NEWS | June 2006 - all articles
This page includes all articles in the June issue. Return to summary of articles.
Minnesota's other trade deficit: College students
From Backpack to Briefcase
Governor and legislators decline to improve high ed access
Chambers partner in effort to trigger discussion about state's future education
Ruvelson Rainmaker Fellowship supports next generation of entrepreneurs
Web site re-design
Minnesota's other trade deficit: College students
Minnesota residents are increasingly going elsewhere for their college educations. About 37 percent of Minnesotans who were enrolled as freshmen in four-year institutions in 2004 attended college outside the state, up from 33 percent in 2000. The trend raises questions about how we can keep Minnesota higher education competitive in a national and international marketplace. The answers are important not just to both public and private higher education, but the state’s economy as well.
An off-kilter data picture
Demographic trends are clear: the number of high school graduates produced in Minnesota has peaked and is slated to decline by over 10 percent in the next decade. In the face of this reality, some in the state higher education community have suggested that we can simply import the college students we need to keep our institutions healthy and our economy vibrant. After all, other states, particularly in the South and West, are growing in numbers of high school graduates. But how realistic is this expectation, given the competitive national market for college students?
In fall 2004, more than 30,000 Minnesota residents were first-time freshmen at four-year institutions in the U.S. Nearly all of them, 27,000, had graduated from high school within the past year, and more than 10,000 of those, or 37 percent, had gone to colleges and universities out of state. That compares to less than 25 percent of freshmen nationally who left their home states to attend college full-time, according to data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data Systems (IPEDS) Fall Enrollment Survey.
Meanwhile, only about 6,500 first-time freshmen from out of state enrolled in one of Minnesota’s public or private four-year institutions. The difference, 3,568 students, makes Minnesota a net exporter of college freshmen among new high school graduates.
Counting all new freshmen attending four-year institutions, including those who graduated from high school in prior years, Minnesota’s net exports in 2004 amounted to 4,081 freshmen. And that number has grown significantly since fall 2000. In that year, also according to IPEDS data, Minnesota’s net export of freshmen to four-year institutions in other states was only 2,643. This means that the state’s net exports increased by 56 percent in four years, during which time the number of high school graduates in Minnesota increased by only 4.6 percent (public schools only, according to data from the Minnesota Department of Education).
Interpreting the imbalance
What does this say about the competitiveness of our colleges and universities in the national marketplace? What about the desirability of Minnesota as a destination for educated members of the next generation?
Most of the trade imbalance is attributable to public colleges and universities. Minnesota exported 3,149 more freshmen to public institutions in other states in 2004 than it imported to publics, up 28 percent from 2,454 freshmen in fall 2000. The vast majority of those students (70 percent) went to just four states: North and South Dakota, Wisconsin and Iowa. Only six states sent more public college freshmen to Minnesota than they received. On the private, non-profit side, Minnesota sent 932 more freshmen to other states than it received, up from just 169 in fall 2000. The top four states to which Minnesota had a net loss of private college freshmen were Iowa, Massachusetts, Illinois and New York.
Despite the trends, Minnesota's private institutions are still doing a far better job at keeping resident freshmen in the state than the publics are, relative to the national averages. In 2004, a Minnesota resident freshman attending a public four-year institution was 2.5 times more likely to do so out of state than the national average. Minnesota residents attending private non-profit institutions, on the other hand, were 21 percent more likely to do so in-state than the national average.
From Backpack to Briefcase
Among the outreach initiatives that Minnesota's Private Colleges support are programs that prepare our students for success after college. “From Backpack to Briefcase: A Diversity Outreach Event,” was held at Cargill in April for recipients of the Minnesota Private College Fund’s Cargill Scholarship and United Negro College Fund students. The event introduced students to Cargill career opportunities and Cargill employees.
"Cargill is proud to sponsor this diversity outreach program which provides information about our global business and the full-time and internship opportunities that make up our company," says Cargill recruiter, Colleen Lacey. "Employees who participate in the event assist in mock interviews, résumé writing and career fair etiquette. This event is a valuable opportunity to network and build relationships with diverse students and faculty from participating schools."
Resources for businesses interested in helping students prepare for the workplace include:
Governor and legislators decline to improve high ed access
The most notable accomplishment of the 2006 Minnesota Legislative Session was the hundreds of millions spent to construct new buildings and a stadium on public college and university campuses across the state. The interest in building projects was to be expected, given this was an off-budget session; the Legislature was not compelled to reopen the biennial budget created last year that carries through to June 2007. Still, it was unfortunate that policy makers failed to make a new commitment to the State Grant Program, which helps low- and middle-income students afford college.
Although it was a bonding year, the Legislature did spend some General Fund money, with the House, Senate and governor agreeing to a package of $405 million in spending increases and tax cuts. In higher education, the expansion of the University of Minnesota’s presence in Rochester was funded with $5 million in new annual operating funds. Also, the state’s commitment to the University of Minnesota’s new football stadium will be funded with $10.25 million per year in General Fund money for the next 25 years.
The Minnesota Private College Council had asked the Legislature for a modest commitment of $7 million for the State Grant Program, to help over 70,000 Minnesotans attending public and private colleges. Over 30 House and Senate members co-authored the MPCC-sponsored financial aid legislation; nearly 300 private college advocates participated in their campus’ Private College Day at the Capitol. It was disappointing when our request was not included in the recommendations of the House, Senate or governor.
In terms of bonding support, the Legislature gave the University of Minnesota $116 million for new academic and research facilities. The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities received authority for $194 million for a variety of building projects on their campuses throughout the state.
Despite our disappointment over the State Grant Program outcome, we remain hopeful for the future. Starting this fall, we plan to work with students and financial aid advocates statewide to create more understanding of the importance of keeping higher education affordable. We will work to convince elected officials to improve state assistance for college students when the Legislature returns in 2007.
For more details on what happened at the Legislature, contact Mike Wilhelmi, MPCC director government and community affairs, 651-228-9061.
Chambers partner in effort to trigger discussion about state's future education
Critical questions about demographic trends and the impact on the state’s economic future have been raised this spring in a series of meetings in Greater Minnesota. More than 100 local leaders came together for the discussions that were co-hosted by chambers of commerce in St. Cloud, Mankato, Duluth and Fargo/Moorhead. Presenters from the Minnesota Private College Council were there on behalf of Learnmore, a new coalition initiative focused on how to ensure that more Minnesota children succeed in school and pursue higher education — for their sakes and the sake of our state's future.
The presentations highlighted a number of facts:
- The United States has fallen in the ranking of industrialized nations on college participation from second to 15th in just ten years.
- While the number of high school graduates in the United States will increase by 4 percent between 2003 and 2013, the number of graduates will decrease in the Upper Midwest over that same period, including a 10.3 percent drop in Minnesota.
- Graduation rates for Hispanic and black students remain well below the state average — at a time when teens in these groups are increasing in numbers and have the most to gain from staying in school and going to college.
- Students with high academic ability are much more likely to complete college if they are well off. Looking at 8th graders who do very well at standardized math tests, 29 percent of those who are low-income eventually complete a bachelor’s degree, compared to 74 percent of those who are from wealthy families.
- The number of college graduates retiring from the state’s workforce will grow from 9,000 per year in 2007 to 25,000 per year in 2017.
In recent years the Minnesota Private College Council has shared this analysis with various community groups and partners. Under the Learnmore umbrella, these recent conversations with chamber members offered another opportunity to raise awareness and identify new partners to tackle the underlying challenges. Participants in Duluth, Mankato, Moorhead and St. Cloud included local business people, representatives from higher education, K-12 educators, chamber staff and elected officials.
The discussions with chamber members covered several aspects of the issue, from what is being done to maintain affordability of higher education to how best to build student interest in completing high school. “We were delighted to host the Learnmore session for our community and region and found the information provided and discussed very helpful, says David Martin of the Fargo/Moorhead chamber. According to Andy Peterson, director of public policy for the Duluth chamber:
“Because attracting and educating an educated workforce is one our members’ main concerns the Learnmore meeting came at an ideal time. Further, it spurred us to promote investment in higher education as a top priority for our chamber. I would encourage chambers and businesses across our state to become engaged in developing a workforce now before it becomes a crisis.”
It was clear that local business communities are already part of a variety of related efforts, from offering mentoring opportunities for students to raising scholarship dollars. The chamber discussions with Learnmore have triggered additional responses, including interest in sharing the presentation with other audiences and discussion of potential collaborations.
More on Learnmore
This public engagement campaign has been under development since 2005. Now dubbed Learnmore, the initiative is a response to some inescapable truths. Minnesota employers will soon need more new college-educated hires than the state will produce; in market terms, demand will outstrip supply. While various trends are involved, one is particularly stark: too many of our children fail to complete high school, let alone pursue post-high-school education options. For example, only about half of high school graduates enroll in higher education at a Minnesota institution the next fall. This result is even lower among some ethnic groups.
In today’s knowledge economy, education is the key that opens opportunity and prepares people to adapt to how the world is changing, more than ever before. But future academic success isn’t just good for growing children — it is good for all of us. We all need the state's future workforce to be as prepared as possible. With our rapidly changing demographics and increasing global competition, the continued vitality of Minnesota’s economy is at stake.
Learnmore is the result of an informal alliance of citizens representing business, education, service groups and others, all of whom are concerned about our state’s future. The Minnesota Private College Council has been a catalyst in this effort. Others have stepped forward as early partners and supporters, including the St. Paul Travelers Foundation and the Foundation for Independent Higher Education, who helped underwrite the discussions with local chambers.
Efforts to engage the public are growing and include:
- Follow-up with the communities where the chamber-hosted presentations occurred, as well as efforts to set up additional presentations in new communities.
- The release later this summer of a Web site focused on these issues, at www.learnmoremn.org, which will include an active discussion forum.
- Steps to build awareness through the media, including advertising.
The assumption is simple: Building awareness of these challenges and spurring Minnesotans to identify new ways to help more children succeed in school — and life — is vital to us all. The Minnesota Private College Council will continue to keep you updated on what is underway.
For more information about Learnmore contact Phillip Miner, 651-293-6809.
Ruvelson Rainmaker Fellowship supports next generation of entrepreneurs
A new fellowship program for college students interested in entrepreneurship, small business, finance, economic development and community leadership has been established by Alan K. “Buddy” Ruvelson — a former trustee of three MPCC member institutions. The Ruvelson Rainmaker Fellowship supports qualified recipients from four-year institutions in Minnesota, North Dakota and Iowa with a $10,000 award. Fellows gain hands-on experience in the venture capital industry and complete a specialized training curriculum. The first recipient — a University of Minnesota junior — will work this summer and during his senior year with professionals at RAIN Source Capital.
Ruvelson believed that “smart people with good ideas” deserved a chance to create and grow them into successful business ventures. He is known as “the grandfather” of the modern venture capital industry. He served as trustee or advisor for educational institutions including the College of St. Benedict, College of St. Catherine, University of St. Thomas, University of Minnesota and the St. Paul Public Schools.
Students from all disciplines and majors are invited to apply for the fellowship in the spring of their junior year. For more information about the fellowship, visit the Rain Source Capital Web site.
For information about other scholarships that support students in specific program areas, visit scholarship matching Web sites like Fast Web, Mach 25 or Scholarships.com.
Web site re-design
The Minnesota Private College Council has just launched its new Web site and invites you to take a look at www.mnprivatecolleges.org. The site was re-designed to be more appealing and usable — especially for prospective students and parents. It highlights our colleges, provides information on majors and minors and offers tools for the college decision-making process. The site also aims to better serve our donor, community, policy and campus audiences. It now presents our colleges in a more visible and interesting way, provides easy access to our newsletter, and organizes information for each of our key audiences. You are the best judge of how well we've hit the mark of providing useful and easy to locate information. So — please visit us on the Web, and if you have feedback you'd like to share, please e-mail us at colleges@mnprivatecolleges.org.