As a State, What Level of Participation in Postsecondary Education Is Necessary To Assure a Just and Economically Successful Society? Colorado Commission on Higher Education Master Plan Background Paper.

This paper presents an evaluation of Colorado's educational needs related to economic competitiveness and to providing equal access to higher education. The paper looks at the Colorado economy's shift toward an information/service based system. Thus the paper argues, the educational needs of Colorado's workforce are higher and to maintain its competitive edge, those needs must be met. Also discussed are demographic shifts changing the makeup of the future workforce which will be older, more female and more diverse. Also, the paper argues, demographic shift will not lead to an equitable distribution of educational participation without efforts to increase the participation of previously disenfranchised individuals. Consequently a statewide ethnic minority graduation goal of 18.6 percent by the year 2000 has been adopted. If that goal is funded by the state, the public institutions would need to graduate an additional 1,484 minority graduates above current projects in the year 2000. The paper argues that if Colorado public educational institutions are to continue to produce their current percentage of the demand for sub-baccalaureate and baccalaureate degrees, the estimated annual cost to the state for public institutions to meet that demand is $45 million above the costs already estimated in the higher education demand projections. Ten references are included. (JB)