Texplainer: Could Universities Undergo Sunset Review?
Hey, Texplainer: Could the state’s public universities go through the so-called sunset review process, forcing them to periodically defend their existence to state legislators?
The issue came up at a November hearing of the Joint Oversight Committee on Higher Education Governance, Excellence and Transparency, a group formed earlier this year amid tense debate over the operations of higher education institutions in the state.
A co-chair of the committee, state Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, cited a recommendation from the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative think tank whose higher education proposals she has openly opposed, that was delivered to legislators ...
Comments (8)
T D
In other news, the TPPF asked for an immediate moratorium on death and taxes, and cleared its throat in a meaningful way over (cough) "that pesky gravity thing that impairs our golf game."
Ken Collier via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Universities are already subject to review through accreditation and individual programs have their own process. Applying something like sunset review would probably do nothing more than create another bureaucratic ritual that would cost much more than it would every save.
Richard S. Moore via Texas Tribune on Facebook
I have participated in a Sunset Review (as a Board Member) and several University accreditations (as an Officer) and I can assure you that the accreditions are much more meaningful. The aspect of "peer review" brings people to the process that understand what they are reviewing. This is not a "knock" on Sunset staff - they just don't have the bredth of experience that peers do.
Sharon Arnoult via Texas Tribune on Facebook
State agencies, unlike state universities, are fully funded by the state, with perhaps some federal money thrown in and yes, in part by fees, but state agencies do not have to fund themselves via fees, donations, etc., to the extent that state universities do these days. I think the state's contribution to UT these days is about 16% of UT's budget; at other state universities, it's more, but even there it tends to run somewhere between 25% and 30%. As the two previous posters point out, universities have their own external review processes, which are quite rigorous, and are subject to continuing internal audits by the state. Putting them under the Sunset Review would do nothing except create a political weapon that could be used against universities.
Rebecca Raphael via Texas Tribune on Facebook
This would seriously undermine faculty recruiting.
Ray Grasshoff via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Working for the state in the past, I've experienced sunset reviews at several agencies. Although great in theory, those reviews seldom produce clear improvements, yet they rquire the agency under review to devote a tremendous amount of its increasingly scarce resources to the review process for a year or more.
David Starkey via Texas Tribune on Facebook
@ Rebecca Raphael
What's the matter?
You don't LIKE being one of the worst educated states?
Audrey Fisher via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Worst educated state is exactly what the TPPF has been trying to do for more than a decade (note why environment is rarely mentioned in today's high school text - Gramm!. In addition, they are following the ALEC model of eliminating research in public universities: their answer to research: there are a couple of private institutes and we should allow them and only them to perform research. DUH - wanna make an educated guess about what they would "research" and then ask yourself, who would it benefit. Follow the bouncing ball: WGU or the TEA's only on-line economic course: Freemarkets and their benefits. Ignore or defund any idea that is inconsistent with the 1% pov is what the current TX legislature is attempting to sell - and some "think" that is a good idea! NOT!!!!!