Report decries large number of NM college campuses as symptomatic of problems in education system

From the Carlsbad Current-Argus - By Stella Davis - Current-Argus Staff Writer - CARLSBAD — A report on a study conducted by the Rio Grande Foundation says New Mexico has a proliferation of college campuses, and that those higher numbers are a symptom of larger problems within the state's overall education system when measured against other states. But Carlsbad's higher education and municipal schools officials disagree with the report. They believe that branch campuses are needed in rural areas, and that the students who attend them do so for many reasons, but the bottom line is a college education they can afford. The Rio Grande Foundation is a research institute based in Albuquerque. A solution offered by foundation on the plethora of branch college campuses is for the New Mexico State Legislature and the state's higher education leaders to consider eliminating or combining some buildings and resources.According to the study, New Mexico's four-year colleges have 38 campuses combined, while the state's two-year campuses and junior colleges have 27. Measured against other states, the study and report, co-authored by Rio Grande Foundation President Paul Gessing and William Leonard, states that New Mexico dedicates a far greater percentage of personal incomes to higher education — $17.39 per $1,000 — while the national average is about $7 per $1,000. The study also determined that New Mexico is ranked 46th in the nation when it comes to college student graduation rates and that its first-year retention rate is the worst in the nation, it demands that taxpayers disproportionately foot the bill for higher education and asks less than all but one other state of the students themselves, the direct beneficiaries of higher education when it comes to tuition and fees. Read more

Report decries large number of NM college campuses as symptomatic of problems in education system