STATE BILL COLORADO

Incoming Lt. Gov. Joe Garcia will do double duty this year, acting as No. 2 to Gov. John Hickenlooper and also serving as head of the Colorado Commission on Higher Education.

Garcia, who will be inaugurated tomorrow, was most recently president of Colorado State University-Pueblo.

Hickenlooper, who made the appointment, said it’s unclear whether legislation will be required for Garcia to serve in both posts. The governor-elect is working with both the General Assembly and the Attorney General’s Office on that front.

“Higher education is critical to work force development,” Garcia said. “I am committed to making sure that we are ready to retain, expand and attract jobs to Colorado with a well-educated work force and we can’t achieve our goal of remaining competitive without high quality, affordable colleges and universities.”

The full press release follows.

Lt. Gov.-elect Joe Garcia named to lead the Colorado Department of Higher Education

DENVER ­— Monday,  Jan. 10, 2011 — Gov.-elect John Hickenlooper announced today Lt. Gov.-elect Joseph “Joe” Garcia will also serve as Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education.

“Joe Garcia is in a unique position to wear two hats in state government,” Hickenlooper said. “He is a known leader with tremendous expertise in education. He also understands the challenges facing higher education because he’s led a community college and a university. Allowing Garcia to serve in two roles will save money and serve the taxpayers of Colorado without compromising the work of the Lieutenant Governor’s Office or the Department of Higher Education. Joe will bring wisdom, experience and passion to the job.”

Garcia most recently worked as president of Colorado State University-Pueblo and energized the campus by considering nontraditional solutions to longstanding issues. While there, he helped the school overcome stagnant enrollment, a mediocre reputation and financial difficulties.

He also worked with local alumni and parents to raise private funds to bring back a football program that had been abandoned in 1984. The effort, coupled with several new student-oriented facilities to make the campus more attractive, contributed to a two-fold increase in freshman enrollment at the school.

“Higher education is critical to work force development,” Garcia said. “I am committed to making sure that we are ready to retain, expand and attract jobs to Colorado with a well-educated work force and we can’t achieve our goal of remaining competitive without high quality, affordable colleges and universities.”

While it’s unclear whether legislation may be necessary, Hickenlooper is working with leaders in the General Assembly and the Attorney General to clarify that the Lieutenant Governor can concurrently serve in a Cabinet position if appointed and confirmed by the Senate.

Garcia would be serving in an unusual but not a unique role. His predecessor, Barbara O’Brien,  also focused on education by co-chairing, with Garcia and Bruce Benson, the P-20 Task Force. She also led the state’s effort to acquire Race to the Top funding and she was an active leader in education reform.

Garcia, however, would also take on the responsibility of running an executive branch agency along with his Lieutenant Governor duties. His experience in running an executive branch agency under former Gov. Roy Romer and his decade of service as the president of a community college and a state university makes him both uniquely qualified to take on the additional responsibilities and well-suited to fully and diligently perform the duties of both roles.

Before he worked at CSU-Pueblo, Garcia was president of the second-largest community college in Colorado, Pike’s Peak Community College. There, he oversaw three campuses that serve more than 16,000 students annually. He earlier worked for the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies as the Executive Director. In this capacity, he managed and maintained budgetary responsibility for such Colorado divisions as Banking, Financial Services, Real Estate, Insurance, Civil Rights, Securities, and Public Utilities Commission. Garcia was appointed by Romer.

Garcia has continuously participated in community and non-profit organizations throughout his professional career. These experiences taught him to find solutions, not by driving a partisan agenda but by working with all stakeholders to reach a common ground. He and his wife, Dr. Claire Garcia, became deeply involved in public education when their own children entered grade school in Colorado Springs. Garcia served in roles as varied as PTO President to Legal Counsel for the District 11 School Board.

Dr. Claire Garcia is a professor of English at Colorado College in Colorado Springs. She joined the school in 1989.

Born into a military family with deep roots in northern New Mexico, Garcia has lived in cities ranging from the Western United States to Western Europe. Garcia earned a business degree from the University of Colorado. He returned to Colorado after earning a juris doctorate from Harvard Law School because of the quality of life found here. An avid mountain biker and mountain climber in the summer and snowboarder in the winter, Garcia could not imagine calling anywhere else his home – and hopes to pass that tradition onto his children and grandchildren.

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Garcia’s appointment to serve as the Executive Director of the Department of Higher Education has received widespread support from other campus leaders throughout the state:

Bob Schaffer, chairman of the Colorado State Board of Education

“Having Mr. Garcia serve in a dual role as Lt. Governor and Executive Director of CDHE is a very good idea. It wholly utilizes Mr. Garcia’s talents while establishing a direct and tight linkage between higher education and the Governor’s Office. The move clearly signals that higher education is a top state priority in an effective, efficient and economical way. I think it’s a great opportunity and I’m glad the governor-elect is taking advantage of this.”

Joe Blake, Chancellor of the Colorado State University System

“Having worked with Joe Garcia during his tenure as President of CSU-Pueblo, I can personally underscore his passion for hard work and commitment to higher education, particularly in the areas of access and affordability. Colorado and higher education are extremely fortunate to have Joe Garcia in place as the leading voice for higher education. Indeed, he a is great voice for Colorado.”

Bruce Benson, president of University of Colorado

“When Joe Garcia was announced as the candidate for Lieutenant Governor, I knew that he would also be the ideal choice to be the Executive Director for the Department of Higher Education. He has experience running campuses and he knows the challenges we face as our enrollments continue to grow while state funding has not kept pace. Joe Garcia, Lt. Gov. Barbara O’Brien, and I co-chaired the P-20 Council, so I know he has both a statewide perspective and a working knowledge of each institution’s unique role and mission and how we can work together to serve Colorado’s workforce needs. I am pleased that Joe Garcia was picked for this role, and I am excited for the future of higher education.”

Tim Foster, president of Mesa State College

“I believe Joe’s experience leading both CSU-Pueblo and Pikes Peak Community College gives him an appreciation of the importance of having accessible, affordable, high quality institutions in all regions of the state. His knowledge of state government and his collaborative nature are exactly what Colorado higher education needs today.”

Nancy McCallin, president of the Colorado Community College System

“I am delighted that Gov.-elect Hickenlooper chose Lt. Gov.-elect Joe Garcia as the next Executive Director for the Colorado Department of Higher Education. The Lieutenant Governor-elect brings a unique perspective to this job, having been the President at Pikes Peak Community College and the President of Colorado State University-Pueblo. He understands the needs of students in both the two-year and four-year colleges and has always placed the needs of students foremost in his decision-making. I look forward to working with Joe on important issues affecting Colorado higher education students, including transparency in transfer of courses between two-year and four-year colleges, affordability of higher education, and sustainability of higher education opportunities for Coloradans. I have known and worked with Joe for the last nine years and have a great deal of respect for his integrity and commitment to Colorado students.”

Jim Polsfut, chairman of the Colorado Commission on Higher Education

“In the past, the CCHE has worked extensively with Joe Garcia in his capacity as a campus CEO. I’m certainly looking forward to working with Joe Garcia in his new capacity, as Colorado faces the challenge of maintaining a high quality yet affordable system of public higher education in an environment of diminishing resources.”

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About the Colorado Department of Higher Education

The Department coordinates policy and state resources for the state’s 28

public institutions, its private not for profit colleges, and its proprietary colleges, trade schools,

and bible colleges. The Department of Higher Education oversees one major federal loan

program and a 529 investment plan. The Department is divided into seven divisions: Colorado

Commission on Higher Education, College Assist, CollegeInColorado.org, CollegeInvest,

Colorado Historical Society, Colorado GEAR UP, and Division of Private Occupational Schools.

About Partners for Colorado

Partners for Colorado is organized as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit corporation created to engage a diverse group of people from all over Colorado; ensure a smooth hand-off from the Ritter administration to the Hickenlooper administration; review the current performance, challenges and opportunities of each major area of state government and develop recommendations for improving practices within these areas; provide recommendations to the incoming administration for specific executive and legislative actions that can be pursued during the administration’s first 100 days; and recruit and evaluate candidates.

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The state’s transportation chief, Russell George, may only have a short unemployment stint.

George has been named as the top pick to replace John Boyd as Colorado Northwestern Community College president, the Craig Daily Press reports.

George is a former speaker of the Colorado House and currently the executive director of the Colorado Department of Transportation. But he’s leaving with the arrival of the Hickenlooper administration.

The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel reported that community colleges chief Nancy McCallin and George will visit CNCC’s Rangely and Craig campuses for open forums in January.

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By Todd Engdahl, EDUCATION NEWS COLORADO

The Colorado legislature this year gave up its direct power to control college and university tuition, but the rates students may pay in the next five years indirectly still will be up to lawmakers.

The Colorado Commission on Higher Education Thursday unanimously approved tuition flexibility plans submitted by six higher education institutions and systems. Five of the plans contain “what-if” scenarios that suggest different levels of tuition increases depending on how much state support the 2011 legislature allocates to higher ed.

So the lower state support is, the more tuition may jump.

A law passed by the 2010 legislature allows college boards of trustees to raise tuition up to 9 percent a year for each of the next five years. (Traditionally, the legislature set tuition increase ceilings in the annual state budget bill.) The new law also allows colleges that want higher rates to ask permission from the CCHE. Those are the plans approved by the commission Thursday.

The commission votes don’t set future tuition rates, nor have any colleges and universities made official tuition decisions for 2011-12. The commission merely gave institutions authority to raise tuition more than 9 percent, and individual college boards won’t set actual 2011-12 tuition until next May or June.

“Nobody wants these tuition increases. What we have tried to do is set up a mechanism for colleges to respond if they have to,” said Rick Munn, director of the Department of Higher Education.

Gov. Bill Ritter has proposed $555 million in state support for higher ed in 2011-12, so that’s the base against which colleges have calculated their what-if tuition plans (see this story for background). Of course, that amount may change depending on state revenues, the proposals of the incoming Hickenlooper administration and, ultimately, the decisions of the legislature.

At a previous meeting, the commission approved flexibility plans for the Colorado State University System, Metro State College and Fort Lewis College (see this story for details). The Colorado School of Mines chose not to file an application.

The flexibility law requires colleges to have plans to maintain affordability for low- and middle-income students. While institutions have proposed a wide variety of affordability strategies, a common tactic is to earmark percentages of increased tuition revenue for financial aid and for student counseling and retention programs.

The plans are a sign of the accelerating shift towards state college pricing models that look more like those of private colleges – higher tuition, different tuition rates for different programs depending on cost and student demand and more individually tailored financial aid based on the needs of individual students.

Here are highlights of the flexibility requests approved Thursday:

University of Colorado System – The university won’t raise undergraduate resident tuition more than 9 percent if currently proposed levels of state aid for 2011-12 are approved. At a lower level of state funding, CU would raise tuition up to 9.5 percent. The system did not request permission for increases above 9 percent in budget years 2012-13 through 2015-16.

Community College System – The system won’t raise tuition more than 9 percent if state funding is approved at forecast levels, but it may raise 2011-12 tuition by 15.7 percent if state aid is 10 percent below what has been proposed. Also, depending on state support, the system wants the flexibility to raise tuition between 10.8 and 12.7 percent in 2012-13.

University of Northern Colorado – The university proposes average increases of 15 percent next year (ranging from 8 to 22 percent depending on program and credit hours taken), an average of 12 percent in 2014-15 and of 9 percent in 2014-15 and 2015-16.

Adams State College – Tuition could increase 11 percent annually through the five-year period if 2011-12 state support comes in at the forecast levels. If state aid drops by about 10 percent, Adams proposes a 25 percent increase next year, 20 percent in 2012-13, 12 percent in 2013-14 and 9 percent in 2014-15 and 2015-16.

Mesa State College – The college proposes keeping overall tuition increases below 9 percent if state funding is as expected. If state funding is more than 10 percent below projected levels, Mesa proposes to increase tuition .49 percent for each percentage that state funding drops. The college doesn’t expect increases of more than 9 percent for 2012-13 through 2015-16.

Western State College – The college is considering raising tuition by 11.6 percent a year during the five-year period if state funding is stable and by 16 percent a year if state funding drops by 10 percent or more.

The new flexibility system applies only to tuition for Colorado residents who are undergraduates. College trustees can set rates as they choose for out-of-state students and for graduate programs.

(See the bottom of this DHE page for links to the full financial plans for each college and system. Go here to read a new DHE detailed new report on tuition rates and fees in the current school year, and see a report on financial aid for Colorado students in 2009-10 here. Also see this table showing the change in tuition and fees from 2009-10 to 2010-11.)

Master plan, or master planning?

Now that a citizens’ committee has taken a year to develop a higher education strategic plan, the commission is going to take another year to decide how to implement it.

The commission Thursday formally adopted the strategic plan recently finished by a citizen committee as part of the CCHE’s new master plan for higher education. DHE staff also proposed that the commission develop more detailed plans to implement the broader goals suggest in the document, titled “The Degree Dividend.”

That sparked discussion among commission members about whether they were adopting a “master plan” or a system of “master planning.” Eventually they agreed to give themselves a Dec. 31, 2011, deadline for the additional work.

At any rate, the tuition flexibility law also requires CCHE to submit a plan to the legislature before the 2011 session starts, so “The Degree Dividend” was approved as that document and will be sent along to the Capitol.

Another delay for Westwood

For the second time this fall, the commission delayed a decision on whether to place for-profit Westwood College on “probationary accreditation.” The college has been placed on probation by its accrediting agency, the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges. The CCHE in October discussed whether to put Westwood on Colorado probation to align with the accrediting body’s action.

No decision was made then because the accrediting commission was to reconsider the Westwood case in November. Staff members told CCHE Thursday that the accrediting commission apparently has made a decision but won’t be announcing it until next week.

So, CCHE again decided to wait to act until after the national body’s decision is known. (See previous story about Westwood and CCHE.)

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By Todd Engdahl, EDUCATION NEWS COLORADO

“We’re doing a great job, we’re very efficient and, by the way, please don’t cut our budgets.”

That was the basic message distilled from a day’s worth of testimony Tuesday to the legislative Joint Budget Committee by leaders of the state’s colleges and universities.

Beyond that, college presidents were eager to tout their completion rates, growing enrollments of first-generation and minority students, increased cooperation with neighboring colleges and school districts, growing use of online instruction and their big economic impacts on their regions and the state.

All that was packed into the daylong annual hearing that the JBC devotes to the state’s higher education budget. It’s become an occasion for the leaders of individual colleges to show their faces to six of the legislature’s most powerful members and tout the strengths and unique features of their individual campuses. (Lots of other legislators, including several with colleges in their districts, dropped in and out of the hearing.)

While the tone of the presentations was generally upbeat, the longstanding financial challenges facing higher education hung over the meeting, and one president used her time at the microphone to talk about just that.

University of Northern Colorado President Kay Norton didn’t recite encouraging statistics about the university, tout new programs or introduce students to tell their personal stories.

She talked about money, or the lack thereof.

“Over the last 20 years or so we have seen a decrease in the percentage of the state budget that has been devoted to higher education.” Referring to comparative statistics from other states, Norton said, “We are number one in something – disinvestment in higher education” as measured by spending relative to state personal income.

“For a generation or maybe more than that we have been a low state support, low tuition and low financial aid state. … We have gotten away with it because of the mountains.”

Norton continued, “We are much more reliant on tuition than we used to be … as we have really been unable to rely on the state.

“You have to understand that the source of our revenue [now] is students. … That is a permanent change that we see happening. Although we aren’t necessarily thrilled by it, that is the reality of the world in which we operate.”

Although Norton was the only campus leader to focus her remarks on the financial situation, some other presidents touched on the issue.

Mesa State President Tim Foster said that higher ed funding really has been declining for 40 years, and “We knew that all we needed was a good recession to accelerate the defunding of higher education.”

Bruce Benson, president of the University of Colorado System, warned, “Further cuts will hurt higher education and have a devastating effect on the Colorado economy.” (Benson, always well armed with upbeat CU statistics and facts, held forth with a rapid-fire presentation that lasted about half an hour.)

Joe Blake, chancellor of the Colorado State University System, said, “Colorado ultimately has to decide what kind of future higher education system it wants.”

The discussion didn’t get into a lot of financial specifics, although there was some back and forth on the 2011-12 institutional allocations that have been approved by the Colorado Commission on Higher Education. (See this story for background.)

Higher education Director Rico Munn urged the committee to accept the proposal, saying, “This should be only a temporary allocation … until we can realize what the new normal is.”

Most presidents said they support the plan as a least-bad option, but Nancy McCallin, president of the Community College System, said, “I would respectfully disagree that the funding formula is OK.” She said the proposed formula penalizes fast-growing schools and is “very detrimental to our ability to sustain our institutions.”

Committee members got into the weeds on only one issue – whether Mesa State violated the legislature’s 2010-11 9 percent tuition increase ceiling by raising tuition for freshman 16 percent while keeping overall increases under the ceiling.

Denver Democrats Sen. Pat Steadman and Mark Ferrandino said they think Mesa was in the wrong, but Foster said, “We simply believe we complied with the footnote” that specified the ceiling.

(Asked about the issue earlier in the meeting, Munn said, “President Foster is very creative in how he runs Mesa State.”)

Who’s No. 1?

Committee members and others who sat through the daylong hearing might justifiably have been confused by the overlapping claims various presidents made about their institutions in presentations studded with terms like “fastest growing.” “record,” “only institution of its kind,” “largest,” “finest” and the like.

Consider this comments about online programs:

• “The only institution of its type in the entire nation.” – President Becky Takeda-Tinker of CSU Global Campus
• “We’re probably the leader in that.” – CU’s Benson
• “We didn’t give it a fancy name like Mesa State Global, but nevertheless it serves Western Colorado very well.” – Mesa’s Foster
• “We have the largest online enrollment in the state” – McCallin of the community colleges

Quotable, or at least amusing

• “Following CU is like following the proverbial elephant at the circus.” – Foster, who spoke after Benson
• Responding to a question about privatizing CU, “To really change it you probably need a scandal, and I’m going to do my damndest to prevent that.” – Benson
• “I came to Colorado … for a real sense of adventure in the wild, wild west.” – new Fort Lewis College President Dene Kay Thomas, originally from Minnesota
• “Our institutions of higher education are the horses that will help pull our economy out of the ditch it is in.” – Kyle Hybl, chair of the CU Regents
• “Does the Troy Tulowitski contract make you lay awake at night?” – Sen. Al White, R-Hayden, to UNC trustee chair (and Colorado Rockies owner) Dick Monfort
• “Absolutely.” – Monfort

Questions & Answers

The JBC prepares questions for college leaders ahead of time, and the answers are compiled into a briefing paper. Read it here.

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A three-judge panel of the Colorado Court of Appeals on Wednesday affirmed a trial court decision denying reinstatement of Ward Churchill as professor at the University of Colorado. The decision could next be appealed to the state Supreme Court, Law Week Colorado reports.

Churchill filed a lawsuit against the CU regents alleging his 2007 firing violated his First Amendment rights because it was done in retaliation to his remarks about 9/11. CU countered that Churchill was fired over plagiarism.

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By Todd Engdahl, EDUCATION NEWS COLORADO

A 50 percent cut in state aid to higher education wouldn’t force closure of any colleges, but it would require some tough choices, the Joint Budget Committee was told Wednesday.

A recent report from the Colorado Commission on Higher Education warned of dramatic tuition increases, reduced access for minority and low-income students, a financial squeeze on middle-income students, reduced course offerings and bare-bones student services if state support were halved.

Colleges were required to file that report with the JBC by a 2010 state law (Senate Bill 10-003) that also gave institutions greater control over tuition rates and over some other financial operations. (Read article about the report and see full document.)

In a briefing paper presented to the committee at a Wednesday morning meeting, JBC analyst Carl Kurtz didn’t necessarily disagree with the report’s conclusions but he did take a more nuanced view.

Among other things, his report noted because direct state support provides only part of college revenues, “From the total funds, including tuition, this is a 9.2 percent reduction. It is a 10.9 percent reduction per students in constant 2010 dollars. If funding were reduced according to the SB 10-003 scenario, the [fiscal year] 2011-12 funding would be higher than in FY 2001-02 through FT 2004-05.” (That scenario assumes resident undergraduate tuition would increase 9 percent and non-resident tuition would rise 5 percent.)

The briefing report also said, “Staff believes the higher education institutions have options for reducing expenditures and increasing revenues to absorb a 50 percent reduction in state support without closing colleges.”

The CCHE “doomsday” report doesn’t raise the possibility of closing campuses, although that’s a subject regularly batted around in higher ed circles and by some legislators when the subject of possible future budget cuts comes up.

“There are options available and the institutions are capable of absorbing a 50 percent cut,” Kurtz told committee members. “You might not like the consequences, [but] it wouldn’t be Armageddon.”

The consequences Kurtz referred to include higher tuition, cuts in staffing (and, therefore, cuts in academic programs) and the ticklish question of shifting state aid among institutions.

“A 50 percent cut in state funds for a small rural community college is very different from a 50 percent cut for CU-Boulder,” he noted.

For example, a chart in the briefing paper details that community colleges receive about 39 percent of their budgets from state support while CU-Boulder depends on state aid for only 15.5 percent of its budget. Two of the smaller four-year colleges, Western State in Gunnison and Adams State in Alamosa, receive more than half their funding from the state.

“The impact by institution varies widely,” the briefing paper says, “creating challenges around how to allocate a reduction of this magnitude. To keep the total funds reduction for all institutions the same would require a significant reallocation of General Fund [state tax dollars] from some institutions with large amounts of tuition revenue to other institutions with small amounts of tuition revenue, and/or uneven tuition rate increases around the state.”

Such shifts “would be very controversial politically,” Kurtz told the committee. That’s an understatement. The question of institutional fund shifts came up repeatedly during the deliberations of the Higher Education Strategic Planning Steering Committee, and it was an issue that always raised the hackles of some institution leaders, particularly those at CU.

The college-by-college funding allocation in Gov. Bill Ritter’s proposed 2011-10 higher ed budget includes a slight funding shift, a plan some colleges weren’t wild about when the CCHE approved the formula.

Staff briefing papers such as the one Kurtz presented Wednesday sometimes contain “briefing issues” that aren’t formal staff recommendations but are meant to give committee members background and food for thought on particular budget issues.

Committee members had a few questions about the 50 percent scenario but didn’t get into a lengthy discussion.

The document also contained briefings on the broader issue of balancing state support and tuition, and on the recently proposed higher ed strategic plan. (See story on the strategic plan.)

Members of the CCHE and college presidents will get to make their budget case to the JBC – and be quizzed by committee members – during an all-day hearing on Nov. 30. Kurtz won’t make his higher ed budget proposal to the committee until well after the 2011 legislature convenes in January.

In the current budget year, the higher ed system has funding of about $2.15 billion, including $535.3 million in state tax support and $85.6 billion in federal stimulus funds. According to Kurtz’ analysis, the Ritter administration’s proposed 2011-12 budget totals about $2.16 billion, including $534.2 million in state funds and no stimulus money. The budget assumes a 9 percent increase in resident undergraduate tuition and a 5 percent hike for non-residents.

The Ritter budget would seem to allay fears of drastic higher ed cuts in 2011-12. But incoming Gov. John Hickelooper and the legislature will have the final say on next year’s state budget, including whether to use the transfers of cash funds into the general fund that Ritter proposed as part of his balancing plan.

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By Todd Engdahl, EDUCATION NEWS COLORADO

How would Colorado’s public colleges and universities manage their budgets if state tax support were cut in half?

A new report from the Colorado Commission on Higher Education and college leaders warns of dramatic tuition increases; reduced access for minority and low-income students; a financial squeeze on middle-income students; reduced course offerings and bare-bones student services, among other consequences.

“We are near the tipping point where additional reductions in state support … will result in numerous negative outcomes for Colorado current and future students and families, hurting the economy and leading to a stagnant future,” Jim Polsfut, chair of the CCHE, wrote in a letter introducing the report.

The 51-page document also discusses at length the economic impact of higher education and its value to the state.

State funding for higher ed has been cut during both the recession at the beginning of the decade and during the most recent one. That has made students parents, not taxpayers, the main source of college revenues. On average, state universities and colleges now charge about $3 in tuition for every $1 they receive from the state.

In the current, 2010-11 budget year, the higher ed system is receiving about $620.9 million in state and federal stimulus support, plus $82.5 for student financial aid. Halving that support would yield $310.4 million for operations and $41.2 million in financial aid.

A law passed by the 2010 legislature gave colleges and the CCHE more freedom in setting tuition rates and also more flexibility in some other financial operations. The law also required the higher ed system to prepare the report on the impact of a 50 percent cut, which was submitted to the legislative Joint Budget Committee Wednesday.

Some higher education officials and college presidents weren’t enthusiastic about the assignment, feeling that there was little practical purpose – and perhaps some bad public relations – in such a hypothetical exercise.

There was some concern in the legislature last spring that the state’s bleak revenue outlook would force such deep cuts in higher ed for the 2011-12 budget year.

It’s uncertain now that the danger is quite so great. Outgoing Gov. Bill Ritter’s proposed 2011-12 budget is balanced, includes some $555 million in state support for higher ed and would force colleges to absorb “only” the loss of about $89 million in federal stimulus support. (Get details here about the Ritter budget plan.)

Here are snapshots of what campus leaders say a 50 percent cut would mean. (Enrollment headcount and budget numbers are rounded.)

University of Colorado System (56,400 students in Boulder, Denver, Aurora and Colorado Springs) – The summary predicts significant tuition increases for resident students (but no specific estimate), reduction in faculty, continued deterioration of campuses and “reduction in services throughout the campus ranging from student services, administration, to academic support such as for libraries and information technology.” (Current state and stimulus funding is $192.4 million, plus $19.5 million for financial aid.)

Colorado State University System (30,500 students in Fort Collins and Pueblo) – “Larger increases in tuition coupled with budget cuts will diminish funding available for financial aid by more than 50 percent. … Drastic reductions will lead to double-digit across-the-board expense reductions, elimination of hundreds of positions and administrative department and program closures. Resident tuition rates will have to be increased significantly” (at least 32 percent at Fort Collins and 40 percent at Pueblo). “Class sizes will have to be significantly larger and resident enrollment may have to be capped.” (Current state and stimulus funding is $132 million, plus $12.2 million for financial aid.)

Colorado Community College System (85,500 students at 13 institutions) – “Budget cuts of this magnitude will dramatically impact the ability of our colleges to serve all Colorado students. … However, given our colleges’ socio-economic profiles and program offerings, these cuts will disproportionally impact our low-income, first-generation, rural, and Career and Technical Education (CTE) students.” (Current state and stimulus funding is $132 million, plus $25.4 million for financial aid.)

Metro State (23,000 students in Denver) – “An operating reduction of $19.8 million would dramatically restrict student support services, necessitate increased class size, reduce the number of course selections offered, limit personal attention from faculty and staff and restrict choices of academic programs.” A 72 percent tuition increase is predicted. (Current state and stimulus funding is $44 million, plus $11.7 million for financial aid.)

University of Northern Colorado (12,700 students in Greeley) – “A 50 percent cut in UNC’s state funding would severely limit the university’s capacity to serve low-income, first-time students, particularly those who are not the academic elite; necessitate larger class sizes and limitations on course offerings; harm our ability to recruit and retain the most qualified faculty; and result in lower student retention rates and longer time to graduation.” No tuition figure mentioned. (Current state and stimulus funding is $40.6 million, plus $4.6 million for financial aid.)

Adams State (2,800 students in Alamosa) – “A combination of reduction in workforce, freezing of wages over extended periods, elimination of programs and tuition increases in excess of 50 percent over a two-year period would be required.” Such a cut would “prohibit the development of an aid packaging model that meets the needs of low income students, depriving them [of] access to higher education.” (Current state and stimulus funding is $13.4 million, plus $1.9 million for financial aid.)

Colorado Schools of Mines (4,700 students in Golden) – Such a cut would “require tuition increases that could threaten our competitive market position and our stable enrollment, and possibly price a Mines’ education out of reach for many Colorado residents.” (Current state and stimulus funding is $21.4 million, plus $1.6 million for financial aid.)

Fort Lewis (3,700 students in Durango) – “The resident tuition increase required to bridge the gap quantified above would equate to 73 percent, or an additional $2,467 per resident student annually, including the financial aid increases needed to mitigate the impact on low and middle-income students. Alternately, since approximately 70 percent of the college’s general fund budget represents personnel costs, if a $5.7 million expenditure reduction was implemented, approximately 100 full time positions (21 percent) would be eliminated.” (Current state and stimulus funding is $11.5 million, plus $1.2 million for financial aid.)

Mesa State (7,000 students in Grand Junction) – “The answer to the hypothetical question posed seems obvious. If Mesa State College’s funding from the state of Colorado is cut by 50 percent, we will be forced to raise revenue, cut expenses and potentially sacrifice quality.” (Current state and stimulus funding is $20 million million, plus $3.3 million for financial aid.)

Western State (2,260 students in Gunnison) – “To offset a loss of $5.6 million in state appropriations (for operations) will require an average increase in tuition of approximately 60 percent. In addition to this offset, additional tuition revenue will have to be generated to cover financial aid losses and to help mitigate the impact of these rate increases on low and middle-income students. We anticipate that this could add a premium of another 30 percent to tuition rates.” Such cuts “would threaten the viability of the institution and create considerable strain on our ability to cover daily operational costs.” (Current state and stimulus funding is $11.2 million, plus $889,000 for financial aid.)

Read the full report here.

The study is the second major document on higher education released in the last week. A new higher education strategic plan covers many of the same financial challenges and recommends asking voters for a tax increase of some sort in 2011 to restore stable funding for higher education (see story for more details).

The two documents provide plenty for the 2011 legislature to think about, should it decide to take up the issue of higher ed’s future.

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Source: Complete College Colorado

DENVER DAILY NEWS

Gov. Bill Ritter and education advocates on Monday launched a campaign to raise awareness of higher education programs and services available in Colorado.

The Complete College Colorado initiative comes as a state panel studying higher education in Colorado has recommended asking voters for a tax increase to competitively fund higher education in Colorado.

Ritter has said that he will make education a priority over the next two months as he prepares to exit office and assists Gov.-elect John Hickenlooper with his transition into state office.

“Colorado’s ability to compete in the 21st century economy will depend on how well we prepare our children for the jobs of the future, which will increasingly require a college degree,” Ritter said in a statement. “Making college affordable and accessible to Colorado’s children has been a top priority of my administration. That includes helping our students go the last mile to earn their degrees, which is why I am launching Complete College Colorado.”

The campaign not only aims to educate the public on what higher education programs and services are available in Colorado, but also on the importance of post-secondary degrees for Colorado’s economic future.

In the recommendations released last week by the governor’s Higher Education Strategic Planning Committee, the report also points to a shift in the education requirements for Colorado jobs. By 2018, nearly 70 percent of jobs in Colorado will require higher education and training, according to the report.

Meanwhile, higher education spending in Colorado continues to lag the rest of the nation, with Colorado ranking 48th in the nation for higher education operating expenses per capita.

The campaign announced by Ritter is not officially tied to any campaigns that may be assembled to ask voters for a tax increase to fund higher education. Education advocates said last week that no specific plans have been established yet for such a campaign, or whether the Legislature will first be asked to refer the question to voters.

The Complete College Colorado campaign will include a variety of events, statewide community outreach, a Web site — CompleteCollegeColorado.com — and a social media (Facebook) component, according to a news release issued by the governor’s office.

“The importance of a higher education degree cannot be overstated,” Rico Munn, executive director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education, said in a statement. “According to recent figures published by the Higher Education Strategic Planning Committee, having an associate’s degree increases the wages of a high school graduate by 36 percent over a lifetime, while obtaining a bachelor’s degree almost doubles the income of a high school graduate. An individual with a master’s degree makes approximately 150 percent more than a high school graduate, and a doctoral degree or professional degree triples or quadruples an individual’s earning potential, respectively.”

The campaign will focus on four primary themes:

» The impact of degree attainment on Colorado’s workforce and economy;

» Financial aid resources available across the state to help individuals afford higher education;

» The P-20 education reform movement — designed to address public education down the pipeline; and

» Programs and services available statewide to assist adults in returning to school to complete their degrees.

“Improving degree attainment statewide will be crucial in order to meet the future jobs and workforce needs of the state,” Kelly Brough, chief executive of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement. “According to a recent study, Colorado ranks fifth among the states for the percentage of jobs in 2018 that will require a postsecondary education and third for those that will require a bachelor’s degree. It is further estimated that by 2018, 67 percent of all jobs in Colorado will require some postsecondary training. As things stand currently, in order to fill these jobs, Colorado will need to import qualified workers from other states or countries or risk losing the business. Having a more educated workforce better positions Colorado to be competitive in the marketplace of the future.”

For more information, visit CompleteCollegeColorado.com, or www.facebook.com/CompleteCollegeColorado.

In other coverage:

Denver Business Journal: The business community has a large role in the Complete College Colorado program that Gov. Bill Ritter announced Monday. The program, designed to increase the number of Coloradans who complete their college degrees, will run a monthlong campaign to raise awareness of programs and services available statewide to help people advance their educations. The campaign will include events, community outreach and other efforts to build awareness of programs and services available statewide.

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By Todd Engdahl, EDUCATION NEWS COLORADO

Legislative party caucuses have picked their leaders for the 2011 session, but the members of the House and Senate education committees remain to be decided.

Senate Democrats have a 20-15 majority, down only one seat after the election. On Thursday they again selected Sen. Brandon Shaffer, D-Boulder, as president. Also retaining his job is Majority Leader John Morse, who survived a tough, high-spending race in Colorado Springs and who was backed by all the education groups that endorsed candidates in 2010.

Sen. Pat Steadman, D-Denver, was named to the Joint Budget Committee, along with Sen. Mary Hodge, D-Brighton. Senate Republicans named Sen. Kent Lambert, R-Colorado Springs, to the JBC, replacing the moderate Al White of Hayden. Mike Kopp of Littleton was named minority leader.

Steadman’s move to the JBC leaves a least one vacancy on the Senate Education Committee, because budget panel members don’t serve on other committees.

The education committee was an eye of calm in the middle of 2010 campaign storms, because six of eight members (three Democrats and three Republicans) are in the middle of their terms and weren’t on the ballot. And, like Steadman, Sen. Mike Johnston, D-Denver and author of the educator effectiveness law, easily won election Tuesday.

Nancy Spence of Centennial, ranking Republican on Senate Ed, was replaced as minority whip by the more conservative Sen. Scott Renfroe, R-Greeley.

Situation murkier in the House

Things are more complicated in the House, both in general and regarding the education committee.

As of Thursday, Republicans were claiming a 33-32 majority, and they elected Rep. Frank McNulty, R-Highlands Ranch, as speaker. McNulty served on House Ed last session but hasn’t been considered a major voice on education issues.

Democrats are clinging to the hope that the final vote count in Jefferson County’s House District 29 will favor Rep. Debbie Benefield, D-Arvada, who’s currently trailing.

House Democrats chose Rep. Sal Pace, D-Pueblo, as their leader, either as speaker if they get lucky or as minority leader if they don’t.

If Benefield ultimately loses, that means there will be at least five vacancies on House Ed, which had 13 members (eight Democrats and five Republicans) in the last session.

Chair Mike Merrifield of Colorado Springs is gone because of term limits, and Rep. Karen Middleton, D-Aurora, resigned from the legislature for a political job. Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Cortez, is headed to Washington after winning the 3rd Congressional District. And, as speaker, McNulty isn’t likely to serve on a committee.

Reelected Tuesday were committee Democrats Cherilyn Peniston of Westminster, Christine Scanlan of Dillon, Sue Schafer of Wheat Ridge, Judy Solano of Brighton and Nancy Todd of Aurora.

Republican members who won reelection were Tom Massey of Poncha Springs and Ken Summers of Lakewood. Rep. Carole Murray, R-Castle Rock, was unopposed.

Massey is expected to be named chair if Republicans hold their slim majority. Other members may or may not return to the committee, based on personal preference or leadership decisions. The size and partisan balance on the panel also may change because of the new overall party split in the House.

If the House stays in GOP hands, the six-member JBC will have an even 3-3 party split, meaning bipartisan support will be needed for budget recommendations.

Election notes

The elections weren’t kind to legislative challengers with education backgrounds. Among the losers – all but one of them Democrats – were:

• Janet Tanner, a Colorado Springs District 11 board member, in House District 16.
• Retired teacher Laura Huerta in Adams County’s House District 30.
• Republican Tom Janich, a former Brighton school board member, who lost to Solano in House District 31.
• Carole Partin, former president of the Pueblo Education Association, in House District 47.
• Karen Stockley, a Thompson school board member, in House District 49
• Bill McCreary, a former Thompson board member, in House District 51.

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By Peter Marcus, DENVER DAILY NEWS

In order to bring higher education funding up to a competitive $1.5 billion, from its current $760 million, the state will need to ask voters to increase tax rates in at least two areas, according to a report released yesterday by a higher education planning commission.

“The current condition of higher education in Colorado is alarming and deteriorating,” state Jim Lyons and Dick Monfort, co-chairs of the governor’s Higher Education Strategic Planning Steering Committee, in the report. “Without changing the course our state is now following, we are headed to a future we don’t want. We need to invest more resources in higher education if we are to maintain and enhance its quality.”

The report recommends five areas of revenue enhancements, stating that at least two are required to meet the state’s goals:

» Restore income and sales tax rates to 5 percent and 3 percent, respectively, generating $445 million — the current rates are 4.63 percent and 2.9 percent, respectively;

» Expand sales tax to specific services, generating $550 million;

» Implement a 1 percent surcharge on extraction, generating $150 million;

» Implement a 4.0 statewide mill levy, generating $350 million; and

» Implement a 4.0 mill levy in counties with an institution of higher education, generating $240 million.

The report also calls for reducing income and ethnic gaps in college admission; improve the quality of education across the entire educational pipeline, from preschool through systems of higher education; and increase accountability of the state’s higher education system, partly by enhancing the responsibilities of the Commission on Higher Education.

Gov. Bill Ritter yesterday said it will be necessary to go back to voters to enhance funding for higher education, adding that he would like to possibly include a conversation about repealing aspects of the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, which education advocates have targeted as a roadblock for increasing funding.

But Ritter said the funding problems associated with TABOR are not as immediate as the problems facing higher education.

“I’m still a person who thinks we should reform it, but it’s not as immediate as I would argue this problem is,” he said responding to a question inside his office at the Capitol yesterday. “If we can do both, reform TABOR and find a way to adequately fund higher-ed, we should, but if you want to ask me what I would consider to be the priority for the State of Colorado to remain competitive in the 21st century and make the biggest impact on the quality of lives of Coloradans, it would be this.”

There are no immediate plans or direction for heading to voters with a tax increase question. Dawn Taylor Owens, executive director of College In Colorado, said it is still up in the air whether advocates will ask the Legislature to refer a measure to voters, or whether there will be a citizen-initiated drive.

Education funding advocates asked the Legislature this year to refer to voters a ballot question that would have created a steady funding source for P-20 education. The move to send the proposal to voters was rejected by the Legislature.

Education advocates said in July that they will make a push to send the proposal to voters in 2011. Voters would be asked to allow lawmakers exemptions from TABOR to fund preschool, K-12 and higher education.

Colorado ranks 48th in the nation for higher education operating expenses per capita.

Lyons said at a news conference in Ritter’s office yesterday that ultimately the issue will come down to whether voters believe higher education is enough of a priority that they are willing to pay more for it.

“At the end of the day … this is their decision — what kind of state do you want to have? What kind of higher education system do you want to have? What are you willing to pay for?” Lyons said. “Because none of this comes free.”

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