Tri-State University senior mechanical engineering major Kyle Vanover contributed his thoughts on higher education as an invited guest of Indiana Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman on Feb. 15 at the governor’s mansion in Indianapolis.

Colleagues from several peer institutions gathered to discuss issues and opportunities for higher education in Indiana at the annual higher education forum. Representatives from the University of Indianapolis, University of Evansville, and Wabash College attended, among others. Each institutional team included a student and an administrative representative. Vanover attended with TSU Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. David Finley.

During the discussion, Finley expressed his appreciation for the state’s support of higher education, particularly the SSACI grant program. He later commented that in addition to being economic engines, Indiana’s private colleges like TSU act as “cultural and service engines for our communities, particularly those with smaller populations.”

Vanover touched on a variety of concerns in his roundtable comments. “We discussed scholarships and how to get more students more of them and how to make them aware of them. That has been a challenge for me in the past,” he said.

Means by which high schools can better prepare students for college also saw discussion. “I talked about maybe offering more advanced placement classes at smaller high schools and trying to grade more like it is in college for some senior courses. In college, you might have three tests, and homework doesn’t play as big a role. It makes a big difference if you can always rely on your homework to pass,” he said.

He enjoyed visiting the governor’s mansion, and called Skillman “a very friendly person and very knowledgeable on the topics and interested in what we had to say.” Being asked to represent TSU in a state-level discussion of higher education gave him pride, he said.

The roundtable has value if its topics see action, he said. “It has the potential to solve problems if the things are taken seriously and put through the right channels. It will take more than talk for the state’s executive and legislative branches to do something about these issues.”