“The most important correlation between generational or intergenerational poverty is the mother’s educational attainment,” Kristen Cox, executive director of the Utah Department of Workforce Services, told a legislative committee Wednesday.

The department, along with the University of Utah’s Social Research Institute, made that determination after reviewing state public assistance records going back to 1982.

Researchers determined that 34 percent of people ages 21 to 39 who presently receive public assistance in Utah were on public assistance as children, Cox told the Utah Legislature’s Workforce Services and Community and Economic Development Interim Committee.

Moreover, 47 percent of adults on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or TANF were on TANF as kids, said Cox. People who receive TANF assistance are among the state’s poorest, she said.

“You definitely see some repetition between people who were on public assistance as kids,” Cox said.

Intergenerational poverty is generally defined as two or more generations living in poverty, said Mary Beth Vogel-Ferguson, research assistant professor in the U.’s College of Social Work.

“Research tells us that children born into poverty are more likely to be more born premature, of low birth weight, spend more time in lower quality day cares, lack access to basic health care, including dental assistance affecting their health outcomes for the life of a child,” Vogel-Ferguson said. More…

Entrepreneur Magazine named Brigham Young University’s Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology, and the University of Utah’s Lassonde Entrepreneur Center, to its top-25 undergraduate programs. The programs came in at No. 7 and 16, respectively, under rankings provided to the magazine by the Princeton Review.

BYU came in at No. 2 for its graduate program, bested only by Babson College in Massachusetts.

The U.’s entrepreneur initiatives are geared toward providing students real-world experience. One acclaimed program teams students with faculty inventors to develop business plans for the U.’s patented technologies. Its newest program, dubbed the Foundry, helps students turn their ideas into businesses.

“The program aims to produce ‘battle ready’ innovators,” said a news release quoting William Schulze, chairman of the U.’s management department. “The students coming out of the Foundry know how to run a business and anticipate challenges before launching their personal enterprise.”

Since the Foundry’s launch in May 2010, its students have started 43 companies, including a chocolate importer and a high-quality fast food provider, that have generated $4 million in revenue and created 50 jobs.

Degree holders are less likely to have been unemployed and to have tapped public assistance such as food stamps and Medicaid, according to a presentation to a legislative panel meeting Wednesday at Mountainland Applied Technology College. Those with degrees reported better health, greater career and personal satisfaction and greater community engagement, not to mention 75 percent greater earning power, said Randy Shumway, president of the Salt Lake City market research firm Cicero Group.

“The fact that those who obtain a level of education beyond high school make more money won’t surprise many,” said Mark Bouchard, senior managing director of CB Richard Ellis. “What we see from the survey is that the benefits go well beyond the paycheck.”

Bouchard chairs Properity 2020, a partnership of a dozen Utah business groups that commissioned the survey to support its ambitious agenda to build a more educated workforce. Cicero sent invitations to 10,000 Utah residents who were randomly selected yet were representative of the state’s demographics. Researchers gathered the data by mail, in person, by phone and by email from 1,200 respondents, generating a robust and reliable dataset that pointed to some surprising results, according to Shumway.

“Those who completed degrees are 2.6 times more likely to work in a salaried rather than an hourly job,” Shumway told the Legislature’s Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee.

Prosperity 2020’s goals dovetail with the Utah System of Higher Education’s initiative to increase to two-thirds the portion of Utah’s adult population with a postsecondary degree or certificate.

Commissioner of Higher Education William Sederburg noted that the 28 percent of the population with a bachelor degree covers nearly half the state’s tax revenues.

“Over the course of their work life, students who receive a baccalaureate degree earn about $650,000 more than high school graduates — a significant increase over those who end their education right after high school,” he said. “The benefits of a college degree extend beyond monetary value too, as individuals with college degrees experience increased career opportunities, better health care benefits and overall a deeper quality of life.” More…

Utah business leaders shaping the direction of Prosperity 2020 are exploring a number of initiatives to strengthen higher education across the state including mission based funding, cluster acceleration and an increased emphasis on one and two-year programs in high-knowledge and high-skill areas.

Prosperity 2020 is a statewide movement of major business associations to improve public and higher education in Utah.  United in their belief that education is the path to enduring prosperity, Utah business leaders have come together in a multi-year effort with initial goals to ensure 90 percent of elementary school students are proficient in reading and math and that two-thirds of all Utahns hold a postsecondary degree or certificate.

One and two-year programs
While there is a need for educated employees at all levels, many Utah employers say they have an increasing demand for employees with a certificate or an associate degree.

Two-thirds of Utahns holding a postsecondary degree or certificate may seem lofty—and it is—but it’s more within reach when one considers the number of people in our state who left school just a few credits short of a two-year degree or who would financially benefit from earning certification in their chosen profession.

“We are moving into a different economy that has an abundance of jobs that require high knowledge and high skills,” said former commissioner of higher education Dr. Richard Kendell, who also serves as a professor of education leadership and policy at the University of Utah College of Education and an advisor to Prosperity 2020. “We have a particular need for degree and work programs at the one and two year levels.”

Cluster acceleration
Current cluster acceleration projects coordinate Utah’s workforce needs with educational efforts with particular focus on energy, digital media, aerospace and biotechnology. Business leaders like the idea of expanded funding for cluster acceleration projects and for the Utah Science Technology and Research (USTAR) project, which builds Utah’s research and development capacity to develop new companies.

“We need to produce people ready to work in the jobs we’re creating and attracting,” said Dr. Kendell. “Utah’s economy is very diverse but we need to align degree programs and training programs with the emerging workforce needs of the state.”

Mission-based funding
The Prosperity 2020 Founders’ Council is also strongly supportive of mission-based funding for universities and colleges across the state.  This would recognize that research universities and community colleges play very different roles in economic development and educating students, so their funding should also be different.

Success stipends and Regent Scholarships
Utah has the smallest budget of any state in the country for its need-based aid, program, called Success Stipends.  The Prosperity 2020 Founders Council would like to see more aid to students who cannot afford higher education.  They also give high ratings to the Regents Scholarship, which requires students to complete a rigorous high school education.

Prosperity 2020 leaders will continue their discussions regarding investment and innovation in both public and higher education. This fall, they will advance a formal legislative proposal to drive Utah toward the 2020 goals. More…

“We are seeing fewer kids entering college. We’re seeing less women graduate from college,” said Mark Bouchard, Salt Lake Chamber Education task force.

In the last decade, Utah has actually fallen below the national average in terms of young adults attending and graduating from college.

“At the state level, there is almost a one-to-one correlation between state’s wealth and the percent with a college degree,” explained Utah’s Commissioner of Higher Education William A. Sederburg.

Prosperity 2020 aims to raise the bar for students of all ages. Those involved with the program want 90 percent of elementary students to achieve math and reading proficiency.

Many college students are having to spend tuition dollars on math classes they could have taken in high school. Utah Valley University has had to double the faculty for remedial math. At Salt Lake Community College, 28 percent of the student body take remedial math. At Westminster College, they may need to start pre-algebra classes, which is usually taught in junior high.

By 2018, two-thirds of all jobs in Utah will require postsecondary training beyond high school. Many of those jobs will also require math and technical skills. Last month, ITT Electronic Systems announced an expansion that would create 2,700 jobs over the next 15 years. EMC Corporation also said it would add 700 new jobs the end of 2015.

“The business community in its efforts is really working towards a goal that increases the attainment in the work force and those skills in the work force related to us having a prosperous economy,” Bouchard said.

Institutions of higher education in Utah are also evolving to meet the demands of the future. “We can do a better job with loan programs for part-time students. We can do a lot better job with flexible scheduling,” said Sederburg.

Technology will play a big role in flexibility. Right now, 15 percent of credits at Utah colleges are generated from online classes or mixed-delivery classes.

“You pull down from the internet the education and resources when you need it,” explained Sederburg. “That’s going to be an increasing trend. More flexibility, more providers, more standardization of opportunity and time.”

Continued after the jump…

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Utah ranks in the top three states in efficiently providing of degrees per dollar spent. And with the ambitious goal of increasing Utah’s educated population by nearly 20 percent, efficiency will be key.

“We’re going to be working for the next decade in close relationship with the legislature and the governor and both higher and public education, at building a stronger alliance with in the community and within the business community of support for education,” said Bouchard.

Higher education in Utah is considered a bargain compared to the rest of the country. Tuition and fees average $4600 a year; that’s 62 percent of the national average.

To view this story from ksl.com, click here.

“So many people work full time and sincerely want to complete their degrees, but simply can’t fit the coursework into their busy schedules,” Communication Department Chair Brent Yergensen said. “We recognize the importance of family and jobs, but we also recognize the importance of earning a college degree. Our Degree Completion Program makes both possible.”

The Organization and Leadership Degree Completion Program (DCP) is overseen by adviser who works with students to achieve success in earning an academic degree. Students who have an associate’s degree or who have completed 60 hours and all general education requirements will work with a cohort to map out a fast track. DCP Students will attend classes only one night per week. Each student will complete one course at a time, usually in four weeks, and then move on to the next course with a different instructor. Additional coursework during each week is completed online and at home.

The Degree Completion Program is a cohort program. Each cohort is a group of up to 30 students who complete the entire program from start to program together. “When you do such an intensive program with this group, you become a family. These students just refuse to let each other fail. We’ve seen it with every cohort,” DSC Communication Department Administrative Secretary Kathleen Briggs said. The team-based learning plan helps students who might otherwise feel disconnected from the educational experience become connected.

To read the rest of this article from stgnews.com, click here.

Today’s edition of the Real Life College Student blog is by Utah college student, Zachary Stickney, from Weber State University in Ogden, Utah.  Zach entered the college world through the Upward-Bound pre-college program and is currently a senior studying Political Science.  For an in-depth description of Zach’s admirable transition from high school to college and his college experience, check out this blog from WSU, “Once-Struggling High School Student Excelling in College.” With the rising price tag on higher education, more and more college students are taking on full or part-time jobs to help pay for their tuition.  In today’s blog, Zach Stickney offers you his tips and advice on gaining job experience in college.  Enjoy!

One of the most common issues circulating around the higher education sphere today is obvious: college is expensive! (And hey, that’s why an entire section of the HigherEdUtah site is dedicated to preparing and paying for college.)  Today, the reality is that a great deal of the students pursuing, entering and currently attending college will need to seek out a job at some point to help cover the costs of a higher education.  Now, I know working may not be number one on your list of activities to engage in after a hard day of classes, but take a look at it this way.  On-the-job experience is your chance to make connections, build and acquire skills and get ahead of the competition.

It’s about the opportunity, not the glamour

The first thing I’d like to point out about entering the workforce for the first time is that it’s okay to work somewhere that isn’t terribly glamorous.  Although many students seem to poke fun at the idea of working for fast food or stocking shelves at a grocery store, the truth is that many of them will end up at places like that, at least temporarily.  (I’ve personally worked as a busser at a restaurant, delivered newspapers, and worked as a customer service representative, but you’re still reading my blog, right?)  This isn’t a bad thing.  Your first job is still an opportunity to make those connections, establish a reputation for yourself, and form habits (hopefully good ones) that you’ll keep throughout your career.

Get ahead of the competition

I’d also like to stress that if you have the time and can afford it, working for free as an intern or working for a lower wage at a job which has something to do with your career interest is preferable.  I say this because when you graduate from college, potential employers will be excited about your education of course, but they’re MUCH more excited about someone who has the knowledge for the position AND some kind of background experience similar to the job in question.  For instance, if you’re planning on becoming a teacher, an obvious first job might be working as a tutor.  As a tutor, you can gain valuable experience in peer-to-peer communication and you get the opportunity to teach (at least at a fundamental level).

Gain and hone professional skills for the future

Less obvious though might be working for something like a library or a school newspaper.  Working in a library might not seem useful for anything but becoming a librarian, but in truth you learn organization, communication, and team-building skills.  Similarly, writing for a school newspaper isn’t only useful for an aspiring journalist.  School newspapers often have commentary on current events, arts, sports, science, politics, and basically anything else you can think of.  Learning to write and convey a message effectively is useful in any job, and a school newspaper is an excellent proving ground to develop your talents.

Again, none of these things may seem particularly glamorous, but not everyone in the world can have the almost instant success of someone like Mark Zuckerberg.  You’re going to have to work hard and make a habit of it.  In short, get in there, be proud of yourself and have confidence, but don’t be afraid to do something “menial” in order to build up for something great in the future.  Humility and respect for your work, no matter what it is, will pay big dividends as long as you keep your head up.

If you have any questions or comments for Zachary, please leave them in the comment box below!

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