View in browser

February 2026

Greetings,

In this edition of MHEC News, we share several updates on work related to our strategic priorities, which the MHEC Commission approved last June. In particular, you'll read about our new research report and recent webinars focused on supporting alignment of postsecondary education and workforce development. You'll also read about the growth of our student health insurance contract, work that advances our strategic priority of expanding cost- and time-savings initiatives.

We continue with our state visits this month with trips to Nebraska and Iowa. As always, we are grateful to our Commissioners, state legislators, and postsecondary leaders for helping make these visits productive and meaningful.

Next month, I will share my reflections about a recent leadership seminar I attended at the Aspen Institute. The focus was on leading without fear and it was a terrific learning opportunity. I look forward to sharing more with you in March.

With thanks,

Susan G. Heegaard

President

LATEST NEWS

New MHEC Research Report Explores Topic of Tracking Postsecondary-to-Workforce Outcomes

State policymakers, agencies, and families are increasingly interested in understanding what happens to students after they leave or graduate from college. Post-college outcomes – including whether students pursue further education, successfully enter the workforce, or move out of the state – are essential for evaluating the return on public and private investments in higher education and informing state higher education policy.

Tracking Postsecondary-to-Workforce Outcomes: An Overview of State Data Systems in the Midwest, a new report from MHEC, synthesizes findings from interviews with officials in 11 Midwest states to better understand how states currently track post-college outcomes and to identify potential opportunities for improving state data capabilities in monitoring postsecondary and workforce outcomes within and across states. It focuses on intrastate, cross-state, and national data sources used for student tracking.

“Understanding workforce outcomes is critical for ensuring that postsecondary education leads to meaningful careers opportunities that advance states’ current and future needs,” says John Burczek Dreier, vice president of policy and research at MHEC. “This report provides critical insights into how states are building systems and models to track how their postsecondary students are moving into the workforce. It highlights how there isn’t a single universal approach to tracking workforce outcomes that can meet states’ needs, which is why MHEC remains committed to exploring opportunities to support states in scaling their workforce development and outcome tracking.”

MHEC's new strategic plan includes a key priority to support alignment of postsecondary education and workforce development. In addition to this new report, MHEC has also offered webinars on how Midwest states are leaning into aligning education to workforce pipelines, including “Defining and Enhancing Value and ROI in Higher Education” and “Bridging Education and Work: How Credential Transparency Serves Learners and Employers.”

MHEC Hosts Open Education Summit

The Midwestern Open Education Summit, held in late January in Rosemont, IL,  brought together teams from all 12 MHEC member states for two energizing days of collaboration. With a focus on strengthening statewide capacity for open education, state teams engaged in focused breakout discussions, plenary sessions highlighting sustainable models, and strategic action planning to identify concrete next steps. The momentum and commitment across the region made it clear that the future of open education in the Midwest is strong.

This summit continues MHEC's strategic work to advance regional solutions for emerging topics in higher education.

View the presentations and each state's poster that articulates long-term goals, accomplishments, upcoming work, and team participants.  

College Participation Rates Vary Substantially by Race and Ethnicity

The latest update to MHEC's Interactive Dashboard shows significant differences in college participation among 18- to 24-year-olds by race and ethnicity in both the Midwest and nationally. In the Midwest, participation rates were 88% for Asian young adults and 68% for White young adults, compared with lower rates for American Indian (37%), Black (54%), Hispanic (55%), and Pacific Islander (45%) young adults. As a result, those participation rates were 33 to 51 percentage points lower than rates for Asian young adults and 12 to 30 percentage points lower than rates for White young adults.

This indicator measures the percentage of 18- to 24-year-olds who enrolled in college or completed some college coursework, credits, or a credential, disaggregated by race and ethnicity.

"We know states are working to increase postsecondary participation rates for their residents and MHEC is helping scaffold and scale these efforts to ensure our region can have greater shares of students enrolling in postsecondary education," says John Burczek Dreier, vice president of policy and research at MHEC. "This interactive dashboard update can help states track their progress on building greater participation in postsecondary education for young adults over time since 2017."

Selected participation indicators are also available for MHEC states in the report Higher Education in Focus. 

Source. U.S. Census Bureau. (2022, 2023, 2024). American Community Survey one-year public use microdata sample. Estimates are pooled over three years.

Growing Participation in MHEC Student Health Insurance Contract Expands Value to Region

Rising costs are a concern for all higher education institutions, and costs continue to rise in the insurance space. MHEC's student health contract helps higher education institutions save time and money on quality student health insurance. Since MHEC is an instrumentality of state government, MHEC’s contracts meet the procurement guidelines of its 12 member states as well as the states served by its sister higher education compact.

"MHEC first developed its student health contracts in 2013 in response to requests from higher education and legislative leaders who sought a collaborative, region-wide approach to supporting student success," said Breanne Hegg, vice president of programs, contracts, and communications. "The number of institutions that participate in this program has increased to the point where all renewing institutions are now accessing additional costs savings, which is an added benefit to the region."

All public and private higher education institutions have access to MHEC's contract through their state's membership, so no additional membership fees or registration are required.

"The rising costs of insurance are a significant concern for legislators and higher education leaders," Hegg said. "That MHEC is able to offer ways to save money on insurance, both through its student health insurance contract and sponsored captive cell program, is extremely valuable for Midwestern states."

Learn more about MHEC's student health insurance contracts.

Two New Reports Explore How Open Educational Resources Can Strengthen Dual Enrollment

As dual enrollment continues to expand as a key strategy for increasing college access and accelerating student progress, the cost of textbooks and course materials remains a persistent barrier for many students and institutions. Open Educational Resources (OER) offer a powerful solution, with the potential to reduce costs, improve day-one access to learning materials, and support more relevant and flexible instruction across K–12 and higher education contexts.

Two new reports from MHEC and the Southern Regional Education Board examine how OER can strengthen dual enrollment programs and what it will take to move from isolated adoption to sustainable, system-level impact.

Using Open Educational Resources (OER) in Dual Enrollment: Stakeholder Perspectives draws on interviews with educators, administrators, and policy leaders across the Midwest and South to explore how OER is currently being used in dual enrollment settings, the benefits institutions and students are experiencing, and the practical challenges that limit broader adoption.

Dual Enrollment and Open Educational Resources: Intersections and Opportunities in State Policy complements the field-based perspective in the report above, examining the state policy landscape, highlighting where dual enrollment and OER policies intersect and where they remain disconnected, and outlining concrete policy levers states can use to bring these two innovations to scale in a complimentary manner.

February 25, 2026 | 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.

2026 Technologies Executive Committee Meeting

Learn more

February 26-27, 2026
2026 Technologies Community Conference

Rosemont, IL

Learn more

MHEC kicked off its 2026 season of state visits in Kansas with terrific conversations about higher education with legislators and postsecondary leaders.

MHEC is grateful to our Indiana commissioners who helped organize a busy and very productive visit. MHEC is equally grateful to the many legislative and postsecondary leaders who shared their time and insights.