Higher ed boss says more is needed

Commissioner notes that overall, state in good shape

Higher education in the state is in good shape — possibly the best it’s ever been, according to Texas Higher Education Commissioner Raymund A. Paredes.

But he says there’s more to be done.

“I can’t recall a session that was better for higher education than the one that just ended,” Paredes said in a Tuesday conference call with reporters, referring to the 86th legislative session.

Paredes highlighted the session’s successes, including an increase of nearly $1 billion in funding for higher education.

“It’s not extraordinary in the sense that we have enough money to do everything we want to do. … But we’re in pretty good shape, and we have an obligation to use funding from the state and to use it more efficiently,” he said.

“What we’ve done in Texas, we’ve made a commitment to poor children all through the education pipeline for possibly the first time in history.” Texas Higher Education Commissioner Raymund A. Paredes

Paredes praised the passage of HB 3, which seeks to assist low-income students from kindergarten through high school, ensuring that they read by grade-level by the third grade.

“What we’ve done in Texas, we’ve made a commitment to poor children all through the education pipeline for possibly the first time in history,” Paredes said, also referencing Texas universities and colleges that have pledged to cover full tuition and fees for low-income students — University of Texas at Austin being the most recent.

The commissioner also praised the passing of SB 25, which will reduce the loss of course credit toward a degree for students who transfer from a community college to a four-year university. The change will save families about $60 million a year.

Paredes said he also was gratified by the increased funding for community and technical colleges through the Student Success Initiatives and Success Points, which is based on performance-based funding — dependent on graduating students on time.

His hope is to implement it next session for four-year universities around the state, but schools have been hesitant to

embrace this sort of funding, he said.

“I hope that we can persuade university leaders to look at the data and accept that performance-based funding is a good thing,” Paredes said. “I think it forces institutions to focus most intently on what’s important and that is student success.”

Despite this year’s victories, Paredes said there’s more work to be done to improve higher education accessibility.

The board is working on new approaches that pare down costs and increase access in a changing landscape, he said.

“There’s going to be some very dramatic changes in the next 10 years,” Paredes predicted. “And Texas will be at the forefront.”

The board is looking for ways to offer varying forms of higher education, including degrees and workforce programs; and possibly providing incentives for students to finish school more quickly.

Expanding online education opportunities, especially in more remote parts of Texas, is also a priority — especially since the state touts some of best online programs, according to Paredes.

Paredes said the board plans to fine tune its Texas Affordable Baccalaureate Program, which offers a bachelor’s degree at a reduced price. At least 13 schools, including the University of Houston, have implemented this program or will begin enrolling students this fall, he said. And the board may incorporate a merit-based component to the Texas Grant Program, the largest grant program in the state, based on a “modest criteria” that rewards hard work.

Paredes said the board is also placing emphasis on work-study opportunities and career readiness.

Just Monday, the board hosted an event to promote its Texas Internship Challenge. Launched in 2017, the challenge encourages employers to offer paid internships and make it easy for students to search and apply for them. The challenge’s website lists thousands of internships — mostly paid — and a career readiness handbook to help students better understand how their skills will help them, according to Paredes.

The goal, he said, is to help offset some of the costs of college and debt, while also helping equip students with marketable skills. The program falls in line with the board’s effort to provide 60 percent of Texans between 25 and 34 with a post-secondary education by 2030.

Paredes, commissioner and leader of the board for 15 years, has just a month left before he steps down Aug. 31.