Commission Supports Funding Formula, Mandatory Act Testing, National Lambdarail; Urges Continued Focus On Diversity

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The University of Arkansas 2010 Commission urged legislators and academic and business leaders to find ways to support better funding for all Arkansas higher education institutions and to require all Arkansas high school juniors to take the ACT test.

The recommendations were among 28 made in the third report from the commission, titled “Gaining Ground,” released Wednesday.

The group of more than 90 business, government and academic leaders was formed by Chancellor John A. White in 2000 and charged with constructing a plan to use the University of Arkansas as a tool to bring the state of Arkansas to a higher level of economic and educational achievement among the states.

Other significant recommendations to state and business leaders included:

. Take action and find funding to assure Arkansas’ inclusion in a new high-speed fiber-optic national network, National LambdaRail.

. Strategically invest at least a portion of the state’s General Improvement Fund in research, science, technology, education and medicine.

. Support nonresident students seeking to attend college in Arkansas in order to help build the technical workforce needed for a 21st century economy.

. Continue to seek opportunities to diversify the U of A student body, building on the success of efforts to enhance diversity overall, and giving particular attention to maintaining the significantly improving achievement level of African-American students at the U of A.

. Encourage more Arkansas students to go to college - any college - by requiring that all juniors take the ACT test. Of particular concern, less than 20 percent of Arkansas’ African-American and Hispanic high school juniors took this test in 2003, which is the first step in applying for admission to college (Figure 10, Gaining Ground). Two states have had 25 percent increases in college enrollment in the first year of following such a plan, with significant gains among minority students being part of that overall increase.

. The U of A is underfunded by more than $34 million for FY05, by the commission’s reckoning. The Arkansas Department of Higher Education’s funding formula indicates a $33.5 million shortfall. While private fund-raising has been extraordinary, the U of A would have to increase its endowment, now at $626 million, to $1.37 billion to generate enough funding yearly to replace $33.5 million that should be coming from the state.

The report, a mid-course assessment of the commission’s first five years and a roadmap for its next five, also offers a summary of the progress the U of A has made during the White administration. Among the achievements and challenges noted:

. U of A has improved its overall “market share” of Arkansas students who score 31 or above on the ACT from 22.1 percent to 39.1 percent, primarily by keeping students who otherwise would have gone out of state. (Figure 9, Gaining Ground)

. A growing number of National Merit Scholars are enrolled at the U of A - 126 last fall. The U of A was 24th among all public institutions in the number of freshman merit scholars enrolled in 2003, the latest year for which data was available at press time. (Appendix G, Gaining Ground) The U of A was 12th among all publics in the percentage of merit scholar freshmen per thousand freshmen.

. The U of A’s graduation rate is 52.9 percent, above 50 percent for the first time since it has been tracked.

. The university was ranked for the first time within the first tier of public and private research universities in TheCenter’s December report: The Top American Research Universities. This ranking is highly influenced by private fund-raising success and growth in research funding. This follows on the heels of a top-tier ranking from U.S. News and World Report’s America’s Best Colleges 2005.

.  Total minority enrollment, which excludes international students, was up in raw numbers this past fall, but was not significantly ahead of last year proportionally, due to the university’s overall enrollment growth. Since 1997, minority enrollment is up from 11.7 percent to 12.1 percent in 2004.

. African-American enrollment was up among freshman students from last year, but down slightly overall from last year. During the current administration, academic achievement and retention of African-American students, however, has improved dramatically, with graduation rates moving toward those of freshmen overall. (Figure 3, Gaining Ground).

. The percentage of faculty and staff who are members of minority populations has increased significantly.

. Tuition revenue is making up for lagging state funding, an indication of the shifting of the burden of payment onto parents and students. The U of A remains a “best buy” nationally, but the state of Arkansas has been given an “F” in terms of higher education affordability because the cost of sending a child to college here is the equivalent of one-quarter of an average family’s yearly income. Those costs rise to 37 percent of a low-income Arkansas family’s yearly wage.

The report will be released at 1 p.m. Wednesday, March 2, during a press conference at the UA System Office in Little Rock. Chancellor White is scheduled to be joined by Reynie Rutledge, Sr., chair of the 2010 Commission, to present highlights of the findings of the 56-page report. Provost Bob Smith, who is vice chancellor for Academic Affairs and serves as executive secretary of the commission, is also expected to be present.

“Gaining Ground” serves as a mid-course evaluation, examining both progress made and ground yet to be gained since the 2010 Commission was formed. The report also examines the state of higher education in Arkansas and the nation, offers recommendations to state, university and business leaders, and provides extensive benchmarking data.

Findings within the report include an assessment of the university’s efforts to achieve a nationally competitive student body. A comprehensive chart (Table 1, Gaining Ground) detailing the university’s progress toward achieving the goals set forth in 1997 is included.

The first report of the 2010 Commission, “Making the Case: The Impact of the University of Arkansas on the Future of the State of Arkansas,” was issued in August 2001. The second report, “Picking Up the Pace,” which measured the progress toward goals set by the 2010 Commission since “Making the Case” and described the remaining work that was needed for the university and the state, was published in March 2004.

 In addition to a complete membership list of the 2010 Commission, the report also includes comparative data for the U of A and 53 other public colleges and universities, located in Appendix E (p. 39-45). The charts show the gains and losses in relative position from 1997 to the most recent available data on selected benchmarks.

Background Information on the 2010 Commission

The 2010 Commission — a group of more than 90 business, education, and government professionals, University faculty, students, and staff — was first assembled in 2000 at the request of University of Arkansas Chancellor John A. White with the help of alumni, trustees, and friends of the university. Reynie Rutledge, Sr. chairs the commission, with Bob Smith, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, serving as its executive secretary.

The group includes stakeholders not only in the future of the U of A, but also in the future of Arkansas. Members possess significant achievement in terms of government or community service, or leadership positions in nongovernmental organizations, including business and industry. The members have all demonstrated a willingness to invest time and energy in investigation and analysis of the importance of the University of Arkansas in the state’s cultural and economic future. In August 2001, the commission issued its first report: MAKING THE CASE: The Impact of the University of Arkansas on the Future of the State of Arkansas.

MAKING THE CASE — September 2001

The 2010 Commission’s first report generated great interest both nationally and internationally. Several U.S. public research university presidents and chancellors used benchmark data from the report to argue successfully for the increased resources for their institutions.

MAKING THE CASE presented evidence of the lack of significant governmental support for higher education in Arkansas. The report proposed that the state of Arkansas could only function in the highly competitive, information age of the new century through the strengthening of higher education throughout the state, particularly at the University of Arkansas.

The report called for a concentrated effort toward the creation of a funding formula that would enhance the academic quality of the existing institutions and help raise the state’s national reputation. The report also provided a comprehensive progress report, outlining the University’s progress toward its 2010 goals since 1997.

PICKING UP THE PACE — March 2004

After the publication and reception of MAKING THE CASE, 2010 Commission members determined that additional research would be necessary to measure the success of their initial recommendations.

PICKING UP THE PACE, the commission’s second report, examines the progress toward goals set in the first report.

The commission examines issues of access potential students in the state have to higher education and the unintended effects of an oversupply of higher education institutions. In the state.  According to the report, Arkansas ranks 10th nationally in the number of public postsecondary institutions per capita. However, while any student that wishes to earn at least a two-year degree has an institution within 45 miles of home, the college-going rate in Arkansas has increased by only 2.2 percent, from 57.3 in 1992 to 59.5.

PICKING UP THE PACE also recommends that the state pinpoint institutions that provide the best opportunities to develop the state’s intellectual infrastructure in research, science, technology, education and medicine and provide the necessary resources and funding to them to help ensure a work force that will be nationally competitive.

PICKING UP THE PACE received recognition for winning an Award of Excellence for explanatory material addressing public affairs issues from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).

GAINING GROUND — published March 2005

Now at the halfway point of the decade, the 2010 Commission has prepared its mid-course assessment. In its third report, GAINING GROUND, the Commission examines progress made on objectives set by the commission during its term and offers recommendations for continued improvement.

In addition to the report’s overview of higher education in Arkansas and the nation, and its extensive benchmark data, GAINING GROUND makes a case for the adoption of the Arkansas Department of Higher Education Funding Formula. The formula recognizes the unique roles of institutions of higher learning in Arkansas and advocates increased funding of The University of Arkansas’ research mission.

Other key findings within the report include:

. State appropriations to The University of Arkansas are not keeping pace with projections made in MAKING THE CASE.

. Tuition revenues for FY04 exceeded projections made in MAKING THE CASE.

. The University of Arkansas has made significant strides toward improvements in the academic quality and national reputation of its institution. The University has also experienced exceptional fund-raising years in FY03 and FY04.

. Arkansas should be included on the eCorridor through the National LambdaRail (NLR). Linking the state to the NLR would give researchers at The University of Arkansas and other in-state institutions access to information provided from the nation’s research universities. 

2001 Commission Membership