The General Assembly finds that:
(1) Highly skilled and educated people who can handle demanding jobs and generate new ideas are necessary for Arkansas to prosper in a global economy; and
(2) With only eighteen percent (18%) of Arkansans twenty-five (25) years of age and older holding a baccalaureate degree, Arkansas is ranked forty-ninth in the nation for adults who hold a baccalaureate degree, creating an impediment to the success of the state.