Every fall, colleges and universities wait expectantly for official enrollment numbers, which we memorialize about four weeks into the term. These numbers tell us generally how well our programs match up with student demand and career outlook.
While our total enrollment at UH-Hilo is still down a bit from last year, we are down by a much smaller percentage, which gives us hope that the tide is indeed turning. The size of both our new freshmen and transfer classes are up significantly, indicating that more families are putting their faith in us for their students’ futures. That is a responsibility we take very seriously.
Ironically, when the economy is strong, college attendance tends to drop. Some young people ask themselves, “Why pay for college if I can get a well-paying job right now?” If there are jobs in hospitality, construction, or other fields where a college degree is not required, the lure of immediate money overwhelms long-term planning for success.
As educators, we need to educate families about the benefits that come with a college education.
Research published by the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities (aplu.org) reports that over the course of a lifetime, a college graduate will earn nearly a million dollars more than a high school graduate. In addition, college graduates will live longer, have better access to health care, and will have employers paying more of the health care costs than those with just high school degrees.
In a study commissioned by the Lumina Foundation entitled, “It’s Not Just the Money: Benefits of a College Education to Individuals and to Society,” we learn that college graduates are 24% more likely to be employed, and even the likelihood of being happy is significantly higher.
Despite all of this, however, many are questioning the value of a university degree. Part of that is because the cost of college keeps rising while government support for public education has declined over the years. There is no doubt that college is an expensive enterprise. We employ many people, and we have to keep pace with technology innovations and student expectations for state-of-the-art facilities. Yet, rather than think of these as costs, we need to think of them as investments in our students and our future.
College graduates are more likely to be engaged citizens, volunteering at a rate 2.3 times higher than others. Since they are earning more, they are also paying more in taxes (215% more, according to the Lumina study) and give more to charities.
Indeed, greater individual earnings are just a small return on the investment in public higher education. In return for that investment, universities need to make sure their students are successful, which includes students persisting in their education. If a student leaves college with debt and no degree, we have all failed that student.
Thus, looking at UH-Hilo from the perspective not of total enrollment but of students’ persistence, the important number for us this year is the increase in freshmen retention, the percentage of students returning for their second year of college, which has reached an all-time high at 72.7%, up from 66% last year.
This number tells us that we are making UH-Hilo an even better place for students. Many factors influence how students come to us in the first place, but how many students stick with us is due to good teaching, comprehensive academic, professional, and personal support, and, from my perspective, good teamwork focused on what is really important: our students.
And, in the end, the more success stories we can tell, the more students will identify UH-Hilo as their first choice for a college education. Many of our alumni live and work in this community, so as our graduation numbers continue to rise, so, too, will the quality of life on our island, as our alumni give back and return manyfold our investment of time and treasure in them.
Bonnie D. Irwin is the new chancellor of the University of Hawaii at Hilo. She began July 1. Her column appears monthly in the Tribune-Herald. Email comments to urevents@hawaii.edu.
