(Host)
From his home in Hinesburg, writer and commentator Bill Schubart
observes it’s easy to talk about how things should be – especially since
it’s not within his ability or authority to make them so.
(Schubart)
In this era of escalating and unaffordable college costs, if I were
Vermont’s education Tsar I would create a unified Vermont State College
system under UVM, ending any duplicative expense or competition between
our six institutions and implementing the cost-efficiency of a single
administration for non-academic affairs like purchasing, maintenance,
accounting, and admissions. I would honor existing tenure commitments
but abolish the practice going forward, at least as we know it.
A
state of 600,000 people with a $5 billion budget, of which only half is paid
for by Vermont taxpayers, simply can’t afford to support five state
colleges and the university even with out-of-state tuitions. The system itself and its
undergraduates are sinking under the weight of costs.
I would
convene the academic leadership of Castleton, Johnson, Lyndon, Vermont Tech, Community College of Vermont
and UVM to meet and clarify their unique academic expertise and mission.
UVM would focus on three things: providing the best
undergraduate liberal arts education in its class, expanding its
nationally respected College of Medicine, and growing its research
capabilities. VT Technical College would focus on its established areas
of expertise: technical, practical and applied education in technology,
applied sciences and food systems. VT Tech would inherit the remnants of
UVM’s once vital role in agriculture including the Extension Service.
Castleton, Johnson and Lyndon would work together to establish centers
of undergraduate excellence for each campus such as: the arts,
communications, and humanities. Local faculties would be vested with
equal authority to enrich and develop curricula within their area of
excellence. Think President Fogel’s "Spires of Excellence" but
throughout the state system.
The Association of Vermont
Independent Colleges know as "AVIC" is adopting the "Five College
System" model in Massachusetts. This will allow matriculated students in
any of their 19 Vermont colleges to take and get credit for any course
or semester in any of the other 18 colleges. This should be true with
the State College system as well and would include faculty exchanges and
joint seminars on important topics.
Any student in the system
could take courses or semesters at any other campus. This would free the
student to craft a college education that would make the best of what
Vermont has to offer. In time, the private and public college systems
might decide to cooperate with one another in similar fashion.
Free
marketers will carry on about the value of competition, but whereas
consumers can choose where to shop, students do not always get to choose
their college.
In the case of State colleges, Vermonters would
be better served by strategic collaboration than free-market competition
in our taxpayer-funded institutions of higher learning.
As to
the enduring myth of local control, I do see great value in keeping our
elementary and middle schools local. I see reasons to consolidate
regionally some of our high schools. But to better manage costs and
focus limited resources, our state college system must unify,
streamline, specialize and collaborate to succeed.
Correction: The text of this commentary was revised to correct that there are five state colleges. Community College of Vermont was originally omitted.