Colby-Sawyer College President Susan D. Stuebner, Ed.D., will take part in a conversation with New Hampshire college and university presidents led by WMUR Political Director Adam Sexton as part of the New Hampshire College & University Council’s (NHCUC) inaugural Summit on Higher Education held March 19 in Concord.

The summit will bring together education and business leaders, and policymakers, from across the state and New England for a morning discussing the value of higher education and exploring how to improve enrollment in New Hampshire institutions, career readiness and connections with area businesses.

“It’s my privilege to convene with education leaders from all around New Hampshire to focus on these important topics that affect not just our colleges and universities but the economy and wellbeing of the entire state,” President Stuebner said. “We need to focus on opportunities to partner with each other to promote our colleges and universities to New Hampshire students, which in turn will build a forward thinking workforce in a state with an aging population and a shortage of skilled workers.”

Former U.S. Under Secretary of Education and current American Council for Education President Ted Mitchell will keynote a wide-ranging review of the changing higher education landscape in New Hampshire. The schedule also includes the panel discussion “Aligning Higher Ed/K-12 Partnerships” and closing remarks from Dr. Barbara Brittingham, president of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

“New Hampshire’s public and private non-profit colleges and universities are integral to New Hampshire’s economic success and community life. While we continue to broaden our efforts to make college more accessible, we face great challenges as regional enrollment declines and federal policies may compound rather solve our student affordability and highest-in-nation student debt challenges, said Mike Vlacich, president & CEO of the NHCUC. Earlier this month, the NHCUC wrote Congressional leaders to raise concerns about the Higher Education Act Reauthorization being debated in both chambers of Congress.

The summit is cosponsored by NHCUC, Campus Compact for New Hampshire, GEAR UP New Hampshire and the New Hampshire Higher Education Assistance Foundation. For more information, go to nhcuc.org.