Lumina Non-Credit Credential Recognition Grant - Phase II

After completing its initial grant from the Lumina Foundation to develop a quality assurance framework and process for evaluating non-credit programming, NECHE has received a second round of funding from Lumina.

In this next phase of its work, which began in April 2024 and will run through June 2025, NECHE will refine and pilot an evaluation process during Fall 2024 utilizing NECHE’s Quality Assurance Framework for Non-Credit Programming. Six organizations will participate in the evaluation process that requires (1) completing an institutional report assessing its non-credit offerings against the framework’s markers of quality, and (2) hosting a 1-1 ½ day evaluation visit conducted by two-person teams of experience non-credit educators. In addition, an Advisory Board, also comprised of educators with experience in non-credit programming, will provide guidance throughout the evaluation process and serve as the Commission’s review committee in Spring 2025.

If you have any questions about the Lumina Non-Credit Recognition Grant – Phase II, please contact Laura Gambino (lgambino@neche.org) or Paula Harbecke (pharbecke@neche.org).

Grant Funder:
Lumina Foundation

Grant Timeline:
4/1/2024 – 6/30/2025

Project Directors:
Laura Gambino, NECHE
Paula Harbecke, NECHE

Project Goals:

  • Develop a process, including policies and procedures, for evaluating an institution’s non-credit programming using the NECHE Quality Assurance Framework for Non-Credit Programming.
  • Develop training materials for institutions, evaluators, and review committee members regarding the non-credit programming evaluation process.


Activities and Timeline:

  • Workshop for Participating Institutions (June 2024)
  • Workshop for Evaluators (August 2024)
  • Advisory Board Meeting (August 2024)
  • Institution Evaluation Visits (September – November 2024)
  • Advisory Board Meeting (January 2025)
  • Presentation to Commission (Spring 2025)


Project Deliverables:

  • Presentation at NECHE Annual Meeting (December 2024)
  • White Paper detailing evaluation processes and procedures (Summer 2025)
  • Final Evaluation Report (Summer 2025)


Participating Institutions:

  • Central Connecticut State University
  • Great Bay Community College
  • Maine Community College System
  • Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
  • New York University
  • Per Scholas Inc.

Advisory Board Members:

  • Todd Leach, University of New Hampshire, NECHE Commissioner
  • Noemi Custodia-Lora, Northern Essex Community College, NECHE Commissioner
  • Jenifer Giroux, Rhode Island College
  • Michelle VanNoy, Rutgers University