SIOUX FALLS 鈥� A scholarship program that incentivizes graduates to stay and work in South Dakota has awarded 2,785 scholarships to 1,995 students in its first two years.

鈥淢ost all of them are going straight into the South Dakota workforce,鈥� said Freedom Scholarship Coordinator Elli Haerter.

The board that oversees the program revealed data from its first two years during a Monday meeting at First Premier Bank in Sioux Falls.

The scholarship was established by the South Dakota Legislature and supported by donations from entities like First Premier Bank, Avera, and Sanford Health. It offers scholarships based on financial need to students who attend South Dakota colleges and commit to remaining in the state for at least three years post-graduation.

Students must maintain a 2.0 grade point average to keep the $1,000 to 5,000 scholarships, which students can earn across multiple school years.

With exceptions, the program converts the scholarships into loans with a fixed interest rate of 4% for students who do not meet the program鈥檚 grade, graduation or post-graduation residency requirements.

In the program鈥檚 first two years, 182 scholarship recipients have graduated and found work in the state, Haerter told the Freedom Scholarship Board on Monday. Fifty-five of them found work in healthcare;40 are in the education sector.

The data shared Monday also included information on students who鈥檝e failed to adhere to the scholarship requirements.

As of July, there were 143 scholarship recipients in that category. Specifically, 101 have been referred to a debt servicer for repayment, 15 have paid off the loans, five have had their debts forgiven and 22 have had their loans deferred. That鈥檚 typically because the student is pursuing tech school or an apprenticeship instead of college, Haerter noted.

Board Chair Dana Dykhouse said the state should not convert scholarships to loans for awardees who leave college to pursue a technical degree.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it should matter because, at the end of the day, we鈥檙e still getting a South Dakota worker,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd the state has a big need for workers.鈥�

About $260,000 in scholarship dollars is now loans. Comparatively, around $10 million in scholarships has been awarded, according to Haerter. She and Dykhouse said those numbers are good, and will only improve as the program gets better at identifying students in need who are likely to succeed with the scholarship.

Starting next year, the number of high school graduates will begin to in Mississippi. That’s the looming reality a joint hearing of the House and Senate Colleges and Universities committees zeroed in on Wednesday.

In Mississippi, this trend, called the 鈥渆nrollment cliff,鈥� will force the largely tuition-dependent colleges and universities to compete for a shrinking pool of students. Regional institutions like Delta State University, Mississippi University for Women and Mississippi Valley State University, all of which are already struggling with enrollment, will be especially hurt.

The state is poised to see the second-worst decline of high school graduation rates in the Southern U.S. by 2027 after Virginia, according to data presented by Noel Wilkin, the University of Mississippi鈥檚 provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs.

The committee wanted to know: What is the Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees, the governing body for Mississippi鈥檚 eight public universities, doing about this?

鈥淲hen can we expect a report to detail those recommendations and strategies for the future,鈥� Sen. Scott DeLano, R-Biloxi vice chair of the Senate committee, asked Al Rankins, the IHL commissioner.

鈥淲henever you鈥檇 like to see a report,鈥� Rankins responded. IHL has been talking about the enrollment cliff for years, he added, and has a working group focused on the regional college鈥檚 unique needs.

Kell Smith, the director of the Mississippi Community College Board, which operates differently from IHL, attended the hearing but did not present. He said MCCB doesn鈥檛 have a strategic plan for the enrollment cliff but some of the individual community colleges might.

鈥淰ery simply 鈥� how can we fix the problem to prepare for 15 years from now?鈥� Rep. Donnie Scoggin, R-Ellisville the House chair, asked Wilkin.

There are few simple answers. The enrollment cliff is unavoidable, the product of declining birth rates that will be exacerbated by out-migration from Mississippi and deaths due to the COVID-19 pandemic, John Green, a Mississippi State University professor, told the committee.

But the changing economics of higher education is largely the years ago. In Mississippi, the four-year public universities are all more dependent on tuition than they are state appropriations.

Rankins presented a chart showing that in 2000, state appropriations supported nearly 60% of the universities operating budgets, while tuition was 26%. In fiscal year 2023, that ratio had basically flipped, with tuition supporting 64% of operating budgets.

This raises the question: If Mississippi鈥檚 colleges and universities are increasingly reliant on student tuition, not taxpayer dollars, are they still a public service?

It鈥檚 complicated, said Rep. Lance Varner, a member of the House committee, whose 16-year-old daughter has started getting recruitment letters from out-of-state colleges hoping to attract her away from Mississippi.

鈥淚f you own a business, your goal is to try to get people to come to your business,鈥� he said.

At the same time that he thinks higher education is a public good, Varner, R-Florence, said he bets the universities wish they could be even less dependent on state appropriations.

鈥淓very one of those colleges is working hard to make sure they鈥檙e self-sufficient,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 want to depend on the Legislature.鈥�

At the University of Mississippi, tuition and fees now represent 78% of its total operating budget, according to IHL鈥檚 presentation, the highest of any public university.

A huge driver of that is the number of out-of-state students, who pay nearly three times more for tuition than Mississippi residents, now make up half the university鈥檚 total population of more than $21,000, Wilkin told the committee. This is one way Ole Miss is responding to the enrollment cliff, which it started preparing for in 2017.

鈥淲e have become a destination state for higher education,鈥� Wilkin said.

University of Mississippi netted $62 million in tuition from in-state students in fiscal year 2023 鈥� but brought in $188 million from non-resident students. It鈥檚 a crucial revenue source that, Wilkin said, allows Ole Miss to keep its costs down for in-state students.

鈥淚f I were to take all the revenue that comes from in-state students and all the state appropriations we get and compare that to what it costs us to educate those students, we鈥檙e still left with a multimillion-dollar hole,鈥� Wilkin said.

Wilkin also discussed the 鈥渋ntangible鈥� aspect of higher education that shapes if, why and where students attend college, especially in light of the fact high school graduates are becoming more diverse.

鈥淎ll of us see there have been questions raised about the value of a higher education degree today,鈥� he said.

By 2036, white students are projected to comprise 43% of high school graduates compared to 51% today. Black students will increase from 25% to 28%.

Smith, the MCCB director, said after the meeting that community colleges need to be focusing more on students who don鈥檛 have a high school diploma.

鈥淲e need to go after those students irregardless of what the enrollment cliff looks like,鈥� he said.

This first appeared on and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Officials from Indiana鈥檚 public colleges and universities agreed Thursday that their schools need to do a better job at convincing Hoosier students of the value of four-year degrees.

The discussion took place during the Indiana Fiscal Policy Institute鈥檚 annual luncheon in downtown Indianapolis.

Representatives from Indiana, Purdue, Ball State and Vincennes universities, as well as Indiana State and Ivy Tech Community College, conceded that rising tuition costs are deterring thousands of students from post-high school educations.

鈥淗ow do we demonstrate the value of the education?鈥� asked Christopher Ruhl, chief financial officer and treasurer at Purdue University. 鈥淲hy would I spend all this money and incur all this debt? That鈥檚 what students are asking. And we鈥檝e also got to sell this better and make sure the degree is worth the value. What鈥檚 your return on investment? Is this a good value? We hope at Purdue the answer is a resounding yes, but we have to continue focusing on that.鈥�

More student aid 鈥� and transparency about costs

Despite pushback from some state lawmakers and budget officials, Indiana鈥檚 public colleges and universities are slated to increase tuition and fees over the biennium 鈥� up to 4.9% per year 鈥� according to .

The revelation has since put the state鈥檚 higher education officials in the hot seat and prompted calls for Indiana schools to renew efforts to make degrees more affordable and valuable for students.

Concerns also surround Indiana鈥檚 declining college-going rate. The state鈥檚 higher education commissioner indicated in June that Indiana鈥檚 already dismal college-going rate has declined by roughly another half-percent.

Data released last year showed that only half of Indiana鈥檚 2020 high school graduates pursued some form of college education beyond high school. The drop marked the, but the decline has been ongoing for the last five years.

That鈥檚 compared to five years ago, when 65% of Indiana鈥檚 high school graduates pursued some form of higher education.

Dominick Chase, a senior vice president for Ivy Tech Community College, said Indiana institutions 鈥渨ant to keep prices low as possible,鈥� not just for tuition, but for other expenses, too.

鈥淣o one likes to be surprised by the end of the process when you have fees you weren鈥檛 expecting at the beginning,鈥� he said, adding that鈥檚 why Ivy Tech strives to 鈥渂e transparent at the front about how much it鈥檚 going to cost.鈥�

The state鈥檚 largest public postsecondary institution is trying to ease the financial burden on students by , he noted. This fall, eligible students are assessed just $17 per credit hour for textbooks. Next year, that fee will drop to $16 per credit hour.

Dwayne Pinkney, Indiana University鈥檚 executive vice president for finance and administration, emphasized that IU鈥檚 tuition prices are among the lowest in the Big 10, and that the school is 鈥渃ommitted to getting institutional aid鈥� to as many students as possible.

鈥淲e certainly recognize that tuition increases create challenges for students and families,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e making sure we鈥檙e doing everything we can.鈥�

Still, Pinkney doubled down that 鈥渋nvestments鈥� in the state鈥檚 schools still offer 鈥済reat returns.鈥� He said 80% or more of the university鈥檚 funds are needed to compensate 鈥渢he excellent faculty, researchers and support staff who provide the best opportunities for our students.鈥�

Anand Marri, Ball State鈥檚 interim provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, said utility costs are also on the rise, affecting some schools鈥� budgets. Even though the Muncie school has the largest geothermal system in the country, utility costs have increased by more than 5%, he said.

Marri added that university research shows a four-year degree provides more than $1.7 million to a graduate over their lifetime, and that schools 鈥渉ave to get that message across to an increasingly skeptical audience.鈥�

Even so, Chase recognized how easy it is 鈥渢o get on YouTube now and learn things faster.鈥�

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think, as a consumer in this day in age, that we鈥檇 want to take this length of time to learn something,鈥� he said of traditional college degrees. 鈥淪tudents want to do more, faster.鈥�

Vincennes University President Charles Johnson agreed, and said the state鈥檚 schools can collaborate even more, given 鈥渢here are multiple ways to get the same bachelor鈥檚 degree.鈥�

Indiana State University Vice President Diann McKee said focusing on higher education pathways is especially important for attractions and retaining first generation and Pell Grant-eligible students.

鈥淭hose are the students we primarily serve,鈥� McKee said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really important for us, and for them, to make sure we鈥檙e maintaining affordability for four-year degrees.鈥�

Prospects for new Indianapolis campus

Also discussed during the Thursday meeting was the dissolution of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Following a 53-year partnership, the school will be separated into two 鈥� Indiana University Indianapolis and Purdue University in Indianapolis 鈥� beginning in July 2024.

University officials reiterated Thursday that the split will help each school expand their academic and research portfolios, in addition to making a positive impact on the state鈥檚 economy.

Dan Hasler, chief operating officer for Purdue in Indianapolis, said the restructured urban campus won鈥檛 have its own chancellor. Instead, the goal is for Boilermakers and faculty at the Indianapolis location to be 鈥渋n sync鈥� with the flagship West Lafayette campus.

The Indianapolis extension will especially focus on various 鈥渇lavors鈥� of engineering degrees, as well as other science and business-related majors.

He further noted that 80% of students who apply to Purdue鈥檚 West Lafayette campus to do computer science get rejected 鈥� not because they aren鈥檛 qualified, but because the university 鈥渋s out of space.鈥� The Indianapolis location is a chance to give those students the education they want, Hassler continued.

Between 800 and 1,100 new first-year students are expected in Indianapolis in Fall 2024, with the goal that most students will be residential on the campus in the coming years.

As Purdue looks forward, Hasler said the university is hoping to introduce additional fields of study, including in agriculture and motorsports engineering 鈥� given the close proximity to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

On the Indiana University side, Michael Huber, vice president of university relations, said the Indianapolis campus will help meet 鈥渟ignificant demand鈥� for health and life sciences. While the 65-mile corridor running from West Lafayette to Indianapolis has become what some are calling the 鈥淗ard Tech Corridor,鈥� Huber said IU is coining the stretch of Interstate 69 between Bloomington and Indianapolis the 鈥淟ife Science Corridor.鈥�

To help, new applied research partnerships with Eli Lilly, also located in Indianapolis, are in the works, he said.

Additional libraries and health services are also coming together on the campus that can be shared by students at both universities, he said.

The two university officials said the combined central Indiana campus should help increase retention of current students, as well as recent graduates.

IU Indianapolis announced its own initiative last month to offer direct admission to Indianapolis Public Schools students who have a grade point average of at least 3.0. Huber said the program has already garnered a 鈥渇lood鈥� of interest from other Marion County high schools who want the same opportunity for their students.

鈥淲e鈥檙e banking on relationships,鈥� Hasler added, referring to collaborations in Indianapolis between the universities and industry.

But he emphasized that Indiana-based companies 鈥渉ave to compete,鈥� too. That means more internships, apprenticeship programs and other incentives will need to come together to better 鈥渨oo鈥� students to stay in the Hoosier state.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Indiana Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Niki Kelly for questions: info@indianacapitalchronicle.com. Follow Indiana Capital Chronicle on and .

TOPEKA 鈥� A new labor report revealed the current annual rate of degree and certificate completion at Kansas colleges and universities would be insufficient to meet anticipated growth in demand for young, educated workers and could leave the state鈥檚 economy with an estimated 34,000 shortfall by end of this decade.

Analysis by the Institute for Policy and Social Research at the University of Kansas delved into challenges of surging higher education attainment in Kansas despite a declining percentage of high school graduates interested in college, the out-migration of Kansas college graduates to Missouri, Colorado and Texas, and the lack of competitiveness of salaries paid Kansas workers in engineering, business and other fields compared to peers in nearby states.

Failure of state lawmakers, education leaders and employers to address labor gaps, especially demand for recipients of bachelor鈥檚 degrees, could impede economic development through 2030.

鈥淲e hear a message, and I believe this too, that not everyone needs a baccalaureate degree,鈥� said Blake Flanders, president and chief executive officer of the Kansas Board of Regents. 鈥淭he fact of the matter is the data says there are a lot of people who will need a baccalaureate degree.鈥�

Donna Ginther, KU distinguished professor economics and director of the research institute, said the report showed Kansas could add 54,000 jobs requiring a postsecondary degree from 2020 to 2030. This evaluation took into account the likely exit from the Kansas labor force of 180,000 people with postsecondary degrees due to retirement or moving to other states. Overall, Kansas would need to fill 234,000 jobs with new graduates over the 10 years.

At the current pace, she said, about 200,000 new postsecondary graduates could be expected to stay in Kansas through 2030. That would mean Kansas had to come up with an additional 34,000 credentialed workers to satisfy projected growth in jobs, Ginther said.

Exporting graduates

Ginther said Kansas had a track record of modest net migration losses among recipients of higher education credentials, but had substantial deficits with Texas and Colorado. One concern was higher wages offered in those states, even when Kansas鈥� lower cost of living was woven into calculations. A Kansas business degree recipient could expect to annually earn $10,000 more by taking a job in Colorado, she said. A Kansas engineer could make $15,000 more per year in Texas and a computer science graduate in Colorado could receive a salary of $20,000 greater than in Kansas.

In addition, the study showed Kansas retained less than half of all bachelor鈥檚 degree recipients nine years after graduation. The higher the degree earned, Ginther said, the more likely a person would depart Kansas.

鈥淭his is a challenge and an opportunity. If we can keep these people, we will meet that 34,000 number,鈥� Ginther said. 鈥淧eople want to live here if they can find a good job. That鈥檚 the bottom line.鈥�

Ginther said Kansas policymakers could make inroads into the problem by improving college readiness among the state鈥檚 high school graduates and by keeping a public college education affordable to students. She said the state could invest more broadly in college loan forgiveness programs that required Kansas graduates to take jobs in the state. In addition, she would encourage Kansas employers to make salaries more competitive with nearby states.

Overall, the KU institute鈥檚 report indicated the Kansas economy could absorb from 2020 to 2030 the recipients of 36,500 bachelor鈥檚 degrees, 7,400 college certifications, 3,500 doctoral or professional degrees, 3,100 master鈥檚 degrees, 3,000 associate degrees, and 1,100 requiring some college but no degree.

Wider path to college

Melanie Haas, chair of the Kansas State Board of Education, said part of the answer was expanding acceptance in public school districts of the value in creating personalized education plans for each student. She said some, but not all, school districts were enthusiastic about developing education plans for all students.

Formation of a documented education pathway could carry a student through high school and into college, she said.

鈥淲e need to hold districts to a high standard in the interests of students and the families they serve,鈥� Haas said. 鈥淪tudents need to see their own path to college.鈥�

Kansas Board of Regents member Cynthia Lane, the former superintendent of schools in Kansas City, Kansas, said Kansas should mandate districts make perhaps three college-level courses available to every high school student. Kansas has expanded opportunities for high school students to earn more college credit, but inconsistency in availability of courses remained an issue.

鈥淲hen you talk about students graduating with more than their high school diploma 鈥� early college hours, credentials 鈥� we are in great alignment,鈥� Lane said.

Wint Winter, a member of the state Board of Regents, said convincing people who earned college degrees in Kansas to stay in this state was a laudable goal. However, he said, out-of-state students attending college in Kansas still made a contribution to the state鈥檚 economy.

鈥淲e need to aspire to figure out a way to keep our students here, whether they are native Kansans or coming from Chicago,鈥� Winter said. 鈥淚 think we lose sight of the fact that even if we have that student for only four years, that student is contributing to the gross state product.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kansas Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sherman Smith for questions: info@kansasreflector.com. Follow Kansas Reflector on and .

It found more than half of unvaccinated American adults who reported strong hesitancy to the vaccine had a high school education or less. Five of the top 10 reasons for bypassing inoculation included lack of knowledge about its benefits and the risks of remaining unvaccinated. 

A lack of confidence in the shot itself followed by concerns about side effects and distrust in government were listed as the greatest concerns among the vaccine hesitant, according to a draft version of , which will be published in an upcoming issue of the

鈥淰accine hesitancy is a complex problem across the U.S.,鈥� said Saif Khairat, associate professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the study鈥檚 principal author. 鈥淎nd the root cause of that problem is different for different people.鈥�

The study considered a number of variables, including the percent of households with no access to a vehicle; those who were unemployed; had less than a high school education; had trouble speaking English; identified as a member of a minority group; lived in poverty; were over 65 or were single parents with children under 18. 

The paper centered on data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as of May 9, 2021. It examined statistics from nearly every county in America 鈥� Texas did not provide vaccination data 鈥� in an effort to help policymakers better understand the characteristics of vaccine holdouts.

While the study focused on information gleaned more than eight months ago, the issue remains: Just as of Jan. 20, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Vaccination rates vary widely by age. More than 84 percent of U.S. adults age 65 and older are fully inoculated, according to . The figure drops dramatically for children ages 5 to 11: It tops out at 48.4 percent of young children in Vermont and just 5.3 percent in Alabama. The CDC for this age group in November. 

continue to feel the strain 鈥� some at record levels 鈥� as COVID-related beds are filled mostly by patients who have not been inoculated. Some countries, buckling under the Omicron variant, are considering a . 

Former President Donald Trump, who once famously said he loves 鈥渢he poorly educated,鈥� downplayed the severity of the virus, though he was vaccinated. The notion has a stubborn hold on his most ardent followers who at a recent event when he said he received a vaccine booster. 

Khairat and his co-authors said public outreach targeting the undereducated should address the shot鈥檚 safety and effectiveness and include statistics on the percentage of people within their local community who have received the inoculation. Vaccine promotion efforts should incorporate discussion of a path back to normalcy through herd immunity 鈥� information, they said, best delivered by a trusted, locally recognized figure.

of American adults ages 25 and older had not earned their high school diploma as of 2017, according to the American Council on Education. Another 29 percent graduated high school but did not further their education.

Anthony DiMaggio, associate professor of political science at Lehigh University, said his recent analysis shows that age is the strongest predictor of vaccination rates 鈥� but that education also plays a major role. 

鈥淲hat is not in question is that both factors are significant in accounting for whether people are vaccinated or not, with less educated Americans and those under 60 being less likely to have gotten at least two shots by mid-2021,鈥� he said. 

John A. Romley, associate professor at the University of Southern California, helped conduct earlier this year. He and his colleagues discovered that U.S. counties that scored high on both hesitancy and 鈥渟ocial vulnerability鈥� were 鈥渆specially likely鈥� to have lower COVID-19 vaccination rates than the rest of the nation.

Romley and his team have more recently begun to focus on children. Preliminary results from their latest efforts show socioeconomic disadvantage plays a larger role in vaccination rates for kids than it does for adults.

鈥淧arents think about vaccinations for themselves differently than they think about vaccinations for their kids,鈥� Romley said. 

Some adults are required by their employers to take the vaccine. They also might realize they are more vulnerable to a more severe illness than their children, he said. Other unknowns, including the shot鈥檚 long-term impact, might also contribute to their hesitancy. 

鈥淭alking to people with respect and trying to persuade them is the only way to make progress,鈥� Romley said. 鈥淏ut in these polarized times, the conversations we have are pretty heated and I don鈥檛 think that鈥檚 helping.鈥�

Time has shown that not recommendations, are more effective in boosting vaccination rates. 

to push for a vaccine mandate for students back in October: The requirement would go into effect in July. states have followed suit. 

Individual school districts, including Los Angeles Unified, that tried the same tactic were met with immediate backlash and by the threat that additional students would go remote. New York City schools have so far not required students be vaccinated, with Mayor Eric Adams promising a decision on a mandate . 

But at least one New York City educator said mandates are not the answer, even in the face of the Omicron variant. Patrick Sprinkle, a high school social studies teacher at the N.Y.C. Lab School for Collaborative Studies in Manhattan, said he鈥檚 worried about inoculation rates and the spread of the virus, but doesn鈥檛 believe families should be forced to take the shot. 

鈥淭his remains a pressing concern for me,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t is of the utmost importance that we encourage families to have their children vaccinated, however, a mandate is an unwise policy decision as it will push more students into ineffective remote learning and deny students the highest quality education possible.鈥�