Legislators sunsetted the Commission on Higher Education Funding (CHEF)
in 2010 and created a Pre-K-16 Council. A subcommittee of the Council is now responsible for statutory duties relating to higher education.
(CHEF) was established in 1998 and was responsible for developing and refining Vermont’s goals for higher education. The CHEF committee annually recommended to the governor a level of state financial support for higher education which made best use of state resources in meeting Vermont’s higher education needs. The committee also reviewed expenditures made from the higher education endowment trust fund, evaluated the impact of the expenditures made, and made recommendations to the general assembly for further expenditures from the fund.
To learn more about the past work of the CHEF committee, see the documents below.
Compact with the State of Vermont: Higher Expectations for Vermont: The Sixty Percent Solution
Higher Education: Vermont’s Economy Depends on It
History of the Commission on Higher Education Funding (1998-2008)
Vermont Commission on Higher Education Funding: 2008 Major Benchmarks and Indicators
“This Compact proposes THE SIXTY PERCENT SOLUTION to increase the percentage of Vermonters who have completed two-year or four-year college degrees from 42 to 60 percent by 2019.
This Compact is built on a single premise: one of the most important measures of economic vitality in Vermont is the educational attainment of Vermonters. Indeed, few things are more important to establishing a strong and growing economy than the education and training of our workforce.
Vermonters need education beyond high school if they are to realize life’s opportunities for themselves, their families and their communities—for sustainable incomes, career advancement, self-fulfillment and effective citizenship—and for a stronger Vermont in the future. A degree is imperative for all Vermonters and should no longer be considered a luxury, but a minimum educational goal for all to achieve.”
– Compact with the State of Vermont
