On June 29, 2004, I sent the following note
to Sen. John, Kerry, former Lt. Gov of Massachusetts and current candidate
for president. It is in response to media reports regarding the candidate's
admirable goal of broadening access to higher education.
Today I read with interest that Sen. Kerry is interested
in broadening access to higher education. As a professor and advocate of
public higher education, I applaud this.
As a victim of the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education and the long-standing,
bipartisan sport of assaulting public higher education in Massachusetts,
I am skeptical. The BHE (Reps) and the legislature (Dems) each blame the
other, but neither is willing to take action on behalf of public higher education.
Highly-dedicated and qualified state college faculty members -- already
the lowest-paid in New England -- have been without a contract for a year,
and BHE will not sit for bargaining. The legislature refuses to curb BHE's
power, or to move Massachusetts out of last place in per-capita spending on
higher education.
I am still fairly new to Massachusetts, but my impression is that the situation
was not any better when Sen. Kerry was in state government. I hope that
today's news article reflects a change of heart, and that he is willing
to use his influence with Massachusetts legislators to get something done.
We are not as beligerant as the Boston police, but we are at least as deserving
of the senator's support.
The following page has not been updated lately, but it still provides a
fairly accurate overview of the higher-ed crisis in Sen. Kerry's back yard:
http://webhost.bridgew.edu/jhayesboh/msca.htm
Back to Dr.
Hayes-Bohanan's Support State Colleges page.
Back to Dr. Hayes-Bohanan's
Environmental Geography pages.