Free Daily Headlines :

  • COVID-19
  • Vaccine Info
  • Money
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Justice
  • More
    • Environment
    • Economic Development
    • Gaming
    • Investigations
    • Social Services
    • TRANSPORTATION
  • Opinion
    • CT Viewpoints
    • CT Artpoints
DONATE
Reflecting Connecticut’s Reality.
    COVID-19
    Vaccine Info
    Money
    Politics
    Education
    Health
    Justice
    More
    Environment
    Economic Development
    Gaming
    Investigations
    Social Services
    TRANSPORTATION
    Opinion
    CT Viewpoints
    CT Artpoints

LET�S GET SOCIAL

Show your love for great stories and out standing journalism
CT VIEWPOINTS -- opinions from around Connecticut

What the Regents know that just ain’t so

  • CT Viewpoints
  • by Connecticut Community College Roundtable
  • June 4, 2018
  • View as "Clean Read" "Exit Clean Read"

“It’s not what you don’t know that gets you in trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”   —   Mark Twain

Recent coverage of the Board of Regents’ latest scheme to reorganize higher education in Connecticut by removing leadership, many programs and services, and potentially accreditation from the local campuses can all be summed up in the famous quote cited above from a neighbor of the Regents’ Hartford offices.

Mark Ojakian, president of the system, who has recently received votes of no confidence and complaints from faculty groups throughout the system, could have done some research on leadership around the corner at the Twain library or he could have read the news from Wisconsin where a candidate for governor is calling for the removal of the state’s Board of Regents and their president for failing to advocate for higher education.

As the fifth president in five years in this flailing organization, he might have been instructed by the failures of his predecessors or by the advice of faculty, staff, and students at the institutions when he crafted a plan that failed to meet accreditation standards.  He says he sought input about his plan to cut $28 million dollars from the colleges, on top of the millions already cut through annual budget reductions and ongoing rescissions that have drained their reserves during the six-year history of the Regents.

But the Regents who voted for the deeply flawed plan never truly appreciated the needs of the nearly 60,000 students enrolled at these colleges. Nor did they value the contributions the colleges make to the state’s economy by keeping the doors to higher education and opportunity open for students in every region of the state.

The Board of Regents was created by legislation that was driven by Gov. Dannel Malloy and his chief of staff at the time, Mr. Ojakian.  They and their appointees only knew “what they were sure of.” And it’s undone them, just as Mark Twain would have predicted.

Flimsy drafts and misleading versions of the final submission to the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education (CIHE) were approved by the Regents based on insufficient information, inaccurate data, and deceptive representations about its development through a participatory process.

Bill Curry, former Comptroller of the State of Connecticut, said no credible financial officer would certify the budget and savings promised by the plan. Even after its rejection by CIHE, one member of the Regents repeated her support for the plan and claimed it as “the Board’s plan.” (The President of CIHE had called it “half-baked.”) However, a recently replaced Regent called for Mr. Ojakian’s resignation, echoing the opinions of other higher education leaders including Pres. Richard Judd, Trustee John Doyle, and Professor Richard Warshauer and community leaders such as Charlene LaVoie and Ralph Nader.  Mr. Ojakian and the Regents have failed in their fiduciary responsibility to guide, govern, and advocate for the colleges.

The problems created by the Board of Regents make it impossible to create a viable plan in the current poisoned environment. Educational institutions are communities open to ideas, thoughtful debate and planning, to teaching and learning and student success. It will take a collaborative effort by faculty, staff, students, advocates, legislative and educational leaders with an understanding of the mission of community colleges to set a new direction, reject bad decisions and political pandering in order to rebuild trust, and revitalize successful institutions with true leadership.

We recommend that a new governor reconstitute the Board of Regents and remove Mr. Ojakian. The Oversight Committee, created by the original legislation to guide the 2012 consolidation of the Community Colleges with the State Universities, could be revived and reformed by a new governor.  Community advocates, supporters, Regional Advisory Council Foundation board members, and geographical representation from each region, working with faculty, staff, and college leaders, higher education and accreditation experts, could oversee the rebuilding of a resourceful, resilient, relevant and cost-effective organization that would truly put students first.

A new governor will have many challenges. Connecticut lags its neighbors in nearly every economic indicator. Connecticut ranked last in economic performance in “Rich States, Poor States,” according to Don Klepper-Smith, in the Hartford Courant, April 28, 2018. The unemployment rate is currently 4.5 percent while our neighbors are at 3.9 percent.  The U.S. Commerce Department ranked Connecticut 49th in economic growth, and the Connecticut Department of Labor reported the second month of job losses in April.

“It’s not a Northeast thing,” according to Peter Goia of the Connecticut Business and Industry Association. “It’s a Connecticut thing.” (Hartford Courant, May 17, 2018.)

Several of the state’s largest employers and wealthiest citizens have fled high tax rates and an unfriendly business environment.  Our largest cities are impoverished, financially troubled with troubled schools. Connecticut has the largest achievement gap in the nation between its white and minority students.  These challenges are what a new governor will know for sure.  What he or she may not know is that community colleges offer a solution to many of these challenges.

They provide accessible, affordable higher education to over 50 percent of the state’s undergraduates, and nearly two-thirds of the minority undergraduates in public higher education. But they need investment, not obliteration.

Since 2008, state investment in higher education has declined drastically and undermined the ability of community colleges to fulfill their mission of affordable access.  They have had to increase tuition and limit services and programs that offer improved job opportunities and a better quality of life for students and their families.

Without workforce talent, Connecticut will never attract and retain business investment and jobs.  Connecticut students deserve leaders who understand and value public higher education – that’s for sure.

For the Connecticut Community College Round Table:

Robert Miller, President Emeritus Quinebaug Valley Community College

Dianne Williams, President Emerita, Quinebaug Valley Community College

Jonathan Daube, President Emeritus, Manchester Community College

Grace S. Jones, President Emerita, Three Rivers Community College

Booker DeVaughn, President Emeritus, Northwestern Connecticut Community College

Barbara Douglass, President Emerita, Northwestern Connecticut Community College


CTViewpoints welcomes rebuttal or opposing views to this and all its commentaries. Read our guidelines and submit your commentary here.

Sign up for CT Mirror's free daily news summary.

Free to Read. Not Free to Produce.

The Connecticut Mirror is a nonprofit newsroom. 90% of our revenue comes from people like you. If you value our reporting please consider making a donation. You'll enjoy reading CT Mirror even more knowing you helped make it happen.

YES, I'LL DONATE TODAY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SEE WHAT READERS SAID

RELATED STORIES
It’s time to standardize arts grants in Connecticut
by Mandi Jackson and Daniel Fitzmaurice

What all arts organizations need most right now is multi-year, unrestricted general operating support with simplified, fair processes for accountability. This would allow the arts community to better respond to the needs of Connecticut residents instead of the political process, lobbyists, or wealthy donors.

Accessory dwelling units are a good thing
by Toni Gold

Connecticut’s large, old houses are a resource that any town should treasure — not just for their charm and historical value, but because of their potential for adaptation. One tool that can help ensure the viability of these structures is zoning, and particularly zoning for accessory dwelling units (ADUs). There’s a movement to  legalize ADUs statewide. It’s a good idea whose time has come.

New Haven and Yale: Giamatti and DiLieto:  A historic moment? Or a model? 
by Neil Thomas Proto

The City of New Haven’s effort today to seek an increase in financial contribution from Yale is more historically justified than is often recognized.

A call to save arms: is vaccination really the solution?
by Genevieve Diamant

Economic modelling done by professional statisticians is often used to claim that the ounce of prevention provided by a vaccine is much better than the pound of cure that well-funded hospitals, fully staffed with professional nurses and doctors, using effective pharmaceutical remedies, can provide. But is this actually true?

School vouchers are a quick way to correct racial injustice
by Joseph Bentivegna MD

When I was in first grade, I was mistakenly given an eighth-grade portion of food that I could not possibly finish. As I was presenting my uneaten portion to the woman at the garbage disposal, a redoubtable nun towering over me said, “Joseph, the pagan babies in Africa are starving and you’re wasting that good food.” I responded, “Sister, if I eat the food, the pagan babies still won’t get it.” Wap! The nun backhanded me across my face and the tray went flying.

Support Our Work

Show your love for great stories and outstanding journalism.

$
Select One
  • Monthly
  • Yearly
  • Once
Artpoint painter
CT ViewpointsCT Artpoints
Opinion It’s time to standardize arts grants in Connecticut
by Mandi Jackson and Daniel Fitzmaurice

What all arts organizations need most right now is multi-year, unrestricted general operating support with simplified, fair processes for accountability. This would allow the arts community to better respond to the needs of Connecticut residents instead of the political process, lobbyists, or wealthy donors.

Opinion Accessory dwelling units are a good thing
by Toni Gold

Connecticut’s large, old houses are a resource that any town should treasure — not just for their charm and historical value, but because of their potential for adaptation. One tool that can help ensure the viability of these structures is zoning, and particularly zoning for accessory dwelling units (ADUs). There’s a movement to  legalize ADUs statewide. It’s a good idea whose time has come.

Opinion New Haven and Yale: Giamatti and DiLieto:  A historic moment? Or a model? 
by Neil Thomas Proto

The City of New Haven’s effort today to seek an increase in financial contribution from Yale is more historically justified than is often recognized.

Opinion A call to save arms: is vaccination really the solution?
by Genevieve Diamant

Economic modelling done by professional statisticians is often used to claim that the ounce of prevention provided by a vaccine is much better than the pound of cure that well-funded hospitals, fully staffed with professional nurses and doctors, using effective pharmaceutical remedies, can provide. But is this actually true?

Artwork Grand guidance
by Anne:Gogh

In a world of systemic oppression aimed towards those of darker skintones – representation matters. We are more than our equity elusive environments, more than numbers in a prison and much more than victims of societal dispositions. This piece depicts a melanated young man draped in a cape ascending high above multiple forms of oppression. […]

Artwork Shea
by Anthony Valentine

Shea is a story about race and social inequalities that plague America. It is a narrative that prompts the question, “Do you know what it’s like to wake up in new skin?”

Artwork The Declaration of Human Rights
by Andres Chaparro

Through my artwork I strive to create an example of ideas that reflect my desire to raise social consciousness, and cultural awareness. Jazz music is the catalyst to all my work, and plays a major influence in each piece of work.”

Artwork ‘A thing of beauty. Destroy it forever’
by Richard DiCarlo | Derby

During times like these it’s often fun to revisit something familiar and approach things with a different slant. I have been taking some Pop culture and Art masterpieces and applying the vintage 1960’s and 70’s classic figures (Fisher Price, little people) to the make an amusing pieces. Here is my homage to Fisher -Price, Yellow […]

Twitter Feed
A Twitter List by CTMirror

Engage

  • Reflections Tickets & Sponsorships
  • Events
  • Donate
  • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Submit to Viewpoints
  • Submit to ArtPoints
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Commenting Guidelines
  • Legal Notices
  • Contact Us

About

  • About CT Mirror
  • Announcements
  • Board
  • Staff
  • Sponsors and Funders
  • Donors
  • Friends of CT Mirror
  • History
  • Financial
  • Policies
  • Strategic Plan

Opportunity

  • Advertising and Sponsorship
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Use of Photography
  • Work for Us

Go Deeper

  • Steady Habits Podcast
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Five Things

The Connecticut News Project, Inc. 1049 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105. Phone: 860-218-6380

© Copyright 2021, The Connecticut News Project. All Rights Reserved. Website by Web Publisher PRO