A steering committee for the Kellogg Commission, of which Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee is chairman, meets today in Washington, D.C. to develop its plan of action for the next year.Michael Vahle, staff assistant to the commission, said that the committee plans to create a time line for the production of its next reports about access, engaged institutions and lifelong learning.The next commission meeting, scheduled for Oct. 6-7 in Washington, D.C., will discuss access to higher education. Vahle said a report on access should be available by January.The Kellogg Commission was created in 1995 from a $1.2 million grant given by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation to the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges. Consisting of 23 university presidents and chancellors, the purpose of the commission is to take a forward look at improving the quality of state and land-grant universities while accounting for the many changes in society, the economy, demographics and technology.Access is another one of the issues on the commission’s three-year agenda. In April, the commission released its findings on the first topic, the student experience, in a report to presidents and chancellors of state universities and land-grant colleges, entitled “Returning to Our Roots: The Student Experience.”Richard Stoddard, a steering committee member and special assistant to Gee, said that providing access to a broad range of people is one of the founding principles of state and land-grant institutions. Stoddard said that land-grant universities were created during the 1860s in response to colonial colleges. These colleges, he said, set out to develop an elite and religious class. State universities furthered the growing demand to widen access to education. “To continue to provide broad access, we need to be aware of the cost of getting an education and changes in the population we serve,” Stoddard said.Stoddard pointed to changes in both the traditional and non-traditional students. Traditional students come to college with increased technological awareness and skills, he said, while non-traditional students who work regular business hours might need to be able to take a class late in the evening.Stoddard indicated another reason improvements need to be made – students who aren’t satisfied might go elsewhere.”The competition in higher education demands that you pay attention to what the customer wants,” he said.Stoddard said colleges also need to better prepare students for a changing job market, where people may have a variety of jobs over the course of their lives.