In 2016, what is the role of the Master Plan? I think it has mostly outlived its usefulness and, also, the UC system was forward thinking in preserving its role in California Higher Education. The Master Plan has effectively limited what CSUs can do as far as expanding their mission and providing accessibility to CA residents.
Historically, UC schools (Berkeley, UCLA, etc.) have been the creme de la creme. They are full research institutions that are world renowned. They have students from everywhere and they confer doctoral and professional degrees. They also have competitive admission standards. The CSU, on the other hand is more accessible with 23 institutions and being in parts of the state that historically had no higher ed institutions. While being accessible, they are limited in what they may offer. They do not confer professional degrees or Ph.Ds....this is a problem. In 2016, CSUs are actually turning students away thus limiting their accessibility and it also can not offer professional degrees although there may be a medical or law school in the same town to form some type of alliance to host such a school.
There is also the fact that, until the passing of state bill AB 1440, graduates of California's 113 Community Colleges were not guaranteed admission nor were all of their credits guaranteed to ensure a reasonable graduation time (2 years).
Each school at all levels has autonomy to the point of making the Master Plan more of an advisory document than codified legislation. Schools operate as individual entities with very little or no regard for a cogent state policy to facilitate the conferring of degrees to CA residents. The audit report that came out today shows how very little access that CA residents have to the UC. It is statistically unattainable for most students. The UC has made a business decision to admit out of state students to subsidize its education system for the few CA residents that actually have access! Where do we go from here?
I say that we blow it up! We need to acknowledge that the CA Master Plan no longer works or meets the needs of the state. It is also discriminatory to the people of the Central Valley in that we do not have the same proximity and access to professional education and doctoral degrees as the UC that are mostly in Southern California or the Bay area. By lessening the burden of the Master Plan, schools can form alliances with the other schools (regardless of current UC, CSU, CCC status). There are poignant issues in CA education (alignment of curriculum, minority success rates, etc.) that can not be address in this current system.
California's leaders in higher education need to think of how to effect change under the current constraints. Just because doesn't say that you can do it doesn't mean that it can't be done! Specifically, I would like to see Fresno State reach out to San Joaquin College of Law to host the law school. There is nothing that doesn't prohibit this. It just takes the political will and a brash leader. There are medical facilities which could form an alliance with CSUs. But nobody is willing to take that leap of faith. Who is going to be Superman? Who is going to shake up the system?
