This
letter was penned in January 2004, following a proposal by Governor
Sanford to revamp the state's public Higher Education system.
This letter was published in the Beaufort Gazette, Myrtle Beach
Sun Times, and on CommonVoice.com
For
years, the subject of reforming higher education in South Carolina
has been long overlooked while the problems faced by our colleges
have gotten worse. This includes unnecessary duplication
of services, lack of rational policy, budget cuts, and spiraling
tuition. While some of the details are questionable, the
recent editorial regarding the need for higher education reform
from Governor Sanford sounds a long-overdue trumpet to move forward
with this process.
The
implementation of the Governor’s proposal for Board of Regents-style
system to govern South Carolina’s public colleges would be an
important step towards a more rational system of governance.
Such a Board should have the autonomy to make rational policy
and budget decisions free of political pressure, while operating
under an appropriate level of legislative and executive oversight.
However, they should expect funding cuts from recent years will
make colleges hesitant to surrender autonomy, and should work
to restore higher funding levels. We should seek to engage
colleges in establishing a working consensus to implement reforms,
not show them the door. Encouraging dissenting colleges to consider
going private will only serve to increase dissent, not reduce
it.
Another
step towards streamlining higher education would be to consolidate
the two-year USC campuses, which duplicate associates degree programs
offered by technical colleges, into the state’s technical college
system. But the consolidation of colleges or governance
should not, as the Governor’s comments might suggest, mean the
end of satellite campuses. Indeed, some are critical in
supporting the core missions of our public colleges, such as the
College of Charleston, which offers courses in North Charleston,
where real estate costs are much lower, and at its James Island
marine biology facility to partner with the state and federal
research facilities of the Fort Johnson Wildlife Research Center.
However
well intended, the Governor’s suggestions to reduce degree programs
are overly simplistic. While some degree programs may be
overly duplicated or highly specialized, and should be “rationed”,
others are in high demand statewide and should not be slashed
wholesale. While a greater effort to means-test programs
would help insure greater accountability, it should also insure
supply and demand are more adequately met to help increase career
opportunities for graduates. The establishment of a Board
of Regents would help to rationalize this process.
One
overlooked area of Higher Education reform is the need to address
the demographic disparities between college student populations
and the state as whole. This gap is even wider between those
who play the state’s “Education Lottery” and the student population.
Tuition increases since the implementation of the lottery may
further widen the education gap between haves and have-nots.
While a quota approach is not the answer, we must insure that
any reforms will increase the quality of higher education, as
well as make higher education accessible to a wider range of South
Carolinians.
While
the Governor’s editorial should not be the final blueprint for
these long-needed reforms, it serves as an excellent starting
point. Those who believe the time has come to reform higher
education should appreciate his willingness to take this step
and get involved in what will be a long, but worthwhile, endeavor
for the future of South Carolina.
Earl Capps, Communication
Senior
College of Charleston
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