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Model Legislation to Reform Faculty Accountability in Higher Education. Issue Brief

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Title: Model Legislation to Reform Faculty Accountability in Higher Education. Issue Brief
Language: English
Authors: John Sailer, Tal Fortgang, Manhattan Institute (MI)
Source: Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. 2026.
Availability: Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. 52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017. Tel: 212-599-7000; Fax: 212-599-3494; Web site: http://www.manhattan-institute.org
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 8
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: Accountability, Educational Legislation, Educational Change, Higher Education, State Legislation, Governance, Power Structure, Public Colleges
Abstract: Under the guise of "shared governance" and "faculty autonomy," our public universities have become insular and sclerotic. The Manhattan Institute offers a simple proposal: state legislatures should expand oversight of their public universities. With powers clarified by lawmakers and a new mandate to exercise their existing powers, university board members can act as a counterweight to the excesses of university faculty and administrators--specifically, through greater involvement in the hiring of administrators, the approval of faculty lines, and the creation of core curricula. These powers would challenge some conventions of shared governance, but the time is ripe for such a challenge. By vesting decision-making authority in publicly accountable governing boards and increasing transparency over curriculum and personnel decisions, these reforms would help states fulfill the bargain of public higher education: taxpayers foot the bill because they have an interest in welcoming well-formed citizens and economic contributors to their ranks. This Issue Brief contains the Manhattan Institute's model legislation for reforming higher-ed governance.
Abstractor: ERIC
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: ED679660
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
CustomLinks:
  – Url: https://eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED679660
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  Data: Model Legislation to Reform Faculty Accountability in Higher Education. Issue Brief
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  Data: Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. 52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017. Tel: 212-599-7000; Fax: 212-599-3494; Web site: http://www.manhattan-institute.org
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  Data: Under the guise of "shared governance" and "faculty autonomy," our public universities have become insular and sclerotic. The Manhattan Institute offers a simple proposal: state legislatures should expand oversight of their public universities. With powers clarified by lawmakers and a new mandate to exercise their existing powers, university board members can act as a counterweight to the excesses of university faculty and administrators--specifically, through greater involvement in the hiring of administrators, the approval of faculty lines, and the creation of core curricula. These powers would challenge some conventions of shared governance, but the time is ripe for such a challenge. By vesting decision-making authority in publicly accountable governing boards and increasing transparency over curriculum and personnel decisions, these reforms would help states fulfill the bargain of public higher education: taxpayers foot the bill because they have an interest in welcoming well-formed citizens and economic contributors to their ranks. This Issue Brief contains the Manhattan Institute's model legislation for reforming higher-ed governance.
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