State University System Education and General Legislative Budget Request Form I

Transcription

1 State University System Education and General Legislative Budget Request Form I University(s): Issue Title: University of North Florida Support our Students Recurring Funds Requested: $6,659, Non-Recurring Funds Requested: $4,135, Total Funds Requested: $10,794, Please check the issue type below: Shared Services/System-Wide Issue for Fiscal Year Unique Issue for Fiscal Year I. Description 1. Describe the service or program to be provided and how this issue aligns with the goals and objectives of the strategic priorities and the 2018 University Accountability Plan established by your institution (include whether this is a new or expanded service/program). If expanded, what has been accomplished with the current service/program? 2. Describe any projected impact on academic programs, student enrollments, and student services. Focus on Student Success Aggressively working to improve student success has been identified as the top priority by our new president, Dr. David Szymanski and the UNF Board of Trustees. President Szymanski brings a new perspective to our institution that embraces innovation and a vision for transforming the university. We will build upon the core identity of our institution as one that provides high-touch personalized experience and has deep and rich connections to our community; those aspects that make us uniquely UNF. Around this core we will invest significantly in a robust, enhanced network of student support services and new scholarship dollars to decrease the cost of the degree. The University of North Florida has made a number of improvements in recent years, such as the implementation and expansion of academic support programs including Supplemental Instruction, a First Year Seminar and mentoring program, and a significant expansion of the application of data analytics to analyze enrollment, retention, and graduation. To accomplish these initiatives, we have reallocated and redeployed resources including staff and faculty lines, and the result has been beneficial for our

2 students. While these improvements have increased our performance in a number of the metrics, including retention and graduation rates, our gains have not kept pace with those made by other SUS institutions, and this has been reflected in performance based funding. We are committed to improving our ranking and achieving excellence in metrics benchmarks, and recognize that larger-scale and more permanent improvements are needed in order for our institution to perform at the highest levels. There are three areas of focus related to student success in which we are poised to make significant improvement with an investment from the Legislature. The first is decreasing cost to degree by increasing available financial aid; the second is student support through excellence in services to support student success; and third is a commitment to expand faculty capacity in areas of strategic emphasis. All three of these components, summarized below and on the following chart, directly address the Performance Based Funding Metrics and align with the priorities identified by the University of North Florida in our 2018 Accountability Plan. Funding this Legislative Budget Request would significantly advance UNF s standing in the State University System and most importantly, cement our commitment to student success. 1. Scholarships UNF is committing to $2,500,000 to support students through scholarships. We understand the importance of local investment with our own dollars before the Legislature invests in the University. This money will come as a result of aggressive fund raising for unrestricted scholarships and reallocation of additional resources. Many UNF students are economically challenged to complete their degrees. We have also made a significant commitment to recruit more students who are eligible for Pell grants. To that end, we propose to increase student financial aid so UNF students will pay less for their education. 2. Service Excellence A point of pride for our institution is providing individualized attention to our students and this commitment extends to helping students stay engaged and complete their degree. Many of our students, however, are in circumstances that can make successfully completing college very challenging. More than 70% of our undergraduate students work, and those that do are working an average of 24 hours per week. This negatively impacts the numbers of credit hours attempted and the number of credits earned. Enrolling in less than 15 credits and/or failing coursework both decrease the probability for students to finish in four years. To meet the varied and complex challenges our students face, we will use additional resources to provide a more holistic approach to support focusing on academics, career services, and financial aid. Each student would be assigned to a team of specific advisors to help support their success. We have previously invested in academic advising and propose even more enhancement in this area. In addition, we will significantly increase our career services, financial aid advising personnel, and add additional student-assisted support services. Practical experiences directly related to the student s career field is an important component of student success. In concert with Career Services, we envision every UNF student having the opportunity to complete an internship or other similar experience relevant to their career path. As a result, Career Services in every college will be expanded to include managing internship opportunities in addition to career counseling

3 services. Coordinators will specialize in needs of employers to further strengthen the bridges between UNF and the large number of business and other organizations in northeast Florida. Lastly, to support student achievement, we will install effective software systems to assist and inform student-centered scheduling, facilitate an early warning system, and empower students to easily monitor progress toward their degree. Progress-to-degree software will allow students to see what courses are required for degree completion, assist with evaluating the feasibility of changing majors or adding minors, and reduce/prevent students from registering themselves in courses which do not count toward their degree. 3. Faculty Excellence We have significantly increased the number of undergraduate degrees awarded in areas of strategic emphasis, and this remains an important priority for our institution as demand for these programs increases. To accommodate the student interest and need for highly capable graduates in these areas, we need to add faculty. With additional resources, faculty will be added in computing, engineering, biomedical sciences (especially biology and chemistry), transportation & logistics, analytics, and healthcare. Expanding faculty capacity in these targeted areas is critically important to further develop these programs, increase course availability to facilitate graduation, elevate opportunities for undergraduate research, and raise the number of graduates in these areas of emphasis. Math competency is of fundamental importance, not only to students in STEM fields, but to virtually all undergraduate students. There is growing concern statewide about success of students in math courses, and it has been identified as the single biggest academic obstacle students face at UNF. More than 3,000 UNF students receive a D, F, or W in a lower-level math course every year. To address this issue, we intend to fundamentally change how we teach lower-level math. We propose to develop a Math Center focused on lower-level math teaching, staffed with instructors whose sole responsibility and field of expertise is effective teaching in mathematics. These instructors will implement innovative methods such as flipped classroom methods, emporium dynamics, and online student collaborative communities to change the dynamics of teaching. They will also work with Student Academic Success Services in Undergraduate Studies to build layered academic support. This will provide customizable levels of support for all capability levels and enable students to begin with required courses rather than preliminary prep courses. Some Center instructors will also teach discipline-specific math knowledge (e.g. engineering) and provide targeted workshops and sections of courses to accelerate proficiency in a student s given field.

4 Support our Students Student Success Scholarships Investments: UNF committing $2.5M in student scholarships Service Excellence Investments: Teams built around each individual student in academics, career services, financial aid, and student assisted support. Software systems supporting studentcentered scheduling, early warning, and progress toward degree. Faculty Excellence (in Areas of Strategic Emphasis) Investments: Faculty added in areas of strategic emphasis, particularly STEM, healthcare, logistics, and analytics. Impacting the Metrics 1 & 2: Career service growth assists in graduates being employed in high paying jobs in the region and beyond. 3: UNF s investment in student aid decreases cost to degree. 4, 5, & 9: Service excellence provides support to students to finish degrees in 4 years and improve retention, student success and school spirit. 6 & 8: Faculty lines increase opportunities for students to excel and graduate in areas of strategic emphasis, especially STEM. 7: Scholarships used to recruit students eligible for Pell grants. Service excellence supports success for these students.

5 Metric II. Return on Investment - Describe the outcome(s) anticipated, dashboard indicator(s) to be improved, or return on investment. Be specific. For example, if this issue focuses on improving retention rates, indicate the current retention rate and the expected increase in the retention rate. Similarly, if the issue focuses on expanding access to academic programs or student services, indicate the current and expected outcomes. The ultimate goal of UNF is to achieve a ten (10) on every metric. In the short term, the initiatives proposed in this Legislative Budget Request will significantly impact the Performance-Based Funding Metric indicators for UNF and enable our institution to make a quantum leap in student success. With continued funding at the level requested, we predict our Performance-Based Funding Metrics will move to the following by : Metric Title Value 2018 Value 2023 Change Excellence Pts 2018 Percent of Bachelor s Graduate Employed and/or Continuing their Education: 69.1% to 71% Median Wages of Bachelor Grads Employed: $38,000 to $40,000 38,000 40,700 2, Net Tuition & Fees per 120 Hours: $17,680 to $13,000 17,700 13,000 (4,700) 1 6 Excellence Pts 2023 Four Year Graduation Rate Full time FTIC: 33.7% 4 to 42% Academic Progress Rate: 77.5% to 83% Bachelor s Degrees in Strategic Emphasis: 51.7% to 58% University Access Rate: 30.2% to 34% (will decrease to about 29.3% in 2019 PBF computations) Graduate Degrees in Strategic Emphasis: 53.6% to 57% (will decrease to about 52.5% in 2019 PBF computations) Percent of Bachelor s Degrees without Excess Hours: 80.3% to 82% Performance-Based Funding Metrics III. Facilities (If this issue requires an expansion or construction of a facility, please complete the following table.): Facility Project Title Fiscal Year Amount Requested Priority Number 1. N/A 2.

6 Legislative Budget Request Education and General Position and Fiscal Summary Operating Budget Form II (to be completed for each issue) University: University of North Florida Issue Title: Support our Students RECURRING NON- RECURRING TOTAL Positions Faculty (Strategic Emphasis) Other (A&P/USPS) Total ========== ========== ========== Salary Rate (for all positions noted above) Faculty (Strategic Emphasis) $3,200,000 $0 $3,200,000 Other (A&P/USPS) $1,520,000 $0 $1,520, Total $4,720,000 $0 $4,720,000 ========== ========== ========== Salaries and Benefits $6,179,840 $0 $6,179,840 Other Personal Services $240,000 $240,000 Expenses $70,000 $0 $70,000 Operating Capital Outlay $0 $0 $0 Electronic Data Processing $0 $0 $0 Special Category (Specific) $0 $0 $0 Space Rental $150,000 $0 $150,000 Curriculum Development $20,000 $0 $20,000 Faculty Start Up & Equipment $0 $4,000,000 $4,000,000 Computers and Technology $135,000 $135, Total All Categories $6,659,840 $4,135,000 $10,794,840 ========== ========== ==========

7 State University System Education and General Legislative Budget Request Form I University(s): Issue Title: UNF S.C.O.R.E. Student Centered Opportunities for Regional Excellence Recurring Funds Requested: $7,715,181 Non-Recurring Funds Requested: $4,995,000 Total Funds Requested: $12,710,181 Please check the issue type below: Shared Services/System-Wide Issue for Fiscal Year Unique Issue for Fiscal Year I. Description 1. Describe the service or program to be provided and how this issue aligns with the goals and objectives of the strategic priorities and the 2018 University Accountability Plan established by your institution (include whether this is a new or expanded service/program). If expanded, what has been accomplished with the current service/program? 2. Describe any projected impact on academic programs, student enrollments, and student services. Focus on Student Success Aggressively working to improve student success has been identified as a top priority by our new president, Dr. David Szymanski and the UNF Board of Trustees. President Szymanski brings a new perspective to our institution that embraces innovation and a vision for transforming the university. We will build upon the core identity of our institution as one that provides high-touch personalized experience and has deep and rich connections to our community; those aspects that make us uniquely UNF. Around this core we will greatly enhance a robust network of student support and engaging educational experience. The University of North Florida has made a number of improvements in recent years such as implementing and expanding academic support programs such as Supplemental Instruction, developing a First Year Seminar and mentoring program, and significantly expanding data analytics related to enrollment, retention, and graduation.

8 We have reallocated and redeployed resources including staff and faculty lines to do so, and the result has been beneficial for our students. While these improvements have increased our performance in a number of the metrics, including retention and graduation rates, our gains have not kept pace with those made by our sister institutions, and this has been reflected in the performance based funding metrics. We are committed to improving our ranking and achievement of metrics benchmarks, and larger-scale and more permanent improvements are needed in order for our institution to take the next step. There are three areas related to student success in which we are poised to make significant improvements with an investment from the legislature, and which are described below. The first is strengthening and building additional capacity in areas of strategic emphasis. The second is enhancing the educational experience of our students by improving pedagogy and course delivery. The third is in student support and enhancing the network of services we build around each individual student, maximizing retention and degree completion. All three of these components directly address the Board of Governors outcomes of Excellence, Productivity, and Strategic Priorities for a Knowledge Economy. They also align completely with the priorities identified by the university in our 2018 Accountability Plan. What we would be able to accomplish through the funding of this Legislative Budget Request would strengthen UNF s role as the foundation of the Northeast Florida region, transforming our community by transforming our students. Strengthening Areas of Strategic Emphasis We have significantly increased the number of degrees awarded in areas of strategic emphasis, and this remains a priority for our institution as demand for these programs continues to increase. To accommodate the student interest and need in the community for highly capable graduates in these areas, we will need to add faculty in areas of high demand and strategic emphasis including computing, biomedical sciences, healthcare, and transportation & logistics. Adding faculty in these targeted areas is critically important as doing so will increase course availability that will facilitate graduation, increase opportunities for undergraduate students to engage in research, and increase the number of graduates in these areas of emphasis to meet the needs of the region. Math competency is of fundamental importance, not only to students in STEM fields but to virtually all undergraduate students. There is growing concern statewide about success of students in math courses, and it has been identified as the single biggest academic obstacle our students face at UNF. At our institution, more than 3000 students receive a D, F, or W in a lower-level math course every year, and in some courses 60% or more of the students in the class do not pass. To address this issue, we need to fundamentally change how we teach lower level math. We propose to develop a Math Center focused on lower-level math teaching, staffed with instructors whose sole responsibility and field of expertise is effective teaching in math, especially at the lower level. These instructors will bring innovative methods including flipped classroom methods, emporium dynamics, and online student collaborative communities to change the dynamic of teaching. They will also work with Student Academic Success Services in Undergraduate Studies to build layered academic support. This will provide customizable levels of support for all capability levels and enable students to begin with required courses rather than preliminary prep courses. Some Center instructors will also

9 discipline specific math knowledge (e.g. engineering), and provide targeted workshops and sections of courses to accelerate proficiency in a student s given field. Improving the Educational Experience The role of the faculty in student retention and degree completion is of paramount importance. We propose to create a Center for Teaching and Learning that will coordinate existing resources and develop campus-wide solutions to equip our faculty with the tools necessary to empower and transform our students. A key role of the CTL will be training faculty members in effective and engaging pedagogy. This will include training workshops for existing faculty that focus on ways to engage students in active, inquiry-based learning, and to leverage existing and emerging technology. These techniques have been shown to dramatically increase student retention and success. Additionally, the CTL will administer a New Faculty Academy that provides intensive training for new faculty members (including adjunct instructors). The Center will also advance and promote initiatives such as Open Educational Resources, through which faculty members can help reduce the textbook cost of a UNF education for our students. Another role of CTL will be to facilitate and expand Distance Learning and Hybrid course delivery. It will combine our Center for Instruction and Research Technology, which has been very successful, with a new Office of Online Learning. This office will help academic units expand online course offerings in areas of high demand or opportunity such as STEM courses. Through the efforts and initiatives of the CTL, our faculty will be equipped and empowered to provide a supportive, engaging, and innovative educational experience for every UNF student. Student Support A point of pride for our institution is providing individualized attention to our students, and this commitment extends to helping students stay engaged and complete their degree. Many of our students, however, have circumstances that can make successfully completing college especially challenging. For example, many of our students are first generation college students, are of non-traditional age, or work full time while attending UNF. To meet the varied and complex challenges our students face, we will establish an Office of Academic Advocacy within Undergraduate Studies. Other SUS institutions have established similar offices to great effect. This office will pair each student with an advocate who, working closely with units across campus, can help the student navigate their particular challenges and remove barriers to retention and graduation. While we anticipate that the greatest benefit will be to populations of students such as those on probation, at risk, or first-generation students, services of this office will be available to all students. An increasingly important component of student support is mental health counseling & advising. The needs of students in both areas continue to evolve and intensify. We have made significant internal improvements to our practices and processes, including emergency responses by our Counseling Center and proactive relational advising protocols. We are in need of additional staff to implement new proactive approaches and much needed initiatives such as a campus 12-Step program, and to adequately handle demand that can be up to twice the recommended load of cases or students per staff member.

10 Practical experience directly related to the student s career field is an important component of student success. Ultimately, we envision every UNF student having the opportunity to complete an internship or other similar experience relevant to their career path. To achieve this goal, a Career & Internship Center will be created that centrally manages and coordinates internship opportunities and career counselors in each of the colleges. The main functions of this center will be to identify new opportunities, coordinate placements, and standardize reporting. Additionally, there will be coordinators who specialize in and know disciplines and needs of employers in each field. Creation of this center will strengthen the bridges between UNF and the full array of community partners we have a responsibility to serve. II. Return on Investment - Describe the outcome(s) anticipated, dashboard indicator(s) to be improved, or return on investment. Be specific. For example, if this issue focuses on improving retention rates, indicate the current retention rate and the expected increase in the retention rate. Similarly, if the issue focuses on expanding access to academic programs or student services, indicate the current and expected outcomes. It is anticipated that the student success initiatives described above will increase retention and graduation rates, the percentage of students completing internships, the percentage of courses offered via distance learning and hybrid delivery, the number of degrees awarded in areas of strategic emphasis, and may decrease the cost to the student of obtaining a degree. Institutions that have implemented an Office of Academic Advocacy or similar service have seen retention and four-year graduation rates increase by as much as 3-5%. The impact of additional advisors and mental health counselors may be more difficult to quantify, but student-to-counselor and student-to-advisor ratios at UNF, which currently average 2000:1 and 560:1, respectively, are nearly double the recommended values (1000:1 and 300:1, respectively) for universities of our size, and some of our students are not receiving the attention they need. Additional gains in retention and graduation rates will be realized as faculty members develop better tools for engaging students in and out of the classroom, and also implementing strategies that directly relate to these metrics. For example, promoting campus-wide participation in Open Educational Resources initiatives or packaged e-book programs from publishers can significantly reduce the cost of a degree for a student, and often helps remove financial barriers that can lead to attrition or slowing progress to their degree. Further increasing the percentage of courses offered via distance learning and hybrid modalities can significantly increase access to courses and facilitate degree progression. We anticipate that the CTL can shift our growth of DL courses from an average of 3% per year to 5-6% growth per year. A key component of student success is embarking on a career path, either through employment or graduate study, after graduation. Increased career counseling and internship availability will enhance the percentage of graduates employed or continuing their education from the current 69% to 72% or even more, and may also have a positive effect on median wages of graduates employed full-time.

11 Additional faculty in areas of strategic emphasis will positive impact the percentage of bachelor s and master s degrees awarded in these fields, increase opportunities for experiential learning for our students, and meet regional needs for highly skilled graduates contributing to the knowledge economy of Northeast Florida. These students, as well as virtually all others at UNF, will benefit significantly from development of the Math Center. Other institutions that have developed such a center have seen increases of 20% or more in the percentage of students passing lower-level math courses. The initiatives proposed in this Legislative Budget Request will significantly impact most, if not all, of the Performance Based Funding Metrics indicators for UNF, and enable our institution to make a quantum leap in student success. Funding this request will bring the new vision for the future of UNF to fruition and help us realize our goal of transforming the region through transforming our students. III. Facilities (If this issue requires an expansion or construction of a facility, please complete the following table.): Facility Project Title Fiscal Year Amount Requested Priority Number 1. N/A 2.

12 Legislative Budget Request Education and General Position and Fiscal Summary Operating Budget Form II (to be completed for each issue) University: Issue Title: University of North Florida S.C.O.R.E. / Student Centered Opportunities for Regional Excellence RECURRING NON- RECURRING TOTAL Positions Faculty Other (A&P/USPS) Total ========== ========== ========== Salary Rate (for all positions noted above) Faculty $3,200,000 $0 $3,200,000 Other (A&P/USPS) $2,310,000 $0 $2,310, Total $5,510,000 $0 $5,510,000 ========== ========== ========== Salaries and Benefits $7,235,181 $0 $7,235,181 Other Personal Services $240,000 $240,000 Expenses $70,000 $0 $70,000 Operating Capital Outlay $0 $0 $0 Electronic Data Processing $0 $0 $0 Special Category (Specific) $0 $0 $0 Space Rental $150,000 $0 $150,000 Curriculum Development $20,000 $60,000 $80,000 Faculty Start Up $0 $4,800,000 $4,800,000 Computers and Technology $135,000 $135, Total All Categories $7,715,181 $4,995,000 $12,710,181 ========== ========== ==========