Master Plan For Higher Education In Focus PDF Download

The 2004 Strategic Master Plan for Higher Education identified clear and measurable goals that focused on outcomes rather than inputs alone. To reinforce this outcomes-based approach, the plan proposed that the state develop a new funding method to reward public colleges and universities for student success. Specifically, it proposed that the state allocate higher education funding based on enrollment in the 2005-07 biennium and then transform the funding system beginning with the 2007-09 biennium. The board outlined four potential approaches to implementing the new system: (1) Performance contracts that involve a formal pact between the state and an institution that spell out the obligations of both parties; (2) Budget provisos that would define legislative expectations for a college or university in terms of degrees and performance targets rather than enrollment levels; (3) Calculating enrollment levels at the time of course completion rather than on the 10th day of classes; and (4) Changing the criteria for selecting high-demand programs for funding from delivering enrollments to producing results.