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Higher Education Policy in Ohio and Nationally

Thomas L. Harnisch

Director of State Relations and Policy Analysis, AASCU

About AASCU

• 420 presidents/chancellors of public universities & systems

• Emphasis: undergraduate education, college access, student success, institutional leadership

• Federal lobbying and federal/state/institutional policy leadership

• Only D.C. higher ed association with state policy focus in addition to federal focus

• Leadership/professional programming for CEOs, CAOs, Government Relations, Communications, International Affairs

AASCU Public Policy Agenda

• Annual summary of state and federal policy priorities

• Focus on student access, affordability and success

• Endorsed by several other higher education groups

State Policy: The Top 10 Issues

• 1) Keeping College Affordable Through State Investment in Public Higher Education

• 2) Improving Institutional Outcomes and Degree Production

• 3) Combating Campus Sexual Assault

• 4) Meeting State Economic Needs Through Higher Education

• 5) Aligning Secondary-Postsecondary Education Standards

State Policy: The Top 10 Issues

• 6) College Access for Undocumented and DACA Students

• 7) Guns on Campus

• 8) College Access and Success for Veterans

• 9) Free Community College

• 10) Student Loan Refinancing and Debt Assistance

State Policy: Honorable Mention

• Dual Enrollment

• Consumer Protection Involving For-Profit Colleges

• Privacy and Data Protection

Governor’s State of the State Addresses

• 41 addresses given this year

• 28 Higher Education Topics

• Major Themes:

• Economic and Workforce Development

• College and Career Readiness

• Community Colleges

• State Higher Education Funding

State Political Context

• Rise of the “Trifecta”—change in LA

• 7 Democratic and 23 Republican trifecta

Source: Ballotpedia, 2016

State Budget Pressures:

Source: National Association of State Budget Officers, 2012

State Budget Pressures:

Source: National Association of State Budgets Officers, 202

1) Keeping College Affordable Through State Investment in Public Higher Education

Source: State Higher Education Executive Officers, 2016

Source: State Higher Education Executive Officers, 2016

Source: Postsecondary Education Opportunity, Grapevine, BWE

Source: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 2016

Tuition Increases

• Published tuition rates at public four-year colleges in 2015 dollars (Room and Board)

• 1975-76: $2,387 ($7,833)

• 2005-06: $6,708 ($14,797)

• 2015-16: $9,410 ($19,548)

Source: College Board, 2015

– Meanwhile, stagnant wages for middle-class families

Stagnant Wages

Source: Pew Research, Bureau of Labor Statistics

Student Debt

Source: Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit, November 2015, New York Fed

Meanwhile, more degrees are needed

• State Attainment Goal:

• 65% of Ohioans, ages 25-64, will have a degree, certificate, or other postsecondary workforce credential of value in the workplace by 2025

• Current rate=43%

• 64% of jobs in OH will require some form of postsecondary education

Source: Ohio Department of Higher Education, 2016

State Efforts to Contain Prices

• In 2016, tuition freezes or locks proposed in CA, DE, GA, ID, IL, KY, ME, MA, MN, MO, MT, NC, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, TN, SD, WI

• The funding outlook depends considerably on state-specific factors, such as politics and economics

• Ohio is in the second year of a two-year tuition freeze

Affordability in OH

• Ohio has been a national leader in keeping tuition increases to a minimum. 3% change in 5 years

• But…average published tuition in Ohio ($10,200) above national average ($9,410)

• In 2015 dollars (College Board data)

• 04-05 In-State Two Year Public College: $4,033

• 15-16 In-State Two Year Public College: $4,534

• 04-05 In-State Four Year Public College: $10,378

• 15-16 In-State Four Year Public College: $10,196

• Source: College Board, 2015

Ohio Funding

• Per-student funding in Ohio has been reduced 15% (-$1,059) over the recession. This is on the lower end of the spectrum.

• 4.7% increase in funding last year, 12% over 5 years.

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OHIO PUBLIC FTE ENROLLMENT AND EDUCATIONAL APPROPRIATIONS PER FTE, FY 1990-2015

NET TUITION REVENUE PER FTE EDUCATIONAL APPROPRIATIONS PER FTE PUBLIC FTE ENROLLMENT

NOTES: Data adjusted for inflation using the Higher Education Cost Adjustment (HECA). Full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment equates student credit hours to full-time, academic year students, but excludes medical students. Educational appropriations are a measure of state and local support available for public higher education operating expenses including ARRA funds, and exclude appropriations for independent institutions, financial aid for students attending independent institutions, research, hospitals, and medical education. Net tuition revenue is calculated by taking the gross amount of tuition and fees, less state and institutional financial aid, tuition waivers or discounts, and medical student tuition and fees. Net tuition revenue used for capital debt service is included in the net tuition revenue figures above. SOURCE: State Higher Education Executive Officers

Source: Ohio Department of Higher Education, 2016

Ohio College

Opportunity Grant

2) Improving Institutional Outcomes and Degree Production

• 32 states now have some form of performance-based funding, according to NCSL

• Performance-based or outcomes-based funding discussed in AL, AR, KY, MO, MT, OH

Ohio Performance-Based Funding

• Has one of the most aggressive formulas in the country

• Four-year colleges funded as follows: 50% degree completions, 30% course completion, 20% doctoral and medical set asides.

• Community colleges have a different formula

• Bonuses for degrees in the STEM fields

3) Combating Campus Sexual Assault

• In 2016, policy proposals on this issue have come up in a number of states: CT, DE, GA, IN, MD, NE, PA, RI, SD, TX, VA, WI

• Ohio has provided $1.2 million in grants to college campuses to help combat and respond to campus sexual assault.

• 20% of students at public OH universities (17% at private colleges) have friends or acquaintances say they were assaulted

4) Meeting State Economic Needs Through Higher Education

• Increases to scholarship programs to promote degree production proposed in: ID, KY, MO, TN

• Higher education remains central to gubernatorial plans for economic and workplace development

• www.ohiomeansjobs.org

5) Aligning Secondary-Postsecondary Educational Standards

• In 2016, 19 states introduced legislation to repeal their current statewide academic standards or assessment systems and 28 states have introduced legislation to modify their current statewide assessment or accountability systems

• Ohio has approved Common Core Standards

6) College Access for Undocumented and DACA Students

• Ohio law does not allow in-state tuition for undocumented students. They are treated as out-of-state or international.

• However, under 2013 Board of Regents measure, students with federal DACA status are extended the in-state rate

• DACA is not a law and could be eliminated by the next president

7) Guns on Campus

• 18 states ban guns on campus (including OH)

• 23 states leave in the hands of campus boards

• 8 states allow guns on campus

• Ohio currently only allows guns locked in motorized vehicles

• House Bill 48 would have given authority to boards.

8) College Access and Success for Veterans

• The federal Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act extends in-state tuition to recent veterans and went into effect on January 1, 2016

• A few states also passed legislation to award more postsecondary credit or provide additional financial and educational support services for military and veterans: FL, MD, AZ, MO

9) Free Community College

• Free community college or free tuition for two years has been proposed in many states, including: AL, CA, GA, KY, MD, WA

• Kentucky was the only state to pass legislation

• Proposals to shift enrollments to two-year institutions have also been discussed: OK, NC

10) Student Loan Refinancing and Debt Assistance

• Proposals for student-loan refinancing, tax credits, or loan counseling and financial literacy resources have been discussed in: CT, IA, MA, MI, MN, MO, NE, PA, VA, WI, WV

• Maine expanded their existing Equal Opportunity Tax Credit Program

• Nebraska and Wisconsin passed legislation to improve financial literacy

Opportunities in 2016

• Get your campus involved in the 2016 election!

• Start prepping for the 2017 legislative session