Governor to strengthen control over higher ed
The UM system has not taken a position on the proposals, one of which would create a cabinet-level secretary of higher education.
Published Sept. 20, 2005
mmission introduced two proposals on Thursday that would create a new office to advise Gov. Matt Blunt about state funding for education.
The Missouri State Government Review Commission proposed eliminating a 10-person board that advises the governor about higher education funding in favor of a group advised by the secretary of higher education.
The secretary of higher education would make annual budget recommendations to all public colleges in Missouri.
A second proposal would keep the board and have it report to the secretary of education. This secretary would make recommendations on pre-kindergarten through higher education budgeting.
"Having the secretary of education be a gubernatorial appointment would increase the governor's ownership and accountability for the outcomes of education," the proposal states.
These proposals would directly affect Missouri students because it would shorten the distance between a school's needs and the governor's ear, said Warren Erdman, co-chairman for the Government Review Commission.
"It would make the Commissioner of Higher Education directly part of the Governor's Cabinet and strengthen higher education's voice in budget debate and preparation," Erdman said.
UM system spokesman Joe Moore said that though the university was monitoring the commission's deliberations, the university has not taken a position on the proposals.
"At this point there are a lot of proposals floating around," Moore said. "Until they become more concrete the university has no position."
UM system President Elson Floyd did not attend the commission's meeting.
If the commission approves the proposals, they would be included in its report, which Erdman said should be finished by the end of October.
The proposals would require statutory change by the General Assembly, Erdman said.
"Higher education and the university need this stronger, more direct voice in budget deliberations within the governor's Cabinet," Erdman said. "Many who serve on the commission want to strengthen the power of the commissioner of higher education so that he or she can better support appropriations requests for higher education, focus on campus missions and be a stronger voice within the administration."
Blunt's office did not return phone calls Monday about the proposals.
Blunt created the Government Review Commission in January in order "to identify opportunities to restructure, retool, reduce, consolidate or eliminate state government functions" within all government offices to make state functions work more efficiently, according to the commission's Web site.