Budget Development 2002-2003

Lane Home Search Lane

Is the program required to meet federal or state mandates and/or accreditation requirements [CO]

Is there a strong community service need and/or student demand for the program? [CO]

How well does the program address college goals? [CO]

Is the program necessary to maintain the health and safety of all people on college premises [CO]

How cost effective is the program (revenue-positive, revenue-neutral, revenue-negative)? [CO]

What is its impact of the program on FTE? [CO]

Does the program support the needs of Instruction and Student Services [CO]

Is the program required to maintain the assets of the college? (i.e., physical plant, equipment, grounds, etc.) [CO]

Is there a more efficient way to operate the program (Outsource? Restructure?) [CO]

Does the program generate outside revenue? [CO]

Are there strategic reasons to retain the program? [CO]

Is the program becoming obsolete?  (Are we still teaching alchemy?) [CO]

How does elimination or outsourcing of the program impact other programs and services?  Students?  Staff? [CO]

Are the program functions duplicated by other programs [CO]

Does the program require a major increase in funding for success? [CO]
 

Other Considerations

Does every community college have to have this service/program/activity? [CO]

Consider additional revenue opportunities such as: [CO]
ï Reassess our business practices; i.e., less generosity with credit, improve collections.
ï Charge for parking on main campus.
ï Enterprise functions need to be at least revenue neutral.
ï Consider user fees for various activities; lab fees, application fees.
ï Consider recapturing a variety of subsidies; i.e., student bus pass, tuition waivers, parking subsidies for DTC workplace, etc.
ï Consider improved usage of facilities; i.e., scheduling during vacant periods, charging for rental of space to community activities, etc.

Search for additional savings from existing programs: [CO]
ï Decrease insurance costs by self-insuring to a greater degree, and by discontinuing excessive coverage.  Can we choose to accept more risk and decrease limits of liability?
ï Decrease public safety services (i.e. not patrolling campus at night)
ï Review our contractual obligations for possible reductions and cost saving measures
ï Establish acceptable parameters of reduced quality and/or services to yield increased cost-effectiveness.
ï Benchmarks from other institutions may be helpful.
ï Consider retirement incentives to reduce staff costs.

Ask Instruction and Student Services to prioritize the activities they consider to be ìessential.î  COLT will then evolve a list of services needed (and costs) to support these necessities. [CO]

Does it make sense to offer an activity just because it is cost effective?  [CO]

Consider all the ramifications of accomplishing the activity differently: e.g.,  quality, outsourcing, cost cutting, not fulfilling obligations. [CO]

What are the true costs of CLCís: tech support, mail courier, Bookstore, student services. [CO]

Be sure to consider all aspects of costs in analyzing any program including indirect costs and general overhead. [CO]

 
Executive Services Managers Criteria

Is the function essential to a community college? Another way to put it would be, if a new college was starting, would this function be essential? [ES]

Impact to students: how would students be affected if various elements were eliminated? [ES]

What about priorities articulated in enrollment plan, presidentís work plan, collegeís strategic plan, and any other strategic directions: work articulated in these plans is essential to the well-being of the college. [ES]

Would it compromise our ability to provide quality learning experiences in a caring community [to eliminate this program/service]? [ES]

Consideration for how cuts affect student recruitment and retention, and program needs a department provides are important to take into account.  This would follow the goals established by the president and Board. [ES]

Is the department involved in the LASR implementation process? If so, how would cuts impact the implementation process? [ES]

Does the department provide any non-essential services that could be eliminated without legal or contractual problems? What would be the impact on college operations if these services were eliminated? [ES]

Does the department provide any services that could be sub-contracted? What would be the impact on college operations if these services were sub-contracted? Does it affect delivery? [ES]

What is the customer-to-department FTE ratio? What was it 5 years ago? 10 years ago? What does this ratio suggest re: department efficiencies? [ES]

 
Credit Instructional Division Chairs Criteria

There were several general criteria set forth along with a number of specifics.  The general criteria are as follows: [INSTRUC]
 
This cannot be made to be a meaningless exercise in the end.  If careful, difficult, and painful decisions are made at division/department levels and then are then overturned for  political or emotional reasons either at the Executive Team level or the Board level the negative consequences are very great.  These managers feel they spend a good deal of their "credibility capital" on the earlier 5% and 10% cut proposals put forward followed by no effect evident to instructional faculty and staff.  Some feel they may no longer be effective as leaders in their divisions if they lead such a painful process again and here turn out to be no cuts that are visible to their staffs.

Instruction should not be separated from support services.  It is not reasonable to continue to serve more or even the same number of students while cutting student services and services provided through College Operations.

 Specific criteria not presented in order of priority:

     Cost per FTE/ "profit" generated by particular classes or by entire programs.

     Consciously keep profitable classes and programs to support higher cost classes and
     programs.

     Efficiency.  Alternate years for low enrollment classes/programs.

     Don't let immediate enrollment pressure determine priorities.  Forecast and meet
     community needs.

     For Prof./Tech. Programs, examine
          job availability and location for graduates.
          starting salaries in those jobs AND after a relatively short time in those jobs.
          availability of benefits in those jobs.
          cost and ability to maintain industry standard equipment to properly train and
          prepare students.
     For classes and programs serving transfer areas, examine
          actual transferability of our classes.
          career growth opportunities in given majors/fields.
          benefits to students who do not go on, either to a 4-year school or to a career in the
          area.  (example:  one does not have to major in language to benefit from learning
          Spanish)

 
CEO and Workforce Managers Criteria

To what extent does a program support existing or emerging high priority community needs? [CEO]

To what extent does a program or service lead to family wage jobs?  Is it worth college resources to prepare students for jobs or careers that are low paying? [CEO]

Does a programís enrollment relay significantly on out-of-district, out-of-state students? If so, why are we offering it? [CEO]

To what extent does a program or service support the role and partnership of the community college in economic development in the community? [CEO]

To what extent is a program or service over-enrolled given the availability of jobs or careers in that given field? [CEO]

To what extent does a program or service support an emerging career field with prospects for family wage jobs? [CEO]

To what extent are students able to find work locally for the field they have prepared for? [CEO]

To what extent does a program or service support a balanced approach to having a comprehensive community college? [CEO]

Number of people accessing recruitment and retention services. [CEO]

Cost-per-FTE. [CEO]

Truly establishing a real quantitative value for an FTE so the college can make rationa decisions about FTEís worth and cost. [CEO]

Demonstrate prospects for quantifiable growth over the next year, the next two years, etc. [CEO]

Need for recognition of services to students that are not directly reflected in classroom enrollments (FTE). [CEO]

FTE trends for each department. Is the FTE growth consistent over the years? [CEO]

Partnerships and collaboration with agencies that help keep the service level affordable. [CEO]

Location for the accessible delivery of the service, i.e., outreach. [CEO]
 
Student Services Managers  Criteria

· Assists and ensures student entry, retention and success [SS]
 
· Enhances and promotes diversity/ensures a comprehensive college environment that meets a variety of diverse student needs[SS]
 
· Ensures effectiveness and efficiency of services (Will need to be different

· for each Student Services areas and to be more fully designed with Craig Taylorís assistance) [SS]
 
· Demonstrates student utilization which is based on student needs or demand [SS]
 
· Maintains both mandatory processes (Disability Services/Testing) and those essential for student success [SS]
 
· Assesses effects on students, other parts of the college and the community, if eliminated (risk/impact of not doing) [SS]
 
· Provides meaningful opportunities for extended learning and campus service [SS]
 
· Examines alternative means of funding, including enhancing revenue and generating financial support (Student Health, Student Activities) [SS]
 
· Is necessary to maintain current (Banner)/maintains infrastructure [SS]
 
· Considers overall enrollment management (extra sections/SS, parking, class availability) [SS]
 
· Considers current workload (what is left is workable) and previous reductions [SS]
 
· Supports the mission, vision and Strategic Plan of the college [SS]
 
· Avoids duplication/represents a collaborative effort or partnership (only criteria for some of the areas within SS) [SS]

The Student Services Directors strongly recommended that the Board be involved in these discussions early in the process and that they support the final decisions.  The Board must ìhold firmlyî when others disagree or come to the Board to complain, or else all these criteria and processes will not be effective.  In addition the directors recommend that if there are any areas that are not to be reduced or not ìtouchedî, they be identified up front.   [SS]