-year public operating, state financial aid, research, and other uses for FY 2024. While state allocations across each area are not final and include estimates for several states, initial appropriations to each area were as follows: 

  • $27.3 billion to two-year public operating.
  • $59.8 billion to four-year public operating.
  • $16.4 billion to state financial aid for all students. 
  • $16.8 billion to research, agriculture extension, hospital extension and medical schools.
  • $6.1 billion to other uses, including agency funding, private institution operations, and non-credit appropriations. 

The full Grapevine report, including tables summarizing the results of the FY 2024 Grapevine survey and a complete dataset of state support for higher education going back to 1980, can be found on the SHEEO State Higher Education Finance (SHEF) website at https://shef.sheeo.org/grapevine.

[1] FY 2024 marks the eighth year Grapevine has included Washington, D.C., in its survey. Washington, D.C., is excluded from all state counts and U.S. totals. The data reported by the District of Columbia, including federal stimulus funding, reveal an 8.9% decline in the last year and an 8.5% decrease in the last two years, but a five-year increase of 25.6%.

[2] While actual inflation data are not available for FY 2024, forecasts suggest the U.S. will face 2.8% inflation over FY 2024. Source: OECD Economic Outlook: Statistics and Projections, Inflation Forecast Indicator https://data.oecd.org/price/inflation-forecast.htm.

[3] Federal stimulus funding was awarded to states for higher education to stabilize state and local sources of funding, and to provide additional resources during COVID-19. Federal stimulus funding excludes funds allocated to public capital projects and any funds (such as HEERF) allocated directly by the federal government to institutions or students.

New Strong Foundations report and dashboards highlight state higher education data systems’ enduring value

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For more than 50 years, state higher education agencies have used postsecondary student unit record systems (PSURSs) to inform policy and decision-making. Postsecondary student unit record systems are the primary means for states to collect data and analyze student progress, completions, and outcomes. In a survey to its members, the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) asked state higher education agencies about their PSURSs, including the types of data they are collecting, their connections to other state agency data systems and state longitudinal data systems (SLDSs), and the value of those data to inform and improve state goals and student outcomes. The survey responses and analysis are outlined in a new Strong Foundations report and subsequent dashboards on the postsecondarydata.sheeo.org website.

In Strong Foundations 2023, SHEEO asked which state partner agencies their PSURSs data are linked to or shared with and what barriers and incentives exist related to that linking and sharing. As with prior years, state agencies reported a diversity of approaches to housing and sharing their postsecondary data. State agencies are collecting a variety of data elements from a variety of institutional types.

As expected, PSURSs connections with K-12 and workforce agency data systems are among the most reported connections; yet there are growing connections with other state agencies, including health and human services, foster care, and corrections agencies. The most reported barriers to efficient data sharing between agencies include data privacy concerns, coordination with other state authorities and administrators, lack of time for agency staff to link and analyze shared data, a lack of common identifiers and crosswalks, and a lack of fiscal resources. 

Forty-seven state agencies access workforce data elements, with the most common data elements collected including wages earned and employment year. Likewise, 44 state agencies access K-12 data elements, with district/school code, student race/ethnicity, and graduation date being the most common data elements. 

“State postsecondary data systems are vital for policymakers and researchers within state higher education agencies,” said Carrie Klein, associate vice president at SHEEO. “Results from our survey illustrate the deep value state agencies find in their PSURSs. As these systems and their connections continue to evolve and grow, agencies are identifying opportunities for improved insight into and support of student realities and outcomes.”

SHEEO also asked about data disaggregation and the collection of data elements, beyond traditional demographic data (e.g., gender, race, ethnicity, and age), tied to access, opportunity, and success efforts. Results indicate that state agencies continue to employ PSURS data to gain greater insight into and support of their diverse student populations and that they are increasingly disaggregating race, ethnicity, and gender data beyond Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) categories. 

Among the new data elements SHEEO included for reporting this year are tribal affiliation, student parent/caregiver status, foster care status, refugee status, justice system involvement, and other data elements about historically underrepresented groups in higher education. 

A revamped website with new dashboards has been developed to help SHEEO members understand the survey results. Find the Strong Foundations 2023 report here, and visit https://postsecondarydata.sheeo.org/data/ to explore or download the data.

SHEEO seeks session proposals for 2024 Higher Education Policy Conference

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The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) is pleased to host the 2024 Higher Education Policy Conference in Washington, D.C., August 5-8. The annual Policy Conference is the preeminent gathering of leaders from state higher education policy agencies, national higher education policy organizations, institutions, and state and federal governments.
 
The 2024 Higher Education Policy Conference solicitation for session proposals is now open. SHEEO seeks timely, thought-provoking proposals for sessions aligned with our organizational vision to promote an environment that values higher education and its role in ensuring equitable education for all, regardless of racial/ethnic, gender, or socioeconomic factors. 

Deadline Extended! Proposals are now due March 8 and can be submitted here: https://bit.ly/2024PCProposals
 
For additional information, please view this documentation. Questions may be directed to Alicia Engels, aengels@sheeo.org.

Economic and workforce development tops policy priorities for state higher education leaders in 2024

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In a survey distributed in November 2023, the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) asked state higher education leaders to identify their top policy issues going into 2024. States face a multitude of higher education policy issues each year, with some topics consistently among the top priorities for policymakers while others represent emerging public policy concerns driven by the current higher education landscape. SHEEO’s report details the top 10 state policy priorities for 2024 according to state higher education leaders. The report also includes additional honorary mentions—topics consistently making headlines and generating important conversations among the higher education community. 

Economic and workforce development ranked as the number one priority for the second year in a row among higher education leaders. Last year, economic and workforce development tied with K-12 teacher workforce as number one. This year, K-12 teacher workforce fell to number nine. Governors and legislators throughout the country are looking to the state’s higher education system to train and educate the future workforce. SHEEOs have worked closely with their state business communities to develop educational opportunities and financial aid programs linked to in-demand jobs in their states.

Ranking number two for 2024 policy priorities is state operating support for public colleges and universities, rising from number four. The budgetary news in many states remains positive heading into 2024 legislative sessions, with continued surpluses and robust reserve funds. The sustainability of these surpluses, however, remains an open question. Diminishing federal relief funds, combined with sharp state tax cuts and growing needs for investments across state governments will put pressure on many state budgets in the year ahead. While state operating support for public colleges and universities has increased in most states over the past two decades, state operating support decreased in more than half of all states from fiscal years 2020-2022, when adjusted for inflation.

Rounding out the top five priorities are (3) higher education’s value proposition, (4) college affordability, and (5) state funding for financial aid programs. All top five issues ranked within the top 10 in 2023. Other issues in the top 10 include (6) public perception of higher education, (7) college completion/student success, (8) enrollment declines, (9) K-12 teacher workforce, and (10) adult/nontraditional student success. Tied for eleventh are FAFSA completion and institutional accountability/effectiveness in higher education. Both issues were new to this year’s report due to current events and headlines. 

“While this isn’t an exhaustive list of issues states are facing, it is telling for policy priorities for the year ahead,” said Tom Harnisch, SHEEO’s vice president for government relations. “Politically, we anticipate higher education will continue to face questions over relevance and value, along with more bills and messaging on hot button issues heading into the 2024 election cycle.”

The full State Priorities for Higher Education in 2024 report can be found online at https://sheeo.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Policy-Issue-Survey.2024.pdf. 

ABOUT SHEEO: The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) serves the chief executives of statewide governing, policy, and coordinating boards of postsecondary education and their staffs. Founded in 1954, SHEEO is celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2024. SHEEO promotes an environment that values higher education and its role in ensuring the equitable education of all Americans, regardless of race/ethnicity, gender, or socioeconomic factors. Together with its members, SHEEO aims to achieve this vision by equipping state higher education executive officers and their staffs with the tools to effectively advance the value of higher education, promoting public policies and academic practices that enable all Americans to achieve success in the 21st century, and serving as an advocate for state higher education leadership.

New SHEEO report explores higher education executive officers’ views on college affordability and the role of a state-federal financing partnership

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A new report from the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) examines the views state higher education executives have on the federal government’s role in college affordability and policy proposals to make college tuition free. 

Growing concerns over student debt have led to a series of sweeping policy proposals from the higher education community over the last decade to align state and federal higher education financing policy. The existing framework, one in which states primarily subsidize institutions and the federal government primarily supports students, is increasingly seen as inadequate for making college affordable.

This new report includes results from interviews of state higher education executive officers (SHEEOs) and a survey of SHEEO membership. In their responses, SHEEOs expressed their concerns over college affordability but had a range of views on factors driving increased tuition prices, including inflation, labor costs, and declines in state subsidies.

SHEEOs welcomed greater coordination with the federal government through incentives and investments in state-driven college affordability plans, but federal tuition-free proposals received a mixed response. SHEEOs remain concerned about the sustainability of tuition-free programs and believe more targeted approaches, such as supporting need-based financial aid, could better withstand longer-term budgetary and political challenges. SHEEOs were also wary of burdensome federal mandates and would like flexibility in a partnership amid the wide variation in state political and economic contexts.

SHEEOs were generally in favor of some form of state-federal partnership to address college affordability. Seventy-four percent of surveyed participants wished to see greater coordination between the states and the federal government to make college more affordable.

“SHEEOs had differing thoughts on how a state-federal partnership should look,” said Tom Harnisch, SHEEO vice president for government affairs. “There was some consensus among participants that the ‘devil is in the details’ when it comes to states being incentivized to participate.”

Overall, SHEEOs’ perspectives shared concern for college affordability, the desire for a state-federal partnership that allows flexibility, and a preference for targeted tuition-free college policies over those open to all students.

Read the full report and learn more at https://sheeo.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/state-federal_partnership.pdf. 

West Virginia’s Sarah Tucker named SHEEO Executive Committee Chair

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West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission Chancellor Dr. Sarah Armstrong Tucker has been named the chair of the State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO) Executive Committee.

Dr. Tucker is Chancellor of the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (HEPC) and Chancellor of the Community and Technical College System (CTCS). She is the first person to simultaneously hold these two roles – and the first woman to serve as CTCS Chancellor. 

Tucker previously served the SHEEO Executive Committee as treasurer during 2021-22, and chair-elect during 2022-23.

“It’s with great pleasure we announce Dr. Sarah Tucker as the executive committee chair,” said Dr. Robert Anderson, president of SHEEO. “Dr. Tucker has been a great thought-partner and colleague to SHEEO throughout her tenure in West Virginia. Her depth and breadth of experience will continue to serve our community well, and we are thrilled to work with her and our entire Executive Committee in service of our students.”

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. 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 am honored to serve as the new executive committee chair of the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association,” said Dr. Sarah Armstrong Tucker, West Virginia’s Chancellor of Higher Education. “There are remarkable achievements happening across the country that are paving the way for more people to continue their education and succeed throughout their lives. By bringing state higher education leaders together around policies and strategy, SHEEO creates even more of these opportunities. At a time when education and training are more important than ever, I am looking forward to serving in this role to help advance higher education on a national stage and bring even more new ideas to West Virginia.”

Dr. Tucker became Interim Chancellor of HEPC in April 2019 and Chancellor in June 2020. Under her leadership, West Virginia adopted its first-ever statewide dual enrollment program, launching as a pilot in 2023 to provide free college courses for high school students across the state. Under her leadership as CTCS Chancellor since 2015, West Virginia has made enormous strides in taking community and technical education to the next level. A hallmark of her championship on behalf of West Virginia’s students was the State Legislature’s passage of a free community college bill in March 2019. As a result of her hard work and state leaders’ forward-looking investment, the WV Invests program now provides students with last-dollar-in grants that cover the full costs of tuition and fees at the state’s nine community and technical colleges.

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The full SHEEO Executive Committee is as follows:

Officers:

Chair: Sarah Tucker, West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission

Past Chair: Ben Cannon, Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission

Chair Elect: Clayton T. Christian, Montana University System

Treasurer: Ginger Ostro, Illinois Board of Higher Education

Members:

Brian Bridges, New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education

Allison Garrett, Oklahoma State System of Higher Education

Shannon Gilkey, Rhode Island Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner

Harrison Keller, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board

Chris Lowery, Indiana Commission for Higher Education

Dennis Olson, Minnesota Office of Higher Education

Noe Ortega, Massachusetts Department of Higher Education

Aaron Thompson, Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education