Lubbers Details Strategic Plan

Indiana’s Commissioner for Higher Education says the state needs to increase and show the value of higher education. During her State of Higher Education address Wednesday, Teresa Lubbers unveiled her new strategic plan, "Reaching Higher, Delivering Value," which she says will bring the state’s higher education system to the next level. 

Lubbers says the plan will bring Indiana closer to its goal of having 60 percent of Hoosiers holding quality degrees or credentials beyond high school by 2025. She says the plan has three overarching goals:

• Completion: Continuing work to ensure more Hoosiers complete a degree or credential.
• Competency: Ensuring that, in return for their significant investment, students can demonstrate and apply the education they earn.
• Career: Earning a degree must provide Hoosiers a clear path to fulfilling career options that will also build our state’s economy.

"Indiana needs a system of higher education that teaches students to think and prepares them for a career," said Lubbers. "Our new strategic plan addresses the importance of striking this balance between technical, academic preparation and the skills employers often have difficulty finding—critical thinking, communication and the ability to adapt to change."

You can click here to read the full "Reaching Higher, Delivering Value" strategic plan.

Lubbers also previewed early results from the Gallup-Indiana college graduate satisfaction survey, which included responses from 8,000 alumni. The findings showed while 83 percent of alumni believe their education was worth the cost, only one in three strongly agree they were well-prepared for life after college. 

The commission says the full results from the survey will be released early this summer.

You can view Lubbers’ full State of Higher Education address below: