COLUMN: CWU taking steps to help students create their futures

Despite all of the available information showing how higher education leads to better jobs and salaries, many people continue to remain skeptical of the benefits of college. This is evidenced by a 10-percentage point decline in college attendance in the state of Washington since 2018. In fact, Washington now has the nation’s third-lowest rate of students who attend college after graduating from high school.

Research has shown that this enrollment decline is driven, in part, by systemic barriers to access and changing perceptions about the value of a college degree. The pandemic accelerated this alarming trend, and we are now faced with a scenario in which only 50% of Washington high school graduates choose to continue their education.

This is a dire situation in our state’s dynamic and knowledge-driven economy, where education and training beyond high school are pre-requisites for success. The latest data from the Washington Roundtable shows that 70% of all jobs created in the next five years will require a degree or credential beyond a high school diploma.

Central Washington University believes that if we are to inspire younger generations to pursue educational pathways after high school, we must seize this moment. We, and other institutions around the state, must do everything we can to remove barriers and provide everyone who aspires to pursue a post-secondary education with the resources they need to be successful.

At the same time, we must guide the college students of tomorrow through these uncharted waters by demonstrating how a degree can help create a better future for themselves and their families. To this end, CWU has been working closely with the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC) and school district superintendents around the state to identify areas where we can innovate and provide more students with opportunities to excel.

One major concern is a lack of information about financial support, which has contributed to historically low completion rates for federal and state financial aid forms (FAFSA and WASFA). Washington is 48th out of 50 states for FAFSA completion, and we currently leave $60 million in federal and state financial aid on the table every year. If our state is going to reverse this trend, we need to find new ways to show prospective students and their families what types of assistance are available to them. Knowing that they can afford higher education is the first step toward showing prospective students that college is within their reach.

While having the funding to support their college journey can be transformative for many students who might otherwise be unable to afford an education, it doesn’t do any good if those students aren’t aware that college is accessible to them. Thanks to the connections CWU has built with school districts across the state, we are hoping to leverage community support to provide more in-depth financial counseling to high school students as they make decisions about their futures.

These same partnerships, and recent support from the Washington Legislature, have given us an even greater opportunity to offer free college credits to students through our College in the High School (CiHS) program. CWU’s program, the largest in the state, gives high school students on both sides of the mountains an opportunity to start college with many of their general education requirements already completed. CWU added nearly 3,000 students to our CiHS roster this year — a 64% increase over 2022-23 — and we look forward to making an even larger impact in future years.

Another barrier confronting many Washington students — especially those from traditionally underserved communities — is their proximity to a public four-year institution of higher learning. More than 320,000 people in our state reside in areas known as “education deserts,” where they live more than one hour away from a public four-year college campus.

The more we can bring educational opportunities to them — through CiHS, Running Start, the Guaranteed Admissions Program, Online Learning, and adequate financial aid resources — the better their chances will be to take the next step in their education.

As CWU looks at ways we can alter the college-going landscape in our state, we understand that collaboration will be the key to success. We have already forged a number of strong relationships with community and technical colleges, high schools, and government officials, and we are beginning to make a difference in how Washingtonians perceive the value of a college degree.

The belief that higher education is some far-off, lofty goal, achievable only by the most privileged among us, has stood in the way of the success of future generations for too long. Just imagine the enormous benefit that individuals, families, communities, and the state of Washington would enjoy if we increased our college-going rate from just 50%, as it is now, to 70% over the next five to 10 years. A culture shift of that magnitude would be transformative for our state, and CWU believes that if we work together, we will rise to the challenge.

The framework, passion, and goodwill are in place. Now, we can look forward to exploring ways to help future generations by creating a future where earning an education is as simple as asking for one.