MnSCU, SCSU need these reforms

I got motivated to write something about the sad situation at SCSU after reading this article. Frankly, it got me fired up. The paragraph that got me most motivated was when the article reported "In April, St. Cloud State President Robbyn Wacker announced the university will cut at least 20 faculty jobs for the coming year to help reduce the deficit. Plans also call for reductions of about 60 faculty in 2025, and reductions of about three-dozen faculty over the following three years. Administrators say the plan will help cut the deficit to about $9 million by fall 2025 and get the university to a surplus of about $5 million by fall 2026."

There we go again. Put differently, it's "lather rinse, repeat." This is what SCSU veterans call "happy talk." The statistics aren't tethered to reality. It isn't possible to cut programs, cut faculty but expect revenues to increase. That's silliness. This makes as much sense as the explanation:

I spoke with a friend of mine tonight who told me that his daughter just got accepted to an Ivy League school for a certificate in preventing cyberattacks. He told me that the hiring rate for graduates is virtually 100% and that the average starting salary is approximately $100,000. Getting the certificate costs $14,000. I haven't heard a plausible explanation for why a high school grad would opt for a 4-year degree and $25,000-$50,000 worth of studen loan debt over this type of option. This news report offers a 'look behind the numbers' at higher education:

MnSCU was created in the early 1990s, essentially making it easy to transfer credits from one school to another. That never worked out and MnSCU didn't live up to expectations. After years of underperforming, it's time to drag MnSCU kicking and screaming into the 21st Century. MnSCU doesn't adapt to the students' or employers' needs quickly enough.

The next MnSCU chancellor doesn't need to 'have a vision' a la Steven Rosenstone. When Rosenstone was picked as Chancellor-elect, Phil Krinkie said this:

Trustee Phil Krinkie said that in times of adversity he preferred the candidate "who would make the trains run on time," and who could be the face of the system to the public and the Legislature. "We need someone who is going to be a champion in terms of a sales person," he said. Krinkie was the lone vote against Rosenstone.

This was frightening:

After he got the nod, Rosenstone said his first job would be to meet the various leaders in the system and the Legislature and listen to their concerns and suggestions to improve the system. He said he would stress the important role of MnSCU and his desire to avoid tuition hikes.

"The colleges and universities that comprise the MnSCU system play an incredibly important and unique role in our state. They are crucial to the vitality of Minnesota," he said. "They provide students and adult learners across the state with opportunity and they provide them with hope."

During the final round of public interviews with trustees earlier Wednesday, Rosenstone said that over the next 10 years he would focus on pushing to improve the quality of the education the system provides. "That is fundamentally what the people of Minnesota were counting on when they authorized the system," he said.

It's most important that MnSCU provide what parents and students need. Rosenstone said the things that bureaucrats wanted to hear. Who cares what bureaucrats want? They aren't the consumers.

A leader would've said that their first mission is to find out how to reduce system costs, make it easier for students of both 4-year universities, tech colleges and community colleges to get the things they need to transition into a productive career. The legislation establishing MnSCU was passed 30-years ago.It's essential for the system to make a major change to keep up with societal change.

What MnSCU needs is a leader, not a crony. This is what a crony looks like:

Malhotra has served either as chancellor or interim chancellor of Minnesota State since 2017. Under his leadership, the state system launched its Equity 2030 initiative, which aims to eliminate educational equity gaps in the state system by 2030.

Malhotra bounced from one level of collegiate governance to another. Many of his positions were interim positions. That's what's part of the resume of a back-slapping, go-along-to-get-along crony. MnSCU needs a leader, not a crony. SCSU needs a leader, too.