How higher education pays dividends for all of us

College graduates are more likely to volunteer, to donate blood, to be tolerant of diverse opinions and to make decisions that lead to better health. So says a new report from The College Board that examined the myriad benefits that individuals and society as a whole derive from postsecondary education.
 
The findings in “Education Pays: The Benefits of Higher Education for Individuals and Society” echo what I have regularly witnessed from my vantage point at the Albany, New York-based Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities (cIcu). I can readily see that a multitude of benefits flow from New York’s institutions of higher education into nearly every aspect of life in our state – from improved health care and public safety to environmental awareness and greater civic engagement. College graduates vote more often, and participate more in community and civic organizations and activities.
 
Campus Compact, a national organization committed to community involvement, estimates that the value of student service is $4.45 billion annually. In addition, data collected by the Department of Education and the U.S. Census Bureau show that of those individuals who hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, four in ten (43%) had volunteered in 2006, while among those with a high school diploma half as many (20%) reported volunteering.
 
Part of the work of the “Solutions for Our Future” campaign is to more broadly share the examples of how society benefits from investments that we all make in postsecondary education, whether for our own families or for others. cIcu recognizes the significant role higher education plays in the lives of all of us. Though diverse in mission and structure, our member campuses are unified in their service to their communities, this nation, and the world. From developing human capital and powering the state’s economy, to serving communities, and conducting research to improve lives, New York’s 100+ private, not-for-profit colleges and universities offer solutions for our future.
 
cIcu regularly documents the social benefits of higher education in a semi-annual publication titled The Independent Sector. Among the stories in the most recent issue are these examples:

  • “Emergency Readiness Now.”  By creating programs, running drills, and involving the community, colleges and universities take the initiative to enhance public safety and emergency preparedness.
  • “In Tune and Up Tempo on Campus.” From a cappella groups to jazz ensembles to gospel choirs, students are swinging to a new surge in music performance livening up campus and community life.
  •  "Climate Change.”  Higher education is setting the pace in meeting the urgent environmental challenges facing this century with research agendas and programming.
  • “Vaccine Victories.” Through the creation of new vaccines and the testing and delivery of critical existing ones, scientists at New York State’s independent colleges and universities are ensuring that vital existing vaccines find their way to the people who need them the most.

As the engine for the “knowledge economy,” New York’s Independent Sector of higher education stands ready to develop the human capital needed for future economic competitiveness, ready to educate the individuals who will learn to think critically and to offer solutions to the broader problems facing New York and the nation. At the same time, a college education is also the most effective way of transcending distinctions—of race, ancestry, or wealth—that can fragment our society. The diverse body of more than 460,000 students now enrolled at private colleges and universities in New York State will be an enlightened citizenry that will help to reinforce the very foundation of a democratic society.

 


Abraham M. Lackman
President, Commission on Independent
Colleges and Universities