KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Amid a federal push to boost college graduation rates, higher education officials from Kansas and Missouri gathered Tuesday to talk about barriers to people entering and completing college.
President Barack Obama has set a goal for the U.S. to have the best college graduation rate in the world by 2020. Korea is ranked first, with 58 percent of its population ages 25-34 having finished college; the U.S. is in a four-way tie for ninth place at 42 percent, according to a study published last year by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
To regain the top spot, the Education Department projects the nation will need to raise its completion rate by 50 percent, which translates into an additional 8 million students earning associate’s or bachelor’s degrees by the end of the decade.
The rising cost of higher education and the challenges transfer students face were among the topics discussed during the education summit at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. University and community college leaders also shared ideas for recruiting and retaining students from underrepresented populations.
University of Kansas chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little told participants of her experience leaving her segregated town in North Carolina for college and getting no help from her parents paying for her schooling.
“When I think about it, in some ways my aspiration was a bold one,” said Gray-Little, who became the university’s first Black chancellor. “I think that in our society it should not be unrealistic or bold for any student who has the capability to go to college. It should be the expectation.”
She talked about how the school has broadened student financial support and is working to notify students soon after their admission how much scholarship money they will receive. The school also is encouraging students to graduate within four years so they will incur less debt. And the school has recruitment efforts geared specifically toward students from underrepresented populations.
