Since reporting to the Regents on this matter in October, I have met with leaders of the proprietary institutions, have agreed to discuss the matter with presidents of the private colleges and universities, and have continued discussions with interested legislative leaders. Higher education is far too important for the Regents to leave the matter of quality unexamined. There are many complexities. Institutions have different missions and it makes little sense to compare, say, a research university to a community college. Enormous amounts of public and private money are invested in higher education.
Citizens go into debt to gain the benefits of higher education.
Some argue that data will be misused by those who simply want to eliminate educational opportunities. But reliable data on performance will also help people who care about the institutions to improve them. We are unlikely to get the improvement we need without an informed discussion of our current situation and future needs. Some people have argued that the institutions themselves should report their performance in their own way. And they should do that.