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ROB MCCLENDON: WELL OKLAHOMA IS HOME TO NUMEROUS UNIVERSITIES,
EACH OF THEM UNIQUE.
BUT THE BULK OF OKLAHOMA COLLEGE STUDENTS ATTEND A SCHOOL GOVERNED BY THE
OKLAHOMA STATE REGENTS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION -
25 COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES INCLUDING:
2 RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES;
10 REGIONAL UNIVERSITIES;
A PUBLIC LIBERAL ARTS UNIVERSITY;
ALONG WITH 12 COMMUNITY COLLEGES.
NOW EARLIER, THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER FOR THE OKLAHOMA STATE SYSTEM OF
HIGHER EDUCATION VISTED OUR STUDIOS, CHANCELLOR GLEN JOHNSON.
ROB: WELL EVERYONE THAT WE SPOKE TO TODAY TALKED ABOUT INNOVATION, AND
REALLY THE NEED FOR IT IN THE CLASSROOM.
HOW DOES SOMEONE IN YOUR POSITION CHANGE THAT TALK INTO ACTION?
GLEN JOHNSON: WELL IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE RECOGNIZE THAT WE'RE IN A
NEW ERA, OR WE'RE IN A NEW DYNAMIC TODAY AS FAR AS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO
DELIVER LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES TO STUDENTS IN WAYS THAT ARE RELEVANT,
NOT ONLY FOR STUDENTS NEEDS TODAY BUT ULTIMATELY FOR WHAT THEY WILL BE
CONFRONTED WITH IN THE MARKET PLACE.
AND SO I THINK IF YOU LOOK AT WHAT WE'RE DOING IN OUR COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES,
I THINK WE'VE MADE SOME VERY INNOVATIVE CHANGES QUITE FRANKLY IN THE WAY
THE LEARNING OPPORTUNITY IS DELIVERED.
THE OLD CONCEPT THAT EVERYONE THINKS ABOUT THE PROFESSOR IN FRONT OF THE
CLASSROOM AT A LECTERN, ALTHOUGH THAT'S STILL THERE AND IT NEEDS TO BE
SAID THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT INGREDIENT IN DELIVERING A LEARNING
OPPORTUNITY IS THE INSTRUCTOR OR THE PROFESSOR.
BUT THAT BEING SAID, THE WAY IT'S DELIVERED NOW IS DRAMATICALLY DIFFERENT.
WITH OUR ONLINE COURSES, WE HAVE HYBRID COURSES THAT COMBINE FACE-TO-FACE
TRADITIONAL INSTRUCTION WITH THE ONLINE OPPORTUNITY, THE USE OF
IPADS; THE USE OF ALL OF OUR MEDIA TECHNOLOGY.
IT'S JUST A MUCH DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENT AND, AND CANDIDLY I THINK OUR GOAL
AND OUR ROLE IS TO TRY TO UTILIZE THAT TECHNOLOGY IN A WAY WHERE IT'S
INTEGRATED INTO OUR CURRICULUM AND INTO OUR CLASSROOM, AND WHERE
LEARNING IS MORE RELEVANT FOR STUDENTS TODAY.
ROB: LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT STUDENT DEBT.
YOU KNOW AS A SOCIETY THE ONLY THING THAT WE OWE MORE ON THAN STUDENT
LOANS IS OUR HOME MORTGAGES.
YOU KNOW IT'S A TOUGH QUESTION AND YOU KNOW WE HEARD WHAT THE ECONOMIST
SAID, THAT HE THINKS WE OUGHT TO PAY THEM OUT OVER 30 YEARS BECAUSE IT IS,
YOU KNOW, WE GET THE BENEFITS OVER THAT LENGTH OF TIME.
WHAT CAN WE DO?
JOHNSON: WELL IT'S SOMETHING I THINK WE NEED TO MAKE A DISTINCTION
BETWEEN THE INFORMATION THAT'S COMING OUT THROUGH THE MEDIA WHICH FOCUSES ON
THE NATIONAL PROBLEM.
BECAUSE OKLAHOMA REALLY HAS A DIFFERENT, AND, AND FRANKLY A MUCH BETTER
STORY TO TELL.
A REPORT CAME OUT FROM THE CENTER FOR STUDENT SUCCESS IN OCTOBER, THERE WAS AN
ARTICLE IN THE OKLAHOMAN IN LATE OCTOBER; THEY RATED THE 50 STATES IN
TERMS OF STUDENTS LEAVING COLLEGE WITH THE PERCENTAGE OF DEBT THAT
THEY HAVE.
WE'RE VERY PROUD THAT OUR OKLAHOMA HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM RANKED 8TH IN THE
NATION IN TERMS OF STUDENTS LEAVING COLLEGE WITH THE LESS, WITH LESS
STUDENT DEBT.
SO ESSENTIALLY THERE WOULD ONLY BE 7 OTHER STATES WHERE THE STUDENT-DEBT
RATIO IS LESS THAN IT IS IN OKLAHOMA.
SEVERAL REASONS FOR THAT; WE HAVE WITHIN OUR OFFICES AT THE STATE REGENTS, THE
OKLAHOMA COLLEGE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, THAT'S DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY TO
HELP STUDENTS ON THE FRONT END WITH FINANCIAL LITERACY.
MANY STUDENTS, AS WE'VE DISCUSSED, COME IN TO THE COLLEGE ENVIRONMENT, SOME
HAVE NEVER BALANCED THEIR CHECKBOOK, UNFORTUNATELY GET INTO CREDIT CARD
SITUATIONS WHERE THEY MAY ACCUMULATE ENOUGH DEBT THAT THEY HAVE TO ACTUALLY
DROP OUT OF SCHOOL TO PAY THEIR CREDIT CARDS.
OUR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE AND OUR COLLEGE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM PROVIDES THEM
WITH FINANCIAL LITERACY INFORMATION ON THE FRONT END WHERE THEY WON'T GET
INTO THOSE SITUATIONS.
BUT THOSE STUDENTS THAT DO HAVE LOANS, WE HAVE A DEFAULT PREVENTION
DEPARTMENT THAT WORKS SPECIFICALLY WITH THOSE STUDENTS TO MAKE SURE THAT
EVERYTHING'S INTACT, THAT THEY HAVE THE INFORMATION THEY NEED AND THEY DON'T
GET INTO A DEFAULT SITUATION.
AGAIN, I THINK IF YOU LOOK AT WHERE OKLAHOMA RANKS NATIONALLY, IT'S IMPORTANT
TO NOTE THAT TUITION AND FEES, WE HAVE A GREAT STORY TO TELL THERE.
OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS, AGAIN LOOKING AT THE NATIONAL SITUATION,
STATES, LIKE THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, HAVE INCREASED TUITION AND FEES BY OVER
32 PERCENT; ARIZONA AND GEORGIA IN THE HIGH 20 PERCENTS.
OKLAHOMA OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS HAS HAD A 4 PERCENT AVERAGE TUITION
INCREASE.
IN 2009 WE WERE ONE OF ONLY TWO STATES IN THE NATION TO HAVE NO INCREASE
IN TUITION AND FEES.
AND THE LAST 3 YEARS, IT'S AVERAGED ABOUT 5 PERCENT.
SO WE HAVE BUCKED THAT NATIONAL TREND IN A WAY THAT I THINK IS PROVIDING
OUR STUDENTS, UH, THE UNITED STATES CHAMBER OF COMMERCE HAD A REPORT
EARLIER THIS YEAR WRITTEN BY MARGARET SPELLINGS
WHO WAS THE SECRETARY OF EDUCATION UNDER PRESIDENT GEORGE W BUSH,
RANKED THE STATES IN TERMS OF AFFORDABILITY.
THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA RANKED 7TH IN THE NATION AS FAR AS THE MOST
AFFORDABLE STATE IN THE NATION, NOT JUST ON TUITION AND FEES, BUT
BOOKS, HOUSING AND ALL THE RELATED COSTS OF GOING TO COLLEGE.
SO, WE'RE DELIVERING A GREAT PRODUCT TO STUDENTS AT A VERY AFFORDABLE COST,
AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO MAKE THE DISTINCTION WHILE WE ARE CONCERNED
ABOUT STUDENT DEBT, I THINK THE STORY IN OKLAHOMA IS DIFFERENT THAN
IN A NUMBER OF OTHER STATES ACROSS THE UNITED STATES.
AND THAT SPEAKS WELL FOR WHAT WE'VE DONE HERE.
ROB: WITH STATE BUDGETS WHERE THEY ARE, AND REALLY JUST STABILITY IN
BUDGETING AS BEING THE BEST THAT WE CAN EXPECT IN EDUCATION, HOW DO WE GO
AHEAD AND MAKE ALL THESE CHANGES THAT WE SEE THAT WE NEED TO MAKE?
JOHNSON: ALL IN ALL, WE'VE GOT TO MAKE THE CASE.
THERE'S A LOT OF PRIORITIES IN STATE GOVERNMENT, CERTAINLY OUR
HEALTH CARE ISSUES ARE DOMINANT, THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES HAS BIG
ISSUES, CORRECTIONS ALWAYS HAS DEMANDS, BUT WE'VE GOT TO MAKE THE CASE THAT IF
WE LOOK AT WHAT CAN MOVE THE NEEDLE FORWARD FOR THE STATE IN A POSITIVE WAY,
WHAT WE CAN DO TO ADDRESS OUR WORK FORCE NEEDS, I THINK COLLECTIVELY FUNDING
EDUCATION HAS GOT TO BE A TOP PRIORITY FOR OUR STATE.
AND CERTAINLY OUR LAWMAKERS AND GOVERNOR FALLIN HAVE BEEN THERE FOR
US IN THE PAST.
DURING THE DOWNTURN THEY DIDN'T MAKE CUTS ACROSS THE BOARD.
THEY FRANKLY PRIORITIZED EDUCATION.
AND WE JUST NEED TO, WE NEED TO HAVE THE FACTS AT OUR DISPOSAL WHERE WE
CONTINUE TO MAKE THE CASE THAT THERE'S NOT A BETTER INVESTMENT THAN INVESTING
IN EDUCATION, INVESTING IN HIGHER EDUCATION, AND THERE WILL BE GREAT
RETURNS FOR THE STATE IF WE'RE ABLE TO MAKE THAT CASE PERSUASIVELY, WHERE
IN A YEAR WHEN WE HAVE NEW DOLLARS, WE'RE ABLE TO GET SOME OF THOSE ALLOCATED TO
EDUCATION; AND AGAIN FROM MY STANDPOINT, PARTICULARLY HIGHER
EDUCATION BUT ALSO COMMON ED AND CAREER TECH.