Oregon Public Broadcasting

Oregon’s board of higher education doesn’t want the university system to be a state agency any more. Rob Manning reports on the legislative concept board members approved Friday.

University officials say being a state agency means costly and unnecessary budget control from Salem.

University system chancellor George Pernsteiner says that control can interfere with the sometimes-urgent need to hire professors for incoming students.

George Pernsteiner: “When we have big enrollment growth, as we’ve had this year, we actually do not have the authority to spend the tuition from that increased student enrollment, until the legislature tells us that we can.”

Pernsteiner says the new legislative concept would turn Oregon’s seven public universities into statewide community college districts, with more autonomy to make decisions.

It’s not as dramatic a change as University of Oregon president, Richard Lariviere’s concept. He proposed a state bond to back U of O operations.

Chancellor Pernsteiner says concepts from all three big Oregon schools helped guide the board’s proposal for the 2011 legislature.