This is going to lead to lay-offs of the front line workers that have a direct impact on student retention.

The layoff protection that SEBAC just discussed, does not apply to higher ed. How is that fair?

Educating the population will help our society pull out of the recession and will make our State stronger. Cutting General Funds does the opposite of this.

1. Connecticut has the largest academic achievement gap of any state in the nation between its minority high school graduates and their white counterparts, a fact reported by the National Assessment of Educational Performance. This dismaying statistic was included in the 2006 report from the Nellie Mae Education Foundation’s report, New England 2020, where “lower levels of educational achievement for the region’s minority population, coupled with a widening of the gulf between white and minority rates of success” were cited as [a waste of] some of the region’s most valuable demographic resources” that “undermines the quality of our workforce.” In New England, and in Connecticut in particular, the populations that are growing are not achieving the gains in educational attainment needed to ensure a competitive workforce. Today’s article completely ignores these well documented demographic and educational trends that will affect Connecticut’s future.

2. No mention is made in the article about the $20 million reduction in the State’s budget proposed by the Governor for the Connecticut Community Colleges for FY 2012 which will undermine the colleges’ capacity to serve the students who have enrolled in record numbers over the last 10 years – with a nearly 50% growth in headcount enrollment at the 12 colleges. When proposed reductions to the state university system and Charter Oak College are included, the budget scenario becomes even more daunting, threatening access to public higher education for thousands of students at the three constituent units in the next two years and beyond. While touting savings in administrative overhead resulting from an as yet undefined consolidation, the article fails to mention that the estimates for these savings average between $3-$4 million in total, according to public testimony. In reality the costs associated with effecting the consolidation and with providing services at campuses that are now delivered centrally will incur significant costs according to a report to the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee by the National Center for Higher Education Management.

3. No reference appears in the article to facts about the Connecticut workforce from the Georgetown University Workforce Center that indicate that 65% of the jobs in Connecticut in 2018 will need education beyond the high school level.

4. While advocating for “student friendly pathways” and increasing the number of college graduates in Connecticut, the article fails to mention recent statements by the current Commissioner of Higher Education, Michael Meotti, a member of the NEBHE Board and a leading proponent of the Board of Regents, suggesting that only students who can succeed at college-level work and demonstrate the capability to graduate when they are admitted to college should be given access to Community Colleges in Connecticut. This new “selective” policy for admission, presumably with guidance and oversight by the new Board of Regents, would certainly limit the number of students entering public higher education. It would also most likely deprive those students who need help with developmental studies in Math, English, or Reading, some 60%-70% of students tested before entering degree programs, any opportunity to succeed or to improve their lives and earning potential.

These omissions and the suggestions from the Commissioner of Higher Education should raise questions for every college student and every citizen as to:
Who will be chosen to attend public higher education?
And perhaps even more importantly,
Who will choose?

I appreciate the opportunity to bring these facts and questions to the attention of the New England Board’s members and readers throughout New England.

Very truly yours,

Marc S. Herzog, Chancellor
Connecticut Community College System
Chair Elect, the New England Board of Higher Education