This article reports on a study that examined whether the presence of a consolidated governing board for higher education conditions the impact various political factors have on state support for higher education. The existence of a consolidated governing board is shown to significantly alter the politics of the state higher education…

Good working relationships with governors and state legislators are extremely important to trustees. It is important to approach the governor and legislators mindful of and sympathetic to the state's total needs. (MLW)

Higher education enrollment is seen as declining during the next 15 years. The decision to struggle on or close down must rest with governing boards or legislators. They must take the responsibility for their institutions and at the same time provide the best education for the greatest number of students. (MLW)

Urges community colleges to reevaluate their relationship with the governor's office and state legislature. Offers suggestions for trustees regarding understanding the legislative process, organizing the lobbying team, involving state legislators in campus activities, assisting with reelection efforts, establishing a reputation for credibility,…

Politics is seen as likely to play an important role in higher education during the 1980s. The best way to ensure continued public support and funding from the state is by demonstrating academic quality. Trustees must play a central role in political influence/pressure brought to bear on legislators. (MLW)

This paper examines various ways in which states, colleges, and universities are balancing tensions between demands for greater institutional autonomy and demands for greater accountability to state legislatures. Noted are the states' varying fiscal situations, mixed messages on autonomy given by state governments to institutions, and increasing…

Although many states have been moving toward central boards, the opposite is true in Florida. The reasons why Florida's ten regents have come under attack from legislators are outlined, and a feud between the governor and the legislature over building a quality higher education system is discussed. (MLW)

When a state legislator requested that the president of Southwest Missouri State University stop production of a drama department production about Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), the administrator refused to accede to pressure and enlisted and won the board's support. (MSE)

In a national survey, public university faculty, presidents, trustees, coordinating boards, and legislators (total n=251) identified where they felt authority effectively rested for five typical university-related decisions and where they believed authority should rest. Although most believed in campus-based decisions, there was some disagreement…

State higher education policy-making processes can evoke or avoid public consideration of underlying tensions in postsecondary education. A study of imposition of out-of-state enrollment limits at the University of North Carolina, and its effects on the Chapel Hill campus, suggests contemporary dynamics of state policy-making can suppress…