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Commentary by Karen Nicodemus
Special to the Herald/Review
In early June, I had the opportunity to be part of Arizona’s team attending the Making Opportunity Affordable grant academy. Making Opportunity Affordable is a multi-year initiative focused on increasing productivity within U.S. higher education, particularly at two- and four-year public colleges and universities. The aim is to use dollars invested by students, parents and taxpayers to graduate more students. The initiative, supported by Lumina Foundation for Education, relies on partner organizations working within various states to develop, promote and implement policies and practices that will help achieve this goal.
As noted in materials provided for the academy, it is estimated the United States needs a million more graduates a year than it is on track to turn out during the next 16 years to meet work force demands alone. To further illustrate the need for producing more degrees, a generation ago the United States had the best-educated population in the world. Today, the country ranks 10th among industrialized countries in the percentage of its citizens aged 25 to 34 with college degrees. In Arizona, based on a study commissioned by the Governor’s P-20 Council, the governor has called on higher education to double the number of baccalaureates produced by 2020.
Arizona was one of 11 states selected for the academy. I joined several others in representing Arizona at the meeting, including Darcy Renfro, the Governor’s Higher Education and Economic Development policy advisor; Fred Duval, a member of the Arizona Board of Regents; President John Haeger of Northern Arizona University; and Sandra Woodley and Christine Thompson, Regents’ staff. To acquire grant funds, a state will be expected to address three priorities for its work: (1) recast state finance systems to reward institutions for graduating students, not just enrolling them; (2) increase the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of academic programs and administrative operations; and, (3) align resources in ways that allow institutions to serve more students.
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In the next several months, the governor’s office will prepare an application for planning funds to support activities over the next year in developing a proposal for $2 million in funding (2009-2010) to support reform in higher education funding and performance. Only five states will be selected for this funding.
As noted by various speakers, state support for higher education is typically shaped by the state’s demographic and economic forces. Enrollment in higher education will continue to grow and needs to do so, especially in high growth states such as Arizona.
At the same time, other economic and demographic forces will make it difficult for states and the federal government to finance the demand for higher education. Nationally, the only age group not expected to grow in the U.S. over the next 15 years is that of people in their prime working years, 25-55. The number of retirees needing more health care will grow enormously, and the number of young people requiring education will grow steadily.
Based on these and other demographics and the current tax structure of the states, the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems and the Rockefeller Institute have projected that every state will have a revenue shortfall by 2013, with a national average of minus 5.7 percent of the funding required to sustain current state-financed services.
At the federal level, assuming current policies are left in place, David M. Walker, comptroller general of the United States, projects that by 2040 interest payments on the federal debt alone will nearly equal all federal revenues.
So, the challenge for all of us — students, parents, taxpayers, educators, politicians — is in recognizing that the case for increasing investment in public education has never been stronger, the competition for public dollars greater, and the need to produce a more educated workforce critical than exists in the first half of the 21st century. The other very real challenge is that at both the K-12 and higher education levels. We must significantly decrease our tolerance for student failure and increase the ability of instructors to inspire and generate academic effort and achievement.
These are challenges that can only be addressed by communities coming together, recognizing the need to support education. And, yes, it also will require educators to realize that they must move beyond talking about access to focusing on student success and completion of degree programs.
At Cochise College, we hope to be a leader and partner in these efforts to more effectively and efficiently prepare students for the 21st century. These are, indeed, interesting times for all.
KAREN NICODEMUS, Ph.D., is president of Cochise College, which has campuses in Benson, Douglas and Sierra Vista. Her column appears the third Sunday of each month.
