The biennial budget calls for the Connecticut State University System, the community-technical colleges, and Charter Oak State Colleges to be consolidated under a single board of regents. Minnesota has been cited as a model for this consolidation, as that state in 1995 consolidated its state university system and community colleges under a single governing board while leaving the University of Minnesota outside that structure. (Legislation was passed in 1991 but the consolidation did not occur until 1995.)
Reports on the consolidation by Minnesota’s legislative auditor have found mixed results. A 2000 report, five years after the consolidation, found improvements in transferring credits and financial oversight, but said that the system struggled with cohesion and morale. The system’s presidents were divided as to whether the merger’s overall impact was positive or negative.
A 2010 report examined the system’s central office and its relationship to the individual campuses. It found that some office functions were important to the campuses while others added little value.
