Editorial: Do a better job of promoting two-year colleges

It’s not surprising that a two-year investment in a community-college education pays off handsomely for those students who stay the course.

The problem lies in reaching that goal.

That’s the dual conclusion of a recent study released by think tank MASSInc., The Boston Foundation and Northeastern’s Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy.

It found that graduates from one of Massachusetts’ 15 community colleges can earn up to $14,000 more annually than their counterparts with just a high-school education.

“The strongest conclusion we draw from the study is that community colleges generate (positive outcomes) for students and increase productivity in the state’s workforce, but the payoff is clearly greatest when we increase completion, to get students to the finish line,” Benjamin Forman of MASSInc., a co-author of the study, said during a Thursday panel discussion of the study’s findings.

Earnings increases were greatest for women and for those who entered community college immediately after high school. Women who earned degrees in health care fared the best, with a salary boost of up to $14,100.

That’s in line with a recent report by Forbes, which identified some of the top-earning industries that require an associate degree.

The medical-dental field ranked high on the list, most notably dental-hygienist ($57,000), nurse ($55,000), radiology technician ($52,000), and physical therapy assistant ($46,000).
But the dropout problem remained a recurring theme throughout the report.

Although the study found that earnings increase even with only a few semesters, Pam Eddinger, president of Bunker Hill Community College, said one of her biggest hurdles is student retention.

That’s reflected – according to Community College Review — in the school’s 14% two-year retention rate, which isn’t much below the combined average of the state’s community colleges.
That ranges from a high of 25% at Greenfield Community College to a low of 6% at Roxbury Community College.

Of the students who have succeeded, “it’s not that they’re special or meritorious in that way. It’s just that we finally found a system … that allows them to flourish,” Eddinger said.

“Unless we solve the root problem, which is financial and the sense of belonging that our students need to have, we’re not going to keep them,” she concluded.

One panelist, Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical’s Vice President of Manufacturing Tom Lauzon, praised the caliber of the Middlesex Community College students he’s recruited for roles at the company.

“Unilaterally, they’re passionate and they’re eager to start their careers,” Lauzon said of students from the Bedford and Lowell campuses he’s interviewed.

As with other community-college programs, there’s a marked divergence between quality and quantity of MCC students attaining that two-year degree, which only 19% of them attain.

We’ve all heard the heads of many Massachusetts companies lament the lack of qualified candidates for well-compensated positions that ideally could be filled by community-college graduates.

The industries where jobs go begging run the gamut, including manufacturing, business and finance, computer/technology, construction/engineering, hospitality, law/criminal justice, real estate, and social services.

And even for graduating high school seniors unsure of their next step, a community college offers a far less expensive way to explore career options, rather than a commitment to a four-year institution of higher learning.

That two-year degree can lead individuals seeking a shorter employment path to a level of earning potential and upward mobility not previously contemplated.

It’s the message that graduates of technical high schools and students in other public schools who’ve shown an inclination in that hands-on direction should be hearing.