• Loren Anderson and Ronald Thomas, The Tacoma News Tribune: "The one thing the state really can’t afford", February 22, 2011
  
  
• Thayne McCulloh and Bill Robinson, The Spokane Spokesman-Review: "Student Aid funding critical", February 26, 2010
  
  
• Roy F. Heynderickx, The Olympian: "Slashing financial aid imperils higher education and economic growth", February 07, 2010
  
  
• Ronald R. Thomas, Rodolfo Arévalo and Charlie Earl, Seattle Times: Avoid catastrophe: Don't cut Washington's higher-education funding any more, December 7, 2009
  
  
• Todd Ruberg, Puget Sound Business Journal: " Higher ed in Washington needs more support" July 24, 2009
  
  
• Rodney Proctor, Puget Sound Business Journal: " Private college: Still a bargain for some", May 15, 2009
  
  
• DeLona Lang Bell, Walla Walla Union Bulletin: "Private colleges help taxpayers, deserve equal student aid funding", January 26, 2009
  
  
• ICW College Presidents, Seattle Times: "Don't Backslide on Higher Education", December 1, 2008

Investing in students is the way to help our economy

Seattle Times Letters to the Editor

Kudos to Rep. Larry Seaquist for calling it like it is. In his guest opinion piece, he warns that although Washingtonians appear to be fairly educated, if you look below the surface you will see the true story, our educational status is an illusion because we import many educated people to fill coveted positions [“Education innovation: Washington’s ladder to long-term success,” Opinion, Feb. 10].

Seaquist says it well, that “investing in our colleges, universities, and most important, our students is our ticket out of this economic slump and the best medicine for our ailing economy.”

Washington is fortunate to have an excellent system of public and private, two-year and four-year colleges, creating a broad range of choices for our students. Choice creates a greater chance of completion and successful entry into the workforce.
The state’s laudable investment in student financial aid must be maintained despite these difficult times. Many low-income students simply will not be able enroll or to finish college due to financial pressures without this critical financial aid. The Legislature should strengthen its commitment to students in the form of student financial aid.

Investing in students is, indeed, the “best medicine for an ailing economy.”
— Deborah B. Cushing, Seattle

They will listen, learn and perhaps make a difference

The News Tribune, February 22, 2011

by Ronald R. Thomas and Loren J. Anderson

This week 40 local college students will go to Lincoln High School to do something that many of us as parents, teachers, civic leaders, and community members regularly fail to do.

They are going to listen.

The high school students will be encouraged to talk about their personal lives and goals, their school lives, and how they think their schools and neighborhoods can be improved.

In theory, the idea of young people talking to each other, to let them know their voice matters and to support them in working to initiate change, is a good one. In practice, it is not easy.

One of our college students who ran an earlier dialogue at a Tacoma high school, described it as “nerve-wracking.”

Faced with five insular teenagers, including one who described gun battles outside his home and another who spoke about being passed between foster homes, the student facilitator felt powerless. But she persevered and is trying again. She is determined to see if the project can make some small difference in the lives of local youth.

It is that kind of thinking that Tacoma needs if we are to address the harrowing issue of youth violence and all it implies.

The high school dialogues, which began last fall, were created by the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation with the enthusiastic support of Pacific Lutheran University and University of Puget Sound.

They are part of the Youth Against Violence initiative and the Be the Spark campaign, a movement which aims to inspire every Tacoma citizen to be part of the solution in bettering our community.

Our partnership, we hope, will help take these projects deep into the community where those who have the most at risk and the most to gain can make them their own.

When the GTCF approached Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu about coming to Tacoma to speak about these issues, the organizers were frank about our hometown. In recent years, they wrote, Tacoma has experienced a high level of gang- and youth-related violence. About 8 percent of Washington students, ages 13 to 18, reported carrying a weapon on school property in 2006. A full third of sixth-graders that year reported being a victim of bullying.

Tutu is coming to Tacoma on May 13, and the message he will deliver is not unlike that expressed by students participating in the high school dialogue project: Maintain hope and persevere through communal action. In Africa such thinking is framed by ubuntu, a philosophy described by Tutu as: “You are connected and what you do affects the whole world.”

It may seem grandiose to suggest that the contribution of one person – or 40 college students – can become a mountain of a movement. But we see it happening all around us: People working in concert can create miracles.

A study just out by the Annenberg Institute for School Reform reports that coordinated action by parents, youth, residents and institutions can alter longstanding power imbalances and patterns of inequality that result in failing schools. The study cites numerous successes.

Tacoma can be one of those success stories. We support Be the Spark and Youth Against Violence because, as college presidents, we are inspired by what young people dare to believe is possible, and we aim to be part of a citywide movement to make a peaceful and productive Tacoma a reality for the youth who live here.

Lending an ear in our high schools is one small step. Choosing to “be the spark” may be the next. We can only hope this might happen in the manner of ubuntu, with each individual deciding on his or her own to take responsibility – and with the many acting together for the common good.

Bill Robinson and Thayne McCulloh’s letter to the Spokane Spokesman-Review

Submitted February 26, 2010

Editor,

During even the best of economic times, good and important causes compete for limited resources. In what are arguably the worst circumstances the state has faced for generations, the Governor and the Legislature are faced with impossible choices. We are therefore grateful for and support the Governor’s revised budget request, which restores funding for the State Need Grant for low-income college students.

This revision recognizes the essential role higher education plays in equipping the next generation of educated citizens to revitalize Washington’s economy. State Need Grants open the door for students to attend Washington’s great public and independent institutions. Gonzaga and Whitworth receive no direct funds from the state; many students who attend our schools are able to do so because State Need Grants – in combination with our own financial assistance – make college affordable, ease the burden on taxpayers, and create additional capacity for enrollments at public institutions. Over 73,000 students statewide benefit from the State Need Grant program.

We urge the legislature to restore funding for the State Work Study program as well. Students earn financial aid and gain valuable work experience; employers throughout the state and city, particularly those in key social and service agencies, are able to serve clients at organizations such as the YWCA, Spokane Mental Health, and the Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery.

In tough economic times, investment in aid to students is one of the smartest, and most strategic, investments we can make to create a brighter future for Spokane and the state.

Bill Robinson
President, Whitworth University

Thayne McCulloh
President, Gonzaga University

Slashing financial aid imperils higher education and economic growth

By Roy F. Heynderickx

A couple of weeks ago, I walked at the state Capitol with two Saint Martin’s University students to meet with state legislators to talk about state student aid, in particular the Washington state need grant program. The purpose of our walking the hallways that day was to put a face on the spreadsheet figures that our legislators will consider in the next few weeks.

As you may recall, our governor’s December budget proposed reducing the state need grant program drastically, which would cause more than 15,000 students to lose eligibility and the remaining 57,000 students to receive sharply lower amounts in aid.

Such cuts jeopardize students’ ability to continue to pay for their education. The governor’s January budget seeks to restore those grants with new revenue yet to be identified, while other smaller state student support programs would not be restored or are being suspended.

Both students who accompanied me are full-time students at Saint Martin’s. And while they both have taken on jobs in addition to their full course load, they are still dependent on the state need grant to help pay for school. These two are more than just students in need; they represent the future. Both excel in their studies and are involved in student government. They walked with me out of concern for their fellow students, but hopeful that these grants will stay funded.

You will find students like these two – engaged in their education and embodying great promise, yet dependent upon the state need grant – at public and private colleges and universities across our great state.

As we toured the Capitol, I thought of how my generation benefited from the scholarship and education programs implemented in the 1960s. Those programs provided grants and loans that covered a large portion of the cost of education. The programs enabled many of us to pursue degrees that led to careers, employment growth, and community involvement. Those programs have not kept up with the growing cost of education. It would be a shame if a program such as the state need grant was cut or eliminated at a time when access to higher education is needed most.

No matter which party you support, President Obama’s mandate to “have the highest proportion of students graduating from college in the world by 2020” so as to “better prepare our workforce for a 21st-century economy” is the best prescription for our economic woes.

In Washington state, higher education has been a key economic driver. Our economy has already seen changes in the last few decades. Skilled employment from certain trades, in particular construction, has given way to jobs in technology, health care, business, etc.

These sectors have attracted a more educated workforce, which has brought new businesses to our region and helped it thrive. Our future workforce will continue to require advanced education to open doors to professional and personal lifestyles previous generations have enjoyed.

Access to higher education, unfortunately, is still defined by affordability. Those who can afford it will seek it. But for those who cannot, the door might be closed forever. We must do our part to make sure that access – especially through grants – is available to those that need them most. We have an obligation to the current generation to help provide access to higher education. To ignore this generation will play out in many unhealthy ways for society.

So, where do we come up with new revenue to help maintain these programs?

I would ask our legislators to think hard about this and consider new sources. Every source must be weighed against our responsibility to the next generation, as we most certainly will be dependent upon this generation for our own well-being and security. As Lee Iacocca once said, “passing civilization along from one generation to the next ought to be the highest honor and the highest responsibility anyone could have.”

Roy F. Heynderickx is president of Saint Martin’s University in Lacey.

Avoid catastrophe: Don't cut Washington's higher-education funding any more

Seattle Times, December 7, 2009

By Ronald R. Thomas, Rodolfo Arévalo and Charlie Earl

H.G. Wells wrote in "The Outline of History" that "Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe." Washington's leaders will make decisions that affect that race when the Legislature convenes in January.

Despite severe economic challenges, colleges in Washington are doing a remarkable job of meeting the state's higher-education needs. Enrollment is up substantially at public baccalaureate institutions this fall, despite tuition increases of 14 percent. Private colleges, which many thought would see enrollment plummet in this economy, saw a healthy increase as well. And the state's community colleges are bursting at the seams with students seeking job training or starting on their way to a college degree. Students are brimming with hope, vitality and excitement about the opportunities a good education provides.

This success is occurring despite severe limitations on resources. State operating support for public institutions was reduced sharply in the budget enacted by the Legislature earlier this year. Independent colleges felt the squeeze through a drop in endowment income and a more difficult annual fundraising climate. While the state and federal governments both have increased investment in student aid, and institutions also are devoting more resources to help low- and moderate-income students pay the bill, it isn't enough; colleges are admitting more students with greater financial need than ever before.

That brings us to the state budget, which analysts now predict will be $2.6 billion out of balance by the end of the biennium in the middle of 2011. Some are already drawing a target — again — on higher-education funding. They say that their hands are tied, and look to colleges for reductions because investing in higher education is not constitutionally mandated.

Further cuts to higher education would be a huge mistake.

Colleges are already working with limited resources; additional cuts in operating support would make it increasingly difficult to offer the classes and support services students need. Slashing financial aid would force many students out of college and dash their best hope for getting the skills and knowledge they need to improve their lives and climb the economic ladder.

Higher education is vitally important not only for the individual but for the state. College-educated citizens are critical to the innovation we need to rise to economic recovery. Study after study shows that as people become more educated, they are less likely to need state services and more likely to be employed, pay more taxes and be more flexible workers. They are less likely to be on public assistance, and more likely to have better health, vote, give to charities and volunteer. In short, higher education can prevent a host of problems that taxpayers spend a lot of money trying to fix later.

Given the demonstrable benefits of higher education both to individuals and society, it's almost inconceivable that the state's students and colleges often end up taking the brunt of budget cuts rather than being a top priority for state support.

The state Legislature set a goal, by adopting the Higher Education Coordinating Board's master plan, of increasing college degree production at all levels by nearly 32,000 annually by 2018. Further cuts to higher education would make it highly unlikely that this goal can even be approached, and would deny opportunities to thousands of capable Washington students.

Education? Or catastrophe? We urge our leaders to back the winning horse in that race.

Rodolfo Arévalo is president of Eastern Washington University and chair of the Council of Presidents. Charlie Earl is executive director of the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. Ronald R. Thomas is president of University of Puget Sound and chair of the board of Independent Colleges of Washington.

Higher ed in Washington needs more support

Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle), Friday, July 24, 2009

by Todd Ruberg

When the celebrations are over, our future leaders — today's college and high school graduates — are going to wake up to some real challenges as they start out in the world.

The season of college commencements and high school graduations is usually a time of joy and optimism as these new graduates celebrate their accomplishments and make big plans for the future. But this year there's way too much bad news.

The economy remains down in the dumps, and college grads face the toughest job market in memory. High school grads will find that public colleges and universities are being forced to raise tuition dramatically while simultaneously reducing enrollment. But the issue affects us all, as this is happening at the time when we need bright young talent to come in with new ideas and fresh perspective in order to revitalize Washington's workplaces and economy.

The job market will recover. The economy will right itself. But I'm worried that the bad news has some bright young people disheartened and ready to throw in the towel.

My company, Procter & Gamble, is a proud sponsor of the Costco Scholarship Fund, a program administered by the College Success Foundation to provide financial assistance to highly qualified underrepresented minority students who wish to attend Seattle University or the University of Washington.

I attended the fund's annual breakfast last fall and was impressed with the marvelous stories from scholarship recipients about what they were accomplishing and how the financial assistance made it possible.

I was moved by the story told by Melvin Pretlow, a recipient of a Costco scholarship who sat at my table at breakfast. A Seattle University finance major, he is an impressive young man, but shared with us that he was having second thoughts about his career choice. He was disillusioned by the greed and poor behavior that had contributed to the economic downturn and was questioning if this was still the right career field for him. I counseled him to stick with it, as all these events were exactly why the finance industry needs bright young people like him to come in with optimism and ethics and make a difference.

There are thousands of students like Melvin out there. Bright, talented, loaded with potential, but confronting the tough realities that college may not be available or in reach for them.

What we as a society — business, the Legislature, individuals — very much need to do is pull together and commit to finding the wherewithal and the resources to increase our ability to tap and develop future talent, not to scrimp on higher education when our state and nation need to be preparing the leaders and job creators of the future.

A big part of the task falls to the Legislature, of course. Lawmakers did well in actually
increasing state financial aid programs — an aspect of the college equation that often gets ignored in the news coverage — but the decrease in enrollment at a time when
Washington businesses are crying out for well-educated talent is disappointing.

The buck may stop with the governor and Legislature, but it starts with us. There are a
number of things that businesses and individuals can do to help. We can urge the
government to give better support for higher education.

We can urge support for financial aid programs that make college accessible and
affordable for low- and middle-income students who attend colleges, public or private, in our state. And we can and must take on some of the responsibility and do it ourselves.

Support colleges, and don't forget private institutions which, while individually relatively small, together confer about a quarter of the bachelor's and higher degrees earned in Washington each year.

I serve on the board of their association, Independent Colleges of Washington
(ICWashington.org), which raises funds for scholarships for students at all 10 of its
member institutions. Donating to ICW is an easy way for companies and individuals to
support deserving students at great colleges all over the state.

Let's step up and support higher education opportunity in Washington wherever and
whenever we can. The problems of the future are getting more complex, and will ultimately be addressed by and solved by "future" leaders — those high school grads that we need to develop in our colleges today. Find a way you can help — our future depends on it.

TODD RUBERG is general manager of customer business development at Procter &
Gamble, in Issaquah, and serves on the board of directors of Independent Colleges of
Washington.

Private college: Still a bargain for some

Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle), Friday, May 15, 2009

by Rodney Proctor
With each passing day, the economic crisis in America seems to add to its list of
potential causalities — financial institutions, insurance companies, automakers,
retailers, even homeowners. However, the biggest loss of all for many may be the
loss of hope that they can attain their dream of a college education.

For at least the past 50 years, a primary way to improve one's life in America has
been to get a college education. Statistics consistently show that the average
college graduate earns nearly twice as much as a high school graduate and almost
three times as much as a high school dropout. The dream of a college education
for their children has been a major motivator for many American mothers and
fathers over the years.

With mounting layoffs, foreclosures and economic uncertainty, today's world has
many fearful that a college education may no longer be possible for them or their
children. This sense of hopelessness is even more frightening in many lowincome and minority communities where education is one of the few "legal" tools
for breaking the cycle of poverty.

However, the truth is that a college education is still possible and affordable for
students in the right circumstances. In fact, for low-income, minority, or firstgeneration college students who possess the right academic qualifications, the
best option may actually be a private college in spite of high costs.

Independent institutions place a great emphasis on making sure that students
who enroll actually graduate. In fact, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) reports that most students, including low-income and minority students, are as likely if not more likely to earn a degree in four years from a private college as they would in six years from a public institution. According to NAICU, students who have kids, who must work full time, who get no help from their parents, or who face other challenges also are more likely to graduate from a private college.

Washington state's private colleges are diverse. The 10 members of Independent
Colleges of Washington enroll about the same ratio of minority students as do the
public baccalaureate universities, about 20 percent. And all students — African
American, Native American, Asian American, Latino, white — are far more likely
to graduate in four years than their counterparts at the public schools.
This is possible because students at independent colleges receive lots of support.
It starts with small classes where students actually get to know and talk with their
professors and classmates.

Education at a small college is not a spectator sport. In these environs, fewer
students fall through the cracks because they actively participate in their
education and they get help when needed.

Student support includes mentoring and tutoring, both from professors and from
other students. It's easy to get involved in — or start — affinity groups that offer
peer support and activities, and/or virtually any other kind of student
organization. As private entities, independent colleges can target help where it's
needed most, whether it's for minority students who wish to become teachers, or
nursing students who agree to work in a low-income community upon
graduation.

Although tuition at a private college in Washington is, on average, about four
times that of the University of Washington, few students pay the full amount.
Nearly 90 percent receive some financial aid. The colleges themselves give grants,
with the average assistance per student being just over $10,000 per year. The state Legislature recognizes the power of financial aid, and invested an
additional $52 million in student aid in its newly written budget despite an
enormous shortfall.

Students also may receive federal grants as well as state and federal work study.
Organizations such as Independent Colleges of Washington provide scholarships
specifically for students who attend member institutions.

In short, given the current economic recession, the prospect of affording a college
education may seem daunting. However, for low income, minority and first
generation college students, college is an investment they cannot afford to pass
up. More specifically, I believe that the independent colleges in Washington are
the best option for low-income and minority students who are up to the academic
challenge.

The independent colleges of Washington offer a rigorous college education
grounded in the liberal arts and sciences, with an emphasis on critical thinking,
lifelong learning, ethics, leadership and community service. More importantly,
the substantial financial and other support systems at these private institutions
make the benefits very clear and practically a bargain given the increased longterm economic benefits of a college education.

RODNEY PROCTOR is a member of the board of directors of Independent
Colleges of Washington.

"Private colleges help taxpayers, deserve equal student aid funding"

DeLona Lang Bell, Walla Walla Union Bulletin:, January 26, 2009

Don't backslide on higher education

Seattle Times, December 1, 2008

The president saw fear, worry in her face. He read her question: What plan does the college have to help families like hers that will have trouble paying their children's tuition bills?

The president reassured her, but he has concerns, too.

The concern: Funding for higher education.

Even as Washington state faces a burgeoning projected deficit in the budget, we must not reduce support for our public colleges and universities, nor for need-based financial aid given to Washington's poorest college-bound students. The state's future depends heavily upon a thriving comprehensive system of higher education, both public and private.

As the presidents of the 10 independent colleges and universities in Washington, we share the resolute belief that Washington must remain a leader in higher education, providing its public colleges and universities with funding adequate to sustain academic programs and also granting the neediest students, those who attend both public and private colleges and universities, sufficient financial aid to complete their studies successfully.

Our public institutions have already been asked to cut $36 million from their budgets this fiscal year. They have been asked to prepare for up to $600 million more in cuts from their budgets in the next biennium. The negative effects from such deep cuts will ripple through the region's economy for years.

No one can say with certainty when turbulence in the markets will end or how deep or long the current recession will run. But we can state with absolute certainty that during economic slowdowns, more people turn to colleges and universities to advance their education toward building better careers. Reducing support for higher education will handicap the persons most motivated and most likely to find new and better positions in the work force.

The colleges and universities we represent depend upon our state's public institutions. Our schools routinely enroll transfer students from the community colleges. A high percentage of our outstanding graduates go on to seek advanced degrees, often at public research institutions. And we rely on and recruit from UW and WSU for newly trained Ph.Ds to serve as faculty members on our campuses.

Public colleges and universities must not be a "budget balancer." All sectors of our diverse system of higher education must be strong if we hope to provide education of the highest quality to state residents.

We are also concerned that all students — at public and private institutions — receive the most financial-aid support possible to continue their educations. Washington claims a proud history of consistently offering need-based aid to residents attending college even during economic downturns. Among the things we worry about is the possibility that in this recession many talented people will miss out on a college education because state-supported financial aid is inadequate.

We applaud the Gates Foundation's recent commitment to increasing the number of students from low-income families who complete college. We should follow the foundation's visionary lead by solidifying and expanding the need-based financial support the state provides these students. This is imperative, even in this budget downturn during which our state expects to bring in more than $31 billion in general-fund revenue in the coming biennium.

The societal benefits of academic success are legion: lower levels of unemployment, reduced reliance on public assistance, increased consumption of goods and services, and increased contributions to the tax base.

All of us will hurt if we backslide in our commitment to higher education. Balancing the state budget on colleges or universities, or on our students, won't lessen the burden. If anything, the burden will increase as the capacity of our academic institutions to fuel our economy stalls.

And we think this result is far more costly than investing adequately in our colleges, universities and most needy students. The costs of reducing their support will far outweigh the near-term fiscal gain and only add to the economic turmoil surrounding us.

What most economists are saying about the larger financial landscape is also true about education: now is not the time to retrench, but to think strategically about the future, to invest in the most promising and essential of assets in our society: informed and well-prepared leaders of tomorrow.

A version of this column was sent as a letter to Gov. Christine Gregoire from the presidents of the state's independent universities and colleges: Robert J. Spitzer, Gonzaga University; Kathleen Ross, Heritage University; Loren J. Anderson, Pacific Lutheran University; David R. Spangler, Saint Martin's University; Philip W. Eaton, Seattle Pacific University; Stephen V. Sundborg, Seattle University; Ronald R. Thomas, University of Puget Sound; John McVay, Walla Walla University; George S. Bridges, Whitman College; and William P. Robinson, Whitworth University.