Helping low-income students priority in college reform

Jennifer Knight

Thursday, Sept. 13, 2001 | 9:04 a.m.

Officials of the state university system say they've found a way to cure its national academic standing -- raise tuition by 40 percent over 10 years, offer need-based scholarships to low-income students and obtain more research money from the federal government.

If colleges and universities fail to act, one official warns, Nevada will fall so far behind that it won't be able to keep pace with the rest of the country.

"If you keep today's level of (college) participation and the same level of funding, in 10 years it would put you below all but two countries in the developed world," said David Longanecker, the director of Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, or WICHE.

The University and Community System of Nevada has released a plan for reforming the 84,000-student system. The reform measures were presented and discussed before a group of politicians and college officials on Monday.

About 40 percent of Nevada's high school students who graduated in 2000 went on to college. The average percentage of high school students from Western states who enrolled in college was 53, according to WICHE.

What's more, for every 10 prospective white students who attend college in Nevada, there are less than six prospective minority students, according to WICHE. The belief is, if need-based scholarships were increased, more minorities could afford college.

The 10-year plan relies heavily on additional funding. The system needs an additional $457 million over a decade to improve the system's go-to-college rate, as well as the quality of education.

The money is expected to come partly from a 40 percent increase in tuition over the next decade. Half would come from an increase in state funding. The rest would come from cost-saving measures, such as utilizing classroom space more efficiently and eliminating the duplication of services.

WICHE is helping the system develop and implement the plan. The organization tracks the quality of higher education in 15 Western states and is offering its services at no charge.

The new master plan is based on a $150,000 study done by the Rand Corp. The Rand study, done earlier this year, reviewed the system's weak points, its system of governance and overall structure.

The goal is to increase enrollment 100 percent over the next decade, which would raise the college participation to acceptable levels, according to WICHE.

"I understand all of this is a tall order to fill, but it can be done," Longenecker said.

Two items outside the system's control are the preparation at the K-12 level and Las Vegas' blue collar work force.

The system is considering working more closely with Clark County schools to find ways to increase curriculum standards, which would lighten the load of remedial classes needed by many freshmen when they enter college.

Monday's discussion was the first of several public conversations about how to approach changing the system and educating more Nevadans.

Residents can read the new Master Plan on Higher Education by accessing the university system's website (www.nevada.edu).