Politics
Gov. Rick Scott Promotes Controversial Education Reforms
Governor likes changes to higher education system that Texas Gov. Rick Perry championed
Around the State
Controversial changes that have rocked Texas’ higher education system may be coming to Florida.
Gov. Rick Scott has begun discreetly promoting the same changes to the higher education system that Texas Gov. Rick Perry has championed. The proposals include some of the same reforms pushed by conservatives in K-12 schools: merit pay for professors, tenure reform, and generally a much greater emphasis on measurement of whether professors are turning out students that meet certain goals.
The attempt in Texas has caused something of an identity crisis in that state’s higher education community, with opponents saying what needs to be reformed is Perry’s control over university policies.
Scott told the News Service of Florida on Tuesday that he has discussed the Texas reforms with his appointees to university and college governing boards in an effort to line up support for a nascent campaign to dramatically change how universities and colleges are funded, overhaul professor tenure, emphasize teaching over research, and give students more influence.
An admirer of Texas, Scott has developed a friendly relationship with Perry, who is flirting with the idea of seeking the Republican nomination for president in 2012. Texas is regularly praised for its business-friendly climate and has weathered the economic recession better than most states.
But Perry’s higher education reform efforts were not welcomed with open arms.
Perry’s proposal tries to mold state universities into operating more like businesses, treating students more like customers, and universities like companies that offer a product -- a degree.
The suggested changes include, in addition to professor merit pay, a greater emphasis on student evaluations and teaching in awarding tenure, abandoning the traditional accreditation system, and giving more state funding directly to students. Many of these ideas are outlined in a report called “Seven Breakthrough Solutions,” put out by a Perry donor named Jeff Sandefer and the right-leaning Texas Public Policy Foundation in 2008.
Perry also has called for a tuition freeze and the development of a $10,000 bachelor’s degree.
“One of the things I really like about what he has in there is the fact that we should be measuring our professors,” Scott said in an interview with the News Service of Florida on Tuesday. “I believe students ought to be measuring the effectiveness of our professors because ultimately, it is the family’s money paying for this. We really ought to have a measurement system (that is) student-centered.”
Scott also praised the idea of merit pay and putting more money in the hands of students.
“Our higher education system should work for the benefit of the students,” Scott said.
In Texas, Perry’s reforms have encountered pointed resistance from most universities.
Perry’s office did not immediately return a request for comment on Tuesday.
Gerry Griffin, a former member of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and former director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, is part of a group opposing Perry’s changes.
Griffin, an alumnus of Texas A&M University, said the group is concerned “and trying to take the stance that we are against these kinds of reforms that have been shoved on our universities.”
The group, the Texas Coalition for Excellence in Higher Education, includes former members of university governing boards, former university presidents, and prominent alumni and business leaders, such as Gary Kelly, CEO of Southwest Airlines.
Griffin said the solutions are too simplistic.
“Universities are not a factory,” he said.
Top-tier research institutions such as Texas A&M University and the University of Texas would become “diploma mills” if the full extent of the reforms were implemented, Griffin added.
“At the end of the day, the reformers that started down this path only thought of numbers,” Griffin said. “They didn’t think about the quality of education.”
Gov. Rick Scott has begun discreetly promoting the same changes to the higher education system that Texas Gov. Rick Perry has championed. The proposals include some of the same reforms pushed by conservatives in K-12 schools: merit pay for professors, tenure reform, and generally a much greater emphasis on measurement of whether professors are turning out students that meet certain goals.
The attempt in Texas has caused something of an identity crisis in that state’s higher education community, with opponents saying what needs to be reformed is Perry’s control over university policies.
Scott told the News Service of Florida on Tuesday that he has discussed the Texas reforms with his appointees to university and college governing boards in an effort to line up support for a nascent campaign to dramatically change how universities and colleges are funded, overhaul professor tenure, emphasize teaching over research, and give students more influence.
An admirer of Texas, Scott has developed a friendly relationship with Perry, who is flirting with the idea of seeking the Republican nomination for president in 2012. Texas is regularly praised for its business-friendly climate and has weathered the economic recession better than most states.
But Perry’s higher education reform efforts were not welcomed with open arms.
Perry’s proposal tries to mold state universities into operating more like businesses, treating students more like customers, and universities like companies that offer a product -- a degree.
The suggested changes include, in addition to professor merit pay, a greater emphasis on student evaluations and teaching in awarding tenure, abandoning the traditional accreditation system, and giving more state funding directly to students. Many of these ideas are outlined in a report called “Seven Breakthrough Solutions,” put out by a Perry donor named Jeff Sandefer and the right-leaning Texas Public Policy Foundation in 2008.
Perry also has called for a tuition freeze and the development of a $10,000 bachelor’s degree.
“One of the things I really like about what he has in there is the fact that we should be measuring our professors,” Scott said in an interview with the News Service of Florida on Tuesday. “I believe students ought to be measuring the effectiveness of our professors because ultimately, it is the family’s money paying for this. We really ought to have a measurement system (that is) student-centered.”
Scott also praised the idea of merit pay and putting more money in the hands of students.
“Our higher education system should work for the benefit of the students,” Scott said.
In Texas, Perry’s reforms have encountered pointed resistance from most universities.
Perry’s office did not immediately return a request for comment on Tuesday.
Gerry Griffin, a former member of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and former director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, is part of a group opposing Perry’s changes.
Griffin, an alumnus of Texas A&M University, said the group is concerned “and trying to take the stance that we are against these kinds of reforms that have been shoved on our universities.”
The group, the Texas Coalition for Excellence in Higher Education, includes former members of university governing boards, former university presidents, and prominent alumni and business leaders, such as Gary Kelly, CEO of Southwest Airlines.
Griffin said the solutions are too simplistic.
“Universities are not a factory,” he said.
Top-tier research institutions such as Texas A&M University and the University of Texas would become “diploma mills” if the full extent of the reforms were implemented, Griffin added.
“At the end of the day, the reformers that started down this path only thought of numbers,” Griffin said. “They didn’t think about the quality of education.”
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