Dearth of degrees worrisome

Although enrollment numbers are up in the state, Utah continues to fall when compared to national college and university completion rates.

High school diplomas are earned by more than 85 percent of Utah students. However, many of them don't get a college degree or even participate in higher education, according to William Sederburg, state commissioner of higher education. He said Utah ranks 47th in the nation in the number of degrees conferred.

"We need to educate our community of the positive outcomes of education," he said. "We all know the college graduate is more likely to vote, volunteer and participate in the community."

The worrisome statistics were discussed at Snowbird on Friday by a group of faculty and administrative officials from Utah's nine public colleges and universities. They were charged with determining what makes an educated person.

"There is a challenge to innovate or be displaced," keynote speaker Debra Humphrey, vice president of the American Association of Colleges and Universities, told the group. She said research has shown that employers want more practical experience from students coming out of college.

"In today's world, intellectual skills are practical skills ... even if you are a plumber," she said, adding that in addition to basic knowledge of a multitude of topics, students should have an understanding of the world around them.

"We need to focus our attention on what really matters," Humphrey said, including qualitative assessment, mastery of key skills and an awareness of an ethical and social responsibility as topics that matter in today's global community.

Sederburg believes the lack of participation in higher education in Utah is due to a sense of complacency and people settling for available jobs now instead of considering advanced education for their future.

The recent election, Sederburg said, "created a pro-populist anti-intellectual flavor" that he deemed "mildly offensive."

Others at the annual conference drew from pre-election fodder as well, saying the state needs to expect more.

"Never before have I sensed that the stakes were higher or the needs were greater," said Joe Peterson, vice president of instruction at Salt Lake Community College. In addition to Peterson, several leaders of statewide schools offered their opinions on how to train for the imminent challenges in the global work force.

"The world knows us, but we don't know the world," said John Francis, University of Utah vice president of undergraduate studies, who addressed the importance of giving students a wider view than their predecessors had. "The current crisis is evidence that we are all in this together."

Sederburg said the Utah System of Higher Education is "undergoing a look at itself, making a move toward becoming a network of institutions rather than a top-down hierarchy." He hopes to make a concentrated effort toward strengthening academic quality, therefore giving students what they need to give back.

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E-mail: wleonard@desnews.com

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