Higher ed: what have we wrought?

In this editorial I wrote for the Times, I cautioned folks to react less to University of Washington Athletic Director Scott Woodward's inartful statements and subsequent apologies about academics at the University of Oregon and concentrate instead on the full context of his remarks.

Woodward's remarks stung U of O graduates but he was basically asking all of us to consider what steep budget cuts have wrought. Rep. Reuven Carlyle, a Seattle Democrat, has been doing a lot of thinking about this and offers a compelling assessment on his blog.

I've written about the lack of policy attention and money going toward higher ed, even as America and private philanthropy invest billions in early learning, K-12 and workforce training programs. Here's my response to President Obama's call for an extra 8 million college graduates by 2020. If only saying it would make it so.

I've said it before and I"ll say it again, we need a call to arms around higher education. The reality is that unless you're extremly talented in an arena and compete with others who may carry less talent but more academic credentials, students can't stop at a high school diploma. The competition out there is too stiff.

Geoffrey Canada, who runs the Harlem's Children Zone, talked about this yesterday at a luncheon before 1,200 people in a ballroom at the Westin Hotel. I interviewed him and plan to post here what I write for the Times. Canada said that it isn't enough for him to expect the children enrolled in his programs to excel in school and graduate. He wants them to work toward college. If they don't choose to attend that's fine, at least they are academically qualified to make the choice.