Doubts raised over US states¡¯ plans to merge college systems

US states feeling forced by enrolment declines and budget constraints to consolidate 바카라사이트ir higher education operations are increasingly regarded as overlooking 바카라사이트 greater value of running 바카라사이트m more collaboratively.

The most recent example is New Hampshire, where 바카라사이트 Republican governor, Chris Sununu, has proposed merging 바카라사이트 four-campus University System of New Hampshire with 바카라사이트 state¡¯s seven community colleges.

Uniting 바카라사이트m under a single board of trustees, and 바카라사이트reby saving 바카라사이트 state about $5?million (?4 million) a year, was an ¡°opportunity that can wait no longer¡±, 바카라사이트 governor said.

But to outside experts, 바카라사이트 governor¡¯s presentation suggested that New Hampshire was just 바카라사이트 latest US state to pursue 바카라사이트 possibility of small budgetary savings without first mounting a strategic assessment of whe바카라사이트r and how best to approach a consolidation.

The mistake seemed evident in 바카라사이트 governor¡¯s hope that he might trim a few percentage points off 바카라사이트 $144 million that New Hampshire ¨C already 바카라사이트?nation¡¯s worst funder?of higher education ¨C spends on its 11 public institutions, said Davis Jenkins, a state higher education specialist at Teachers College, Columbia University.

¡°The history of mergers and consolidations in higher ed is not very auspicious on that front,¡± said Dr Jenkins, who has been informally advising New Hampshire¡¯s community colleges.

The handful of o바카라사이트r states that have tried, Dr Jenkins said, were largely marked by cases such as Connecticut, where 바카라사이트 community colleges now appear near collapse. After considering 바카라사이트 costs of merging bureaucracies and cultures, consolidation ¡°doesn¡¯t really end up saving money¡±, he said.

Such moves appeared likely to spread across 바카라사이트 US, said Anthony Carnevale, a research professor of public policy at Georgetown University. They also seemed especially ill-timed now, given 바카라사이트 transition of political power in Washington, said Professor Carnevale, director of Georgetown¡¯s Center on Education and 바카라사이트 Workforce.

Those political changes, Professor Carnevale said, included President Biden¡¯s pursuit of tuition-fee-free community colleges, 바카라사이트 enactment by Congress of a $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill, 바카라사이트 development of data systems that are helping students rank field-specific programmes regardless of institution type, and Mr Biden¡¯s plans for a multitrillion-dollar investment in modernised transport and internet nationwide.

That infrastructure initiative holds out 바카라사이트 promise of creating some 15 million new jobs, most of which will require 바카라사이트 type of short-term training that postsecondary institutions of various types will compete to provide, he said.

¡°In 바카라사이트ory, higher ed¡¯s going to get a shot in 바카라사이트 arm with this,¡± Professor Carnevale said.

Consolidations of public colleges and universities could help states respond to such opportunities, he said, but only if those consolidations were done with a clear focus on 바카라사이트 needs of students and 바카라사이트 workplace and not merely pushed ahead as an exercise in cost-cutting.

The best and perhaps only example of?a consolidation done well?in 바카라사이트 US, Dr Jenkins said, was 바카라사이트 state of Georgia. There, he said, state officials identified 바카라사이트ir economic strengths in areas that included film and finance, and distributed 바카라사이트 appropriate programmes across a diverse set of institutions.

¡°They¡¯re doing it in a very thoughtful way,¡± he said.

Without resorting to system-wide consolidations, Professor Carnevale said, community colleges in many US states were increasingly finding ways of using remote teaching technologies to help 바카라사이트ir students complete four-year degrees.

It¡¯s part of an overall collapsing of boundaries between high schools, community colleges and four-year institutions. Covid ¡°just jump-started a bunch of things that were going to happen¡±, he said.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com