Curtis Segarra and Jessica Barron
3 months ago
SANTA FE, NM (KRQE) – During the COVID-19 pandemic, education largely moved to online classes. Since then, New Mexico higher education institutions have yet to return to pre-pandemic levels of in-person classes.
Online higher education in New Mexico peaked in 2020, according to a new report from the Legislative Finance Committee. The latest available data from the 2022-2023 school year show that 45% of college credit hours were taken online, a 34% increase in online learning from the pre-pandemic level.
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Despite the reliance on online classes, the Legislative Finance Committee reports that New Mexico colleges and universities “are missing the opportunity to use online education” to reach a key student demographic: adult learners.
New Mexico has recently focused on providing more college opportunities for adult learners. The state invested millions of dollars in this initiative through the Opportunity Scholarship, which provides funding to New Mexicans who took a break after high school to attend college.
“Higher education institutions are missing opportunities to increase enrollment and efficiency through online education,” Clayton Lobaugh, an evaluator for the Legislative Finance Committee, told lawmakers at a meeting Thursday. “State universities are well positioned to reach the estimated 120,000 New Mexico adults who have some college degree, but no credentials.”
The data suggests that many New Mexicans are interested in online classes. “More than 11,000 New Mexicans are enrolled in out-of-state online colleges, suggesting that New Mexico colleges are being outcompeted in the online education market,” Lobaugh said. “This results in an estimated loss of $58 million per year in tuition revenue for New Mexico higher education institutions.”
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The Legislative Finance Report map shows where New Mexicans are enrolled in out-of-state online programs.
So why isn’t New Mexico taking advantage of the opportunity to expand its online education offerings? Stephanie Rodriguez, secretary of the Department of Higher Education, points to the administrative structure of schools as a potential barrier.
“We are all familiar with the fact that there is a governance structure in place at all of our higher education institutions in the state of New Mexico (with each college and university having its own board of trustees… These boards, in addition to administrators, have the discretion to establish new policies, including policies related to the type of instruction, elimination of course sections, course sharing agreements, and joint pricing agreements,” Rodriguez said.
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In other words, it is difficult for state leaders to simply and quickly mandate more online courses. Lawmakers also noted that out-of-state universities spend money on advertising and attracting New Mexico students and that competing against that could create costs for New Mexico schools. Additionally, Secretary Rodriguez noted that accreditation requirements could differ for those out-of-state programs, meaning some students could complete out-of-state programs faster than they could complete in-state programs.
Another aspect being considered is the overall financial structure of higher education in New Mexico. “There’s a conversation going on at the capitol right now about right-sizing, and that’s what we’re doing at the Department of Higher Education,” Rodriguez told KRQE. “We need institutions, regents and other governing boards to do their part and promise not to increase tuition exponentially, as we will drain state resources and put that price tag on the backs of students.”
The Department of Higher Education is currently working on a study of how higher education is funded in New Mexico. The results of that survey could impact the overall sustainability and course offerings at local schools.
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