College consolidation: Make students priority

Ever since the GI Bill flooded campuses with thousands of new students, America’s colleges have followed one model — a growth model. But, as Thomas Longin, board president of the Society for College and University Planning, said, “Everyone is real clear now that the new normal doesn’t look anything like a growth model, and, no matter what else you do, you are going to have to consolidate programs.”

To its credit, Georgia has embraced that new economic reality sooner than most states, taking the unprecedented and unpopular action of consolidating eight colleges into four. In doing so, however, the state has to ensure that consolidation leads to improved quality at its reshaped institutions.

The University System has to communicate that the pain caused by consolidation — the job losses, program eliminations and blows to civic pride — is outweighed by the education and efficiency enhancements that will result. Lawmakers and community leaders are already objecting to the plan. Such political fallout has made consolidation a rarity in public education

“I applaud what Georgia is doing. They are on the cutting edge. Nobody has managed to pull this off on the public side,” said Longin. “We all spend a lot of money shoring up institutions and duplicating services that could be better spent educating students.”

Georgia once could afford the duplicate offerings and administrative costs of two campuses. With the overall state budget down about $3 billion since 2008, legislators are now demanding efficiencies at every level. Higher education is not exempt. It doesn’t make sense to have nearby colleges replicating programs. Just as the global economy is forcing Georgia students to become more productive and efficient, so must Georgia’s colleges adapt.

Consolidation represents a first step. (Next, regents must address the dismal time-to-degree rate: less than 60 percent of students earn a four-year degree within six years.)

“People should brace themselves for a long, arduous process,” said James Minor, higher education programs director for the Southern Education Foundation.

“It’s difficult for a single institution to decide which programs it should eliminate, which it should merge — and we are doing it at eight institutions trying to become four,” he said.

Former college president Ellen Chaffee, a senior fellow with the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, once led two merged North Dakota campuses. She cautioned that the “soft” issues — community relations, institutional identity, communication on the campuses and between the campuses — can be as daunting as the structural concerns.

Consolidation requires vesting campus leaders in the decisions. While there may be a sense of loss at those campuses that become “satellites,” the return should be sustainable, higher-quality education for all the students.

-- Maureen Downey for the Editorial Board.

Planned mergers

Augusta State and Georgia Health Sciences universities.

The colleges are about three miles apart. Augusta State enrolls about 6,740 students and its president was prepared to retire June 30. Georgia Health Sciences is the state’s only public medical college and enrolls about 2,950 students.

Waycross College and South Georgia College in Douglas.

While these colleges are about 40 miles apart, some expected this consolidation because Waycross offers two-year degrees and is the smallest of the 35 existing colleges. The college has had an interim president since July. South Georgia offers four-year degrees and enrolls about 2,270 students.

Macon State and Middle Georgia colleges.