Higher Education Reform in Virginia and an Institutional Response

Transcription

1 Higher Education Reform in Virginia and an Institutional Response July 9, 2011 NCCI Annual Conference Tampa, FL Sarah L. Collie, Ph.D.

2 Agenda Your Experience with Reform Overview of Reform Efforts of Virginia Public Higher Education Virginia Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2011 Context Governor s Commission Legislation University s Response Concluding Thoughts - Yours and Mine 2

3 Reform www. to put or change into an improve form or condition to amend or improve by change of form or removal of faults or abuses 3

4 Your Experience with Reform In the last decade, have you experienced state-wide reform of public higher education? If yes, how many reform efforts? Areas targeted for reform? Administrative Financial Academic Other Were these efforts successful/unsuccessful? In what ways? Why or why not? 4

5 Snapshot of Virginia Public Higher Education State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) is the Commonwealth's coordinating body for higher education. SCHEV was established by the Governor and General Assembly in four-year institutions College of William and Mary founded in 1693; University of Virginia founded in two-year institution Virginia Community College System 23 community colleges Each institution has governing Board of Visitors appointed by the Governor for 4 year terms. 5

6 Reform in Virginia Looking Back and Today Commission on the University of the 21 st Century (Gov. Baliles D) 1990s - Decentralization Pilot (administrative functions) 1996 Commission on the Future of Higher Education in Virginia (Senator Chichester R) Blue Ribbon Commission on Higher Education (Gov. Gilmore R) Restructured Higher Education Financial and Administrative Operations Act, known as Restructuring Act (Gov. Warner D) 2010 Governor s Commission on Higher Education Reform (Gov. McDonnell R) 2011 Preparing for the Top Jobs of the 21 st Century: The Virginia Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2011 (Gov. McDonnell R)

7 University of Virginia 7

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9 Reductions to U.Va. State Appropriation 5 cuts in 5 years totaling $51.5 million, or 32% of General Fund Appropriation October $9.16 m October $10.62 m July $12.46 m December $4.57 m July $14.68 m 9

10 Evolutionary, Not Revolutionary Decentralization - managerial autonomy and streamline Blue Ribbon Commission Raise the quality of academic and research programs at Va. public h. ed Keep a college education affordable Ensure accountability for the care and use of public resources Institutional Performance Agreement (IPA) Long-term planning and more efficient operations through adequate, stable and predictable funding for a six-year term Decentralization and deregulation Institutional commitments to performance expectations, goals, measures Restructuring - greater financial and administrative autonomy in and commitment to meet specific statewide goals Top Jobs - To increase the educational attainment of the population and to better prepare Virginia for global competition. 10

11 Restructuring Legislation Requires a six-year institutional plan enrollment, financial, academic Requires a commitment to certain statewide goals: Student access Affordability Broad range of high quality academic programs Appropriate student progress towards a degree Transfer agreements with community college system Assistance to underperforming elementary and secondary schools University-based support for economic development Increase in externally funded research Maximize operational efficiencies and economies in business practices Student safety and security Includes performance criteria each institution assessed against set of institutional performance standards Provides for financial incentives Tiered autonomy 3 levels of autonomy (Level 3 add l expectations in cc transfers, research, economic development) 11

12 Top Jobs 21: Va. Higher Ed Opportunity Act Commission on Higher Education Reform, Innovation, and Investment - March 2010 To assess the current state of higher education and to recommend ways to improve further. Charged with developing recommendations for a comprehensive strategy and compact to prepare Virginia to compete and succeed in a global economy. The group s recommendations were grounded in three major themes: 1.economic opportunity; 2. reform-based investment; 3. affordable access. 12

13 Top Jobs 21: Va. Higher Ed Opportunity Act Funding To establish a higher education funding framework and policy that promotes stable, predictable, equitable, and adequate funding Higher education funding policy (4 parts) Base operational and instructional. Re-evaluate cost of education (Base Budget Adequacy Model); consider adjustments based on specific institutional mission Incentivize on a per student enrollment growth for a Virginia undergraduate Need based financial aid, particularly middle-income Funding incentives for efforts that support objectives in the Act 13

14 Top Jobs 21 Objectives 1. Financial Aid 2. Increased enrollment of Va students 3. Increased degree completion for Va residents who have partial credit completion for a degree; 4. Increased degree completion in a timely or expedited manner; 5. Improved retention and graduation rates; 6. Increased degree production in STEM and other high-need areas such as health care; 7. Increased research, including private-public collaboration 8. Optimal year-round utilization of resources and other efficiency reforms 9. Instructional resource sharing 10. Technology-enhanced instruction 11. Enhanced community college transfers and other enhanced degree path programs. 14

15 Six Year Plan Academic, Financial and Enrollment Plan Academic Strategies the institution intends to implement in meeting a stated objective Over three biennium: ; ; Mandatory objectives: Financial aid low and middle income Optimal use of facilities and instructional resources to improve student completions and cost efficiencies Instructional resource sharing with other institutions New programs or initiatives including quality improvements Finance Operating, Tuition and Fees, Tuition Waivers 15

16 Six Year Plan Process Institutions submit to the state by July 1 (suspends Restructuring performance measures for and ) Each institution meets with a group of state officials to discuss the plan: Secretary of Education; Secretary of Finance; Director of the Department of Planning and Budget; Executive Director of the State Council of Higher Education; Staff Director of the House Appropriations Committee; Staff Director of the Senate Finance Committee State provides feedback to each institution by September 1 Institution revises plan based on state comments and BOV approve the plan for final submission to state by October 1 16

17 Higher Education Advisory Committee To provide advice and make recommendations on: funding methodology; low- and middle-income criteria; objective performance criteria for financial incentives; economic opportunity metrics; additional authority under Restructuring; role of non-publics; periodically assess the degree to which the Commonwealth s system of h. ed is meeting objectives. Members: Representatives from Office of Sec. of Education and Sec. of Finance, SCHEV, Staff director of the House Appropriations, Staff director of the Senate Finance, Five public-inst. presidents two doctoral, one comprehensive, one from VCCS (selected by all public-inst presidents), Appointees by the Governor (private, nonprofit inst) 17

18 University of Virginia U.S. News & World Report Rankings: America's Best Colleges 2nd Best Public University (tied with UCLA); 8th Best Undergraduate Teaching; 25th Best Public/Private National University (tied with UCLA and Wake Forest) Student Enrollment, (On Grounds) Total 21,049 14,039 Undergraduates 4,806 Graduate 1,719 Law and Medicine 485 Overall undergraduate 70% in-state, 30% out-of-state Retention and Graduation Rates 97.2 percent 1-Year retention rate 86.4 percent 4-Year graduation rate 92.8 percent 6-Year graduation rate 18

19 Capital Projects Brick and Mortar Campus 231 major projects completed in last 20 years through December 2011 $1.8 billion total value 5.3 million GSF or 48% increase in square footage 20 major projects complete between July and December 2011 (total value $256M) Current construction in progress $370M with an additional $186M in planning and design 19

20 Some Initiatives in U.Va. s Plan Increase enrollment of Virginians Mandatory in-state ratio legislation year after year Growth 70/30 in-state/out of state; increase 1500 (1400 undergrads) 3+1 degrees 3 yr bachelors; 1 year masters About 75% of students start on average with 18 credit hours About 50 students per year graduate in 3 years; estimate some might consider a three-year Bachelor s option Also reviewing master s programs that could be accelerated Improve retention and graduation rates University has a 93% six-year graduation rate Looked at subpopulations - Pell grant recipients have a lower four year graduation rate than non-pell recipients. (73.8% Pell recipients and 78.1% all students SCHEV data; all 85% Charlottesville) 20

21 Some Initiatives in U.Va s Plan Optimize use of facilities Central scheduling and control of space Standardize start/stop times; Lengthen academic day Evaluate expansion of J-term and Summer Session Academic Programs, Camps, and Conferences during summer Technology enhanced instruction Produced in Va, 4-VA The Center for the Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning (CASTL) an interdisciplinary center through which faculty conduct scientific studies on teaching, teacher quality, classroom experience, and student persistence from preschool through postsecondary education. 21

22 Challenges with the Six Year Plan Assume no new general funds. Strategies/initiatives in future years. Get credit for ongoing and past accomplishments. Focused almost solely on undergraduate students. Projecting initiatives in ; ; few details Projecting tuition rates reasonable and realistic versus what it would really take to implement the initiatives included on plan. Projecting future efficiency reforms. Get credit for ongoing and past efforts. 22

23 Your Experience with Reform Successful, why Unsuccessful, why 23

24 Optimistic Outlook Numerous unknowns at this stage Funding Model Expectations about Six Year Plan implementation Incentives The legislation holds promise, but for the implementation to be successful there must be: A true partnership between the Commonwealth and institution Transparency, different way of thinking Flexibility to accommodate institutional uniqueness An appropriate level of checks and balances A connection to Restructuring - complement and further 24

25 We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time. T. S. Eliot 25

26 Resources State Council of Higher Education for Virginia: The Virginia Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2011: Restructured Higher Education Financial and Administrative Operations Act (Restructuring Act) : Governor s Blue Ribbon Commission on Higher Education: Making Connections: Matching Virginia Higher Education s Strengths with the Commonwealth s Needs: 60f52c616de b8b/$FILE/SD26_1996.pdf The Case for Change: 26