The report is the first comprehensive look at where the state’s public higher education system stands in comparison to other states on a number of key indicators.
Richard Freeland, left, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Education, is seen with S. Paul Reville, the state's education secretary.BOSTON - A third of the students who enroll in the state's public colleges and universities are not prepared for college-level work, and many students fail to graduate, according a new report by the state Board of Higher Education.
The report, called “Time to Lead: The Need for Excellence in Higher Education,” provides the first comprehensive look at where the state’s public higher education system stands in comparison to other states on a number of key indicators including graduation rates, student learning and workforce development, according to higher education officials who released the report on Thursday at the Statehouse.
Richard M. Freeland, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, said the report shows areas where the state can be proud of its system of 29 campuses and other areas where improvement is needed.
Freeland said the state needs the best education system, workforce and research in the nation.
In a speech, Gov. Deval L. Patrick said, "We know we have more work to do."
The report said 65 percent of community college students, 22 percent at state universities and 7 percent at the University of Massachusetts take at least one remedial class before they can tackle college-level work, the report said. The statistics include recent high school graduates who enrolled in remedial courses in the fall of 2011.
In college completion, Massachusetts trails national leaders by 6 to 13 percentage points, the report said.
In the state's 15 community colleges, within six years of initial enrollment, 45 percent of students receive a two-year degree or certificate, transfer to a four-year campus or are still enrolled with at least 30 credits earned. The report said Massachusetts trails Texas, the leading state in this category, by 13 percentage points.
At the nine state university campuses, including Westfield State University, 52 percent of students graduate within six years, compared to 61 percent for five other leading states.
At the five campuses of the University of Massachusetts, including the flagship Amherst campus, 60 percent of students graduated within six years, compared to 66 percent in leading states.
However, Massachusetts graduation rates exceed an average of comparison states for community colleges and national averages for state universities and the University of Massachusetts.
Transfer students are not included in the six-year graduation rates. By including students who transfer from a state university or a campus of the University of Massachusetts and graduate at a different institution, the graduation rates increase by 12 percentage points at the state universities and 14 percentage points at the University of Massachusetts, the report said. No national comparisons were available for graduation rates of transfer students at four-year colleges.
The report does not include statistics for individual campuses.
The report shows other areas where the state is on its way to national leadership.
A total of 77 percent of recent high school graduates in Massachusetts enrolled at a public or private college anywhere, compared to the 65 percent national average and 78 percent average of leading states.
The report also notes that research expenditures -- an indicator of research capacity and accomplishments -- have jumped by 68 percent over the past six years at the University of Massachusetts. Expenditures totaled $587 million in 2011.
At the same time, the report warned that the state ranked No. 30 nationally in higher-education per student funding. State appropriations for each full-time student is an average $5,600, below the $6,300 national average and $8,300 for leading states.
The low ranking reflects "historic complacency" in a state with many private colleges, the report said.
William F. Messner, president of Holyoke Community College, told the Statehouse audience that the state and private business must be partners with higher education.
Messner said Beacon Hill "needs to truly view public higher education as a priority for this state."
State funding for campuses has been flat or reduced in recent years during a fiscal crisis in state government.
The report outlines the first two years of work under the so-called Vision Project, the Patrick administration’s strategic plan for public higher education in Massachusetts, and lays out the administration’s statewide strategy for achieving the goal of national leadership in certain areas.
"The Vision Project has set a clear leadership goal for Massachusetts,” said Education Secretary S. Paul Reville in a prepared statement. “We are doing well already, but doing well isn't good enough. Our aim is to be the best, and the benchmarks set forth in the Vision Project give us a clear path leading there.”