View in browser

June 2026

Greetings,

Our Executive Committee Meeting wrapped up this past week and was immediately followed by our College Affordability Summit. Both events were hosted in Indianapolis, and we appreciate the hospitality the Hoosier state extended to our attendees! Read on to learn more about both of these terrific events.

This past year was a period of significant revenue growth at MHEC, due in large part to our technology contract revenues. This growth has made possible our $250,000 Strategic Innovation and Impact Grants, available for each of our member states. These grants must be tied to a state need, align with MHEC's strategic plan, and include the engagement and support of MHEC commissioners in the state. So far, six states have been approved for these grants, two are close to approval, and we are in discussions with the remaining four states. We're pleased with the innovative and inspiring proposals we've received to date.

In addition to continuing robust growth in usage of our many technology contracts, we plan to launch our Stone Arch Sponsored Cell Captive Insurance Program in the coming year and continue to grow our student health contracts.

In our visits to our member states over the past few months, the most common concerns shared with us were financial pressures, workforce alignment and shortages, effective credential and degree pathways, shifting demographics and declining enrollment, and the overall value proposition of higher education. MHEC continues to respond to these concerns with programs, initiatives, and convenings of leaders to develop solutions and share best practices.

We continue our active partnerships and connections with our compact peers as well as SHEEO, CSG Midwest, NCSL and NC-SARA, and others. I attend the SHEEO and CSG annual meetings, the latter at which we’ll be sharing data and presenting on our work with Gallup this August. These relationships are increasingly important as we address common challenges and opportunities.

Whether you have shown up at a meeting or webinar, generously volunteered your time by serving on a MHEC committee, or given me honest feedback, we are deeply grateful. Your involvement is what leads to our success.

With thanks,

Susan G. Heegaard

President

Pictured: Dr. Katie Jenner, Indiana Secretary of Education; MHEC Commissioner Matt Butler, Senior Associate Commissioner and Chief Academic Officer, Indiana Commission for Higher Education at the Executive Committee Meeting

LATEST NEWS

Indiana Offers a Warm Welcome to MHEC's Executive Committee

MHEC commissioners and staff met this past week in Indianapolis for the annual Executive Committee Meeting. Commissioners heard updates on key MHEC initiatives, including progress on MHEC's strategic plan, the new Strategic Impact and Innovation Grants, research with Gallup, and the Midwest Student Exchange Program. Commissioners also passed a FY27 budget. 

The meeting offered insightful presentations from Dr. Katie Jenner, Indiana Secretary of Education; Dr. Courtney Brown from the Lumina Foundation on the importance of linking educational degree programs with outcomes and wages; and Teresa Lubbers from the Sagamore Institute and a former MHEC Commissioner on Workforce 2040, the institute's resource to help education, business, community, and government leaders build awareness and prepare for a time of economic disruption and opportunity.

A special event at the NCAA Hall of Champions included a fireside chat with MHEC president Susan Heegaard and Dr. Allison Barber from the Marvella Foundation, who shared leadership lessons and inspiration from her career, which includes working for the White House, Department of Defense, and as President of the Indiana Fever. 

The Commission thanked Commissioners Blake Flanders (Kansas), Larry Tidemann (South Dakota), and Michael Cartney (South Dakota) for their service and recognized MHEC staff member Sara Appel for her ten years of employment.

We deeply appreciate our Indiana commissioners who helped us plan this meeting and who shared a warm Hoosier welcome with the Commission.

Presentations from the Executive Committee Meeting are available on MHEC's website.

Pictured: Teresa Lubbers, Sagamore Institute; Dr. Allison Barber, Marvella Foundation; Susan G. Heegaard, MHEC president

Nearly 4 in 10 College Students Receive Mental Health Treatment

The latest update to MHEC's Interactive Dashboard introduces an indicator tracking trends in mental health treatment as part of a series on the mental health of college students at selected public four-year institutions in the Midwest.

In 2024-25, 38% of college students reported receiving one or more forms of mental health treatment in the past year, including 24% who took medication for mental or emotional health and 30% who participated in therapy or counseling. Treatment utilization differed notably by sex. Female students reported higher rates of medication use (31% vs. 15%) and counseling or therapy (36% vs. 21%). These differences may reflect variation in the prevalence of mental health concerns, willingness to seek help, perceived stigma, and other barriers to accessing care.

This indicator uses data from the Healthy Minds Study survey. In 2025, 14,572 public four-year students in the Midwest responded to the survey, representing 10 institutions across six states: Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, and Wisconsin. This indicator was developed as part of a collaboration between MHEC and the Healthy Minds Network.

(1) Samlan, H., Shetty, A., & McWhirter, E. H. (2021). Gender and racial-ethnic differences in treatment barriers among college students with suicidal ideation. Journal of College Student Psychotherapy, 35(3), 272-289. Horwitz, A. G., McGuire, T., Busby, D. R., Eisenberg, D., Zheng, K., Pistorello, J., ... & King, C. A. (2020). Sociodemographic differences in barriers to mental health care among college students at elevated suicide risk. Journal of Affective Disorders, 271, 123-130.

More than 130 Leaders Join MHEC's College Affordability Summit

College affordability is not a challenge that any one organization, institution, or state can solve alone.

We know that public confidence in higher education is being tested. Students and families are asking important questions: Is college affordable? Is it worth the investment? Will it lead to meaningful opportunity? These are not simply questions about tuition and financial aid; they are questions about trust, transparency, access, and outcomes.

Those questions are driving MHEC’s work with Gallup on market research and were the foundation for launching MHEC’s College Affordability initiative. As a part of this initiative, MHEC convened more than 130 postsecondary leaders for a College Affordability Summit earlier this month.

The initiative is grounded in a simple but powerful premise: affordability is not a single policy issue. It is a system-wide challenge that requires us to examine state funding, financial aid, institutional pricing, student supports, workforce alignment, completion outcomes, and the experiences of the students we serve.

MHEC assembled an extraordinary group of speakers and participants who brought perspectives from federal and state government, philanthropy, research organizations, institutions, and community-based organizations. "Our goal was not only to learn from these experts but also from one another—as everyone in this room plays a critical role in advancing affordability," says John Burczek Dreier, MHEC's vice president of policy and research.

Watch for a full report on the summit in the July edition of MHEC News and access the resources from the summit here.

Help Share the Future of MHEC's Collaborative Student Health Solutions

MHEC is continuing to seek feedback to identify new student health contract areas that provide the greatest value to higher education institutions across the region. Student support stakeholders – including student health administrators, procurement and finance professionals, system offices, and risk management professionals – can help shape the future of MHEC’s regional student health solutions portfolio by participating in a brief survey.

MHEC’s student health insurance contracts were established in response to requests from higher education and legislative leaders who sought a collaborative region-wide approach to supporting student health and wellness. MHEC’s cooperative contracts eliminate the need for institutions to conduct their own solicitation process, saving time and streamlining access to student health solutions at competitive rates.

Last year, the Midwest region saved more than $31.5 million using MHEC’s contracts.

Thank you for your help in continuing to shape our collaborative region-wide approach to student health and wellness.

M-SARA Webinar

Behind the Work: Uncovering the True Scope of Licensure Compliance Challenges in Higher Education

College Affordability Summit