California dangerously low on college degrees, group says

California colleges and universities need to step up degree completion dramatically for the state's economy to flourish, a group of business and civic leaders said Thursday.

The state will need 2.3 million more college degrees and certificates than it is likely to produce by 2025, the 13-page report by California Competes said.

If legislators and higher-education leaders fail to act quickly, the group said, California will lose its economic and educational luster.

"We have to change business as usual in higher education," said Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster, one of the organization's board members. "This is about our future."

Other organizations, most notably the Public Policy Institute of California, also have highlighted the state's deficit of trained workers in recent years. Business leaders say the shortfall will force companies to move to other states or countries.

"The Silicon Valley is a knowledge-based economy," said Dennis Cima, senior vice president of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, a coalition of South Bay businesses. "If we don't have college-educated people here in the Silicon Valley, then companies will go where the people are."

California Competes recommended changes, including improved decision-making at California's 72 community-college districts and determining which college degrees will be most valuable in the future. The state also needs an independent agency to guide California's higher-education

decisions, the organization said.

The state is on track to grant 3.2 million bachelor's and associate's degrees and vocational certificates in the next 13 years, researchers concluded, but 5.5 million will be needed by then. More jobs than ever require a college education, and California Competes said schools need to do a better job teaching critical-thinking and communication skills.

Several daunting obstacles stand in the way of improving the numbers. An alarming number of high-school graduates are not ready for college math or English and budget cuts have made it difficult to get classes at community colleges and California State University campuses.

The California Competes report is another reminder that the Legislature and governor need to show stronger-than-ever leadership on higher-education issues, said Steve Boilard, higher-education chief for the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office.

"Too often people use a tight fiscal environment as an excuse not to make changes," he said. "This is exactly when you have to do things differently."

A recurring theme in reports on California's higher-education shortcomings is the state's lack of goals and failure to coordinate its 112 community colleges, 23 Cal State campuses and 10 University of California schools. Beside proposing a new coordinating body, Thursday's release called on lawmakers to create a higher-education vision.

Although colleges and universities rarely hear good news these days, California has reason for optimism, said Lande Ajose, California Competes' deputy director. State leaders understand the problems better than ever, she said, and are rethinking California's higher-education system.

"Even in the past six months, people are acknowledging that we have to move forward," Ajose said. "People aren't just waiting for the next big financial boom."

Matt Krupnick covers higher education. Contact him at 510-208-6488. Follow him at Twitter.com/mattkrupnick.

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