Cooperation key to reach Kentucky's degree goals
By KRISTIN TAYLOR
Staff Writer
Murray State's incoming president Randy Dunn will bring a K-12 career coupled with higher education that could prove just what the university needs to help the state's Council on Postsecondary Education reach its goal of doubling the number of bachelor's degrees Kentuckians hold.
CPE President Tom Layzell em-phasized the importance of cooperation on the local level to reach 791,000 bachelor degrees by 2020. The initiative aims to bring Kentucky in line with the national average.
It's CPE's challenge but other educators are in on the efforts. Universities have a role to improve graduation and retention rates while helping incoming students who need remedial help. Meanwhile, there are adults needing GEDs and drop-outs who are returning to school. Kentucky Community and Technical College System is helping students transfer smoothly into university programs,
“We were working very closely with the state education department, KCTCS and the universities,” Layzell said. “We all understand it's a big emphasis.”
And even more importantly is fostering an understanding within local communities. That's part of what Layzell does traveling throughout the state, like his visit Tuesday to Murray. CPE's local councils and state boards of education also are involved.
“If it's going to happen, it's going to happen in the local communities. What comes out of Frankfort is just the big picture,” he said. “If you let yourself, you can be put off by the scope of what we have to do. But we can't do that. We have to keep trying.”
If Kentuckians continue current performance, the state will have 580,000 bachelor's degree holders in 2020, according to CPE information. That would be 211,000 degrees short of the goal.
CPE cites information from the Kentucky Long-Term Policy Research Center that says the state can expect a cumulative increase of $5.3 billion in the commonwealth's revenue and $71 billion in personal income. A bachelor's degree holder on average earns $1 million more than a high school graduate over a lifetime, according to CPE's information.
The cooperation between local schools and college is an important component that Layzell said involves preparing students for postsecondary education as well as preparing teachers for the classrooms. Some of that preparation goes to keeping students in school. For every 100 ninth-graders in Kentucky, 65 graduate from high school, 39 enter college, 26 are still enrolled by their sophomore year, and only 15 graduate within three years from a two-year program or within six years from a four-year program, according to information CPE cites from the National center for Public Policy and Higher Education.
“We have a responsibility in the postsecondary system to work on issues like teacher education and curriculum,” Layzell said. “We have to make sure we are turning out teachers that are needed in the classrooms. It's only when we work together that we'll address the problems.”
Dunn is expected to officially assume MSU's presidency on Dec. 1. Since 2004, he has been the state superintendent for education under Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Before that he spent a decade at Southern Illinois University as a professor, including some time as the chair of the department of educational administration and higher education. He previously was a local school district superintendent.
“He's eager to get involved. He's got a good reputation in Illinois,” Layzell said. “He'll bring knowledge and background, and it's not a common career move.”
Along with the University of Kentucky, Murray State has the state's highest graduation rates. Layzell said MSU's success has come from the personal attention students receive and programs such as the residential college system.
And the state is trying to make more resources available. Legislators approved $3.6 million over the next two years to help universities become regional stewards with their resources after Northern Kentucky University began identifying how it could help meet the needs of the surrounding community. Regional advisory councils that represent the area will meet with university officials about priorities.
Layzell said NKU already had its plan approved and other universities are working on their submissions.
CPE member Phyllis Maclin, who lives in Paducah, said she hopes all the areas embrace what NKU started. “What I see happening in NKU isn't unique in that area,” she said.
Other issues CPE recognizes include the need for teachers specializing in math and science and the funding formula to determine how much state funding universities should receive for their operations. But those are spin-off issues of the education attainment initiative.
“You can't look at that in isolation,” Layzell said of the bachelor's degree goal. “You have to look at how prepared students are. It merges the two systems together. There's not going to be one initiative that will solve this.”
Story created Oct 26, 2006 - 12:31:49 EDT.
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