Education

Much is right with higher education in Colorado. Though recent years have been financially lean, the state’s universities have remained academically strong and steadfastly committed to providing value to Colorado. While the state’s public higher education system has increased its student population from 203,000 to more than 213,000 since 2001, the state higher education operating appropriations were reduced by almost 20 percent and capital appropriations were cut by 97 percent from 2001 to 2005. The schools’ efforts to maintain high standards during these challenging times have been extraordinary. Still, our universities have the potential to do so much more.

Since its earliest days, Colorado School of Mines has responded to the needs of this state’s citizens. Established in 1874 to serve the local mining industry, Mines is now internationally known for excellence in engineering and applied sciences with special expertise in the development and stewardship of the Earth’s resources. Mines’ Petroleum Engineering Department, with international partnerships including the Petroleum Institute in Abu Dhabi, provides an example of Colorado’s global impact. Now educating more than 4,000 resident, non-resident, and international students, Mines is making headway in important teaching and research areas that are a concern to Colorado, the nation and the world.  Today, for instance, Mines is a global leader in energy research, from developing clean extractive energy resources, to renewable energy, to efficient energy conversion and distribution methods.

I believe Mines and its fellow state institutions must always have adequate flexibility and resources to respond to society’s needs - our future depends on it. For eligible students, we must keep our universities accessible, affordable and of the highest academic quality. A student’s educational investment pays off through exceptional, lifelong career opportunities. In fact, 90 percent of Mines’ graduates are consistently placed within 12 months of graduation at an average starting salary offer of more than $60,000. The state economy wins also, with an educated workforce that supports business growth and research outcomes that create new business start-ups and new jobs.  In 2007, Colorado’s research universities attracted nearly $1 billion in sponsored research awards.  How can we accelerate and expand these successes of higher learning?

First, our schools must hire and retain world-class faculty to ensure continued distinction in teaching, research and public service missions.

Second, our schools must sustain and improve infrastructure to support cutting-edge research and teaching.

Particularly at a school such as Mines, with a specialized focus on engineering and applied sciences, it is critical to provide state-of-the-art facilities and technology. We have some catching up to do after the recent curtailment of capital funding, and the ongoing need to establish top-notch facilities is a necessity as we move forward. The Department of Higher Education estimates an unmet capital and deferred maintenance need in higher education of between $2.5 and $3.0 billion over the next five years.

Third, higher education institutions must maintain high admission standards and attract top students who excel academically and are also community-minded citizens who will make significant contributions to society.  At the same time, it is the obligation and challenge of Colorado’s schools to keep their doors wide open to talent by making need-based financial aid available.

This is where I see the most opportunity for progress. Schools must address the true cost of higher education, and that cost should be reflected in tuition. The average annual cost to educate a full-time undergraduate student at Mines is roughly $18,000, with the state covering about $6,850 or 38 percent and student tuition and fees covering about 50 percent of the cost. While tuition has increased in recent years, the increases have failed to cover the prior losses in state support. As a result, institutions have struggled to meet expenses and stay competitive with peer institutions. Schools have become more accountable to the state and its citizens. The cost of operations has been scrutinized, and adjustments have been made to use available resources as efficiently as possible.  Still, schools need relief, and this can be achieved through a combination of higher tuition and more state-funded financial aid for those who need it.  In the current fiscal year, Mines provides almost $7 million in institutional financial aid for undergraduate and graduate students to help offset some of the cost increases to needy students and to backfill cuts in state financial aid.

Other programs can also advance Colorado’s higher education system by preparing students to succeed when they arrive.  For instance, with over 75 percent of its students coming from Colorado, Mines is dedicated to inspiring and instilling in the K-12 community an increased interest in math and science, and the School is supportive of community colleges’ efforts to better prepare students who want to continue their studies at one of the state’s four-year colleges or universities. In order for our institutions of higher learning to maintain the public trust, they also must be constantly mindful that their missions are achieved through the creation, integration and exchange of knowledge, not through the indoctrination of ideologies.

Finally, and most importantly, there must be more adequacy, certainty, and predictability for the public and the schools in terms of the state’s higher education funding process.

A recent study by the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) revealed that Colorado’s public institutions, on average, receive just 63 percent of the funding levels of their peers and it would take about $848 million in additional state appropriations and tuition revenues to bring Colorado’s institutions to the average funding of these peer institutions.  It’s time for Colorado to place more priority on higher education and for Colorado's citizens to demand a stable, dedicated revenue source to sustain one of its most important, long-term public investments.

Working together, Colorado’s leaders can find innovative ways to advance higher education, benefiting individual scholars and the state as a whole.  By committing to this strategic investment now, we can assure long-term economic prosperity and a high quality of life for generations to come.

John Coors is the President, Chairman, and CEO of CoorsTek, Inc. and a member of the Board of Trustees at the Colorado School of Mines.