PHOENIX (By Judd Slivka, Arizona Republic) July 21, 2004 -
The group that will prepare a plan for the redesign of the state's university
system heard a consultant Tuesday say the system needs to adjust to Arizona's
growing population.
"Your strategy for higher education makes a lot of sense for a small state, a
small state with lean funding," said David Longanecker, the executive director
of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, who has been
engaged to serve as a consultant for the study. "It is not a strong system for
a fairly large state, which is what you will become."
Tuesday marked the first meeting of the group, which represents the state
Board of Regents, all three state universities and three community college
districts.
They will split into three subcommittees studying the state's higher education
needs and the experiences of other states and creating criteria to evaluate
whether the proposed redesign plan will work.
A primary reason to consider the changes is the growth rate of Arizona's high
schools. Of all the states in the country, Arizona's projected growth of high
school graduates is highest, driven primarily by an expanding Latino
population.
On May 23, then-Board of Regents President Chris Herstam and the presidents of
the three universities unveiled a proposed redesign that would create two new
universities out of existing university system parts. The proposal immediately
took fire about not addressing specific concerns, such as the community
colleges' role in higher education and whether several of the universities
would maintain faculty research.
Until December, the subcommittees will collect data and meet with eight
interest groups, ranging from business and economic development leaders to
students and faculty. From January to June, the working group will assess the
various proposals that have been submitted, hold public hearings and make a
recommendation of a redesign plan.
Once the group makes its recommendation, it will be evaluated by Herstam and
the university presidents. If approved, it will be forwarded to the Board of
Regents to be voted on.
That's the best-case scenario. Even in that scenario, it will be fall 2004 -
and more likely fall 2006 - before anything changes.
