HD77 - Strategic Plan for Increased Decentralization and Accountability (for the Commonwealth's Public Institutions of Higher Education)


Executive Summary:
House Joint Resolution 133 (1996), sponsored by Delegate Alan A. Diamonstein and Senate Joint Resolution 65 (1996), sponsored by Senator John H. Chichester directed the Council of Higher Education for Virginia to develop a strategic plan for increased decentralization and accountability for the Commonwealth's public institutions of higher education.

The major findings and recommendations of the report are as follows:

• The Commission on the Future of Higher Education noted that, for more than a decade, Virginia has slowly been decentralizing operating responsibilities to its state-supporting colleges and universities. The pace of these efforts has accelerated in recent years.

• Cognizant of these efforts, the Commission's charge to the Council of Higher Education was specific: develop a strategic plan for increased decentralization and accountability for the public institutions of higher education. In response to this charge, the Council presents for consideration a strategic plan for consideration and approval of further decentralization as shown on pages 5 and 6 of this report. This plan was developed in consultation with representatives of Virginia's public colleges and universities. The recommendations in this report are based on the judgment that good accountability procedures are currently in place for Virginia's public colleges and universities. In addition, these procedures can be augmented by additional accountability measures specific to each decentralized authority as it is granted by the Governor or General Assembly.

• This report to the 1997 General Assembly should be considered preliminary. The strategic plan for further decentralization contained in this report should be discussed but not acted on by the 1997 General Assembly. The plan should be reviewed and evaluated by all concerned during calendar year 1997; particularly the appropriate committees of the General Assembly, the Governor's cabinet, and the relevant central state agencies.

• The Council of Higher Education should be asked by the General Assembly to present a final report for action in the 1998 Session.

• The Council of Higher Education should join the Secretary of Finance in sponsoring a general meeting of all parties in Spring 1997 to discuss the totality of decentralization issues, including future proposals for higher education decentralization, the strategic plan presented in this preliminary report, and existing decentralization pilots that could be made permanent.

• Consideration of the possibility of permitting boards of visitors of selected institutions to appoint a limited number of their own members should be postponed until it is clear that the Governor and General Assembly support a plan for further decentralization.