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Editorial: Needed: Strategy for more college grads

Minnesota has too many college dropouts, report says.

Last update: March 17, 2008 - 6:01 PM

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Minnesota's tuition and fees, minus all grant-type financial aid, for first-year, first-time, full-time students in 2005-06:

Public four-year: state, $4,720; national average, $2,440.

Public two-year: state, $2,620; national average, $1,040.

Minnesota Measures, Office of Higher Education

Minnesota is approaching a peak year in its production of a precious economic resource -- new high school graduates. Their numbers are projected to hit 64,078 about 15 months from now, then fall fairly fast. A 10 percent drop is expected by 2015 -- when the first big wave of baby boomer retirements will hit.

Those numbers add up to trouble for a state that aims to be a player in the knowledge-based economy. They're among the headlines in a new report from the state Office of Higher Education, called "Minnesota Measures."

The report provides crucial context for legislators as they evaluate Gov. Tim Pawlenty's proposal to cut higher ed appropriations $54 million, or about 3.4 percent, in 2008-09. It also makes the case for developing a comprehensive strategy to increase the share of Minnesota young adults who not only go to college, but also graduate, in high-demand fields.

Getting recent high school grads to enroll in college is not the issue, the report says. Two-thirds of them do so, within 12 months of leaving high school. That's the fifth-highest share in the nation.

But fewer than three out of five of those who enroll in four-year colleges have a B.A. degree in hand six years later. Only one of every three two-year college students has his or her A.A. degree or its equivalent three years after enrollment. Those very average numbers should tell policymakers that staying and succeeding in college is more daunting in Minnesota than in many states.

One obvious reason: cost. Average tuition at both Minnesota's two- and four-year public colleges and universities far outstrips averages at comparable institutions nationwide -- even after subtracting financial aid.

It follows that more students graduate with loans to repay in Minnesota than in most states, and their average debt is higher -- nearly $21,000 for graduates of public four-year universities.

Cutting state appropriations to the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities would almost certainly make those burdens heavier. Leaders of those systems told the Legislature last week that a $54 million cut is too large for them to absorb without resorting to tuition increases.

Although it's unrealistic to think those institutions can escape cuts completely, legislators who take "Minnesota Measures" seriously should try to control the damage. They also should see that their policymaking duty goes beyond sparing campuses from budget cuts. They should strive to produce more graduates, particularly in high-demand science, mathematics, and health fields. They should focus on the young people of color who are enrolling in college at rates lower than their majority-race peers. And they should aim to boost Minnesota's middling rank in attracting sponsored academic research. That's something the University of Minnesota's biosciences building initiative, now awaiting action at the Capitol, would do nicely.

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