Louisiana’s Commissioner of Higher Education Dr. Kim Hunter Reed was recently named chair of the State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO) Executive Committee.

“We are pleased to have Dr. Reed serve as our chair this year,” said Dr. Robert Anderson, president of SHEEO. “She brings a wealth of state and federal experience to this position, which will benefit our members and students as we navigate both a recession and pandemic in the year ahead. I look forward to working with Kim and the Executive Committee on an agenda that will benefit all our students and the states and campuses that serve them.”

The Executive Committee is responsible for shaping SHEEO’s federal priorities and strategies and leading its communications with Congress, the U.S. Department of Education, and other federal agencies.

“It’s an exciting time to serve in this role because higher education is at the epicenter of talent development, new ideas and solutions,” said Dr. Reed. “The innovation and resilience shown by our campuses throughout 2020 has been nothing short of remarkable, and yet I know our best work is yet to come. Our institutions are incubators of knowledge, from understanding disease prevention to leading research towards a vaccine. We fuel efforts to restart our economy through retraining of displaced workers. And we support the persistence of our students, who are committed to using their voices to drive change. Without a doubt, higher education is a strategic asset for our states, our nation, and our world.”

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.

Dr. Kim Hunter Reed was named  Louisiana’s commissioner of higher education by the Board of Regents in  April 2018. Reed has served on the SHEEO Executive Committee since 2019. She is the only female in the country currently serving as a state higher education leader who has led higher education in more than one state. Reed also served effectively at the federal level as deputy under secretary at the U.S. Department of Education in the Obama administration.

Working with the Louisiana Board of Regents and the state’s public and private institutions, Reed is a nationally recognized student advocate, leading the state’s talent development efforts with a goal of ensuring that 60% of adults in Louisiana hold a postsecondary credential of value by 2030.

During her first two years in office, Reed launched a Master Plan for Higher Education that has quickly become a statewide guidebook, adopted by multiple public agencies and cited by organizations as “the plan” to support human development and improve Louisiana’s overall prosperity. Moody’s Investors Service, a leading provider of credit ratings, research, and financial risk analysis, reported that Louisiana’s Master Plan for Higher Education, if accomplished, will mean “greater economic competitiveness” and will be “credit positive” for the state moving ahead.

Since launching the Master Plan in 2019, Louisiana has seen a 3% increase in its attainment rate, and its work has been nationally recognized as high-quality, equity-focused, outcomes-driven, and scalable. Approximately $35.7M in external funding has been secured to accelerate talent development efforts and drive the state’s commitment to increase completers, expand research, and erase equity gaps.

SHEEO is also excited to welcome the remaining new Executive Committee officers: Blake Flanders of the Kansas Board of Regents as chair-elect, Ben Cannon of the Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission as treasurer, and Carlos Santiago of the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education as past chair. SHEEO also added four new members to its Executive Committee: Mike Krause of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, Zora Mulligan of the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development, Angie Paccione of the Colorado Department of Higher Education, and Aaron Thompson of the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education.

“House leaders have put forth a meaningful relief proposal with their updated HEROES Act, and it is time for both sides to come together on a federal relief plan that meets the economic and public health challenges posed by the pandemic, stabilizes state budgets, and recognizes the central role of higher education in the national recovery.

Absent a federal relief package, states will confront deep budget shortfalls in 2021, resulting in devastating budget cuts to higher education and other state services. These cuts would ripple throughout states for years to come, threatening student access to high-quality, affordable, college opportunities, weakening institutional capacity to safely educate and train students, exacerbating existing inequalities, and constraining the ability of public colleges and universities to address state needs during a public health crisis and period of economic uncertainty. We urge Congress to prevent lasting damage to the American economy by expediently passing a robust relief package.”

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The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) welcomes Dr. Jenna Sablan as a senior policy analyst.

Dr. Sablan will be located at SHEEO’s Washington, D.C., office. Her work will focus on identifying and promoting best policies and practices related to closing equity gaps in higher education, improving student success and employment outcomes, and addressing the needs of the workforce. Dr. Sablan will support innovative state- and system-level practices related to advising, academic readiness, digital learning, and pathways, and will work to develop strategies to bring these practices to scale in multiple states and systems.

Before joining SHEEO, Dr. Sablan was an assistant research professor at the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. In that role, she contributed to work on free college and higher education. Her research focused on college access, higher education policy, and K–12 to higher education transition. She also previously served as the inaugural 2016–17 American Educational Research Association/American Association for the Advancement of Science  Congressional Fellow on the Senate Budget Committee, where she worked on college affordability policy. Dr. Sablan has also held postdoctoral and institutional research positions at the University of Maryland and Loyola Marymount University. Dr. Sablan received her Ph.D. in urban education policy and M.A. in economics from the University of Southern California, and her B.A. in political science, B.A. in social policy, and Certificate in Advanced Leadership Studies from American University, where she was a Ronald E. McNair Scholar.

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) welcomes Ernest Ezeugo as a policy analyst.

Ezeugo 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, Ezeugo served as policy director at the National Campus Leadership Council (NCLC), where he directed the organization’s policy advocacy portfolio and managed the Student Policy Alliance project. Ezeugo also spent three years as a program associate and program assistant at New America, and prior to that, was a communications specialist and program assistant at the U.S. Department of Education. Ezeugo is a contributing writer at Forbes, where he writes about higher education in America. He has other bylines in Slate, the Hechinger Report, Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, and EdSurge.

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.

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

Boulder, Colorado – The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) 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 policy success is increasingly linked to student success and, in turn, states’ economic and social prosperity.

Reflecting on the SHEEO Excellence Awards, Dr. Robert Anderson, president of SHEEO, said, “SHEEO is extremely proud of and grateful for the work of all state higher education executive officers, their agencies, and the agency staff members. We know that these individuals and agencies work every day to advance student success and to ensure that the higher education systems in their states are working to improve the lives of all people. It is, therefore, an 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.

Dr. Kim Hunter Reed is Louisiana’s commissioner of higher education, holding the position since April 2018. Reed has served on the SHEEO Executive Committee since 2019 and currently serves as the chair elect. She is the only female in the country currently serving as a state higher education leader who has led higher education in more than one state. Reed also served effectively at the federal level as deputy under secretary at the U.S. Department of Education in the Obama administration.

Working with the Louisiana Board of Regents and the state’s public and private institutions, Reed is a nationally recognized student advocate, leading the state’s talent development efforts designed to double the number of residents with a postsecondary credential of value by 2030.

During her two years in office, Reed launched a Master Plan for Higher Education that has quickly become a statewide guidebook adopted by multiple public agencies and cited by organizations as “the plan” to support human development and improve Louisiana’s overall prosperity. Moody’s Investors Service, a leading provider of credit ratings, research, and financial risk analysis, reported that Louisiana’s Master Plan for Higher Education, if accomplished, will mean “greater economic competitiveness” and will be “credit positive” for the state moving ahead. Reed and her board’s vision to reach the state’s audacious attainment goal includes expanding access and affordability, eliminating persistent and damaging equity gaps, and significantly increasing adult learners’ education levels.

Reed is a relentless advocate for all of the people of Louisiana. Her ability to collaborate and bring diverse teams together to achieve innovative, student-focused results is demonstrated through her coordinated work as co-chair of a statewide Dual Enrollment Task Force, an HBCU Advisory Committee, and the Governor’s Workforce and Education Sub-Cabinet.

“I can’t think of anyone more deserving for this award than Comm. Kim Hunter Reed,” said Louisiana’s Governor John Bel Edwards. “She is passionate about making higher education accessible and attainable for all of Louisiana’s students. She is an exceptional leader, and I’m grateful to have her as part of my administration, and for the tremendous work she is doing to help empower our future leaders. Congratulations on this distinguished honor.”

“Kim Hunter Reed is the rarest of leaders,” said Louisiana Community and Technical College System President Monty Sullivan. “She is extraordinarily capable, compassionate, and most importantly, guided by a central focus of making life better for people through education. She understands the multiple missions within our higher education landscape and brings tremendous energy to our work in talent development. We are fortunate to have her back in Louisiana making a difference for the people of our state.”

“Louisiana is fortunate to have Dr. Reed leading higher education in our state,” said Council for A Better Louisiana President Barry Erwin. “She is passionate about increasing the education levels of our people and committed to equity so that every person has the opportunity to prosper. She doesn’t see obstacles, she sees opportunities. Couple that with her ability to bring all stakeholders to the table and create collaborations that yield results, and you have a truly exceptional leader who is making a difference in the lives of thousands of Louisiana citizens.”

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; which overcame exceptional challenges; or displayed other meritorious attributes within the last year.

The Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) has demonstrated a consistent commitment to advancing postsecondary education and student success within Tennessee.

Accomplishments in recent years include:

THEC Executive Director Mike Krause is quoted as saying, “Our team works every day to ensure Tennesseans are able to realize their dreams through higher education. Whether it’s a single parent using Tennessee Reconnect to go back to get their degree, or a first-generation student being coached through the FAFSA process, THEC staff bring a sense of purpose to everything we do. This award recognizes that relentless focus, and this recognition belongs to our board and every member of our team.”

Bill Lee, governor of the State of Tennessee, praised THEC and said, “The Tennessee Higher Education Commission has been recognized for their outstanding contribution to student success in our state across colleges, universities, and TCATs. I am proud of our organization for representing the best of higher education and readying students for life beyond the classroom and in a career.”

Evan Cope, chair of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, said, “It is gratifying for our agency to be recognized for the outstanding work Director Krause and our staff do on a daily basis to make Tennessee’s higher education system a model for the nation.”

Dr. Robert Anderson, president of SHEEO, said, “THEC has been the standard-bearer for many years regarding innovative higher education policies that serve their students and state more effectively. The student-centered focus of this team under Executive Director Krause and THEC leadership has helped transform what is possible within a state higher education landscape.”

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.

Leroy Wade has worked for the Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development for 34 years. He joined the department as a research associate in 1986, was promoted to senior associate in 1991, and became the director of proprietary school certification in 1997. In 2005, he took on the additional role of director of the state’s student financial aid programs. He became an assistant commissioner in 2007 and deputy commissioner in 2013.

Although Wade has served the department in many capacities, his greatest passion is student financial aid. In 2018, he led a task force that recommended creating a new financial aid program that provides full-tuition awards to adults pursuing degrees and certificates that will allow them to work in high-demand occupations. Legislation based on the task force’s recommendations was passed in May 2019, and students began enrolling in classes supported by the program in August 2019. The speed with which this program was implemented is evidence of Wade’s commitment and work ethic. Most recently, Mr. Wade’s duties have expanded significantly to include leadership of the financial aid programs and, in testament to his professional integrity, all budget and human resources for the department’s 350 employees and a payroll of more than $15 million.

A member of Wade’s staff shared, “I have had the pleasure and honor to work with Leroy for more than 17 years. In that time, I have met many dedicated professionals but few with Leroy’s passion for, and commitment to, helping students. This isn’t just a job for him, or even a career, but something he believes in to his core. Everything he does centers on what is the right thing to do for students no matter how hard it is to do, a value that he has instilled in those of us who work with him. Leroy sets an example to aspire to because he lives what he believes with great character and strength.”

When notified of his award selection, Wade responded, “I am honored and humbled by my selection for this award. My service to the state of Missouri and higher education has brought me great fulfillment, and I hope that my work has made a difference to the students we ultimately serve. I know what an impact higher education has had on my life, and my deepest desire is to bring those rewards into the reach of others.”

Zora Mulligan, commissioner of higher education for the Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development, shared, “Mr. Wade is a tremendous professional to whom the state of Missouri owes a huge debt of gratitude. He is an outstanding example of the many professionals around the nation who do the real work of our SHEEO agencies.”

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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.

“We are pleased Senate Republicans have created a stimulus plan acknowledging the financial challenges facing colleges and universities today. While the funding in the HEALS Act will be helpful, it falls far short of the amounts necessary to stabilize public college and university budgets. Reductions in state appropriations, foregone revenue, and unexpected costs have put unprecedented financial pressure on public higher education, with continued economic uncertainty and the prospect of more cuts in state appropriations in the months ahead. Without sufficient federal funding, campus budget shortfalls will threaten student access to high-quality, affordable college opportunities and diminish the capacity of these institutions to address state needs during this challenging time.  

The HEALS Act also relies too heavily on federal distribution formulas to institutions, which does not adequately recognize individual campus needs and the longstanding partnership between states and public higher education. More federal funding should be reserved for states in order to allow state leaders to target resources to campuses with the greatest need.

The legislation does, however, make some notable improvements from the CARES Act, including boosting the share of funding for minority-serving institutions. We look forward to working with Congress to create a final bill that appropriately addresses the needs of higher education today and recognizes their central role in growing our economy and helping in the national recovery effort.

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The administration’s new policy is highly problematic for college campuses and the more than one million international students they serve. International students are integral to the fabric of campus communities and contribute billions to the American economy. The policy will leave lasting damage on America’s reputation as a welcoming destination for international students seeking high-quality college opportunities. Colleges and their states will be worse off as these students bypass the U.S. to pursue higher education elsewhere in the years ahead.

This rule will also needlessly present new challenges and added confusion for international students, along with state higher education leaders working to create safe, productive learning environments amid a pandemic and deep budget cuts. State higher education leaders need more resources and flexibility from Washington to effectively navigate this crisis, not unnecessary and harmful rules and regulations.

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NCHEMS, in partnership with SHEEO and with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has developed an Excel tool to help state agency staff think about and model the potential impacts of the COVID crisis on enrollments, finances, costs, and completions. They also have produced a white paper describing the underlying theories and assumptions that inform the tool, how the tool might be used, a few example scenarios using three different states, and step-by-step instructions for using the tool.

Please reach out to David Tandberg (dtandberg@sheeo.org), at SHEEO, or Brian Prescott (brian@nchems.org), at NCHEMS, with any questions.

Education Strategy Group, The Association of Community College Trustees and The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association are pleased to announce the continuation of the Making A Comeback series with three new webinars in the month of July. These online forums are designed to help state and institutional leaders anticipate and respond to challenges facing higher education due to COVID-19. 

We hope you will join us every other week beginning Wednesday, July 1. Registration links and additional details for each of these free events can be found below.

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Reskilling Displaced Workers. Wednesday, July 1, 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT
Given the likelihood that many displaced workers will enroll in education and training, it is incumbent upon higher education to prioritize innovative delivery models to ensure these individuals can successfully – and quickly – attain the skills they need for immediate job placement.

Panelists:

• Alex Johnson, President, Cuyahoga Community College
• Zora Mulligan, Commissioner of Higher Education, Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development
• Katherine Wheatle, Strategy Officer for Finance & Federal Policy, Lumina Foundation

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Navigating Enrollment Shifts, Wednesday, July 15, 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT
The economic challenges that students and their families face as a result of the pandemic will likely mean significant changes in postsecondary enrollment. While many traditional students may defer or cancel their plans to enroll, institutions will also likely see an influx of displaced workers returning to upskill. Where and how will enrollment shifts occur? What will these shifts mean for institutions’ finances, operations, and delivery models?

Panelists:

• Wil Del Pilar, Vice President of Higher Education Policy & Practice, The Education Trust
• Lee Lambert, Chancellor, Pima Community College
• Additional panelist to be announced

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Improving Online Education, Wednesday, July 29, 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT
Even as some campuses move toward physical re-opening, institutions need to consider the longer-term potential and implications of virtual learning. As more institutions go online, how will institutions and systems ensure high-quality online learning opportunities?

Panelists:

• Keith Curry, President, Compton College
• Jon Sizemore, Associate Vice Chancellor for Distance Education and Innovation, University System of Georgia
• Belle Wheelan, President, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on College

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Catch Up on Earlier Webinars

The killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and tragically, many other Black Americans have left many Americans outraged and in pain and sparked a movement of protest across the country. At SHEEO, we stand with those fighting against racism, racial violence, white supremacy, and the racial injustices in our country and affirmatively declare that Black lives matter.

SHEEO’s vision reads, “Together with its members, SHEEO will promote 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.” We stand behind our vision and are reflecting on how we can work together to combat and dismantle racism through our work. We stand with the Black community and those peacefully working to advance equity and opportunity. As a staff, we will work together to help make systems of higher education places of learning and community for Black students, faculty, and staff, and places free of institutional and systemic racism.

For words to be meaningful, they must be followed by specific action. We have much work to do and will develop an inclusive plan that details how we will move forward. For now, we offer our strong support to our members who are working on plans to address systemic racism, advance equity in educational opportunity, and in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.