Minnesota Measures: 2008 Report on Higher Education Performance
Minnesota Office of Higher Education
The Minnesota Office of Higher Education is responsible for developing a statewide accountability system to measure the higher education sector’s effectiveness in meeting state goals. In 2005 and 2006, educators, policymakers, employers and other leaders were involved in a process to identify broad goals and indicators of success. Five goals and 23 indicators serve as Minnesota’s public agenda for higher education.
GOAL ONE: Improve success of all students, particularly students from groups traditionally underrepresented in higher education.
GOAL TWO: Create a responsive system that produces graduates at all levels who meet the demands of the economy.
GOAL THREE: Increase student learning and improve skill levels of students so they can compete effectively in the global marketplace.
GOAL FOUR: Contribute to the development of a state economy that is competitive in the global market through research, workforce training and other appropriate means.
GOAL FIVE: Provide access, affordability and choice to all students.
The report contains tables and graphs to display the findings. The following is a summary of the findings from Minnesota Measures 2008.
- On measures of student success, Minnesota’s high school graduates are initially participating in college at nation-leading rates. However, many students are not persisting in college to degree completion. Minnesota’s performance on key measures of retention and graduation are generally at or near the national average among states.
- A clearly defined achievement gap exists in higher education, with Black, Hispanic and American Indian students consistently succeeding at lower rates than their white and Asian counterparts.
- A higher proportion of working-age Minnesotans possess degrees than in most other states.
- Minnesota’s higher education sector is responding to employment demand in many critical and growing fields by producing graduates to meet the needs. Workforce shortages are expected to persist in certain engineering, medical and information technology fields, putting a strain on Minnesota employers.
- On measures of student learning, many public and private institutions are implementing learning assessments and surveys to gauge the value added by higher education. National discussions on the importance of learning assessment and how best to accomplish this task are ongoing.
- The state’s leading research institution, the University of Minnesota, is generally recognized as a leader in research and contributes to the state’s economy in important ways. The University has a stated aspiration to be considered among the top public research institutions in the world.
- Minnesota’s net tuition and fees are higher than the national average for most public and private institutions in the country, with some families being expected to pay significant percentage of their adjusted gross income for their child’s education. While not the only measure of access, the net price of attending college plays a critical role in understanding postsecondary participation.
Next Steps
While the 2008 Minnesota Measures report provides valuable perspective, further work in important areas is clearly indicated. Deeper exploration into the following areas will provide a more complete and coherent picture of the progress on the five goals.
International comparisons:
Based upon work from Education at a Glance, an annual publication of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, a set of international metrics will be prepared for a follow-up report to Minnesota Measures 2008.
Employer survey:
At the time of the release of Minnesota Measures 2008, the Office of Higher Education was in the process of developing and disseminating an employer satisfaction survey. The survey, sent to more than 1,000 Minnesota employers, focuses primarily on the general skills and attributes desired by employers and an overall assessment of the preparedness of graduates of Minnesota programs.
College completion:
As a next step directive from Minnesota Measures 2007, The Office of Higher Education engaged in a study of existing literature on the economic returns to individuals based upon various levels of completion. This work suggests that there are economic returns to those who complete some college courses without completing a degree. The research is needed to determine how this differs by degree level. These returns are heavily dependent upon the chosen program of study.
From a policy perspective, there is also value to the state in considering issues related to the time it takes students to complete degrees. Further study will focus on factors such as tuition and other costs of attendance incurred as well as loss of income for individuals; from the institutional perspective, the focus will be on costs incurred, revenue and other resource issues.
College preparedness:
The two components of college access that impact every student are affordability and academic readiness. The first two editions of Minnesota Measures have covered affordability but have not addressed the readiness issue in depth. Given the increased focus on assessment at all levels of education (primary, secondary and postsecondary), the Office of Higher Education will explore work on a variety of areas related to college preparedness.
Gender analysis:
The Office of Higher Education will explore existing research and statewide enrollment data to analyze the rates at which both male and female students are participating in and succeeding in college.
Graduation and retention:
The Office of Higher Education is exploring the use of its own enrollment database as well as other available data sources to produce reports that look at retention trends beyond first-to-second year and consider both full- and part-time retention and that assess graduation rates that consider transfer-in students and part-time students.
Workforce development:
The evaluation of workforce needs in Goal Four is limited to reports on contract training at Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. In order to develop a broader analytical context, a survey of employers will be undertaken that assesses total workforce training including programs delivered internally as well as externally. The Bureau of Labor Statistics performed similar work during the mid-1990s that will be used as a guide for this work.
The full Minnesota Measures report is also available online at:
http://www.ohe.state.mn.us/pdf/MinnesotaMeasures2008.pdf
