This piece is by our friend John O. Harney,  executive editor of the New England Journal of Higher Education, part of the New England Board of Higher Education (nebhe.org), where this piece originated.

From time to time we revive the collection of facts and figures called "Data Connection" that we had published quarterly for nearly 20 years in the print editions of The New England Journal of Higher Education (formerly Connection magazine).

The latest ...

"Patriotic" rank of northern New England states measured by indicators such as share of enlisted military population, share of adults who voted in the 2016 presidential election, per-capita AmeriCorps volunteers: Maine 11th, New Hampshire 13th, Vermont 21st. 

"Patriotic" rank of southern New England states based on such indicators: Connecticut 45th, Rhode Island 47th, Massachusetts 48th .

Number of New England higher education institutions in the Princeton Review's top 20 list of "Future Rotarians and Daughters of the American Revolution" where "surveyed students' answers indicated their personal political persuasions to be very conservative, low levels of acceptance of the gay community on campus, high levels of popularity for student government on campus and a very religious student body": 2 (Gordon College, Saint Anselm College), information from The Princeton Review

Number of New England higher education institutions in the Princeton Review's top 20 list of "Birkenstock-Wearing, Tree-Hugging, Clove-Smoking Vegetarians " where "surveyed students' answers indicated their personal political persuasions to be very liberal, high levels of acceptance of the LGBTQ community on campus, low levels of popularity for student government on campus and a student body that is not very religious":  (Bennington College, Wesleyan University, University of Vermont, Brown University, Clark University),  from The Princeton Review

Average annual compensation of heads of top 50 New England boarding schools: $455,000, from  GoLocalProv.com.

Number of U.S. colleges fielding football teams this fall: 777, from the National Football Foundation.

Number of teams added since 2011: 40, from the National Football Foundation.

Number of teams added in New England since 2011: 1 (University of New England), from thr National Football Foundation

Number of New England teams that will launch in 2017: 1 (Dean College) from the National Football Foundation

Percentage of associate degree holders who report they are effectively managing financial stress and their economic life: 27 percent, from Gallup-USA Funds

Percentage of bachelor's degree holders who report they are: 41 percent, from Gallup-USA Funds

Percentage of community college graduates who go on to earn a bachelor's degree during the next six years: 41 percent, from the National Student Clearinghouse