F3 Office of the President TO MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE ON FINANCE: For Meeting of ACTION ITEM ESTABLISHMENT OF PROFESSIONAL DEGREE SUPPLEMENTAL TUITION FOR TWO GRADUATE PROFESSIONAL DEGREE PROGRAMS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This item requests the Regents authorization to assess Professional Degree Supplemental Tuition (PDST) for the first time to students in two graduate professional degree programs Biomedical and Translational Science at Irvine and Public Policy at San Diego effective 2016-17. Both programs meet all requirements of the Regents Policy 3103, Policy on Professional Degree Supplemental Tuition. A broader presentation and discussion about the Policy is planned for the July Regents meeting. RECOMMENDATION The President of the University recommends that the Committee on Finance recommend that the Regents approve the establishment of Professional Degree Supplemental Tuition for two graduate professional degree programs Master of Science in Biomedical and Translational Science at UC Irvine and Master of Public Policy at UC San Diego at the levels indicated in Display 1. DISPLAY 1: Proposed Professional Degree Supplemental Tuition Initial Levels Effective Fall 2016 Residents Nonresidents Biomedical and Translational Science Irvine $10,491 $10,491 Public Policy San Diego $8,376 $8,376 BACKGROUND Professional Degree Supplemental Tuition (PDST) was established in 1994-95 to allow UC s professional schools to offset reductions in State support and maintain program quality. PDST is assessed in addition to mandatory systemwide charges and, if applicable, Nonresident Supplemental Tuition.
COMMITTEE ON FINANCE -2- F3 Historically, many of UC s professional schools have held a place of prominence in the nation, promising an exceptional education for a reasonable price. Revenue generated from PDST has been critical to these programs efforts to regain and maintain excellence following years of budget cuts. The Regents Policy on Professional Degree Supplemental Tuition includes specific conditions for ensuring that the University s commitment to access, affordability, diversity, and students public service career decisions is not adversely affected by increases in fees for graduate professional degree students. The University affirmatively monitors related indicators such as student debt levels. Any graduate professional degree program that proposes charging PDST for the first time is required to submit a request for approval by the Regents. New PDST Charges for Two Graduate Professional Degree Programs New PDSTs are proposed for two graduate professional degree programs on the Irvine and San Diego campuses (see Display 1). The former is a longstanding program and the latter is new. The review of the multi-year plan for each proposed PDST confirmed that these programs reflect graduate professional (rather than academic) degree objectives and are hence eligible to assess PDST. In addition, all required campus and systemwide program approvals were obtained. Finally, as is the case for all programs proposing to charge PDST in 2016-17, these two programs addressed all aspects of Regents Policy 3103 in their multi-year plans and were subjected to a thorough review, including a review of affordability, accessibility, and diversity measures. Brief descriptions of the two programs proposing to charge PDST for the first time in 2016-17 follow. Biomedical and Translational Science (Irvine). The UC Irvine School of Medicine offers a one- to two-year (depending on the incoming student s clinical research experience) terminal Master of Science in Biomedical and Translational Science (MS-BATS), preparing students to conduct, interpret, evaluate, and apply interdisciplinary clinical research to enter professional careers in health policy administration and research. The MS-BATS program is an established clinical research training program with an initial focus on comparative effectiveness research (CER), evidence-based medicine, and the science of quality assessment and improvement, and is aimed at junior faculty in clinical departments, fellows, residents, third- and fourth-year medical students, and physicians. The demand for the program, coupled with the need to continually adjust course content in response to the rapidly changing healthcare and policy environments, has outstripped resources available at the UC Irvine School of Medicine. The PDST is needed to secure additional resources to revise and update courses and improve training opportunities necessitated by the rapidly changing CER and evidence-based medicine landscape. For second-year students who entered the program prior to the establishment of the PDST, the PDST will be fully covered through a combination of return-to-aid from PDST revenue and other sources. Public Policy (San Diego). Approved in spring 2015 as a new graduate professional degree program, UC San Diego s two-year Master of Public Policy (MPP) program seeks to prepare students for policymaking careers in a global context. The program is designed
COMMITTEE ON FINANCE -3- F3 to meet the rapidly growing need for skilled professionals capable of understanding and recommending policy options addressing society s most pressing issues. Housed in the School of Global Policy and Strategy (GPS), the program provides students with access to resources in the school s international relations (also called the Master of International Affairs, MIA) program (which already charges a PDST) and leading faculty whose work focuses on China, Japan, Korea, and the regional economies of East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. The MPP and MIA programs in GPS share several core courses as degree requirements, administrative resources, facilities costs, and student support services. Accordingly, GPS is proposing that the two programs have identical fee structures. Market s Regents Policy 3103 calls upon programs to develop PDST plans such that total charges are at or below the total tuition and/or fees charged by comparable degree programs at other comparable public institutions. Policy also requires that UC programs consider marketplace factors, as well as program quality, in pricing their programs. Most programs consider both public and private comparators in their marketplace analyses. The comparison institutions chosen by UC s programs are generally the UC programs current competitors for students, faculty, and national rankings or a mix of current competitors and programs UC aspires to compete with. The two programs requesting Regental approval to assess PDST have identified comparison programs of high quality at public and private institutions across the nation for the marketplace analysis. The following display lists by professional degree program the proposed in-state annual charges at UC and the expected average of comparison institutions for 2016-17. DISPLAY 2: Proposed Total In-State Charges at UC and the Expected of s for 2016-17 Proposed 2016-17 Total Resident Charges: UC (a) Charges: Public Charges: Public and Private Charges: Private Biomedical and Translational Science (b) Irvine $23,555 $32,245 $38,790 $43,699 Public Policy (c) San Diego $21,453 $24,893 $42,668 $48,593 (a) Total resident UC charges reflect approximate first-year charges and include mandatory systemwide charges (Tuition and Student Services Fee), Professional Degree Supplemental Tuition, campus-based fees, and Nonresident Supplemental Tuition, disability insurance fees, and other fees where applicable. (b) Public comparison institutions include Oregon Health Sciences University, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Private comparison institutions include Duke University, Northwestern University, Tufts University, and University of Southern California. (c) The program has the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor as its public comparison institution. Private comparison institutions include Carnegie Mellon University, Columbia University, and Harvard University.
COMMITTEE ON FINANCE -4- F3 For each of the two programs, as required by current Regents policy, the proposed PDST level will result in total in-state student charges that are below the estimated average total charges for in-state students in the comparison public programs. Uses of Revenue from Proposed New PDST As part of their proposals, both programs submitted three-year plans describing how the PDST revenue reflected in their plan would be utilized. Display 3, below, summarizes how the programs plan to use this revenue in 2016-17. For both programs, approximately three-quarters of new PDST revenue will go toward providing additional student financial aid and hiring and expanding the pool of instructors (salaries, benefits, and UCRP contributions). Remaining funds for the MS-BATS program will go toward curriculum enhancements and training opportunities, instructional support staff, and other non-salary expenses. Remaining funds for the MPP program will go toward new course and workshop offerings, student services, facilities-related costs, and other non-salary expenses. DISPLAY 3: Projected Expenditures of New PDST Revenue for Two Programs, 2016-17 Share of Revenue Expenditure Category MS-BATS Program MPP Program Providing Additional Student Financial Aid 33.0% 33.0% Faculty/Instructor Salaries 32.4% 28.7% Benefits Costs 10.1% 7.9% UCRP Contributions 5.5% 3.9% Program Enhancements (Including Student Services, Instructional Equipment, 11.9% 16.2% and Instructional Support Staff) Other Costs (Including Facilities-related and Other Non-salary Costs) 7.1% 10.3% Total 100.0% 100.0% Financial Aid and Student Indebtedness Both programs have demonstrated a commitment to providing students with grant and scholarship support in order to attract and enroll a highly talented and socioeconomically diverse student body, consistent with the financial aid policy goals first articulated by the Regents in 1994. Both programs plan to supplement financial aid sources by an amount equivalent to 33 percent of PDST revenue. Strategy for Inclusion of Underrepresented Groups Both programs described their strategies to enroll a diverse student body, consistent with Regents Policy 3103. For example: The Biomedical and Translational Science program at Irvine is employing media coverage via articles focused on its program, as well as marketing the program to recruitment events targeting underrepresented students, including the Society for
COMMITTEE ON FINANCE -5- F3 Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics (SACNAS) and Native Americans in Science and the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS). San Diego s Public Policy program has a special task force focused on expanding the domestic pipeline administered through the Admissions Office, which includes direct faculty-to-faculty outreach to peers at U.S. institutions. Special effort is being expended to ensure contacts in Hispanic Serving s and Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The program is also working to expand its outreach efforts, including a planned partnership with the Public Policy and International Affairs Program (PPIA) and the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA) to host a weekend event for undergraduate students interested in public policy. Faculty and Student Consultation The Regents Policy requires programs to provide opportunities for faculty and students to engage in a dialogue with program leadership about multi-year plans, the rationale for PDST increases or new PDSTs, the impact on program quality of various PDST choices, and how any potentially adverse consequences of PDST levels will be mitigated by financial aid, outreach, and recruitment of low-income and underrepresented minority students. Both multi-year plans for the two new programs described efforts to solicit student and faculty input on the PDST proposal. The Irvine MS-BATS program received student feedback from two cohorts through three town hall meetings. Overall, student feedback was generally very positive especially in regard to the additional financial aid provided by the new PDST. The students said the program fees were reasonable relative to comparable programs and to the cost of medical school. The Irvine Graduate Student Association representative expressed no concern regarding the consultation process for this program. The San Diego MPP program is a new program; hence, it was not possible to solicit input from students currently enrolled in the program. Nevertheless, the program held focus groups with other students, and the program s multi-year plan was shared with both the Graduate Student Association and the Pacific and International Affairs Student Organization (PIASO). Two student representatives who attended a meeting where information on the new program and proposed fees were presented emphasized the need to consult with students earlier in the process. Faculty feedback was solicited through interviews for the Irvine MS-BATS proposal and during a faculty retreat for the San Diego MPP proposal. MS-BATS faculty were supportive of the need for additional funding for program sustainability. Faculty emphasized that the MS-BATS program provided a substantial advantage for students applying for future medical training, as well as for those seeking expanded professional opportunities and increased understanding and application of clinical literature to enhance patient care. Faculty from the School of Global Policy and Strategy were supportive of the MPP proposal, noting that the funding obtained through the PDST will help develop and improve coursework, provide staffing support to assist students with their internship and job placement activities, and include support for computer and facilities upgrades that will enhance the program.