Last week, Board of Regents Chair Ben Tarbutton III wrote of the link between the University System of Georgia and Georgia’s future, and of how seriously the regents take their stewardship responsibility. I second his comments wholeheartedly.
This is a complex organization. We have an annual budget of over $7 billion. Where do these dollars go?
They go toward our goal of creating a more highly educated Georgia. We hire faculty and compete with colleges and universities nationwide for the best to teach, research and perform public service. We hire staff to advise students and their families about financial aid; we hire librarians. These are but a few examples of the people needed for us to offer Georgians a quality higher education.
By 2025, it is estimated 15 million additional bachelors’ degrees will be needed to meet job needs nationwide. If Georgia doesn’t produce more college graduates, these jobs will go elsewhere. If we don’t want to fall behind in the knowledge race, we must continue to expand college access.
The need to bridge that gap motivates us to expand programs in a strategic way. And, yes, that does cost money as we hire faculty and staff, and build classrooms and labs. Fortunately, more students than ever are enrolling in our colleges and universities — more than 310,000 last year, and that number should grow to 400,000 by 2020.
The state has clear workforce needs: for more teachers, for more health care professionals and in other critical fields. While it is important to offer academic programs where people live and work, we must maximize our use of distance learning technology. Since the late 1960s, the Board of Regents’ policy has been to expand access throughout Georgia.
Ask the working parent in Macon, Dalton, Douglas or Brunswick how vital it is to be able to earn a nursing degree close to home. Ask Atlanta residents to imagine the economic vitality of downtown without Georgia State. Check an atlas to find another U.S. county like Gwinnett with a population of 800,000 and no public college. Question students on the need for more labs or technology to help them earn a degree.
We must meet these needs during challenging economic times. In the past three years, state funding to the University System has been cut $875 million while our enrollment grew more than 18 percent. As demand for education has increased, state funding has fallen. That is the reality of today’s economy and we accept it as our responsibility to offer the necessary programs with fewer resources.
We are a public agency and accountable. We should deliver service in the most efficient way. A critical responsibility I have as the new chancellor is to stretch our resources and eliminate waste, and we will do that. We should examine whether we are cost-efficient. I believe the people of Georgia expect us to do that. I don’t believe, however, that they want us to abandon their 21st century educational needs.
There is a clear connection between educational attainment and economic advancement, as well as the responsibilities of good citizenship. Advanced education leads to higher incomes, and the jobs of the future will require a more highly trained workforce.
Georgia will only be as strong as its educational systems. We will continue to work with all who share our belief that our future lies in the minds of our children and in our success in unlocking those minds to create knowledge, create jobs, and solve tomorrow’s issues. Our quality of life and economic viability depend on it.
Hank Huckaby is chancellor, University System of Georgia.
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