Higher Ed Oversight Committee Revisits "Solutions"
Today's inaugural hearing of the Joint Oversight Committee on Higher Education Governance, Excellence and Transparency featured national experts weighing in on how — and how not — to make universities in Texas more accountable and transparent. But the gloves really came off during the public testimony.
Earlier in the year, controversy erupted when legislators and members of the higher education community, particularly those at the University of Texas, became concerned that university system regents might actually attempt to implement the controversial “seven breakthrough solutions” published by the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation and promoted by Gov. Rick Perry in 2008.
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Comments (3)
JJ Baskin
Wow. The back and forth would continue? That is the takeaway?
As a person who watched or was in attendance for almost the entire hearing, I thought it was very informative and instructive. The vast majority of the hearing was the national experts and the questions from committee members. I thought that was really interesting. We were told about some of the things the state does really well, and reminded that we weren't the first state to have governance challenges.
This is a healthy recalibration of the balance of governance, informed by best practice. If you want to say this substantive hearing was a he said/she said back-and-forth, feel free. I heard something different--thoughtful and bipartisan public policy at work.
hans5162@ix.netcom.com hans
Peggy Venable and the Texas Public Policy Foundation are entitled to express their opinions, but their opinions should be taken for what they are worth, which is less than nothing. They know nothing about higher education. They routinely make up facts to support their misguided assertions. In short, they lie to promote their ideological agenda. I am sick and tired of their lies. They have no conscience and no shame. They say they promote transparency, but they represent organizations and entitites that are the antithesis of transparent. They are accountable to nobody, except their secret donors. The goal is to promote online learning. You need only look at who attended the Governor's summit as education "experts". It was for profit university CEO's that Sandefer invited. The sooner we drive a stake through the heart of this fabricated campaign to insert additional private vendors into our university systems, the better. Venable and the TPPC need to go back to what they do best, which is demonizing the poor, sick and elderly.
Texas Longhorns
Venable knows nothing about higher education. She is not an expert, and she has no solutions.
Simply crying out for "transparency" and "accountability" isn't enough, especially when her own organization as well as the TPPF completely lack both in the first place.
Venable ought to listen to the chairs of the oversight committee rather than write editorials and give speeches that plagiarize the shoddy research of Richard Vedder and others.