NEF Resolution on New England Cooperation

NEF partners and Strategic Alliance members worked diligently to put a resolution on New England cooperation before the governors of the six states for the 30th Annual New England Governors-Eastern Canadian Premiers Conference held in Newport, Rhode Island on May 11-13. Former Vermont governor, Madeleine Kunin, spearheaded an effort to get three former governors, all members of NEF’s Strategic Alliance, to join with her to endorse the resolution and call for the sitting governors to adopt it. The other former governors are Michael Dukakis (MA), Angus King (ME), and Jeanne Shaheen (NH). Unfortunately, due to an unavoidable conflict the New England portion of the 3 day agenda was cancelled. As a result, Neal Peirce of the Citistates Group was unable to make a scheduled appearance and the resolution was not introduced.

In spite of this setback, most of the governors were briefed on the proposed resolution and NEF will work to include it on the governors’ agenda in the future. The resolution calls for the following actions:

The New England Governors Conference will: 1) initiate an evaluation of the opportunities for closer and more strategic regional collaboration on key issues confronting New England; 2) identify other successful models for regional collaboration from across the United States; 3) confer with regional leaders on the evaluation and proposed plan of action; and 4) by November 2006 report on a proposed plan of action to improve the effectiveness of collaboration among the New England Governors for action at the next meeting.

New England Futures views this resolution as a critical step forward for the region because unwavering support from all six governors to work together on solutions to the region’s common challenges is vital for New England’s future.

New Century, New Game Series Concludes

Neal Peirce, Farley Peters and Curtis Johnson of The Citistates Group celebrate the completion of the New Century, New Game article series.

In March, the final installment of the “New Century, New Game,” series published in newspapers around New England. The Partnership for New England want to thank Neal Peirce, Curtis Johnson and Farley Peters of The Citistates Group for their groundbreaking journalistic effort at identifying the challenges and opportunities facing New England. The articles appeared in 27 separate newspapers simultaneously – an extraordinary accomplishment.

A PDF version of the entire "New Century, New Game" article series can now be downloaded from our website. To download, click here.

Strategic Agenda for New England Futures

Madeleine Kunin and Lew Feldstein at Strategic Alliance meeting in March.

At the end of March, the Partnership for New England and Strategic Alliance met in Worcester, MA to help devise a plan for the next phase of the New England Futures project. As a result of these meetings, a Strategic Plan was developed that sets forth strategies according to three key desired outcomes: 1) Increasing Awareness of New England’s Challenges and Opportunities, 2) Developing and Expanding a New England Network, and 3) Turning the Network into a Vehicle for Action.

It was recognized by all those attending that at this critical juncture it is important that the project focus on a few key initiatives that we believe can be successful. These initiatives include:

1. Regional Collaboration: A) The New England Council is leading an effort to define and promote the New England brand. They have held three focus groups with leaders around the region. B) Former New England Governors on the Strategic Alliance are working towards strengthening the New England Governors Conference. C) The Federal Home Loan Bank, along with other partners, is planning a summit of New England-wide organizations in the fall to discuss strategies for regional cooperation.

2. Energy: A task force of technology leaders, venture capitalists and advocates will be organized to define and promote rapid development of new clean energy technologies as a key to regional economic progress.

3. Health: The New England Healthcare Institute is taking the lead, with the help of partners and members of the Strategic Alliance, to explore with leaders from each of the six New England states their use of Health Information Technology (HIT).
4. New England Indicators: The New England Initiative at UMass-Lowell will work with other partners on the development of a set of New England indicators to measure the progress of the region in achieving outcomes related to the economy, energy, housing, health, education, broadband access, transportation, and land use.

College Ready New England

On April 19th, the New England Board of Higher Education launched a new initiatve called College Ready New England at a press conference held by Governor Jim Douglas at the Vermont Statehouse.

NEBHE President Evan Dobelle and Vermont Governor Jim Douglas at the press conference launching College Ready New England.

College Ready New England unites leaders of education (K-12 and postsecondary), business and government from all six New England states to develop strategies to increase the economic competitiveness and well-being of the region and its residents through expanded college readiness, participation and success.

The initiative has established a set of four goals critical to its success: 1) increasing the number of high school graduates; 2) increasing the number of high school graduates prepared for college and career success; 3) increasing the number of people enrolling in two- and four-year college programs; and 4) increasing the number of college gradutes.

The initiative is supported by a generous grant from the Nellie Mae Education Foundation. For more information about College Ready New England, visit NEBHE's website at www.nebhe.org.

Citistates Group Launches OpEd Series

In order to maintain the momentum gained through the "New Century, New Game" article series, Neal Peirce and Curtis Johnson are releasing a 5-week OpEd series on that will cover the topics of energy, education, growth, transportation and health. The OpEd's that have been released so far are:

In addition to this series, Peirce and Johnson published an editorial in April that appeared in the Boston Globe as a lead up to the New England Governors Conference. Click here to read "A Call to Action for New England's Governors."

Beth Humstone Departs ISC

The Director of ISC’s U.S. Programs, Beth Humstone, who has so ably facilitated and coordinated the New England Futures project to this point, has decided to move on to other challenges. She has done a great job helping the Partnership for New England develop into a strong network – and we thank her for all her hard work. Until ISC hires a new Director of U.S. Programs, the daily point of contact for New Engand Futures is Christine Petterssen (info@newenglandfutures.org). We wish Beth the best of luck with her future endeavors!