A nine-member panel appointed by Gov, Peter Shumlin to examine the relationship between the University of Vermont and the State of Vermont released its report on Friday.
Charged by the governor last November with finding ways to maximize the return on Vermont’s public funding of the university, the group has settled on 11 recommendations. They include doubling engineering programs, an institute that brings together “the world’s greatest minds” to discuss complex systems, targeted state appropriations, modification of a UVM charter provision that limits in-state tuition fees to 40 percent of that charged out-of-state students, and a change in the balance between public and private trustees.
Interim UVM President John Bramley, a panel member, pointed out that the relationship between UVM and the state has not been seriously reviewed since the 1950s. “This report is where the rubber meets the road,” Shumlin added, promising to do “everything in my power” to turn the proposals into reality.
According to the report, both officials agree that the university “is in danger of losing its competitive edge” unless significant changes are made.
“If UVM continues as it is, Vermont can’t thrive in the 21st century,” Shumlin warned after listening to the recommendation. However, he was pleased with the panel’s recommendations, which reflect views he expressed when announcing its formation last year.
During a November 2011 speech at the College of Medicine on the relationship between UVM and the state Shumlin said, “We have debated how UVM is funded and governed, but not taken action in nearly 60 years. The time to do so is now.”
The panel’s primary thrust is the creation of a “better partnership with private industry,” explained chair Nicholas Donofrio, vice president for innovation and technology at IBM. “They do a better job of innovation.”
Asked about the proposal to change the balance between private and public trustees, Donofrio explained that the state appropriation for UVM — $40 million, which currently represents about 7 percent of the operating budget — is out of balance with board representation. The group also looked at the question of whether the university should remain a public institution, but Donofrio said that option has been “put aside.”
The “history of limited general funds” appropriated to higher education in Vermont was also a factor in the suggestion that the current limit on in-state tuition, established in 1959, should be revisited. The report points out that the rule does not apply to the Vermont State Colleges system.
The goal was that the state “would subsidize the difference between the cost and the (in-state) discount. This has not happened, and the growing ‘gap’ has required the university to subsidize Vermont students out of its own general fund,” says the report.
The recommendation in this area is to “modify” the 40 percent rule. “UVM should set its own tuition with a mechanism in place to provide access and affordability to Vermonters according to their ability to pay, while maintaining an advantage for Vermonters and their families,” the report states.
Other recommendations include:
- targeting appropriations to “high priority state interests,” a list that includes science, engineering, technology, math and the arts, and giving a preference to in-state educational institutions when awarding grants and contracts;
- collaboration between state agencies and the business community on a “program of long-term student loan forgiveness and employee support” that entices students to work in Vermont after finishing school;
- an innovation center featuring “new delivery models that address economic development needs across the state”;
- closer collaboration between UVM and the state college system;
- improved branding that projects Vermont’s “world class” stature in many areas;
- appointment of a high-profile Vermonter to follow through on the blueprint provided in the report.
Panel members included Donofrio, Bramley, former state Secretary of Administration William Gilbert, attorney and UVM graduate William Wachtel, former banker Deborah Grandquist, former Lyndon State College President Peggy Williams, St. Albans Messenger publisher Emerson Lynn, and UVM student Alma Arteaga. Shumlin said he chose this group “because of its diversity.”
The report is available at: http://governor.vermont.gov/blog-advisory-group-presents-working-report-to-governor-shumlin.
