MISSION:
MHEC brings together leaders from Midwestern states to develop and support best practices, collaborative efforts, and cost-sharing opportunities. Through these efforts, MHEC works to ensure strong postsecondary educational opportunities and outcomes for all.
VISION:
To improve student success and regional economic vitality through collective problem-solving and partnerships that strengthen postsecondary education.
WHO MHEC SERVES:
MHEC is comprised of member states from the midwestern United States. MHEC works with and for a variety of stakeholders within and across member states, including higher education system leaders, state policymakers, legislators, and institutional leaders, while always maintaining a focus on students and their success.
HOW MHEC WORKS:
MHEC’s strategic approach highlights member states’ strong desire for collaboration, effectiveness, and efficiency. MHEC believes that collaborative actions informed by research and best practices are the catalyst for improving quality, accessibility, relevance, and affordability of postsecondary educational opportunities. MHEC does this primarily through the following approaches: convenings, programs, research, and cost-savings contracts. Increasingly, MHEC looks to leverage these approaches in conjunction with each other to serve its strategic priorities.
STRATEGIC PRIORITY 1:
Expand cost- and time-saving initiatives.
- Explore, evaluate, and potentially launch shared services opportunities.
- Improve existing and expand new cost-savings contracts, initiatives, and programs.
STRATEGIC PRIORITY 2:
Support alignment of postsecondary education and workforce development.
- Facilitate development of a regional approach to collect and share data related to student attainment, migration, and employment.
- Identify best practices and evidence-supported strategies that advance alignment of workforce development and postsecondary education.
- Identify and address obstacles to student access to education and training.
STRATEGIC PRIORITY 3:
Advance regional solutions for emerging topics in higher education.
- Convene regional leaders on pressing issues identified by member states (e.g., college closures, funding models, AI, demographic changes, dual enrollment).
- Standardize an approach to address emerging issues, using MHEC’s FAFSA work as a guiding example.
- Conduct timely, meaningful research to support state decision making around policy and investment in higher education.
STRATEGIC PRIORITY 4:
Build deeper and broader engagement with MHEC.
- Amplify MHEC’s distinct role and value for member states and their institutions, students, and families.
- Articulate and advance the value proposition for postsecondary education.
- Build strategic relationships to expand MHEC’s capacity and impact.
STRATEGIC PRIORITY 5:
Optimize operations.
- Standardize policies, procedures, and workflows to support organizational impact.
- Align tools and systems to improve efficiency and collaboration.
- Leverage automation and AI to streamline operations and optimize staff time.
MHEC is a 501(c)3 entity statutorily-created in each of its member states which include: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. MHEC's office is headquartered in Minneapolis.