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•August l, l979 Volume I., Issue l 9
" Wrestling with the 7o/o solution
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1.amln: Crisis 1n higher education By Frank Mullen
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Colorado higher education is facing a problem of "crisis proportions'' since enrollments are declining, inflation is growing, and the law restricts state spending to a 7 percent increase over the previous year, Governor Richard Lamm told an audience of governing board members, legislators, and collge administrators July 26. It was nothing the crowd gathered at St. Cajetan's on the Auraria campus for the Governor's Higher Education Budget Workshop had not known before, but Lamm stressed the workshop was held to promote ''a maximum exchange of viewpoints among all involved in the dedsions relating to higher education in Colorado. ''During the last session of the legislature,'' Lamm said, "the dialogue on higher education at times resembled the dialogue between the mute and the deaf. I think it's important that we talk together.'' Lamm said he is "awed oy the magnitude of choices we face,'' and that at times higher education may be faced with a choice between the ''the unpalatable .and .the unacceptable.''
The all-day conference following Lamm's address featured panel discussions by institutional administrators, legislators, and representatives of the Colorado Commission on Higher Education. The topics of the panels were policy-budget formulation, student redirection, faculty productivity, and declining enrollments. ''The things that were discussed came as no surprise to anyone," a CCHE staff person said at the end of the conference. "But at least we have gathered together all the differing opinions in the same room. That is a start at solving some of these things." POLICY-BUDGET . FORMATION Senator William Hughes, chairman of the Joint Budget Committee, told the audience the 7 percent limitation is a "serious .budget'' and the JBC expects the institutions to provide budgets to the JBC reflecting the limitation. Last year, the JBC was faced with institutional budgets failing to take the 7 percent limitation into account, and the legislators proposed drastic changes in some· institutions in order to limit state continued next page