ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, April 14, 1996 TAG: 9604120038
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: 3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MYLES BRAND
IT'S ELECTION time again. But in today's campaign rhetoric, one topic is conspicuously absent: higher education.
We do hear about K-12 eduction. President Clinton is a strong supporter of American's public schools. But what about higher education? Perhaps it comes easily to our politicians to forget about it - and perhaps that's because our colleges and universities are doing quite a good job.
But the conversation needs to be expanded. In the land of opportunity, higher education is a first-class ticket. Anyone who hopes to lead this country into the 21st century needs to begin thinking about the role higher education will play in the national economy, employment, American society and American lives.
A generation ago, it was possible to earn a good living without a college education. Excellent jobs were open to high-school graduates. But now these jobs are vanishing. Modern technologies demand new skills in the workplace. As a nation, we must make sure our citizens have those skills.
Consider the automotive industry. In our parents' and grandparents' time, it was a bastion of secure and well-paying jobs for those with a high-school education, and even for those who never finished high school. Today, according to the industry itself, high-tech manufacturing processes require sophisticated abilities throughout employee ranks. These are the kinds of abilities that are acquired through higher education.
In fact the jobs are there. The automotive ``Big Three,'' for example, expect a quarter of a million new jobs in the next seven years. They will go to people with the best preparation.
Other industries across the economic spectrum are looking to hire employees who have more than a high- school diploma. And while a year or two of college may do for entry-level jobs, advancement and career development often depend on a four-year degree - at least. This has a lot to do with the fact that a range of skills vital in the workplace are honed in college: problem-solving, decision-making, teamwork, written and spoken communication, intellectual flexibility, and the capacity for continued learning.
Consider this too: The average income for a head of household in an average state - I'll take my own state of Indiana as an example - is $26,000 for someone with a high-school diploma. For a head of household with a college degree or higher, the average annual income is $56,000.
The break-even mark in this average state, in terms of taxation and public services, is roughly $38,000 a year. Those who earn less than $38,000 tend to consume more in public services than they give back in taxes. Those who earn more than $38,000 contribute to their communities by providing more in taxes than they use in services.
If there was ever an important investment to be made, it is increasing the percentage of Americans who have a college education. This is an investment essential at both the federal and the state levels. It should include financial aid to students who need it, so that any American with the necessary talent and motivation can gain a college education, irrespective of family income.
By every economic and social measure, education is a key function of good government.
The arguments ring loud and clear. But are our presidential candidates listening?
Myles Brand is president of Indiana University.
- Knight-Ridder/Tribune
LENGTH: Medium: 67 linesby CNB