Mitchell Daily Republic: We told you so.
Which University is Kirkeby going to choose? And maybe, we should choose a different approach first.
The Mitchell Daily Republic took a moment to say “I told you so” as they point out that when the new University center in Mitchell was announced, they foreshadowed that any new University would be in competition with the old ones, despites people saying it wouldn’t be so:
Not quite a year after funds were approved to expand a public university campus in Sioux Falls comes news that a Rapid City lawmaker is talking of closing one of the state’s six traditional universities.
Mark Kirkeby said this week he will offer legislation to require a study of the university system to see if it would make sense to shut down one of the state’s existing schools.
Big surprise. Big surprise.
and…
We were assured recently by a state lawmaker that university centers won’t compete with existing schools. We believe many lawmakers feel that way and will fight to maintain the current system.
But much like the gossip who opens a spicy statement with “I shouldn’t be saying this, but …” Kirkeby has officially gotten the ball rolling in the direction of a campus closure.
We saw this coming.
Much like Governor Janklow was the most hated man in Springfield, SD when that University closed, Mark Kirkeby might just end up as the most hated man in any of several towns who’s colleges risk a chance of standing on the chopping block as the result of the Kirkeby Study (if that measure passes).
Which one could go as a result of this discussion? The big dogs of SDSU and USD aren’t even a serious consideration. Far too much enrollment. Far too many graduates in the legislature.
If this ball gets rolling and continues, I’d guess that Madison should be the most nervous. (Insert howls of protest here). Why should DSU shift uncomfortably in their seats when this kind of discussion comes up? Politically speaking, it’s a simple equation. It has the fewest legislators to defend it, and it’s immediately adjacent to several other liberal arts institutions.
BH has an equal number of home team legislators to defend it, but as an island of liberal studies (that’s for my conservative friends who graduated from there) in the western half of the state, there’s not much out that way which duplicates it’s role. NSU’s declining enrollment might make it an attractive target for a few minutes, but Aberdeen still enjoys strong support by legislators from at least 2 if not three adjacent legislative districts.
But before I get too far here, when you think about it, the discussion of closing colleges and universities at this point is more than a bit silly. It’s kind of like putting the cart before the horse.
Why? Before we think about closing any campuses and limit the delivery of higher education in South Dakota, we should look at efficiencies first.
In the past few years, BOR just set up it’s own accounting system, separate from the rest of state government. Why don’t legislators put it back into the state system to save money? I’m sure GOAC could find other efficiencies if they dedicated a summer to the effort.
Better yet, if legislators are so hot to trot of going after the regental system to save money, instead of looking at what University to close, why not look at the feasibility of a single University system? It was rejected in the past, but if we’re going to look at the Board of Regents for deep and significant cost cutting measures, why not look at combining services for efficiencies before we start talk of rationing education?
It’s an approach that we look at in local education with the combining of local school districts. Instead of a great number of small schools, Government is forcing them to combine their efforts. They can keep schools open for different things in different areas if it serves the needs of delivery and efficiency, but much of the overhead is lifted when two or more become one.
The bottom line is, yes, there might come a day far into the future when the Kirkeby study might have it’s place, and we shutter a university. But that day isn’t anytime soon.
If we think that there’s an ailment in higher education spending that needs to be cured, let’s try a bandaid first. And if that doesn’t work, possibly an antibiotic. At the very least, we should take baby steps before we get medieval and cut off one of our limbs.
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Comments
The Daily Republic is saying “I told you so” but they are premature. This is one first-term legislator in Rapid City – not a proposal from the Governor or the Regents. No one seriously thinks a university is going to be closed. The Regent’s statewide enrollment is at an all time high – and is up 25% from a decade ago.
And look at the data on the SF university center (it’s on the Regents website, http://www.sdbor.edu). Practically all of the students in SF are over 22 – they are non-traditional students who probably wouldn’t go to one of the other schools anyway. In fact, NSU believes that the visibility the SF center gets it in SF actually helps it to increase the number of SF students who go to Northern.
We already HAVE a single university system. There is one student database for all the schools. There is one accounting system for all the schools. There is one personnel system.
I don’t know what you would change if you went to a “single system” as you propose. The only thing would be to change the names of the schools, and that would just aggravate alumni to no end.
If you look at other states that have a single system, they have a “system president” or “chancellor” whose role is indistinguishable from Tad Perry’s, and “campus presidents” (the names vary) whose role is indistinguishable from Abbott, Chicoine, etc. About the only difference is that Tad Perry has next to nothing to do with fundraising from donors.
Maybe he should take up fundraising duties since he’s driving around in a taxpayer provided town car.
3. I don’t give a monkey’s ass about the hoity toity alumni. They got their big degrees and left the state and made their fortunes. When they die, they can put up a stone to commemmorate their past. This is here and now. Taxpayers in South Dakota are pouring money down a rathole because we have a half-dozen schools that can’t compete with the major universities in our nation.
When I saw double-dipper Tax Perry talk about putting $117 million into updating research facilities in our state, I knew he had finally blown his cork and lost touch with reality.
That amount of money is needed elsewhere. It won’t scratch the surface if we are to meet the standards and compete with more than 100 colleges and universities in the USA that are lightyears ahead of South Dakota. This state does not have those kinds of tax resources to keep up with that and never will. If we wanted to get into competition, that should have started back when I was taking courses at the ag school.
Tax Perry should resign and this time not come back for yet another salary. The present board of regents should resign. We need a Governor who won’t take crap from the blue bloods who think they run everything and just shut down some of these mediocre colleges and put the money into three schools where it will do the most good.
Those hoity toity alumni have been keeping the brick and mortar from crumbling on our campuses. The USD Foundation alone raised $133,000,000.00 for campus upgrades, scholarships and other academic activities. Mr. Coot, I do give a monkey’s ass about the alumni because they made it possible for me to receive a quality education.
Closing a University is absurd. DSU at Madison is one of the best schools in the state and has found a niche in the information systems world. I would recommend Mr. Kirkeby take a look at the four technical schools that are on a fast track to becoming full-blown colleges. Technical education is extremely important for our state, unfortunately they are duplicating the universities in many areas. Why not have a study regarding all of post secondary education? Instead of 6 universities we are on our way to having 10.
hey #3. yes.
but ALL THOSE SYSTEMS SUCK, or have you not been paying attention to all the staff we’ve lost over putting that 1 system in place and the millions upon millions of dollars we wasted.
PP:
Which SD college should be closed per Rep. Kirkeby? It’s a no brainer: The South Dakota War College.
Pat, I kid because I love. Of course the college that should be closed is Sibby Junior College.
And Steve, that’s a joke too. I kid because I like. Please, no flames in response. It is not a personal attack. I kid all my friends.
It’s Christmas. Let the spirit of good cheer fill you all, even us humanist seculars.
Todd
Todd
Hats off to Mark Kirkeby for having the tenacity to take on the regents. I wish this guy was my legislator.
Like many legislators, Jirkeby has failed in the business world. A former real estate agent, he discovered the deep trough of public money and the publicity generated by fanning the flames of sensitive issues. His most recent was getting in the middle of the Rapid City/Pennington County library fight. Next he will get into the abortion fight with Napoli.
Don’t get suckered into fanning Jerkeby’s fires. He would put his name on the Titanic for the poublicity. He is a rabble rouser.
As an alumnist of USDS, that college was closed by Janklow and 80% of the classes offered there were not offered at any other State College or trade school, he still got it closed. I think we should leave the schools that offer “unique” classes Madison, and look at the duplicate corses, do we need 2 engineering schools in the state? How about Black Hills State how many other schools in the state can you get their classes at? Northern?
Dear #11 aka Tom Murphy. A little bitter are you? That inspite of you winning your council race against Mark in 2001 based on deceit and lies, he still has been a successful legislator. Merry Christmas Tom.
The problem is no leadership in Pierre. None! The result is a university system that runs adrift stacking up costs and no direction. When are we going to say we’ve had enough? These schools are separate fiefdoms and they are more interested in bobbing along and cutting each others throat than making a name for our state. This is why I think Governor Bill Napoli would make a difference. Old Iron Balls won’t let this neglect continue.