2015 saw much change in higher education

By Denise Dick

denise_dick@vindy.com

COLUMBUS

While 2015 brought a sea change in the state’s higher education, 2016 will boast the results of those changes, said John Carey, chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education.

“Performance funding is taking place, and we’re entering second biennium, and you’re going to see the results of those policies that have already been in place,” Carey said in a phone interview last week with The Vindicator.

In late 2013, the state released the Quality and Value Initiative for Ohio Higher Education report, listing recommendations for improved academic advising, lower textbook costs and increased opportunities for internships, among others.

Ohio Department of Higher Education staff will be visiting campuses to assess what changes have been made.

Some of the recommendations already were underway at institutions, while others may have moved up on universities’ priorities lists after being identified in the report, Carey said.

“Another example of that is program review,” he said. “Many colleges and universities were already conducting program reviews.”

The reviews target courses that don’t see a lot of students to determine whether they should be continued.

“I think that was a conversation-starter for some colleges,” the chancellor said.

Presidents of the state’s colleges and universities are working together regarding the next capital bill.

“A big focus of the presidents and their staffs is career services,” Carey said.

They’re working to educate students on the jobs available in the region where they live and attend school, what’s required to secure those jobs, the costs of a degree and what they can expect to earn in a particular field.

“That’s an effort to reduce college debt,” Carey said. “Unfortunately, what too often happens is they go to school for a couple of years and, for whatever reason, they’re not successful and they drop out, and they have a lot of debt.”

The state also has asked college and universities to provide faster pathways to careers. Those efforts include expanded opportunities for College Credit Plus and opportunities to earn a degree in three years.

College Credit Plus allows high-school students to earn college credit at the same time they’re taking a high-school course.

Another example is prior-learning assessment, allowing credit for life experience such as for military veterans.

“I think College Credit Plus has double the enrollment this year,” the chancellor said.

Prior-learning assessment will enable veterans to earn their college degrees more quickly.

The Mahoning Valley is a pilot this year for a program that allows senior citizens to earn free college tuition at Youngstown State University or Eastern Gateway Community College for volunteer hours.

It’s called Give Back, Go Forward, and the plan is to expand it statewide.

“It’s going well,” Carey said. “We have volunteers working. We’re going forward, talking to some stakeholders about how we can get more volunteers.”

The United Way’s Success Before Six and Success After Six programs and Inspiring Minds are the programs through which seniors may earn the credit.

Jeff Robinson, a spokesman for the Ohio Department of Higher Education, said there’s been a lot of interest in the program, but it’s been an issue of scheduling.

Many seniors want to volunteer earlier in the day while much of the work in the programs occurs after school.

“We’re also looking for other opportunities,” Carey said. “We’re sticking with education, but we’re looking for more opportunities.”