Among the many e-mails I received a week ago was an invitation to be part of an interview group of a new Oregon State University official.

It seems that OSU wants to hire a "Special Assistant for OSU-Pre-K-20 Initiatives and Cascade Campus Development."

While perhaps not the longest title in captivity, I am happy that I am not paying for the business cards. I declined the offer, which came from the folks at the Central Oregon Regional Education Consortium (CORRECT).

This is a group of government and public education leaders working on an expansion of public education here.

Nice people all, I explained that it would be a conflict to invest in a specific approach to higher education here, when we should all be hoping that there will be many public and private options on the table when a choice is made.

Of course, I am referring to the development of Juniper Ridge, the city-owned 1,500-acre tract northeast of Bend. One hope for part of that development is a higher education institution.

While OSU, which oversees the branch here, and other state institutions are possible developers of the new school, the city has very wisely decided to bring in an outside expert with no ties to existing turf to help it with possible choices.

But there was something very curious about the invitation to vet a new bureaucrat.

In five words, why does OSU need one?

A couple of weeks ago, The Bulletin reported that OSU had cut its direct contribution to the Cascades branch by $90,000.

That's roughly half the direct cash OSU gives the branch, which also gets funding from the Legislature.

But that cut forced the branch to give up a professor in its gerontology program.

So why, I wondered, does OSU want to hire another bureaucrat when the OSU branch is forced to eliminate professors who can teach students in class?

After all, we already have a branch campus leader, Jay Casbon.

Why does he need an echo in Corvallis?

Perhaps it's not an echo they seek, but a controller, someone who hasn't or won't go "native," as the saying goes.

Or maybe some politically connected factotum needs a new sinecure.

Or OSU wants someone to coordinate "Pre-K-20" initiatives, which might be fine, whatever they are. But why tie that to "Cascades Campus Development?"

Whatever the answer, it remains truly mystifying at a time when all the public universities are crying poor.

Friday's Bulletin reported that the president of Western Oregon University declared that his institution is broke. It simply does not have enough money coming in to pay all its obligations.

Western's shortcoming will undoubtedly impact all the other schools in the system as the state tries to keep Western whole.

Everyone will be forced into more cuts to help Western with its shortfall.

The question for Central Oregon as it considers how to develop higher education here is a pivotal one.

Does it want to be tethered to this out-of-money system directed by folks who have little or no relationship with the region?

Does it really want to be the laboratory for the "OSU-Pre-K-20" experiment?

Not if we all keep in mind what is at stake.

Without question, Central Oregon is the most vibrant economic and fastest-growing region of the state. The question is not whether this area will grow, but how it will grow.

What kind of educational institution we choose will determine what kind of jobs will be here, which invariably determines what kinds of lives people will live.

There may not be a more important decision in our future.

What we really need is crystal clear focus on a plan that is easily understood and aimed at our long-term community interests.

We also need substantially increased investment.

What we don't need is another state bureaucrat.