At the recommendation of Northern Indiana Advocates (NIA), Governor Eric Holcomb has appointed South Bend International Airport CEO and Executive Director, Mike Daigle to the Indiana Commission for Higher Education. The Commission works closely with Indiana’s public and independent colleges. In addition, The Commission has strong working relationships with many other State agencies, including: Department of Education, the Department of Workforce Development and the Independent Colleges of Indiana. Daigle is the fifth person NIA has successfully placed on a State Board or Commission from the Northern region since the middle of 2021.
“I am honored to have been recommended to serve on the Indiana Commission for Higher Education by the NIA and appointed by Governor Holcomb,” said Daigle. “Higher education is at the foundation of economic development. I will work to ensure a strong foundation is in place for generations to come to make Indiana a place our graduates want to remain.”
According to Dan Bearss, Executive Director of Northern Indiana Advocates, NIA coordinated with the Governor’s office to make this appointment possible. “We appreciate the Governor’s office and their willingness to work with Northern Indiana Advocates,” said Bearss. “We are proud to be able to help them identify a pool of qualified candidates to be considered for these influential and vital State Boards and Commissions.”
In regard to working with NIA on this board appointment, Michael Nossett, Deputy General Counsel with Governor Holcomb’s Office stated, “On behalf of the Governor, we are grateful for and excited about NIA’s efforts to help Hoosiers across Northern Indiana learn more about engaging in public service with the state’s boards and commissions.”
NIA has also successfully identified, vetted, and submitted six additional candidates to the Governor’s office. Each of these candidates have been additionally vetted by the Governor’s office and are expected to be placed on a board or commission soon. “This shows that NIA’s work continues to gain traction in ensuring that the voices of the Northern part of the State are making an impact on regional prosperity and quality of life,” said Bearss.
The Indiana Commission of Higher Education is a fourteen-member public body created to:
• Define the educational missions of public colleges and universities;
• Plan and to coordinate Indiana’s state-supported system of post-high school education, taking into account the plans and interests of independent colleges and universities;
• Review both operating budget and capital budget appropriation requests from public institutions;
• Approve or disapprove for public institutions the establishment of any new branches, campuses, extension centers, colleges or schools;
• Approve or disapprove for public institutions the offering of any additional associate, baccalaureate or graduate degree or certificate program of two semesters or more in duration;
• Review all programs of public institutions and make recommendations to the governing board of the institution, the Governor, and the General Assembly concerning the funding and the disposition of these programs; and,
• Distribute student financial aid from state aid programs.
Northern Indiana Advocates is an initiative of the Northern Indiana Tourism Development Commission as part of its quality of place mission. NIA is a bi-partisan regional government affairs and advocacy effort that draws on the strengths and vitality of existing organizations to amplify a sustained advocacy effort on behalf of our region. We seek to add a layer of collaborative, coordinated, and complementary advocacy to issues of regional importance. The goal is to ensure Northern Indiana gains it fair share of Resources, Board and Commissions Appointments and Local Control from state government.
Original source can be found here.