ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


State Postsecondary Education 
Commissions

Reprinted from Higher Education and Na­
tional Affairs 23, no. 10 (March 8, 1974).

The U.S. Office of Education this week 
[March 4-8, 1974] lifted a year’s suspension 
of activity regarding state “1202” commissions 
and invited governors of each state and terri­
tory to establish commissions if they wish, leav­
ing interpretation of requirements to them. The 
planning commissions, authorized under Section 
1202 of the Higher Education Act, were 
viewed in March 1973 by the Administration 
as unnecessary and all activity toward their im­
plementation was suspended (see Vol. XXII, 
Nos. 10 and 15).

This week’s action, USOE said in a state­
ment, “reflected a policy decision to place the 
responsibility for interpreting the ‘broadly and 
equitably representative’ requirement for the 
Section 1202 state commissions in the hands of 
the states, instead of relying upon Federal reg­
ulations to guide state conduct in establishing 
the commissions.”

In letters to the governors, U.S. Education 
Commissioner John Ottina said that a minimum 
of $1 million is being reserved from appropri­
ations for Fiscal Year 1974 to provide grants 
to the commissions. On this point, he said in 
his letter: “In accordance with Congressional 
intent, and after a careful review of the work 
which the Higher Education Facilities Com­
missions must complete during the remainder 
of Fiscal Year 1974, we have moved to limit 
the aggregate total of state allotments for work 
performed by the facilities commissions to a 
maximum figure of $2 million, leaving at least 
$1 million of the Section 1203 appropriation for 
Fiscal Year 1974 available to fund applications 
from Section 1202 State Commissions for Sec­
tion 1203 planning grants and/or technical as­
sistance.”

The letters, asking for replies by April 15, in­
dicated that the planning activities would be 
“comprehensive inventories of, and studies with 
respect to all public and private postsecondary 
educational resources in the state, including 
planning necessary for such resources to be bet­
ter coordinated, improved, expanded or altered 
so that all persons within the state who desire, 
and who can benefit from postsecondary edu­
cation may have an opportunity to do so.” Ot­
tina indicated that Section 1203 planning grant 
monies obligated during the current fiscal year 
would remain available for expenditure by the

state commissions to support planning activ­
ities through the end of Fiscal Year 1975.

The law prescribes that the commissions 
must be “broadly and equitably representative 
of the general public and public and private 
nonprofit and proprietary institutions of post­
secondary education in the state, including 
community colleges, junior colleges, postsec­
ondary vocational schools, area vocational 
schools, technical institutes, four-year institu­
tions of higher education and branches there­
of.”

Ottina told the governors that they can exer­
cise three options in meeting criteria for the 
commissions: (1 ) establish an entirely new 
commission; (2 ) designate an existing agency 
or commission, if it meets the criteria; or (3) 
augment an existing commission or agency in 
order to meet the criteria.

Governors deciding to establish the commis­
sions were asked by Ottina to furnish the fol­
lowing information:

(1 ) Which of the three options for establish­
ing a Section 1202 Commission has your state 
chosen to follow: (a ) creation of a new Com­
mission, (b ) designation of an existing state 
agency or state commission, or (c ) expanding, 
augmenting or reconstituting the membership 
of an existing state agency or state commission?

(2 ) Which, if any, of the following state- 
administered program authorities contained in 
the Higher Education Act has your state chosen 
to assign to the Section 1202 Commission: (a ) 
Community Services and Continuing Education 
(HEA Section 105)? (b ) Equipment for Un­
dergraduate Instruction ( HEA Section 603) ? 
(c ) Grants for Construction of Undergraduate 
Academic Facilities (HEA Section 704)?

(3 ) W hat is the Commission’s official name, 
address and telephone number?

(4 ) W hat are the names, mailing addresses 
and terms of office of the Commission’s mem­
bers?

(5 ) W hat is the name, title, mailing address, 
and telephone number of the Commission’s 
principal staff officer?

(6 ) A letter signed by you explaining how 
the membership of your State Commission 
meets the “broadly and equitably representa­
tive” requirements of Section 1202(a) at the 
present moment, and what provisions have 
been made to insure continuing compliance 
with these requirements of the law.

198