As a professor for more than 30 years, I have reread many facts and figures, often uncovering something new or more relevant with each reading.

One such example was the 2010 edition of the College Board’s report on college completion.

When the report was released last fall, the national press focused on the fact that the America ranked sixth in the world in postsecondary attainment among 25- to 64-year-olds.

But this wide angle lens missed key details of the picture. And I missed it the first time too.

What most of the major news outlets failed to mention is that the United States has an aging and highly educated workforce that is preparing to retire in the next decade. For this group of 55-64 year-olds, we rank fourth in higher ed completion. But for 25-34 year olds — the future of our workforce — we rank 12th. In this most critical race, we trail Canada, Korea, the Russian Federation, Japan, New Zealand, Ireland, Norway, Israel, France, Belgium and Australia.

So at a time when we are preoccupied with the global competition offered by developing nations, we are entering a weakened state, and the clock is ticking.

What’s more troubling is that replacements are not coming at a rate needed to fill the void.

The College Board believes that to be competitive in the long-term international economy, 55 percent of Americans will need an associate’s degree or higher by 2025. Yet the nation is currently 13.4 percentage points away from achieving this ambitious goal — more than just a stone’s throw. Clearly we have a lot of ground to make up and not that much time.

But all is not lost. If we treat our mission with the urgency of war, and the diplomacy of peace, there is no doubt in my mind that it is achievable. I believe that America can regain the lead. We will do it by investing wisely in higher education, zeroing in on access, admission and success. But this isn’t just a time trial. China and India are determined to beat the United States to the finish line, and our head start has evaporated.

We must realize that eliminating the severity of the disparities between underrepresented minority students and white Americans is critical, along with increasing innovative programs at community colleges.

Tick, tock.