Citing costs and a lack of support at public colleges and universities that are creating barriers to student success, a labor and education coalition will present its priorities for actions and funding at a State House event beginning at 11 a.m. in Room 428, on Thursday, Dec. 1.

 

Union educators formed the Higher Ed For All coalition to improve access to public colleges and universities in Massachusetts and to ensure that students are properly supported for success once they enter the public higher education system.

 

According to the Higher Ed For All coalition, approximately 700,000 adults in Massachusetts have attended college but never graduated. Tens of thousands of Massachusetts high school graduates will not enroll in college. The high cost of higher education — even when pursued at a public college or university — is a significant barrier for many potential students. Other reasons that contribute to potential students either not enrolling or ultimately dropping out relate to the lack of programs that support nontraditional and first-generation college students.

 

Speakers at the event will include:
•    Max Page, president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association. 
•    Beth Kontos, president of the American Federation of Teachers – Massachusetts.
•    Anneta Argyres, president of the Professional Staff Union at UMass Boston.  
•    Clare Sheedy, UMass Amherst student who has a double major and is a Master of Public Health candidate.
•    Claudine Barnes, president of the Massachusetts Community College Council.
•    Phyllis Keenan, adjunct faculty at Greenfield Community College.
•    Colin Jones, senior policy analyst at Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center.   
•    Joanna Gonsalves, faculty at Salem State University.

 

State Senator Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, and state Representative Natalie Higgins, D-Leominster, will also attend the event.

 

In a statement, the coalition said: “Improving access to higher education and the chances for students to be successful in college will enhance communities and the economy across the Commonwealth. It is time to treat access to higher education as a public good — a public necessity, really — just as we treat access to K-to-12 education.”