The value of two-year institutions in Montana

Recent interest in the value of two-year education in Helena has the entire staff and faculty at the University of Montana-Helena College of Technology optimistic about the future.

By Dr. Steven Hoyle – IR Your Turn

http://helenair.com/articles/2004/07/21/opinions/a04072104_03.txt

A proposal for UM-Helena to offer classes at a downtown location has stirred interest in the ability of the college to provide quality, affordable and convenient higher education to a broad cross section of our community. It has also brought to the forefront once again the future role the college will play in stimulating the Montana economy by providing training that will help individuals find jobs and attract new businesses drawn to our qualified workforce.

Throughout its 65-year history in Helena, the college has contributed to economic growth. We have provided trained workers and have educated transfer students at a low cost, and we have done this without private funding. We are a rare example of a two-year institution of higher education that has operated without direct funding from the community.

As we move forward with our plans for the future — a new building proposal that will be presented to the state Legislature in 2005, and a community-based foundation that will be launched in coming months — we would like to make a case for the value of our institution in Helena and the role it might play in the future.

National statistics referenced in the July 13 editorial in the IR make it clear that Montana is far behind the nation in capitalizing on the ability of two-year colleges to provide low-cost, no-nonsense education that will move the economy forward.

Throughout our classrooms are countless personal stories of individuals who returned to school after suffering disabilities, and students who were laid off from their jobs. They will graduate with new skills, will earn a better living and will enjoy a higher quality of life. Many of our students in the trades find employment in their field of study before they graduate. UM-Helena has a placement rate of more than 90 percent across all programs. Students enrolled in our general education transfer programs are staying in Helena one or two years longer before transferring to four-year colleges, saving thousands of dollars by living at home, where they have the support of their families to help them make the transition to college life. Many students come to UM-Helena after a negative experience at a four-year institution, ready to give higher education a second chance.

UM-Helena is playing a significant role contributing to the Helena economy with a workforce of 120 employees and more than 950 students. The college returns an estimated $10.9 million to the local economy on a state investment of $2.6 million.

But our economic impact goes far beyond those numbers. The evidence of our contribution can be seen throughout Helena and in each of the communities where our graduates now live. Dennis Mix, IT Director at American Chemet, who graduated from UM-Helena with an associate’s degree in computer technology, speaks of our ability to help students find quality and rewarding work. Tanner Franklin, a recent graduate of our metals technology program, who is now employed at Summit Aeronautics Group, acknowledges the important role our instructors played training him and helping him find his position.

The value of the college partnering with local businesses to provide custom-tailored courses, a few days or a few weeks in duration, to train employees for specific jobs, can be measured in direct profits to those companies. Programs like these are underway at the college and will continue to grow in importance in the years ahead.

While four-year education is valuable, studies have shown that 84 percent of all jobs in Montana require no more than two years of formal education after high school. Only 11 percent require a bachelor’s degree or more.

All of us at the University of Montana-Helena College of Technology are very excited about the future and the new partnership that awaits us with the community. The prospect of a public/private partnership, a flexible funding model for the future that will allow the college to meet the needs of the community to spawn growth and economic development is more than a dream. Together, we are on our way to making it a reality.

Dr. Steven Hoyle is dean and chief executive officer of the University of Montana-Helena College of Technology.