Hartford Business Journal

44 Hartford Business Journal • December 22, 2014 www.HartfordBusiness.com Industry Focus E c o n o m i c F o r E c a s t Continued Watch List Major higher-ed funding initiatives come to fruition in '15 By Greg Bordonaro gbordonaro@HartfordBusiness.com T here has been sig- nificant investment in Connecticut's higher education system in recent years to help state colleges and universities boost enroll- ment and bolster programs that aim to better prepare the next generation workforce. In 2015, we'll start to see if some of them pay off. That includes UConn's $1 billion Next Generation Connecticut ini- tiative that, over the next decade, aims to great- ly expand the school's research and curriculum in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The corner- stone of the effort is a major increase in the university's e n r o l l m e n t , faculty expan- sion, and the development of several new STEM facili- ties. In 2015, the school will begin construction of a new Engineering and Science Building and decide on a 20-year master plan that will shape the physical devel- opment of UConn's flagship campus. Development of a new Storrs Technology Park will also be underway. Meantime, a recent spat between Board of Regents President Gregory Gray and professors at the Connecticut State Colleges & Universities system brought into focus disagreements over how the state's Transform CSCU 2020 initiative should move forward. Lawmakers approved $125.5 million in funding for the effort, which aims to stem a four-year enroll- ment decline at state colleges and universities by: broadening access to non-traditional students; modern- izing academic offerings with online and other flexible approach- es; and further educating the cur- rent workforce and catering to industry needs like devel- oping more advanced manu- facturing workers. The specif- ics about how the plan will be implemented will likely come to light in 2015 as Gray and the colleges hash out their differences. Of course, focus will con- tinue to be on Connecticut's ability to churn out young graduates who stay in the state and fill jobs increasing- ly being vacated by retiring Baby Boomers. Tuition costs will also be an issue. With Connecticut college students graduating with the sixth-highest debt in the country, according to a recent report from The Proj- ect on Student Debt, private and public schools will face pressure to rein in costs to mitigate tuition hikes. n Q&a State's higher-ed system faces declining enrollment, budget cuts Q&A talks about challenges Connecti- cut's higher education industry faces in 2015 with Gregory Gray, president of the Board of Regents for Higher Edu- cation, which governs 17 state colleges and universities, 12 community col- leges, and Charter Oak State College. Q: What are the major issues that will impact higher education in Connecticut in 2015? A: As we see it at the Board of Regents for Higher Education (BOR), the top four issues that will impact higher educa- tion in 2015 include: • The expected con- tinuing decline in the number of high school graduates, and the cor- responding decline in applications and enroll- ment in BOR institutions. Currently, and for the next decade, it is expected that high school gradu- ates will decline at a 1.8 percent annual rate. This decline will flow through to our institutions, requiring that we look to other, non-traditional students for addressing our declines. These include older people, veterans, people in the workforce seeking to climb the corporate ladder or pursue different career paths. • The continuing budget problems affecting many states are also being felt in Connecticut. We all understand the next biennium will be difficult for the state and the BOR. This will require us to sharpen our pencils anew for the current fiscal year as well as the coming biennium in order to contribute to a bal- anced state budget. • There is a growing demand nation- ally from students for more flexible teaching delivery models. We are aware of those demands, and we are planning a response to them through our Trans- form CSCU 2020 plan to provide more flexible models. Doing so will require the involvement of and input from our college and university administrations and faculties, as well as from BOR tech- nology experts. I am confident that, col- lectively, we can provide the learning platforms to meet the demands of the marketplace in a way that is consistent with faculty imperatives and student experience and preparedness. • Finally, the need to provide busi- nesses with a workforce that is trained not just for today but for the jobs of the future must be balanced with our obli- gation to produce grad- uates that have a strong liberal arts grounding, possessing the abil- ity to think critically, articulate thoughts and ideas, and collabo- rate with co-workers. Business leaders that responded to a survey related to Transform CSCU 2020 have told us they need both, and we have a moral obligation to ensure that we excel at that balance. Q: Will Connecti- cut's state colleges begin to stem the enrollment decline in 2015? A: We are hopeful that we can do so, and we are taking concrete steps now in that direction. One of the most obvi- ous examples of our efforts is an initiative we launched earlier this year to increase enroll- ment for the fall 2014 semester. This initiative, called Go Back to Get Ahead, offered a free class for every two paid courses to students resuming their studies at one of the BOR institutions. So far, roughly 1,000 former Connecticut students have enrolled through Go Back to Get Ahead. We will also be targeting non- traditional students. Many of our institutions have "over 50" programs designed to help people already pur- suing their careers to reach for higher positions, and veterans returning from service who want to get back on track with their careers as well. We are also continuing to introduce Education W a t c h L i s t Greg Bordonaro GreGory Gray President, Board of regents for Higher education

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