PROVIDENCE – Rep. Joseph M. McNamara, D-Warwick, has been elected chairman of the New England Board of Higher Education, a regional group that promotes education opportunities and services for New England residents and the region’s 270 colleges and universities.
McNamara, a retired Pawtucket teacher, was elected to a two-year term by board delegates during the group’s annual spring meeting in March.
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At the Statehouse, McNamara is chairman of the House Committee on Health, Education and Welfare. He was first elected to the House in 1994, where he represents District 19 covering parts of Warwick and Cranston.
He’s been a New England Board of Higher Education delegate since 2006.
“NEBHE, through its work in interstate collaboration, brings many benefits to Rhode Island and the other five New England states,” McNamara said in statement. “Its Tuition Break program, for example, saves Rhode Island students and families millions of dollars on their out-of-state tuition bills while providing them access to specialized degree programs that are not offered by Rhode Island’s public higher education institutions.”
In his own statement about the appointment, McNamara said, “We have identified four priority areas for the coming years, including opportunities for adult learners, cost-savings opportunities, advancing pre-K-16 alignment, and articulating the public value of postsecondary education. I look forward to working with all the delegates to develop policy to make all these things happen.”
McNamara said he has proposed legislation that would mandate a financial literacy curriculum in the state’s schools, develop statewide academic standards and establish attendance-review teams in public schools.
William Hamilton is a PBN staff writer and the special projects editor. You can follow him on Twitter @waham or email him at hamilton@pbn.com.
