Umass
It was almost impossible to escape the call for Massachusetts to “be great” during the campaign of now-Governor Charlie Baker last fall. The campaign slogan followed Baker right to a Yankee Candle facility in Whatley this May, where the company presented him with a specially branded “Let’s Be Great Massachusetts” jar.
But for Massachusetts to truly be great, the Commonwealth has to stop underfunding its public higher education system, starting with UMass.
On Thursday at the University of Massachusetts Boston, higher education leaders met with Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren to discuss ways to control the cost of college and help students graduate with less debt. WGBH's Kirk Carapezza was there:
Representative Elijah Cummings of Maryland also attended yesterday's event. Listen to Kirk's extended interview with him and Senator Warren.
The University of Massachusetts Amherst has banned Iranian international students from enrolling in certain graduate programs, including engineering and natural sciences. UMass says its policy is dictated by U.S. sanctions against Iran, citing a federal law - the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012. Still, some academics argue the policy goes too far and the university may be discriminating against Iranians.