Ingram’s February 2023

education for a degree that could well be outdated in several years when it’s issued. “Without question, the top issue and challenge is student enrollment,” said Richard Linton, who became Kan sas State University’s president last summer amid a 20 percent decline in enrollment over the previous eight years. In response, K-State has adopt ed a new tuition model that provides in-state tuition to students that have an unweighted GPA of at least 3.9, with the benefits scaling down to a 50 percent discount in the out-of-state rate for those in the 3.25 range. “With

this very attractive and affordable tui tion model,” Linton said, we can gain high-achieving students, help increase the numbers going to Kansas State, and help the state economy grow.” Such innovations said Park Uni versity Provost Michelle Myers, “will need to be tied to revenue generation. For example, the expectation would be that if we meet students’ demands for flexibility and accessibility, such initiatives will lead to increased enroll ments. Many of Park University’s stra tegic initiatives are subjected to return on investment exercises to ensure the feasibility of the investment.”

If there’s ever been a time for col laboration between business and high er education, this might be it, campus executives say. “I will say that’s more on us in higher education, but business has clearly been communicating with us for some time about what they need in the skill set from graduates,” said Barb Bichelmeyer, provost at the University of Kansas. “What we perhaps have not done as well as we now need to do is make linkages to a changing curricu lum so we can make very explicit the cognitive skills that students need and line up to higher paying jobs.”

The Enrollment Dilemma Sharply lower enrollment totals for postsecondary education in Missouri and Kansas over the past decade could create longer-term challenges with talent acquisition for regional employers:

FOUR-YEAR COLLEGES:

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

MISSOURI

-8.15 %

148,440

136,347

KANSAS

-5.62 %

93,681

88,414

TWO-YEAR COLLEGES:

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

MISSOURI

108,556

KANSAS

-28.95 % -25.72 %

77,134

80,924

60,107

BI-STATE TOTAL:

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

431,601

-16.13 %

362,002

SOURCES: MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER-EDUCATION, KANSAS BOARD OF REGENTS

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I ng r am ’ s

February 2023