SHEEO President Gives EPS

On Friday, March 6, President of SHEEO Rob Anderson spoke at IHE on the role and strategic directions of SHEEO. 

SHEEO partners with chief higher-education executives of state-wide governing and coordinating boards, acts as a liaison between state and federal governments, and provides information and analysis on higher education policy issues. He noted that the executives and staffs served by SHEEO represent a variety of higher education policies and outlooks. Finding a common causes and setting priorities can be challenging, and he shared several of the current areas of focus. 

He shared several specific ways that the organization is being responsive to important changes and meeting evolving needs of its 61 members (with representation from US states, territories, and Washington, D.C.). SHEEO is investigating financial health and risk among institutions of higher education, postsecondary data systems, state authorization of higher education, and state pension plans. The organization is also convening “Community of Practice” meetings to bring leaders together to share policies and leverage the collective wisdom to proactively discuss opportunities and challenges. 

As part of SHEEO efforts to understand a perceived weakening of the states’ roles in higher education authorization practices, Dr. Erik Ness and Sean Baser recently received grant funding from Arnold Ventures and SHEEO. Their team will build from a recent SHEEO white paper and survey the range of state-wide models for oversight and assessment of higher education providers, and then will highlight some of the most illustrative cases for further investigation.

Dr. Anderson shared two new initiatives: the Institute for Research and Leadership Development and the State Higher Education Policy and Leadership Academy. Both are geared to providing continuing education and training to professionals. The Academy will offer a certificate after completion of a 12-month program.

In response to a question about how programs, like IHE offers, can prepare students for professional positions in state higher education bodies, Dr. Anderson recommended that they need to involve students in policy research and invite them to write briefs and gain real experience with large datasets. He noted the constructive preparation already taking place at IHE with graduates such as Jason Lee, Lori Hagood, Angie Bell (among others) making positive contributions in the field.

Dr. Anderson is an IHE Fellow and a 2014 graduate of the PhD program.