OPINION: When universities become dropout factories

Last winter, New Mexicans were stunned to learn that regents of Western New Mexico University had provided its resigning president, Joseph Shepard, a golden parachute of $1.9 million in severance along with $200,000 to teach online courses in the business school.

Aside from these egregious amounts, the arrangement stunk insofar as the regents had gallivanted abroad with Shepard to recruit students to WNMU. Subsequently, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham scrambled to replace the regents, who recently determined the buyout decision was illegal, and Attorney General Raúl Torrez has attempted to claw back some of the funds, but Shepard had already deposited the check and paid taxes on the payment, so recovery is unlikely.

Undisclosed are data showing that, for the most recent academic year, WNMU graduated only 24% of full-time undergraduates within six years, a standard indicator of institutional performance provided by the U.S. Department of Education. Like several New Mexico academies, the vast majority of WNMU students are enrolled, attend classes, but leave without graduating. In effect, Shepard and the regents were not operating a university as much as a drop-out factory for students already enrolled, at the same time they were recruiting students from overseas.

Unfortunately, WNMU is not alone in treating students as expendable. Eastern New Mexico University graduates around 34% of undergrads within six years, New Mexico Highlands University’s graduation rate is around 27%.

The best performing state university is New Mexico Institute for Mining and Technology, which graduates 55% of baccalaureate students compared to 50% for New Mexico State University, and 53% for our flagship, the University of New Mexico.

By comparison, sister flagships do much better, the University of Arizona graduates 64% within six years, the University of Colorado 74%, and the University of Texas at Austin 88%.

Many college students in New Mexico benefit from Lottery and Opportunity Scholarships, which cover all tuition and required fees, but this disregards two factors: First, other expenses are not covered, especially books, food and housing, which at UNM total $17,860, double the tuition and required fees of $8,115. Second, erratic income and expense shocks, which are endemic with lower-income students, subvert degree completion as when a car breakdown or shift change at work requires a student to take a leave of absence.

Eventually, a $15/hour job looks better than staying in college. Research shows that low-income students persisting in their studies often struggle with housing and food insecurity. Unsurprisingly, many prospective students look at college as a set of false promises and defeated expectations. Unspoken, university administrators presume that students will apply to college despite these obstacles, eager to earn a diploma that confers up to a $1 million boost in lifetime earnings.

Several actions would improve university performance in New Mexico: Regents should be mandated to complete training in their fiduciary and legal responsibilities. Eligibility for Lottery and Opportunity scholarships should require a high school diploma or GED and completion of a federal Pell Grant application before state aid is offered. Finally, the governor should impanel a commission to transition the current feudal nonsystem of universities and community colleges into a coherent statewide network under the same policies, with current regents retained as advisors. Among new policies should be institutionalizing a “culture of completion.” The ongoing debacle of WNMU reflects the colossal waste of public resources and student aspirations that are endemic in New Mexico higher education. The appalling conduct of leaders at WNMU serves as a red flag underscoring the urgency of higher education reform.