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Last Updated: Nov 12th, 2008 - 12:52:09 |
Metro's Board of Trustees voted Nov. 4 to delay approval of graduate programs because the plan lacked important details, such as economic analysis, that must be in place before presenting it to the Colorado legislature.
After President Stephen Jordan asked for the board's consent for his proposal, more than an hour of lively discussion ensued before trustee Maria Garcia Berry moved to delay the vote until the Dec. 3 meeting. The movement passed unanimously.
A major concern for the board was the lack of clear analysis about the impact the addition of graduate degree programs would have on Metro, and that a vote of 'yes' would essentially set Metro's legislative priorities for 2009.
The vote included two directives, the first requiring the board's legislative committee meet prior to the Dec. 3 meeting to outline its priorities. The second directive instructed Jordan and Metro's legislative staff to provide an evaluation clearly defining how they plan to proceed and what the board will face should they authorize the proposal.
"Where's our business plan on this? What are the programs? I would never go to the legislature without a very defined piece," Garcia Berry said.
Other board members agreed with Garcia Berry, voicing their desire to see in-depth analysis on what the additional programs will cost and whether Metro is ready to expand.
"I see no demand analysis, I see no resource allocation analysis, I see no economic impact analysis. Those are very critical issues," trustee Mark Martinez said.
"I don't believe that we have done anywhere near the level of analysis and diligence to be in that process (talking to the legislature)."
Board member Ellen Robinson pointed out that there has been no acknowledgement of any risks or consequences that could arise from adding graduate degree programs.
"As a board, we could ask specifically what those are or it should be coming from leadership, that nothing is without risks or consequences," Robinson said.
While board members were open to and excited about expanding Metro to include graduate programs, some were concerned that the school's mission of providing first-rate, affordable programs to students had not yet been reached.
"I'm not sure if we are where we wanted to be in terms of creating an undergraduate institution. My belief, as always, is that we would have incredible undergraduate programs that our graduates could go to any selective and competitive graduate school in the country, let alone the state," Garcia Berry said.
The vote came only three weeks after Jordan formally announced his intention to add the option of master's degree programs Oct. 15 to the Faculty Senate. A recommendation from the Hispanic Serving Institute's task force report was a key reason Jordan moved to expand Metro's degree options.
Adding graduate degree programs would attract more faculty of color, important to increasing enrollment among students of color, the report said.
This point was not lost on the board members, who acknowledged the additional programs would benefit HSI.
"We need to put in place all the elements that will make us successful as an HSI," board member Antonio Esquibel said.
Despite the decision not to approve the proposal, most board members are excited about the prospect of graduate degree programs.
"I'm very enthusiastic about the grad program at Metro. But I think that if we're going to do it, we have to do it correctly," board member Dawn Bookhardt said.
"There's only been one absolute in all the years that I've been here at Metro State; that absolutely means the matter of change... at no time in the past were we able to say, 'We are there, we are there.' We are a process that is always growing and one of the most exciting things... is this possibility of developing a program that will meet the needs of our students... and I think it's very important that we go forward," board member and English professor Gene Saxe said.
The meeting opened up good dialogue and raised important questions that will be addressed before the Dec. 3 meeting, Metro spokeswoman Cathy Lucas said.
"We were pleased that the board asked a lot of good questions," Lucas said.
President Jordan's motion to go ahead with the development of the master's degree programs was supported by the Faculty Senate and the Student Government Assembly.
The Faculty Senate discussed the Board of Trustees' decision in an executive session on Nov.5, agreeing with the directives the board set as well as the decision to delay approval, Faculty Senate President Lynn Kaersvang said.
"I think the faculty is fine with it. It made sense to them that the college needs to set priorities for what they're going to bring forward to the legislative session. It also makes sense that there be enough leg work done so that any questions people have could be directly answered," Kaersvang said.
Student Government Assembly President Andrew Bateman thinks the board should have approved the new programs rather than delay the vote.
"Well, I totally agree with Dr. Jordan. I think it would have been more prudent for the trustees to give it an initial go-ahead before spending a lot of work on all those need assessments and all those sorts of things. If the board wants more information for approval, then they'll get more information," Bateman said.
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