The President of Valporaiso University -- a private university -- has been the one to finally show the courage to state what the public university chancellors have not: The NWI public university system needs to be developed into a real universities -- not glorified high schools.
Read the following to see some real honesty; do not listen to those appointed by West Lafayette or Bloomington. Furthermore do not listen to local elected officals like do nothing Aquilera or dufus Dobis. They have been the source of all our problems.
Northwest Indiana residents need more schooling
by Alan Harre
Everyone instinctively understands that people do not welcome bad news.
Sometimes the bearer of bad news is faulted for sharing the information.
However, if people are unaware of problems, they can do little or nothing to correct them.
The difficult news we must confront is that residents of Indiana are not on a par with the residents of the other 49 states and the District of Columbia when comparing the number of citizens who are at least 25 years old and possess at least a bachelor's degree. According to a 2003 U.S. Census Bureau report, Indiana, with 21 percent of its citizens over age 25 possessing bachelor's degrees, ranks 46th. Only Nevada, Arkansas, Mississippi, and West Virginia rank lower.
Current data about the educational attainment of all the citizens of Northwest Indiana are not readily available, but data compiled by the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission based on 2000 census data revealed the region to be below the statewide average in number of citizens 25 or older who possess at least a bachelor's degree. The three-county region had a combined educational attainment rate of 17.1 percent, more than two percentage points below the state average of 19.4 percent.
While the educational attainment level of local citizens has risen since the 2000 census, there is evidence that the rate of improvement has not significantly closed the gap between our region and the rest of the state. Specific data about the educational attainment of the citizens of Porter and LaPorte counties are not readily available, but data for larger population centers such as Lake County are included in updates to census data.
The 2003 data indicate that 18.1 percent of Lake County's residents older than 25 have earned at least a bachelor's degree compared, to the statewide average of 21 percent.
For Indiana to reach the 26th (median) rank among the 51 geographical areas in the United States, Indiana would need to increase to 25 percent the citizens possessing a bachelor's degree, and to 26.5 percent to reach the average (mean) of the citizens of all the states. By way of comparison, the numbers in the higher ranking areas are 44.2 percent in the District of Columbia, 35.8 percent in Massachusetts, 34.57 percent in Colorado, 34.6 percent in Connecticut and 34.5 percent in Maryland.
Business leaders considering locating their operations in Indiana take note of these numbers. For Northwest Indiana to become a more attractive site for businesses that offer higher paying jobs in a global economy, the region must be able to provide the educated work force that such businesses seek.
Hoosiers need to make sure they complete their bachelor's degrees and that they promote the highest educational attainment possible among their peers, neighbors and relatives who reside in Indiana. The result of such improvement will create a more attractive location for businesses. It will assure higher wages for workers and a better quality of life for all.
Alan Harre is president of Valparaiso University. The opinion expressed in this column is the writer's and not necessarily that of The Times.
Keep talking.......it's about time one of our distinguished professors in NWI had a blog. Thanks.
best wishes marie
Posted by: marie | Sunday, November 20, 2005 at 02:41 PM