Struggle to tie higher ed funds to graduation rate

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February 27, 2013

Struggle to tie higher ed funds to graduation rate

MICHAEL BRICK Associated Press Wed Feb 27, 2013, 03:14 PM CST

AUSTIN —

The leader of a legislative effort to link higher education funds to graduation rates said Wednesday there seems to be some quiet resistance from major universities that have publicly endorsed the idea.

Republican Dan Branch of Dallas, chairman of the House Higher Education Committee, told a news conference that while the major university systems have endorsed the idea publicly, "they seem to be sending emissaries in to the folks on subcommittees and trying to put the brakes on things."

"We need to identify where the tension seems to be," Branch said.

Representatives of the University of Texas and Texas A&M systems did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Under current policy, much of the funding for colleges is based on enrollment figures. In 2011, Branch helped pass a law allowing the Legislature to base 10 percent of its higher education appropriations on graduation rates. But now he must persuade budget writers to follow that formula. The state Higher Education Coordinating Board has endorsed the idea in a report to Branch's committee.

About 25 states are discussing similar measures, according to the Washington-based advocacy group Complete College America.

Stan Jones, president of the group, called the 10 percent figure "a significant step."

The Texas Association of Business also has endorsed the proposal, saying it would help the state produce a more modern workforce.

"There's a lot of crawfishing going on on the part of these four-year institutions," said Bill Hammond, president of the association. Behind the scenes, he said, the major university systems have been angling for funding formulas that would more reliably preserve their current funding levels. He added, "They need to get on board."

Branch already has filed legislation that would raise the figure, allowing future legislatures to connect 25 percent of higher education funding to graduation rates.

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