Association of Independent Colleges & Universities in Massachusetts (AICUM)

Congratulations to everyone on the Top 100 Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts, published by Boston Globe Media, with a special shout out to our member presidents and the institutions they lead: Paula A. Johnson, Wellesley College; Lynn Perry Wooten, Simmons College; Grace W. (Wang), Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Marisa Kelly, Suffolk University; Paula Milone-Nuzzo, MGH Institute of Health Professions; Sally Kornbluth, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Gilda Barabino, Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering; Andrea Kalyn, New England Conservatory of Music; and Antoinette (Toni) Hays, Regis College. Fun fact: Forty percent of our 57 member institutions are led by women.

Congratulations to Office of Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, Patrick Tutwiler, PhD and the Advisory Council for the Advancement of Representation in Education on the release of its report, "Leading the way in Massachusetts: Championing access, equity, diversity, and inclusion in higher education." Sustaining diversity on our campuses across Massachusetts is imperative. Creating multiple pathways to success includes ensuring that funding helps all needy and deserving Massachusetts students seeking access to a higher education. It’s critical to support a student’s choice of school – whether public or private – that best fits their talents, interests and learning styles, and ensure that state financial aid can follow them. This provides an important incentive for keeping talented students in the state and increasing the likelihood they remain here and join the work force. https://lnkd.in/ez9kqeAg..

Great to attend the investiture of Beth Ross, Ed.D., the 14th President of Emmanuel College (Boston), with Rob McCarron Association of Independent Colleges & Universities in Massachusetts (AICUM). We wish her great success.

#ICYMI Thank you New England Council for the opportunity.

A recent op-ed in the Boston Globe Media illustrates the transformative power of a college degree and how #privatehighereducation - in this instance, Boston College - is reaching and serving Massachusetts students far beyond campus. Prison education programs - like those at BC, Boston University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Babson College, Tufts University and Emerson College - dramatically change the lives of those who are incarcerated, encouraging them to engage with community in different ways and helping them reclaim their life's narrative. https://lnkd.in/et6FKfSW

Our recent white paper, "A Call for Change: Removing Barriers to Telehealth Mental Health Treatment for College Students," discusses key solutions to improve access to mental health services on college campuses. Highlighted yesterday at the Association of Independent Colleges & Universities in Massachusetts (AICUM) Summit for Behavioral Health, we're shining a light on the urgency of telehealth accessibility. Let's pave the way for inclusive mental health care for all students. @rachelconradmd Read the full report here >> https://shorturl.at/aS2Ee #MentalHealthSupport #TelehealthSolutions #RudermanFamilyFoundation #AICUM

Our ongoing series - Reimagining Behavioral Health in Higher Education - continued today with another convening of #mentalhealth leaders from campuses across the state, representing private and public higher ed. Today's dialogue centered around strengthening university - community partnerships in mental health. Thank you, Rachel Conrad, M.D. for your thought-provoking (and sobering) presentation on the many obstacles within our health care systems that come between college students and access to mental health services. Thank you, Andy Soares-White and Brian Skehan for sharing the results of a feasibility study for college behavioral health emergency services. (We're excited to share more details about this soon). And thank you College of the Holy Cross for being such wonderful hosts, as always. Nicholas Covino, president of William James College and leader of our discussion, shared an interesting statistic: Seventy five percent of the population living with mental health challenges will experience their first episode as a young adult. This underscores the need to keep pushing for solutions to stem the current mental health crisis prevalent among our younger generation.

We are thrilled to support the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation Policy Start program!

An excellent piece written by AICUM member President Nicholas Covino at William James College on why mental health is everyone's business. https://lnkd.in/e5nq6zM7

More than 30 states have passed or are considering legislation that bans #DEI, including here in Massachusetts. Today we gathered at the State House to host an education and advocacy day with diversity officers from private and public higher education, to talk about what DEI is and isn't, and the value it brings to all sectors. Special thanks to Representatives Alice Peisch and Sean Garballey for your remarks and your support, as well as our other sponsoring institutions and organizations: HERC Jobs - Higher Education Recruitment Consortium, Lasell University, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Middlesex Community College, Massachusetts Bay Community College and Suffolk University.