Higher Ed Utah

(Lt. Governor Greg Bell for UtahPolicy.com) — A recent study by the Utah Foundation found that higher education was ranked by Utahns among the most important factors for a high quality of life.[i]  This isn’t surprising.  Utahns have always taken pride in being well educated people.  In fact, for several generations Utah has risen above the national average for educational attainment.  Sadly, however, this is no longer the case.

The numbers show that we have started to slip, regrettably at the very time that higher education degrees are more important than ever for our personal and state prosperity.  Consider this:

• In 1940, Utah ranked 5th in the nation for adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher.  By 2000, Utah had fallen to 16th place.
• Utah women have fallen from 9th place to 25th.  Utah men have fallen from 3rd to 9th.[ii]
• Utah’s baby boomers rank 12th in the nation for the number of bachelor degrees.  Their children rank 31st.[iii]

College enrollments and UCAT participation have soared, particularly during the recession.  But the percentage of Utahns seeking higher education decreased while the rest of the U.S. has increased.  Most disconcerting is that the younger generation is much less educated than their parents.  As the Utah Foundation noted, “Falling behind the national average in educational attainment could harm the state’s economic competitiveness.”[iv]

Last year, Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce reported a growing gulf between the education required for jobs in the New Economy versus the preparation of the workforce, concluding, “Not enough Americans are completing college.”[v]  As they surveyed the 50 states, they concluded that Utah’s economy will need a greater percentage of our citizens to have college degrees or technical certifications than all but seven other states.  They projected that by the end of this decade, 66% of Utah adults will need either a high skill certificate or college degree to fill the jobs that will fuel our economy.[vi]

Understanding this need led Governor Herbert and I along with Utah business and education leaders to embrace the goal of 66% of Utahns having a college degree or certificate by 2020.  This is imperative if we are to have the workforce qualified to fill the one million Utah jobs that will require postsecondary education.[vii]

This is a significant increase over the approximately 40% who now have such training. Some dismiss it as unrealistic and unattainable.  It is a reach, to be sure.  It will take effort, innovation, and commitment.  I am convinced it is not only possible but necessary, particularly with Utah’s youngest-in-the-nation population—if our children and grandchildren are to have the jobs, the excellent standard of living, and quality of life we have traditionally had in Utah.

Working with educational leaders, the Governor has identified how we can reach these ambitious numbers.  So, here’s the new mantra–66% by 2020.  Spread the word–66% by 2020.

[i]Utah Foundation Research Report #703, “The 20-11 Utah Foundation Quality of Life Index,” September 2011.

[ii]Utah Foundation Research Brief, “Trends in Education Attainment: U.S. Catching Up to Utah,” June 21, 2006.

[iii]Utah Foundation, “Utah’s Higher education Graduated,” 2004

[iv] Utah Foundation, 2006

[v]Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, “Help Wanted: Projections of Jobs and Education Requirements Through 2018,” 2010

[vi] Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workeforce, “Help Wanted: Projections of Jobs and Education Requirements Through 2018,” State-Level Analysis, Anthony P. Carnevale, 2010, http://www9.georgetown.edu/grad/gppi/hpi/cew/pdfs/utah.pdf

[vii] Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workeforce, “Help Wanted: Projections of Jobs and Education Requirements Through 2018,” State-Level Analysis, Anthony P. Carnevale, 2010, http://www9.georgetown.edu/grad/gppi/hpi/cew/pdfs/utah.pdf