SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 8

53rd legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2017

INTRODUCED BY

John M. Sapien

A JOINT MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE HIGHER EDUCATION DEPARTMENT TO STUDY THE COSTS AND BENEFITS OF DIFFERENT HIGHER EDUCATION GOVERNANCE SYSTEMS.

     WHEREAS, New Mexico has a population of slightly over two million people, with fewer than three hundred twenty-five thousand people aged eighteen to thirty; and

     WHEREAS, the state has seven constitutionally created colleges and universities, with a total of ten branches and several educational centers, and seven community colleges created by school districts; and

     WHEREAS, only the three research institutions, the university of New Mexico, New Mexico institute of mining and technology and New Mexico state university, offer doctoral degrees; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico is a state that funds higher education through a funding formula appropriated from the general fund for instruction and general purposes, athletics, other expenses and research and public service projects; and

     WHEREAS, in a time of decreasing resources, the state needs to investigate ways to provide higher education in the most efficient and effective ways possible; and

     WHEREAS, there are several states that have one or two unitary systems with single governing boards and centralized administrations for public colleges and universities; some states have centralized administration only of community and technical colleges; and some states have similar governance structures to that of New Mexico; and

     WHEREAS, a joint report from the national center for public policy and higher education and the national center for higher education management systems, Good Policy, Good Practice, Improving Outcomes and Productivity in Higher Education: A Guide for Policymakers, made the point that "[a] principal cause of inefficiency is a 'go-it-alone' campus mentality reinforced by state funding mechanisms that reward institutions for competition instead of collaboration."; and

     WHEREAS, some research indicates mixed results and satisfaction with either unitary systems or decentralized administration of colleges and universities, and the idea is worthy of study in New Mexico to determine which system would work best for the state; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexicans want a higher education governance system that will provide better education for students, foster satisfaction of faculty and staff, lead to better graduation rates, cut administrative overhead and result in more of the higher education funding going to support and educate students at the undergraduate and graduate levels, rather than going to administration and overhead;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the higher education department be requested to study the costs and benefits of the current New Mexico higher education governance systems in comparison with other systems, including unitary systems and their variations and any other systems the department determines should be studied; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the boards of regents and administrations of state colleges and universities and the governing boards of public community colleges assist the higher education department as requested by the department; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the higher education department report its findings to the second session of the fifty-third legislature; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the secretary of higher education, the boards of regents and presidents and provosts of the state colleges and universities and the governing boards and presidents of the public community colleges.

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