academic operations - drew university · 2012. 3. 16. · report to the cabinet march, 2012...

Report to the Cabinet March, 2012

Academic Operations Report & Recommendations

March 12, 2012 Danna Nolan Fewell

and

Carlos Yordan


Team Charge/Charter: To examine faculty work and administrative structures associated with delivering the academic mission of the University for possible cost savings, increased efficiencies, and revenue-generating opportunities.

Org Review Target for FY 13-14: $1,000,000


Team Members

• Bartle, Gamin, Director, Instructional Technology Services

• Boesel, Christopher, Associate Professor of ChristianTheology

• Cantero-Exojo, Monica, Associate Professor of Spanish

• Carter, James, Associate Professor of History

• Fewell, Danna Nolan, Professor of Hebrew Bible

• Koritz, Amy, Professor of English, Director, Center for Civic Engagement

• Rogers, William, Associate Dean, Caspersen School of Graduate Studies

• Rosan, Alan, Professor of Chemistry

• Yordan, Carlos, Associate Professor of Political Science


Stakeholders Consulted: • CLA Dean

• CLA dept chairs & program directors

• Director & Asc Director of Institutional Research

• Vice President of Finance

• CSGS Dean

• Members of the AAUP

• Provost

• Director of Human Resources

• Dean & Asc Dean of Theological School

• Theological School Faculty

• TS COF

• Director of the DMin Program

• Position papers from CLA COF, CAPC, Religion, Philosophy, and Language depts

• Various individual faculty members

• Director of CUE


Teams Guiding Principles: The primary guiding principles for the analysis of Academic Operations at Drew fell under the broad categories of: • Collaboration • Innovation • Accountability


Target: $1,000,000

Target Met: $1,355,750

• Increased Revenue: $166,350.00

• Decreased Cost $1,189,400.00

• New Expense: n/a


Academic Operations New Revenue: • TS Partnership with non-Methodist schools to offer Methodist Studies:

$120,000 • TS development of online courses: $31,150 year 1; $46,725 each year

thereafter • CLA development of online/distance language courses for professionals:

$15,200 Cost Reduction: • Cut CLA adjunct budget additional 12%: $108,000 • Cut the TS (Mdiv/MA) adjunct budget an additional 22%: $20,000 • Cut the TS DMin budget an additional 20%: $20,000 • Cut CSGS adjunct budget an additional 17.6%: $46,800


• Reduce remaining CLA stipends for adjuncts and overloads: $4200 for faculty w/ terminal degree; $3000 for those w/o terminal degree: $66,300

• Alternatively, reduce all faculty overload stipends to $4000, adjunct stipends $4200 w/ terminal degree; $3000 w/o terminal degree: additional $9000

• Alternatively, reduce all adjunct/overload stipends to $4000 ($3000 for those w/o terminal degree): additional $41,400

• TS faculty offer 5 courses per year in the CLA or CSGS: $22,500 • TS faculty X-list 5 courses per year with the CLA and the CSGS: $22,500

• Upper level administrators w/ academic credentials teach 1 course per year:

$22,500


• Tenured faculty teach an additional course, or take on an additional set of teaching responsibilities, every 3rd year: $165,000

• Alternatively, all faculty teach additional course, or take on some additional set of teaching responsibilities, every 3rd year: additional $88,500

• Discontinue the practice of course releases and stipends for committee service: $66,500

• Grant dept chair releases based upon annual responsibilities; replace releases with $1500 stipend: $50,000

• Eliminate course releases for program chairs; Replace with $1500 stipend: $24,000

• Revise sabbatical policies to require substantive writing/research/development proposals: $27,000


• Decide sabbatical replacements on a case by case basis, with departments encouraged/required to cover half the lost courses: $90,000

• Offer phased retirement (2-4 years) to faculty 65 and older: $270,000

• Reallocate Hannon Fund to support faculty line in homiletics: $33,000

• Combine CLA associate deans of college and faculty and curriculum into one position: $16,000

• Combine positions of Special Assistant for Diversity and the Affirmative Action Officer: $14,000

• Advance Global Studies program plan that would cross schools and offer certificates at the MA and PhD levels: $4,000


POTENTIAL $ Svgs/Rev IMPLICATIONS BENEFITS RECOMMENDATION

Adjunct budget CLA Reduce CLA adjunct budget by 12%

Cost savings; would promote more efficient allocation of faculty resources

Reduce # & variety of course offerings; providing adequate course coverage may be problematic

$108,000

Adjunct budget TS

Reduce TS adjunct budgets for Mdiv/MA/MAM and Dmin programs by 22% and 20% respectively


Reduce # & variety of course offerings; will reduce # of expert practitioners currently available to students; will require closer co-ordination across programs; TS faculty will need to include DMin teaching as part of regular load

$40,000

Adjunct budget CSGS Reduce CSGS adjunct budget an additional 17.6%


Reduce # and variety of course offerings; will require closer co-ordination with CLA & TS faculty

$48,600

ISSUE ADDRESSED

ACADEMIC OPERATIONS



Adjunct Budget – CLA & CSGS

Reduce remaining adjunct/overload stipends to TS #s: $4200 for faculty w/ terminal degree; $3000 for those w/o terminal degree

Cost savings, equity issues

change of culture/expectation; reduces incentive; may loose some long term adjuncts

$66,300

Adjunct Budget – All schools

Alternatively, reduce faculty stipends to $4000, adjunct stipends w/ terminal degree = $4200; w/o terminal degree = $3000

Would save an additional $9000; compromises cut for adjunct faculty in more desperate need of income

change of culture/expectation; reduces incentive for faculty to teach overloads

$9000

Adjunct Budget – All schools

Alternatively, reduce all adjunct/overload stipends to $4000 ($3000 for those w/o terminal degree)

Would save an additional $41,400

Detrimental to adjunct faculty dependent upon income; reduces incentive; increased difficulty securing qualified adjuncts in TS & CSGS

$41,400

ISSUE ADDRESSED



CLA & CSGS Instructional Budgets

TS faculty would offer an additional 5 courses per year in the CLA or CSGS

Cost savings to CLA & CSGS; would ease some pressure for course offerings; would enhance X-school participation

Increase of TS faculty workload from 30 to 40 contact hours; change of schedule, revising student expectations

$22,500

CLA & CSGS Instructional Budgets

TS faculty would X-list 5 courses per year with the CLA and/or the CSGS

Cost savings to CLA & CSGS; would ease some pressure for course offerings; would enhance X-school participation; would enhance enrollments

Modification of TS faculty teaching: navigating the difference between 3 and 4 CRH courses and expectations

$22,500

Instructional Budgets All schools

Upper level administrators w/ academic credentials teach 1 course per year

Enhances course offerings; keeps administrators in touch with faculty expectations and student population

unpaid overload for administrators

$22,500

ISSUE ADDRESSED


Instructional Budget

Tenured faculty teach an additional course, or take on an additional set of teaching responsibilities, every 3rd year

Additional 36 courses per year (30 in CLA); summer courses could continue to be stipended depending upon revenue genera-tion;, would protect untenured faculty; would off-set decreases in adjunct budgets

faculty morale problems due to increased faculty workload; chairs would have to administrate; practice would need to be balanced with other institutional demands

$165,000 over all; $136,000 CLA

(w/ CLA resources)

Instructional Budget

Alternatively, all faculty teach additional course, or take on some additional set of teaching responsibilities, every 3rd year

Additional 49 courses per year (45.5 in CLA); summer courses could continue to be stipended depending upon revenue generation; Would save $253,500 ($205,500 CLA: would off-set CLA adjunct cuts + additional savings)

faculty morale problems due to increased faculty workload; chairs would have to administrate; would need to be balanced with other institutional demands; more pressure on faculty coming up for tenure

Additional $88,500

Course offerings/ Revenue generation/Instructional Budget

Allow depts w/ greater budget needs greater profit share for course offerings in summer or other revenue generating programs

incentive to faculty and departments to develop and teach summer courses in order to expand/support departmental offerings, to cover expenses, etc.

$$ would go to departments, not to general budget fund

variable

RECOMMENDATION BENEFITS IMPLICATIONS POTENTIAL $ Svgs/Rev

ISSUE ADDRESSED


Disproportionate FTEs

Ensure all faculty teach at least one required, intro level course annually in addition to UL electives

Level out FTEs; improve retention; address teaching equity issues

May affect UL offerings

Disproportionate advising responsibilities -CLA

Either disconnect advising load from College Seminar, make the College Seminar a 3 year rotation, requiring more faculty participation, or require fewer CSs from departments with the most majors

Address faculty workload inequities

Not all faculty can develop and teach appealing and effective seminars; would be unfortunate to lose holistic advising for 1st years

Advising efficiency

Plan faculty development workshops on effective advising; should be part of new faculty orientation

Strengthen advising practices; help with retention

Faculty time investment


ISSUE ADDRESSED


Revenue generation

Develop and market 2-3 online courses in the Theo School to appeal to a broad constituency

appeal to distance learners, or students contemplating theological study

staffing and further development

yr 1: $31,150 Thereafter:

$46,725

Revenue generation Theo School partnership with non-UMC schools to offer Methodist studies

revenue stream, partnership with other institutions

Development @ implementation of additional (online/distance) courses

$120,000

Revenue generation

Develop online/distance language courses for professionals and grad students needing research lang facility (4 courses @$800 fee - instructor's stipend)

Allow departments/programs to keep/profit share revenues to cover adjunct needs, etc; faculty incentives

Development & marketing

$15,200

Course offerings

Develop set of advanced seminars to appeal to UL CLA, CSGS, and Theo MA/GDR students. Offer % in the evening.

encourage healthy enrollments; diversify classrooms; evening offerings might attract non-degree students; provocative courses could attract more Arts & Letters

Challenge of multi-tiered teaching

variable


ISSUE ADDRESSED


Course releases

Discontinue the practice of course releases and stipends for committee service

cost savings; equity issues (TS faculty get no course releases for any committee service)

need to reorganize committee structures to make administrative service more manageable

$66,500

Course releases

Eliminate course releases for program chairs; Replace with $1500 stipend

cost savings, equity issues (TS MA, MAM, & STM program directors get no course releases)

change of culture $24,000

Course releases

Make chair releases dependent upon # of faculty promotion/tenure reviews, staff/equipment supervision, faculty searches/hires, external reviews, etc; Replace course releases with $1500 stipend & perhaps exemption from major committee service

cost savings, addresses equity issues

Dean would need to determine course releases on case by case, year by year basis

$50,000


ISSUE ADDRESSED


Sabbaticals

Revise sabbatical policies to require substantive writing/research/development proposals

would encourage faculty to make more productive use of leave time

will be met with resistance by those who see sabbaticals as an unqualified right

$27,000

Sabbaticals

Decide sabbatical course replacements on a case by case basis, with departments encouraged/required to cover half the lost courses

Cost savings

Could require faculty teach an extra course in the preceding or succeeding year to sabbatical

$90,000


ISSUE ADDRESSED


Faculty lines/ Replacements

Offer (immediately) phased retirement package for faculty 65+ (2-4 years); consider eventual non-TT replacements who would teach 3/3

Would allow departments to continue to benefit from experienced faculty; would give departments time to reflect carefully on future needs; would be a more attractive offer to faculty ambivalent about retiring

non-TT replacements would exacerbate tendencies toward a multi-tiered faculty

$270,000

Faculty lines/ Replacements

Begin departmental planning to "right size" based upon student interest and curricular needs; down-sizing via attrition

Possible reallocation of faculty lines to meet curricular demands

difficult decisions streamlining departmental offerings; freeze hiring in depts with low FTE ratios; some depts may need to expand while others decrease in size

Faculty lines Reallocate the Hannan Fund to support faculty line in homilectics (TS)

reallocate underspent and under utilized fund to cover necessary expense

negotiating w/ donors? Allocating to TS

$33,000

Faculty lines

Reallocate the next available TS faculty line as joint appointment w/ CLA in global religions/cultural studies

would enhance Global Studies proposal; X-school collaboration

Problem balancing other disciplinary needs


ISSUE ADDRESSED


CLA Governance Structure

Reconfigure CLA divisional governance structure to eliminate obligatory divisional representation on committees

Could reduce size of some committees, reduce committee workload overall

perceived lack of representation


Consider for the CLA governance structure some version of the "Constellation" model adopted by the Theo School

Could increase administration efficiency; would encourage better communication among units; would regularize schedules of committee work

suspending current administrative policies and procedures to allow for a period of experimentation


Enlarge the CLA COF to spread out committee work; allow % members at Associate level, all members elected at large w/ limited representation per division

COF members could "divide and conquer" some aspects of COF work; could help offset loss of course releases

Change of culture


Narrow the charge of the Dean's Council; reduce the # of meetings to once or twice a month

would make DC work load & time expenditure more manageable; could help offset loss of course releases

Change of culture; perceived loss of faculty participation in decision making


ISSUE ADDRESSED



Eliminate “standing” committees that do not meet regularly; have an "on call" faculty pool for committees that meet as needed (e.g. Grievance, Policy & Procedure, EOS, etc)

would bring committee structures in line with reality of service needed; more honest accounting of faculty service

change of culture

CSGS Governance Structure

Partially integrate committee structures of CLA and CSGS to recognize existing overlaps in CSGS and CLA faculty

increased efficiency; reduce pressure on small number of CSGS faculty; increased synergies and coordination while reducing faculty committee work

May diminish CSGS’s "coequal" status

University administrative work

Revise CLA course schedule to protect Friday afternoons for CLA & University administrative work, University faculty meetings, and special events

would streamline meeting schedules; allow for more efficient X-University work; would ease planning of special University-wide events; would protect class preparation time

Would need to change current class schedule


ISSUE ADDRESSED


CLA teaching/research/clerical support

Make GDR and CSGS graduate students (work-study) available to CLA departments as teaching, research, course, departmental assistants; pay $750 semester or hourly wage

would ease some clerical pressures, provide course assistance (setting up Moodle sites, doing basic research, data input, etc); could use work study or restricted funds

organizational challenge

Student support Have the Writing Center employ a % of GDR students

Would improve service to TS students

funding? Training?


ISSUE ADDRESSED


CLA Administrative Structure

Combine CLA associate deans of college and faculty and curriculum into one position

Could eliminate costs associated with position, could reallocate position to fulltime IR (see below)

may need to hire a budget director for CLA

$16,000

University Administrative Structure

Combine positions of Director of Institutional Research and Director of University Planning and Assessment

Would keep the work of assessment and institutional research integrated

would require additional training for director of Institutional Research

University Administrative Structure

Combine positions of Special Assistant for Diversity and the Affirmative Action Officer

cost savings, consolidation of compatible functions

additional work for combined position

$14,000


ISSUE ADDRESSED


University Administration

Develop clearer criteria for determining success & efficiency in Provost's office; bring concerns for faculty development into balance w/ oversight of budget; include fund-raising responsibilities for various units & programs in the University; increase efforts to unify the schools beyond changing policies and procedures

increase faculty confidence in Provost's office; would provide more $$ and administrative support to academic operations; could enhance faculty development opportunities; could improve faculty attitude and co-operation

Would require refocus & increase of Provost's energies toward grant writing, implementation of constructive portions of the Strategic Plan, planning community-building University-wide events

University Faculty-Administration Relations

Change the timing, function, and tenor of University Faculty meetings. Hold one at the beginning of the school year (with faculty reception) with a presidential retrospective and prospective address; In the spring, hold one with Provost report of the year in progress

Gestures that unify the institution; allow for more transparency in administration; offer more accountability

change of culture


ISSUE ADDRESSED



Create a culture of mutual accountability: Just as faculty & staff submit annual reports, upper level administrators could also share annual reports with faculty and staff

mutual accountability; transparency

change of culture


University president should be issued a standing invitation to make an appearance at University Senate meetings

Administrative availability time imposition on the President


Add a faculty representative (University Senate Chair) to the President's Cabinet

Faculty liaison for Administration; transparency issues

change of culture; imposition on faculty member's time


ISSUE ADDRESSED


Curriculum

Advance the planning of Global Studies program that would cross schools, and would allow certificates at the MA and PhD levels

Attract more students (= revenue); support new TS/GDR focus; broaden CSGS curriculum; centralize administration of currently separate and small areas

Current 5 semester language requirement would need modification in certificate programs; multi-level teaching to multi-vocational goals

$4,000 (area budget

consolidation) + revenue from

additional students

CLA & TS Curricula

Review curricula in CLA and TS, to identify what is central to our mission, and what is too costly to carry.

may identify courses and programs that could be trimmed

time investment; self-reflection

CLA Curriculum

Specifically review the new Gen Ed program for cost efficiency, pedagogical success, and support of institutional mission

may identify courses and programs that could be trimmed

time investment; self-reflection

TS Curriculum

Consider ways in which TS curriculum can respond to changing trends in theological education and to serve a wider constituency of students interested in service-based careers

attraction and retention of students; could develop more connections with Center for Civic Engagement, as well as with non-theological areas of study across the University

time investment; self-reflection; change of culture


ISSUE ADDRESSED


Accountability, assessment

Concentrate on producing, reliable, up-to-date, agreed-upon data across the University

Would improve our ability to assess our operations and make viable recommendations for improvement

requires more effort, better record keeping, public accounting


ISSUE ADDRESSED


Increasing faculty course load to 3/3 in CLA & CSGS; 3/2 in the TS

Theoretical savings of $450,000 -- which is misleading due to multiple factors that would need to be considered

1. Would exacerbate low course enrollment in upper level CLA courses and TS & CSGS courses;

2. Would produce major faculty morale problems; 3. Would be seen as an obstacle to scholarly productivity; 4. Would result in loss of faculty who value publishing & scholarship; 5. Would require returning to 3 CR courses, which, in turn, would impact student

morale; 6. Would require teaching & learning to be more superficial; 7. Would inhibit personal mentoring, student/teacher research, experiential

learning, and intellectual community; 8. Would require, for the sake of equity, upper level administrators to either

increase their own workloads by 20% or decrease their salaries by 20%; 9. Would result in a more calculating culture where all activities become

quantifiable; 10. Would make faculty less able and willing to participate in University service; 11. Would, for many faculty, constitute a breach of contract

Combine faculties and administration of CLA and CSGS

Could possibly eliminate 1 administrative position, saving the administrative stipend

Would require renegotiating conditions of Caspersen endowment; new leadership already appointed; changes untimely due to implementation and maintenance of new programs

Departmental mergers would save cost of chair course releases

loss of departmental autonomy; compromises curricular coherence w/in departments; faculty resistance; savings can be achieved by other means

BENEFITS IMPLICATIONS IDEAS DISCUSSED BUT NOT ENDORSED


Conclusion: We live in a fallen world. However, there are things, some more painful than others, that we can do to keep it from falling apart. Some savings and greater workload equities are possible through better planning, X-school co-operation, improved lines of communication across schools and between administration and faculty, a better balance of administrative tasks with instructional responsibilities, and across-the-board commitments to make greater sacrifices of time, energy, and $$. The effect of these measures on our ability to maintain our educational standards remains to be seen.

academic operations - drew university · 2012. 3. 16. · report to the cabinet march, 2012...

Documents