Report stresses college as crucial to prosperity

More Ohioans need to bolster their science and math skills, the report says.
By JEFF ORTEGA
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
COLUMBUS -- Ohio needs to boost the number of its residents who pursue and receive a post-secondary education, a new report on Ohio higher education concludes.
The report, the culmination of 10 months of work by the Governor's Commission on Higher Education & amp; the Economy, also recommends establishing an Ohio Business Alliance for Higher Education & amp; the Economy -- a private-sector-led group -- to work on improving colleges and universities.
The report also calls for boosting the numbers of Ohioans with knowledge of science and mathematics and for making it easier for students to apply to and transfer among Ohio's colleges and universities.
Gov. Bob Taft, who appointed the commission and charged it with finding ways to improve the state's higher education system, said it will be important to encourage those from all walks of life to aspire to go to college.
Higher education will be important to the jobs of the future, many of which are relatively well-paid, Taft and other officials said.
Incentives
The Republican governor said it will take significant marketing to boost college enrollment by the 30 percent that commission chairman Richard W. Pogue said the panel has recommended over 10 years.
The governor said the Ohio Instructional Grant, which provides tuition assistance for lower-income students, also should be expanded.
According to the Ohio Board of Regents, which coordinates activity among the state's universities, Ohio had just under 450,000 students in state universities, branch campuses and community and technical colleges.
The state is spending about $2.4 billion this fiscal year on higher education, the regents said, including about $208 million on financial aid programs.
At public universities, many institutions have announced tuition increases in recent months, and Regents Chancellor Roderick G. W. Chu said the commission's report shows that more of the state's two-year, $48 billion budget should be directed to colleges and universities.
Competitiveness
Boosting post-secondary enrollment is going to be critical for Ohio, said David C. Sweet, president of Youngstown State University and chairman of the Inter-University Council of Ohio. The IUC represents Ohio's 13 public universities and two free-standing public medical schools.
"It's essential if Ohio is going to compete in the global economy," Sweet said. "We also recognize that it will be important for Ohio to invest in achieving that objective."
Potential college students need to look at the big picture when considering whether to seek higher education, commission member R. Stanton Hales said.
A college education can be expensive, but it can increase earning potential over the long term, said Hales, president of The College of Wooster, an independent college with about 1,800 students.
The commission's report also recommends:
UMaking Ohio's two-year and university branch campuses partner with work-force groups to improve skills of Ohioans already in the work force.
UAttracting and retaining more pre-eminent researchers to maximize innovation and commercialization capabilities at Ohio universities.
UHelping businesses and entrepreneurs with converting university-based research into products and services.