The letters received defending Northern New Mexico College’s mission and people require a little clarification. Northern has been the subject of an ongoing series of stories in the Albuquerque Journal cataloging the College’s problems with misstatements on accreditation reports, misrepresentation advertising nonexisting degrees, under funding and two-year-old late audits.
An editorial here two weeks ago addressed some of the above listed problems at the college. Of course the biggest outcry is from teachers with PhDs wanting to be called doctor. Their letter is on page A7. Please, if you encounter one of them, bow at the waist, address them as doctor and don’t look directly into their eyes.
The other letters, anonymous and identified, address programs at the college that felt maligned by our editorial. We meant no such thing. The editorial’s intent was to call the College administration to task for the problems listed in the first paragraph above.
And where are the regents in all this? Is there any direction from them or do they just sit and applaud while President Jose Griego does his song and dance? Northern has a lot more to worry about than whether someone should be called doctor or not. Eventually we’ll get to see Northern’s audits for the last two years and find out what its reserve, savings and cash flow looks like. If 2005 is an indication, it’s not going to be good.
The governor’s higher education task force in 2004 found the higher education system in New Mexico is costly, ineffective and in need of reformation. We spend more per student than comparable states and we get much less for our tax dollars. The reason is the proliferation of small colleges that are there to create jobs and erect buildings to be named after politicians, not properly educate students.
We’re sure there are some great teachers at the College with proper credentials, degrees, letters after their names and the admiration of a multitude of students. There are surely some great programs, run by students and faculty, that deserve praise.
We’d put Northern’s nursing program against any in the state and it would hold its own. The computer science program is strong also and Jeff Toomey has operated a great drafting program for almost two decades.
The point is the growth at Northern and its lack of planning and funding. We’ve chronicled here the problem with the funding sought for a solar research park, which after awarded, was converted into a proposed building that would house the business department, staff and a little corner was set aside for some type of solar department personnel. That is not close to a research park. The college will receive more money for this project out of the general obligation bonds recently passed by voters. We’re not sure how it will be spent.
Northern administrators recognize their short-sightedness in funding and to that end are working on a ploy to encourage voters to approve an increase gross receipts tax to make up for their poor planning. Voters here seem to have an mindless ability to continue to hand over their money to anyone asking through gross receipts taxes. We haven’t voted one down that’s been put before voters.
Funding Northern through a gross receipts tax is not the proper way to fund higher education institutions. That’s why the governor’s task force said higher education is in need of an overhaul. Throwing more money at more colleges is not the answer. There needs to be an economy of scale and proper funding of proper universities and that needs to come from the legislature and its subcommittees, not from a renegade college president trying to build his legacy on the backs of taxpayers through gross receipts.