Generous federal stimulus funding protected state revenues and directly supported higher education, reducing states’ need to cut funding during the pandemic and short economic recession. However, sharp declines in student enrollment and net tuition and fee revenue signal continued upheaval for public higher education revenues. In the midst of this uncertainty, the SHEF report provides a comprehensive look at trends in higher education revenues in fiscal year 2021.

BOULDER, Colorado —

In fiscal year 2021, a 4.5% increase in per-student state and local education appropriations for public institutions marked the reversal of decades-long trends in higher education revenues. The U.S. entered a short recession in fiscal year 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the past, enrollment increased rapidly during and following economic downturns, while state funding decreased and tuition revenue rose. The latest State Higher Education Finance (SHEF) report finds that fiscal year 2021 defied many post-recession trends: As enrollment dropped, state funding increased and tuition revenue declined.

• Historically, enrollment increased sharply during economic recessions and would level off or decline during economic recoveries. However, the COVID-19 pandemic led to a 3.0% drop in student full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment from 2020 to 2021. This loss of 323,952 students marks the tenth straight year of enrollment declines and is the largest decline in net FTE enrollment since the start of the SHEF dataset in 1980.

• State funding typically fluctuates with the economic cycle. In the year after each previous recession since 1980, education appropriations per FTE enrollment declined. For the first time, in 2021, this trend did not continue: Inflation-adjusted education appropriations increased $400 per FTE student in the last year, reaching $9,327 per student.

• In response to previous state funding declines, net tuition revenue increased for many years. Net tuition and fee revenue per FTE has grown 56.6% over the last 25 years but has declined for the last three years following recent increases in state funding. After a 3.2% decline in the last year, in 2021, public institutions received $6,723 per FTE in net tuition and fee revenue. This year marks the second-largest ever decrease in inflation-adjusted net tuition revenue per FTE.

In large part, the increase in education appropriations was made possible due to generous federal stimulus and relief funding that flowed to states in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] All but five states allocated federal stimulus directly to higher education. Without these funds, education appropriations per FTE would have increased just 2.0% from 2020 to 2021. Had FTE enrollment held constant and had states not directed federal stimulus funding toward higher education, education appropriations would have declined 1.0% this year.

In addition to these higher-level conclusions, the fiscal year 2021 SHEF report includes a full exploration of state- and sector-level higher education revenues and FTE enrollment trends. Key findings from the report include:

• Enrollment declines were concentrated in the two-year sector. Public FTE enrollment at two-year institutions has declined 6.1% since 2020 and 8.1% since 2019. On the other hand, FTE enrollment in the four-year sector has declined only 0.9% since 2020 and 0.6% since 2019. Two-year sector enrollment took a larger hit than four-year enrollment in 43 states.
• Federal stimulus funding was a key aspect of the strong growth in education appropriations. In 2020, federal stimulus funding for public institutions accounted for 1.3% of total education appropriations. In 2021, this amount increased to 3.6% ($335 per FTE). Two-year institutions received $214 per FTE in federal stimulus for public operating in 2021, and four-year institutions received $288 per FTE.
• The gap has closed between two-year and four-year public education appropriations. Unlike in prior years, two-year institutions received 5.4% more in education appropriations per FTE than four-year institutions in 2021. Although two-year institutions received much less in state operating appropriations and state financial aid, local appropriations made up for this gap.
• Financial aid continued to rise at a faster rate than institutional funding. Inflation-adjusted state public financial aid continued to increase sharply in 2021, rising 8.8% and reaching an all-time high of $921 per FTE. These funds made up 9.9% of all education appropriations, the largest proportion ever.
• Public institutions in more than half of states collected less tuition revenue than they did five years ago. Net tuition and fee revenue per FTE declined in 72% of states between 2020 and 2021 and in over half of states since 2016. Declines in the last year were worse in the four-year sector: net tuition revenue per FTE declined 1.7% at two-year institutions and 4.8% at four-year institutions.
• Total revenue rose slightly, thanks entirely to federal stimulus funding. Total education revenue increased 1.1% in 2021, reaching an all-time high of $15,959 per FTE. Excluding federal stimulus, total education revenue declined 0.3%. Additionally, total revenue is only at a record high in 18 states and varies substantially by institution type—four-year institutions had 1.51 times the total revenue of two-year institutions.
• Continued increases in education appropriations and declines in net tuition revenue have reduced the proportion of total revenue financed by students. The student share decreased by 1.9 percentage points following the fiscal year 2020 recession, reaching 42.1% in 2021. At two-year institutions, the average student share was less than a quarter (21.8%). At four-year institutions, the average student share was over half (51.6%)

As these findings demonstrate, fiscal year 2021 defied several long-term trends in higher education finance and showed positive growth in education appropriations. However, net tuition and fee revenue did not increase enough to keep up with inflation for the third straight year. This continued decline in tuition revenue puts greater pressure on states not to cut funding to public higher education in the coming years. When federal stimulus funds run out, states will face difficult budgetary decisions, and higher education may face cuts in some states.

SHEEO President Robert E. Anderson shared, “Increases in state support for higher education demonstrate a growing commitment in many states to fund their public systems of higher education. We are proud to see the headway states have made in restoring prior funding cuts to higher education. We know that many of these investments were made possible by federal stimulus funding, and while federal stimulus funds serve an important purpose in stabilizing state revenues, they should not be considered a replacement for long-term state investments. States must continue prioritizing higher education in the years ahead to ensure that institutions are able to serve our students.”

“With strong state revenues and declining enrollment, now is a crucial time for states to make long-term, sustained investments in public higher education. These investments can increase student affordability and access at our colleges and universities and expand the reach of higher education to those not traditionally served. Additional investments in higher education will provide greater individual opportunity, expand the talent pipeline, and increase the prosperity in every state.” said SHEEO Executive Committee Chair Blake Flanders.

While these findings are crucial to understanding the broad strokes of national finance trends in higher education, it’s important to note that national trends mask considerable variation across the states. “The trends presented here are not reflective of the story in every state. While only 10 states saw funding declines this year, 29 states have yet to reach funding levels seen prior to the Great Recession. In those states, the national narrative of continued increases may not represent their reality,” said Sophia Laderman, associate vice president at SHEEO and lead author of the report. “Even more, there are inequalities in the total revenue public institutions have to educate their students. We know that state funding and institutional revenue impact student outcomes, and the negative impacts of low and disparate institutional revenues disproportionately affect students of color and low-income students.”

The full SHEF report paints a more complete picture of differences in public higher education finance across states.

Explore the SHEF website to read the full report and customize the interactive data visualizations. The SHEF website also includes individual state profiles and an additional report on state effort and capacity to fund higher education. In the coming months, SHEEO will publish additional issue briefs on capital appropriations, performance-based funding, tuition and FTE enrollment by residency status, the impact of federal Pell Grants on net tuition revenue, and the sources and uses of higher education federal stimulus funding.

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About the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO)

The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association 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.

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[1] Federal stimulus funding allocated to states due to the COVID-19 pandemic is included in education appropriations and total education revenue throughout the SHEF report. Federal stimulus funding contributed to the education appropriations increase in two ways. First, federal funds that protected state revenues and covered additional costs due to the COVID-19 pandemic and economic recession reduced the need to redirect funds from higher education to other budget areas during the pandemic. Second, federal funds given to states and used for higher education operations boosted education operating appropriations.

The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) welcomes Casey McCoy-Simmons and Dillon McNamara as state policy interns.

At SHEEO, Casey will work on the state higher education finance (SHEF) project, SHEEO’s tuition, fees, and financial assistance survey, and the creation of several issue briefs on higher education affordability and finance. Prior to her role at SHEEO, Casey was an education and policy research intern at the Colorado Department of Higher Education and continues in her role as a graduate fellow for Whiteboard Advisors. She is a Ph.D. student in higher education at the University of Denver with research interests in equity, student success, and college affordability. Casey’s current research focuses on state policy discourses and open educational resources (OER). 

At SHEEO, Dillon will work on the state higher education finance (SHEF) project and the creation of several issue briefs on higher education affordability and finance. Prior to joining SHEEO, Dillon worked as a special assistant and policy analyst at the New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education, where he helped advance college access and affordability initiatives in the state. He most recently worked as a policy coordinator in the New Jersey Office of the Governor, focusing on education and health policy. Dillon graduated in 2018 from The College of New Jersey with a B.A. in political science. Currently, Dillon is pursuing a master’s degree in public affairs from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs.

ABOUT THE STATE HIGHER EDUCATION EXECUTIVE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION

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. For more information, visit https://sheeo.org.

The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) today announces the promotion of Kelsey Heckert to data manager. She will lead SHEEO’s initiatives related to data analysis, data quality, and data management.

Since joining SHEEO as a data analyst in 2019, Heckert has contributed significantly to the organization’s capacity to analyze large data sets, develop data visualizations, and communicate data and research results. Prior to her tenure at SHEEO, she served as a senior portal analyst and longitudinal data analyst for Michigan’s Center for Educational Performance and Information. Heckert holds a B.A. from the University of Michigan.

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.

SHEEO is excited to announce Jillian Cordial as the new communications intern. Jillian will focus on extending our social media presence, marketing and communications projects, and building public relations. As well, Jillian will assist with the planning and execution of SHEEO’s Higher Education Policy Conference and Annual Meeting.

Jillian is a master’s student studying higher education at the University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland. She will graduate in May 2022. She currently serves as a graduate assistant for the College of Education’s Higher Education, Student Affairs, and International Education Policy program and the Smith School of Business’ diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Jillian studied political science, women, gender, sexuality studies, and legal studies at the University of Cincinnati and graduated in May 2020. Jillian’s research interests include college access and equity, federal and state policy, and transracial adoptees’ experiences in higher education.

ABOUT THE STATE HIGHER EDUCATION EXECUTIVE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION

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. For more information, visit https://sheeo.org.

The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) today announces the promotion of Sophia Laderman to associate vice president. She will lead SHEEO’s research and policy analysis related to state higher education finance.

Laderman has been instrumental in the expansion of SHEEO’s State Higher Education Finance (SHEF) project. SHEF, which examines the trends, context, and consequences of state higher education funding decisions, is a vital resource for the higher education policy field. Laderman is additionally responsible for SHEEO’s Grapevine and Tuition, Fees, and Financial Assistance reports, as well as other data and publications related to higher education finance.

Since joining SHEEO as a data analyst in 2015, Laderman has taken on progressively responsible positions, most recently serving as a senior policy analyst. Prior to her tenure at SHEEO, she held positions at the University of Colorado Boulder and Duke University. Laderman holds a B.A. from the University of Hawaiʻi Hilo, and an M.P.A. from the University of Colorado Denver.

ABOUT THE 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.

The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) welcomes Rachel Burns, Ph.D., as a senior policy analyst.

Dr. Burns will be a part of SHEEO’s Boulder, Colorado, office and will help lead, coordinate, and develop a multiyear research endeavor to quantify the impacts of college closures on student persistence and completion. This project is a formal research collaboration between the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center and SHEEO. Dr. Burns will also assist in a variety of areas, including supporting SHEEO’s efforts to perform high-quality analysis, policy evaluation, and research in order to advance critical programs and projects; and will join other SHEEO staff in general membership outreach and support.

Before joining SHEEO, Dr. Burns served as a research education analyst in RTI International’s Center for Education Survey Research and Analysis, where she specialized in large-scale education survey data, administrative data collection, and variable specification and construction. Her work at RTI focused on postsecondary education surveys for the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) at the U.S. Department of Education—primarily on the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS), the High School Longitudinal Study (HSLS), and the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS). She worked on the derivation of financial aid and enrollment variables and the collection of administrative data to study how students and their families pay for college. In addition to her work on NCES studies, Dr. Burns assisted with the evaluation of the Early Career Doctorates Survey (ECDS) for the National Science Foundation, managed a project with the Pew Charitable Trusts modeling repayment of student loans, and published various reports on student persistence and attainment.

Dr. Burns has coauthored several papers on the contingent faculty workforce, economic development in higher education, changes in graduate student loan debt over time, veteran students and military aid, and state financial aid policies. She received her Ph.D. from the Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia.

ABOUT THE 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.

“Through the House passage of the Build Back Better Act, we are moving closer to further opening the door of college opportunity for millions of students in the years ahead. This legislation will boost funding for Pell Grants, scale proven college completion programs, address workforce and training needs, and strengthen Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and minority-serving institutions. We are particularly pleased that Build Back Better recognizes the importance of state-federal collaboration to advance shared policy goals in higher education. SHEEO appreciates all of the support from House members in prioritizing higher education and urges the Senate to approve this historic legislation as soon as possible.”

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The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) welcomes Jessica Colorado as a policy analyst.

Colorado will be located at SHEEO’s Washington, D.C., office, and will assist in a variety of areas, including the development, administration, and analysis of SHEEO’s Strong Foundations survey of state postsecondary systems, developing technical assistance and professional development materials for state-level data practitioners, and contributing to agenda development for SHEEO’s national convenings of data practitioners, researchers, and policy analysts.

Before joining SHEEO, Colorado, who proudly identifies as a first-generation college graduate, served as assistant director for the NASPA Center for First-generation Student Success. Before that, she worked at the University of Rochester, where she served as an information analyst with the Kearns Center for Leadership and Diversity in Arts, Sciences and Engineering, serving low-income, first-generation, and historically underrepresented student populations. Prior to Rochester, Colorado served as associate director for the Upward Bound Math & Science program at Bronx Community College. Colorado earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Rochester and was a Ronald E. McNair Scholar. She also holds an M.S. in chemistry from St. John’s University and an M.S. in educational policy from the University of Rochester’s Warner School of Education.

ABOUT THE 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.

Located in Boulder, Colorado

Overview

The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) seeks to fill a senior policy analyst position. SHEEO is the national association of state higher education leaders who serve statewide coordinating and governing boards and other state higher education agencies. This position supports SHEEO’s efforts to perform high-quality analysis; policy evaluation and research; advance critical programs and projects; provide assistance to SHEEO members; advance SHEEO’s strategic vision, mission, and strategic priorities; and contribute to the intellectual and knowledge base of the higher education policy field. SHEEO responds to the changing needs of its members and the state higher education community and regularly pursues new projects that meet our members’ needs and align with the mission of the organization. This position will identify, develop, and work in these new areas. Additionally, this position will join other SHEEO staff in general membership outreach and support.

SHEEO seeks and strongly encourages individuals from historically underrepresented or marginalized groups to apply. The ideal candidate for this position will be enthusiastic about state policy in higher education, have advanced econometric research skills and experience working with large data sets, demonstrate research and policy writing experience, and have knowledge of or experience with SHEEO agencies. They will be conversant in a wide range of public policy issues in higher education and will understand how data can inform policy and practice. The successful candidate will use their enthusiasm, knowledge, and skills to inform our members and the community about current activities and future trends in public higher education for the purposes of advancing educational attainment, closing equity gaps, and benefiting our states and their stakeholders.

The senior policy analyst will help lead, coordinate, and develop a multiyear research endeavor to quantify the impacts of college closures on student persistence and completion. This project is a formal research collaboration between the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center and SHEEO. The project leverages a newly constructed student-level longitudinal data set to develop descriptive analyses, advanced data visualizations, and quasi-experimental research. Rigorously and thoroughly quantifying the impacts of college closures on subsequent postsecondary outcomes will inform policies meant to prevent, prepare for, and respond to college closures in an environment where more closures are expected to occur. The team working on this project will produce a number of publicly available deliverables, including three published reports that examine the impacts of college closures on student outcomes in detail, policy and academic presentations, and a website that will house interactive data visualizations and aggregated data.

The senior policy analyst will also work on various other projects, such as assisting SHEEO members and organizational leadership, and fulfilling other duties as assigned.

Education and Experience

Preferred: An earned doctoral degree in a relevant field (e.g., higher education, econometrics, public policy, statistics, political science, sociology, or related field) and three years of relevant work experience.

Required: A master’s degree in a relevant field, with rigorous quantitative training, and five years of relevant experience.

Required Skills and Attributes

• A passion for advancing educational and economic opportunity, diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and social mobility.

• Advanced skills with the statistical software Stata.
• Experience with data visualization tools.
• Experience using large-scale, student-level data sets.
• Demonstrated ability to produce relevant papers, reports, and presentations.
• Demonstrated experience working on large-scale research projects.
• Interest in and knowledge of higher education and state policy.
• Knowledge of higher education data systems and external data resources such as IPEDS, NPSAS, U.S. Census Bureau.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work well with and contribute to a team.

Salary and Position Term

Salary will be commensurate with successful candidate’s experience and demonstrated skill level, with a potential range of $85,000 to $105,000. SHEEO provides excellent staff benefits.

The position is fully funded for two years with the possibility of continuation depending upon interest, performance, and funding.

Application Process

Please apply by email to sheeo@sheeo.org and include the following:

1. A letter describing your interest in the position and how you meet the requirements mentioned above. Please address letter to David Tandberg, SHEEO, 3035 Center Green Drive, Suite 100, Boulder, CO 80301.
2. A curriculum vitae.
3. A writing sample. This sample can be a policy brief, report, and/or an academic paper. The sample should provide evidence of both the applicant’s writing and quantitative methods skills.
4. Names and contact information of three academic or professional references. (References will not be contacted until you have given permission for us to do so).

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled, but full consideration will be given to those received by Monday, November 29, 2021.

About SHEEO

SHEEO serves its members as an advocate for state policy leadership, as a liaison between states and the federal government, as a vehicle for learning from and collaborating with peers, and as a source of information and analysis on educational and public policy issues. SHEEO seeks to advance public policies and educational practices to achieve more widespread access and successful participation in higher education, more new discoveries through research, and more applications of knowledge that improve the quality of human lives.

The position will be based in Boulder, Colorado. SHEEO is particularly interested in providing equal employment opportunities and employing a diverse staff. Read more about SHEEO on our website: www.sheeo.org.

Association recognizes leadership, dedication, and innovation in state higher education policy and administration.

Washington, D.C. – The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association has announced the organization’s SHEEO Excellence Awards recipients. The awards recognize the leadership, dedication, and innovation of exceptional SHEEOs, agency staff, and agencies at a time when state postsecondary policy is increasingly linked to student success and, in turn, states’ economic and social prosperity.

• The Exceptional Leader Award recipient is Zora Mulligan, commissioner of higher education for the Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development.
• The Exceptional Agency Award recipient is the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education. 
• The David L. Wright Memorial Award recipient is Patty Sanchez, academic affairs program manager for Idaho’s Office of the State Board of Education.

Reflecting on the SHEEO Excellence Awards, Dr. Robert Anderson, president of SHEEO, said: “SHEEO is so pleased to be able to celebrate and acknowledge the hard work of all of our state higher education executive officers, their agencies, and the agency staff members. The efforts of these individuals and agencies help address the needs of students and advance our institutions of higher education. Their hard work and commitment should be commended. It is our honor to recognize the winners of this year’s SHEEO Excellence Awards.”

Exceptional Leader Award

The Exceptional Leader Award is presented to a current state higher education executive officer from a member agency who has shown exceptional leadership, a commitment to higher education, a contribution to the greater good, and service to the SHEEO Association within the last year.

This year’s recipient of the Exceptional Leader Award, Zora Mulligan, is Missouri’s commissioner of higher education, holding the position since August 2016 and serving on SHEEO’s Executive Committee since 2020. Mulligan’s team shared that she is always looking for ways to improve policies and outcomes. She can often be heard saying, “education changes lives,” and meaning it. Mulligan is passionate about the work of her staff and prides herself on offering hope for a better tomorrow to the citizens her team serves.

During her time as commissioner, Mulligan has led efforts to restructure and transform state government to bring the agencies responsible for postsecondary education, workforce development, and economic research together under one department. This transformation was in response to efforts in 2018 when Mulligan co-led an initiative to build a statewide coalition that developed and advocated for a comprehensive suite of proposals addressing workforce needs. These initiatives included funding higher education institutions to develop or expand academic programs for high-demand occupation jobs and the creation of a full-tuition grant program for adults.

Mulligan and her team have partnered with colleges and universities around the state to address equity gaps in higher education, substantially improving transfer for Missouri students, increasing graduation rates through alternatives to remedial coursework, and implementing new rules that give public colleges and universities greater ability to meet statewide and regional workforce needs.

Mike Parson, governor of Missouri, said: “Zora is a dedicated and passionate leader who is committed to bringing lasting opportunities to Missourians all across the state. She always welcomes a challenge and is at the forefront of aligning our workforce development and education priorities to better serve all Missourians. Zora is a tireless advocate for higher education in Missouri, and we are fortunate to have her in this state.” 

Joe Cornelison, chair of the Coordinating Board for Higher Education, shared: “We are privileged to have seen first-hand Zora’s efforts and success in our state. She is a dynamic leader who is esteemed throughout Missouri, and highly respected by her staff, peers, and state officials. We are proud of her and look forward to working with her in continuing the effort of moving the state toward achieving its strategic goals.”

Exceptional Agency Award

The Exceptional Agency Award is presented to a member agency whose innovative actions, policies, or practices advanced student success in their state; which displayed exceptional governance practices; overcame exceptional challenges; or displayed other meritorious attributes within the last year. The Massachusetts Department of Higher Education (MDHE) has demonstrated a consistent commitment to advancing postsecondary education and student success within Massachusetts.

One notable accomplishment by the MDHE was adopting the vision for the Equity Agenda in December 2018. After an intensive professional development series in partnership with the University of Southern California’s Race and Equity Center, the Department of Higher Education launched its action plan. With the support from Lumina Foundation and after being designated a Talent, Innovation, and Equity (TIE) state, the action plan included reimagining the student experience, conducting a policy audit, and developing a 10-year strategic plan for racial equity.

A number of key initiatives have been at the forefront of the Equity Agenda, such as creating a seamless system of transfer, expanding early college, increasing access to open education resources, transforming developmental education, and addressing basic needs security. Using data and evidence to measure progress towards the goal of racial equity, the board and department will work towards redesigning the policy scheme to build a culturally sustainable public postsecondary system where students can thrive.

Carlos E. Santiago, the commissioner of MDHE, said: “We are fortunate to have a staff dedicated to the educational success of all of our students, particularly historically excluded students, a system of public educational institutions that share our values, mission, and strategic initiatives, and a board and leadership that is committed to the highest ideals of higher education. This is a collective effort that seeks to make students’ highest aspirations a reality.”

Chris Gabrieli, chairperson for the Board of Higher Education, shared: “We are delighted and honored that SHEEO has chosen the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education for recognition. As arguably the birthplace of public education in the country, and one of the epicenters of higher education in the world, Massachusetts takes great pride and interest in fostering opportunity through our public higher education system. This department, led by our outstanding commissioner, Carlos Santiago, and fueled by a team with diverse experience and backgrounds, has worked hard to advance the interests of students and schools. We are especially proud to have made our Equity Agenda a top priority—this department puts student opportunity and overcoming historical barriers at the top of what we do and who we are, in both priority setting and actions accomplished. On behalf of our board and Commonwealth—thanks to Carlos and the team!”

James Peyser, Massachusetts secretary of education, said: “The work done by Department of Higher Education and Commissioner Santiago, and his team, over the past year has been outstanding. On behalf of Governor Baker and Lt. Governor Polito, I want to thank SHEEO and congratulate the commissioner and the DHE staff. This award is an important recognition of the innovative work in equity that the department has undertaken over the past couple of years. There remains much to do in the years to come, and I believe the commissioner and the department will be effective leaders of our state universities and community colleges in that work.”

David L. Wright Memorial Award

The David L. Wright Memorial Award is named in honor of the late David Wright, an esteemed colleague and leader in state higher education, who served in the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association, and the Florida Governing Board. This award recognizes a current SHEEO agency staff member from a member agency who embodies the exceptional commitment, work ethic, and ethical practices of David Wright and made outstanding contributions to their agency.

Patty Sanchez, this year’s David L. Wright Memorial Award recipient, began her career in public service at Idaho’s Office of the State Board of Education as a student intern nearly 29 years ago. Over her long career, she has held several positions in various departments of the agency. For the past 13 years, Sanchez has served as the academic affairs program manager, where she has dedicated effort behind the scenes to ensure that program proposals, academic planning, and policy processes are executed with accuracy and fidelity. Sanchez’s nomination stressed that she cares deeply about supporting board members and institution colleagues to build knowledge, striving for collaborative and cohesive efforts among various statewide committees and workgroups. Sanchez is tireless in her efforts to ensure postsecondary institutions faithfully implement and responsibly monitor their academic technical programs.

While Sanchez’s long and varied service has been outstanding, she has also demonstrated exceptional commitment, work ethic, and ethical practices in other important ways. In addition to core job responsibilities, Sanchez contributes to a sense of community within the office as the agency sponsor for the annual United Way fundraising drive. She voluntarily coordinates holiday-themed and office-sponsored events for staff, giving selflessly of her time and personal resources, to encourage and support her coworkers. Sanchez cares deeply for all populations served by the board, as demonstrated through her steadfast efforts as the board’s staff on the Idaho Indian Education Committee. This work includes partnering with K-12 staff to represent the board at tribal meetings, planning events, developing goals and objectives with the committee, and working with institutions to find solutions that provide greater postsecondary access to Native populations.

Sanchez has served effectively under numerous chief academic officers while adjusting to several changes in executive leadership and the ongoing transitions in board membership. Senior staff, provosts, vice-presidents, and other organizational leaders rely heavily on her counsel and knowledge of agency history.

Dr. Christopher Mathias, chief academic officer (2013-16) and current member of the Idaho State House of Representatives, said this about Sanchez: “As a U.S. Coast Guard veteran, I know what commitment and reliability in public servitude looks like, and Patty Sanchez operates at that level. In my years as her supervisor, I never doubted her ability to execute key tasks in an ethical and exceptional manner. In an era where many states continue to invest less in their higher education systems—including Idaho—having passionate and reliable SHEEO staff has never been more important. They, like the institutions themselves, are being asked to do more with less every day. Patty Sanchez is no exception.”

Dr. Selena Grace, chief academic officer (2010-13) and current senior vice president at the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, shared: “I have known Patty Sanchez for 15 years and worked with her as a colleague, as her supervisor, and as an institutional representative seeking her guidance and advice. Thoughtful, committed, and selfless are three words I would use to describe Patty Sanchez. I was quickly impressed with her ability to navigate the politics of being both an enforcer of Idaho postsecondary education policies and an advocate for the betterment of Idaho higher education.”

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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. For more information, visit https://sheeo.org.