(Boston
Orange 摘譯) 麻州政府宣佈，將從2025會計年度預算中撥款1400萬元，資助9所麻州州立大學，設立同儕導師、學術工作坊，以及顧問等服務，尤其是要幫助那些一向得不到足夠服務的學生們，以改善學生畢業率，彌平高等教的公平差距，。
麻州政府指出，在2022年秋到2023年秋的這個學年中，社區大學因為「成功項目」補助，留住學生的百分比，增加了10%。鑒於這成果，州政府決定第一次的，把「成功項目」補助對象擴大到州立大學。
州立大學的「成功項目」將允許各校在校園內推出新服務，支持一向獲得服務不足的學生群，包括有色人種、殘障、以及同性戀(LGBTQ+)
等學生，或者是低收入家庭學生，以及家中第一個上大學的學生。
根據高等教育廳最新數據，，州立大學有30%的學生未能在註冊入學後的6年之內順利畢業，其中黑人及拉丁裔學生的比例更超過40%。為改善這種情況，州政府決定從包括社區大學的2870萬美元的「成功計畫
(SUCCESS)」預算，撥出1400萬美元給9所州立大學，在學費之外的食品、居住等基本生活需求方面，給學生更多額外的金錢幫助。
州政府也指出，過去2年來，州政府為擴大州立大專院校的可負擔性，讓州民更容易的就能夠上大學，已經把州政府的財務援助經費增加了2億元。
在州立大學「成功項目」的1400萬元經費之外，麻州2025年財政預算還投資了1470萬元給社區學院，包括一筆新的，250萬高等教育持續基金，以幫助學生解決實務、居住，托兒照顧、交通等基本需求。
麻州州長奚莉 (Maura
Healey)、副州長Kim
Driscoll，教育廳廳長 Patrick
Tutwiler博士，高等教育委員Noe
Ortega等人，都非常認可這一項目。
9所大學獲得的資助額分別為:
橋水大學
(Bridgewater State University): $2,895,955
費奇堡州立大學
(Fitchburg State University): $1,297,587
傅萊明罕州立大學
(Framingham State University): $1,315,502
麻州藝術及設計學院
(Massachusetts College of Art and Design): $890,286
麻州文學院
(Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts): $684,096
麻州海事學院
(Massachusetts Maritime Academy): $713,536
塞冷州立大學
(Salem State University): $2,050,053
魏斯菲爾德州立大學
(Westfield State University): $1,532,795
屋斯特州立大學
(Worcester State University): $1,620,191
Healey-Driscoll Administration Awards $14 million to Increase Graduation Rates at State Universities
SUCCESS grants available to state universities for the first time; Will fund peer mentors, academic and career advising, other student supports
BOSTON – The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced today that it is awarding $14 million from the fiscal year 2025 budget to support student success programming at Massachusetts’ nine state universities. These funds support services such as peer mentors, academic skills workshops, and academic, career and scholarship advising aimed at increasing graduation rates, particularly among historically underserved students.
Massachusetts is extending SUCCESS funding to state universities for the first time, which has been available to community colleges in recent years. This type of funding contributed to a 10-percentage point increase in community college student retention from fall 2022 to fall 2023.
“To best support our students, we know that we need to help them get both to and through college,” said Governor Maura Healey. “We’ve made progress in making it more affordable for students to enroll in college, and this program will now lift barriers that arise on the way to graduation, especially for first-generation college students who cannot draw on a parent’s experience to navigate earning a degree.”
“An educated workforce benefits all of Massachusetts, but those benefits are only realized if students can succeed in college and graduate ready to launch their careers,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “The SUCCESS program is a crucial tool for supporting students and closing equity gaps in college graduation rates.”
The State University SUCCESS program will allow campuses to create new services to support vulnerable or historically underserved student populations, including students of color, students with disabilities, LGBTQ+ students, and students who are low-income or first-generation to college. This funding builds on a key focus area of the administration’s recent report on Advancing Representation in Higher Education: to increase persistence and completion for historically underserved and underrepresented students.
According to the Department of Higher Education’s most recent data, more than 30 percent of state university students do not earn a degree within six years of enrolling. Among Black and Latino students, more than 40 percent of students do not graduate within six years of enrolling at a Massachusetts state university.
“The Healey-Driscoll Administration is working to be number one in education for all students, and that means providing campuses with the supports they need to promote student well-being and success,” said Education Secretary Dr. Patrick Tutwiler. “I want to thank the Legislature for their partnership in supporting wraparound services for students, continuing to make Massachusetts the best place to live and go to school.”
“To close equity gaps in higher education, we must support the whole student,” said Commissioner of Higher Education Noe Ortega. “We cannot wait to lift barriers that keep many students from realizing the socio-economic upward mobility that comes from earning a college degree. I’m grateful to Governor Healey and the legislature for supporting crucial wraparound services that have been shown to have a positive impact on student persistence.”
In addition to the $14 million for the State University SUCCESS program, the state fiscal year 2025 budget also invested $14.7 million for community colleges, making a total $28.7 million investment in SUCCESS programming. Further, the budget included a new Higher Education Persistence Fund at $2.5 million to help address students’ basic needs, such as food security, housing, child care, and transportation.
Under the Healey-Driscoll Administration, state financial aid has increased by more than $200 million in the past two years. This has also enabled the expansion of MASSGrant Plus, which gives free tuition and fees to Pell Grant eligible students at all public colleges and universities, including the nine state universities and the University of Massachusetts. MASSGrant Plus also lowers costs for middle-income students. Financial aid and SUCCESS and related student support programs help ensure that students can not only access college but are also set up to succeed when they arrive.
"Expanding the SUCCESS program to our state university system will help our students be able to thrive," said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). "At our community colleges, this program has boosted completion rates for the students who face the greatest challenges. I am excited to see these academic and peer supports extend to even more Massachusetts students."
"I am proud of the House's work championing the expansion of SUCCESS funding in this year's budget, as it will ensure essential wraparound support services for our most vulnerable state university students," said House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano (D-Quincy). "By investing in key supports like enhanced mentoring and personalized advising, we are breaking down barriers to academic success and ensuring every student has the opportunity to thrive. This program is a testament to the House's commitment to student achievement and equity in higher education. Thanks to our partners in the Healey-Driscoll Administration, I look forward to the positive impact this program will have on students in the Commonwealth."
"I am thrilled to see the aptly named SUCCESS program expand to state universities. This program helps our most vulnerable students persist and earn a college degree,” said Senator Jo Comerford, Senate Chair, Joint Committee on Higher Education (D-Northampton). “I am grateful to my colleagues in the Legislature and the Healey-Driscoll Administration for supporting the funding that made this expansion possible, as well as to the intrepid team at DHE for their implementation work."
“Massachusetts has made historic investments in higher education affordability and access. Today’s announcement builds on that progress and helps to ensure that students – particularly those from underrepresented communities – have the tools and support they need to succeed,” said Representative Dave Rogers, House Chair, Joint Committee on Higher Education (D-Cambridge). “I am grateful to the Healey-Driscoll administration for their continued support of our schools and students.”
“The expansion of SUCCESS funds will allow our state universities to grow programming to reach even more students looking to advance their education, said Dr. Linda Thompson, Chair of the Massachusetts State Universities Council of Presidents, and President of Westfield State University. “We are confident the funding initiatives brought by the Healey-Driscoll Administration will reach those individuals who want to stay in Massachusetts, build businesses, support our economy, and strengthen their families. At Westfield State University, expansion of SUCCESS will benefit our LEAD Scholars program, or the Leadership, Excellence, Achievement and Diversity program which has been active on campus for almost 60 years. LEAD emphasizes our university’s dedication to cultivating excellence in all students, acknowledging their achievements, and celebrating the diversity that enriches our campus community. LEAD Scholars enables our students to take the lead in the classroom, within our campus, their own communities, and beyond.”
Award amounts are based in part on the number of Pell Grant-eligible state university students and state university enrollment of each institution:
Bridgewater State University: $2,895,955
Fitchburg State University: $1,297,587
Framingham State University: $1,315,502
Massachusetts College of Art and Design: $890,286
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts: $684,096
Massachusetts Maritime Academy: $713,536
Salem State University: $2,050,053
Westfield State University: $1,532,795
Worcester State University: $1,620,191
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