The chairman of the Legislature’s interim Higher Education committee said the University System, like all of state government, has to face reality.
"Clearly, we are in a cost-containment time frame now," Rep Mark Sanford (R-Grand Forks) told the state Board of Higher Education Thursday. Sanford said he believes the system would still be in a cost-containment time even if the state’s budget looked like it did five years ago – during the oil boom.
"The reality is that, for students, the cost (of college) is getting more and more burdensome," Sanford said. "All you have to do is look at the debt load and these kinds of things. So, cost-containment is a big piece."
Sanford said that means the colleges could look at expanding the use of the Web – so students can get the classes they need on-line, and can graduate more quickly. He said at a recent meeting of the Western Interstate Compact for Higher Education – he learned North Dakota is already ahead of the game when it comes to on-line courses.
