Diplomas and Dollars: the Value of a Degree

As the U.S. unemployment rate remains unusually high, struggling college graduates and others are questioning whether higher education is still a sound investment. Early this month, one MSNBC blog (LINK) mentions books with not-too subtle titles like "Higher Education? How Colleges are Wasting Our Money and Failing Our Kids - and What We Can Do About It" and cites a Wall Street Journal article on how Americans now owe more in student loans than they do in credit card debt (more on that here: LINK).

In an economic climate like this, it's understandable for Americans to question any big-ticket expense, especially one with a price tag as high as most university diplomas. Still, it's important to note the strong evidence that the value of higher education has increased during the Great Recession. Last week, the New York Times reported in "Degree Payoff is Growing, Study Says," that the long-term payoff for higher education - including higher income, better job security, and greater civic engagement - continues to rise.

That story is available here: LINK

The College Board report they mentioned found that college graduates were better off regardless of racial or ethnic background. I dove into the report hoping for stats specific to Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, but unfortunately, found that we were overlooked in this study. Click here to access the full report: LINK

I trust that what's true for every racial and ethic group studied is also true for Pacific Islanders - that higher education is still an important investment that drives up income, employment, and access to the American dream. And it's a given that by allowing Pacific Islanders to apply for underrepresented minority scholarships and fellowships, more of us would have the financial means needed to do what it takes to make that dream a reality.

Noticed or Not? University Definitions of Underrepresented

In previous posts I've mentioned that when it comes to acknowledging that Pacific Islanders are underrepresented in higher education, some get it and some don't. News articles and blog posts (courtesy of Google alerts - thanks Google!) from the past few weeks provide examples of a university that gets it and another that doesn't appear to.

First, the university paying attention to the statistics - Cornell - includes Pacific Islanders in their definition of underrepresented minorities (LINK). Go Big Red!

On the other hand, at least one university doesn't seem to pay attention to the fact that Pacific Islanders are underrepresented - according to this article (LINK) another university's (no need to mention it by name but you can check the link if you're curious) understanding of underrepresented minorities "is interpreted to include African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans." No mention of Pacific Islander Americans.

Hopefully more universities, scholarships, and fellowships will move in the same direction as Cornell. The PIA project will be doing more to help them get there.

Summer Reading: UCLA Paper on Pacific Islanders in Higher Education

For those of you who looking for an in-depth analysis of the underrepresentation of Pacific Islanders in U.S. higher education, I recommend this joint brief from the UCLA Asian American Studies Center, UC AAPI Policy Initiative, and the Asian Pacific American Legal Center: LINK

The paper is a few years old, but the authors do a great job explaining the details of Pacific Islander education issues with a mix of writing and graphs. On the concluding page, the authors quote a source that says:

Despite having significant needs, Pacific Islanders are often ignored in policy discussions. Policy makers, community organizations, funders, and others working to address educational disparities need to take affirmative steps to ensure Pacific Islanders have equal access to educational opportunity.

Kawika