The number of college degrees and certificates earned at Kansas' public universities last year fell short of the Board of Regents' target for the second year in a row.
Degree and certificate obtainment has been flat in Kansas for the past four years at about 43,000 a year. But the Board of Regents wants that to jump to 53,000 by 2020 under its Foresight 2020 strategic plan.
That’s because a Georgetown University study found that Kansas is going to need a lot more workers with post-high school degrees to avoid worker shortages.
Kansas will need many more graduates to reach the board’s 2020 goal, but declining enrollment in Kansas' public universities makes that unlikely.
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Stephan Bisaha is an education reporter for KMUW’s Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KMUW, Kansas Public Radio, KCUR and High Plains Public Radio covering health, education and politics. Follow him on Twitter @SteveBisaha.