Letters

New England Journal of Higher Education, The, Summer 1998

Funding Regionalism

I was pleased to read John 0. Harney's excellent lead in the Spring 1998 Cono--two whole pages dedicated to a single question: "Who is this guy,Jack Hoy"

Harney's article dwelt largely with the California import,s extraordinary impact on New England's academic landscape. But Hoy's low-key perseverance-and ultimate success with the region's state legislatures could be the subject of a doctoral dissertation. Is there one man who clearly understands the political nuances of the six New England states? Yup! His name is Jack Hoy.

The New England Board of Higher Education's principal source of support during Jack Hoy's presidency has been legislative appropriations from the six New England states. As a former legislator, I can tell you that funding for regional activities is not necessarilythe highest priority, of the region's appropriations committees, which have been struggling to balance state budgets on and off since the 1970s.

Politicians love to pay homage to interstate cooperation, but precious little of it is in place. The fact is that NEBHE, with the 40-year-old Regional Student Program as its foundation, is the most important and successful example of regional cooperation in the nation.

Bennett D. Katz

Augusta, Maine

(Editors note: Katz, the former Maine Senate majority leader, served with former Newport, R.I.. mayor and six-term Rhode Island state Sen. Robert J. McKenna and Rhode Island state Senate President John C. Revers Jr. on the search committee that hired Hoy in 1978.)