ERIN BARBATO, THANKS VERY MUCH. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> IN EDUCATION NEWS, THE NUMBER OF UW CAMPUSES GOING TO ON-LINE
CLASSES INSTEAD OF IN-PERSON INSTRUCTION HAS RISEN TO THREE.
AT WEST BEND, FOND du LAC AND MARINETTE.
ALTOGETHER. THE MARINETTE CAMPUS IS PART OF
UW GREEN BAY AND ITS CHANCELLOR, MICHAEL ALEXANDER, SAYS THE
WRITING WAS ON THE WALL, WHAT WITH DECLINING ENROLLMENT AND
COMPETITION FOR STUDENTS FROM THE NEARBY NORTHEAST WISCONSIN
TECHNICAL COLLEGE. >> THERE HAS TO BE ACCESS POINTS
TO EDUCATION. UW GREEN BAY HAS TO HAVE A
PRESENCE IN WISCONSIN. AND WE'RE INVESTING IN THE HIGH
SCHOOLS THERE, TO BE CLEAR. SO WITH OUR RISING PHOENIX
PROGRAM AND EVERYTHING THAT WE DO, OUR STUDENTS PARTICULARLY
WHO ARE INTERESTED IN COLLEGE TO GET THEM A HEAD START ON THE
COLLEGE EXPERIENCE, TO BE ABLE TO OFFER CLASSES WITH THE HIGH
SCHOOLS MIGHT NOT OTHERWISE BE ABLE TO OFFER WITH A SMALLER
POPULATION IN THE HIGH SCHOOL. RIGHT?
THESE ARE THINGS THAT WE ABSOLUTELY ARE TRYING TO DO TO
HELP THAT REGION. BECAUSE IT DOES MATTER.
RIGHT? JUST THROW OUR HANDS UP.
WE HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO ACTUALLY MAKE IT BETTER AND
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO HERE.
AND, AGAIN, I GO BACK TO THE NWTC ISSUE.
RIGHT? WE THINK A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY
ABOUT THIS SOMETIMES, BUT I WANT TO BE CLEAR, IF MOST OF THOSE
CLASSES, IF NOT ALL OF THOSE CLASSES, THOSE 14 CLASSES,
THERE'S A CLASS THAT'S PRETTY MUCH BEING IDENTICALLY TAUGHT BY
NWTC. EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES THIS AN
AREA THAT IS HARDER TO SERVE BECAUSE OF HOW SPREAD OUT IT IS
WITH THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT ARE THERE AND THE POPULATION?
YOU'VE GOT TO THINK DIFFERENTLY ABOUT HOW WE ACCESS -- GIVE
ACCESS TO THOSE PEOPLE WHO WANT IT.
>> SO WHAT DOES THE CLOSURE OF TWO-YEAR CAMPUSES TO IN-PERSON
CLASSES ACROSS WISCONSIN MEAN FOR ACCESS AND DEGREE ATTAINMENT
FOR STUDENTS? WE CHECK IN WITH THE NATIONAL
NON-PARTISAN, NONPROFIT GROUP, NDRC, AND ITS RESEARCH ASSOCIATE
IN THE AREA OF RURAL HIGHER EDUCATION, ALYSSA RATLEDGE.
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE. >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> SO YOU HAVE WRITTEN THAT RURAL COLLEGES MATTER.
HOW SO? >> RURAL COLLEGES ARE OFTEN THE
ONLY ACCESS POINT TO HIGHER EDUCATION POSTSECONDARY TRAINING
AND WORKFORCE TRAINING FOR PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN RURAL AREAS.
MANY PEOPLE LIVING IN RURAL AREAS ARE SIMPLY UNABLE TO MOVE
AWAY TO GO TO COLLEGE AND THEY DO NOT ALWAYS HAVE ON-LINE
ACCESS TO BE ABLE TO TAKE UP ON-LINE OFFERINGS.
SO THE ABILITY TO GO TO A COLLEGE AND, AGAIN, THESE MIGHT
BE DISTANT, WE MIGHT BE TRAVELING 25, 50, EVEN A HUNDRED
MILES TO COLLEGE, BUT IT STILL MEANS FOLKS CAN STAY WHERE THEY
ARE METROPOLITAN WHERE THEIR FAMILIES ARE LOCATED.
WE'RE NEAR CLOSING CAMPUSES, IT CAN BE REALLY CHALLENGING FOR
THOSE FOLKS TO CONTINUE TO ENGAGE OR TO ACHIEVE THE
POSTSECONDARY CREDENTIAL THAT THEY'RE INTERESTED IN.
>> BECAUSE IN THE END, WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THEY'RE IN
EDUCATION DESERTS? >> EDUCATION DESERTS HAVE A
CHILLING EFFECT ON STUDENTS' LIKELIHOOD OF GOING TO COLLEGE,
BUT ALSO IMPORTANTLY, THEY'RE LIKELIHOOD OF COMPLETELY
COLLEGE. NATIONALLY, MOST STUDENTS WHO
ARE ATTENDING COLLEGE ARE DOING SO WITHIN ABOUT 25 MILES OF
THEIR HOMES. IT'S NOT REALLY THESE DAYS THE
TRADITIONAL SENSE OF BEING 18 AND GOING OFF TO COLLEGE AND
LIVING ON CAMPUS. THESE DAYS, MOST COLLEGE
STUDENTS ARE COMMUTING AND A LOT OF THEM PARTICULARLY IN THE
TWO-YEAR SPACE ARE ATTENDING PART-TIME, AND TODAY'S COLLEGE
STUDENT IS MUCH OLDER THAN THE TRADITIONAL CONCEPTION.
THOSE FOLKS ARE NOT GOING TO PICK UP AND LEAVE.
THEN HAVE FAMILIES AND JOBS AND RESPONSIBILITIES, NOR DO THEY
WANT TO LEAVE. OFTENTIMES WE HEAR THAT OUR
RURAL FOLKS WANT TO STAY WHERE THEY ARE, CONTRIBUTE TO THE
LOCAL COMMUNITY, AND HAVING WORKFORCE TRAINING OR A COLLEGE
DEGREE CAN HELP THEM DO THAT IN A MEANINGFUL WAY IF THEY'RE ABLE
TO ACCESS IT. >> SO THE UW GREEN BAY TWO-YEAR
BRANCH IN MARINETTE IS GOING MOSTLY ON-LINE.
DOESN'T THAT STILL AFFORD ACCESS TO RURAL STUDENTS?
>> THERE ARE MANY RURAL STUDENTS FOR WHOM ON-LINE ACCESS IS GOING
TO BE ENOUGH. AND WHEN WE THINK ABOUT OUR
STUDENTS WHO ARE COMING OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL, HAVE GOOD ACCESS,
HAVE GOOD KNOWLEDGE OF THE INTERNET, YES, THAT CAN BE A
GOOD OPTION FOR THEM. HOWEVER, THERE ARE GOING TO BE A
LOT OF FOLKS THAT ARE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO TAKE THAT UP.
OFTENTIMES THAT'S OLDER FOLKS OR PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING IN VERY
REMOTE AND RURAL FRINGE LOCATIONS WHERE THEY SIMPLY
DON'T HAVE RELIABLE BROADBAND OR, IN SOME PLACES, DON'T HAVE
INTERNET ACCESS AT ALL. THERE ARE STILL PARTS OF THE
COUNTRY WITHOUT RELIABLE INTERNET ACCESS AND MANY OF THE
ON-LINE COURSE OFFERINGS ARE GOING TO REQUIRE A HIGH-SPEED
CONNECTION OR THE ABILITY TO DOWNLOAD DOCUMENTS THAT JUST IS
OUT OF REACH FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING REALLY OFF THE GRID.
>> SO WHAT ABOUT THE FACT THAT FOR THE CAMPUSES THAT ARE
REALIGNING OR EVEN CLOSING, THE PROBLEM IS REALLY LOW
ENROLLMENT, WHICH MAKES MAINTAINING THE WHOLE KIND OF
CAMPUS INFRASTRUCTURE UNTENABLE. DOESN'T IT MAKE SENSE TO
BASICALLY DOWNSIZE FOR THE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM?
>> IT MAY MAKE SENSE IF THERE'S NOT A WILLINGNESS TO INVEST IN
SUPPORTING THOSE CAMPUSES AT THE STATE LEVEL, YES, IT CAN BE AN
UNTENABLE SITUATION WHEN YOU BUDGETS.
PHILOSOPHICAL QUESTION WE HAVE TO GRAPPLE WITH.
RIGHT? ARE WE WILLING TO FUND PLACES
THAT WE ARE GOING TO BE SEEING BUDGETS REALLY STRUGGLING TO
MAKE ENDS MEET GIVEN THE REDUCTION IN STUDENTS AT THE
COST OF POTENTIALLY SOME OF THOSE STUDENTS ARE GOING TO
STRUGGLE WITH OR BE UNABLE TO COMPLETE A COLLEGE DEGREE, IF
THAT LOCATION IS CLOSED. >> SO A RECENT PAPER FROM THE
FEDERAL RESERVE DISCUSSED HOW EMPLOYMENT AND MANUFACTURING IN
THE AGRICULTURAL SECTORS HAS DECREASED IN WISCONSIN OVER THE
PAST 10 YEARS. WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE PEOPLE WHO
HAVEN'T UPSKILLED FOR A CHANGED ECONOMY, ESPECIALLY IN RURAL
PARTS OF OUR STATE? >> YEAH.
IT IS AN ENORMOUS CHALLENGE. IT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
WE SEE THIS IN A LOT OF PLACES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, WHERE
NATURAL RESOURCES, ECONOMIES OR AGRICULTURAL ECONOMIES ARE
CHANGING AND WE ALSO KNOW THAT IT IS HARDER THAN EVER FOR AN
AGRICULTURAL WORKERS AND FAMILY FARMS TO MAKE ENDS MEET.
AT THE SAME TIME, THERE IS AN ADDITIONAL TECHNOLOGICAL
COMPONENT TO MANY OF THOSE JOBS THAT COULD BE GREATLY BENEFITED
FROM SOME ADDITIONAL WORKFORCE TRAINING OR TECHNOLOGICAL
TRAINING. WITHOUT ACCESS TO THAT TRAINING
CAN MAKE IT REALLY DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO COMPETE IN A CHANGING
ECONOMY. THOSE FOLKS AND THOSE
COMMUNITIES WHERE PEOPLE WANT TO STAY WHERE THEY ARE.
RIGHT? THERE'S ALWAYS THE OPTION, OF
COURSE, TO MOVE TO A BIG CITY, BUT THAT JUST CONTINUES TO
HOLLOW OUR RURAL TOWNS AND COUNTIES OUT.
SO IF WE WANT TO KEEP THE SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY IN THESE
PLACES, WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN SUPPORT FOLKS TO BE
ABLE TO AFFORD AND COMPLETELY UP-SKILLING, WHETHER THAT'S A
TRADITIONAL COLLEGE DEGREE OR A TRADE CERTIFICATE OR WORKFORCE
TRAINING. WE LEAVE IT THERE.