Vermont’s public higher education needs a major investment

By KATE GOLD, LINDA OLSON and JULIE ROBERTS
By Kate Gold, Linda Olson And Julie Roberts

The novel coronavirus has had a significant negative impact on public higher education in Vermont. We must act now and invest in Vermont’s future — both for the higher education system and for Vermonters and their economic stability.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted students’ lives and educational plans — both current college students and high school students who need to make decisions for their future. The crisis has also put Vermont’s public higher education system in jeopardy, which is a threat to both our students and to our overall economy.

The decisions we make now as large amounts of federal money are coming into Vermont will make all the difference for our students, for our state colleges and university and for our economy. We must commit to all three and invest the money now while it is available and can make such a huge difference for all Vermonters.

If Vermont invested $50 million to Vermont’s public higher education system, we could get the colleges and university out of their remaining debt from COVID-19 and provide free tuition for every Vermonter who attends one of the public colleges or UVM for four years.

The Vermont State College System (VSCS) which includes Community College of Vermont, Castleton University, Northern Vermont University (Lyndon and Johnson), and Vermont Technical College will see a 5.6 million dollar loss in student refunds for room and board alone. The University of Vermont estimates their refund costs could be as high as $10 million.

Some of this debt will be offset by money specifically dedicated for higher education from the CARES Act; most will not.

If COVID-19 results in a reduction of enrollment in the fall, as it likely will, these losses increase exponentially. We realize this is a problem at colleges and universities all over the country, but the situation for Vermont public colleges is a bit different. Public colleges in Vermont were already in a very precarious situation. The state of Vermont made the decision to disinvest in our public colleges starting way back in 1980 which has resulted in Vermont ranking 49th out of 50 states in terms of state support for higher education.

The Vermont State College system has already made significant cuts in faculty and staff over the past several years to try to stay afloat. Because we receive so little in state support, we are dependent on student tuition for our survival. This means we have one of the highest tuitions in the country and that our Vermont students tend to graduate with more student loan debt. The also means that while we have a very high rate of high school graduation, only 40% of our students go on to some form of post-secondary education.

Governor Scott and state legislators: if we do not act now to support public higher education we might not survive this. If one or more of our public colleges close this will not only impact the students attending these colleges, the faculty and staff working at these colleges, but also the communities where these colleges live. We have already seen this happen in Rutland County where two colleges closed just one year ago.

COVID-19 has obviously impacted much more than just public colleges. 60,000 workers in Vermont have applied for unemployment compensation; 60,000 people out of work. The numbers and the reality of this are staggering. Many small businesses will not survive this either. Our impulse might be to retreat and wait this out, but we think that would be the wrong approach. We think with dedication and innovation we can not only weather this storm, we can come out of it stronger than before this pandemic. We must invest in our state. This is how we survived the Great Depression, this is how we will survive COVID-19.

Because of the good work of Senators Leahy & Sanders & Congressman Welch, Vermont has $1.25 billion to help with the impact of COVID-19. We would like to see a portion of this money dedicated to public higher education to help us find our way back.

If Vermont invested $50 million to Vermont’s public higher education system, we could get the colleges and university out of their remaining debt from COVID-19 and provide free tuition for every Vermonter who attends one of the public colleges or UVM for four years.

This would reduce the economic burden Vermont families are facing as they pay for students currently attending college. It would also enable those currently facing unemployment and uncertainty a path forward. They could return to school to get the degree they have always wanted, they could get a certificate that will help them find employment in the future, or they could get a degree in a trade that promises growth in the future. This could lead to us educating nurses to reduce our statewide shortage, we could educate public health workers who could help us formulate a plan to deal with our new normal, it could help us grow a whole new entrepreneurial workforce. If students could graduate college debt free, it would also make it more likely that they could afford to stay, live, work and raise their families in Vermont.

The impact of COVID-19 has been devastating to Vermont, but we are a resilient lot who will bounce back. A partnership in the state’s social and economic recovery with public higher education, the Governor, and the state legislature might be our way back. Remember, public higher education has made a commitment to give back to the state. Our mission is not just educating people, it is also to provide a social good. If we work together we can achieve that.

Kate Gold is the president of Vermont State Colleges United Professionals. Linda Olson is a professor at Castleton University and is the president of the VSC Faculty Federation. Julie Roberts is a professor at the University of Vermont and president of United Academics.