Members Login
Username 
 
Password 
    Remember Me  
 
USM Forum -- Message Board -> AAUP-USM MESSAGE BOARD -> System of Checks and Balances
Post Info TOPIC: System of Checks and Balances
Delta Dawn

Date:
System of Checks and Balances
Permalink Closed

 


After carefully reading the postings on this and on the 'old' message board, the news clippings, and listening to comments from several faculty members, I suspect that one major problem at USM is that it does not have a satisfactory system of checks-and-balances. Mississippi's system of higher education allows for too much power vested in one person, or in one body. As they say, power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts abolutely. Mississippi has only one governing board: The IHL. Many states, however, have two governing bodies: (1) a State Council of Higher Education, usually housed at the state capitol, overseeing certain specific functions of all of the public universities in their state, and (2) each public university has its own governing board, typically referred to as  "The Board of Visitors," overseeing other specific functions at their respective institution. Applied to Mississippi, there would be an IHL in Jackson, but each of the eight public universities would have its own "Board of Visitors" which would be devoted to the needs, welfare, and aspirations of their respective institution. Thus, it would be USM's "Board of Visitors" which would oversee the University President and relate to a "State Council of Higher Education"  in Jackson, just as the other seven public universities in Mississippi would have their own "College Board" overseeing the University President and relating to the "State Council of Higher Education" in Jackson. In most states, the respective "College Boards" are powerful voices in behalf of their respective institution. There are many good models. I reproduced the model for Virginia below: A "Board of Visitors" at each public university in the state, and a "State Council of Higher Education" in the state capital. I can tell you for sure, a good "Board of Visitors" can clean up a messy situation with dispatch, and in a faculty-friendly manner. Perhaps someone should take a look at the representative model reproduced below, and discuss it with a responsible Mississippi legislator. Perhaps former legislator Gene Saucier could suggest the right person who might support such a bill. A change in governance would not occur overnight, of course, but USM and all of Mississippi's other public universities would be stronger when it did occur. What you have now is definitely not working. USM needs more than simply a bandaid cure. One model is reproduced below.  Modify it if necessary. If you don't like it, take a look at the models of other states. Find a responsible legistator who is genuinely concerned about the state of higher education in Mississippi. By the way, the univesities governened in this matter have strong AAUP chapters, endorse the principle of shared governance, and have strong Faculty Senates. I have personally known members of Boards of Visitors, and I have found them to be honorable men and women. Take a looksee: 






Boards of Visitors




  • Provide oversight and leadership at their respective institutions


  • Set broad policy goals and priorities for their institutions


  • Select a President to manage the day-to-day operations


  • Evaluate the President to ensure compliance with statutory mandates and board goals, priorities, and directives


  • Establish rules and regulations for the admission of students and graduation requirements


  • Establish rules and regulations for the conduct of students


  • Establish rules and regulations for the employment of professors, teachers, instructors, and all other employees and provide for their dismissal for failure to abide by such rules and regulations


  • Review and approve budget requests to the Governor and General Assembly for state appropriations


  • Ensure academic integrity at the institution, including, reviewing the curriculum and faculty productivity


  • Set tuition and fee charges


  • Lease, sell, or convey any and all real estate with the approval of the Governor


  • Provide oversight of institutionally affiliated foundations


  • Ensure institution is accountable for the effective and efficient use of Virginia taxpayer dollars provided to it



SCHEV (State Council of Higher Education for Virginia)


SCHEV plays a number of important roles in Virginia higher education


  • Provide coordination for the public and private colleges and universities that make up the entire system
    Want to ensure they collectively serve the Commonwealth’s many and diverse needs and expectations


  • Provide policy guidance and recommendations to the Governor, General Assembly, and the institutions.
    Want to ensure that the Commonwealth continues promoting a high-quality and affordable higher education system that is efficient, effective and accountable


  • Serve as a catalyst for systemwide progress and improvements
    Want to challenge the institutions, policy makers, and public to make Virginia’s outstanding system even better


  • Serve as a resource for information and expertise
    Want to promote greater awareness and understanding about what’s right in higher education

SCHEV has a number of statutory responsibilities

  • Prepare a strategic plan for the system every two years


  • Develop policies, formulae, and guidelines for the fair and equitable distribution and use of public funds among the public institutions of higher education (operating and capital)


  • Administer state-funded financial aid programs, including the TAG program for students at private institutions


  • Review and approve or disapprove all student enrollment projections by institution


  • Conduct studies as requested by the Governor, General Assembly, or as the Council deems appropriate


  • Review and approve or disapprove any proposed change in the mission of any presently existing public institutions (e.g. CNU, VMI)


  • Approve institutions of higher education to confer or award degrees


  • Review and approve or disapprove all new academic programs


  • Review and require the discontinuance of any academic program when the Council determines that such academic program is (i) nonproductive or (ii) supported by state funds and is unnecessarily duplicative of other academic programs


  • Review and approve or disapprove the creation of any department, school, college, branch, division or extension of any public institution of higher education (e.g. VCU - Qatar)


  • Develop guidelines for the assessment of student achievement


  • Review biennially and approve or disapprove all changes in the inventory of “educational and general” or instructional space at institutions


  • Establish uniform standards and systems of accounting, record keeping and statistical reporting for the public institutions of higher education


  • Develop and administer a uniform, comprehensive data information system designed to gather all information necessary to the performance of the Council’s duties


  • Prepare plans, administer federal programs, and receive and disburse any federal funds in accordance with the responsibilities assigned to it by federal statutes or regulations


  • Develop educational programs for Boards of Visitors (e.g. Fall 2001 program on board leadership.)


  • Conduct a variety of other activities, including the Commonwealth’s Outstanding Faculty Awards program, which is the highest honor for faculty achievements in teaching, research, and public service



__________________
Otherside

Date:
Permalink Closed

quote:
Originally posted by: Delta Dawn
" 
After carefully reading the postings on this and on the 'old' message board, the news clippings, and listening to comments from several faculty members, I suspect that one major problem at USM is that it does not have a satisfactory system of checks-and-balances. Mississippi's system of higher education allows for too much power vested in one person, or in one body. As they say, power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts abolutely. Mississippi has only one governing board: The IHL. Many states, however, have two governing bodies: (1) a State Council of Higher Education, usually housed at the state capitol, overseeing certain specific functions of all of the public universities in their state, and (2) each public university has its own governing board, typically referred to as  "The Board of Visitors," overseeing other specific functions at their respective institution. Applied to Mississippi, there would be an IHL in Jackson, but each of the eight public universities would have its own "Board of Visitors" which would be devoted to the needs, welfare, and aspirations of their respective institution. Thus, it would be USM's "Board of Visitors" which would oversee the University President and relate to a "State Council of Higher Education"  in Jackson, just as the other seven public universities in Mississippi would have their own "College Board" overseeing the University President and relating to the "State Council of Higher Education" in Jackson. In most states, the respective "College Boards" are powerful voices in behalf of their respective institution. There are many good models. I reproduced the model for Virginia below: A "Board of Visitors" at each public university in the state, and a "State Council of Higher Education" in the state capital. I can tell you for sure, a good "Board of Visitors" can clean up a messy situation with dispatch, and in a faculty-friendly manner. Perhaps someone should take a look at the representative model reproduced below, and discuss it with a responsible Mississippi legislator. Perhaps former legislator Gene Saucier could suggest the right person who might support such a bill. A change in governance would not occur overnight, of course, but USM and all of Mississippi's other public universities would be stronger when it did occur. What you have now is definitely not working. USM needs more than simply a bandaid cure. One model is reproduced below.  Modify it if necessary. If you don't like it, take a look at the models of other states. Find a responsible legistator who is genuinely concerned about the state of higher education in Mississippi. By the way, the univesities governened in this matter have strong AAUP chapters, endorse the principle of shared governance, and have strong Faculty Senates. I have personally known members of Boards of Visitors, and I have found them to be honorable men and women. Take a looksee: 




Boards of Visitors




Provide oversight and leadership at their respective institutions

Set broad policy goals and priorities for their institutions

Select a President to manage the day-to-day operations

Evaluate the President to ensure compliance with statutory mandates and board goals, priorities, and directives

Establish rules and regulations for the admission of students and graduation requirements

Establish rules and regulations for the conduct of students

Establish rules and regulations for the employment of professors, teachers, instructors, and all other employees and provide for their dismissal for failure to abide by such rules and regulations

Review and approve budget requests to the Governor and General Assembly for state appropriations

Ensure academic integrity at the institution, including, reviewing the curriculum and faculty productivity

Set tuition and fee charges

Lease, sell, or convey any and all real estate with the approval of the Governor

Provide oversight of institutionally affiliated foundations

Ensure institution is accountable for the effective and efficient use of Virginia taxpayer dollars provided to it


SCHEV (State Council of Higher Education for Virginia)


SCHEV plays a number of important roles in Virginia higher education

Provide coordination for the public and private colleges and universities that make up the entire system
Want to ensure they collectively serve the Commonwealth’s many and diverse needs and expectations

Provide policy guidance and recommendations to the Governor, General Assembly, and the institutions.
Want to ensure that the Commonwealth continues promoting a high-quality and affordable higher education system that is efficient, effective and accountable

Serve as a catalyst for systemwide progress and improvements
Want to challenge the institutions, policy makers, and public to make Virginia’s outstanding system even better

Serve as a resource for information and expertise
Want to promote greater awareness and understanding about what’s right in higher education
SCHEV has a number of statutory responsibilities

Prepare a strategic plan for the system every two years

Develop policies, formulae, and guidelines for the fair and equitable distribution and use of public funds among the public institutions of higher education (operating and capital)

Administer state-funded financial aid programs, including the TAG program for students at private institutions

Review and approve or disapprove all student enrollment projections by institution

Conduct studies as requested by the Governor, General Assembly, or as the Council deems appropriate

Review and approve or disapprove any proposed change in the mission of any presently existing public institutions (e.g. CNU, VMI)

Approve institutions of higher education to confer or award degrees

Review and approve or disapprove all new academic programs

Review and require the discontinuance of any academic program when the Council determines that such academic program is (i) nonproductive or (ii) supported by state funds and is unnecessarily duplicative of other academic programs

Review and approve or disapprove the creation of any department, school, college, branch, division or extension of any public institution of higher education (e.g. VCU - Qatar)

Develop guidelines for the assessment of student achievement

Review biennially and approve or disapprove all changes in the inventory of “educational and general” or instructional space at institutions

Establish uniform standards and systems of accounting, record keeping and statistical reporting for the public institutions of higher education

Develop and administer a uniform, comprehensive data information system designed to gather all information necessary to the performance of the Council’s duties

Prepare plans, administer federal programs, and receive and disburse any federal funds in accordance with the responsibilities assigned to it by federal statutes or regulations

Develop educational programs for Boards of Visitors (e.g. Fall 2001 program on board leadership.)

Conduct a variety of other activities, including the Commonwealth’s Outstanding Faculty Awards program, which is the highest honor for faculty achievements in teaching, research, and public service "


Delta,
Thanks. This is very interesting. Do you happen to know how the "Board of Visitors" are selected?
Are they appointed by the governor?

__________________
Delta Dawn

Date:
Permalink Closed

quote:
Originally posted by: Otherside
" Delta, Thanks. This is very interesting. Do you happen to know how the "Board of Visitors" are selected? Are they appointed by the governor?"
Yes. Members of the "Board of Visitors" are appointed by the Governor. I confimed that, by phone, just a few minutes ago. Because each university has its own Board of Visitors, however, one doesn't get quite the type of unhealthy competition among universities such as is the case with the Mississippi model where one Megaboard represents all of the universities, a model which lends to fighting for representation by all of the institutions.  Fortunately, the term of service is considerably shorter than the twelve years than you have for members of the Mississippi IHL. I did not mean to suggest that Virginia's model is the best one for Mississippi. There are, after all, other good models in other states. My major points were (1) what Mississippi has now is definitely not working. (2) insufficient checks and balances are incorporated into the Mississippi system, and (3)  I believe that a band-aid solution would be insufficient. A positive byproduct would, of course, be that a Board of Visitors could serve as an appropriate, strong, and knowedgable "buffer" for the faculty, a buffer deparately needed at USM. Other big winners would be the students, alumni, and taxpayers.

__________________
Delta Dawn

Date:
Permalink Closed

A P.S. from Delta Dawn: Myron Henry may very well be the most administatively-savy faculty member at USM. I am sure he knows the pros and cons of having individual "Boards of Visitors" along with a central governing board coordinating all of the public universities vs. the Megaboard you currently have.

__________________
Page 1 of 1  sorted by
 
Quick Reply

Please log in to post quick replies.
USM Forum -- Message Board -> AAUP-USM MESSAGE BOARD -> System of Checks and Balances
Tweet this page Post to Digg Post to Del.icio.us


Create your own FREE Forum
Report Abuse 		Powered by ActiveBoard