NSCC president named to federal board

LYNN – North Shore Community College President Wayne Burton is among 15 members appointed to the federal Committee on Measures of Student Success (CMSS), U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan ann-ounced last week.The committee was created to develop recommendations for two-year colleges and universities to comply with the law’s graduation and completion rate disclosure requirements. Members are also charged with recommending additional or alternate measures of student success, taking into account the mission of these types of institutions.”I am very pleased that Secretary Duncan has appointed me to this important committee, especially at a time when community colleges are finally receiving the attention and acclamation they deserve, especially from President Obama,” Burton said. “Along with the tremendous growth and breadth of programs comes the requirement for accountability with measurements that are appropriate, credible and useful for colleges serving the most diverse student population of any higher education sector.”Burton said two-year colleges need a system to measure success not by units of time, such as years to graduation, but one that measures increments in learning for working students. Many often have family, military and other obligations.”We owe it to them to measure and be judged by a system appropriate for their lives and our institutions, the purpose of this committee as I understand it,” Burton said. “It is nice, I am the only person from New England and it is good to have that kind of representation.”The committee members include experts in higher education policy, state higher education officials, students and other stakeholders in the higher education community. They have been appointed by the Secretary of Education in consultation with the Commissioner of Education Statistics.The meetings will be announced in the Federal Register and are open to the public. Committee members are expected to meet in the fall and to submit their recommendations to the secretary no later than 18 months after their first meeting. Their tenure ends on Dec. 31, 2011.