In Maryland, the Board of Trustees
of the State Colleges should be given
the authority for planning and co-
ordinating among the institutions
under its control. Such matters of
concern as institutional autonomy or
duplication of programs and services
ought to be dealt with at this level.
"Maryland has accepted the form
of tripartite organization of higher
education. Under this arrangement
the state colleges are separate from
both the University and the State
Department of Education. The legis-
lature has already recognized the spe-
cial problems of the state colleges by
following the Curlett Commission
recommendations and placing the
colleges under their own separate
board of trustees. Planning and co-
ordination in the interest of orderly
development and growth should be
in the hands of the governing board
rather than the governor and the leg-
islature on the one hand or the
myriads of officials in the executive
departments on the other.
"We urge the Constitutional Con-
vention Commission to consider an
extension of a framework that has
already come into being. Responsi-
bility for program and content at
state institutions of higher education
should be with the institutions them-
selves under a responsible governing
board. Responsibility for planning
and coordination should be on two
levels. First, with the Board of Trus-
tees insofar as it affects the institu-
tions which it oversees; second, among
the governing boards of the three
parts of higher education. The Mary-
land Advisory Council for Higher
Education has been given responsi-
bility to aid and advise governing
boards and institutions of higher edu-
cation and to serve as a link between
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them, on the one hand, and the gov-
ernor and the legislature, on the other.
We recommend that all of the basic
principles implied in the present ar-
rangement be made formal in the new
constitution :
1. 'That the separate goverriing
boards of higher education
institutions be given constitu-
tional status.
2. 'That these boards be given the
authority to supervise the insti-
tutions under their control in-
cluding the expenditure of their
funds.'
"It is important to reiterate that
the goals of planning and coordi-
nating the entire system of higher
education in the State are recognized
at all levels. The notion that those
involved in the administration and
supervision of higher education live
in a world in which the dictates of
the State's needs are neither heard
nor adhered to is not what is implied
by constitutional autonomy. The
Board of Trustees plans to avail itself
fully of essential state services that
are obviously relevant to its own
needs. Such services right now would
undoubtedly include both purchasing
and building. The Board of Trustees
is aware of the important role that is
played by the Maryland Advisory
Council for Higher Education. We
feel there is no indication that con-
stitutional autonomy for the Board
would lead to any lessening of the
present movement toward coordina-
tion and interdependence. We would
argue that in fact autonomy would
strengthen planning and coordination
by placing responsibility in the hands
of a Board whose activities would be
visible to the governor, the legislature,
and the public.
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