Comment on CPE

Graduation's Over and My grades are In...

Now, where did I put that Petrili report?

While I look around, here's an exchange from Friday's Comment on Kentucky. Host Ferrell Wellman welcomed Linda Blackford from the Lexington Herald-Leader and C-J's Frankfort reporter Stephenie Steitzer to discuss CPE and higher education in Kentucky. Here's their take:

Ferrell Wellman: The Council on Postsecondary Education did not give at least five of the state schools, plus the community college and technical school system the tuition hikes they wanted for the 2008-2009 academic year. Western Kentucky University President Gary Ransdell called it "a mess." Stephanie, when we talk about these tuition cuts, actually what we're talking about are hikes that won't be as great as they would have been. Who took the biggest hit here?

Stephanie Steitzer: Well, the community college system wanted a 13% increase and they were whacked to a 5% increase, so they took the biggest hit. Eastern Kentucky and Kentucky State took a 1% hit from what they wanted, so they went form 8% to 7%. Uof L, UK and Northern Kentucky University got what they wanted...9...and NKU was 9 and some change. And, Western Kentucky was whacked, but they were allowed to increase tuition for...out of state students a little higher to sort of make up
for that.

Wellman: I know I talked to some people from Murray ...last week and they were telling me that while they were getting 6.1% increase in tuition, that some of the faculty and staff actually wanted more than that and that some of the faculty were upset that the ...board hadn't asked for more money... When we're talking about the problems between the tuition requests that came in and what the council actually granted - and they voted this morning - what's this going to mean, long run do you think, in terms of friction between the university presidents and the council itself?

Seitzer: Well, this year was an odd year for the tuition situation. This is the first time since 1997, since CPE's been in existence, ...that the CPE has cut any of the universities' tuition hikes, even back during the early 2000s, when these schools were doing double digit increases. I think a lot of this has to do with Brad Cowgill the
president. He was the interim president. They were going to hire him as president. Governor Beshear stepped in and said, No, I don't think so. It was basically a parting shot on ...Cowgill's part to say they were going to whack tuition. It made him look good, politically speaking, and it made the governor look like he was opposed to keeping tuition down. So, that was one anomaly. You also have the budget
situation with the state. The schools for the first time in a few years haven't gotten nearly what they wanted from the state - a total of a 6% cut in what they were wanting. So this year is a little bit of an anomaly. I think going forward...the governor will be able to have more of a role in who the next president will be at CPE -that search is under way now - and revisit what the commitment is to higher education and what we want to do, and whether the goals we set in 1997 are realistic, and whether the state is ready to pony up some of the cash to meet some of these goals.

Wellman: What this means, I guess, for the community colleges and technical schools... is there going to be some kind of cap, some kind of limit on enrollment this fall?

Seitzer: The president says he wants to cap enrollment, that they just can't afford to serve as many students with this cut. He said in a story today that we were sacrificing accessibility for affordability, which is sort of an interesting statement. One of the things that drew the ire of many people with the KCTCS's desire to raise
tuition 13% is that our community college tuition is about 20% higher than the national average... So in a state as poor as Kentucky the thinking has been - and Brad Cowgill when he first took the job at CPE said he wanted to freeze tuition at KCTCS - so maybe they got more than they could have gotten.

Linda Blackford: It's kind of an impossible situation when you've got these goals where you have to radically increase enrollment every year until 2020, but then they're not getting - so they're under pressure to do that but then - but there's this constant tension with tuition increases and what that costs, and whether the state can really put the money there.

Seitzer: That's why I think, in the next session, there will be conversation going forward with the next CPE president on...What are our goals? Are they realistic? Were we just shooting at the sky in '97 when we set these goals and are we willing to pony up the cash to meet these goals? ...The whole drama has called into question whether CPE itself has been serving it's purpose. You know, first time since 1997 that they've held tuition down. ...Our editorial board has called into question - Are we monitoring the efficiency at some of these schools? ..at some of these regional schools? Are we duplicating too many programs? Are we trying to do too much with too little?

So...How'd the Tuition Hearings Go?

This from C-J:

Tuition hearing turns tense
U of L's Ramsey, Cowgill square off

FRANKFORT, Ky. -- A tuition hearing before the state's higher education board grew heated at times yesterday, with one university president calling the board's budget model "crummy" and telling the official who created it his "credibility is at stake."

The exchange occurred between University of Louisville President James Ramsey and Brad Cowgill, the outgoing president of the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education.

The two sparred several times during U of L's tuition proposal presentation to the council's Budget and Finance Policy Group. At one point, Ramsey said he would be "blown away" if the council doesn't approve the university's 9 percent tuition increase.

The council, which has the authority to set tuition rates at public universities and colleges, is scheduled to vote on increases May 9. Cowgill indicated last week that the council may reject some of proposed increases out of concerns about affordability.

"I don't know how you can do that," said Ramsey, noting that U of L's increase mirrors the rate the council used when it presented its budget proposal to Gov. Steve Beshear last fall.

"It was never a promise," Cowgill responded, explaining the percentage was used as part of a model to help members of the General Assembly understand the relationship between state revenue and tuition.

"You've got a really crummy model," Ramsey shot back. "Your logic isn't flying with me." The two continued to disagree several more times, with the most heated exchange coming during a discussion over whether U of L was looking to tuition to make up for the shortfall in state revenue,

"We're not coming anywhere close to making up the shortfall," Ramsey said. "We're trying to move forward with what you are holding us accountable for."

Cowgill noted, however, that the university's proposal documents say the tuition increase is tied to the cut in state funding. Ramsey responding by saying, "All right. All right, Brad. You win the legal argument. Mark one down for Brad Cowgill." ...

After the hearing, Ramsey said: "We don't take any joy in sitting here and asking for a 9 percent increase. But something has to give." ...

Things went better on Friday:

...Council officials noted that in the decade since the state enacted changes that sought to dramatically increase the number of degrees, state funding for universities and tuition rates have almost doubled, but degree production has increased far less dramatically.

Eastern Kentucky University President Doug Whitlock said he is working to increase productivity on his campus through better coordination of student support services, and working more closely with school districts to prepare students for college. "I think the onus is on us to show better productivity," he said.

University of Kentucky President Lee Todd said his campus is also taking steps to increase degrees, including hiring more advisers and seeking to decrease class sizes. But, he said, he is not at the point where he thinks students are being priced out of
higher education.

"I don't hear that on campus. … We're not out of bounds in this state," he said. But he said Kentucky needs to increase funding to state universities, which he said are the long-term solution to the state's economic problems.

"Are we serious about trying to move this state forward or not?" Todd said. "I think we have to make our minds up."

State Rep. Harry Moberly, D-Richmond, chairman of the House budget committee, said he thought it was appropriate for the council to ask the universities about their degree productivity and that the community college system's proposed increase struck him as exorbitant.

At the same time, Moberly, who is also a top administrator at EKU, agreed with Todd about the need for more state funding. "The burden will be on the governor and the General Assembly to either cut the budget or raise revenue," he said.

Thoughtful Statesman

Now a new CPE?

Brad Cowgill's decision to resign, rather than face a prolonged fight over his appointment as full-time president of the Council on Postsecondary Education, was the right resolution for the wrong process.

The General Assembly clearly intended the state's system of public colleges and universities to be overseen by a CPE administrator with national stature and deep higher education background. Mr. Cowgill did not qualify on either point.

He was, however, a thoughtful interim leader for the CPE whose views on funding our public campuses were worth serious consideration. His negative reaction to more
tuition hikes -- especially a big increase by the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) -- was fully justified. It's understandable that CPE chairman John Turner accepted his resignation "with mixed emotions."

Entirely predictable was the reaction from Senate President David Williams, who charged Gov. Steve Beshear with "interfering" in the selection of a CPE president. That complaint may be brushed aside as false. Mr. Beshear didn't interfere. He simply insisted that the CPE selection process operate according to law.

Our view has been, and remains, that the most important task is not choosing a new CPE president but deciding what the council should be -- coordinator? advocate? both? -- and what it can be, given the ultimately, and inevitably, political nature of the big decisions it must make concerning Kentucky's public higher education system. Whatever role is assigned to the council, the General Assembly and the governor can't be written out of the process. They won't let themselves be bypassed...

Cowgill also drew praise from H-L for his statesmanship.

Honorable move
Cowgill resigns; now Beshear must step up

Gov. Steve Beshear won the battle but Brad Cowgill walked away looking like a statesman.

Rather than trigger an unproductive fight with the governor, Cowgill surrendered a job that he wanted, even though he had powerful allies, including Senate President David Williams, who would have helped him try to hold on.

By doing the honorable thing, Cowgill sets the stage for a national search for someone to lead Kentucky's efforts to catch up with the rest of the country in educating its people.

Beshear has expressed an interest in doing all he can to assist the search for a new Council on Postsecondary Education president.

What would be most helpful from him is a genuine commitment to provide Kentucky's public universities and colleges and the state's public schools with the resources they need. A commitment backed by effective action...

Cowgill Steps Down

This from Art Jester at H-L:

Brad Cowgill announced Tuesday that he is resigning as president of the state Council on Postsecondary Education.

“I do this for one reason: In the foreseeable future, it would be necessary to devote excessive time and effort to unproductive activities, denying me the satisfaction of fruitful work,” Cowgill said in a statement.

Officially, Cowgill’s eight-month interim term as the council’s president ends Wednesday. The council hired him as its president on April 14, over the objections of Gov. Steve Beshear, who said the council should obey state law by conducting a national search to fill the post.

Council Chariman John Turner praised Cowgill for his work.

“Brad Cowgill took the reigns of the CPE as interim president last fall during a challenging time in the life of the Council.” Turner said. “Brad’s singular energy and intellect, attention to detail, and unique communication skills. He handled each assignment with distinction and aplomb.”

Earlier Tuesday, Turner acknowledged that it is “very possible” the council will revisit in a closed session on Thursday the group’s recent decision to appoint Cowgill as their presidentTurner and council member John R. Hall of Lexington, the former chairman of Ashland Inc., had little else to say after meeting with Gov. Steve Beshear in the Capitol for 38 minutes early Tuesday afternoon...

H-L: Higher-ed needs national search

This from the Herald-Leader:

Panel should seek new leader while Cowgill studies rising tuition

When it costs more to go to community college in Kentucky than in the rest of the country, someone needs to ask questions.

Brad Cowgill is right to shine a bright light on proposed tuition increases. But Cowgill can't be an effective advocate for affordable higher education, or anything else, under the current circumstances...

...Beshear is demanding a national search and correctly says that for the search to be fair, Cowgill cannot be a candidate.

Without the uncertainty of a governor's race looming, the CPE should be able to attract a stronger pool of candidates than last year when it called of the search.

And now that Beshear has drawn a line in the sand, the council, still made up mostly of Fletcher appointees, and its chairman, John Turner, cannot produce a graceful resolution without opening a new search.

Sure, they could duke it out in the courts and media. But to what end? An expensive, protracted fight and ugly rift between the president and the governor he's supposed to advise, with the council's staff and work frozen in the crossfire...

CPE's Turner Questions Beshear's Motives

This from H-L:

John Turner, chairman of the state Council on Postsecondary Education, sent a letter to council members last week, questioning Gov. Beshear's motives for trying to block their hiring of Brad Cowgill.

Turner speculated in the April 21 letter to council members that the governor might have political motives for questioning Cowgill's hiring.

"I'm wondering if it's possible that the real focus of the governor's attention is us, not Brad," he wrote, noting that a move by Beshear to dissolve the council "would hasten the point (by a couple of years) when the council has mainly people appointed by Governor Beshear."

Turner said it would be "premature" to say how the council will react to Beshear.

Whitlock Installed as EKUs 11th President

I attended this afternoon's ceremony - as a faculty member, not as a reporter. It was a very nice ceremony on a lovely day. I did not have the opportunity to say "Hi" to Governor Beshear or Commissioner Jon Draud, but I did have a nice chat with Brad Cowgill and his wife Margaret.

But this was Whitlock's day.

A string of dignitaries described the various aspects of his service to the Commonwealth, including his service on the Madison County Board of Education. He seemed to wipe a tear during Cowgill's praise for his ability to bring people together.

Whitlock had a wonderful message for the EKU faithful. Literate, expressive and rich with history; he revealed his head and his heart.

This from EKU:

Adopting as his theme the motto of Eastern Kentucky State Normal School many years ago, Dr. Doug Whitlock declared “The Best Is Hardly Good Enough” at ceremonies inaugurating him as Eastern Kentucky University’s 11th President on Friday, April 25.

“They are words that resonate with a challenge to all who seek to advance this great university,” Whitlock said. “At first blush there is an apparent incongruity in that statement. After all, what can be better than the best? On reflection, I think the answer lies in something I once heard said by Robert R. Martin. ‘Greatness,’ he said, ‘is a moving target. It is fleeting and is not something that once achieved is forever.’ Or, in my less eloquent words, today’s best will be hardly good enough for tomorrow.”

Whitlock comes to the presidency intimately familiar with EKU’s legacy, having earned two degrees from the institution and serving it for almost 40 years in various
administrative and teaching roles. From 1976 until 1998, he served Presidents J.C. Powell and Hanly Funderburk as Executive Assistant. He was Vice President for Administrative Affairs from 1998 until what turned out to be a temporary retirement in 2003. EKU’s Board of Regents appointed Whitlock as Interim President in August, 2007, and 10 weeks later removed the interim label.

“Since 1906 to this very day, Eastern has been a great institution,” Whitlock said. “In many respects we are the best at what we do. But remember ‘The Best Is Hardly Good Enough.’ The Eastern I attended was great, but it is not the same institution when I graduated as it was when I began as a freshman.

The Eastern I returned to from the Army in 1968 was different still, as was the one from which I retired, as was the Eastern I found when I returned to work last August.”

One constant throughout EKU’s 102-year history has been its ability to change lives, Whitlock said.

“Our real mission is the business of building better lives,” he said, noting the prevalence at EKU of first-generation college students. “That’s true to some extent for all universities, but I still think it is a basis for part of Eastern’s specialness. When our graduates talk of Eastern’s impact on their lives they are speaking of a profound change. Our record as a school of opportunity makes Eastern special.”

Whitlock also spoke of a willingness of the University community to change through the years to meet the needs of its students, its service region and the Commonwealth.

“There is on this campus a heritage of flexibility, entrepreneurship and educated risk taking that is a part of what makes Eastern special,” he said. “Without it there would be no College of Health Sciences and no College of Justice and Safety. Without it there would not be campuses at Corbin, Danville, Lancaster and Manchester. Without it we would not be developing the Studio for Academic Creativity in the Library, and without it we would not be admitting our first class of doctoral students this coming
fall.”

Eastern’s 11th President asked his listeners to join him in meeting the challenges that lie ahead. Among other desires, he cited in particular the need to:

• preserve and protect Eastern’s heritage as a school of opportunity, while maintaining high quality and adding significant value.

• maintain and enhance an educational and living experience that, in the words of Dr. Williard Daggett, features rigor, relevance and relationships.

• avoid falling into a spiral of diminishing returns on the University community’s effort when process becomes product and form usurps function.

• measure the efficacy of teaching, scholarship and service by student achievement.

• protect the University’s liberal arts-based general education core.

• strengthen ties to the K-12 community and emphasize intervention over remediation.

• strengthen the University’s commitment to regional stewardship.

• build deeper relationships with community and technical colleges and independent institutions.

• play a
leadership role in the statewide effort to increase graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

• reach out to those adults who stopped just short of completing their college degree.

• celebrate diversity for its educational value.

• increase the University’s global focus and involvement and broaden relationships with foreign institutions and enroll more international students.

• increase efforts to secure private support.

Others speaking at the ceremonies were emcee Hunter Bates, chair, EKU Board of Regents; Gov. Steve Beshear; Dr. Brad Cowgill, president, Council on Postsecondary Education; Dr. Jon Draud, commissioner, Kentucky Department of Education; Dr. David Eakin, chair, EKU Faculty Senate; Dr. Malcolm Frisbie, faculty Regent; Steven Fulkerson, staff Regent; David Fifer, student Regent; Bill Jones, president, EKU National Alumni Association; Richmond Mayor Connie Lawson; Madison County Judge-Executive Kent Clark; and EKU President Emeritus Hanly Funderburk, who was presented a Presidential Award of Merit.

SOURCE: EKU press release

Tuition as Tax

This from the Courier-Journal:

Why tuition taxes?

The Council on Postsecondary Education should do what its president, Brad Cowgill, suggests -- focus seriously, and skeptically, on the tuition increases being promoted at Kentucky's public colleges and universities.

It's a refreshing change to have the CPE do something meaningful. Especially welcome is Mr. Cowgill's focus on the 13 percent tuition hike that the Kentucky Community and Technical College System wants. KCTCS has boosted its rates some 151 percent over the past 10 years, making them 26 percent higher than the national average for community colleges.

This system's students are particularly vulnerable. Many come from lower income
homes. Often they're the first in the family to attend college. They barely scrape together enough cash for tuition, scrimp on living expenses, work multiple jobs and somehow squeeze their college classwork into a crowded schedule. They're especially hard hit when tuition keeps going up.

What CPE really should do is reject all the proposed tuition increases, thereby creating a financial crisis on state campuses and forcing Gov. Steve Beshear to call a
special session, during which the General Assembly could pass at least a 75-cent-per-pack increase in the state's cigarette tax -- something it should have had the guts to do during the 2008 regular session.

The problem is, Senate President David Williams might be content with his usual answer -- a little more belt-tightening. The Governor couldn't do a thing about that, since Mr. Williams controls the Frankfort agenda. So calling a special session might
make a bad situation worse.

Make no mistake about it. These institutions need the money they're asking for in new tuition revenue -- all of it, and more. If they got stuck with the 6 percent cuts already imposed this year, by Mr. Beshear and the General Assembly, that would set Kentucky higher education back a far piece.

What's needed is more state revenue, not only in higher education but across the state budget -- not just now, through a cigarette tax boost, but consistently, over time, through a modernization of the state's tax system.

C-J says Beshear Should Ignore Layzell, Seize Opportunity

This from the Courier-Journal:

Two opinions

Tom Layzell is a gentleman. He's an experienced educator, and easy to like.

However, a quiet and deferential tenure as head of the Council on Postsecondary Education gives him no standing to lecture Gov. Steve Beshear on what to do about a CPE that is (and was, under Mr. Layzell's amiable and well-mannered guidance) embarrassingly ineffective.

Mr. Layzell's letter to the Governor, warning that any conflict with the CPE could set back higher education in Kentucky, is best simply ignored. On the other hand, yesterday's opinion from Atty. Gen. Jack Conway, explaining that CPE acted improperly in naming Brad Cowgill to Mr. Layzell's old post, should be seized as an opportunity.

The council as it now exists is an embarrassment. It is neither a useful advocate for the campuses that make up the state system nor an effective coordinator of those institutions.

What's needed are a council and a CPE president who are willing "to speak truth to power," and to do that even when there is professional risk. To point out that a strong higher education system is expensive -- very expensive -- and will only become more so. To insist that financing it will take sacrifice and pain from all Kentuckians. To affirm that what we really need is a massive, tectonic shift in hundreds of millions of dollars worth of student aid, toward students who need it most, and that well-to-do Kentucky families should be willing (gladly, gratefully, because they are able) to pay full freight at the university of their choice, because it is still a bargain.

To declare universities accountable, but demand something better than pennies–on-the-dollar public support. To point out that, although tuition rates are increasing too fast, the council recommended a 7 percent increase in 2008-2009, not the 6 percent cut the institutions now face. To make clear that these campuses have nowhere else to go for cuts in operating money. To emphasize that KCTCS serves many of our fellow citizens who most need financial help, that its tuition probably shouldn't increase at all, that Kentucky taxpayers should be willing to invest whatever is needed to offset budget cuts and hold the system's tuition steady.

Does the current council speak like that -- boldly, and with authority? Absolutely not. It was more or less silent, when it mattered, on such controversial issues as domestic partner benefits and guns in cars, and on any number of other concerns of importance to students and universities.

The lesson in the tenure of the first CPE president, Gordon Davies, is this: One can't want the job and the paycheck so badly that he mutters discretely, or maneuvers politely, when it's time be bold.

Conway rules out CPE Hiring. Beshear Flexes Muscle: Has not ruled out disbanding the council.

Following the Kentucky's Board of Education's Barbara Erwin debacle, newly minted Governor-elect Steve Beshear asked the KBE to conduct a national search for Education Commissioner. KBE blew him off and hired Kentuckian Jon Draud.

Earlier this month, Beshear warned the Council on Postsecondary Education that they must conduct a national search for its next president. CPE blew him off and hired its interim president Brad Cowgill without a new search. Council chairman John Turner of Lebanon said no search was necessary because "we have the right person in place."

Beshear responded by calling for an Attorney General's Opinion and asked the CPE to refrain from executing a contract with Cowgill. CPE did not finalize the contract.

The Courier-Journal jumped into the fray with an opinion calling CPE "utterly useless" and urging Beshear to shut it down by executive order.

CPE responded by asserting it's power over the universities announcing that schools might be held to 3-7% tuition increases.

The Daily Independent offered their score card which showed Beshear 0 for 2 when it comes to getting a state board to follow his leadership.

The university presidents' gave CPE something less than a ringing endorsement as U of L's James Ramsey said,

"They don't teach any classes, they're not educating students, they don't do any research like that taking place on the campuses," he said. "As long as the universities are focused and committed and moving forward, reform will continue to happen."

Yesterday, Attorney General Jack Conway said CPE erred when it offered the CPE presidency to Brad Cowgill.

"It is clear from the plain language of the statutes establishing the Council that the position of president was intended to be a preeminent position in Kentucky's postsecondary education scheme. KR 164.013 requires the president to possess" significant experience and an established reputation as a professional in the field of postsecondary education."2 The president "shall be the primary advocate for postsecondary education and advisor to the Governor and the General Assembly on matters of postsecondary education in Kentucky."3 Further evidence of the high authority and importance of this position is the fact that the statute requires the president of the Council to be paid more than the base salary of any president of any Kentucky public university.4"

Beshear immediately told CPE to follow the AG's ruling, drop Cowgill, and conduct a new search.

Now CPE's chair, John Turner, member John Hall and former member Walter Baker want a chat with Governor Beshear; while making suggestions of resistance, and a "friendly lawsuit."

Beshear does not rule out disbanding the council.

Beshear, Cowgill and Turner are all scheduled to attend the inauguration of EKU President Doug Whitlock this afternoon.

This from Jack Brammer over at Pol Watchers.

Conway: Higher-education leaders violated law

The Council on Postsecondary Education violated state law when it appointed Lexington lawyer Brad Cowgill as its president without retaining a search firm and conducting a new national search for a permanent president, Attorney General Jack Conway opined.

Conway issued a 12 page opinion Thursday afternoon in response to a request from Gov. Steve Beshear, who opposed the council's decision to hire Cowgill on April 14.

In a news conference, Conway said "the council was duty bound to conduct a national search."

Cowgill, a former state budget director for Gov. Ernie Fletcher, had been the council's interim president since Sept. 1, 2007. He was appointed to that post after the council terminated an unsuccessful search for a president.

Beshear has argued that the council ignored legal requirements that the council conduct a national search and come up with a president who has an established reputation and experience in postsecondary education.

Cowgill had no experience as a postsecondary administrator before being hired as the council's interim president.

Conway stressed that the opinion does not address Cowgill's qualifications. He said he believes a new search is needed, but noted that his opinion is only advisory.

Conway declined to offer advice about what the council or Beshear should do next, but noted that Beshear has the executive authority to reorganize the council.

Beshear said he was "not surprised" by the opinion. He said he wants to review the opinion and will have a statement later in the day.

The council is the coordinating agency for the state's eight public universities and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. Among other things, the council recommends a biennial postsecondary education budget and it sets the limits on how much the institutions can increase tuition.

Conway's opinion also identified "numerous" violations of Kentucky's Open Meetings law. He said his office could not find records of the council voting for Cowgill to serve on an interim basis.

In the interest of full disclosure:

An interesting confluence of events has brought together a number of individuals for whom I have great respect and have had some relationship. They now find themselves as players on opposite teams.

I have known both Brad Cowgill and Steve Beshear as "Cassidy School parents."

Steve and Jane Beshear's son Andy attended Cassidy School in Lexington for his elementary years. If my memory is correct, I was Andy's principal for his final year. The Beshears were what we in the school business call terrific parents; knowledgeable, friendly and supportive not only of their own son but they contributed to the well-being of other people's children as well. I worked directly with Jane when she chaired the Kentucky Literacy Commission, of which I was a member in the mid-80s.

Brad And Margaret Cowgill were very active parents during their children's years at Cassidy and I came to know them well over a longer period of time. Active with the PTA and involved in matters related to the school, they volunteered many hours and I always found them to be extremely supportive of the school and its mission. I always found Brad to be passionate about the importance of a sound educational system in Kentucky. I thought CPE made a great choice when they selected Cowgill as the interim president.

Somewhat related, Jon Draud and I go way back. As a young teacher in Kenton County, I coached one of his sons; he was a Kenton County school board member; he was my instructor in the graduate program at Xavier University; my mother was his Board Treasurer in Ludlow (my school district) for almost 20 years...

Before I had any thought of the possibility that Jon Draud might become Kentucky's Education Commissioner I contributed to an effort to unseat Barbara Erwin - which ultimately lead to Draud's appointment.

Go figure.

Did University Presidents Throw CPE Under the Bus?

PolWatchers report that the university presidents didn't say much after their meeting with Governor Beshear...but it sounds to me like they said a lot.

This from PolWatchers:

University presidents say little after meeting with Beshear

The presidents of Kentucky's public universities and community and technical college system said little Wednesday that revealed the specifics of their one-hour meeting with Gov. Steve Beshear.

Beshear himself declined to comment as aides whisked him into an official vehicle outside the Capitol. "I'm 30 minutes late for my next meeting," Beshear said.

The presidents had requested the meeting, apparently to discuss their proposed tuition increases and disenchantment with the way the state Council on Postsecondary Education is organized and operates.

The presidents largely answered questions in generalities, with University of Louisville President Jim Ramsey making the most pointed remarks.

"It's unfortunate that the council is not seen to play a key role as advisor to the governor and the General Assembly," Ramsey said.

But he emphasized that the current controversy over tuition increases, the council's hiring of Brad Cowgill as its president and the structure and personnel of the council itself should not obscure the "incredible progress" the campuses have made since Kentucky enacted its higher education reforms of 1997.

Then Ramsey kinda ...sorta ...tossed CPE under the bus.

"They don't teach any classes, they're not educating students, they don't do any research like that taking place on the campuses," he said. "As long as the universities are focused and committed and moving forward, reform will continue to happen." ...

That's a far cry from encouraging the governor to keep CPE in its present form, or that CPE is necessary to future progress.

0 for 2

This from the Daily Independent:

Governor failed to influence choice of top education leaders

Gov. Steve Beshear is 0 for 2 in his efforts to influence the appointment of Kentucky’s two top education officials: The commissioner of education and the president of the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education.


It is indicative of just how little this new governor — elected by a landslide last November — has been able to affect policy during his first months in office.


Shortly before his inauguration in December, Governor-elect Beshear asked members of the Kentucky Board of Education to delay the appointment of a new education commissioner in order to conduct another national search to the state’s top education leader. The first search had resulted in the disastrous selection of Barbara Erwin, who resigned before her first day as commissioner after discrepancies in her resume were revealed.


Within days after requesting the state school board to extend its search for a new commissioner, the board named Jon Draud, a Republican member of the Kentucky House of Representatives and former superintendent of the Ludlow Independent School District, as the state’s fourth education commissioner.


So much for the new governor’s advice.


Just last week, Governor Beshear asked the Council on Postsecondary Education to conduct a national search for a president who will have “an established reputation” in higher education.


Less than a week later, the council named Brad Cowgill — the former budget director for former Gov. Ernie Fletcher who had served as interim president since last July — as the permanent successor to former President Tom Layzell.


The governor is so upset with the council’s decision to hire Cowgill that he has asked Attorney General Jack Conway to rule on its legality. Beshear contends the council violated state law by failing to conduct a national search for Layzell’s successor. The governor asked the council to wait until Conway rules on the legality of the hiring before signing a contract with Cowgill.


Cowgill has been serving as interim president after the council said its first national search for Layzell’s successor produced no acceptable applicants. Among those unacceptable applicants was Cowgill.


Created by the Higher Education Reform Act of 1997, the president of the Council on Postsecondary Education is the highest ranking higher education official in the state, drawing a higher salary than the presidents of any of the universities or community and technical colleges. However, as a practical matter, the council has never given the president the authority he needs to do his job. Will it be different under Cowgill? We doubt it.


To be fair, the laws establishing both the commissioner of education and the president of the Council on Postsecondary Education give the governor no direct role in their appointments. In order to remove some of the politics from such appointments, that’s by design. However, as the state’s chief executive, the governor should have at least some influence in naming the state’s top educators.


But not Governor Beshear. Jon Draud is the commissioner of education and Brad Cowgill is president of the Council on Postsecondary Education in spite of Steve Beshear, not because of him.

Is the Council on Postsecondary Education Relevant?

For several years now the effectiveness of the Council on Postsecondary Education has been called into question. The most recent volley was fired by the Courier-Journal last Friday.

C-J said CPE was "utterly useless in terms of setting priorities for state spending on public colleges and universities, because the General Assembly ignores its recommendations whenever it chooses." They called for Governor Steve Beshear to "re-invent the council by executive order."

If the governor wanted to preserve CPE's authority over both the universities and the legislature it could be easily done, and at no cost to the public. The way to make CPE respectable is to give them control over the distribution of athletic tickets to legislators. Instantly, legislators would be in a position to listen.

As it is CPE will soon have an opportunity to test its own relevance without any such motivators.

Will CPE hold the line on the 3 to 7 percent tuition increases it previously outlined? Or will it bend to popular opinion (at least among students and parents) that tuition increases must be held down? On the heels of C-J's skewering it is reasonable to suspect that a few CPE members may have their hackles up.

The failure of the legislature to adequately support education, has created a no-win situation.

State universities who take their missions seriously (and follow the requirements of higher education reform as outlined by HB 1) cannot sit idly by while their goals fade to nothing. Absent state support, the only option for staying on track is to raise tuition. But faithful adherence to a mission that is in the best interest of Kentucky students may also price some students out of the market - at a time when Kentucky needs to double the number of college graduates.

EKU President Doug Whitlock told the Herald-Leader that he understands the council's "legitimate" concern over higher tuition, but said a "balance has to be struck" between affordability and the "ability to offer classes and help students be successful."

Meanwhile, Beshear holds little hope for improved state funding for elementary and secondary education in the near future.

This from the Herald-Leader:

Tuition plans to get hard scrutiny
HIGHER ED PANEL TO REVIEW STATE SCHOOLS' PROPOSALS

As two state universities approved proposed higher tuition rates Tuesday, a key state official said those requests and others will face tough scrutiny before gaining final approval.

Brad Cowgill, the embattled president of the state Council on Postsecondary Education, said the group has arrived at a consensus that tuition should generally go up 3 to 7 percent, with room for exceptions if schools successfully make their case at the council's tuition hearings April 30 and May 1.

On Tuesday, the University of Kentucky's Board of Trustees approved a 9 percent rise in tuition and Eastern Kentucky University's Board of Regents approved an 8 percent increase -- both for in-state students.

Officials at both schools said they regretted the increases but found them unavoidable after two rounds of budget cuts reduced their state funding by 6 percent.

Meanwhile, Cowgill called the Kentucky Community and Technical College System's proposal for a 13 percent tuition increase "clearly excessive," noting that its tuition has increased 151 percent over the last 10 years and is now 26 percent higher than the national average for community colleges...

For those keeping score, here are the tuition rate increases

under consideration for Kentucky's universities so far:

KCTCS - 13 percent

Northern Kentucky University - 9.68 percent increase
Western Kentucky University - 9 percent increase
University of Kentucky - 9 percent increase
University of Louisville - 9 percent increase
Eastern Kentucky University - 8 percent increase

Kentucky State University - 8 percent tuition

Murray State University - 6 percent increase
Morehead State University - tuition increase will be based on number of credit hours

Mark Hebert has a statement from CPE head Brad Cowgill:

C-J says: Beshear should put CPE in Receivership by Executive Order

This from C-J:

CPE is a mess; scrap it

Gov. Steve Beshear was right to ask for an attorney general's opinion on the legality of the process through which Brad Cowgill became president of Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education. He asked CPE members not to sign a contract with Mr. Cowgill under these circumstances -- a reasonable request.

It makes sense for the Governor to go even further.

CPE is the one failed part of Paul Patton's higher education reform, as outlined in House Bill 1. It is utterly useless in terms of setting priorities for state spending on public colleges and universities, because the General Assembly ignores its recommendations whenever it chooses.

The council also fails to fully coordinate public campus programs, which is obvious in the fact that community college students so often have trouble transferring credits to four-year institutions.

The council also has failed to contain the ambition of some comprehensive (read, "regional") universities to become full-blown doctoral degree-granting campuses -- a role that's supposed to be played by the state's two major research institutions, the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville, in order to avoid expensive duplication.

The council has been a shell since its first president, Gordon Davies, was, in effect, fired.

Whatever legal conclusion Attorney General Jack Conway reaches, there's no question about the intent of House Bill 1. It called for a national search to find an experienced educator who could lead the state system. Instead, current members decided to appoint a lawyer with minimal full-time experience in higher education, and they looked no further than Frankfort to find him. A council full of Ernie Fletcher appointees ignored the law and appointed the former Republican governor's onetime budget director.

Mr. Cowgill is a lawyer and former bureaucrat, articulate and quite capable. His ideas for changing the system through which public campuses are funded are sound. The problem is, he's not an experienced academic administrator. For a salary like $275,000 per year, his background should fit the legal job description.

Mr. Cowgill could prove that he understands the dynamics of success in such a position by stepping aside voluntarily. The CPE members who chose not to honor the law's clear intent could give up their positions, too. But neither of those things will happen. In government these days, nobody sacrifices in order to "do the right thing."

Mr. Beshear clearly will change the makeup of this council as his opportunities to make appointments arise, but that will involve destructive delay.

The Governor should, instead, put the CPE operation into receivership in the Education Cabinet, until a way forward can be sorted out. Gubernatorial intervention -- as heavy-handed as that might seem -- is preferable to weak-kneed acceptance of a bad situation. Mr. Beshear can re-invent the council by executive order.

An effort to restore some power to the governor's office is overdue. Since the time of John Y. Brown Jr., that office has been undermined, and by more than just the emergence of a strong, independent legislature. Annual sessions further diminished an office long weakened by the state constitution's provision for mere-majority overrides of gubernatorial vetoes. Then came the era of inflexibly partisan Frankfort politics, which further constrains a governor whose party does not control both chambers of the General Assembly.

If nothing else, Mr. Beshear must respond to the CPE's conduct forcefully so that every board and commission and all 30,000-plus state workers know he won't let them ignore his requests to act according to the law's intent.

Beshear requests AG's review of CPE appointment

This by Nancy C. Rodriguez at the Courier-Journal:

Upset over the Council on Postsecondary Education’s decision this week to hire Brad Cowgill as its permanent president, Gov. Steve Beshear asked the state’s attorney general today for an opinion on whether the council violated state statutes in making the appointment.

Cowgill, the state budget director under former Gov. Ernie Fletcher, has served as the council’s interim president since Sept. 1 of last year.

On Monday, the council voted 10-2 to hire Cowgill as its permanent president, starting May 1.

In a letter dated today and sent to Council Chairman John Turner, Beshear asks that the council refrain from executing a contract with Cowgill until Attorney General Jack Conway issues an advisory opinion.

The council’s decision to hire Cowgill came after Beshear had twice — in a letter and later in a meeting — expressed his desire to Turner that the council follow state statute and conduct a national search to fill the post, and also hire someone with “an established reputation as a professional in the field of postsecondary education.”

Beshear apparently not finished with Cowgill matter

Ryan Alessi at PolWatchers is reporting that Governor Steve Beshear said he may have an announcement later today on his next move to respond to the Council on Postsecondary Education's move to hire Brad Cowgill as the organization's president. Beshear had urged council members to conduct a national search.


"We will be probably addressing that in some manner today," he said.

Beshear upset by Cowgill election to education post

This from the Herald-Leader:

FRANKFORT --The state Council on Postsecondary Education hired Lexington lawyer Brad Cowgill Monday to lead Kentucky's higher education system, defying
objections by Gov. Steve Beshear and possibly running afoul of state law.

Cowgill, 56, has been the council's interim president since Sept. 1. The Democrat had previously been budget director for Gov. Ernie Fletcher, a Republican, who lost to Beshear in November.

Earlier this month, Beshear warned the council that state law requires them to conduct a national search and hire a professional educator of national reputation in postsecondary education.

Beshear said he was "very disappointed" by the council's decision. "It seems apparent that a number of folks were more interested in bulldozing through a selection," Beshear said.

The governor said he and his staff were reviewing their options, but he declined to discuss them.

Council chairman John Turner of Lebanon said no search was necessary because "we have the right person in place."

The council reached its decision to hire Cowgill after closed sessions Sunday night and Monday.

Cowgill received 10 votes, with two abstentions. Two members were absent, and one seat is vacant.

Just before that vote, Vice Chairman Dan Flanagan of Campbellsville made a motion to conduct a new search. The motion was defeated overwhelmingly on a voice vote.

State Auditor Crit Luallen, who coordinated the team that put together the 1997 higher education reform bill, said the council's decision "raises a legal question that still needs to be answered." ...

Beshear weighs in on search for new higher-ed chief

This from PolWatchers:

Gov. Steve Beshear wants the state Council on Postsecondary education to conduct a national search for its next president and hire a nationally recognized educator -- an apparent gubernatorial thumbs-down for Beshear's former law partner, Brad Cowgill.

Cowgill became the council's interim president on Sept. 1, after he had
been budget director for Gov. Ernie Fletcher. Beshear, a Democrat, defeated Fletcher, a Republican, for governor last November.

Cowgill, whose interim term is supposed to end this month, is a Democrat, but he has been a lifelong friend of Fletcher's...

Thank you, Sir. May I have Another.

Lovin' the bad news...'cause it's not worse.

This from PolWatchers:

'Good news and bad news' budget agreed upon

After an all-nighter, lawmakers negotiating the state’s budget emerged from behind closed doors at about 7 a.m. with a plan that cuts university funding by 3 percent and other government programs by an as-yet unknown amount.

State workers and teachers are slated for 1 percent pay raises in each of the next two years. "There's some good news and bad news," said House Speaker Jody Richards, D-Bowling Green. "Not as good in human services and education as we'd like but it's an improvement over the (governor's proposed) budget that we got."

This latest version of the $19 billion two-year spending plan, which key House and Senate members finally finished cobbling together after 21 straight hours of work, adds at least $150 million more each year beyond what Gov. Steve Beshear first outlined in January...

..EDUCATION: Public universities would have to trim another 3 percent beyond the 3 percent Beshear asked them to cut back already this year.

The Bucks for Brains program, which helps attract prominent professors to Kentucky public colleges, would receive the $60 million Beshear requested, Kelly said.

The budget also includes more money for student financial aid than was proposed by Beshear.

The spending plan, Kelly and Richards said, also includes money local school districts can use for textbooks and safe schools programs, which has been urged by Rep. Harry Moberly, D-Richmond...

..."Given the revenue constraints they had, I think it's a remarkable showing of how much both chambers value us," said Doug Whitlock, president of Eastern Kentucky University. "We recognize the realities of the situation." ...

...UNIVERSITIES REACT: Several university presidents expressed gratitude that their budgets weren't cut further.

"Given the revenue constraints they had, I think it's a remarkable showing of how much both chambers value us," said Doug Whitlock, president of Eastern Kentucky University. "We recognize the realities of the situation."

..."I'm quite ecstatic," said Brad Cowgill, interim president of the council. " It's like a coming from behind win for the home team. Higher education has staying power with this legislature, and we're grateful for that." ...

Higher Ed Stung by Ugly Budgetary Prospects

This from the Herald-Leader.

Report: State department told to

prepare "worst case" budgets

LEXINGTON, Ky. --Public universities and community colleges, along with other state agencies, could face major budget cuts in the next fiscal year.

State Budget Director Mary Lassiter and interim President Brad Cowgill of the Council on Postsecondary Education said Gov. Steve Beshear's administration is warning that state agencies may have up to 12 percent less money beginning July 1.

That reduction would be in addition to a 3 percent cutback now under way for the last half of the state's current fiscal year.

Education leaders warn that such cuts may lead to major tuition increases, reduced or eliminated programs, and layoffs...

This morning EKU President Doug Whitlock lamented such a "worst case scenairo" in an Email to the campus. "...The prospect of losing as much as 15 percent of our state support from one year to the next is daunting," Whitlock wrote. "I will not pretend for one moment that this would not have an impact on our programs and services and the way we do business...that would be disengenuous and you would know it..."

Whitlock called for the immediate freezing of all vacancies and for departments to employ the highest level of scrutiny on those positions...while "we continue to hope for the best and to prepare for the worst."

"The objective of this process in almost all cases will be a net reduction of filled positions," Whitlock said.