(Radio Iowa) – University of Iowa president Bruce Harreld — preparing to retire next year — predicts the competition among the state’s higher education community for scarce state support will escalate in coming years.  “Resources have been constrained for many a year,” Harreld says, “and they’re apt to stay that way.” The state’s community colleges, private colleges and universities as well as the three state-supported universities in Ames, Cedar Falls and Iowa City also will be competing for a smaller pool of potential students. That’s because the birth rate dropped during the so-called “Great Recession” of 2007 and 2008.

The number of high school graduates is projected to decline by 15 percent by 2026. “There is going to be a lot of hand-wringing here as some of these headwinds play themselves out,” Harreld says. “I’m worried that there could well be a struggle for a number of us.” Harreld says the University of Iowa should position itself as a “destination university” and compete for students internationally as well as in-state and around the U.S.

“The better we are, I think the better we’ll be able to weather the headwinds that are coming at us,” Harreld says. Harreld is a former business executive who was hired to lead the University of Iowa five years ago. A search for his successor has begun and Harreld has said he’ll stay in the job until his replacement is named.