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February 1, 2011

Higher education is not broken

Michael Wixom:

Gov. Brian Sandoval's State of the State address has certainly given us all a great deal to consider. His proposals for Nevada's public higher education system, in particular, will prompt needed dialogue. However, it is critical that such discussions begin with correct assumptions, and contrary to what we have been told, the Nevada System of Higher Education is not broken.

As evidence of that assertion, some point to our universities' six-year graduation rates (for the period beginning in 2004) of only 50 percent. However, that statement is misleading. When student transfers and eight-year graduation rates are reflected in the calculation, the graduation rate is much higher, ranging from 55 to 70 percent -- certainly in need of improvement, but a respectable figure in any national comparison.

Many have been critical of Nevada's community college graduation rates, which range from 5 to 26 percent. However, many, if not most, community college students don't attend community colleges to graduate from a community college -- they attend to take specific courses or they transfer within a relatively short period of time. These are designed to be access institutions, and graduation rates, taken alone, really don't adequately reflect their mission.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at February 1, 2011 1:07 AM
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