Journal Tribune June 11, 2002
Putting College within reach
Plan for technical schools shows promise of helping many Mainers
Every June Maine turns out an impressive flock of high school graduates. An estimated 94 percent of high school students wind up earning their diplomas, the highest rate in the nation.
But the superlative record stops there. Though two-thirds of high school students say they plan to attend college only 55 percent start the next fall. And just over 24 percent of Maine adults over age 25 have four-year college degrees. That's the lowest rate in New England, and below the national average of 26 percent.
Clearly, something happens between high school and college. Many students' aspirations seem to dissolve when exposed to the reality of college costs, college workloads, or both.
One solution that almost every state in the country has come up with is a community college system, which enables students to ease into a college education at a small campus, close to home. A community college - a two-year school that grants academic as well as technical degrees that can be transferred to four-year colleges - is usually more affordable and less intimidating than a four-year school.
Maine has the beginnings of such a system in its technical colleges. The seven campuses, including York County Technical College in Wells, began offering some transferable two-year degrees in the last few years with the encouragement of Gov. Angus King. Today an estimated 1,400 students at the various University of Maine campuses began their college careers at technical colleges.
What the system needs to make the transition from technical college, besides a name change, is more faculty and equipment to enable it to expand its offerings and its enrollment. Some of the campuses, probably not including YCTC, also need some modernization.
The system's board of directors is hoping for a commitment of $9.3 million a year next winter, with a total investment of $23.3 million over six years. A future bond issue would help finance capital costs.
Legislators should be considering the proposal now and all the candidates for governor should be encouraged to support it.
It's hard to think about the state investing in anything right now with the budget shortfall, but a community college system is hardly a luxury. Anything that puts a college education with reach of more residents - including the many older residents who postponed their dreams of higher education years ago - will be good for the state.
It will help fill some of the need for educated workers in the state. It will help increase our rate of college graduation and thus attract new employers. And it will help bridge some of the gap between what high school students want and what they actually wind up getting from life