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Higher Education: Florida Firm Picked for Study

Posted on: Friday, 9 September 2005, 21:00 CDT

Sep. 9--The North Dakota Legislative Council on Thursday picked a Florida firm to study the way the state distributes funds to its 11 public colleges and universities.

MGT of America, Tallahassee, Fla., was selected over four other firms by the 17-member council in Bismarck.

"They won on the first ballot," said Sen. Ray Holmberg, R-Grand Forks, chair of the state's interim higher education committee.

The majority of council members (9) voted for MGT, while five members wanted to go with JBL Associates of Maryland. Three others voted for Pappas Consulting Group of Connecticut.

Holmberg said since MGT garnered the majority, there was a motion to go with that firm. It was approved unanimously, he said.

The state had set aside up to $175,000 to pay for the study. MGT will be expected to work with the council, the Higher Education Committee, North Dakota State University, state Board of Higher Education and other higher education stakeholders. A final report on its findings will be due March 15.

The state's current peer-based funding system assigns colleges and universities to a unique group of eight or nine "peer institutions" and attempts to fund them based on a percentage of the each group's median.

During the last legislative session, the funding system came under fire from lawmakers and from the presidents of three universities - North Dakota State, Bismarck State and Lake Region State - who believed the formula shortchanges their institutions.

In a memo, Robert Potts, chancellor of the university system, commended the selection of MGT.

"One thing that set MGT apart from the other four firms was its extensive experience in developing peer benchmark funding models," Potts said in the statement. "It has worked in 44 states on matters related to formula development, funding equity analysis, peer selection and analysis, and interstate comparisons of funding levels and practices for state systems of higher education."

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Copyright (c) 2005, Grand Forks Herald, N.D.

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Source: Grand Forks Herald (Grand Forks, N.D.)

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