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Minnesota's Private Colleges Ask State to Prepare More High School Students for College and Help Keep College Affordable

Posted on: Thursday, 16 November 2006, 12:00 CST

ST. PAUL, Minn., Nov. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- . Given that Minnesota's need for college-educated graduates will soon exceed the supply, the Minnesota Private College Council has released a $327 million education agenda that aims to put more students on a path to college. The agenda focuses on two key areas: preparing more high school students to pursue additional education and on helping keep college affordable for low- and middle-income students.

"State policymakers can help put more students on a path to college success. The state's competitiveness depends on it," said David Etzwiler, senior director, the Medtronic Foundation and government affairs, Medtronic, and chair of the Public Policy Committee of the Minnesota Private College Council (MPCC).

Preparing more high school students

To prepare more high school students for additional education, policy makers are asked to target students whose parents have not completed college themselves. Less likely than their peers to prepare for and enroll in post- high school education, these "first-generation" students would be supported with better access to proven support programs and offers of new state scholarships that would reward hard work in high school.

"It is increasingly clear that all students need to continue their educations after high school, whether that is at a technical program, community college, public university or one of our liberal arts institutions. Yet many students don't even complete high school itself, let alone graduate prepared to continue their educations," said Brian Rosenberg, Macalester College president and chair of the MPCC board. "Everyone will benefit if the state acts to address this challenge."

Helping keep college affordable

The other focus for private colleges is improving the ability of low- and middle-income Minnesotans to afford to continue their educations after high school. Along with improving support for student parents who are juggling childcare and tuition costs, the agenda asks policymakers to recommit to need- based state aid for college students, through the State Grant Program.

"Increasing need-based state aid for college students is the best, most efficient way to help keep college affordable and target limited state dollars," said David B. Laird, Jr., MPCC president.

The value of the state's average need-based award has been shrinking. For students at Minnesota's public and private colleges and universities, over the last five years the average State Grant award has fallen 14 percent, in inflation-adjusted dollars. And as the State Grant support has become a far smaller piece of undergraduate financial aid, students have relied increasingly on grants from institutions and student loans.

With a $191 million recommendation for new spending on need-based aid over the next biennium, this is the largest portion of the suggested new spending in the MPCC agenda. Most students who receive this aid attend public colleges and universities; only 13 percent attend one of the private, nonprofit institutions that are MPCC members.

"This agenda puts the state's needs front and center," Laird said. "Without new state effort, the number of college graduates is forecast to fall 12 percent. Meanwhile, our economy will require twice as many graduates. Now is the time for Minnesota to act on an education agenda that focuses on our common good."

Agenda summary

To increase academic readiness and graduation rates, especially for first- generation students:

-- Expand proven access programs ($20 million), -- Create new academic scholarships ($100 million), and -- Generate greater public awareness ($8 million).

To improve the ability of low- and middle-income Minnesotans to afford postsecondary education:

-- Increase need-based state aid ($191 million), and -- Improve childcare support for student parents ($8 million).

For more details on this agenda contact MPCC or visit http://www.mnprivatecolleges.org/ .

About the Minnesota Private College Council

The Minnesota Private College Council represents 17 of the state's most respected four-year, liberal arts colleges and universities as well as more than 57,000 students. These institutions award 30 percent of the baccalaureate degrees in the state. They are:

Augsburg College Gustavus Adolphus College Bethany Lutheran College Hamline University Bethel University Macalester College Carleton College Minneapolis College of Art and Design College of Saint Benedict Saint John's University College of St. Catherine Saint Mary's University of Minnesota College of St. Scholastica St. Olaf College Concordia College, Moorhead University of St. Thomas Concordia University, St. Paul

MPCC's mission is to preserve and enhance quality private higher education and to serve the education and economic needs of our region, while strengthening our cultural and economic fabric. For more information on the Council and its members, visit http://www.mnprivatecolleges.org/ .

Minnesota Private College Council

CONTACT: John Manning, jmanning@mnprivatecolleges.org , orKate Metzger , kmetzger@mnprivatecolleges.org , both of the Minnesota PrivateCollege Council, +1-651-228-9061

Web site: http://www.mnprivatecolleges.org/

Source: PRNewswire

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