SHEEO Announces 2025 Excellence Awards Recipients

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Alabama, New Jersey, Tennessee recognized

WASHINGTON – The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) is pleased to announce recipients of the 2025 SHEEO Excellence Awards. 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, social mobility, and states’ workforce and economic prosperity.

  • The Exceptional Leader Award recipient is Jim Purcell, Executive Director of the Alabama Commission on Higher Education.
  • The Exceptional Agency Award goes to the New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education.
  • The David L. Wright Memorial Award recipient is Amanda Klafehn, Chief Strategy Officer at the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.

Reflecting on the SHEEO Excellence Awards, Dr. Robert Anderson, SHEEO President, said: “We are honored to recognize the unwavering commitment of our state higher education executive officers, their agencies, and the dedicated professionals who serve within them. Their tireless efforts, innovative thinking, and steadfast resolve play a crucial role in shaping systems that better serve students and advance our nation’s postsecondary landscape. The recipients of this year’s SHEEO Excellence Awards exemplify this mission, and it is a privilege to celebrate their contributions.”

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.

This year’s recipient of the Exceptional Leader Award, Dr. James E. Purcell, is the Executive Director of the Alabama Commission on Higher Education (ACHE). Dr. Purcell has dedicated over three decades to public service and higher education leadership. His distinguished career at state-level coordinating and governing higher education boards spans five states – Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Rhode Island, and Alabama. He is the only individual to serve as a SHEEO in four states. He currently holds the longest active tenure among all SHEEOs, with more than 17 years of service under the leadership of governors across the political spectrum. 

Purcell is nationally recognized for championing access, affordability, and alignment between postsecondary education and workforce needs. His leadership has consistently driven performance-based funding reforms and initiatives to improve student outcomes and institutional effectiveness.

Since 2017 in Alabama, Purcell has tripled the state’s need-based aid, significantly increased FAFSA completion among high school seniors, and launched several workforce-focused initiatives for postsecondary undergraduates, including All in Alabama, Retain Alabama, (Re)Engage Alabama, and Recall Alabama. Most recently, he led the development of Pathway to Progress, a 2025 state-funded initiative that aligns workforce training and credentialing efforts with the needs of communities facing sizable economic challenges. 

Purcell’s career is marked by vision, adaptability, and sustained excellence. His leadership has transformed educational systems, expanded students’ opportunities, and established a legacy of bipartisan collaboration and measurable impact on the future of higher education.

“Congratulations to Alabama’s own, Jim Purcell, on being awarded the 2025 SHEEO Exceptional Leader,” said Alabama Governor Kay Ivey. “I applaud him for the work he has done for our state and public higher education. Here in Alabama, we have a variety of exceptional public colleges and universities that I am proud to continually support.”

Amy Price, ACHE Board Chair, said, “Congratulations to Dr. Purcell on this outstanding honor! We could not be more proud of the work he has done on behalf of ACHE in Alabama. Dr. Purcell has built bridges with higher education leaders across our state and has been an advocate for student success at all levels. His work on FASFA completion rates, coupled with his work on expanding dual enrollment, has positively impacted the lives of many Alabamians.”

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. SHEEO has selected the New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education (NJ OSHE) as this year’s awardee.

Recent initiatives in New Jersey reflect OSHE’s continued commitment to students, the state’s future workforce, and institutional stability.

Through its Some College, No Degree Initiative, OSHE—together with ReUp Education and 22 partner institutions—has helped more than 11,800 New Jersey residents re-enroll in postsecondary education, with over 1,100 earning their degrees so far. Nearly $5 million has been awarded to campuses to support returning students, cover basic needs, application fees, credit for prior learning assessments, and to support campuses in developing personalized programming and adult-friendly policies for returning learners.

New Jersey is leading the way with its first-in-the-nation Statewide Student Mental Health Partnership, which provides free, 24/7/365 access to teletherapy and wellness services at 45 institutions. More than 18,200 students have registered for the platform, logging over 78,000 counseling sessions—saving students an estimated $2.2 million in out-of-pocket costs. 

To promote institutional sustainability, OSHE launched its Inaugural State-Level Fiscal Monitoring Program, offering a comprehensive review of public higher education finances under new fiscal accountability laws. While no institutions were found to be at imminent risk of closure, the program has encouraged proactive financial planning and long-term stability across the sector, supported by training and a statewide CFO community of practice.

Finally, OSHE continues to expand its Career Accelerator Internship Grant Program, helping students gain early-career experience with New Jersey employers. In summer 2024 alone, the program placed 574 students in paid internships with 133 organizations across key industries. Since 2022, over 1,200 students have benefited from this initiative, with growing interest for 2025.

It is these innovations that make New Jersey a fitting choice for the Exceptional Agency Award.

“Higher education is a cornerstone of New Jersey’s education and workforce continuum,” said Dr. Brian Bridges, New Jersey Secretary of Higher Education. “In recent years, NJ OSHE has worked intentionally with our community colleges and public and private four-year institutions to build an ecosystem rooted in equity and student success, one that proactively reengages stopped-out learners, offers expanded mental health and financial supports, and collaborates effectively. By implementing New Jersey’s first fiscal accountability measures, we’ve also worked to safeguard returns on the investments of students, their families, and the state in higher education. And with a focus on partnerships across education, health, labor, innovation, and economic development, we are creating aligned, scalable strategies that accelerate upward mobility and promote meaningful postsecondary pathways for the benefit of all New Jerseyans.” 

“Under Dr. Bridges’ leadership, NJ OSHE has sought to build and deepen partnerships across higher education sectors, state agencies, and national organizations to ensure more residents are afforded the opportunity to start, stay, and succeed through college and into careers,” said New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. “Higher education is an important part of our vision for a stronger and fairer New Jersey, and this recognition is evidenced in all we have worked to accomplish. By supporting our institutions and learners through increased strategic investments and innovative initiatives, we are better positioned than ever before to create opportunity for communities and ready the workforce needed to fuel our future.” 

“This award is evidence to the fact that New Jersey’s higher education community is strongest when we work together at every level to center the student experience,” said Dr. Michael Avaltroni, Chair of the New Jersey Presidents’ Council. “We have particularly appreciated Secretary Bridges’ thoughtful and collaborative approach to leadership at NJ OSHE, fostering trust and creating space for innovation while working to align institutional goals with state priorities. This has ensured that every student, no matter where they begin, has the opportunity to benefit from a diverse ecosystem that is responsive, coordinated, and deeply committed to their success.” 

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 who has made outstanding contributions to their agency. This year’s David L. Wright Memorial Award is presented to Amanda Klafehn, Chief Strategy Officer at the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC).

Klafehn reflects the wisdom, vibrancy, and thoughtful leadership that David Wright brought to the field of higher education. Her contributions, both visible and behind the scenes, have made a profound difference to Tennessee and the broader SHEEO community.

With nearly nine years at THEC, Klafehn restores trust across sectors by confronting cultural and leadership challenges, owning her mistakes with humility, and championing policies rooted in fairness and evidence. Her candor and courage have improved data quality statewide and fostered an environment where transparency and innovation can thrive.

Klafehn leads the Bureau of Policy, Planning, and Research, which oversees THEC’s data collection, management, reporting, and analytics functions, as well as strategic partnerships for the agency. Through her leadership of THEC’s Fiscal Policy Division, she stewards the state’s Outcomes-Based Funding Formula to allocate approximately $1.7 billion annually to Tennessee’s public institutions. Klafehn is also the architect of THEC’s ambitious data modernization strategy and THEC’s Data Strategy Division, which positions quality information as a cornerstone for effective public policy. Under her guidance, the agency has moved toward more transparent, accessible, and actionable data—benefiting not only state leadership but also the institutions, students, and communities they serve.

Before assuming her current role, Amanda served as Senior Director of Research and Strategy, guided the division through multiple leadership transitions, established partnerships with worldclass research universities to evaluate the state’s merit- and need-based financial aid programs, and streamlined THEC’s analytics to maximize both impact and clarity.

Some of Klafehn’s recent accomplishments include:

  • Spearheading the state’s higher education master plan, a strategic vision for higher education in the state of Tennessee for the next decade.
  • Advanced the sharing of state financial aid data into Tennessee’s statewide longitudinal data system, TN DATA, to facilitate research and evaluation on state financial aid.
  • Initiated THEC’s Data Strategy effort, which led to the establishment of the agency’s first data governance program, a partnership with the Harvard Strategic Data Project, and enhancements to THEC’s data quality, usage, and literacy.
  • Launched the state’s inaugural college-going report, providing critical information about high school college-going patterns and information by student groups, sparking a multi-year campaign to address college-going challenges coming out of the pandemic.  

“I’m incredibly proud that Amanda Klafehn has been selected as the 2025 recipient of the SHEEO David L. Wright Memorial Award,” said Dr. Steven Gentile, Executive Director, Tennessee Higher Education Commission. “From her first day at THEC, Amanda has brought extraordinary care and focus to our mission of advancing opportunities for students, supporting institutions, and strengthening the promise of higher education for all Tennesseans. While this award honors staff from any SHEEO agency, it’s especially meaningful to see someone I trust and respect so deeply carry forward the legacy of David Wright—my former supervisor, colleague, and friend. Tennessee has struck gold once again.”

Jonathon Attridge, Chief Evaluation Officer, Tennessee’s Office of Evidence and Impact, had the following to say, “Amanda Klafehn is one of those rare leaders who not only sees what’s possible but actually brings it to life. Her vision for using data and evidence to strengthen higher education in Tennessee is bold and inspiring—but what truly sets her apart is her ability to make things happen and bring people along with her. She’s collaborative, strategic, and deeply committed to the work. Amanda is incredibly deserving of the David Wright Memorial Award, and I can’t think of anyone better to carry forward his legacy of using data to drive meaningful change.”

During the 2025 Annual Meeting on July 15, SHEEO also recognized outgoing Executive Committee Board Chair Clayton Christian, Commissioner of Higher Education, the Montana University System. 

Learn more about SHEEO Excellence Awards, including past winners: https://sheeo.org/membership/sheeo-awards/. 

For only the second time, state funding to public colleges exceeds per-student funding levels seen prior to the Great Recession

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The latest State Higher Education Finance (SHEF) report finds that in 2023, public higher education appropriations increased 3.7% beyond inflation, surpassing pre-recession per-student funding levels for only the second time since 2008. The SHEF report also finds that fiscal year 2023 saw the largest decline in tuition revenue since the start of the SHEF dataset in 1980, and public FTE enrollment continued to decline.

After a short recession in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, historical patterns following economic recessions reversed in 2021, 2022, and 2023. Instead of the typical decrease in state funding following a recession, education appropriations increased for the 11th straight year, rising $1,247 per full-time equivalent (FTE) from 2020 to 2023. Inflation-adjusted education appropriations per FTE were greater than pre-recession funding levels in 2008, by 6.7% or $697 per FTE. The increase in education appropriations per FTE can be attributed to three notable trends: increasing state commitments to higher education funding, a sharp decline in FTE enrollment, and generous federal stimulus funding. 

Additional findings from this year’s report include:

  • Public FTE enrollment has now declined for 12 straight years to 10.2 million in 2023, down 0.5% since 2022, and down 12.1% from an enrollment peak in 2011. Nationally, public institutions have lost all the additional FTE enrollment gained following the Great Recession. In 2023, FTE enrollment was 0.2% lower than in 2008. 
  • State and local government funding for higher education totaled $129.8 billion in fiscal year 2023, including more than $1.7 billion (1.3%) in federal stimulus funding. Inflation-adjusted federal stimulus funding for higher education declined $609.3 million or 26.6% from fiscal year 2022. 
  • Education appropriations increased 1.6% at two-year institutions and 4.2% at four-year institutions. Without federal stimulus funding directed by states to higher education and without the decline in FTE enrollment, inflation-adjusted education appropriations still would have increased 5.8% from 2020. Although national-level education appropriations have recovered to 2008 levels, 25 states continue funding higher education at a lower level than prior to the Great Recession.
  • State public financial aid per FTE increased 2.5% from 2022 to 2023 and reached an all-time high of $1,050 per FTE enrolled student. These funds made up 9.5% of all education appropriations. Financial aid per FTE increased in 27 states in the last year.
  • Inflation-adjusted net tuition revenue decreased 3.3% in 2023 and has declined 9.4% in the last five years. Public institutions received $7,353 per FTE in net tuition and fee revenue in 2023. Public institutions in 37 states and Washington, D.C., collected less tuition revenue than they did five years ago. Decreases in net tuition revenue are largely due to increases in state financial aid and minimal tuition rate growth (lower than the rate of inflation). Despite recent declines, since 1980, net tuition revenue per FTE has increased in every state and has increased by more than 100% in 42 states.
  • Total education revenue increased 0.8% from 2022 to 2023, reaching an all-time high of $18,301 per FTE. However, total education revenue is at an all-time high in only 13 states, and many institutions are not at an all-time high for total education revenue. Additionally, the increase in total education revenue since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic is explained by federal stimulus funding and the enrollment decline. Excluding federal stimulus funding, and if enrollment had held constant at 2020 levels, total education revenue per FTE would have decreased 2.3% from 2020 to 2023. 
  • The student share decreased from 41.9% in 2022 to 40.2% in 2023. Thirty-five states saw declines, but student tuition and fees funding public higher education still comprised more than 50% of total revenues in 21 states. Continued increases in education appropriations and declines in net tuition revenue have reduced the proportion of total revenue financed by students. 

As these findings demonstrate, fiscal year 2023 continued to defy several long-term trends in higher education finance and showed growth in education appropriations. The continued decline in net tuition revenue puts greater pressure on states to not cut funding to public higher education in the coming years. As federal stimulus funds run out, some states may face difficult budgetary decisions.

“Seeing additional increases in state support for higher education demonstrates a continued commitment in many states to fund financial aid and their public institutions. It’s encouraging to see that even as federal stimulus funds dwindle, states are investing in higher education and see the value it brings,” said SHEEO President Robert E. Anderson. “Amidst increasing concerns about student affordability and student loan debt, states must make conscious efforts to continue to decrease the financial burden on students and families.”

The SHEF report broadly addresses the wide variation in how states fund public higher education. However, state-specific context is incredibly important when discussing higher education finance trends. “The trends detailed in the SHEF report reflect national and state averages, but there are almost always outliers in every trend. Even within states, there can be wide variation in the enrollment and revenue patterns at each institution,” said Kelsey Kunkle, Policy Analyst at SHEEO and author of the report. “We know that state funding and institutional revenue impact student outcomes, and the negative impacts of low and unequal 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, including individual state profiles. Look for more data from SHEF to be added to the website in the coming months. 

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.

Sean Baser joins SHEEO as senior policy analyst

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The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) welcomed Sean Baser this week as a new senior policy analyst. In his new role, Baser will provide support on a variety of projects and initiatives, including efforts to improve noncredit postsecondary education opportunities and state authorization, as well as the development and analysis of SHEEO’s membership report and Strong Foundations survey of postsecondary data systems.

Prior to joining SHEEO, Baser served as a graduate research assistant and research associate with the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. In this role, he provided quantitative and qualitative expertise by collecting and reporting data, conducting advanced statistical analysis, synthesizing academic literature and policy trends, and developing visualizations and dashboards to improve decision-making on a wide range of higher education topics (namely, strategic enrollment management).

Baser’s research interests lie at the nexus of education politics, policy, and governance. His recent work has focused on state authorization, interest groups, dual enrollment, community college governance, state-level changes to tenure policies, and the role of political nonprofits and “dark money” in education.

Baser earned an associate degree in business administration from Tulsa Community College in 2014, dual bachelor’s degrees in political science and management information systems from Oklahoma State University in 2015, and a master’s in education in higher education from the University of Houston in 2016. He is currently a Ph.D. student in the Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia.

Learn more about our team at sheeo.org/about/sheeo-staff/.

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. 

SHEEO partners with The JED Foundation to launch inaugural Student Mental Health and Wellness Learning Community

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Five states receive grants to focus on whole-student support

The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) has kicked off a new learning community to help members develop a statewide plan to support student mental health and wellness. Five states will be awarded $25,000 planning grants to design and implement mental health strategies and solutions that fit the unique context of their respective states.

With generous support from Lumina Foundation, SHEEO and The JED Foundation (JED) will partner with higher education leaders in Arizona, Louisiana, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Texas on a 15-month project as they work through the development and implementation of policy recommendations to bolster institutions’ capabilities to promote and support student mental health and wellness effectively. Each state will receive planning grants as well as consultative strategic planning and technical assistance to create a sustainable model within each state’s distinctive environment.

The JED Campus Program is an effective and results-driven approach to improving student emotional and mental health while also lowering suicide risk and substance misuse. JED Campus Program, alongside the JED Equitable Implementation Framework, will be used as an anchoring guide for technical assistance to the SHEEO membership and state policymakers. The comprehensive strategic planning framework will enable participating states to build and strengthen their systems and policies and to collaborate with their institutions on programs and practices to promote emotional health and prevent suicide. 

“Students are facing unique challenges that often contribute to additional academic hardships,” said Rob Anderson, SHEEO president. “We are thrilled to partner with The JED Foundation in forming a new learning community to help our members develop strategies for whole student support.”

The SHEEO-JED Student Mental Health and Wellness Learning Community will provide a forum for states to reflect on what’s working, refine their strategies, and identify areas for cross-state collaboration. It will also help engage new policymakers and stakeholders in efforts to advance student mental health and wellness with special attention to underserved student groups that experience disparities in access to mental health care.

“This learning community will offer the essential support and expert guidance that states need to elevate the significance of student mental health and wellness. The JED Foundation is excited about the opportunity to collaborate with SHEEO in assisting these states with their vital and time-sensitive mental health initiatives,” said Zainab Okolo, senior vice president of policy, advocacy and government relations at The Jed Foundation.

The tools developed by JED use an equitable implementation lens that ensures the needs of marginalized and/or underserved students due to societal and structural inequities are considered and supported with targeted and intentional best practices. Lack of access to good quality mental health care is a significant barrier to educational achievement as it adversely impacts enrollment, re-enrollment, progress, and completion. A primary goal of the learning community will be to mitigate mental health inequities and promote a just design that recognizes historic discrimination and alleviates systemic bias. Specifically, the communities will identify strategies that effectively support students of color and students from low-income circumstances who face systemic inequities and experience pronounced disparities in mental health care access. 

For additional information, visit the project website at sheeo.org/project/student-mental-health/. 

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 JED 

The JED Foundation (JED) is a nonprofit that protects emotional health and prevents suicide for our nation’s teens and young adults. JED’s evidence-based, comprehensive public health approach equips teens and young adults with the skills and knowledge to help themselves and each other, strengthens schools’ mental health and suicide prevention policies, programs and systems, and mobilizes community awareness, understanding, and action. JED is building a future where every high school, college, and community has a comprehensive, fair, and just system that protects emotional health and prevents suicide among teens and young adults. For more information, visit jedfoundation.org. 

Sakshee Chawla joins SHEEO as senior policy analyst

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The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) welcomed Sakshee Chawla this week as a new senior policy analyst. Sakshee is working out of SHEEO’s Washington, D.C., office.

In her role, Sakshee will partner with state higher education leaders to replicate and scale the City University of New York’s (CUNY) nationally recognized Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) and Accelerate, Complete, and Engage (ACE) support program to increase college completion rates. She will also work to promote improved student wellness through the development and implementation of state- and system-wide policies that advance student mental health care. Her research interests include student success, educational equity, and upward mobility. 

Before joining SHEEO, Sakshee served as a research analyst and project manager on the Workforce of the Future (WoF) initiative at Brookings. She studied the demographic changes in the composition of labor unions and sought to understand whether unionization status is associated with worker happiness, job satisfaction, and productivity. As a part of her capstone project and thesis in graduate school, Sakshee partnered with the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education to assess the effect of the state’s test-optional admissions policies in reducing barriers and improving access to higher education, particularly for disadvantaged students. Sakshee’s work examining the vital role of community colleges in fostering economic growth was recently published in the book America’s Hidden Economic Engines: How Community Colleges Can Drive Shared Prosperity. Before graduate school, Sakshee worked at EAB where she studied topics including developmental education, faculty and staff mental health, social and emotional learning, as well as student learning loss. 

Sakshee holds a master’s in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and a bachelor’s degree in economics and psychology from Smith College. 

Learn more about our team at https://sheeo.org/about/sheeo-staff/.

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. 

SHEEO Announces Promotion of Klein and Weeden to Position of Associate Vice President

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) today announces the promotion of Carrie Klein and Dustin Weeden to the position of associate vice president. Both Klein and Weeden have served SHEEO as senior policy analysts.

Klein joined SHEEO’s Washington, D.C. office in May 2021. She leads SHEEO’s Strong Foundations survey and reporting project, through which she advances SHEEO’s efforts to promote effective use of state postsecondary data resources and P20W connections. Building on prior postsecondary institutional experience and analytics research, Dr. Klein develops productive relationships with partner organizations and provides relevant content expertise and technical assistance to state agency research and data policymakers to improve state and student outcomes.

Weeden joined SHEEO in October 2017, working out of SHEEO’s Boulder, Colorado, office. He leads SHEEO’s research and policy analysis related to state authorization and college affordability.Weeden currently leads efforts directed at helping states prepare for implementation of the FAFSA Simplification Act, and spearheads SHEEO’s focus on improving state consumer protection policies. 

“Both of these team members have done excellent work, taking on increased responsibilities and embodying leadership traits that help advance the work of SHEEO among our member organizations,” said Rob Anderson, SHEEO president. “We are excited to recognize their efforts publicly and look forward to seeing their continued growth.”

Learn more about our team at https://sheeo.org/about/sheeo-staff/.

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. 

Study finds students experiencing college closures are 50% less likely to earn a credential

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BOULDER, CO – A new report shows college closures have an overwhelmingly negative impact on students, with students 71.3% less likely to reenroll within one month and 50.1% less likely to earn a credential than students who did not experience a closure. 

A Dream Derailed? Investigating the Causal Effects of College Closure on Student Outcomes is the second of three reports seeking to quantify the impacts of college closures on students’ postsecondary enrollment and completion outcomes. From a collaborative research team at the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) and the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) Research Center, these reports are also meant to identify ways states can support students who experience a closure through various policy levers. 

In order to explore the causal effects of college closures on student outcomes, SHEEO looked at a combined dataset of enrollment and credential completion records for 143,215 students who experienced a closure at 467 institutions of higher education between July 1, 2004, and June 30, 2020, and 1,295,773 matched control students enrolled in 467 matched institutions who did not experience a closure. By looking at a matched sample of students, SHEEO explored the direction and strength of the associations between closure and student outcomes such as enrollment, persistence, and completion. As outlined in the first report, A Dream Derailed? Investigating the Impacts of College Closures on Student Outcomes, more than 100,000 students experienced their institution closing without adequate notice or a teach-out plan from July 2004 to June 2020. 

“The research from this report shows that when schools close, the impacts are potentially life-altering, with most students choosing not to reenroll right away and half as likely to earn a credential than students who did not experience a closure,” said SHEEO President Rob Anderson. 

Research found that students who experience a closure are less likely to reenroll and are more likely to switch to a shorter-term credential than the one they were pursuing at the time of closure. Students are also less likely to earn any credential post-closure and take longer to complete a credential compared to students who did not experience a closure. 

  • Students who experienced a closure were 71.3% less likely to be enrolled after one month and 63.3% less likely to be enrolled after four months than students who did not experience a closure.
  • Students who experienced a closure were 50.1% less likely to complete a credential than students who did not experience a closure.
  • Students who experienced a closure were 19.9% more likely to complete a shorter-term credential than the credential they were pursuing at the time of closure than students who did not experience a closure.

Unfortunately, these negative impacts are most pronounced for students of color, students enrolled in certificate programs, and students enrolled in the for-profit sector. These students are also the most likely to experience an institutional closure, particularly abrupt closures that occur with little warning or time for students to prepare.  

State agencies of higher education and institutions can play a key role in helping to minimize the negative impacts on students due to college closures. Several policy implications were outlined in the report, including simplifying the transfer process for students of closed schools, offering extra supports like transfer counseling and orientation, and creating policies requiring institutions to submit and implement contingency plans in the event of closure. 

This series of three publications examining the impacts of college closure on student outcomes is supported by Arnold Ventures.

Learn more about our work on college closures at https://sheeo.org/project/college-closures/.

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. 

Annual Grapevine Compilation Shows Initial 6.6% 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) 2023 reached $112.3 billion, a 6.6% increase over 2022.[1] This is the second time that state fiscal support for all higher education has topped $100 billion. This increase reflects a 27.5% 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. An important caveat is that the Grapevine data do not account for inflation.[2]

Although states allocated less federal funding to support higher education than in the previous two years, an additional $1.2 billion in federal stimulus funding brings the total state fiscal support for higher education in FY 2023 to $113.5 billion, a 5.3% increase over 2022.[3]  

Grapevine data are collected annually by the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) in collaboration with the Center for the Study of Education Policy at Illinois State University. The FY 2023 data summarized online and in these tables represent initial allocations and estimates reported by the states from October 2022 through January 2023 and are subject to change. 

From 2022 to 2023, 14 states reported increases of more than 10% in state support for higher education, excluding federal stimulus funding. The states reporting these large increases are Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, and Virginia. Five states, and Washington, D.C., had decreases in state support, excluding federal stimulus funding: Connecticut, Illinois,[4] Michigan, New Hampshire, and Texas.

Thirty-eight states saw overall increases in state and federal stimulus funding. Twelve states and Washington, D.C., reported an overall decline in state and federal stimulus funding between 2022 and 2023. The 12 states reporting declines are: Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Texas, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The decreases are caused by reductions in a combination of both federal stimulus and state support in most of the 12 states. However, Delaware, Georgia, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin saw increases in state support which were reversed by significant reductions in federal stimulus funding.

The Grapevine tables also 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 2023. While state allocations across each area are not final and include estimates for several states, initial appropriations to each area were as follows:

  • $24 billion to two-year public operating (22.1% of state support).
  • $56 billion to four-year public operating (49.9%). 
  • $14.8 billion to state financial aid for all students (13.2%). 
  • $12.8 billion to research, agriculture extension, hospital extension and medical schools (11.4%).
  • $3.8 billion to other uses, including agency funding, private institution operations, and non-credit appropriations (3.4%). 

Longer-Term Trends

Longer-term trends in state support for higher education are positive. Excluding federal stimulus funding, state support has increased 16.4% nationally since 2021 and 27.5% since 2018. Note: These data do not account for the impact of inflation, which has risen substantially in recent years.[5]

Only two states, again excluding any federal stimulus funding, had lower state support in 2023 than in 2021 (Connecticut and Wyoming). Likewise, only two states had lower state support in 2023 than in 2018 (Alaska and Wyoming). While multiple-year declines in any state should be of concern, these state counts are relatively low compared to pre-pandemic years.

Federal Stimulus Funding

For the second year in a row, the Grapevine report includes tables on federal stimulus/relief allocations to states that were used for higher education. Funds awarded directly to higher education institutions from the federal government are not included. 

Across FY 2020-2023, states allocated $8.8 billion in federal stimulus support to higher education from the 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the 2021 Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act, and the 2021 American Rescue Plan (ARP). If including funds used for capital projects, that number jumps to $10.9 billion in federal stimulus support over the last four years. The full Grapevine report, including tables summarizing the results of the FY 2023 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 2023 marks the seventh 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 a 6.2% decline in the last year and a 19.7% decrease in the last two years, but a five-year increase of 42.5%.

[2] While actual inflation data are not available for FY 2023, forecasts suggest the U.S. will face 3.8% inflation over FY 2022. 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.

[4] In Illinois, FY 2022 includes a one-time payment of $250 million to fully address the unfunded liability of the state’s prepaid tuition program, ensuring stability to the program. If this one-time payment were not included, the one-year change in Illinois’ state support would be a $236.1 million increase, or 4.6%.

[5] From December 2021 to December 2022, the Consumer Price Index increased 6.5%. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Economic News Release, Consumer Price Index Summary https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm.

The New SwiftStudent Tool: Help for Guiding Students Through Financial Aid Appeals Webinar

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This webinar provides an overview of the new SwiftStudent digital tool, a free resource designed to help college students through the formal process of requesting additional financial aid when their economic circumstances have changed. SwiftStudent was created by the Seldin/Haring-Smith Foundation in partnership with 18 higher education organizations.