Massachusetts Commissioner of Higher Education Noe Ortega will step down from his role in September to be closer to aging family members, according to a Friday announcement.
Ortega became commissioner in November 2022. During his tenure, he helped implement free community college, expanded MassGrant Plus to make two- and four-year colleges tuition and fee-free for Pell Grant-eligible students, worked to more than double state spending on financial aid programs and helped boost public higher education enrollment to pre-pandemic levels.
He also expanded a wraparound support program called SUCCESS to state universities and the University of Massachusetts system after seeing progress at the community college level.
"Serving Massachusetts has been one of the most meaningful and rewarding roles in my career," Ortega said in a statement.
He said the state's collective understanding of the value of higher education has allowed it to "make history in opening doors for more students."
"I have every confidence that the momentum toward making college possible for more learners will continue at full speed," he said.
The Board of Higher Education is planning to meet in late August to recommend an interim commissioner and begin the process of determining Ortega's successor, the state said.
Read more: When a college closes, do students still owe it money?
Board of Higher Education Chair Chris Gabrieli and Secretary of Education Steve Zrike praised Ortega for his impact on the public higher education sector over the past four years.
"In the time that I've gotten to know Commissioner Ortega, his dedication to college access and student success has been clear, and I've seen how he brings that commitment into every part of his work," Zrike said in a statement. "Commissioner Ortega's dedication is also reflected throughout the agency and his senior leadership team, and I look forward to continuing to partner with these colleagues and keep opening doors for more learners."
Before his role in Massachusetts, Ortega was the secretary of education in Pennsylvania, deputy secretary and commissioner for Pennsylvania's Office of Postsecondary and Higher Education and spent eight years in administrative roles, including at the University of Michigan.
Judge approves Vermont college to dip into restricted endowment funds
When a college closes, do students still owe it money?
Federal judge in dismisses Trump administration lawsuit over Harvard antisemitism
Assumption University to offer only campus-based social work program in Central Mass.
Budget cuts threaten Mass. high schoolers' path to college: 'dangling on the edge of disaster'
Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here.