PowerPoint Presentation

UA Challenges and OpportunitiesSome slides and comments borrowed, with permission, from WICHEs David Longanecker

Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education David Longaneckers talk to the UA Board of Regents in June 2014.1

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TopicsNational Higher Education AgendasThe Alaska and UA Situation

Looking down = dual credit, advanced placement, Alaska Learning Network access to Alaska Performance Scholarship eligible curriculum.

Looking up Alaska has one of the highest rates in the nation of the percentage of our population with some college but no degree.

The easy way to improve attainment rates is to lower standards but we do not want to do that when ever you talk about completion rates that is the worry.

PSE = postsecondary education

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Expectations are Changing:National Higher Education Agendas (I)CompletionDraft congressional bills reauthorizing the Higher Education Act connect federal funding to completion and employment ratesLooking down (HS) & looking up (adults with some college but no degree)Competency based education (not seat time)Ensuring quality is maintained or improved the worryGeorgetown Center 67% of Alaskas workforce will need pse

Looking down = dual credit, advanced placement, Alaska Learning Network access to Alaska Performance Scholarship eligible curriculum.

Looking up Alaska has one of the highest rates in the nation of the percentage of our population with some college but no degree.

The easy way to improve attainment rates is to lower standards but we do not want to do that when ever you talk about completion rates that is the worry.

PSE = postsecondary education

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Expectations are Changing:National Higher Education Agendas (II)ProductivityEvidence based practice for quality (assess student learning with external validation) has caught on in public policy and is being supported, e.g., Lumina DQP and APLU VSAAnalytics can support evidence based practice (CLA, CAAP, ETS Proficiency Profile, AHELO, Work-keys, etc.)

DQP 300 institutions in more than 40 states investigating the Lumina Foundation Degree Qualifications Profile, the implementation of faculty-driven system redesign around learning outcomes

APLU VSA Association of Public Landgrant Universities Voluntary System of Accountability requires use of CLA, CAAP, or ETS Proficiency Profile

OCED AHELO = Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development an international group has put together Assessment of Higher Education Learning Outcomes at the international level.

CLA Collegiate Learning AssessmentCAAP - Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP) is the standardized, nationally normed assessment program from ACT that enables postsecondary institutions to assess, evaluate, and enhance student learning outcomes and general education program outcomes.ETS Proficiency Profile - The ETS Proficiency Profile assesses four core skill areas critical thinking, reading, writing and mathematics in a single, convenient test.Work-keys ACTs WorkKeys is a job skills assessment system measuring real-world skills. WorkKeys connects work skills, training, and skill testing for educators and employers.

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Expectations are Changing:National Higher Education Agendas (III)InnovationThe continued expansion of on-line delivery and blended coursesAccelerating developmental education (blended collegiate-developmental courses, intensives, Quantway & Statway)New providers of courses & services; e.g., Straighter Line, DreamDegree, Insidetrack, Kahn Academy, SmartThinking

StraighterLine provides high-quality online college courses that are guaranteed to fit into your degree program. http://www.straighterline.com/

Nonprofit DreamDegree.org helps you discover your purpose, pursue career goals, and find the right college degree with your FREE Personal Education Coach. Take courses on your IOS device for college credit.

InsideTrack Coaching inspires students as they prepare to enter school, and increases their engagement and success from the first day in class to graduation, while simultaneously strengthening the universities and programs which make coaching possible. http://www.insidetrack.com/

Khan Academy is a not-for-profit with the goal of changing education for the better by providing a free world-class education for anyone anywhere. www.khanacademy.org/

SmartThinking is an online tutoring service - http://www.smarthinking.com/Students connect to live educators from any computer that has Internet access, no special software installation or equipment is required. We provide live, online tutoring up to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week enabling students to get the help they need when they need it. Our tutors do not solve the problems for students, but rather teach the underlying concepts. Reading, Writing, Science, Mathematics.

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Expectations are Changing:National Higher Education Agendas (IV)FundingPerformance funding (42 states) and reduced state support (46 states)New models blend finance and productivity agendas

The new reality is that states are funding universities at a lower rate and students are covering more of the cost. Universities are by necessity becoming leaner institutions. In Alaska, the legislature reduced our budget for the first time in more than a decade. However, the increases they have given the past few years have not been covering our fixed cost increases so we have been dealing with reductions for several years now.

Performance funding most common is to tie funding to completion rates, others tie funding to learning outcomes scores (productivity agenda)

Many states are making deals like we will meet your 3% inflation increase if you do not raise tuition.

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David Longanecker, WICHEJune 2014The change agenda is massive, rapid, and often fact freeThe change agenda impactsThe way we provide educationWho we educateThe way we assess quality & effectivenessThe way we finance the enterprise Alaska and UA is Traditional in how you provide educationTraditional in who you educateTraditional in the way you assess quality Traditional in financing the enterprise

Handout of SAF7

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TopicsNational Higher Education AgendasThe Alaska and UA Situation

Looking down = dual credit, advanced placement, Alaska Learning Network access to Alaska Performance Scholarship eligible curriculum.

Looking up Alaska has one of the highest rates in the nation of the percentage of our population with some college but no degree.

The easy way to improve attainment rates is to lower standards but we do not want to do that when ever you talk about completion rates that is the worry.

PSE = postsecondary education

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Differences in College Attainment (Associate & Higher) Between Younger & Older Adults - U.S., 2009Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2009 American Community Survey (ACS)Alaska has a higher portion of 45-54 year olds with college attainment than 25-34 year olds we are one of a handful of states (New Mexico, Idaho) going the wrong way.

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This graph shows the association of personal income per capita and the proportion of adults with bachelors degrees the strength of this relationship is growing over time. Alaska has made some progress on attainment over this period but is waning compared to other states and we lag the US average now in per capita income.

CT, MA, NY, and other states have made large investments in higher education, in particular in STEM education and that is positively associated with per capita income.

There is a decreasing association between proportion of individuals who have a high school diploma or higher and per capita income from 1980 to 2010 (0.63 to 0.27).

For 2000 and 2010 where data is available, the relationship to per capital income with proportion of individuals holding an associate or higher is almost the same as for those holding a bachelor's degree or higher (~.75 - .79).

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Alaska Support of Higher Education(2011)Higher Education Appropriation/FTE StudentAlaska: $12,932 (212% of U.S.; rank 2nd)U.S. Average:$6,105

Above Average Wealth - Per capita income (2011) Alaska: $45,529 (9% above U.S. average; rank 10th)U.S. Average: $41,663

Alaska higher education is well supported by the state and we sincerely appreciate that. That support out paces the average wealth differential in the state.

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A bit hard to see but this is difference from the average educational appropriates per FTE student for the fifty states you can see that Alaska is number 2 here and Wyoming (#1) and Alaska (#2) are in a league of their own. Thus, we can not and should not expect additional spending by the State to support higher education.

Why is it high in Alaska we have prioritized access (16 campuses and wide availability of distance education) over efficiency and quality. 12

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Most states have significantly reduced funding for higher education over the past five years - on average -23% during this period Alaska is in the small minority that did not see a large increase or decrease. The most recent data (FY15) show most states are increasing funding rather than decreasing further so Alaska appears to be lagging the rest of the US in its funding approach.

Low skill, high wage economy but not universally high wage

Funding is robust; suggesting not much room for more from the state

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National Student Clearinghouse Information on StudentCompletion in Six Years CompletionNot Enrolled or Completed AK US AKUS4-year Programs 36% 61%44%23%2-year Programs 21% 36%65%44%Current completion rates are low

The recent UA investment in advising is already showing positive increases in student retention I am working with the three universities to establish minimum baccalaureate admission standards UAF implemented these standards in 2007 and their completion rates this year are above 40 %.

To improve two year program completions we must convince students and employers that attainment will improve the long term performance in their organizations a common complaint that occurs is we can find workers but over time we do not find the expertise to grow these folks into management that is why the attainment is important is to grow that communication and management skill set that is not needed to do the entry level work.

IPEDS data are used in the College Navigator (http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/), on the FAFSA online form. As potential students apply for financial aid, they can see the tuition and fees, average net price, graduation rates, retention rates, and transfer rates for schools as reported through IPEDS, the College Affordability and Transparency Center (http://collegecost.ed.gov)14

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Credential & Degrees Awarded Per $100,000 of Education & Related Expenditures Total: Public Colleges & Universities

UAs attainment productivity relative to funding is very low and needs improvement.

This is why UA and the state have invested in advising funding and our data indicate these efforts are paying off both UAF and UAS are showing clear improvements in attainment rates.

This will be critically more important if federal funding is tied to attainment rates as proposed in the reauthorization of the higher education act.15

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Alaska Public High School Graduates by Race/Ethnicity2008-09 (Projected) and 2009-10 to 2027-28 (Projected) American Indian/Alaska Native Asian/Pacific Islander Black, non-Hispanic Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Growth will be in the Alaska Native, Pacific Islander, and Hispanic populations primarily. Historically, these are the students needing higher rates of remediation and have lower rates of APS eligibility.16

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Alaska Postsecondary Engagement46.4% 2010 college-going rate directly from high school compared to national 62.5% (NCHEMS 2010)55% college-going in-state compared to national 83.2% (NCHEMS 2006) this impacts our completion rates!59% of UA students are part-time50% of UA students are >24 years old

The National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) is a private nonprofit (501)(c)(3) organization whose mission is to improve strategic decision making in higher education for states and institutions in the United States and abroad.

Alaska continues to be a net importer of baccalaureate degrees. Students that attend college and attain a degree in Alaska tend to stay in Alaska at higher rates than those educated outside the state.

50% > 24 years old is highly associated with our high rate of part-time students working adults with families.17

18Developmental Education46% of fall 2012 recent high school graduates seeking a 4year baccalaureate degree required developmental coursework58% of fall 2012 recent high school graduates seeking an associate degree required developmental coursework70% of developmental students are not recent high school graduates; they are post traditional adults51% of baccalaureate degree recipients and 63% of associate, certificate and endorsement recipients took at least one developmental course (AY 12-13)

A common myth is that if we fix secondary education we will eliminate the need for developmental education. As you can see by item 3 here that is not the case we would need to improve high school preparation and the college going rate immediately following high school to have the needed effect.

APS is helping.

The new Alaska standards will help.

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David Longanecker, WICHEJune 2014Alaskas student demographic growth will be among least well educated populationsAlaska is the most expensive house on the block - You cant expect more moneyAlaska current completion rates are lowIn sum: you face challenges aheadThe lift is huge so the response must be as wellUA has an agenda with Shaping Alaskas Future but does Alaska?

Handout of SAF20

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What does FY16 look like for UA?UA Board of Regents voted against a tuition increase of 4% for FY16 and asks UA to cooperate and consolidate further across institutionsThe Board appeared split on the FY 16 draft UA budget proposal ($10 million) final vote is at November meetingOffice of Management and Budget indicated they expect the revenue forecast to show a downward trend Governors budget will be out about mid December

Handout of SAF21

22ContactDana L. Thomas, PhDVice PresidentAcademic Affairs and ResearchPO Box 755000Fairbanks, AK 99775-5000Phone: 907-450-8019Email: dlthomas@alaska.edu14.9 million cut

Ongoing work with K-12 to improve college/work readiness. Support govs proposal to eliminate HSQE and replace with ACT, SAT or WorkKeysmore meaningful. #s of college freshman needing remedial/developmental ed at UA too high. UA expanding comprehensive advising to thousands of students thanks to past support from Legislature.

Infrastructure: over 400 buildings, huge backlog of deferred maintenance. One single item, UAF heat and power plant, a heavy but necessary lift. 22