DATE: Friday, March 21, 1997                TAG: 9703210011

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B10  EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Editorial 

                                            LENGTH:   47 lines

SCHEV: POLITICIZING HIGHER ED THOSE WHO SEEK TO RESTRUCTURE A SYSTEM SHOULD STRIVE TO DO MORE GOOD THAN HARM.

Dr. Margaret Miller, chief academic officer of the State Council of Higher Education (SCHEV), and its third-ranking official, is leaving that turbulent sea for calmer waters.

Miller's new job as the president of the American Association of Higher Education is a prize assignment. But her acceptance of it is tinged with sadness over the situation she leaves behind.

``It's a hard time at the council right now,'' said Miller, taking note of philosophical and administrative rifts between the SCHEV board and its staff. Sources say there is little more than formal communication between the board, appointed by Gov. George F. Allen, and the staff, most of whom were hired during previous administrations.

``Trust has been eroded,'' summed up Miller, who has been a respected force in pressing for heightened academic quality at state colleges and universities. Miller and others complain that the staff now spends so much time being second-guessed by the board that important initiatives are neglected.

Hiring a replacement for Miller is by law supposed to be the job of SCHEV director Gordon Davies. The board should give him leeway to make that hire without interference. But even if members do, finding a quality individual to take Miller's post in the midst of such uncertainty may be a challenge.

This is unfortunate. For years, the council under Davies' leadership has enjoyed strong bipartisan support. He has served under Democratic and Republican governors, winning trust from both political and academic leaders.

But in today's more charged political climate, that harmony has eroded. Even if Davies is not forced out when his contract expires later this year, the sense that he can no longer operate effectively may lead him to voluntarily follow Miller out the door.

Change is inevitable in government, as in life. But those who seek to restructure a system should strive to do more good than harm. The current board does not appear to have met that test.

While there undoubtedly is value in some of its actions, the undermining of a staff and structure that have worked well for much of the past two decades is a major debit.

It is not in the best interests of higher education in Virginia that the guidance from Richmond change with every new administration or that it reflect partisan and ideological biases.

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