If you have a college-aged child or one approaching that stage (or you happen to be one of those lucky young minds), you’re well aware of recent developments in the area of higher education. As a father of five such persons, I am painfully aware. My lovely wife, who serves on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, is another source of knowledge of the forces coming to bear on the colleges and universities across the state. Although the issues are far more complex than I can adequately address in this forum, here is the gist of the problem.
First, the demand for space in the state’s institutions of higher learning, both public and private, is rising rapidly. Recent headlines speak of enrollment at 30-year highs at one smaller university, for example, a condition experienced by a number of facilities. Also, the level of competitiveness of entry into the larger state schools, such as the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M, is reaching the stratosphere.
This demand surge is driven in part by a sluggish economy, as there are fewer jobs waiting to tempt high school grads into immediate entry into the workforce. In addition, as the nature of business changes, an increasing number of occupations are requiring higher levels of training. These factors have slanted the decision process of many young people toward matriculating at one of the state’s colleges. This is a very good thing in the long run in that it improves the quality of the Texas workforce, thereby making us more competitive in the global marketplace. Moreover, the gap between the income potential of those with degrees and those without is enough to illustrate the economic value of an education to an individual.
As all of these bright young people enter college, the pressure on the schools grows. The need for classroom space, instructors, dormitories, parking, and so forth and so on increase. Providing these things takes money. Which brings us to the second part of the problem.
The second prong of the issue is shrinking funding to the state schools. Texas’ $12 billion shortfall meant a significant decrease in monies to higher education institutions. While most facilities cut internal budgets to the extent they could, tuition hikes were widespread this fall to avoid compromising either long-term financial viability or educational quality. However, this clearly decreases the affordability of a college education, placing it out of reach for a too-large segment of the population.
So wherein lies the answer? Different schools are taking different approaches. Some schools are reviving programs such as night schools in an effort to both better use resources and offer a broader range of students a shot at a degree. Other universities are chasing research dollars with unprecedented vigor; UT and A&M combine for well over $700 million in funds for Research and Development each year, the lion’s share of it from the federal government. A number of schools are dipping into reserve funds, clearly not something they can do perpetually.
There have been great strides made in the area of ensuring that the degree programs offered are the right mix for today’s needs. The slate of offerings by the state’s colleges and universities are examined for excessive overlap, with superfluous options being pared away. At the same time, more attention has been turned to the needs of business in an effort to see that graduates are better prepared for the workforce. We’re doing what we can to be sure the system as a whole functions as efficiently as possible, but there’s a limit to the relief such actions can offer.
The heart of the problem is that even as demand for college education grows, funds available to the state’s public institutions shrink. Until and unless we see a return to better fiscal times, the prospects for bigger state infusions into school budgets are slim. Future hikes in tuition are inevitable, as are increasing levels of competition for entry into the state’s top schools. When these forces are combined with evolving demographics, the need for greater opportunity and access, and the issues of adequate preparation in the public schools, the challenge only compounds. It is imperative that we find a workable solution; otherwise, our potential as individuals and a society are irreparably diminished.