On the eve of a key vote on Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's proposal to merge Connecticut State University, the 12 community colleges and the state's on-line college, the co-chairs of the legislative committee reviewing the measure are sharply split on it merits.
"Higher education is the land of steady habits. You know, it needs a little shakeup," said Sen. Beth Bye, co-chair of the Higher Education Committee, who is backing Malloy's proposal. "People in the state are hungry for us to look at higher education for savings."
"I do not support this," said the other co-chair, Rep. Roberta B. Willis, D-Salisbury. "I think our community colleges and Charter Oak are doing a fine job. CSUS is the problem. Address their issues. This proposal restructures everyone... I am very worried."
Malloy's proposal would combine the central offices and governing boards at the state's community college and state university systems, the on-line Charter Oak State College and the State Department of Higher Education under one Board of Regents. Collectively, almost 100,000 students attend the affected institutions, which have 10,900 full-time employees.
The plan is expected to save $4.3 a year by shedding 24 of the 200 employees that currently work in central offices at the institutions affected, Higher Education Commissioner Michael Meotti told the committee last week.
But critics argued that such mergers in other states have cost more than they saved, and that the real focus should be on fixing the Connecticut State University System's administration. The system has drawn fire in recent months over such issues as double-digit raises for top administrators and the questionable firing of a campus president.
Willis is proposing a separate bill that would only reorganize CSUS and leave the other institutions alone. That proposal would create a plan by June to eliminate many central office positions including the top job of chancellor. That alone, she says, will save at least $4.3 million a year. The proposal also delineates the division of duties between the central office and the four regional campuses.
"Some form of a system office needs to exist. But this would limit their scope," she said.
The co-chairs said committee members have decided to vote both the governor's and Willis's bill out of committee Thursday.
Bye said she did make a few changes to the governor's proposal; including requiring a strategic plan for the state's approach to higher education be made by Aug. 1 and taking out the ability of this new Board of Regents to shift funding from one institution to another.
Despite concerns raised about UConn's exclusion from the reorganization, Bye said they will remain exempt under the substitute language.
"I do not believe they belong in there. I worry UConn would take over the focus," she said. "They are a separate animal."
While the co-chairs of the committee may not agree on the approach to reorganizing, they both agree change is coming.
"We need a system that keeps them in check," said Willis, referring to CSUS.
"We just need a unified source that is driving higher education leadership in this state... That is missing right now," Bye said.
CSUS Board screwed up in handing themselves big raises, appointing themselves judge and jury on the SCSU president, assigning a crony as Interim while the former SCSU Pres hangs on a year. Got that. BUT... the rest of CSUS is lean and mean! How can I say that?
UCONN needed to spend $5 million to find waste. I found $5 million before they spent it! How ridiculous!
UCONN has 1,700 administrators for 24,000 students on its campus. Between all four CSUS campus', there are only 730 administrators for 36,000 students.
Read MoreLet me say this once again - Nice job by David Carter and his crew at the System Office. Better hurry up and find a legislator to sleep with, and don't forget to get your family members jobs at the universites while you can. Oh, and kudos to Larry McHugh for his outstanding leadership. Watch out UConn, you're next!
So disappointed in Beth’s decision to support this poorly thought out reorganization plan. Is restructuring appropriate – may be – as part of a hurray up and cut the budget – absolutely not.
Especially worried about the impact to Connecticut’s extraordinary community college system. States around the nation are expanding and increasing their funding and commitment for community colleges as the primary vehicle for building a broad-based educated workforce.
Moving the deck chairs around is hardly what we need. What we need is academic leaders who will cut out the extra management
Read MoreSenator Bye appears to be very thoughtful. She needs to muster up the courage to demand that UConn be part of any higher ed reorganization. While it is a very good school, you can't get around the fact that UConn is responsible for the greatest waste of taxpayer dollars yet retains their shield from transparency. The community college system and CSU combined do not amount to a flea on the proverbial elephants rear compared to the waste at UConn. Don't go after just CSU and the community colleges because it is politically easy, make them all accontable and transparent.
Rep.
Read MoreA sad outcome. Bye is leaping before she looks and Willis is out to punish the guy who has already left the building. I guess Roberta is just getting back at the CSU's for the passage of 20/20 which puts them on a par with UConn with regard to facility improvement.
If you read the legislation the governor is in direct control of Higher Ed employment (not UConn of course) and makes both systems (CSUS and the CCC's) vulnerable to political hires regardless of qualifications. His moving control of hiring to OPM makes political hiring almost certain.
Read MoreI had to come back.
This is made all the more absurd by the number of UConn and DMHAS personnel on the CTSunlight list of "people who make more than the Governor."
Hundreds of UConn and DMHAS employees. HUNDREDS. Not all were doctors by any means. And maybe 12 CSUS people in the top 500, with even fewer CCC employees.
While I think CTSunlight generally tries to stoke envy toward people who've bothered to educate themselves vs. a 7/11 clerk say this is remarkable.
And CSUS get reorganized? To SAVE money? Ridculous.
Read MoreIt seems as though our government does not understand the word ILLEGAL or UNDOCUMENTED. I work for one of our CT community colleges and just this past year our the system office changed the wording on the admission application for CT state resident from 'Legal resident ie.U.S citizen or permanent resident.
This statement has now been removed from the applications. What happened to the word LEGAL connecticut state resident! Our wonderful Governor is now asking CT taxpayers to foot the bill for allof the Democrats' feel good giveaway programs, such as this.
If this legislation
It is important for all three college systems to work together. Having them all under one board stimulates designing curriculum to meet the needs of their various students and working together to solve problems common to all three college systems.
The biggest problem facing colleges in CT is lack of articulation between the college level curriculum and the high school level curriculum. Many high school students enter college requiring remediation in basic reading, writing, and math skills. We need high school teaching to connect directly with what UNCONN, CSUS, and community college programs demand of their entering students
Read MoreA Cautionary Tale
"People in the state are hungry for us to look at higher education for savings."
Perhaps this is because people have been pointed in that direction.
I am here reminded of those times in childhood when at table, my dad would point to the wall behind me and scream, "LOOK! A GIANT SPIDER!" When I turned around to look and protect myself from that which was not there, he would steal the dessert from my plate.
Bulldog, alas, 6390 made it through the committee 11-8. How sad, to have to sit through a public hearing and listen to Sen. Looney & Sen. Prague expound on how gifted our illegal immigrant children are and how they should have the privilege of bumping legal citizens out of the already crowded state school system. CTers are far too "refined" for a civil war - but, I sure do hear the sound of taxpayers stampeding over the border.
Again, with 6390, Legislators looking for a problem to solve that has no relation to the enormous challenges before us. But then that's a lot easier than trying to fix the real problems the state has with infrastructure, making K-12 education work better, trying to figure out how not to go broke on health care and reorganizing government.
Sad
I work in higher education and I'm a CT taxpayer. I am ready for the shared sacrifice. But, UConn needs to share that sacrifice too! It is outrageous that the biggest bloat is not even up for discussion.
I don't have any idea what the CSUS system office does. Except for the recent media blitz of commercials touting that it is a 'system,' I don't see any evidence. There is no common curriculum, it's hard to move between universities, they have different policies. The CCCS doesn't seem like much of a system either. Though the $20 application fee
Read More"If the state does not change its demographic trajectory, it faces a bleak future."
A Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis report, "Recovery Stirring, But Will Connecticut be Too Old to Compete?"
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