Massachusetts directs over $1 million to 'advance equity in higher education'

Massachusetts state officials are awarding $1.3 million to state colleges and universities in order to “advance equity in higher education.”

Governor Maura Healey’s office announced the new grants in a press release on May 28. The funding will be spent through the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF), which is a state-appropriation fund for public colleges and universities.

“In Massachusetts, we’re proud to have significantly expanded access to higher education, including historic increases in financial aid, but work remains to ensure that students of all backgrounds have the resources and support they need to start and succeed in their higher education journey,” Healey stated in the press release. “This investment reflects our commitment to enhancing educational opportunities and experiences for all students, particularly for our Black and Hispanic students.”

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One of the projects headed by Bridgewater State University, called the “Racial Equity and Justice Institute,” seeks to solidify “racial equity tenets and practices are infused into all 18 Massachusetts partner institutions.” $250,000 is going to fund the initiative.

The project description names specific aims, such as with using “equity-minded” benchmarks to evaluate student success, as well as increasing “equity-minded student success-oriented activities” on campus.

Holyoke Community College in western Massachusetts is running a similar project worth $230,340, and is using the “Massachusetts Community Colleges Equity Consortium” as its foundation. According to the governor’s office, the consortium was established “for the purpose of learning, sharing, and adopting equity and antiracist resources, policies, and practices.”

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Over $50,000 is going to another project taking place at Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester to create a “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) certificate program.” 

“The objective of this non-credit certificate program is to further higher education faculty and staff appreciation of the diverse backgrounds, histories, and experiences students bring with them to better support their needs,” the press release says. 

Campus Reform contacted Governor Healey’s office and each college named for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.