AHC Enrollment Management Plan & Planning Process

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Gwendolyn McDonald
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1 AHC Enrollment Management Plan & Planning Process If you don t know where you re going, any path will take you there. Sioux proverb Purpose The purpose of the enrollment management plan is to create a responsive, flexible, educationally sound, research-based approach to enrollment management which will support the college and its educational programs. Enrollment management ties in to mission, long-range planning, academic program development, student support services, marketing and recruitment, retention, and career planning and placement. Student needs and their success drive enrollment management decisionmaking. It is important to manage enrollment from the point of initial contact through graduation. Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) is s comprehensive process designed to help an institution achieve and maintain the optimum recruitment, retention, and graduation rates of students, where optimum id defined within the academic contexts of the institution. As such, SEM is an institution wide process that embraces virtually every aspect of an institution s function and culture. 1 An Enrollment Management Plan Should Ensure: The achievement of enrollment targets in order to obtain the maximum resources available to the college 1 M.G. Dolence, Strategic Enrollment Management: Cases from the Field. Washington, DC: American Association of Collegiate Registrarsand Admissions Officers,

2 Maintenance of the greatest possible student access consistent with educational quality A well-balanced and varied schedule, responsive to the needs of our students and community A comprehensive educational program that is responsive to the needs of our students and community A comprehensive student support mechanism designed to promote student outreach, preparation, and retention. Basic Principles The enrollment management strategies of Allan Hancock College should ensure that the college is as effective as it can possibly be, within the scope of its resources, in meeting the educational needs of this community and serving all of its diverse student populations. Decisions should be inclusive, broad based, and data driven using sound research. Why is Research Important to Strategic Enrollment Management? Keeps us focused on meeting institutional mission and goals Provides information to most effectively deploy limited resources Educates us on who to recruit and how Empowers us to maintain a steady financial future Prepares us to respond to changing market conditions and student retention challenges Charge: Develop a holistic, comprehensive and integrated approach to enrollment management Recommend scheduling, instructional and student support strategies to enhance student access, success, retention, persistence, and goal attainment Recommend enrollment targets The plan should have the following attributes: Be consistent with Board policies Encourage communication at levels Reflect student needs Encourage innovation during periods of growth. This could include, for example, minimum enrollment guidelines that allow new classes time to build Key College Groups Functional Groups Academic Affairs 2

3 Academic Dean s Committee Department Chair Committee Administrative Services Support for financial management, including grants Student payment and refunds Student Services Counseling and Matriculation Financial Aid Tutoring and related support services EOPS and LAP Outreach Public Affairs Marketing and promoting programs and services Governance Groups Academic Senate Approval of new courses and programs Program Discontinuance Budget Advisory Council Recommends district budget and FTES target to College Council College Council Reviews Budget Council FTES recommendation Institutional Effectiveness Council Program review and planning Student Learning Council Reviews Enrollment Management Plan Timeline At the beginning of the academic year, Budget Council creates income and expenditure assumptions reflecting a worst case, best case, and most likely case scenario which is forwarded to College Council. This process is ongoing until College Council reviews the proposed final balanced budget and provides feedback to the superintendent/president sometime in the following August or September. The budget recommendations reviewed by College Council reflect anticipated funded FTES for the next year; based on the recommended FTES target, the Enrollment Management Committee makes recommendations for the growth and decline of schedules, and evaluates and 3

4 makes recommendations to address issues of student recruitment, retention, and success, as per the committee charge in the Council and Committee Pathway to Decision Making. Scheduling and Enrollment Targets One of the key elements of enrollment management is establishing enrollment targets; these targets need to reflect a consistent relationship to institutional financial planning and budget development. Internal and external scanning are key elements. District Budget Economy State $ College $ Other? Establish FTES Target Set College Goal Decrease Flat Increase Departments identify sections to add or subtract based on recommended targets Department Enrollment Plan Determine allocation mechanism for new programs Aggregate department proposed targets establish reductions or additions to the schedule Approval of schedule by VPAA and deans using established criteria and input College Enrollment Plan Section FTES Guidelines a. In a 3 unit lecture, every 10 students generate 1 FTE. b. In a 4 unit lecture, every 10 students generate 1.4 FTES. c. In a 5 unit lecture, every 10 students generate 1.7 FTES. Scheduling to Establish FTES Target 1. Set FTES Target 2. Determine fall, spring and summer goals 3. Determine average FTES/section 4. Determine total number of sections 5. Allocate sections based on normalized WSCH (FTES) per section WSCH Allocation and Reallocation (sections) Based on: 1. Historical WSCH and trends 4

5 2. WSCH/FTEF 3. Fill rates; Percentage of available seats 4. Classroom Utilization Studies 5. Facilities 6. Program status 7. State Funding Priorities Department Enrollment Management 1. Identify base WSCH( FTES), Sections, Enrollment, Class Room Usage 2. Assess historical trends 3. Identify Priorities, eg., sacred cows, tipping point courses, can do without, sequence more/less frequently 4. Plan schedule to meet needs of day, evening, online, off campus students based on demand. During the academic year, the following data elements were adopted as relevant criteria: a. Total Sections for each course b. Total Seats per course (over all sections) c. Enrollment per course (over all sections) d. Waitlist per course (over all sections) e. Total Demand = Enrollment + Waitlist f. Fill Rate = Enrollment/Seats g. Demand Ratio = (Enrollments + Waitlist)/Seats These data should be reviewed First Day, end of First Week and at Census To compare across campus/centers, the data should be sorted by: Santa Maria + Online LVC VAFB or US Penitentiary (depending on semester) TOTAL Waitlists provide bulk numbers; Ratios identify where a course with few sections might have need. For example, a total waitlist of 20 is not a lot for a course with numerous sections, but it is huge for a one section course. Consider a single section course with 30 seats. A waitlist of 20 would show up as a Demand Ratio of 1.67 obviously a problem. 5

6 The following steps were established during the year to be used for adding sections Establish College Targets What is our overall FTES target: fall, spring, summer? What is acceptable over/under CAP What is projected FTES from roll-over? What is the projected budget allocated for growth? Standardize a unit of courses. E.g., convert each section into a 3-unit equivalent Estimate the number of 3-unit equivalent sections that fits the budget Determine target # sections Making Scheduling Decisions Review Department Recommendations Assess recommendations relative to course characteristics some colleges rank courses hi, med, low in priority or probability of cancellation Gather input from counseling Add sections Develop mechanism to measure cost and FTES projections as sections are added Make additions and reductions as budget information changes Key Ongoing Institutional Data In order to ensure the college is focused on access and success of the students the committee shall annually review data including, but not limited to: 1. Participation and high school going rates 2. Student persistence 3. Patterns of academic probation 4. Success and retention by demographic group and discipline 5. Basic skills progression 6. Degree and certificate attainment 7. Transfers As of spring 2013, many of these outcomes will be reported in the Score Card, which is based on the Accountability Reporting for Community Colleges (ARCC) framework 6

7 Strategic Enrollment Plan for ALLAN HANCOCK JOINT COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT FTES MANAGEMENT GUIDING PRINCIPLES 1. Adhere to the college mission as it relates to transfer/general education, CTE, and basic skills and to services that support those categories. Preserve courses that lead to a degree, certificate, or transfer Establish baseline % of offerings in each category and set criteria annually. Establish a threshold of offerings below transfer Explore alternatives (e.g. noncredit options, limited credit sections, etc.) for some course offerings below transfer threshold after determining short-term and longterm impact on students Maintain a comprehensive list of offerings 2. Preserve offerings at our two main campus sites (Santa Maria and Lompoc Valley Center). Scrutinize enrollment history when considering where to offer courses Identify and cancel non-essential and/or duplicative GE courses at all sites 3. Meeting the colleges FTES goal in a cost effective and strategic manner shall be a priority. When multiple sections of a course are offered, consider moving some into larger capacity facilities; offer fewer sections, more efficiently Review programs where the merging of classes to meet minimum class size is common. Establish and attain college wide average class size or FTES/section targets 4. Course scheduling should be based on students need and demand. Prioritize sections offered based on student needs while attempting to maintain fulltime faculty load. Decisions should be made at the lowest level possible, starting with the program/department. 5. Cost effectiveness in all areas shall be a factor in considering reduction/retention of programs and services rather than instituting across the board cuts. Evaluate the additional costs of offering courses at leased facilities Evaluate the cost effectiveness of programs/sections, especially in areas of high demand when multiple sections are offered. 6. The college shall practice open communication and transparency while engaging in FTES management guidelines. 7

8 1. FTES and Schedule Management Plan As of April 5, Fiscal Year FTES FTES target : FTES CAP (funded FTES): 10,000 FTES 9,800 FTES Fiscal Year FTES Initial best case scenario: FTES target: FTES CAP (funded): Current best case scenario: FTES target: FTES CAP (funded) 9,500 FTES 9,228 FTES 9,000 FTES 8,756 FTES The budget projections have been revised in light of the inability of the legislature to move forward with putting the tax extension on the ballot. Thus we are anticipating an even larger cut to our budget. Reducing to 9000 FTES Reducing FTES from 10,000 to 9,000 results in a $1,565,000 cost reduction. The target of 9,000 FTES still includes the cost of approximately 244 unfunded FTES FTES are to be reduced with the following targets: FTEs total for Fall/Spring = 250 sections. Because the current year ( ) schedules built more FTES into fall (by approximately 300 FTES), fall and spring section reductions will be as follows: 175 sections reduced in fall and 75 reduced in spring. The goal is to reduce fall by 350 FTES and spring by 150 FTES FTES cost equivalent reductions from contracted educational offerings this year FTES cost equivalent reduction for summer The details of summer will remain uncertain to some extent, but the college at this point will not budget for summer courses to be offered prior to July 1, Goals and Strategies 8

9 Goal 1. Attain FTES target a. Determine fall, spring summer mix of FTES and costs associated with FTES b. Determine mechanism to build schedule Goal 2. Maintain comprehensive offerings with focus on CTE/Basic Skills/Transfer a. Maintain/improve efficiency by determining areas of highest student need b. Base scheduling decisions on various sources of data, including enrollment trends, wait lists, state and local priorities, and input from counselors. Goal 3. Evaluate process and outcomes STRATEGIC ENROLLMENT PLAN UPDATE for Update 4/20/2013 (based on P2 reporting) The District Budget Book reported that AHC generated 9,258 FTES in the year; the funded level was 9,017 (241 unfunded). The District developed a budget for based on the assumption that Prop 30 would NOT pass, which would have resulted in a reduction in FTES by 651 FTES to 8,366 FTES the District budgeted to generate 8,758 FTES (392 unfunded). The passage of Prop 30 allowed AHC to increase course offerings and the FTES target beyond what would have been funded otherwise (8,366 FTES), and what was budgeted for the year (8,758 FTES). The current target FTES for the year is 9,360 FTES. Scheduling for the academic year included review and concurrence with the Guiding Principles developed in A substantial change to the schedule for summer 2013 will be the restoration of six-week classes to the start date in mid-june. 9 Relevant factors in achieving the FTES target include the following information: As of this date, AHC is targeting to achieve mid-size college status without certainty about the actual funded mid-size target. Implementation of a mandated earlier drop date for students to avoid a W grade has lowered projected primary term FTES as of P2. More students are dropping before census.

10 As a result of the reduction in projected primary term FTES and the ability to grow beyond the budgeted level funded without Prop 30, summer 2013 FTES taken in the current year will be greater than the previous year. This shift results in fewer FTES deferred into the academic year In order for the Lompoc Valley Center to receive center status funding, a sufficient level of offerings is essential. As of 4/23/2013 STRATEGIC ENROLLMENT PLAN UPDATE for Funded growth has not been established for the system at this date. It is anticipated that growth will be in the one to two percent range. In order to ensure some growth is built into the fall 2013 schedule, it is recommended at this time that additional sections be added to generate a one percent increase in FTES to 9,454 (over 9,360). At this point in time, the Institutional Research Office has established the following information: As of 4/5/2013 there are 918 credit and 168 noncredit sections, including those that are hidden. To maintain a flat FTES level we need approximately 940 credit and 175 noncredit sections in the fall schedule. To achieve a one percent growth in FTES (to 9,454), assuming a flat spring and summer 2014, we need approximately 975 credit sections (at least 955 to 960) As noted in prior year planning, it is important that the schedule reflect an adequate offering across locations and time of day; in particular, the need to maintain center status at the Lompoc Valley Center is important. Enrollment Update (spring 2014) Spring Census Report showed 2.5% FTES growth in credit (attached) o 3.3% increase in credit sections 10

11 FTES Update o 9.3% FTES growth at the LVC o DL FTES decline of 1.4% (3.3% increase in sections) o Flat headcount growth (0.1%) o Reduction in efficiency as measured by average class size o Large reduction in waitlist Our Target FTES for is 9,435 (CAP is 9,276) and our midsize funded level is 9,377. The LVC target is 938 FTES. We appear to be on target, though LVC is close. For , our target growth is approximately 280 FTES (+ 3 %) to be split across fall, spring and next summer (that which can be claimed in the year) o The current recommendation is to add an additional 120 FTES in fall 2014, with the remanding 160 split between spring and summer. With noncredit at approximately 10% of total in years past, it was 12 to 15% of total FTES, we recommending mix of and additional 100 to 110 FTES in credit and 10 to 20 FTES in noncredit. o We are not recommending an even distribution of growth, rather we want to focus on restoring high need and efficient offerings or introducing new courses and programs that have recently been approved. o Some departments are more constrained than others whether because of facilities or adequate levels of faculty to offer more sections o The budgeted growth projections include $1.2 million in growth at a cost of $600,000 in added sections. Note: these cost estimates assume an average class size of 20 students taught by PT faculty at a cost of $3,375 per 3-unit lecture. o At the statewide level the growth formula is currently suspended because of the concern among many community colleges that there is not enough capacity in the system to grow 3%. AHC will continue to pursue 3% growth for as there may be a redistribution of growth funds. We also need to allow for contingencies such as disallowed FTES for audit violations 11

12 Challenges for Impact of Cuesta free education. ½ of AG high students attend AHC Remaining audit challenges with Positive Attendance and TBA courses Lack of capacity in high need areas to add sections Recruitment of current and potential PT instructors at other colleges hiring FT position Internal delay with recruitment of FT faculty 3% growth, if finalized, will be allocated across the board to current targeted areas (mid-size and LVC). Summer 2014 Update Summer Update Overall summer headcount fell 5.2% Overall summer enrollment (duplicated) fell 4.7% Enrollment of first-time students fell 13.5% DL FTES fell by 8.7% Average Class size by 13% (30.7 to 26.7) Enrollment of White students and students age fell 10.7% and 9% respectively Enrollments (duplicated) from SLO fell from 418 to 335 (20%) FTES Cap: 9,383 Midsize level: 9,375 Will report approximately 50 FTES over 9,383 (9,434) o 596 FTES deferred from summer

13 o 638 FTES from summer 2014 (increase from 470 in summer 2013) The implication of the last point is that there will be fewer FTES deferred into The current projection is 214 fewer FTES deferred FTES Projections Expected CAP: 9,641 Midsize: 9,635 Summer 2014 deferred: 382 (-214 FTES) Fall 2014: 4,234 (+ 200 FTES) Spring 2015: 4,260 (+ 93 FTES) Summer 2015: 791 (+ 153 FTES). The implication of this level of FTES means 153 fewer FTES deferred into unless the additional FTES are from growth Total FTES: 9,667 (+ 233) Enrollment Management Goals Goals 1. Create an enrollment management calendar of reporting to inform college stakeholders of relevant enrollment trends in a timely manner. 2. Facilitate discussion of strategic initiatives to obtain target FTES. Strategies Identify predetermined intervals to report the following: o Updated FTES targets (Cap, LVC, midsize) o Enrollment and FTES updates o Demographic trends as they pertain to enrollment targets Provide opportunity for dialogue from all relevant departments and stakeholders, including but not limited to, o Academic Senate o Academic affairs o Counseling o Financial Aid o Admissions and Records o Public Affairs Monitor FTES projections against targets Document EM activities 13

14 3. Assist with enrollment goal setting by working with the Budget Council to establish FTES targets based on student success, institutional capacity, and the mission of Allan Hancock College. Measure impact of initiatives on enrollment trends Provide updates to Student Learning Council and Student Services Council Develop communication mechanism to facilitate dialogue with Budget Council Ensure compatibility of enrollment management strategies to Educational Master Plan Strategic Directions Set FTES targets based on funded levels and institutional capacity, including o FT faculty levels o Availability of PT faculty o Facility compatibility and availability o Instructional and other technologies o Equipment and supply budgets o Staffing that directly impacts students o Student support services Ensure new enrollment management strategies are aligned with the mission statement Approved by Committee: 10/16/

ARTICLE XVII WORKLOAD

ARTICLE XVII WORKLOAD 17.1 The normal college workload for unit based instructors per academic semester shall be the equivalent of fifteen (15) semester units of undergraduate instruction. The normal college