University of Maine System Chancellor Richard L. Pattenaude emphasized the confluence of economic development and higher education in a joint session of the Maine state Senate and House of Representatives in his "State of the University" biennial address on March 30.

“Historically, higher education has meant ...]]>

Pattenaude presenting at NEBHE's 2011 Excellence Awards

University of Maine System Chancellor Richard L. Pattenaude emphasized the confluence of economic development and higher education in a joint session of the Maine state Senate and House of Representatives in his "State of the University" biennial address on March 30.

“Historically, higher education has meant personal growth and discovery, creating and preserving knowledge, and helping our students become lifelong learners and better citizens,” Pattenaude noted. “Today, however, the new ‘normal’ in higher ed is all about rebuilding our economy and creating opportunities for our students to live and work in Maine.”

To steer a path to this "new normal," the chancellor outlined three initiatives already underway to improve: remediation rates, transfer issues and the University System’s responsiveness to business needs. He noted:

• UMS is partnering with the Maine Community College System and Maine Department of Education commissioner Stephen Bowen to prepare a “Complete College America” grant which will focus on college preparation, remediation and retention.

• Maine’s universities and community colleges will work to solve transfer problems among public institutions.  “We are committed to working collaboratively to make the transfer experience smooth, seamless and effective,” Pattenaude said.

• The University System is working to help address the state’s need for graduates in information technology and computer science programs.

Pattenaude said the University System has made significant progress since his 2009 biennial address, which kicked off the New Challenges, New Directions initiative to focus on achieving long-term financial stability, keep education affordable and meet Maine’s changing educational and research needs.

For a complete text of Pattenaude's speech, click here.

Complete College America launched the Completion Innovation Challenge, a $10 million competitive grant program for states to significantly boost college completion and close attainment gaps for traditionally underrepresented populations.

A national organization whose mission is to work with states to increase the number of Americans with college degrees or certificates of workplace value, Complete College America ...]]>

Complete College America launched the Completion Innovation Challenge, a $10 million competitive grant program for states to significantly boost college completion and close attainment gaps for traditionally underrepresented populations.

A national organization whose mission is to work with states to increase the number of Americans with college degrees or certificates of workplace value, Complete College America established the grant program with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Complete College America invites governors from all 50 states to pursue the Completion Innovation Challenge by submitting proposals to win one of ten $1 million, 18-month implementation grants. Grants will be awarded to states that produce the best plans to develop and deploy innovative, statewide strategies to increase college completion.

For more, visit the Completion Innovation Challenge.

Recent Posts: College Attainment: Throwing a Complete Game by Stan Jones and David Soo; Putting Money Where the Mouth Is by Dennis Jones; Ed Secretary and Other Experts Speak Out on Plan to Increase Education Attainment (pdf)

The U.S. once had the world’s highest percentage of adults with a college degree, but has now dropped to 10th, according to the OECD. In an attempt to reverse this slide, a number of policymakers and foundations have sought to make increased degree attainment a national priority. President Obama has articulated the goal that America ...]]>

The U.S. once had the world’s highest percentage of adults with a college degree, but has now dropped to 10th, according to the OECD. In an attempt to reverse this slide, a number of policymakers and foundations have sought to make increased degree attainment a national priority. President Obama has articulated the goal that America will regain the world’s highest rate of degree attainment and challenged every American to complete at least one year of postsecondary education. The Lumina Foundation for Education, likewise, has set a goal to increase the percentage of Americans with high-quality degrees and credentials from the under 40% today to 60% by the year 2025, while the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation aims to double the number of low-income adults who earn postsecondary degrees or other credentials by age 26.

Increasing the number and percentage of Americans with postsecondary education will require a number of strategies, including increasing capacity at colleges and universities and providing access to high-quality college education for more Americans.

But these ambitious goals cannot be met without also dramatically increasing the completion rates at our public colleges and universities. College completion rates in the U.S. are troubling: At public, four-year institutions, fewer than 55% of students earn a degree within six years, while at public, two-year institutions, fewer than 30% of students earn a degree within three years, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Overall, only half of the nation’s students will ever receive the degree they sought to earn. These lost students, who have already demonstrated their desire for postsecondary education and made steps toward reaching it, hold significant potential for being among America’s critical next generation of college-educated workers.

States are the key

Almost three quarters (74%) of America’s college students are enrolled in public institutions of higher education, according to the U.S. Education Department. Since states often have statutory control over public higher education and provide the largest single source of funding, state leaders hold critical levers—and are uniquely accountable—for reshaping policies and improving outcomes in public higher education.

While implementing dramatic reforms may seem daunting to state policymakers in the midst of budget crises, focusing on college completion is critical for states, even—and perhaps especially—in these challenging economic times. First, increasing completion rates will allow America to meet the needs of a new economy that rewards knowledge and innovation. In the next 10 years, more than 60% of jobs will require a college education; indeed, the jobs currently growing the fastest require either an associate or bachelor’s degree or a certificate, according to research at Georgetown University’s Center for Education and the Workforce. Second, college completion can bring positive outcomes to individual students, including increased wages and benefits, plus non-monetary benefits such as better health and better outcomes for future generations, according to 2007 College Board research by Sandy Baum and Jennifer Ma. The current economic crisis has demonstrated the importance of education for individuals and families: Unemployment rates are more than twice as high for those with just a high school diploma (10.9%) than with those with a bachelor’s degree or higher (4.7%), reports the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Third, these individual benefits translate to significant societal and state benefits, including increased tax revenues and decreased reliance on state services, broader civic participation and increases in the earnings of all workers as overall educational attainment rates rise.[1] College completion is truly a tide that raises all boats.

Joining with other national groups in making college completion a priority, Complete College America (CCA) has set a goal that by 2020, six in 10 young adults in the U.S. will have a degree or certificate, up from the 38% of adults ages 25-34 hold who now hold a college degree, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, 2008 American Community Survey.[2] Such a large increase in completion rates and educational attainment will require more than tinkering around the edges; we need major changes in the way public higher education conceives of and delivers postsecondary education to today’s generation of students—we need innovation at scale.

Bold action

The first step to enabling these bold changes is improved data collection, without which policymakers are hampered in their efforts to analyze barriers and identify opportunities for improvement, show progress over time, and hold individuals and institutions accountable. Much of the data collected today (particularly by the Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Data Systems, or IPEDS) fail to adequately capture college completion rates for huge numbers of America’s students—especially part-time and transfer students. Nor does IPEDS allow for disaggregation by ethnicity, income or by age groups, all of which are necessary in order to close gaps and ensure that postsecondary success rates are keeping up with the dramatic demographic shifts taking place across the country. Collecting data that are comparable across institutions and states will also help to identify barriers to student achievement and guide actions that might improve student success. In addition to completion, these data should include measures of progress and the intermediate milestones that research has shown predict student success in earning a degree or certificate.

In addition to collecting and analyzing the data, a number of other state policy levers are critical for driving improvements in college completion. States have the opportunity to influence policy by using performance funding, by transforming the delivery of developmental (remedial) education, and restructuring the delivery models of higher education to meet the needs of today’s new generation of students—both young and adult. [See “Putting Money Where the Mouth Is Ways to Build Momentum for College Completion,” The New England Journal of Higher Education, Dennis Jones.]

Performance funding ties institutional appropriations to outcomes, not simply to enrollments, and allows states to align their fiscal policies with their statewide goals for workforce development and economic prosperity. For example, states can provide funding based on the number of courses completed or the number of degrees and credentials earned. While the use of performance funding has been controversial and its implementation uneven, states can emphasize specific goals by providing funding incentives in areas such as the success of low-income or underrepresented students or degrees produced in key industry sectors such as health care, engineering, and technology.[3]

States must also take on remedial education; while evidence on the effectiveness of remedial education is mixed, for far too many students, it represents a dead end. Students who need remediation are required to take courses that do not count toward their degrees, adding time and expense to their studies with dismal results. More than 40% of all students (and 60% of community college students) enter postsecondary education needing remediation, but fewer than 25% of students who enter remedial courses ever earn a degree or certificate, according to research by Thomas Bailey of the Community College Research Center at Teachers College, Columbia University.

Innovative programs in community colleges have shown that remediation can be improved by targeting it through improved diagnosis of student needs, tailoring it to focus only on those skills that students need, and helping move students as quickly as possible into courses that count towards a degree. Specifically, remediation can be embedded within credit-bearing courses, technology can target specific academic deficiencies, and anchor assessments can be performed while students are still in high school to accelerate their progress once they arrive in college (e.g., the California State University “Early Start” program and Tennessee’s community colleges’ implementation of the National Center for Academic Transformation remedial education models).

Finally, public colleges and universities must restructure the delivery of higher education to meet the needs of today’s students. No longer does the majority of students attend full-time, live on campus, and complete a degree within four years; instead, most students are attending school part-time while juggling families and work. Promising models suggest that restructuring the delivery of postsecondary education with a focus on transparency, consistency and structure leads to significantly better outcomes for students. These models use block scheduling, offer degree programs instead of courses, take advantage of the known benefits of cohorts and learning communities and integrate remediation into credit-bearing or career-oriented courses.[4]

Each state faces its own set of demographic and economic challenges, but increasing educational attainment is a common goal for state policymakers as they seek to ensure the future health of their economies. Twenty-two states have joined the Complete College America Alliance of States in order to elevate college completion in their policy agendas and develop plans to make dramatic increases in attainment over the next decade. These and other states have also been leaders in helping their public colleges make improvements in access and completion through participation in national initiatives like Achieving the Dream and Access to Success. These complementary efforts have shown promising results, yet in light of the promise postsecondary education holds for each individual, family, and community—and to meet our goals as a nation—there is much left to do.

Stan Jones is founder and president of Complete College America. David Soo is state policy analyst at Complete College America.

Endnotes

[1] Sandy Baum and Jennifer Ma note in their report Education Pays: “Estimates suggest that controlling for other factors, a 1 percentage point increase in the proportion of the population holding a four-year college degree leads to a 1.9% increase in the wages of workers without a high school diploma and a 1.6% increase in the wages of high school graduates.”

[2] No reliable national data are available on the percentage of adults who hold a postsecondary certificate. The president and other national organizations, including CCA, believe that completion should be defined as a earning a bachelor’s or associate degree, or a certificate of at least one year in length that has demonstrated labor market value (Bosworth, 2010; Carnevale, Strohl & Smith, 2009; Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, 2005; Wheary & Orozco, 2010).

[3] Under its current performance funding system, Indiana rewards increases in the on-time graduation rates at public colleges and universities, increases in transfer rates for community colleges, and increases in the numbers of low-income graduates. Ohio has also phased in a performance funding system that utilizes different formulas for each sector (community colleges, branch campuses, and research universities) and incorporates progress indicators for community colleges.

[4] For examples of successful highly structured and accelerated programs, see the City University of New York (CUNY) Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP); Community College of Baltimore County’s Accelerated Learning Program (ALP); and the Tennessee Technology Centers.

Accessibility, affordability and accountability characterize the work of President Barack Obama who, since taking office, has worked with Congress to influence policy that affects both K-12 and higher education.  Stimulus funds in the 2009 American Reinvestment and Recovery Act provided nearly $50 billion to states to help offset state budget cuts and to spur ...]]>

Accessibility, affordability and accountability characterize the work of President Barack Obama who, since taking office, has worked with Congress to influence policy that affects both K-12 and higher education.  Stimulus funds in the 2009 American Reinvestment and Recovery Act provided nearly $50 billion to states to help offset state budget cuts and to spur initial reform efforts. Subsequent to this action, the president signed into law the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act that makes postsecondary education more accessible and affordable through unprecedented federal investment. There are two main elements to this major legislation:  a full transition to the Direct Loan program and a significant increase in the Pell Grant program.

Beginning July 1, 2010, all student loans will be originated by the U.S. Department of Education.  Under the current system, both private banks and the federal government offer loans to students at an interest rate considerably lower than the market would bear.  In order to participate in this program, banks are provided a subsidy based on the volume of loans they issue.  In addition, the federal government guarantees nearly the entire amount of the loan should a student enter default.  With the Department of Education becoming the sole lender, it is calculated the federal government will save tens of billions of dollars.

This change in policy may affect many of the quality programs and services provided by nonprofit New England lenders.  For example, the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC) is well-known for providing a variety of services to Vermont’s secondary and postsecondary students. To address concerns about the effect of this policy change on the positive benefits provided by nonprofit state entities like VSAC, the legislation will allow the corporation to service up to 100,000 loans through contracting with the federal government.  The legislation also includes funding that will enable states to continue support for the college-planning services these nonprofits provide to high-school students.

The savings generated from the transition to the Direct Lending program will be devoted to providing a consistent and reliable increase to the Pell Grant program.  Specifically, the funds will be used to maintain a maximum Pell Grant award of $5,550 for academic years 2011-12 and 2012-13. Beginning in academic year 2013-14, the Pell Grant maximum award will increase by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and continue to increase by the CPI measure each year until the academic year 2017-18.  The award will then be locked in at the 2017-18 level (projected to be approximately $5,975) indefinitely.

The Obama administration had hoped to initiate additional higher education and student aid programs that would support the president’s goal of reestablishing the U.S. as having the highest proportion of individuals with a postsecondary credential by 2020.  While there was not enough money to fund additional programs, many states and the higher education community are addressing the challenges of college completion.

Across the country, colleges, universities and systems are announcing new initiatives focused on increasing the number of graduates.  For example, the University of Maine System issued a draft document in September 2009 outlining its systemwide strategic commitment to enroll and graduate more students.  Based on this initial report, the system will align itself with state initiatives, build strategic partnerships focused on those initiatives, and enhance the use of technology to deliver improved, widespread services to increase the number of college graduates. [See related article by UMaine System Chancellor Richard Pattenaude.]

In addressing degree completion, minority attainment deserves attention. An examination of Connecticut provides insight into the national trend.  Connecticut has experienced increased minority enrollment growth and a 1.3% increase in degree attainment. But this figure accounts for less than the growth across all graduates.  The slower growth can be partially attributed to a decline in African-American graduates. [See Connecticut Public Higher Education 2009 System Trends, State of Connecticut, Department of Higher Education.]

The overall goal of increasing the number of graduates is a concern in other New England states. Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont, along with Connecticut, have joined the Complete College America alliance, a new partnership aimed at assisting states in their efforts to increase college completion.

Finally, significant attention will be devoted this year to the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), commonly referred to as No Child Left Behind.  There is great opportunity for higher education as this debate unfolds.  Colleges and universities should pursue local- and state-level partnerships with the K-12 community in order to improve achievement and success throughout the education pipeline.  States may adopt new core academic standards to prepare college- and career-ready students.  Higher education institutions can play a significant role in this area, as states adopt these academic standards and develop K-12 student assessments aligned with these standards. Colleges and universities have an opportunity to work at the local level because school districts will need assistance in developing curricula that move students toward achievement.  But perhaps most importantly, postsecondary institutions will need to update their teacher-preparation programs to support students who must meet these new standards.

The Obama administration will remain focused on accountability at all levels.  States have received significant funding through the Recovery Act and Race to the Top Fund to design and utilize state longitudinal data systems.  This data will be used to highlight effective methods and programs, but also to assess areas that need improvement.  Teacher- preparation programs will be evaluated on the effectiveness of their graduates in the classroom through monitoring K-12 student progress.  An evaluation of workforce placement and success will also expose the strengths and weaknesses of postsecondary education programs. The data will also expose the strengths and weaknesses of postsecondary education programs in workforce placement and success.

The higher education community should look for new and robust ways to embrace these reform efforts to ensure the achievement of positive and effective outcomes.  Whether it is improving retention and completion rates, revamping and improving teacher-preparation programs or encouraging increased accountability, federal education reform efforts will continue to have a significant affect on higher education.

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Muriel A. Howard is president of AASCU: The Leadership Association of 430 Public Colleges and Universities Delivering America's Promise.