These several issues exemplify the kinds of challenges that will face states well into the next century. As emphasized at the beginning of this essay, these problems will require fundamental rethinking about state structures and about state policy as a whole. State coordination of higher education is the most complex, difficult balancing act in state government. There are no simple answers, no absolutes. While lessons can be drawn from other states, there is no perfect model.
Conflicts are the reality.
Once issues rise to the level of the governor and legislature, political as opposed to educational values tend to dominate the debate. Finally, what worked at one point, with one set of actors, may not work at another point. Systems designed for an earlier time are unlikely to be adequate for the challenges of the next century. Aims C. McGuinness, Jr. is Senior Associate at the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, in Boulder, Colorado. This article was excerpted from the State Postsecondary Education Structures Source Book.