(November, 2001) This past spring, a roundtable discussion took place in the State House on Vermont’s high tech future. Most speakers indicated Vermont needs a “sparkplug” university since wealth creation is now driven by intellectual property. Vermont has little infrastructure to support a high tech industry and the quality jobs it attracts. Employers are finding that workforce skills are lacking in Vermont and this state is not perceived as a place that encourages creativity and growth.

Higher education should be the engine driving economic development. Vermont needs to increase funds to higher education. In return the state colleges and UVM must manage their resources wisely, improve quality of education and be more accountable. Vermont should withhold funds if the state colleges and UVM fail to meet agreed upon objectives. They should be accountable to the public that supports them.

Here are a few suggestions.

1. Require all professors to teach more than 12 classroom hours per week.

The average faculty member of Vermont’s higher education institutions schedules 12 hours or more with the exception of the University of Vermont.

Hours taught weekly by faculty:

Castleton State         12.4
Johnson State           12
Lyndon State            12
VTC                         16.5
UVM                          9.7

The respective schools supplied the above hours to me. Because few professors have more than a dozen student contact hours per week, more staff is needed to fulfill academic obligations. This problem is partially responsible for the low ratio of students to staff. The following data was extracted from the New England Board of Higher Education Facts book and shows the number of students for each staff member at each school.

Students per staff member:

Castleton State             5.5
Johnson State               6.2
Lyndon State                5.6
VTC                             3.8
UVM                            3.1

2. Eliminate subsidies to teach basic skill courses

More than 20 percent of recent high school graduates attending our state college system were enrolled in remedial courses to prepare them for college level work. When high schools grant diplomas to students, those students should be prepared to move into college-level study. Taxpayers who have already funded at least 12 years of elementary and secondary education should not be forced to pay for students to continue learning these skills in college.

The high school issuing a diploma to a student unprepared for college should pay half of his/her remedial costs - the college should absorb the other half of remedial costs for its failure to insist on rigorous admission requirements.

Percent students requiring remedial courses:

Castleton State             19%
Johnson State               28%
Lyndon State                33%
VTC                             22%
UVM                     none reported

3. Limit subsidies to undergraduates

The legislature should limit subsidies for in-state undergraduate students to a maximum of five years, which would encourage more timely graduation rates from our college and university. The following are current percentages of students who earned an undergraduate degree within the first four years:

Percent students who graduate in four years:

Castleton State             46%
Johnson State               42.4%
Lyndon State                44%
VTC                             59%
UVM                            67.5%

4. Improve quality of admissions

The academic achievement of the entering freshman is key to their future success and determines their ability to do college work and graduate.

There are too many students enrolled each year who should never be on a four year campus as a freshman. They would be better served in a two year system and if successful, could make the transition to a four year college.

Dr. Harry Stille from the Education Committee of the South Carolina House prepared the following study identifying the entrance level SAT Percentile and the high school class ranking of entering freshmen to Vermont colleges and university. Data is from 1998.

 
SAT (25-75 Percentile) % in top ¼ of High school class:
 

Castleton State               840-1040 19%
Johnson State                 850-1060 16%
Lyndon State                   880-1030 22%
UVM                             1040-1230 47%

According to Dr. Stille, “sophomore retention rates in most instances are the key resource to admissions. Selecting better qualified and prepared freshman applicants is rewarded in sophomore returnees.”

Sophomore Retention rates:

Castleton State                 69%
Johnson State                   57%
Lyndon State                     61%
UVM                                 82%

5. Link higher education with economic development needs

Vermont’s higher education should be an integral part of increasing access to better paying jobs and meeting skill needs of employers. For example, academic programs can be linked provided the needed curriculum for job growth and development is consistent with the economic development plans of employers or key growth industries in this state.

The above are only examples of how to make higher education more responsive to state concerns. The ultimate test for determining teacher effectiveness and student performance will be a positive performance of our economy.

Thank you for your calls and notes. I can be reached at 658-3975 (home), 228-2228 (State House) and via e-mail at:
Rep. Frank Mazur
South Burlington