Making our case for the value of higher education
Dear HERA colleagues, partners and supporters,
As we look back on 2023, we know that we are in the middle of a critical time for higher education, both here in Southeastern Wisconsin and across the nation. We know that people are questioning the value of a college education with an intensity that we have not seen before, from the cost of college and student loan debt issues to concerns about the real-world relevance of education.
At the same time, we know that a college education remains perhaps the best investment you can make to earn a ticket to a better life. According to a report from the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce, the median lifetime earnings for a worker with a high school diploma is $1.6 million, rising to $2 million for those with an Associate’s Degree and $2.8 million for those with a Bachelor’s Degree.
At HERA, we are committed to communicating and demonstrating the value of higher education. We believe now is a time to be bold in our thoughts, our actions – and in our interactions. We are working on listening to concerns and responding thoughtfully and deliberately, addressing processes, outcomes and keeping our audiences in mind. And we strive to do it together. We are seeing good results already, as you will see in this newsletter.
