What Must Postsecondary Education Provide To Meet Individual Student Expectations? Colorado Commission on Higher Education Master Plan Background Paper.

This paper looks at meeting Colorado student expectations of higher education by looking at demographic trends within Colorado's current undergraduate student population and some of the factors that may influence future student needs. Section I looks at the state's student population and notes that, though nationally 33 percent of undergraduates are traditional students, in Colorado 52 percent are still traditional with only rural areas of the state experiencing an increase in nontraditional students and a decrease in traditional student populations. This rural population has influenced a statewide shift toward more nontraditional students. Among racial and ethnic groups the Hispanic and White student populations increased while the Black, Native American, and Asian representation in the total student population remained relatively constant. An increase in the number of women in undergraduate study came primarily among nontraditional students in urban and rural areas. The largest increase in part-time students occurred among the traditional age rural population. Also the state population as a whole is expected to increase by nearly 10 percent by 2001. Implications of these trends are that the state must adjust the provision of educational opportunities to be more responsive to the needs of the student population. A conclusion notes some specific programs and initiatives that have already been successful. (JB)