No Challenge too Large for Education

“In a time when the public has lost confidence in many institutions, including our government, American higher education continues to garner praise for its quality, its achievements, and its stature,” Molly Corbett Broad said.

This was the main message that rang through the University of Georgia Chapel at the 20^th annual Louise McBee Lecture on Nov. 14.

“In cities across the country including, of course, Athens, Ga., local institutions of higher education are the economic and cultural bedrock that determine the quality of life in their communities,” Broad said.

“Colleges and universities continue to be seen as credible institutions, places of opportunity and big ideas; institutions that are here to serve others, to teach, to empower, to mentor, to solve problems,” Broad said.

Broad stressed that this is crucial at a time when resources are dwindling; public trust and support for the future determines available sources for colleges and universities.

Broad addressed that today’s economy has placed strain on the university system, its students, and their families. Universities are facing budget cuts and reductions in donations and investments. Faculties have fewer resources and face cutbacks; there are declining numbers of tenured professors and more part time staff in the university system.

Students are being offered less assistance and fewer resources yet having to find ways to pay rising tuition as college savings accounts’ values decrease and student loans become harder to obtain.

Students’ families are dealing with job losses and decreasing values of homes, freezing their line of credit.

Economic changes challenge universities to develop individual and resourceful leaders. They are needed to “question our nation’s capacity to build social and cultural consensus and form new compacts between higher education and government,” said Broad.

The economic landscape that universities are functioning in has changed drastically. Globalization has changed our economic geography in the past few decades. The fall of the Berlin Wall and creation of independent states from the Soviet Union caused trade barriers to fall in addition to diminishing trade barriers in China and elsewhere. These occurrences added 3 billion consumers to the world trade market Broad quoted from reports.

The population and reach of universities is also globalizing. Student mobility has increased and programs and institutions are building overseas, especially in Asia and the Middle East. The change that this international mobility has sparked is important in a broader context, said Broad.

Broad cited the most powerful force in the economy today is human capital. The economy of the mid 20^th century was 65% low skill jobs; today’s economy is composed of 65% high skill jobs. This supports the growing dependency on human intellectual capital as America’s dependency on natural resources and manufacturing vanishes.

Broad wants people to frame higher education as a long term investment. She gave statistical evidence to prove the rate of return on higher education is significantly high and enough to cancel than the opportunity cost of wages earned in addition to dependency cost while in college.

“No one moves up from the loading deck to the corner office anymore,” Broad said quoting a fellow education academic, “educational attainment determines access to learning and technology on the job.” There is a direct correlation between education and life long learning or educational access.

In 1967, 70% of those with a high school diploma were part of the middle class; in 2005, 50% were in the middle class with the other 20% dropping to lower income classes according to statistics Broad cited. In America today more than 40% of the population does not have any post-secondary education. The demand for educated employees must be met to prevent further hollowing out of America’s middle class.

To increase the number of college educated employees, the discrepancy of educational attainment by class and race must be solved. With whites projected to be a minority of the U.S. population in the coming years it is important to begin a trend in the Hispanic and black communities of higher educational obtainment.

Colleges and universities are also going to have to find ways to educate a growing population of grey-hairs at a time when college age students’ numbers are stagnant. It is beneficial to encourage those not wanting to retire at 56 to maintain or gain education and continue productivity in a workforce that is seeking skilled employees said Broad.

Broad stressed the critical situation Americans face today; the American Dream is in danger of being lost. “The American Dream, in which each generation will be better off than the generation of its parents is at its tipping point,” Broad said, “we now risk older generations having higher level of educational obtainment than younger generations.”

Though the speech took place on a dreary morning, it seemed miles away from the bright crowd joined in the Chapel. Before and after the speech the crowd bustled about reuniting with old friends and colleagues. Many handshakes and hugs were shared and introductions extended. It was a joining of like minds, not to be disconnected from the speaker and current UGA President.

“We will have no discussion as to whether the University of Georgia or the University of North Carolina was the first public university,” Broad said, after praising University of Georgia President Michael Adams and thanking him for an impressive introduction

President Adams gave an honorable introduction before Broad walked to the podium. They were acquainted from Broad’s 25 years at the University of Georgia and position as a Georgia Representative, chairing the House Higher Education Committee. “She has served on virtually every board and commission for higher education,” Adams said.

Broad is the president of The American Council on Education, and served 9 years as the president of the 16-campus University of North Carolina. She also held positions in the California University System and Arizona University Systems. She served the New York State Commission on the Future of Postsecondary Education, the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, and the International Council for Distance Education.

The Louise McBee Lecture is an annual event in honor of Dr. M. Louise McBee, vice president for academic affairs emerita of the University of Georgia. This year marked the 20^th anniversary of the annual lecture which is one of few in the United States to focus solely on higher education. Broad, as each lecturer in this series, visited the University campus to deliver lectures, conduct seminars, and take part in the life of the University.

By: Katherine Durham

High School Dropout Rate and Other Challenges to the Higher Education System

      Currently 39 million adult Americans are without a high school diploma and 40 percent have no education past high school, said Molly Broad during her speech as the twentieth annual Louise McBee lecturer last Friday.

     Broad is the first woman to be president of the American Council on Education (ACE) since its founding in 1918. Since taking the position, she has spearheaded an effort to change this shameful statistic. 

      Broad is working on marketing the General Education Development (GED) exam, a high school equivalency test, in an effort to make it more readily available to Americans who, according to Broad, are in desperate need of this level of education to secure a job. 

      Broad often referred back to Tony Cavoli's vision that education determines how far you can move up the social and corporate ladders. Broad also notes houw our world is shifting to one that holds greater importance on higher education. In 1967, Broad reports that 70 percent of Americans with only a high school degree were a part of the middle class. According to Broad's research this statistic no longer holds true, and even some with a high school degree are often part of the lower class in America. 

An extension of Broad's initial project as ACE president would be to create a "GED with honors," that would deem a person "college ready." This idea proved to be very popular with the crowd full of educators, especially after they viewed Broad's graphs showing the benefits of higher education. 

           Broad wants people to think of investing in higher education the way they think of investing in a home. According to her research, both increase a person's wealth and are a great asset. 

          According to her statistics, Broad's comparison rings true. Broad showed a graph that visually represented the strong correlation between education level and income. The median household income for a person with a Bachelor's degree is around $80,000 a year, while someone with a high school diploma makes only around the mid $30,000 mark. Broad expressed concern for the 39 million Americans without a high school diploma who are statistically only making $20,000 a year, which is below the poverty line if this income is supporting a family. 

          Broad also cited several social benefits of attaining higher education. Those with higher degrees are statistically less likely to be unemployed, and are also less likely to be incarcerated. Additionally, they are more likely to vote, have reduced chances of smoking and generally have better health, and are even more likely to volunteer, said Broad. 

          It is for all these reasons that Broad believed the higher education system needs to find a better way to serve not only their current students, but nontraditional students as well. Nontraditional students include adults 65 and over, individuals returning from war, displaced workers as well as the large amounts of high school dropouts. 

         When referring to adults over 65, Broad is speaking more of  a continuing education. 

"Although they're generally well educated historically speaking, we need to find ways to serve those who still wish to remain active in the workforce past age 65."

Broad also considers people returning from war as a type of nontraditional student that the higher education system especially needs to reach out to. Broad believes  educating these individuals is a great way for them to step back into the work force, and even American society. 

         Broad is confident that she is well on her way to helping serve high school dropouts by getting them "college ready" with her "GED with Honors" program, a project many attendees expressed interest in and talked about after Broad's speech.

         Broad's speech also touched on other challenges to the higher education system in America including the global economy, demographics and educational disparities, the cost and revenue structure of higher education, as well as the importance of public goodwill. 

         Although Broad notes the importance of facing these challenges and adjusting to overcome them, she still believes that students are the most important part of educators' jobs. 

         Colleges "must be seen as credible, a place of opportunity, a place to teach, a place to mentor, and a place to solve problems," said Broad. "Even with America at a crossroads, it is important for the higher education system to remain true to our values."