BOSTON – Wednesday, January 12, 2022 – The Department of Higher Education announced today that Higher Education Commissioner Carlos E. Santiago has informed the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education (BHE) that he will step down from his current position at the end of the 2021-22 academic year in June.
He will assist the transition to new leadership of the Department, as well as the completion of the Strategic Plan for Racial Equity that was launched in 2021. The search committee process for his successor is expected to begin in February.
“After forty years of engagement as a faculty member, researcher, and academic administrator, it is an opportune time for me to assist the BHE in identifying new leadership and ensuring the completion of the Commonwealth’s first 10-year strategic plan to achieve racial equity in higher education,” said Commissioner Dr. Carlos E. Santiago. “It has been an honor to work with the dedicated staff of the DHE and the exceptional colleagues, faculty, staff, and students of our higher education institutions in Massachusetts.”
“Commissioner Santiago has been a visionary leader who has sharpened our strategic focus on closing gaps of access and success in higher education, especially for first-generation college goers and students of color. Under his leadership the Department and Board has received well-deserved national recognition for its work developing and launching the Equity Agenda,” said Education Secretary James Peyser.
"For almost seven years, the Commonwealth has been most fortunate to have Dr. Santiago as our Commissioner of Higher Education,” said Chris Gabrieli, chair of the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education. “Leveraging his deep academic and leadership experience and credibility, he has addressed two huge agendas at the same time. He has steadfastly helped our institutions weather the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic while also laying the foundation for a nation-leading agenda focused on racial justice, fairness, and opportunity through educational equity. The widespread recognition of this work positions our system for sustained progress in the years ahead.”
Dr. Santiago was appointed Commissioner of Higher Education on July 1, 2015 by the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education. In this capacity, he has worked closely with the Board and with the leadership of the three segments of the public higher education system in the Commonwealth, including the community colleges, state universities, and the University of Massachusetts.
Under his leadership, the Department of Higher Education has:
- Launched a statewide effort to address racial inequities in public higher education, winning both national recognition as a TIE (Talent, Innovation, Equity) state and $1.2 million in Lumina Foundation funding to dismantle systemic barriers to student success;
- Greatly expanded early college opportunities to enable thousands of Massachusetts high school students to enroll in college courses and accumulate college credit for free;
- Worked to increase financial aid through the new MassGrant Plus program, which expanded assistance to thousands of public college and university students;
- Developed a statewide, seamless system of transfer from community colleges to four-year universities, in part by creating over 13,000 course equivalencies;
- Worked with public campuses to eliminate costly and ineffective developmental education programs that were barriers to students’ academic progression toward degree attainment;
- Promoted a multi-agency approach to address college student homelessness, food insecurity, and other basic needs;
- Created a new system of financial assessment of independent colleges and universities to identify and monitor institutions at risk of imminent closure.
In recognition of these achievements and its commitment to racial equity, the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education was named the 2021 Exceptional Agency of the Year by the State Higher Education Officers Association (SHEEO) in November.
"Commissioner Santiago has been an advocate for students throughout his career," said Robert Anderson, Ph.D., President of the State Higher Education Offices Association (SHEEO). "His current focus on state policy levers as a means of improving student access, success and the closure of equity gaps has benefited all of Massachusetts and those it serves. Personally, I have turned to Commissioner Santiago numerous times for counsel during his tenure as Chairman of the SHEEO executive committee and will miss his service in this capacity. He has left an indelible impact through his service to students, state and nation which will benefit us all for years to come."
Dr. Santiago previously served as the chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), becoming the first leader of Puerto Rican descent to lead a major U.S. research institution. During his tenure he was tasked with leading UWM into the ranks of Tier I research universities, which the university attained in 2015. Dr. Santiago also served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at the University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY) and functioned as the chief operating officer of the campus. He was named a Collins Fellow for distinguished service to SUNY-Albany in 1996.
Dr. Santiago was professor of economics at UWM and SUNY-Albany and holds a Ph.D. in economics from Cornell University. A labor economist, he is the author or co-author of six books and has published dozens of articles and book reviews, of which many focus on economic development and the changing socioeconomic status of Latinos in the United States. His most recent book, published in 2018, is entitled Puerto Ricans in the United States: A Contemporary Portrait (with E. Acosta-Belen).
Dr. Santiago was recently selected to serve as the Chair of the Executive Committee of the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) and was named to the Board of the Council of Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Dr. Santiago also serves on the Advisory Committee of the Smithsonian Museum of African American Culture and History. On two separate occasions, in 1996 and 2011, Santiago was named one of the 100 most influential Hispanics in the United Stated by Hispanic Business.
###
|
