8A0375AC8B334DE687258478005C9BDF Hearing Summary

The committee came back to order.  Dr. Cheryl D. Lovell, President, Adams State University, came to the table to discuss Adams State.  Her presentation can be accessed here: http://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/committees/2017/adams_state_legislative_he_interim_committee_presentation.pdf.  She discussed the demographics of Adams State and the degrees the school offers.  She talked about measures the school has taken to contain costs for students and the average debt of Adams State graduates.  She discussed measures of student success and student support programs available at the school, including a first-year advising center, a one-stop financial aid service desk, a STEM center, and student counseling.  Dr. Lovell talked about student barriers to obtaining a degree and how the school addresses those challenges.  She discussed Colorado Gear Up, a federally-funded grant program placing full time advisors in schools across the state in order to prepare students for a postsecondary pathway.  She stated that Gear Up is no longer working with schools in the San Luis Valley, which has been detrimental to students in the area.  She discussed COSI and talked about how it is difficult for areas in the San Luis Valley to match the funds, as required by the program.  She discussed the impact that further budget cuts would have on the school and the struggles the school is facing retaining faculty.  She discussed the school's statutory mission, and stated that future policy ideas should emphasize each university's unique mission as it is set out in statute.

Dr. Tom Stritikus, President of Fort Lewis College, introduced himself to the committee.  His presentation can be accessed here: http://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/committees/2017/fort_lewis_he-interim-committee_preso-final.pdf.  Dr. Stritikus discussed the demographics of the students that Fort Lewis serves and the school's grant portfolio.  He stated that affordability and access are high priorities, discussed the school's total cost of attendance, including tuition and fees, and programs that provide social, academic, and cultural support to students.  Dr. Stritikus talked about methods the school is using to reduce barriers to application completion and enrollment, including accepting unofficial test scores, simplifying supplemental academic instruction, reducing financial burdens by waiving application fees, and offering concurrent enrollment courses and scholarships.  He talked about a variety of programs available to Ft. Lewis students, such as internships and student employment.  He talked about how the school is currently addressing students' financial concerns through a Grub Hub food pantry and the availability of persistence grants to help with unexpected financial barriers.  He discussed programs available to students seeking mental health treatment, including free counseling sessions for every student regardless of the student's ability to pay.  Dr. Stritikus talked about financial challenges the school is facing, such as the cost of housing for faculty, the lack of economies of scale within certain programs, and struggles hiring and retaining staff.  Dr. Stritikus provided the committee with policy suggestions, including funding for innovation pilot pilot programs to encourage schools to collaborate with each other to find ways to make postsecondary pathways more accessible.

Brad Baca, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Western Colorado University (Western), introduced himself to the committee and gave a brief background of the school.  His presentation can be accessed here: http://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/committees/2017/western_legislative_pres_sept_19.pdf.  Mr. Baca discussed how Western has sought to improve graduation rates and student success and the student loan default rates of Western students, which are half of the national average. Mr. Baca discussed the regional impact of the school, and discussed COSI agreements with local counties and concurrent enrollment partnerships with local school districts. He explained that the school is collaborating with other schools in the region, including Fort Lewis and Adams State, as well as schools on the front range.  He discussed the affordability of the school and mentioned that while the cost of tuition has increased, the overall cost of attendance has remained steady.

The panelists from Adams State, Fort Lewis, and Western answered questions from the committee, including what each school would do with additional revenue that may come from the passage of Proposition CC, the total cost of attendance, and how their school is trying to lower that cost. The panel discussed how a possible cut to higher education funding would impact their schools.

The committee recessed.