College Productivity

Tick, tock. A year on the learning and planning year clock is drawing to a close for 11 states selected by Lumina Foundation to pursue the goal of graduating more college students with the money they have, while ensuring quality in learning. As someone who has watched and worked with these states throughout the year, I believe that this is just the beginning of a challenging and exciting chapter for our higher education systems.
 
When I accepted the invitation to serve as a mentor to these 11 states, I had modest expectations about their willingness to tackle tough policy questions and use the resources provided by the foundation. After all, talking about changing how we fund and provide higher education is tough, even in the best of times… and these clearly are not the best of times! My 16 years as a state legislator have taught me that real change in education doesn’t come quickly or easily.
 
The work done by these states has exceeded my expectations. Yes, there have been stops and starts, as some of the states’ governors, legislators and higher education leaders have changed and budget crises have pushed higher education issues to the side. Nevertheless, the states have forged ahead, exploring new ways of doing business, building coalitions, and even passing legislation to change funding formulas and create a virtual college. While the 11 states are very different from one another in their higher education governing systems, institutional missions and student populations, I have noticed these states share a common desire to help and learn from each other, even as they competed for implementation grants.
 
I’ve truly been impressed by the tenacity and collaboration that these states have shown in wrestling with such a complicated set of issues. I applaud the Lumina Foundation for its commitment to increasing productivity, and I urge them to stick with it. When I see a relatively modest investment -- a few million dollars, compared to the $85 billion in state spending on higher education -- spark this much energy and interest at such a difficult time, my legislator’s instinct tells me  that we’re onto something, and in this case, something big! 

By: Lana Oleen