The importance of being educated
Regents president provides an update on higher education in Kansas
Providing Kansans with a quality college education in fiscally tight times can be a challenge -- and it's one that the Kansas Board of Regents is up for.
That was the message Regent's president and CEO Reggie Robinson delivered during the first of five Higher Education Forums Wednesday, Oct. 8, at K-State's Alumni Center. The purpose of the meetings is to keep local and state leaders apprised of what's going on in the state's system of higher education and to field any questions they might have.
Robinson said over the last two decades, state spending per pupil has declined 18 percent -- from $7,435 to $6,063. During that same time, the cost of providing a quality education has increased.
For students, that's translated into higher tuition.
"The board takes very seriously its obligation to work hard to keep tuition affordable in Kansas … so that qualified Kansans have access to state institutions," Robinson said.
Kansas has 32 public institutions of higher learning, including seven public universities, 19 community colleges and six technical colleges.
Robinson also updated officials on the deferred maintenance backlog involving "mission critical" buildings at the state's institutions. Robinson said that in 2006 state universities had a $663 million backlog, with community colleges, technical colleges and Washburn University facing an additional $172 million in needed maintenance.
He said that the Regents were very thankful for the funding package provided by the Kansas Legislature in 2007. That plan was a five-year funding plan providing $90 million in state funds, $44 million in interest earnings, tax credits capable of generating up to $158 million in private contributions and $100 million in interest-free bonding authority for the community colleges, technical colleges and Washburn.
"This package was vitally important," Robinson said. "We continue to express our appreciation to the legislature for this support."
However, for state universities the plan addresses only 38 percent of the need.
Robinson said a high-quality learning environment will be critical to attracting and retaining the best and brightest students.
Robinson also addressed the need for those students in the workforce.
He cited numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, saying that 80 percent of the nation's fastest growing occupations between 2004 and 2014 will require some level of postsecondary education. Much of the Baby Boom generation is also nearing retirement age, which translates into shortages in science and engineering-related fields.
"Some education past high school is becoming increasingly necessary for people who want to succeed," Robinson said.
The Board of Regents has already enacted programs to help deal with the shortage in Kansas of nurses, teachers and pharmacists, and is preparing to address problems in the field of engineering.
"We are thinking about what we can do to wrap our arms around that," Robinson said.
Besides workforce issues, Robinson said society benefits as a whole when its members seek out education beyond high school. He said increasing the nation's average level of schooling by one year could add between $600 million and $1.5 trillion to U.S. economic output. In addition, the college-educated make more money, are less likely to be incarcerated and actively contribute to civic life.
He said higher education in Kansas is a definite contributor to economic development across the state.
For information on the Kansas Board of Regents, or to view Robinson's presentation, go to http://www.kansasregents.org
Photos: (Top) Reginald Robinson, of the Kansas Board of Regents talks about investing in higher education. (Middle right) K-State's Duane Nellis, discusses K-State's needs with Robinson. (Middle left) Former Regent chairman Nelson Galle interacts with K-State's Virginia Moxley. (Bottom) Donna Shank, current chair of the Kansas Board of Regents, listens during the Regents' Higher Education Forum, Oct. 8.