Higher education gives way to more housing, shopping, dining options

The consequences of the state's disinvestment in higher education became apparent last week when Central Oregon Community College signed a deal with the developer of the Old Mill District to build retail establishments on about 40 acres of undeveloped COCC land.

Well, there goes any hope of COCC, along with its tenant OSU-Cascades, evolving into a four-year university. Gone, too, is any hope of a research park emerging in Bend.

We have made our case as a community. We want more shopping and dining options and less higher education. Besides, it stings less to say "you want fries with your order" when you have a two-year degree than when you have a four-year degree.

That's not really a blueprint for long-range growth. But, with dwindling state resources coupled with anti-tax hysteria we should see more of this type of development across Oregon.

There's been much hand-wringing in recent years about creating more higher education opportunities here in Bend. Instead of focusing on expanding COCC, a few players in the area devoted years of foolish talk about a "world-class" research park miraculously sprouting amid the sagebrush at Juniper Ridge.

Please, we'll get a culinary institute at COCC and more room for the nursing program. That's the extent of our growth in higher education for the foreseeable future. It ain't much, but it's better than nothing.

The honchos at COCC know that educating people doesn't generate sustainable revenue, particularly with the state trying to wash its hands of the costly business of higher education.

The school is partnering with William Smith Properties so that COCC can start making money. Afterall, that is the ultimate mission of everyone -- to make more money.

More than a third of the 40 acres could end up being more housing, the kind that few students at COCC could afford.

And, if the dining and shopping are high end like at the Old Mill District, then it would preclude most COCC students from spending whatever money they have at this new mixed-use development.

It's sad to not hear talk of expanding higher educational opportunities in Bend. With a "budding high-tech industry" here, you would think the powers that be would see the wisdom in supporting that industry with more college courses and facilities. That's not going to happen, because it takes big-time money. And that's something this region doesn't have or it's not something those with the dough around here want to pay for.

Also, wasn't that supposed to be the benefit of a research campus where good money could be made from advances in a whole host of disciplines?

Well, that option really wasn't available to COCC so they took the next logical step - commercial development.

However, this development will use up almost a quarter of COCC's land that the college will need in the future if it can afford to expand, thanks to this new development deal. In essence, while perhaps creating a revenue stream for the college, this deal limits COCC's ability to expand to a four-year institution.

This move toward privatizing our public colleges and universities is gaining steam over on the wet side of Oregon.

Former University of Oregon President Dave Frohnmayer released a report last November that showed over the past 15 years state support for higher education has declined 44 percent while spending on prisons has increased 50 percent.

We can thank voters for that ridiculous imbalance after passing tax-limitation measures and anti-crime initiatives. We have an empty prison up in Madras to show for it.

Adopting a corporate model, Frohnmayer says, will help the Oregon University System adapt to this dismal fiscal outlook.

Of course, OHSU in Portland became a public corporation in 1995 and while it has prospered to some degree, it is also now the most expensive public medical school in the country.

So, the corporate model is coming and we'll see tuition rise higher and higher. Isn't that why they call in higher education?

Oregon public universities could charge what the private ones do or about 5 times what public college students pay now. How does $30,000 per year in tuition alone sound?

We could have a new slogan for higher education in Oregon that is also patterned after the corporate model:

Pay more, get less!