Guest writer A slippery slope

LITTLE ROCK — A recent guest column written by state Sen. Jimmy Jeffress argues for the repeal of Amendment 33 to the Arkansas Constitution.

A little history: In 1941, the University of Arkansas had a dynamic young president, J.W. Fulbright of Fayetteville. Because of Fulbright’s progressive views on education at the time, Gov. Homer Adkins packed the UA Board of Trustees with his men and demanded the firing of the president.

Adkins had launched a political invasion of educational independence and his action was met with a public outcry from Arkansas voters resulting in the adoption of Amendment 33 to insulate our institutions of higher learning from future “board-stacking” and providing staggered terms for board members for all state colleges.

Shortly after his firing,Fulbright would be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and then the U.S. Senate.

For seven decades, Amendment 33 has served our state well. It has helped protect our educational institutions from political manipulation while still safeguarding the Arkansas General Assembly in its inherent power over the appropriation process.

Jeffress proposes a new state board to decide “fiscal policies” for the various higher education institutions in Arkansas. Amendment 33 fosters a healthy dynamic tension between the executive and legislative branches of government in establishing higher education policy. That relationship should not be eroded by repealing Amendment 33 and creating yet another board level of bureaucracy.

Yes, recent modest tuition increases at all levels of higher education, including our community colleges, have caused this debate to begin anew. Last spring I participated in an extensive overview of factors in deciding on a tuition increase at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. I was very impressed with the highly professional staff and methods used in arriving at the final recommendations.

A similar process is employed to evaluate tuition decisions at each of our campuses in the UA System.

Raising tuition is not popular, but it is necessary to maintain the health of our institutions of higher learning. A few facts need to be kept in mind:In light of recent state budget cuts, most salary increases on our college campuses have been canceled or delayed.

According to the Southern Regional Education Board, Arkansas ranks 16th-last place- in faculty salaries among Southern states.

Many campuses have instituted a hiring freeze.

The Fayetteville campus, for the first time in 24 years, did not raise tuition last year.

State appropriations currently represent some 49 percent of higher education budgets, down from 62 percent as recently as 1998.

Two of the major characteristics of Amendment 33 are local participation and accountability. Community leaders serve on these boards with staggered terms. They serve without compensation. Arkansas has thus created a remarkable “family” of dedicated citizens who serve the needs of higher education for every corner of our state.

Additionally, the 12 members of the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board have significant input into decisions affecting higher education. Each of these positions is filled by the governor on a staggered-term basis. This structure has served our state well in coordinating programs among the respective campuses.

Jeffress is chairman of the state Senate Education Committee. I respect his position in engaging all of us as citizens in the public discussion of higher education, its governance and our respective roles in establishing the policies of its institutions. The senator has a strong record of higher education support, but his proposal to eliminate Amendment 33 and create a new state board is a slippery slope that invites not compromise, but confrontation, in establishing our educational priorities.

A step backward into this quagmire could, and probably would, lead to a classic case of unintended consequences on many levels.

David Pryor, a former state legislator, U.S. representative, U.S. senator and governor of Arkansas, is a trustee of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.