By Mitra Taj
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Wednesday, June 30, 2004
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Responding to pressure to slow down plans for revamping the state university system, the Arizona Board of Regents has given the public more time to offer alternatives to the regional university system proposed last month.
At Board of Regents' President Chris Herstam's recommendation, the board last week unanimously approved extending the previous July 1st due date for alternative proposals until August 1.
The board has received six alternative proposals, four of which propose building onto community colleges before or instead of creating regional universities.
An internal work group conducting the feasibility and planning study will consider the proposals in August when regular meetings begin. So far, the study has identified principles, needs, and questions to be addressed over the next year.
Mary Jo Waits, formerly of the Morrison Institute for Public Policy, serves as the staff director of the study and David Longanecker, executive director of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, is project consultant. Herstam and university and ABOR representatives also form part of the workgroup.
Eight "stakeholder" groups representing different interests in the restructuring of the Arizona university system-alumni/community, business/economic development community, community colleges, diversity groups, elected officials, faculty, staff, students-will provide the work group with feedback as the study gets underway.
The approval of the extension came after several people addressed the board with complaints that too much was happening too fast.
Incoming Regent President Gary Stuart said a process that takes one year to study and another two or more to implement cannot be moving too quickly.
"This is not some Machiavellian plan for us to demean or harm the degree of a 1975 NAU graduate or anywhere else," Stuart said.
Herstam said the board has sent out at least 70 emails recruiting volunteers to make up the stakeholder groups. All meetings regarding the feasibility study will be open to the public.
The proposal, which Herstam and the University presidents revealed May 23, would create a regional university in southern Arizona, joining a transformed NAU and ASU West to focus on undergrad education as the state's population grows over the next 15 years. These three regional universities wouldn't support research while the UA and ASU would intensify their research missions.
A look at the alternatives proposed:
The ASU West chapter of the American Association of University Professors proposes keeping the research mission of ASU West and turning one or more of the community colleges in the West Valley into a four-year liberal arts college.
Chitta Baral, ASU professor of computer science and engineering, proposes regional university professors be able to take part in doctoral programs at ASU and the UA and recommends regional universities be able to take on doctoral programs at some point in the future.
Eugene Hughes, president of NAU from 1979-1993, proposes adding to community colleges and distance education instead of creating regional universities, while revising NAU's mission to become an undergrad-focused university with research supported only in some areas.
Nick L. Lund, executive director of NAU in Yuma and Don Schoening, president of Arizona Western College, propose a transition from community colleges to regional universities, which would maintain accreditation standards through coordination with main campus academic departments.
Jon Garrido, President of Arizona Hispanic Issues Center and East Valley LULAC proposes NAU, the UA, ASU, and ASU West remain the same, while the research-focused part of ASU turn into "Arizona Research University." Regional universities would be built onto community colleges and the creation of a four-year business school with graduate programs, "Arizona Hispanic University," would help take in the Hispanic population growth and position Arizona in American and Latin American global markets.
Jason Boothe, an NAU alumnus, concerned with the devaluation of his baccalaureate degree, proposes leaving NAU unchanged while two regional universities, in the central and southern parts of the state are created.
Think you can do better? Send your proposal to ABOR by August 1st.
Phone: (602) 229-2500
Fax: (602) 229-2555
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