Higher education execs preview strategic planning report
Mar. 18—CONCORD — The alignment of the state's four-year and community college systems to deal with declining revenues and enrollments may include shared office space, direct involvement in economic development councils and letting high school students obtain an associate degree prior to graduation, higher education administrators told a key House committee Monday.
The House Education Committee voted, 19-1, to endorse an amended "road map" for the strategic planning process, which would require the chancellors of both systems to update an existing higher education task force on a quarterly basis and provide annual reports to House and Senate panels.
House Education Commission Chairman Rick Ladd, R-Haverhill, said he decided to strike from his original bill (HB 1450) references to "consolidation" of the campuses, which he said gave the mistaken impression that he was supportive of a merger.
Rather, Ladd said his goal was for administrators of both systems to identify the best ways to create more financial efficiency and position themselves to be learning laboratories to fill jobs in the future economy.
"This is to look at where we are and what we need to bring efficiencies into our system," Ladd said.
The amended bill would piggyback on an executive order Gov. Chris Sununu signed last October, forming a task force to respond to the enrollment dip and even steeper decline in applications to higher education programs in New Hampshire.
Stephen Appleby, director of program support and higher education with the Department of Education, has chaired the task force that's been meeting weekly for the past three months and has a March 31 deadline to complete its initial report.
Higher enrollment could reduce student debt
Increasing enrollment in higher education could also help reduce the level of debt for students which is among the highest in the nation, he said.
"If we can increase enrollments in our public systems 15% or 20%, that would not only lower costs but theoretically it lowers (student) debt as well," Appleby said.
The task force Sununu created unanimously endorsed the amended bill at its meeting last Friday, Appleby said.
Catherine Provencher, chief administrative officer with the University System of New Hampshire, said staff recently did a "walk through" of joint office space the two systems could share in the state.
USNH wants to be more involved in regional economic development councils so it can be more acutely aware of workforce needs in each part of the state, she said.
"CCNH and USNH should meet and have a seat at the table with economic development and workforce," Provencher said. "The only way we can impact workforce is if we have (more) enrollment."
Community College of New Hampshire System Chancellor Mark Rubinstein said 40% of students in the two-year programs are over 25 years old and 30% take their courses online.
Growing this system lies in bringing educators where the students are, he said, and that can include having community college instructors teach courses so students can complete an associate degree before graduating from high school.
"That's the vision we have for expanding dual enrollment and it involves not only affordability but also access to quality," Rubinstein said.
Rep. David Luneau, D-Hopkinton, praised Ladd for forging bipartisan approval for the amended bill.