What a beautiful state we have chosen to call home. In Durango, our outdoor activities, vibrant arts and music communities, and our excellent Fort Lewis College combine to make this a very special place to live.
Our state, while experiencing some economic downturns, seems headed for a bright future. One of the major reasons for our success has been our system of higher education and the high proportion of our residents who possess a post-secondary certificate or degree. Colorado ranks third in the nation in the percentage of residents between the ages of 25 and 64 who hold a college degree.
Colorado’s higher education system is diverse and robust. Our public system includes 13 four-year public and research institutions (think CU Boulder and Fort Lewis), 15 two-year community colleges (like Southwest Colorado Community College, a division of Pueblo Community College), more than 100 degree-granting private colleges and religious training institutions (such as Colorado College and Regis University), three area vocational schools and more than 375 private occupational schools (such as welding or cosmetology). Student enrollment is almost 400,000, with about 62 percent attending public institutions and 38 percent private institutions.
While our institutions operate somewhat autonomously and work to meet the needs of their communities, they also have a responsibility to work as a system to meet the state’s needs. The bipartisan Colorado Commission on Higher Education, created in 1985, has the responsibility to examine the post-secondary needs in Colorado and to coordinate policies that benefit students in all institutions. There are 11 commissioners – at least one member from each congressional district – appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate. The Commission is supported by a 13-member advisory committee, comprising legislators and key stakeholders, including Barbara Morris, provost of Fort Lewis College.
While we have a lot to be proud of, our state faces significant post-secondary education challenges, among them:
Workforce needs: By 2020, 74 percent of all jobs in Colorado will require some level of post-secondary education. Today, we are at about 56 percent.
Completion pipeline: Fewer than 25 percent of Colorado ninth-graders earn a college degree.
Attainment gaps: The percent of adults who have post-secondary education is much lower among some of our populations – for example, Latinos and people from lower incomes – compared to white adults.
Shifting financial burden: The share of college costs paid by students compared to the state has doubled, from 32 percent in 2001 to 64 percent today. With a limited budget and other mandatory costs (like prisons and Medicare), the state has been forced to reduce funding for higher education, leading to higher tuition for students. Meanwhile, Colorado ranks 49th in state support for higher education.
Addressing these challenges began with a statewide Master Plan adopted by the CCHE in 2012, Colorado Competes: A Completion Agenda for Higher Education, which identifies four goals that address areas of critical concern for our state:
Increase the attainment of high-quality post-secondary credentials so that 66 percent of Coloradans will have a post-secondary credential by 2025.
Improve student success, so that more students persist to a credential.
Reduce gaps related to college participation and success.
Work to increase public revenues for our institutions of higher education.
So how are we doing? While the implementation of new programs takes time to produce results, the early indicators are promising. Results for academic years 2014 and 2015 show increases in credential completions in all categories: certificate, associate’s, bachelor’s and post-baccalaureate. Likewise, completions for low-income and underserved students have increased in all categories. And we have seen significant progress in student retention rates. FLC has shown significant improvement in certificate attainment, overall retention rates and reduced attainment gaps. It is also seeing large increases in the number of students who have applied for admission in 2016.
To address affordability, a new tuition policy will be implemented this year, and, combined with a new funding allocation formula and new methodology for allocating state financial aid, our three major funding streams are tied to meeting the master plan’s goals.
A number of significant programs are underway in our institutions to reduce time to degree, increase certificate attainment and close the attainment gap. Examples include previous learning assessment, guaranteed transfer pathways, concurrent enrollment and supplemental academic instruction.
Colorado’s future, enhanced by our institutions of higher education, is indeed bright. It will make our decision to call it home a good one.
John Anderson is a partner in the strategic advisory firm Schoolhouse Partners. Anderson has served on the Colorado Commission on Higher Education as a Republican since 2013. His second term will expire on July 1, 2019.
