Chancellor Frank Brogan told the State System Board of Governors at their quarterly meeting last week that a comprehensive review of operations will be undertaken, even to the point of recommending closing or merging some of the fourteen state-owned universities.
Bids are due at 3 o’clock today from the consulting firms hoping to be hired to lead the effort.
With enrollment across the System having fallen by about 15,000 students from its peak of around 120,000 at the turn of the century, the operational review will cover educational programs, the cost of maintaining infrastructure, organizational recommendations, and the “number of institutions”
The “Request for Proposals” also includes fundraising and finding new funding streams from private resources.
The winning bidder will have four months to file its report and will work with the State System for three months longer or more. Brogan hopes to start making changes before the end of the year.
