Blueprint for higher education: plan to guide the role of Indiana's universities is a start, but doesn't deal with such big issues as the cost.

INDIANA IS IN A RACE TO grow an educated workforce and attract good jobs over the long haul. To win, it must make higher education more affordable, do a better job preparing students for college, increase enrollment and graduation rates, and beef up research initiatives.

So says "Indiana's Framework for Policy and Planning Development in Higher Education" (also known as the "Blueprint for Higher Education"), a 30-page report unanimously adopted in November by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education.

Created 23 years ago by the Indiana General Assembly, the 14-member commission serves as a coordinating agency--not a governing board--lot Indiana's seven public institutions. That's an important distinction between Indiana and many other states that have boards of regents governing their public colleges and universities, says Stan Jones, who as commissioner is its chief executive.

Boards of regents can hire university presidents and set tuition rates. In Indiana, university trustees play those roles, so the commission works to achieve consensus among its public universities. That's much harder to get, so Jones is pleased with this first-ever blueprint. "It's significant that we're all on the same page and heading in the same direction."

Components of the plan have been in the works for a few years, he says, including the community college initiative, regional campus expansion plans for Indiana and Purdue universities, and state research assistance programs. But including them as integral parts of an overall plan to move Indiana forward is an important step.

The blueprint conspicuously lacks a price tag, but it's clear that more money from the state will be needed For instance, it calls for freezing tuition at community colleges to broaden access and increase enrollment there, and limiting other tuition increases to the annual increase in family income (over the last decade tuition has risen nearly three times as fast as inflation). But less tuition income for schools means the state will have to kick in more. "The decision will ultimately be made by the General Assembly," says Jones, and the next budget cycle won't begin until January '05.

With recent dismal revenue forecasts and the state's deficit approaching $1 billion, competition for state appropriations in the next budget cycle will be tough. Jones stresses, however, that some things in the plan won't require money, only willingness on the part of colleges and universities to move forward. Adopting tougher Core 40 curriculum admission standards "doesn't take money," he says, and neither does increasing the transferability of credits between schools--although he calls that "the last pocket of resistance."

Schools help design plan "We provided information and reacted to drafts over a number months," says Martin Jischke, Purdue's president. "It is my hope that we will get about the business of implementing these plans and as time goes on make such adjustments as necessary."

The plan acknowledges that research universities play a key role in the state's economic-development efforts, says Jischke, and that different institutions play different roles. It calls for continued funding and expansion of the 21st Century Research and Technology Fund and the Research Support Adjustment. The latter provides an incentive for research universities to seek outside grants and contracts by increasing state support proportionately.

Purdue plays a role in Indiana's future in three ways, says Jischke. It's a source of talented graduates, highly qualified faculty members are available to help companies solve problems through its technical-assistance program, and its research capabilities and tech transfer can be used to create new companies and jobs in Indiana. All this costs money and requires an ongoing state commitment, he says. "If Indiana depends so critically on education, then I'm making the case that--no matter what--we must stay the course."

Ivy Tech likes the plan because the state's community college initiative (CCI) is at its foundation, says Bill Kramer, system vice president for planning and education. Since 2000, Vincennes University has provided liberal arts classes at 10 of Ivy Tech's 23 campuses, expanding access to associate degrees and allowing more students to prepare to move on to four-year institutions.

The CCI has boosted enrollment 49 percent since its inception, going a long way to meet the goal of increased participation in higher education, says Kramer. Growth will continue as offerings expand to all Ivy Tech campuses.

National statistics show that community colleges are cheaper than comprehensive four-year colleges and research universities, he says, and are a more appropriate place to be delivering some programs, such as two-year nursing degrees. This brings up the whole question of mission differentiation between schools. Just who should be doing what? The plan treads lightly there.

Freeze community college tuition? Kramer supports the blueprint's recommendation to freeze tuition at the state's community colleges to further bolster enrollment. Thirty-three other states fund their community colleges in part with local funds to keep tuition down, he says. That doesn't happen here. But in 2004-2005 tuition will likely go up in light of the state's financial condition. "That will be a decision made by the trustees in May."

Freezing tuition at community colleges could come at the expense of four-year institutions, says Beverley Pitts, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Ball State University. Subsidizing them will leave less money for schools like Ball State that need to remain competitive in recruiting faculty nationally and maintaining cutting-edge laboratories and technology. Higher tuition at four-year schools also means fewer people can afford attend.

Pitts moves beyond the tuition freeze issue quickly, though, and talks about how well Ball State and Ivy Tech are working together. "We were one of the very first to accept Ivy Tech credits," she says. After five years of work, 200 courses are now transferable under its Connect program.

Ball State's boldest move in recent years was to tighten admission requirements for incoming high school grads. In 2000 it became the first institution to require Core 40 curriculum of incoming students. The result was cutting out those freshmen who didn't meet minimum requirements and would need remediation. Ball State's enrollment dropped from nearly 20,000 to 17,500 and is still in the process of rebuilding.

It was the right thing to do, says Pitts. Students who need remediation should get it elsewhere, the blueprint suggests. The document calls for improved student preparation and use of Core 40 as a minimum admission requirement for all state schools with stable enrollments--IU and Purdue main campuses and Indiana State University Institutions with growing enrollment should "move toward requiring" Core 40, it says. Community colleges are called upon to handle pre-college remediation.

With the IU Bloomington campus at capacity, regional campuses and Ivy Tech have become an important first step to a college degree, says Gerardo Gonzalez, dean of IU's School of Education. "If students know they can begin a degree at an Ivy Tech, it may open some capacity at the four-year institutions." Recently, IU's Bloomington campus agreed with Ivy Tech Bloomington on a two-year set of core courses that will "transfer seamlessly to a four-year degree," allowing students to enter 1U as a junior.

The blueprint also acknowledges the importance of teacher preparation, a key component for the dean of a school that produces more than a third of the state's teachers. "Teachers are the single most important element in ensuring student achievement," says Gonzalez. But the blueprint is not a mandate, he adds, and without additional funding, some things will have to be postponed.

More state control needed?

Having spent part of his career in states with boards of regents, Lloyd Benjamin, president of Indiana State, sees their benefit. Indiana would be better served by having a stronger system, he says. The current one "doesn't provide ample controls to help contain costs and differentiate between universities. It's every man for himself."

Lacking in the blueprint are the bigger questions, says Benjamin. What are the state's needs for post-secondary education, considering its demographics? What should be the mix of in- and out of-state students? What about creating a virtual university for the state--"brick and click" instead of brick and mortar? And then there's duplication. "How many masters in English do we need to offer in Indiana?"

Duplication is a dilemma, says Jones, a two-sided coin. "Some see duplication as a misuse of resources, others view it as competition and giving students more choice."

In states such as Georgia with mandated transfer of core curriculum, students can switch schools without missing a beat, says Benjamin. He's made that a priority at Indiana State. "We have the highest number of articulated programs with Ivy Tech of any institution in the state."

The commission's blueprint is the beginning of a discussion about the serious hard issues, says Benjamin, but it's not a strategic plan. He recommends that the governor appoint an "external entity" to assess the state's higher-education needs and benchmark Indiana with other states. The commission is too political, he says, to take it to the next level.

Higher Education Goals And Some First Steps

Increase the participation and success of adult students and recent high school graduates, with a particular focus on minority students, first generation students and economically disadvantaged-students.

[check] Expand the community-college partnership to all 23 Ivy Tech State College campuses.

[check] Report demographic data on student enrollment annually.

[check] Provide an annual report on the progress toward reaching the preliminary targets.

[check] Support/expand the 21st Century Scholars program targeting low-income middle school students.

Enhance collegiate preparation to ensure that all students enter college with a solid academic foundation necessary for success.

[check] Provide current Indiana K-12 teachers with targeted resources and professional development to ensure high quality instruction.

[check] Recommend continued funding and new funding of academic programs that directly support new statewide K-12 reform efforts and are targeted at teacher preparation in high-need areas.

[check] Integrate Indiana's Academic Standards into teacher-preparation programs.

Ensure that higher-education opportunities are affordable for all Hoosiers.

[check] Undergraduate resident tuition and fees should grow no faster than growth in family income.

[check] State funding should be provided so that resident tuition and fees at two-year institutions can be frozen until they are at the national average.

[check] State appropriations should cover the majority of the cost of resident instruction.

Increase student persistence and degree completion in a timely manner.

[check] Develop statewide transfer-of-credit agreements for those courses representing subjects most frequently taken by undergraduates.

[check] Develop statewide agreements whereby associate of arts and associate of science programs will transfer fully into related baccalaureate degree programs.

Encourage higher education to expand contributions to the economic development of the state, particularly in research and development.

[check] Reverse the "brain drain" by working with higher education to incorporate internship experiences and career-exploration opportunities with Indiana employers into academic programs.

[check] Recommend new and continued funding of academic programs which target specific economic areas important to the state and local communities.

[check] Support basic and applied research at the doctoral universities, increasing state support in proportion to increases in external support from grants and contracts.

Promote statewide discussion on ways to measure student learning as part of efforts to refine Indiana's system of education and to improve teaching and learning.

[check] Encourage pilot-projects involving one or more methodologies for measuring student learning, such as e-portfolios

[check] Have each campus select a set of measures of student learning and report data on these measures.

For a complete listing of goals and measures, see "Indiana's Framework for Policy and Planning Development in Higher Education," November 14, 2003. Visit indianabusiness.com/blueprint.pdf.