We apologize for the recent absence of the Graph of the Week. We hope to get back on track once the legislative session is over.

The attention of the state is focused on a small group of Kentucky House and Senate leaders as they work in conference committee to reconcile the differences between the budget bill (HB 90) passed by the House and the version passed by the Senate. While both the House and Senate budget proposals decrease funding for key need-based programs (compared to current FY 2010 levels), the House budget most adequately supports students attending both public and private colleges. In the Senate’s budget proposal, funding for major student aid programs is nearly $3 million less than the House version in the first year of the budget (FY 2011) and over $7.5 less in the second year (FY 2012).

AIKCU is asking the conference committee to adopt the student aid provisions in the House version of the budget and adequately fund student financial aid.

Today’s graph shows the importance of all three of the state’s major student financial aid programs - CAP, KTG, and KEES - to Kentucky resident students attending AIKCU’s diverse member colleges and universities.  As this chart indicates, where one program might be particularly important to students at one college, at another institution the most important student aid program might be something else entirely.

Download: Percent of KY resident undergrads receiving state aid by program, 2008-09 (PDF)

The point here is that all of Kentucky’s financial aid programs are important to Kentucky students attending attending independent colleges. Financial aid to AIKCU students represents about 4.5 percent of total higher education spending in Kentucky. This modest (but crucial) investment in AIKCU students is matched more than 3 to 1 by grants and scholarships provided by the colleges themselves.

Yesterday, February 25, AIKCU President Gary Cox, Centre College President John Roush and St. Catharine College President Bill Huston testified before the Kentucky House Budget Review Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education. They had a very productive conversation with subcommittee members about the important roles that independent colleges play in Kentucky, the importance of student financial aid, and the ways that private colleges innovate and focus on serving students in today’s difficult fiscal environment.

One important point made during yesterday’s testimony is that the majority of Kentucky’s independent colleges do not have large endowments. Berea College is an exception in that they have a fairly substantial endowment that allows them to carry out their mission of providing an education for low income students without charging tuition. (Berea is also grappling with with very significant challenges because of the drop in that endowment.)

This chart taken from yesterday’s presentation, clearly illustrates that independent colleges in Kentucky are very tuition-driven institutions.

As we mentioned in last week’s graph, NAICU just provided some new data on 2008-09 Pell grant award recipients in Kentucky.

Collectively, AIKCU institutions served more than 10,000 Pell grant recipients in 2008-09. While the percentages of students receiving Pell varies from campus to campus, overall about 4 in 10 AIKCU students receive Pell grants.

This week’s graph highlights seven AIKCU member institutions where the majority of undergraduates are considered low income. On these campuses, more than half of all undergraduates receive federal Pell grants.

Unfortunately, the myth remains that “private colleges are for rich kids.” The reality is, all of Kentucky’s independent colleges and universities (not just the ones seen in this graph) serve significant numbers of low income students.

Earlier this week President Obama unveiled his budget proposal for fiscal 2011. While much of the focus has been on a freeze in discretionary government spending, Pell grants would see an increase and become an entitlement program. (Read this Inside Higher Ed piece report for further explanation how the budget proposal impacts Pell.)

We have previously explained the importance of Pell to AIKCU students. Historically, about 40 percent of undergraduates across the sector are Pell-eligible. More than 92,000 Kentucky students received over $271 million in Pell grants in 2008-09. This week’s graph illustrates the importance of Pell to students in all sectors of Kentucky postsecondary education - including private nonprofit, public (2 and 4-year), and for-profit institutions.

The Graph of the Week is back after a temporary holidays/start of the General Assembly absence. Each week we feature a new graphic that highlights an important aspect of independent higher education in Kentucky.

During last Thursday’s (1/21) House Budget Review Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education meeting, the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education presented its budget request and commented on the Governor’s budget proposal. During the question and answer session with legislators, public university presidents representing both the regional universities and the state’s research institutions commented on the negative impact the bleak budget situation has had on campus morale. The presidents said continuing salary freezes (or worse, layoffs) could result in these institutions losing faculty members to private institutions, where faculty could presumably secure higher pay. No doubt, the public presidents were referencing private institutions nationally — particularly research and large undergraduate institutions.

AIKCU understands the public sector presidents’ plea for funding increases that allow them to adequately fund and retain their faculty. We are also sympathetic with their faculty and staff who have seen their salaries frozen (like many of our own members’ faculty/staff). However, it is important to avoid confusion and to clarify the reality of faculty compensation in Kentucky. So this week’s graph takes a look at average faculty salaries in Kentucky by sector and faculty rank.

As you can see, the average AIKCU salaries at all faculty ranks are significantly lower than their counterparts at both the regional and research public institutions. Of course these are all averages, and AIKCU faculty certainly enjoy other benefits. However, it is clear that when the public presidents cite the possible loss of faculty to private institutions based on salary differences they are not really talking about competition from AIKCU members.

Almost every Friday on AIKCU.org we feature a new graphic that highlights an important aspect of independent higher education in Kentucky. We’ve missed the last couple weeks, but we’ll resolve to do better when we return in 2010.

This week’s graphic charts Kentucky’s net migration of traditional age freshmen (graduated from high school in the previous 12 months).

The formula here is simply

Net migration = (students into Ky - students going out-of-state)

In 2005-06, that looked like this:

(5,531 out-of-state students came to school in KY) - (2,840 freshmen went out-of-state) = 2,691 net migration

Kentucky’s independent colleges and universities play a crucial role in importing out-of-state students to Kentucky. AIKCU institutions enroll more than 7,000 out-of-state students who don’t receive any taxpayer support.

KY Net Migration (PDF)

Each Friday (almost) on AIKCU.org we feature a new graphic that highlights an important aspect of independent higher education in Kentucky.

Download: Bachelor’s degree or higher attainment in Kentucky (PDF)

Each Friday (almost) on AIKCU.org we feature a new graphic that highlights an important aspect of independent higher education in Kentucky. Our apologies for being a little late with this edition.

One of the misperceptions that persists about independent colleges is that they still serve primarily traditional students - students who graduate from high school and immediately enter college as full-time students pursuing a four year degree.

Today we look at the reality in Kentucky: both independent colleges and universities and public four year universities are serving large numbers of students who do not fit this traditional mold.  At AIKCU instituitons about 25 percent of undergraduates entering each fall do not fit into the first-time, full-time category, a number roughly equivalent to Kentucky’s public universities. These may be transfer students, older students, part-time students, students returning to finish a degree, or students who for some other reason don’t fit into the first-time, full-time category.

Download Share of new undergrads who are not traditional students (PDF)

Each Friday (almost) on AIKCU.org we feature a new graphic that highlights an important aspect of independent higher education in Kentucky.

Recently we looked at AIKCU’s relatively low average tuition compared to the Southern and national private college average tuitions. Small independent colleges are a high cost delivery model. The small classes, highly trained faculty, and student support services are an expensive way to deliver education, but they are also key to the high quality that provides value to students and families.

As today’s graph shows, for the most part, AIKCU institutions are heavily dependent on tuition as a major source of revenue. In fiscal 2007, before the current recession, 9 of 20 AIKCU member institutions relied on student tuition and fees for more than half of their revenue. This does not consider the large amounts of financial aid the institutions themselves provide to students (through their average tuition discount rate of 40 percent).

Download: AIKCU Percent of Revenue from Tuition and Fees (PDF)

Each Friday (almost) on AIKCU.org we feature a new graphic that highlights an important aspect of independent higher education in Kentucky.

We spend a lot of time both here on the site and in Frankfort talking about financial aid and affordability issues for Kentucky students, and this week’s graph is a reminder of why these are critical issues for Kentucky.

The full data sets for these indicators and more can be found on the Kentucky College Access Network (KentuckyCAN!) website. (AIKCU is a KentuckyCAN! member and serves on the nonprofit’s board.)

Download Ky 2007 rankings: poverty, household income, low income college participation (PDF)