Across all institutions, the prevalence of “non-traditional” students – self-supporting working adults, many of them parents, who take one or two classes at a time as job, family obligations, and costs allow – is significant. (By contrast, “traditional” students – those who used to constitute the vast majority of college enrollees – are recent high school graduates without children or 40-hour a week jobs, who attend college full-time. These students are still financially dependent on their parents, for tax purposes at least, and don’t have significant economic obligations of their own.) 

Although there is no statewide data telling us which particular institutions ABE program participants enter, we do know that public two-year colleges are a popular choice: they tend to have open admissions policies, cost less, and offer more flexible course offerings and scheduling options than other postsecondary institutions – all appealing to students who may be balancing work and family obligations with school, as many ABE graduates do. Further, it is likely that many ABE students enter the MnSCU system as employees, participating in employer-arranged skills training through one of the college’s customized training divisions.

Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) has seven four-year universities and 25 two-year colleges located throughout Minnesota. The system was established by the 1991 legislature, which merged the existing Community College, Technical College, and State University Systems.

More distinctly, community & technical colleges offer vocational training and education to prepare students for skilled occupations not requiring a baccalaureate degree, as well as instruction in academic and occupational programs for students transferring to baccalaureate institutions or seeking associate degrees. State universities offer undergraduate and graduate instruction through the master’s degree, including specialist certificates, in the liberal arts and sciences and professional education.

The Minnesota Office of Higher Education (OHE) is the state agency responsible for providing postsecondary financial aid and other forms of assistance to students; for collecting and reporting data and analysis on higher education funding, financial aid, enrollment and accountability; and for registering and licensing private postsecondary institutions. The overarching mission of OHE is “to advance the promise of higher education to all Minnesotans.” More specifically, OHE is charged with meeting the following five goals:

1.      Improve success of all students, particularly students from groups traditionally underrepresented in higher education

2.      Create a responsive system that produces graduates at all levels who meet the demands of the economy

3.      Increase student learning and improve skill levels of students so they can compete effectively in the global market place

4.      Contribute to the development of a state economy that is competitive in the global market through research, workforce training and other appropriate means

5.      Provide access, affordability and choice for all students

In 2007, OHE assessed how well the state’s higher education system as a whole was meeting the five goals outlined above. Its findings were published in Minnesota Measures 2007 Report on Higher Education Performance: (http://www.ohe.state.mn.us/pdf/MinnesotaMeasures.pdf). Below is a table of performance indicators related to each of the five goals:

Goal	Performance Measures
Improve the success of all students, particularly those traditionally underrepresented in higher education	College Participation What percentage of MN high school graduates enroll in postsecondary education in the year following graduation?	Retention What percentage of first-year, first-time, full-time students enrolled in MN colleges were enrolled at the same institution the following year?			Degree Completion What was the graduation rate for students attending MN 4-year colleges and universities? What were the 3-year graduation rates at  2-year colleges	Achievement Gap Were students of color completing programs at the same rate as their white counterparts?			Degree Attainment What proportion of young adults (ages 25-34) possess a postsecondary degree?
Provide access, affordability and choice for all students	Access What percent of Minnesota residents, age 18 to 24, were enrolled in postsecondary education? What percent of adults age 25-44 was enrolled in postsecondary education?		Net Prices What were Minnesota families expected to pay for higher education as a percent of their income?		Affordability What were the net tuition and fee prices for students? To what extent were Minnesota students borrowing to finance their education?
Create a responsive system that produces graduates at all levels who meet the demands of the economy	Degree Production How many degrees were awarded each year at all levels per 1,000 population age 20 and older?		Degree Alignment Of all degrees awarded, what percentage was awarded in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields?
Increase student learning and improve skill levels so students can compete effectively in the global market place	Learning Outcomes There are no indicators for this goal because statewide or nationally comparable indicators on student learning do not currently exist.
Contribute to an economy that is competitive globally through research, workforce training and other appropriate means	Research & Discovery What was MN’s relative position in its national share of academic research? How does the UMN compare to other flagship research institutions? What were the total expenditures on research and development as a proportion of gross state product?