PLEASE NOTE: The Office of Higher Education is working with policymakers and stakeholders to establish specific targets on many performance indicators. The state continually aims for Minnesota’s higher education students to perform at nation-leading and world-leading levels. Comparisons to other states and countries are provided on some of the following indicators.
 

Goal: To develop and maintain an accountability system that will gauge the higher education sector's effectiveness and progress in meeting state goals

Why is this goal important?
Minnesota has a strong higher education sector with many choices available to students. However other states and countries are taking aggressive steps to prepare their citizens for the future and Minnesota must be poised to compete. Minnesota needs a measurement system to improve the education results of the sector and inform policy makers of changes required to be successful in a global environment.

How will this goal be accomplished?
Governor Tim Pawlenty assigned the development of an accountability system to the Office of Higher Education. Together the Governor and Legislature appropriated money to the agency. The Office of Higher Education engaged the National Center for Higher education Management Systems to assist in the initial development of the project by drawing upon the experiences of other states to develop indicators.

Statewide and regional meetings were held in 2005 and 2006 to gather input from all stakeholders. The initial report, called Minnesota Measures was issued in January 2007. The agency will publish a comprehensive annual report and interim updates. The current report includes five goals and 18 indicators.

How will progress be achieved?
The Minnesota Measures report will be issued annually. Benchmarks will be added in 2007 and progress toward the benchmarks will be gauged and reported. The indicators in the report will be expanded and refined, and updates will be made online.
 

Goal: To create a responsive system of higher education that produces graduates at all levels who will meet the demands of the economy

Why is this goal important?
Technology is driving dramatic changes in consumer products, business processes and economic competition. The higher education sector must be equally responsive to the demands of consumers of its services, including employers, students and citizens. The U.S. Department of Labor reports that two-thirds of all new future jobs will require some level of postsecondary education. Minnesota is producing too few graduates at both the associate and baccalaureate levels in high-demand fields. The share of degrees produced in the science and engineering fields is below the national average. Minnesota has relied heavily in the past on in-migration of talent to meet its workforce needs. To compete effectively, Minnesota must create greater alignment between its higher education offerings and its economic potential.

How will this goal be achieved?
The state’s new accountability system for higher education includes a number of measures of graduation rates for postsecondary institutions in the state. The transparency added by these measures will highlight the need to increase degree production, particularly in certain STEM fields. A number of policy changes may also be suggested.

In 2005, the Governor and Legislature took two important steps to create centers of excellence at Minnesota’s public universities. The Governor proposed the creation of a new campus of the University of Minnesota located in Rochester, Minnesota, that will leverage partnerships with the two industry giants, the Mayo Clinic and IBM. The new university will adopt a biotech and information technology focus and develop unique programs in genomics, bioinformatics, and information technology and related fields.

The Governor’s proposal to create additional centers of excellence at regional comprehensive universities also shows signs of promise, with centers emerging in manufacturing technology, allied health and information technology and security.  Each is expected to build expertise, partnerships, unique flagship programs and enrollment over the next several years.

The K-12 system is working in collaboration with higher education partners to increase the awareness of the need for more graduates in the science, technology engineering and mathematics fields. A grant from the National Governors Association has supported many of these efforts. 

How will progress be measured?
The Office of Higher Education will review the current indicators in this area and suggest improvements and set benchmarks, or targets. These will be reported annually to the Governor and the Legislature.

Goal: To improve success of all students in higher education, particularly students from groups traditionally underrepresented in higher education

Why is this goal important?
Success in education is the primary goal for all students. It is in the state’s best interest that every citizen reach his or her full potential. For Minnesota to compete globally, every citizen must reach his or her full potential. As demographics change and a growing number of living-wage jobs require some higher education, Minnesota has a keen interest in seeing more students achieve success in postsecondary education.

Retention, graduation rates, educational attainment are all measures of student success. First- to second-year retention at Minnesota’s four-year colleges is slightly below the national average.

Graduation rates leave room for improvement. The four-year graduation rate was 22.8 percent at Minnesota’s public colleges and universities and 55.4 percent at the state’s private colleges. The six year graduation rate was 48.9 percent and 67 percent respectively.
 

How will this goal be achieved?
The first step to achieving this goal is to measure progress toward it. With this measurement system in place, state benchmarks will be set in 2007 for policymakers and the public to review. Many initiatives are in place to address student success. Governor Pawlenty’s high school initiative and the ACHIEVE Scholarship program are both aimed at helping high school students become better prepared for, and successful in, college.

How will progress be measured?
The Office of Higher Education will continue to add indicators and refine existing indicators that demonstrate student success. Benchmarks will be established and regular reporting will occur.
 

Goal: To improve higher education access, affordability and choice for all students

Why is this goal important?
A critical role of the higher education sector is the alignment of individual interest and abilities with the economic demands of the market and workplace. This alignment occurs when students have access and choice. When students are limited in their choices of academic programs and institutions, the market is not served well and students may not find the best educational fit. Student access and choice can influence whether students find the right educational “fit” on the first try.

How will this goal be achieved?
The Minnesota State Grant program is among the largest need-based grant programs in the nation. Diligence must be exercised to ensure that changes in enrollment and increases in price are reflected in the program parameters. Net college prices remain a concern for students from families with the lowest income levels. Middle-income families pay the highest share of their income on higher education. The Office of Higher Education must continue to identify new measures of choice and access and provide this information to policymakers.

The percent of 18 to 24-year-olds in college in Minnesota is well below the national average.

Participation rates indicate what percentage of a high school graduating class continue directly into higher education. In Minnesota, 65 percent of the class of 2004 enrolled in college in Minnesota or elsewhere. While this is above the national average, about 23,000 graduates are still not choosing to continue on to college. In addition, other countries are stepping up efforts to increase their college-going rates.

How will progress be measured?
College participation as an indicator of access and affordability will continue to be measured in these and different ways. Benchmarks will be established.
 

Goal: To provide students, prospective students, parents and others with information and resources to help students pay for college

Why is this goal important?
Exploring and applying to college is not something students do on a regular basis. Because the process has many steps, and programs and procedures are constantly changing, even the most experienced students and families need guidance. Minnesota is best served when its citizens clearly understand the benefits of higher education and how to access the offerings of colleges and universities for themselves and their children.

How will this goal be achieved?
In 2003, Governor Pawlenty established the Minnesota Office of Higher Education as a cabinet-level state agency. The agency’s director is appointed by the Governor, and one of the agency’s important charges in statute is to provide information to prospective students about their college options and financial aid. The Office of Higher Education administers several programs to help students save for and pay for college. The agency publishes a Minnesota College Guide and a Guide to Paying for College. It also maintains an informational Web site for students (www.getreadyforcollege.org).

In FY 2007, the Office of Higher Education invited the entire higher education sector to collaborate on an outreach initiative for middle school students to help them understand that the choices they make now about school will have long term implications on their lives. The Make it Happen campaign receives financial support from the University of Minnesota, the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, the Minnesota Private Colleges, the Minnesota Career College Association, the Department of Education and the Office of Higher Education. The Minnesota Minority Education Partnership and the Minnesota Campus Compact are also partners on the initiative.
 
How will progress be measured?
The agency measures Web activity and requests for materials. The campaign includes a TV spot, out-of-home print advertising and a Web site, targeted to low-income students in grades seven through nine. The Web site is www.imakeithappen.org.  

The agency and its staff made approximately 75 presentations in FY 2007, primarily informing students and parents about their college options and financial aid.

In 2006, the agency's Web sites registered the following hits:

• www.getreadyforcollege.org: 764,767

• www.ohe.state.mn.us: 287,027

• www.selfloan.org: 119,494

• www.mnsaves.org 185,837 

Publications sent out upon request:

• Your Guide to Paying for College: 105,000 Copies

• A Student’s Introduction to Paying for College (in four languages):  50,000 copies

• Minnesota College Guide: 55,000 copies
   

The agency also has strong relationships with financial aid administrators, high school counselors and public and private colleges and universities in general.
 

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