Awarding 100,000 more high-quality degrees over the next 15 year
For Virginia to be a leader in educational attainment and personal income growth, we must dramatically expand our citizens’ access to a college education and increase the number of Virginians who earn associate, bachelor’s and graduate degrees.
We join Governor McDonnell in advocating a 15-year program of investment designed to award a cumulative 100,000 additional undergraduate degrees by 2025, maintaining the high quality of Virginia’s higher education system while moving the number of working-age Virginians holding college degrees beyond 50 percent—a key milestone for best-educated states.
The Case for More Degrees – Nations and states with the highest proportion of their populations holding college degrees are high-wage locations that are globally competitive and entrepreneurial, with high levels of technology and innovation embedded in their workforce, products and services. More Virginians with college degrees means higher incomes for Virginia families, more robust growth for the Virginia economy, and a more productive, responsible and fulfilled Virginia citizenry.
Where We Stand – Though college attendance by Virginians has improved over time, Virginia still ranks disappointingly just above the national average. A large number of college-educated workers who currently fill high-wage jobs in Virginia come from other states and countries, contributing to Virginia’s #11 ranking in the percentage of population with an associate degree or higher. While importing talent is a sign of a healthy state, so is preparing young Virginians for the best job opportunities. The respected National Center for Higher Education Management Systems recently projected that without a steady increase in the percentage of college-age Virginians receiving degrees, the Commonwealth will fall well behind the best-educated states and countries.