New bipartisan support for Ohio's colleges
BYLINE: Luis M. Proenza
The writer is president of the University of Akron.
There is good news coming out of Columbus these days, and it could improve the future of all Ohioans.
Our elected leaders are not only talking about the vital connection between state investment in higher education and the future of Ohio's economy. They are matching positive rhetoric with movement toward a historic investment.
In tandem with that investment, state and university leaders are partnering to hold down tuition increases.
This momentous conversation is being led by Gov. Ted Strickland, House Speaker Jon Husted and Senate President Bill Harris. They and their colleagues in the legislature, together with Ohio Board of Regents Chancellor Eric Fingerhut, are demonstrating true leadership in tackling the challenge of budgeting for higher education in a way that optimizes its contributions to the state's economy and to the well-being of its residents.
Recognizing the critical link between higher education and Ohio's economic growth, these leaders are shaping a plan that will invest wisely, resulting in even greater returns.
After years of state budgets in which the investment in higher education lagged that of most other states, our policy-makers are poised to make higher education the priority it must be if Ohio is to compete successfully for jobs, business investment and economic development in today's knowledge economy... and if Ohio's young people are going to be prepared to succeed in a high-tech world where competition for jobs is fierce and global.
The funding commitment in the House-approved budget is a major step in the right direction.
Proposed levels of state investment would provide much-needed support for state universities' continuing efforts to improve student access and success, enhance program quality and keep college education affordable for all Ohioans. Of course, higher levels of investment bring higher expectations for efficiency, productivity and accountability.
Ohioans have every right to expect an appropriate return on their investment, and I believe our universities are prepared to be accountable for achieving access and success goals, measuring and improving quality of their programs, achieving optimal benefits from their research, serving business and industry work-force needs and delivering maximum value through efficiency, productivity and collaboration.
The two-year biennial budget is just step one of what must be a sustained commitment to higher education. The governor has challenged Ohio's colleges and universities with two ambitious goals to be met during the next 10 years:
Increase by 230,000 the number of Ohioans who attend college.
Increase by 20 percent the number who earn a college degree.
Meeting those goals will not be easy. Success will come only from a long-term, mutual commitment by the state and its public colleges and universities.
I share Gov. Strickland's belief that Ohio would be well-served by formalizing a compact -- a long-term vision and plan for higher education, with specific and broadly shared goals and accountability by the state and its universities.
Further, I assert that the plan must do more than increase college participation and completion rates and keep college affordable. It also must include goals, plans and funding for a range of issues crucial to Ohio, including quality enhancements needed to attract the best and brightest talent; strategic research and development expenditures to create jobs and spur economic activity; alignment of higher education programs with the state's economic development and work-force needs; and stable levels of state support for an extended period of time.
As public universities must be accountable to our residents, state lawmakersmust be accountable for fully funding agreed-upon priorities, providing stable, long-term funding and strategically allocating resources in a manner that supports individual institutional missions as well as broader state goals.
The time is now. There clearly is a shared understanding among state leaders that an increased investment in higher education is an investment in Ohio's future.
We owe a debt of gratitude to Gov. Strickland for initiating this vital discussion, to Speaker Husted and House lawmakers for their valuable contributions, and to Sen. Harris and his colleagues for their positive considerations.
The immediate task is to increase funding of public higher education.
But the potential impact of an enduring compact between the state and public higher education will provide hope and boundless opportunities for prosperity for Ohio's students, families, employers and all those who seek a brighter future for themselves, their children and their state.