LOWELL — The Massachusetts Department of Higher Education recently announced it has been awarded a $2.1 million grant from the nonprofit Axim Collaborative to launch a Higher Education Innovation Hub that will be the first of its kind in the nation.
The Hub will allow DHE to pilot innovative approaches to college access and student success within Massachusetts, including in enhancing cooperative education opportunities at public colleges, strengthening pathways from high school to college and integrating high-value nondegree credentials such as industry-recognized certificates or licensure.
DHE and Axim announced the grant March 28 at UMass Lowell. Commissioner of Higher Education Noe Ortega was joined by UMass Lowell Chancellor Julie Chen, students, faculty, and staff, along with local employers who stand to benefit from a skilled workforce.
“Providing innovative and life-changing opportunities to more students across Massachusetts cannot wait,” said Commissioner of Higher Education Noe Ortega. “I want to thank Axim Collaborative for seeing DHE’s ability to be a space for greater innovation on addressing persistent challenges in higher education.”
The three-year Axim grant allows DHE to launch an Innovation Hub within the department that will identify, pilot, and scale innovative approaches to college access and student success. DHE intends to grow the hub into a sustainable function supported long term by a combination of philanthropic and state funds.
“The Innovation Hub aims to seed talent and resources at the state level with an explicit focus on driving innovation that opens pathways to better economic opportunities and life choices for all students in the Commonwealth,” said Axim Collaborative CEO Stephanie Khurana. “This effort exemplifies how states can act as system builders, leveraging technology, data and cross-institutional collaboration to scale what works for students.”
The grant announcement followed a Board of Higher Education meeting the same morning, at which the BHE approved the creation of an expendable trust to receive grants, gifts, and donations. The initial investment of the $2.1 million grant award from Axium will be used for innovation priorities over a three-year period. The vote follows recent BHE actions earlier this year, including: A unanimous Jan. 14 vote authorizing the commissioner to seek grants, gifts, and/or trusts for systemwide purposes from philanthropic and other organizations interested in supporting DHE’s innovation capacity; and a unanimous Jan. 29 vote on BHE’s strategic priorities, which includes an innovation priority.
“This fits squarely with the Board of Higher Education’s unanimous vote to adopt an Innovation Strategic Priority,” said Board of Higher Education Chair Chris Gabrieli. “We’re grateful to Commissioner Ortega and the DHE team for delivering on a key enabling step for Massachusetts to lead when it comes to innovative approaches that lift barriers for students. I’m pleased that today’s vote allows the Department to launch an innovation function designed to address some of the most persistent challenges in college access and student success.”
“An innovation hub will allow us to explore whether and how campus success stories and promising research can be replicated on a larger scale to reach more learners,” said Senior Deputy Commissioner and Special Advisor to the Commissioner José Luis Santos. “We want to foster the innovation and ingenuity already happening on campuses right here in Massachusetts and create space for pilot programs to become statewide best practices.”
The announcement was held at UMass Lowell because the campus’ co-op program aligns with the type of innovation that DHE seeks to advance through the Hub.
“Career-connected experiences are an invaluable part of higher education, including at UMass Lowell,” said Chen. “Whether working in co-ops, internships, fellowships or other capacities, our students gain context, insights and inspiration for their classroom education and future career paths while also starting to build their professional networks. At the same time, companies in key sectors powering our state economy benefit by recruiting promising new talent.”
Axim Collaborative, launched in 2023, is a nonprofit organization focused on broadening access to education and deepening the impact for millions of learners who have faced barriers in realizing their education and career aspirations. Axim partners with leaders and supports bold solutions with the goal of catalyzing new digital and educational practices that engage students in the course of study, enable them to persist through their programs and excel in their careers. Axim is a joint endeavor between Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is the successor to edX, the online learning platform launched in 2012.
More information about the Board of Higher Education and upcoming meetings is available at mass.edu/bhe/aboutbhe.asp.