Gov. Jack Dalrymple is telling the state’s public colleges and universities not to suggest new buildings in their 2017-2019 budget request – unless it’s an emergency.
In his speech to the University System’s “Envision 2030” conference, Dalrymple said over the past ten years, the state did a lot for building needs on the campuses.
"But the truth of the matter is, the state as a whole does not have cash reserves that we can now give you to build a building," Dalrymple said. "They're not there."
Dalrymple said in the past, the state has bonded for buildings. He said that allowed the state to do some essential things.
"But essential is really the right word," Dalrymple said. "For the upcoming biennium, this (bonding) is something that would only be discussed in what I would call a critical situation."
Dalrymple urged campus leaders to take care of their existing buildings.
"It's just good business," Dalrynple said. "It's so easy to kick that can down the road to the next college president. But it's a pride of ownership thing. You should spend some money every year."
And Dalrymple urged the campuses to frequently update space utiization studies.
"Sometimes, we see buildings that don't look like their doing much," Dalrymple said.
Dalrymple outlined three suggestions for the Board of HIgher Education. One is to prioritize what each campus does well. A second is to avoid And Dalrymple said a third would be to have the colleges start sharing budget staff and other backroom functions. He told the conference his administration has been suggesting that for years, starting with one or two universities. But he says that hasn’t happened. So, he’s encouraging the Board of Higher Education to take this on directly.
"How can you as a Board, as a system, actually push campuses to share people like budget professionals and many other back office functions," Dalrymple said. "We know there are savings there."
Higher education officials, along with government and business leaders, met in Bismarck to begin conversations about the future of the state’s public colleges and universities.
Minot State University president Steve Shirley says it’s been a number of years since the higher education roundtable. He says it’s a good time, as the system prepares for the 2017 Legislature.
"Obviously, there are some challenges for us, economically," Shirley said in an interview. "We need to show we're doing everything we can to be an efficient system of higher education."
Chancellor Mark Hagerott says things have changed since the 1999 Roundtable. He says the North Dakota University System must meet the needs of tomorrow’s students – and tomorrow’s businesses.
