If you’ve ever taken a trip with children, you know that one of the many questions they often ask is, “Are we there yet?”
A similar question could be posed in regard to the “Closing the Gaps” initiative established by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, which has a goal of substantially increasing the number of students enrolled in higher education institutions by 2015—630,000 more than in 2000. The answer to that question would be, “Not yet, but we’re getting a little closer.”
Because of the ongoing demand for highly skilled and trained workers, meeting the Closing the Gaps objectives is very important and will certainly enhance the performance of the overall Texas economy. Therefore, progress in these directions is worth noting.
The fall preliminary data recently released by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board indicates that aggregate enrollment in the various institutions of higher education in Texas expanded from 1,201,396 in the fall of 2006 to 1,225,817 this year, a 2.03% gain.
The number of students in State universities increased 1.50% over 2006, an addition of 7,345. Enrollment in community and State colleges expanded 2.40% or 13,582 new students. Texas State Technical Colleges enrolled 1,073 more students than last year, which represents a 9.99% hike.
Independent senior colleges and universities added 1,656 students for the fall term, reflecting a 1.44% expansion over the fall of 2006. During this period, the number of students in public and private medical, dental, and health related schools grew by 808 (4.28%). The only group of higher education institutions that experienced a drop in enrollment was independent junior colleges, which lost 43 students.
Of significant note is that approximately 60% of the overall 24,421 enrollment growth across the state occurred in public community colleges. Hispanic students comprised 52.5% of new students in all higher education institutions.
While the Lone Star State is a leader in many areas, it ranks below the US average when it comes to the percentage of its residents 25 years of age or older who have earned bachelor’s degrees. For the nation, the percentage is 24.4%; for Texas, it’s 23.2%. When the state is compared with the national average of individuals over 25 who have earned high school diplomas, the difference is more telling—US–80.5%; Texas–75.7%.
Higher education has never been as important to potential success in the workforce as it is in our modern technological economy. The mean income and the potential for lifetime earnings increase substantially for those with degrees. In many cases, even entry-level positions in major career fields require college degrees.
Approximately 52.6% of students who enroll as freshmen in Texas public higher education institutions graduate within six years. Last year, some 100,202 students were awarded baccalaureate degrees by public four-year schools. An additional 25,643 bachelor’s degrees were awarded by independent colleges and universities.
A well educated workforce is essential to the future prosperity of Texas as it would greatly enhance the performance of the economy. A recent study by my firm found that if all the objectives of the Closing the Gaps plan are met, more than a million more jobs would be generated than if current patterns held.
While there is still a long way to go before we attain the 1.6 million-student Closing the Gaps goal for 2015, we can at least celebrate a positive trend.