Rank by population with post high school degrees*
1. Korea
2. Canada
3. Japan
4. Russian Federation
5. Ireland
6. Norway
7. New Zealand
8. Luxembourg
9. United Kingdom
10. Australia
11. Denmark
12. France
13. Israel
14. Belgium
15. Sweden
16. United States
*ages 25-34
Percent of adults with at least an associate’s degree, by county:
Butler 35.75
Clark 27.39
Greene 47.74
Hamilton 43.16
Miami 30.93
Montgomery 35.82
Preble 20.68
Warren 47.09
Source: Lumina Foundation
WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will challenge the nation’s governors Friday to raise the number of college degree holders in their state to 60 percent within eight years.
That statistic would push the U.S. back toward being the first in the world for college graduates. It’s now 16th. That means in Ohio, 905,000 25- to 34-year-olds will need a postsecondary degree in 2020.
In 2010, 38 percent — 537,219 — of the state’s young adults got an associate or bachelor’s degree, according to Education Department figures.
Nationally, about 39 percent of young adults received college degrees in 2010, up slightly from the year before.
“We’re dropping rapidly in terms of the percentage of our population with postsecondary credentials,” said Tom Lasley, University of Dayton professor and executive director of Learn to Earn Dayton. “That means that companies with better jobs are going to be looking at outsourcing those jobs to where the intellectual capital is.”
Forty-three of the 50 jobs that will be most in demand in Ohio through 2018 require some postsecondary credential, according to the Buckeye Top 50 report.
“Achieving 60 percent is a must if we are to remain competitive as a state and region,” said Sean Creighton, executive director of the Southwestern Ohio Council for Higher Education. “Not only do I think it can be done, we have an advantage in our region thanks to the many wonderful colleges and universities working on this every day. The bigger question is, can we keep our graduates here, since that is what will truly move the needle.”
Ohio’s overall funding for higher education decreased by about 11 percent, but only because the federal government stopped supplying the state dollars from the 2009 federal stimulus bill, according to Gov. John Kasich’s office. Actual state funding from the general fund went up by about 1 percent, increasing by about $17 million.
Duncan said Wednesday that while access to colleges and universities is increasing, that doesn’t necessarily translate to degrees.
That’s because of a variety of factors, including college cost and a lack of preparation for degree programs. In Ohio, for example, 41 percent of students entering college have to take at least one remedial course.
“We’ve had a massive focus on access, which is hugely important,” Duncan said. “But we’ve had nowhere near enough focus on completion.”
Kim Norris, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Board of Regents, said Duncan’s challenge reflects a top priority of Chancellor Jim Petro. She said Petro has convened a task force on the issue, met with college presidents and plans to roll out strategies to increase the college completion rate.
“Too many students who begin college are not finishing,” she said.
On Wednesday, Duncan said that colleges and universities also aren’t filling U.S. companies’ needs for skilled, high-tech workers, saying there are at least 2 million high-wage, high-skilled jobs that are unfilled.
He recounted a visit to one community where school superintendents and business leaders sat in the same room and realized that the schools weren’t training their students for the skills the companies needed.
“I want people to understand what the job market looks like,” he said.
But he acknowledged that part of that answer starts earlier in the pipeline: Elementary and middle schools, he said, need more teachers who are enthusiastic about math and science education.
Part of his push Friday, he said, will be to encourage governors to prioritize college funding.
“Money by itself is never the answer,” he said. “But it’s a piece of the answer.”
Area colleges largely welcome the challenge.
“Whether these goals can be reached or not, I don’t know, but I know that Miami is working to provide higher education to Ohio residents,” said Michael Pratt, dean of the Miami University regional campuses.
“Miami University is doing its part,” said Pratt, noting the university has one of the highest graduation rates of any public university in the nation at 80 percent.
Community colleges will try to connect the dots, said David Devier, vice president of academic and student affairs at Clark State Community College.
“Have the programs that, first of all, will attract students and will interest students. But equally important, programs that are going to have graduates that employers want,” he said.
An example, he said, is the college’s diesel technology certificate and associate degree programs that launch this fall — meeting a demand by employers locally for people who can service their engines.
Sinclair Community College President Steve Johnson said the initiative is crucial to keep the United States from falling behind in employable talent.
“The call for more college graduates is a call to save our country from continuing to fall behind the progress being made by other developed nations,” Johnson said.
He added that the college, “will continue to work to develop the workforce needed for a strong and vibrant economy in the Dayton Region.”
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