Dominic Chavez External Relations Ofc: (512) 427-6117 Cell: (512) 906-9468

1200 East Anderson Lane P.O. Box 12788, Austin, Texas 78711-2788 www.thecb.state.tx.us

FOR IMMEDIATE RELASE April 14, 2011

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Releases 2011 Texas Public Higher Education Almanac
AUSTIN The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) today formally released the inaugural edition of the Texas Public Higher Education Almanac. In 2004, under a directive of Governor Rick Perry, the THECB launched an online Accountability System for public institutions of higher education. Since then, the THECB has continuously improved the system to include more data and information achieving national recognition as a best practice model for collecting and disseminating higher education data. At a news conference held at the State Capitol, Gov. Perry and Texas Commissioner of Higher Education Raymund Paredes noted that the Almanac represents the next phase in promoting transparency, accountability, and the value of higher education to Texas taxpayers, including students and their families. Higher education plays a vital role in the development of Texas economy and our role as national leader and global competitor, said Commissioner Paredes. The 2011 Almanac is a snapshot that will not only allow us to better identify our successes, but also assess areas for improvement. This almanac captures a snapshot of higher education in Texas and the spirit behind it has us heading in the right direction as we work to make education more affordable, accountable and accessible to students in the Lone Star State, Gov. Perry said. Maintaining our dedication to transparency is critical to these goals and I commend the Higher Education Coordinating Board for taking this latest step in compiling this almanac, which makes it easier for Texans to assess the value they are getting for their hard-earned tax dollars. Utilizing information submitted by two-year and four-year public institutions to the THECB, the Almanac spotlights state and national data relating to postsecondary costs, access and completion. Key data and highlights include: Texas is on target to meet its statewide goal for participation by 2015. Enrollment in all Texas higher education institutions (two-year and four-year public, independent, and career institutions) has increased 47 percent since 2000. The annual number of degrees and certificates awarded at all Texas higher education institutions has increased by 52 percent since 2000, but accelerated progress is needed to meet student success goals. Texas ranks 26th nationally in attainment of Bachelors degrees. Texas ranks 45th nationally in attainment of Associate degrees. Texas ranks 28th nationally in average tuition at public, four-year institutions ($5,623). Texas ranks 45th nationally in average tuition at public, two-year institutions ($1,796).

 43 percent of students enrolling in public higher education in 2010 attended a public four-year university. The gap between Texas females and males continues to grow in higher education, with more females enrolling and graduating at higher rates than males. 6.7 percent of African American males, and 7.8 percent of Hispanic males, who enrolled in a Texas 7th grade classroom in 1998 graduated with a degree or certificate by 2009. Texas public higher education is a vast network of 38 universities (or general academic teaching institutions), 50 community college districts, three state colleges, four state technical colleges and nine health science centers. In fall 2010, these institutions enrolled 1.3 million students and received $7.78 billion in state and local tax support in Fiscal Year 2010. Higher education attainment drives economic development and determines quality of life, said THECB Chair Fred Heldenfels. To meet the challenges of the 21st century and position Texas as a national economic leader, we must improve completion rates at our institutions of higher education. The THECB launched the Closing the Gaps by 2015 initiative in 2000, which intends to bring Texas to parity in higher educational attainment with the ten largest states. In 2007, the Perryman Group, one of the most prominent consulting firms in Texas, studied the economic impact that achieving the goals of Closing the Gaps would have on the state and concluded that, by 2030, Texas would experience increases of $489 billion in total spending, $194 billion in gross state product and $122 billion in personal income. Furthermore, Texas would see an increase of one million new jobs and experience a return on its investment in higher education of 8:1. As Chair of the Senate Higher Education Committee, I prioritize expanding access to accurate, timely data and information regarding our public colleges and universities, Senator Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo) said. The Texas Public Higher Education Almanac is a wonderful resource not only for policymakers, researchers and higher education leaders, but also for anyone interested in higher education in Texas. Complete and current data are essential to crafting sound policy, said Rep. Dan Branch (R-Dallas), Chairman of the House Higher Education Committee. Tools like this help us see the forest and the trees of higher education. In conjunction with the Almanac, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board also released a Student Success Handbook that documents the best national and state practices at institutions of higher education designed to improve student success rates. The Handbook is intended to encourage the sharing of innovative practices and ideas throughout Texas. Commissioner Paredes noted the Almanacs release represents an inaugural edition with future editions to be published on an annual basis each spring. The Almanac also represents a working collaboration between the THECB and various private philanthropy groups working with the State to improve higher education in Texas. The THECB and College For All Texans Foundation acknowledged the Lumina Foundation for Education, Communities Foundation of Texas, Greater Texas Foundation, Houston Endowment, Inc., The Meadows Foundation, and the Texas High School Project for providing support to produce the Almanac. Both the Almanac and Student Handbook are available online at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Boards website at www.thecb.state.tx.us/almanac. +++

We are pleased to join Commissioner Paredes and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) in announcing the release of the Texas Public Higher Education Almanac. This publication will serve a critical role by placing data and information about Texas public institutions of higher education directly in the hands of policymakers, education leaders, parents, students, and taxpayers. Over the past few years, we have worked diligently to strengthen higher education in Texas and reinforce the vital role it plays in the long-term economic vitality of the state. Our efforts are guided by solid data that demonstrate state policy that works, and help us to identify areas where we can improve. To this end, we are pleased the THECB has responded with the creation of this publication to further enhance data-driven policy decisions by the Texas Legislature. This first edition of the Almanac reinforces what we knowTexas has made tremendous progress since the launch of Closing the Gaps by 2015 a decade ago. We are enrolling more students than ever before at Texas institutions. We have increased postsecondary achievement in terms of degrees and certificates. And Texas is gaining ground in national research investment. However, the Almanac also offers a sober assessment of the states position among our national peers and illustrates where our universities and community colleges must do better. Most importantly, it serves as a reminder that Closing the Gaps is only the beginning of our long journey toward making Texas a national leader in higher education. We look forward to the annual Almanac serving as a progress report of gains made in Texas. We also appreciate its value as a persistent challenge to the Legislature and institutions to do better.

Judith Zaffirini, Chair Senate Higher Education Committee

Dan Branch, Chair House Higher Education Committee

2011 Texas Public Higher Education Almanac

A public-private partnership to improve transparency, accountability, and value of higher education in Texas

In 2004, under a directive of Governor Rick Perry, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) launched an online Accountability System for public institutions of higher education. Since then, the THECB has continuously improved the system to include more data and information achieving national recognition as a best practice model for collecting and disseminating higher education data. The Texas Public Higher Education Almanac represents the next phase in promoting transparency, accountability, and the value of higher education to Texas taxpayers. The Almanac is designed to place the most relevant data and information on institutional performance in the hands of policymakers, students, parents, and the general public. This effort represents a working collaboration between a state agency and philanthropic organizations dedicated to improving higher education in Texas a true model for public-private partnership.

Key Data and Information

Enrollment in all Texas higher education institutions (two-year and four-year public, independent, and career institutions) has increased 47 percent since 2000. (p. 10) The annual number of degrees and certificates awarded at all Texas higher education institutions has increased by 52 percent since 2000, but accelerated progress is needed to meet student success goals. (p. 11) Texas ranks 26th nationally in attainment of Bachelors degrees. (p. 7) Texas ranks 45th nationally in attainment of Associate degrees. (p. 7) Texas ranks 28th nationally in average tuition at public, four-year institutions ($5,623). Texas ranks 45th nationally in average tuition at public, two-year institutions ($1,796). 43 percent of students enrolling in public higher education in 2010 attended a public four-year university. The gap between Texas females and males continues to grow in higher education. In fall 2010, 6.8 percent of the total female population was enrolled in an institution of higher education. In contrast, only 5.1 percent of the total male population was enrolled. (p. 10) 6.7 percent of African American males, and 7.8 percent of Hispanic males, who enrolled in a Texas 7th grade classroom in 1998 graduated with a degree or certificate by 2009. (p. 9)

Source: Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, 2011 Texas Public Higher Education Almanac

2011 Texas Public Higher Education Almanac FAQs

Why did the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) create the 2011 Texas Public Higher Education Almanac? The THECB, under directive from Governor Rick Perry, created a comprehensive Accountability System for public institutions of higher education in 2004. Since its creation, the THECB has refined the system (available on the THECB website: www.thecb.state.tx.us) to include more metrics and information, all of which can be used by policymakers and the public to gauge the relative performance of institutions. Although the system has been nationally recognized as a best practice model for providing robust data about our public institutions, the current Accountability System is passive. Users must know where the data is and what data they want. The Almanac is designed to make the data more interactive and promote a higher degree of transparency to a larger audience. Additionally, it is designed to provide an annual status of gains made relative to the states higher education plan, Closing the Gaps by 2015. Where did the THECB get its data for the Almanac? National data is collected from a variety of sources described on page 85 of the Almanac. Texas institutional data is collected and certified by each institution and submitted to the THECB. Some measures, such as graduation rates, are calculated by the THECB based on data provided by the institutions. Why does the Almanac not include a ranking of institutions by any of the included metrics? The Almanac is designed to provide greater transparency related to the performance of public institutions of higher education on a wide variety of metrics. While the Almanac does provide data on where Texas ranks relative to other states, the Almanac was not intended to rank institutions. The data however is presented in a variety of formats that allows readers to compare the relative performance of institutions across various metrics. On the national comparison of Graduation Rate at Four-Year Institutions (p. 7), the graduation rate for Texas is 49%. However, under the profile of Texas Four-Year Public Institutions (p. 20) statewide graduation rate is 56%. Why the difference? Both of these measures capture 6-year graduation rates for Texas institutions. However, the federal definition of graduation rate used by the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) captures only first-time entering, degree-seeking students who enrolled in a minimum of 12 semester credit hours their first fall semester and graduated from the same institution within six years.
--over--

In contrast, the THECB data system captures the identical students over the same period of time, but includes them in the rate if they graduated from any Texas public or independent institution, regardless of where they started and ended their career. Not all states have the capability to capture data in this manner, so for national comparison purposes we default to the IPEDS graduation rate which is more restrictive. Why does the Almanac include 4-year, 6-year, and 10-year graduation rates for public universities? Public institutions of higher education in Texas serve diverse populations of students and include a variety of missions. These factors can impact an institutions graduation rate. The 4-year graduation rate is largely recognized as an ideal for universities. The 6-year graduation rate is the metric used by the U.S. Department of Education as the standard for comparing universities. The THECB also calculates 10-year graduation rates as a way to capture non-traditional students, and those that may stop-out of higher education for a period of time. By including all three metrics, the THECB hopes to provide a more comprehensive assessment of institutional performance on this measure of student success. Some claim graduation rates are not a fair success measure because they do not include part-time students. Does the Almanac account for part-time student success? Yes. The Almanac deliberately includes a variety of student success measures to provide the most comprehensive assessment of an institutions performance. The 4-year, 6-year, and 10-year graduation rates are in fact limited to measuring students who initially enrolled as first-time, full-time students in higher education. However, the Almanac also includes total degrees awarded during the year covered by this edition. These include any degrees earned by students, whether they enrolled as part-time or fulltime students, transferred between institutions, and whether they earned that degree in four years, ten years or more. Does the THECB plan on producing the Almanac on a regular basis? Yes. The Almanac will be published and distributed each spring. Who funded the Almanac? The Almanac was a public-private partnership between the THECB and a number of philanthropic organizations including the Lumina Foundation for Education, Communities Foundation of Texas, Greater Texas Foundation, Houston Endowment, Inc., The Meadows Foundation, and the Texas High School Project. The THECB compiled and organized existing data for use in the Almanac. Private funding paid for the design, printing and delivery. ###

TEXAS PUBLIC HIGHER EDUCATION ALMANAC

2011
INTRODUC TION

NATIONAL CONTEXT

Ranking by State
The tables below show how Texas compares to the rest of the country by data category. For each category, there are data for the two highest-performing states, the two lowestperforming states, and Texas in context of the two states that performed just above and below it in ranking.

Graduation Rate at Four-Year Institution

Rank State 1 2 16 17 18 49 50 Massachusetts Washington Tennessee Texas Iowa Arizona Alaska % 68.4% 68.0% 50.5% 49.3%

NATIONAL CONTEXT STATEWIDE

NATIONAL

48.1% 35.9% 25.1%

Educational Attainment*
Some college, no degree
Rank State 1 2 19 20 21 49 50 Alaska Utah South Dakota Texas Iowa Pennsylvania New York % 27.5% 26.6% 21.3% 21.2% 21.1% 15.5% 15.4%

Associate degree
Rank State 1 2 44 45 46 49 North Dakota Wyoming Maryland Texas New Jersey Arkansas % 11.8% 10.0% 6.4% 6.3% 6.1% 5.6% 4.7%

Bachelors degree
Rank State 1 2 25 26 27 49 50 Colorado Massachusetts Wisconsin Texas Maine Kentucky West Virginia % 22.5% 21.7% 16.9% 16.9% 16.9% 11.9% 10.4%

Graduate degree
Rank State 1 2 33 34 Massachusetts Maryland Montana Texas % 16.0% 15.6% 8.5% 8.2% 8.2% 6.5% 6.4% CLOSING THE GAPS

35 South Carolina 49 50 Mississippi Arkansas

50 Louisiana

COMPARISONS

SAT Scores
Critical Reading mean
Rank State 1 2 34 35 35 36 37 Iowa Wisconsin Georgia Texas South Carolina Hawaii Maine Score 603 595 488 484 484 483 468

ACT Scores
Math mean
Rank State 1 2 33 34 35 Iowa Minnesota Maryland Texas Nevada Score 613 607 506 505 501 490 467

Writing mean
Rank State 1 2 36 37 38 39 40 Iowa Minnesota Georgia Texas Hawaii South Carolina Maine Score 582 580 475 473 470 468 454

Average Composite
Rank State 1 2 Massachusetts Connecticut Score 24 23.7 21.1 20.8 20.7 19.4 18.8

32 Alaska 33 34 49 50 Texas Georgia Kentucky Mississippi

PROFILES: 4-YEAR

39 Georgia 40 Maine

Average Tuition
Public, two-year
Rank State 1 2 44 45 46 49 New Hampshire Vermont Mississippi Texas Arizona New Mexico $ $6,262 $4,876 $1,849 $1,796 $1,646 $1,285 $730

Private, four-year
Rank State 1 2 29 30 31 49 50 Rhode Island Massachusetts Arizona Texas Tennessee North Dakota Mississippi $ $30,142 $28,887 $17,964 $17,769 $17,602 $10,898 $10,734

Public, four-year
Rank State 1 2 27 28 29 49 50 New Jersey Pennsylvania Colorado Texas Arkansas Florida Nevada $ $10,575 $10,557 $5,671 $5,623 $5,571 $3,319 $3,237

Median Household Income

Rank State 1 2 24 25 26 49 50 Maryland New Jersey Oregon Texas Iowa West Virginia Mississippi $ $69,272 $68,342 $48,457 $48,259 $48,044

PROFILES: 2-YEAR APPE NDIX

$37,435 $36,646

50 California

Average Faculty Salary, All Ranks

Public and Private, two-year
Rank State 1 2 27 California Hawaii Iowa $77,532 $67,701 $49,575 $48,882 $48,770 $41,061 $37,362 $

Public and Private, four-year

Rank State 1 2 14 15 16 49 50 Rhode Island Connecticut Virginia Texas Utah Kansas North Dakota $81,404 $78,076 $63,504 $63,457 $63,273 $49,813 $48,520 $

Federal R&D Obligations

Rank State 1 2 5 6 7 49 50 California New York Massachusetts Texas North Carolina Maine Wyoming $ $3,487,825 $1,991,832 $1,491,859 $1,418,120 $1,076,694 $29,494 $27,751

Educational Appropriations per FTE

Rank State 1 2 21 22 23 49 50 Alaska Hawaii California Texas Maine New Hampshire Vermont $ $15,362 $13,739 $7,043 $7,001 $6,883 $3,505 $2,962

28 Texas 29 49 50 Pennsylvania Montana North Dakota

* Categories based on U.S. Census Bureau

2011 TEXAS PUBLIC HIGHER EDUCATION ALMANAC

2011
INTRODUC TION

TEXAS PUBLIC HIGHER EDUCATION ALMANAC

Texas by the Numbers

STATEWIDE OVERVIEW

Demographics and Access to Education Demo

T These data describe characteristics of the Texas population, including racial and ethnic distribution, income, educational attainment, and participation in education from pre-kindergarten through graduate school. Average tuition and fees, f enrollment, and number of postsecondary institutions are also shown.

NATIONAL

Texas Population

Racial & Ethnic Distribution

4.4%

International Population

STATEWIDE STATEWIDE OVERVIEW

11.5% 38.2%
91.9%

Hispanic White African American

68.9% 31.1%

Not a U.S. citizen Naturalized U.S. citizen

8.1% 45.8%

Other

CLOSING THE GAPS

U.S. Population, 2009 307,006,550

Texas Population, 2009 24,782,302

Texas International Population, 2009 3,765,037

COMPARISONS

Language
Percentage of people in Texas who speak a language other than English at home

Income

Educational Attainment

Less than 9th grade

$48,259

$50,221

5.7% 8.3% 17.9% 14.3%

Some high school, no diploma High school diploma Some college, no degree Associate degree Bachelors degree Graduate degree

PROFILES: 4-YEAR

68.8%

31.2%

5.7% 23.9%

24.1%

PROFILES: 2-YEAR

Non-English Speaking Population, 2000 7,732,708

Texas

U.S.

Median Household Income, 200809

Educational Attainment, 200709

Number of Postsecondary Institutions

Education Participation

Tuition

APPENDIX

2,939,520

$6,530 Preschool 39 38
1,559,227 1,424,330 1

Kindergarten Elementary school High school $1,957 College or graduate school

50 4-year public institutions 2-year public college districts Independent universities

454,724

390,423

Population 3 Years and Older Enrolled in School, 200709 6,768,224

4 -year public institution

2-year public institution

Average Tuition & Fees, 200910

TEXAS HIGHER EDUCATION COORDINATING BOARD

2011
INTRODUC TION

TEXAS PUBLIC HIGHER EDUCATION ALMANAC

Participation and Student Success

CLOSING THE GAPS

Closing the Gaps in Participation Closi

Below is an overview of how well Texas is reaching its goal of closing the gaps in participation rates at higher education institutions. The data include enrollment statewide, by race/ethnicity, by gender, and for two-year and four-year public, independent, and career institutions.

NATIONAL

Statewide Participation
GOAL: By STATEWIDE

2015, close the gaps in participation rates across Texas to add 630,000 more students over year 2000 baseline levels.

Increase in Enrollment Statewide

+800K +600K +400K +200K +0K 2000 Baseline: 1,019,517 2015 Goal: +630,000

+485,729

2010 Target: +403,483

2010 Actual

CLOSING THE GAPS THE GAPS

CLOSING

Increase in Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity

+500K

Statewide
2015 Goal: +439,000

+400K +300K +200K +100K +85,123 +0K

2015 Goal: +65,000 2010 Target: +49,837 2000 Baseline: 108,463

2010 Actual
2010 Target: +236,606

COMPARISONS

+20 4,993 +84,589

2000 Baseline: 237,394

2015 Goal: +102,000 2010 Target: +90,448 2000 Baseline: 570,052

African American

Hispanic

White

PROFILES: 4-YEAR

Statewide Enrollment by Gender

Fall enrollment in public, independent, and career institutions as a percentage of the population from 2000 to 2010.
8% 6.8

Female

PROFILES: 2-YEAR

6%

5.4 4.4

5.1

Male

4%

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

APPENDIX

Statewide Enrollment at Two-Year and Four-Year Institutions

Total enrollment in public, independent, and career two-year and four-year institutions from 2000 to 2010.
850K 802,070

Two-Year Institutions Four-Year Institutions

750K 703,379 650K 536,747

550K

450K

482,770 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

10

TEXAS HIGHER EDUCATION COORDINATING BOARD

TEXAS PUBLIC HIGHER EDUCATION ALMANAC

2011
INTRODUC TION

CLOSING THE GAPS

Closing the Gaps in Student Success

Below is an overview of how well Texas is reaching its goal of closing the gaps in student t success, as measured by total undergraduate degrees/certicates awarded; Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) degrees awarded; and teacher certicates awarded.

NATIONAL

Statewide Student Success

By 2015, annually award 210,000 undergraduate degrees, certicates, and other identiable student successes from high-quality programs.
GOAL:

Total Undergraduate Degrees/Certicates Awarded Annually at Public and Independent Institutions

STATEWIDE
250K 200K 150K 100K 50K 2015 Goal: 210,000

176,604

2010 Target: 171,000 2000 Baseline: 116,235

2010 Actual

CLOSING THE GAPS THE GAPS

CLOSING

Total Undergraduate Degrees/Certicates Awarded Annually by Race/Ethnicity

120K

0K

Statewide
2015 Goal: 109,000

2010 Actual
80K
2015 Goal: 67,000 2010 Target: 50,000

2010 Target: 96,000

88,071
2000 Baseline: 72,523

COMPARISONS

40K 18,433 0K
2015 Goal: 24,300 2010 Target: 19,800 2000 Baseline: 11,215

47,331
2000 Baseline: 23,368

African American

Hispanic

White

Statewide STEM Undergraduate Degrees/Certicates

By 2015, annually award 29,000 STEM degrees at Texas public institutions of higher education. Total STEM Undergraduate Degrees/Certicates Awarded Annually at Public Institutions
30K 2015 Target: 29,000 2010 Target: 24,000 20K

PROFILES: 4-YEAR PROFILES: 2-YEAR

15,225
10K

2000 Baseline: 11,979

2010 Actual 0K

STEM Degrees

Statewide Teacher Certications

By 2015, raise the total number of teachers initially certied to 44,700 and the number of math and science certicates to 6,500.
50K 2015 Target: 44,700 40K 2010 Target: 34,600 30K 20K 10K 0K 6K 8K 2015 Target: 6,500 2010 Target: 5,400

APPE NDIX

By 2015, raise total initial math and science teacher certicates to 6,500.
10K

25,76 4*
2000 Baseline: 11,807

4K 2K 0K

3,208*

2000 Baseline: 2,156 2009 Actual

All Teachers Initially Certied

Source: Texas Education Agency, State Board for Educator Certication

Math and Science Initial Certicates

*FY2009 is the most recent t data.

2011 TEXAS PUBLIC HIGHER EDUCATION ALMANAC

11

Institutional Strategies for Increasing Postsecondary Student Success

Developmental education is one of the greatest challenges facing Texas higher education particularly among first-generation students enrolling in community colleges and some regional universities. In FY 2009, 38% of students enrolling in our public institutions (universities, community colleges, and technical colleges) were not ready to complete college-level work in at least one academic area (math, reading, or writing). At our community and technical colleges, almost half of enrolling students were unprepared. Students requiring developmental education in community colleges graduate at about half the rate as their peers not requiring academic remediation.

Two Texas institutions with challenges in this area have launched innovative efforts to improve student success: Texas A&M International Universitys Developmental Education Summer Bridge Program has demonstrated promise. With an emphasis in mathematics, the program offers three hours of differentiated instruction, four days a week, for five weeks. Students are provided with class tutors, individual mentors, and comprehensive academic advising, and given instruction in financial aid awareness, study skills, and time management. The program has strong support and cooperation of the university leadership and faculty. Preliminary outcomes of the program show improvement in math and study skills and attitudes, as indicated by the significant increases in student scores on post-program assessments. Contact: Steve Harmon, Director of Public Relations (956) 326-2180 SureStart is a learning community for under-prepared, first-timein-college students at Tarrant County Colleges Southeast Campus. Through the program, students who require remediation in at least two areas (including reading) receive counseling, monitoring of academic progress, and course-embedded advising. Students also take three classes together, allowing them to bond and support one another. The colleges administration, faculty, and student services work together to provide integrated support targeted to individual student needs. As a result, SureStart students, on average, complete more semester hours and earn higher grades than do similar students not in the program. The SureStart program has earned the 2006 Star Award and the 2005-06 National Council of Instructional Administrators Exemplary Initiative Award. Contact: Frank Griffis, Director of Public Relations (817) 515-5212

The

2011 Texas Public Higher Education Almanac

is supported by: