United States Under Secretary of Education Martha Kanter stood in Jack and Deb Miller Chapel February 29, and spoke about how Ashland University was an “island of excellence” among American universities and colleges.

“How can we do more to get students to graduate faster and on time?” Kanter asked. AU has begun trying to find ways to solve that issue, implementing four-year degree guarantees and three-year degree plans.

“We lose 50 percent of students that take six years or more [to graduate],” Kanter stated. Ashland is taking strides to make sure students finish, not quit. If it takes too long for students to complete degree requirements, a remedial bubble is created, Kanter explained.

Required credit hours are being lowered from 128 to 120 and AU has recently announced that they are approving a more than 17 percent increase in merit-based scholarship awards for the incoming class of 2012-13. Kanter also praised AU for launching an accelerated accounting degree program and approving a total of 1.1 percent increase in tuition, room and board fees for the next academic year. Kanter said that Ashland University has set an example for colleges nationwide to follow.

The United States today is tied with 3 other countries for 16th in the world, Kanter said, pointing out that children are sometimes not ready for kindergarten and the US needs to work harder at keeping more students in school.

Kanter announced that Ashland University is graduating at higher levels than many other schools in Ohio.

“What is a core curriculum for leaders?” Kanter asked, pointing at AU’s curriculum as a starting point for other schools to look at.

Education is becoming more important than ever before, and the more well-educated students go out into the work force, the better the economy will be as well.

“We need to leave the next generation better prepared than we were,” Kanter said. “Competition is about enrollment, institutions like this compete on quality.”

Kanter said that AU should be very proud and that when compared to other colleges and universities, it does a good job.

“Ashland is a think tank,” Kanter said, “…AU is measuring up…You can look at any number of things that have happened here at this university and say, ‘This is an island of excellence.’ I want a country of excellence. That’s what we need.”