The Coordinating Board is generally regarded by those we interviewed
as a necessary evil. The coordination function is sometimes viewed
as a form of excessive bureaucratic intrusion, but it is generally
believed to be effectively performed. For instance, the board
helps to minimize duplication of programs and provides a statewide
perspective in this state heavily dominated by local interests.
The board is seen as being effective or ineffective depending
on the willingness of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Speaker,
and Legislature to let them be effective.
The board acts as an intermediary, according to its staff members,
in areas where institutions and the board can reach consensus.
Institutions negotiate with the Legislature directly concerning
those areas where consensus is not reached-such as areas of special
interest. The structure creates few limits on legislative intervention,
and direct contact between institutions and the Legislature is
considered healthy in this environment.
The structure also allows for individual leadership. In the mid-1980s,
when the state was undergoing a fiscal crisis, the leadership
of the Lieutenant Governor and one or two prominent university
board members helped convince the Legislature that higher education
was crucial for future economic development, and subsequently
that it should provide stable support for higher education. This
required a central, united front on the part of higher education,
something the structure does not appear to encourage. Under strong
leadership and in a time of fiscal crisis, however, this was able
to work.
Several people attributed the success and longevity of the Coordinating
Board to the leadership of the current commissioner. While the
board could act in a much more regulatory way, the commissioner
has kept it from doing so, perhaps because he recognizes that
this approach would not be appreciated by the Legislature.
The Texas system of higher education is characterized by ongoing tensions between the Coordinating Board and the institutions, and between the Coordinating Board and the Legislature. While there is a stronger dislike for the Coordinating Board than we saw in some of the other study states, this board plays a very important role in balancing the public and professional interests in Texas.
[ DOWNLOAD | CONTENTS | PREVIOUS | NEXT ]
[ HOME | REPORTS | CROSSTALK | RESOURCES | ORDER ]