The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit news organization, reported that Montana’s proportion of college graduates has increased over the last three years faster than any other state’s. It was a bit of good news for a higher education system that needed some.
For months, stories about the unsettling events at the University of Montana have dominated headlines. The school, of which I am an alumnus, at the least botched its response to sexual assault accusations, some involving athletes, reported by its student body. And the actions since suggest something far worse.
As the allegations trickled out, both UM football coach Robin Pflugrad and athletic director Jim O’Day were fired. A few months later Jim Foley, vice president at the school, resigned. Multiple investigations are ongoing. And in the wake of NCAA penalties against Penn State University, UM may want to brace for heavy sanctions of its own.
After Jerry Sandusky, a former member of the Penn State football coaching staff, was found guilty of sexually abusing boys and an inquiry revealed that the school tried to cover it up, the NCAA fined the university $60 million and banned its football team from the postseason, among other sanctions.
UM President Royce Engstrom recently told the Missoulian’s Gwen Florio, “The situations (at Penn State and UM) are so totally different that it just doesn’t make any sense to compare them.”
But Florio interviewed several experts on college athletics who expect the NCAA to impose harsh penalties at UM, with one arguing, “The Penn State sanction is a warning to the school.”
Moreover, the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the way the school, police and prosecutors responded to reports of sexual assaults in Missoula. And the U.S. Department of Education is conducting its own investigation.
Under this cloud, it’s easy to lose sight of Montana’s educators, the vast majority who do their jobs well at our institutes of higher learning. The recent increase in the percentage of graduates is even more impressive considering that more than a dozen states saw decreases in college graduates.
And if anyone is skeptical of Hechinger’s findings, a separate report released last month by the U.S. Department of Education showed Montana’s increase in college graduates from 2009 to 2010 was more than double any other state.
Several factors contributed to the increase. When the economy tanked, people went back to school out of necessity since their jobs were no longer in demand. But the state deserves credit for keeping tuition relatively affordable and so do our schools, especially Flathead Valley Community College, for changing their curriculums to offer students degrees and certificates that would help them find employment in a changing job market.
By 2010, Montana’s percentage of graduates with at least an associate degree had reached 40 percent. The more education you have, the more likely you are to attain work. That’s why funding for our state’s colleges and universities at the state and federal level is so important.
During Montana’s next legislative session, lawmakers will once again debate how to fund the state’s schools. With just about everyone talking about “jobs bills,” continuing to provide higher education that is at once affordable and adaptable is often overlooked.
The situation at UM is devastating. And the institute has a long way to go before it regains the trust of many people. But regardless of any potential sports sanctions at one of our largest institutions, amid this controversy Montana’s higher education system deserves credit for graduating more students than ever before.
That is, after all, its primary job.