Planning in the Context of Budget Reduction Academic Affairs Planning in the Context of Budget Reduction

Division Mission To provide an academically engaging environment grounded in the principles of a learning college and supportive of the college’s overall mission: adding value to the lives of our students and enriching our community.

Academic Affairs Mission/Goals Access Engagement Innovation Alternative Learning Environments Strengths and Opportunities Practical Liberal Education Curriculum Learning Communities Undergraduate Research Technology Support Services New Programs International Programs Grant Projects Economic Development Creative Commons New Markets Distance Hybrid Flexterms Centers BAS Professional Development Reflective & Formative Assessment

Required Reduction Academic Affairs is the largest division in terms of personnel and budget. Its reduction is also the largest: slightly more than $1.5 million. This reduction will significantly impact how Academic Affairs moves forward with its central priorities.

Sources of Funds Chairs and Directors were surveyed regarding areas of the budget to tap in addressing the reduction. Their responses guided decisions: Eliminate majority of vacant lines across all classifications (accounts for ~ $1.2 million) 10% Reduction in current expenses 50% Reduction in non-instructional loading not externally funded

Concerns Moving Forward External funding of some programs is too low: need funding for lines, salaries, etc. Increasing tuition and fees could be a barrier to students. Access to university transfer is limited compared to local need—both of students and employers.

Concerns Moving Forward The division needs to leverage administrative lines whenever possible to manage multiple activities. Adjunct pool may be limited in certain areas due to program reductions and increased lecturer hirings at UF and general workforce shortages in health careers. Most critical concern among chairs and directors is SFC employee salaries.

Focus on Salaries What drives salaries? Many factors, but most importantly, it’s the number of full-time employees. Other factors: distribution of resources, scope/experience/degrees of employees, longevity of employees.

Example: Faculty Salaries 2008 Fact Book Average: $53,059 Among Florida CCs Lowest: $41,426 / North Florida Highest: $62,948 / Indian River Santa Fe Average: $46,878 There is a relationship between FT Faculty per FTE enrollment and Average Faculty Salary. With few exceptions: the lower this ratio, the higher the average faculty salary.

Faculty/FTE Ratio

Recommendations Look at Benchmark SFC staffing—across all divisions—to similar FTE colleges: Santa Fe Seminole Brevard Tallahassee Indian River Look at Number of staff Responsibilities Education/Experience requirements

Considerations $16K faculty salary spread across this small group, suggesting factors beyond just FTE drive resource allocation. What are they? How are they related to college mission, vision, and values? Can we agree on these? How do we move forward to increase salaries or set other priorities within our mission? For example, evidence suggests students benefit from increased FT faculty (see Chronicle, 11/14/08). How does this balance against lower salaries for valued personnel?

Recommendations Adopt an enrollment dashboard to guide and increase efficiency in scheduling and faculty staffing/loading. Models: Miami-Dade, Foothills-DeAnza, Sinclair, Anne Arundel. Institute timelines for sustainable enrollments as part of program proposal and review. Create a formalized process to follow when determining whether to begin, close, or continue a program.

Recommendations Develop more robust course curriculum frameworks (onsite and online) to assist new and part-time faculty, including a focus on course redesign. Models: Maricopa, Indian River, FCCJ, C2R Project. Continue to recognize and provide incentives through non-instructional loading and professional development for innovations in teaching and learning.

Recommendations Centralize and target professional development dollars to college-wide initiatives such as Research in Undergraduate Education Learning Outcomes Assessment Sustainability International Education Open Source/Learning Technologies Student Success within Diverse Populations Learning Communities SACS Quality Enhancement Plan

Moving Forward: Division Work closely with other divisions Finance & ITS on maximizing funding formula and technology Development & Facilities on identifying and securing external funds in support of faculty and innovation; linking academic and facilities planning Student Affairs on enrollment management Administration & College Relations on key legislation and marketing

Moving Forward: College Academic Affairs planning discussions resulted in the following recommendations for college-wide action: Increase communication regarding planning and budgeting through college-wide forum Set specific strategic objectives (e.g., increasing salaries, creating structured course frameworks) with milestones and timelines Increase data-driven decision making in resource allocation Increase collaborative budgeting and budget review to leverage purchasing power and achieve efficiencies