Higher Education in Indiana: Time to plan for the future

Many colleges and universities have been merging or closing due to the significant drops in enrollment. Georgia, for example, began merging institutions about four years ago. Similarly, Pennsylvania has taken a hard look over the past year at the types and numbers of four-year state universities and has determined that mergers and cutbacks are necessary for financial stability.

The burst of higher education institutions that started growing in the 1960s can no longer be sustained with the declines in birth rates over the past several years. The data from Northwest Indiana shows a downward trend that is not at its end; in fact, the birth rate during the pandemic was at an all-time low.

As chancellor of Purdue University Northwest (PNW), one of my major objectives is to strengthen Northwest Indiana. I dedicate a significant amount of time to community involvement and outreach. Additionally, I have worked to make Purdue Northwest a strong community partner and leader. We know from a recent economic impact study conducted by PNW that the university has a $746 million impact on NWI and is a significant contributor to all aspects of the Region’s economy and culture.

Enrollment data from around the state shows that Indiana University-Bloomington and Purdue University-West Lafayette are the only two state universities growing. We also know going forward that Indiana can expect a smaller population of students in college 15 years from now.

This gives rise to two important points. First, part of the decline we are seeing is not just in population numbers but also in the number of high school graduates who are college-ready, and of those who are properly prepared, fewer and fewer are choosing to go to college.

According to Teresa Lubbers, Indiana Commissioner of Higher Education, as noted in a recent NWI Times article, the college-going rate among Indiana students is down 6% in the last five years and we can expect it to reach its lowest point in 10 years.

K-5 pool shrinking

Second, there will be fewer students in the state. NWI data shows that the sheer numbers of children in kindergarten through fifth grade has declined significantly with an overall drop of all K-12 students at 9.4%. Specifically, in Lake County from 2010 to 2020, the number of fourth graders is down 16.9%, third graders down 20.7%, second graders down 16.3%, first graders down 16.1%, and kindergarteners down 20.3%. This, of course, means that we will have a smaller population of high school students to draw from 15 years from now.

The first issue has to do with students and their families not seeing the value of a college education. Students may also have other options that may seem more appealing. Again, according to Lubbers, “the ongoing attitude that a college degree doesn’t hold value for Hoosiers is a contributing factor that cannot be overlooked.”

We know that many jobs are still going unfilled with businesses even offering signing bonuses of $2,000 to $5,000, and as much as $15 per hour in entry level retail and fast food jobs.

The big concern for Northwest Indiana is to consider how we can entice high school graduates who are college-ready to enroll in two- or four-year institutions. While college is not for everyone, a college degree will — on average — allow an individual to earn an additional $1 million over their work life.

With fewer people in college 15 years from now, we need to start thinking about the viability of all of the Indiana state universities. If current trends hold and we do not have a plan for increasing enrollment at all the regional campuses, for example, we could find ourselves with having fewer state universities across Indiana.

“One of the opportunities moving forward is for the regional campuses to look forward," Indiana University President Pamela Whitten said recently. "For a number of years, they've seen enrollment decline, which of course impacts the fiscal health of an institution. So, this is the time to stop, take pause and assess what is the right size for these campuses and what is the opportunity? Moving forward, what do they need to invest in to make sure that students are successful? Where are their opportunities to reallocate resources as appropriate?"

The threat to the regional campuses is particularly problematic for Northwest Indiana because we have the second largest population in the state. What would the higher education opportunities be for our children if only Indiana University-Bloomington, Purdue-West Lafayette, Indiana University Purdue University-Indianapolis, Indiana State University and Ball State University survived? Could that be possible? The regional campuses are shrinking at a significant rate.

The time has come for some statewide planning about the future of higher education, and Northwest Indiana must keep a strong state university to help continue to bolster the economy and provide an educated workforce.