1. The Equity Imperative Elsa M. Nunez
Commission on Higher Education and Employability
June 28, 2017

2. Ensuring the Economic Sustainability
of New England

3. Reclaiming the “Public Good”
The GI Bill after World War II is a good example of how our nation invested in higher education as a “public good” to build the workforce.
The “public good” argument has been subsumed by a perception of higher education as a private good.
NEBHE’s interest in leveraging the strength of our higher education institutions to support employability in New England renews the validity of our public mission in meeting workforce needs.

4. Underrepresented Groups
Students of color
Students from low-income families
First-generation students

5. The Equity Imperative A Moral Imperative An Economic Imperative
A Social Imperative

6. The Moral Imperative
“… all men are created equal,” with “certain inalienable rights” that include “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Declaration of Independence; 1776

7. The Moral Imperative
At age nine months, all children in this nation have the same mental acuity and gross motor skills, regardless of the ethnicity of the mother, family income, marital status of the mother, or other socioeconomic factors.
National Assessment of Educational Progress

8. Equality is Not Equity! Diversity is not Inclusion!

9. Diverging Paths
By age two, socio-economic factors begin to impact a child’s cognitive development. Differences based on family income are even more significant at age 4.
NAEP standardized testing in grades 4, 8, and 12 shows sizable academic achievement gaps based on family income, with a high correlation based on ethnicity.
National Assessment of Educational Progress

10. Diverging Paths
Students from low-income families and other underrepresented populations:
Are less prepared for college
Are retained at lower rates
Graduate at lower rates

11. Education Makes a Difference
Education is “the great equalizer of the conditions of men, the balance-wheel of the social machinery.” Horace Mann

12. Education Makes a Difference
In Connecticut alone, if we were to graduate African Americans and Latinos from college at the same rate as Caucasians, those individuals would realize an additional $8 billion a year in earnings.

13. The Economic Imperative
69% of the jobs of the 21st century in Connecticut will require at least a two-year degree.
In Southern New England, it is predicted that half the workers will be minorities by 2020.
Only 47% of the people have the requisite education.
For African Americans, that figure is only 37%, and for Latinos, that figure is only 33%.
Georgetown University’s Center for Education and the Workforce

14. The Social Imperative
History has demonstrated that wealth and income inequity can disrupt the social order and precipitate political revolution.

15. The Social Imperative
"I think it is appropriate to ask whether this trend (of widening income and wealth inequality) is compatible with the high value Americans have traditionally placed on equality of opportunity.”
Federal Reserve Board Chair Janet Yellen

16. Labor Market Data/Career Centers
How can we balance short-term workforce needs with the long-term need for planning sustainable communities and robust local economies?

17. Technical Skill Bundles/Credentials
How can we develop attainable career pathways for underrepresented populations that can give them a livable wage in the communities in which they live?

18. Business/Education Partnerships
How can we promote work-integrated learning programs on our campuses — like Eastern’s Work Hub — so that underrepresented populations can have opportunities for high wage jobs?