This morning I attended my first Board of Regents meeting as UHD President. One of the biggest issues we discussed was budget. The UH system is in good shape. Several of the campuses are growing and research is growing significantly, particularly at UH, but also for the entire system. There were two main presentations, one on the budget and one on research. The following is a statement I sent out today to the entire campus:
At today's meeting, the UH System Board of Regents voted to approve the FY2010 operating budget for UHD. This budget reflects the priorities established by the UHD community through the spring planning process.
UHD’s total budget for the coming fiscal year totals $137 million and includes $6.4 million in new operating resources. We focused on the following high-profile initiatives in presenting the budget to the Board and to the Board’s Finance and Administration Committee:
• Advising and Scholarship Support ($1.8 million) – UHD will expand its advising and transcript evaluation services by adding 11 more advisers and transcript evaluators in order to better serve both first time in college and transfer students. We will also be adding 2 transfer coordinators and a Veterans Services coordinator. Funding for this initiative will come from the new advising fee. The bulk of the new money reflects increased scholarship support for UHD students from state and institutional sources.
• New Faculty to Support Growth ($924,000) – This budget includes 14 new, full-time faculty positions needed to accommodate our projected enrollment growth.
• Involvement in UH System Northwest Initiative at Lone Star College’s new center off Texas 249 ($250,000). We have committed these funds to ensure that UHD will have the resources needed to be an active partner in delivering courses and degrees at the teaching center.
Developing an operating budget for the coming year presented many challenges. The state budget for the FY2010/2011 biennium contains an estimated $12 billion of one-time federal stimulus funds. UHD’s FY2010/2011 appropriation includes $1.15 million of federal stimulus funds.
Due to the one-time nature of these funds, and because there are continuing concerns about the national and state economy, we have decided to delay making a decision about salary increases for UHD employees. None of the UHS universities included unconditional, base-funded salary increases in their FY 2010 budgets, except for UH-Clear Lake, which was not able to provide pay increases to its employees for the current year (FY2009).
It is worthwhile to note that in many states, public college and universities are experiencing conditions that are much worse than the conditions in Texas. A recent report issued by the Center of Budget and Policy Priorities, a non-profit , Washington D. C.-based think tank that examines federal and state fiscal policy, stated that as a result of this economic downturn, at least 32 states have implemented severe cuts to public colleges and universities.
By contrast, UHD continues to grow. As of yesterday, UHD had 11,205 students registered, an increase of 486 students (4.5 percent) compared to the number registered at this time last fall. Total student credit hours as of yesterday are also up by 5.3 percent. If we succeed in building our student credit hours throughout the year, a pay raise may be possible in spring, 2010.
In closing, let me say that while there are certainly challenges, they are greatly outnumbered by the opportunities. UHD is a young and vital institution in a high-growth part of the country and it has very talented faculty and staff. In the coming months, we will examine ways that we can both grow and re-shape our enrollments in strategic and resource-positive ways in order to benefit our students and therefore the institution. Thank you for continuing to encourage students to enroll at and attend UHD.
"At UHD, We're Making A Name For Ourselves."
Showing posts with label new faculty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new faculty. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Saturday, August 15, 2009
New Faculty in This Economy?
Yesterday, I met a room full of new UHD faculty. When I mentioned that to a friend in California, he said, "You're hiring new tenure-track faculty in this economy? You gotta be kidding. We're just trying to hold on to what we have. We're reducing the number of students, taking furloughs, cutting-back on everything, and raising tuition and fees!"
Yes, we're hiring new faculty and we're planning to move from a 4-4 teaching load to a 4-3 teaching load next Fall--assuming we have the money to do it. It's not that Texas is rolling in money. In fact, like most states, this year the legislature and governor balanced the budget with stimulus money. That helped for now, but could hit higher ed hard in the next budget cycle. Even so, Houston and UHD have not felt the deep cuts of other parts of the country--not yet.
And, students keep coming, especially in areas around our learning centers in the some of the fast-growing sections of Houston. So UHD is growing. We expect enrollment increases of between 3-4% this year over last.
The real issue in a school like ours is retention. Only about 7% of our students are first time, full-time freshmen (what's termed FTIC). Most of our students are transfers from community colleges or re-entry students (who work full-time or close to it).
UHD is a commuter campus in downtown Houston where condos rent for 2,000-3,000 a month, rent most of our faculty and staff can't pay, let alone our students. So the students drive many miles to campus, take courses at our learning centers, or take online courses. The MetroRail helps as students and faculty can park miles away and ride the rail. As the train expand North and the spur lines are added East and West, more neighborhoods will be served by the train. Right now the MetroRail connects students from nearby community colleges who often are jointly-enrolled in UHD and a community college.
Like all commuter campuses, UHD is trying to do a better job in student retention and graduation. Few of our freshmen students graduate in four-years or even six years, because most are working. Yet, each year we graduate many students, enough that we can hold two graduate ceremonies, one in December and one in the Spring. Commencement Exercises are held in Minute Maid Park--where the Astros play--and we fill up the stadium with parents and relatives of graduates, twice a year!
In fact, UHD has received recognition from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and performance funding for graduation of Hispanic and African American students and for graduation of STEM students, particularly minority students.
So keep 'em coming and keep graduating them!
Yes, we're hiring new faculty and we're planning to move from a 4-4 teaching load to a 4-3 teaching load next Fall--assuming we have the money to do it. It's not that Texas is rolling in money. In fact, like most states, this year the legislature and governor balanced the budget with stimulus money. That helped for now, but could hit higher ed hard in the next budget cycle. Even so, Houston and UHD have not felt the deep cuts of other parts of the country--not yet.
And, students keep coming, especially in areas around our learning centers in the some of the fast-growing sections of Houston. So UHD is growing. We expect enrollment increases of between 3-4% this year over last.
The real issue in a school like ours is retention. Only about 7% of our students are first time, full-time freshmen (what's termed FTIC). Most of our students are transfers from community colleges or re-entry students (who work full-time or close to it).
UHD is a commuter campus in downtown Houston where condos rent for 2,000-3,000 a month, rent most of our faculty and staff can't pay, let alone our students. So the students drive many miles to campus, take courses at our learning centers, or take online courses. The MetroRail helps as students and faculty can park miles away and ride the rail. As the train expand North and the spur lines are added East and West, more neighborhoods will be served by the train. Right now the MetroRail connects students from nearby community colleges who often are jointly-enrolled in UHD and a community college.
Like all commuter campuses, UHD is trying to do a better job in student retention and graduation. Few of our freshmen students graduate in four-years or even six years, because most are working. Yet, each year we graduate many students, enough that we can hold two graduate ceremonies, one in December and one in the Spring. Commencement Exercises are held in Minute Maid Park--where the Astros play--and we fill up the stadium with parents and relatives of graduates, twice a year!
In fact, UHD has received recognition from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and performance funding for graduation of Hispanic and African American students and for graduation of STEM students, particularly minority students.
So keep 'em coming and keep graduating them!
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