Awareness: Real Need

Those of us who graduated in the 20th Century enjoyed a "Golden Era" of educational opportunity and stability.  There were five pillars: 

We were  taught using the textbook method -- the same textbooks used in schools of any size or community wealth. We had excellent teachers, available because teaching was a highly valued career choice.  Teacher college enrollment was robust.

      And Union City Graduates have gone into the world and succeeded in a broad array of important careers and life missions, demonstrating our sound preparation, dedicated effort and the "Can-Do" culture of Union City, then and today. 

The 4-Year Degree had become the iconic avenue to career success, tracing to 1945 when millions of returning World War II veterans utilized the GI Bill to enter college. College was affordable by families of even modest means, although might require some scrimping, saving and part-time work. And for nearly 40 years, "any degree would do" in seeking the higher paying jobs that required a college degree.

Families and businesses "of wealth" and even those of modest means were active philanthropically, almost exclusively in the form of scholarship support for graduates seeking 4-year college degrees.  The idea of helping via scholarships was community in the deeply cultural pursuit of a college degree. 

Graduates not attending college had ready access to jobs in the prospering local economy.  These jobs provided vocational education in the form of job training. 

In the golden era a graduate could assume that stable employment was available that would include substantial benefits, leading to a comfortable pension. 

"Some of these images (and realities) are disturbing," but please open your mind about the extent of change and the meaning for individual students, teachers and leaders; vs. our 20th Century Reality.

Textbook learning is being replaced by technology, including expensive equipment, labs and teacher training. Our textbooks were inexpensive. Technology is expensive.  But technology must be taught as it now inter-relates directly with a fast-changing job market. The playing field tilts in favor of larger, wealthier schools. Our graduates' competitiveness is threatened.

The reasons are complex but the impact is clear. Teachers are leaving the profession early. Enrollment in teacher colleges is declining. In various forms, schools will compete to hire and retain top tier teachers, with issues including both compensation and career satisfaction. Again the playing field tilts toward larger, wealthier schools. 

The painful impact of skyrocketing college costs has become an 800# gorilla in our society. The degree stills holds iconic status for some (as it should for career paths that lead to high-paying professions that call for extensive, focused education).  But the concept of "any career will do" collapsed completely as the job market begins demanding specific skills (circa 1985 with the arrival of the digital age).  More below on the related crisis of student debt. 

The transition from a manufacturing economy to a knowledge economy lead to massive plant closings, and Union City was especially hard hit because of the importance of the Body Company. Schools including ours are not prepared for a swift shift toward vocationally focused education. Important activity is now underway and is deserving of support and career guidance. 

A cruel combination of factors arrived almost simultaneously. The plant closing era led to a major loss of local wealth at the same time college costs began to skyrocket. Although scholarship support continues and is valuable and worthy, the reality is that philanthropy did not increase in any proportion that matches the escalating college costs.  The need for student debt becomes a danger that leads to financial tragedy for many. 

For many, the plant closing era of the late 20th Century was proof positive that the job market was not stable. That instability has continued with events such as the failure of Kodak, Polaroid, Blockbuster and the bankruptcy and pension denial of General Motors. Today, artificial intelligence is threatening the existence of whole categories of careers.

It is worthwhile to dig deeper into this crisis, its causes and its impact on the lives of individual graduates, our "LEARN-IN DEPTH" section provides information. But here is a quick summary:

• The cost of college skyrockets circa 1995-present., rising far faster than the rate of inflation.
• Local scholarship-based philanthropy is unable to meaningful address the rapid increase. Most major dollar amounts are in restrictive annuity-based funds not able to react to the rapid escalation. 
• As last resort, students and families turn to "Student Debt," in effect baling colleges out as a method to cover their higher costs.
• Total student debt rises to $1.7 trillion, borrowed by 45 million students/families. 40% of borrowers drop out of college, leaving them with no degree and major debt.
• Even graduates with degrees often find that the degree the earned will not support paying back the debt and achieving their hoped-for lifestyle.
• A generation of Americans are bitter, believing that seeking "the American dream" was a trap not an achievable goal.  

The Student Debt Crisis appears to be a pandemic in the field of education, BUT every student's situation is unique, and after considering alternatives, every student signed a loan agreement based on a plan that included these elements:  Set Goals / Borrow Funds / Learn / Earn / Payback.

     History has shown, painfully, that he elements of this plan are far more complex that students (and families) realized and no more than 25% of the plans succeed as planned, resulting in the disastrous financial results described above.

     History also allows study of the reasons for plan failure -- highly relevant because a better plan would have avoided the disaster. Examples of planning failures:

• Student enters a field without clear goals, capabilities, and commitment.
• Student simply had no realistic chance to find resources to cover the cost.
• Student pursues a 4-year degree program based on the assumption the degree will assure career results that justify the degree  (the cultural assumption still affecting the 21st Century).
• Student chooses a career path that is "underwater" in term of income levels that justify the cost.
• Student chooses a career path in a field that is in decline or doomed to obsolescence by emerging technology.
• Student chooses an education alternative that is not effective, in some cases is an outright scam.

The emerging field of Advanced Guidance -- sometimes called Comprehensive Guidance -- makes it possible for local guidance counselors to work one-on-one with individual students. Tools include the predictive analysis capability of Artificial Intelligence to help students select stable or ascending career paths, while avoiding those that will decline or disappear in the immediate future. 

Partnering with the school's guidance team is a powerful, affordable step in addressing the nightmare caused by defective plans. 

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An Education Foundation is dedicated to the progress and success of a single public school system, in our case Union City Schools (Randolph Eastern School corporation.  The Foundation is an IRS authorized 501(c) (3) charitable corporation offering tax advantages per latest IRS guidelines. Its role is to receive charitable donations, to prudently manage accumulated funds, and to work with the school and donors to support projects not otherwise affordable because of budget constraints. Our specific goals are:

Since 2014, the Alumni Association has worked to expand is value to the school. Our scholarship program is a decades long tradition. We added the Teacher Grant program, a living example of the kind of project relevant to teacher effectiveness and morale. The Teacher Grant program has been recognized as a principal player in Union City's national recognition for successful K12 implementation of STEM based education. By 2019, we realized two things:

• The opportunities to serve the school are far more extensive than we realized, as summarized in the Tsunami section above.
• The proper organizational form for receiving and managing large dollar amounts is an Education Foundation. Reasons include compliance with a 47 point set of guidelines established by INAPEF, the Indiana Association of Public School Foundations.  We are its 70th member foundation. 

Although slowed by the COVID pandemic and our own budget constraints, the Alumni Association has successfully launched UCEF as a fully operational foundation with the Alumni Association continuing as an active committee handling traditional roles and increasing alumni communication related to the needs described here.  

      Immediate needs are completion of a Seed Fund Campaign and the beginning of active alumni dialog about potential support. Every Alum can help, if only to help spread the word of the need and opportunity. 

In larger, wealthier cities, Education Foundations  have event-focused support in addition to alumni giving. These events -- formal banquets, silent auctions, wine tastings, etc. -- rely on local wealth that U.C. does not have, and we do not want to compete, on their turf,  with established not-for-profit programs that are serving the community.

The Foundation's goal is development of a multi-million dollar endowment that is action oriented, aimed at financial assistance in these defined objectives: $3-5 million is a realistic aspirational goal in a 3-5 year time frame. 

Scholarships:

Greatly increased scholarship support for graduating seniors: 5x or more support than at present with support of 4-year degree support and vocational alternatives.

Career Guidance:

Active assistance, beginning in 2025, in the vital area of Advanced Guidance. By helping students make good decisions, and avoid the pitfall of the student debt trap, we can make a major difference almost immediately,

Teacher Shortage Crisis Support:

Continuation of our Teacher Support with available support for programs the school needs to hire and retain top notch teachers during an active teacher shortage crisis that will likely continue for decades.

Emerging Technology in Curriculum:  

The rate of technology change is increasing, and increasingly impacts the job market. Our school simply MUST have competitive curricula. 

We are encouraged by the number of Alums who have financially supported the Alumni Association over the years. The team effort that has led to formation of the Foundation has included Alumni participation dating back 20 years.  (Details in graphic above). 

Here are elements of that ongoing engagement with our school and home town:

• When more fully AWARE, alumni will CARE and SHARE. The involvement of retired teacher and skilled communicator Melissa Adelsperger is part of this effort to inform. 
• Realization of the role our Union City era played in eventual success, partly education, partly mentorship, and partly can-do belief in our ability to fulfill our dreams. Public isn't perfect, but 95% of us attended public school; nationally, 90% of today's kids attend public school, and 100% of UC kids attend public school. The school and those students need financial help, through no fault of the own. 
• Realization that an element of success was the timing of our birth, the era when the pathway to success was vastly less complicated than the 21st Century reality
• Belief that there is a satisfying fairness in reaching back and making a difference for today's kid who are not blessed with the good fortune of timing of birth, but have hopes and dreams a lot like ours. 

Next step to engagement:  Complete and return the short form below, no obligation and an important part of momentum in a multi-year effort on behalf of our alma mater and hometown.

NOTE Regarding Communication: 

Your support may be days or years away, depending on form of giving, but the time to discuss important issues is NOW. We can explain the needs and tailor giving to your goals and passions.