EAST VALLEY (By Maria Potkonjak, Mesa Tribune) June 4, 2004 -- Community college officials complained Thursday they are getting too little say in the development of a plan to overhaul higher education in the state.

The regional universities would be cost-effective because they lack a research component, Herstam said.

Community colleges and the rest of Arizona have until July 1 to submit alternative proposals to the board. Yavapai College President Doreen Dailey suggested at a news conference Thursday that the May 23 release of Herstam’s proposal and the July 1 deadline didn’t give the community colleges enough time to respond.

"The process begins today," ASU President Michael Crow said, responding to Dailey. "It’s false to suggest people have been shut out of the process."

Herstam said his plan is the beginning of a discussion about impending growth. An estimated 1.2 million Arizonans will reach college age in the next 10 years, and the university system doesn’t have the capacity or the resources to deal with what would be a 48 percent increase in growth.

"We would certainly agree that it’s time to have a frank and open dialogue," said Kim Sheane, executive director of the Arizona Community College Association. "We as a system were dismayed that they (the regents) chose to define higher education as being only universities. We’re a viable component."

The community colleges serve approximately 500,000 students statewide, many of whom transfer to the universities. Community college transfer students in Arizona have a higher graduation rate than students who started as freshmen at a university, Dailey said.

The efficiency of the community colleges has bolstered Arizona’s six-year graduation rate, said David Longanecker, executive director of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education.

Longanecker assisted the board with developing the Changing Directions initiative in 2002 and will direct the new study.

He said he didn’t believe the Herstam plan would be a problem for community colleges.

"It would be a tragedy for the state if that were to occur," Longanecker said. "Maricopa and Pima (community college districts) are an amazing national presence."

Sheane and other community college officials said they believe the plan could have a negative impact. Regional universities would essentially be competing with community colleges for the same students. With the exception of research, community colleges and the universities share the same missions.

The proposed Central Arizona University would likely siphon some students from the community colleges in Maricopa County, Sheane said.

"You can call the institution whatever you wish, Southern Arizona University or Central Arizona University, but when push comes to shove and you look at the before and the after, the expectations remain the same," Sheane said.

Rural community colleges are concerned about the continued delivery of courses to remote areas under the plan. Many students would prefer face-to-face courses versus distance learning, Sheane said. Gov. Janet Napolitano, an exofficio member of the board, encouraged the regents to consider the investment rural Arizona has made in their community colleges.

Sheane predicted the Herstam plan will result in a new push to offer four-year degrees at community colleges, which she said would be good because it would be less expensive for students.

"What seemed like a radical idea three months ago may look very mainstream" to lawmakers next year, Sheane said.