College Students (from the Wall Street Journal)

From the March 25th Wall Street Journal article College Admissions: Is the Gate Open or Closed?

Here are some factoids for the US:

• In 1940, more than three-fourths of those age 25 and older hadn't graduated from high school. Just 5% held a bachelor's degree or higher.
• In 2004, about 15% of those 25 and older lacked a high-school degree, while 28% had a bachelor's degree.
• In 2005, 68% Mexican American college-bound seniors where first generation college students (neither parent earned a college degree). The numbers where 50% for Puerto Rican, 53% for other Hispanic and 52% for African American.
• Total college enrollment in all degree-granting institutions has increased by 26% to an estimated 17 million in 2005 from 1990. The Department of Education expects that number to increase to about 19 million by 2010.

Some observations for collegiate ministry:

• When Bill Bright began this crazy endeavour of Campus Crusade, the university was truly an elite place. Just 11 years prior to beginning Crusade, only 5% of the entire population had been to college - now we are close to 30%
• If ministry growth mirrors student growth, then we should naturally get to 2100 movements and 70,000 students involved by 2010 (without changing a thing - this is simply population growth). Or a better way to put it, if we achieve these numbers it only represents keeping up, not growth in light of the whole.
  
• We had better do something in the Latino community if we desire to influence the collegiate world.