Differential Tuition Budget Proposal FY

Differential Tuition Budget Proposal FY 2013-2014 MPA Differential Tuition Subcommittee MPA Faculty This document presents the budget proposal of the MPA Differential Tuition Subcommittee (MPADTS) for FY 2013-2014. The budget development process involves the following steps: The MPADTS proposes annual budget during March which, when approved by the MPA faculty, is forwarded to the PDTAC for review during April. The budget was unanimously approved by the Subcommittee and by the MPA faculty. The Provosts MPA Differential Tuition Advisory Committee (PDTAC) reviews the proposed budget and advises the Provost whether to approve it or to return it to the MPADTS for further work. This budget was unanimously approved by the Provost s Differential Tuition Advisory Committee. The Provost eventually forwards a version of the budget to the Executive Director of Finance and Business Services to be included in the College s budget. A basic principle in Differential Tuition financial management and budgeting is: The increased tuition revenue will be used solely for the support of the Master of Public Administration Programs to provide financial support, graduate assistantships, and academic program support and to create new positions in such areas as career services and academic advisement. 1 1 This is from the Board of Trustee s Resolution adopting the Differential Tuition in June 2011. When the Differential Tuition was proposed, the administration also circulated an official proposal, titled Investing in MPA Student Success through Differential Tuition listing a similar commitment for the future administration of the revenues: Differential tuition revenues will enhance investment in the MPA program and shall not be used to supplant existing funding or any future funding provided for all graduate programs or for College-wide services. 1

Objectives of the Differential Tuition Improve student retention and graduation rates. Promote affordability of the cost of access to the MPA programs and related learning resources. Promote student skills and perspectives of public administration, policy analysis, inspection and oversight. Promote successful post-graduation employment outcomes. Improve the profile of the program for key constituencies and stakeholders in public administration, policy analysis, inspection and oversight. Encourage students to articulate and apply a public service perspective. (NASPAA Learning Goal) Enable students to communicate and interact productively within a diverse and changing workforce and citizenry. (NASPAA Learning Goal) See Appendix One, Differential Tuition Objectives and Program Categories for more information about the linkage of the objectives, program learning goals, and program funding categories. Budget Highlights The following are highlights of the budget: Enrollments are assumed to be comparable to AY 2013-2014. Gross Differential Tuition revenues are estimated to be $749,346. These reflect a full year of operation including the summer semester of 2013 as well as a 6% increase in tuition. Financial Support expenditures of $348,500 are estimated. The value of the Differential Tuition Waiver was originally set at 100% of the Different Tuition surcharge, thus waiving the total cost of the waiver for the eligible student. For AY 2013-2014, the value of the waiver has declined to 64% of the Differential Tuition surcharge, because of tuition increases. The budget for also reflects increases due to the inclusion of a summer semester, inclusion of an expanded tuition waiver program for internships, and higher rates of successful application because of improved student awareness of and compliance with the application process and eligibility determination. Retained revenues from FY 2012-2013, to be transferred for FY 2013-2014, are estimated to be $150,000. The retained revenues are subject to final reconciliation of the prior-year accounts. This is a conservative estimate, and the MPADTS has a list of additional funding initiatives to be considered in the Fall once the financial status is more clear. 2

There is a $30,000 contingency which is presented as a budgeted carry-over of retained revenues from this year to next year. Some carryover is a good idea, both as a contingency and as a source of funding for spending that takes place before Fall revenues come in. Program Enhancement Initiatives total $554,406. These include continuing initiatives as well as new projects. If additional funds become available, the MPADTS plans to consider adding funds for a full year of internship stipends, adding funds for a second college assistant in Career Services, and other initiatives. Accounting System Enhancements During FY 2012-2013 a separate managerial accounting system was implemented for the Differential Tuition using Quickbooks online. While Differential Tuition funds are still administered and funds expended using standard CUNY financial management systems, the new accounting system provides for enhanced expenditure reporting and tracking. The new system is periodically reconciled with the standard CUNY systems, so that the underlying transactions are the same. During this year, the reconciliation process identified transactions that were attributed to incorrect college accounts, such as travel charged to the Differential Tuition was supposed to be charged to the Online MPA Inspector General program, and corrections were initiated. To coordinate the two systems, all account lines starting with xfer involve transfers of funds from account 216 (the DT account) to other accounts managed by other college entities such as the Writing Center, Career Services, etc. The budget is presented on the next pages. Summary of Programs Because of the structure of the CUNY accounting system, the budgets for each program has to be split into separate lines for personal Services (PS), adjunct (ADJ), college assistant (CA), and other-than-personnel services (OTPS). The following is a summary of the programs to be funded by the Differential Tuition. MPA Services: This program provides a range of service to MPA students including textbook distribution, ipad distribution, and workshop administration. MPA Advising: This program provides advising for MPA students, delivered by a combination of hourly staff and faculty. Since the program was initiated, the two-year graduation rate has increased from 11%. 3

MPA Workshops: These are free programs offered primarily during January and during the summer, related to the improvement of student skills and abilities, career services, preparation and support for key program features such as the MPA Qualifying Examination and the MPA Capstone Project, and presentations in other areas of student interest. An important initiative is $20,000 of annual funding to the Writing Center for programs and services to MPA students. Internship Tuition Waivers: Highly qualified students seeking to complete 300-hour internships can be eligible for tuition waivers for the cost of the internships course. Supporting students who are taking internships was identified by Career Services as an important best practice and Differential Tuition funding was allotted to this initiative. The funding is provided as tuition waivers, rather than as stipends which are taxable as employment compensation. The Richard Culp Scholarship: This scholarship waives tuition for 2 courses for a highly qualified student selected by the College Scholarship Committee. Annual Evaluation: This is the Differential Tuition financial audit and program evaluation completed each summer. MPA Newsletters: The following MPA newsletters are supported: MPA Newsletter the general newsletter for the program, Online MPA Inspector General Program Newsletter the newsletter for the online Inspector General Program, MPA Program at West Point Newsletter the newsletter for the MPA Program at West Point, CRJPOA PhD Track Newsletter the newsletter for the MPA-IO Honors Specialization in Criminal Justice Policy, MPA Online Newsletter The newsletter for campus-based students who prefer to take some of their MPA courses online, and CJM and PAD Newsletters Two newsletters edited by an MPA students linking MPA studies to undergraduate studies in Public Administration and Criminal Justice Management. All of the newsletters are digital not paper, and links are listed on the MPA Newsletter at http://mpa.jjconline.net. The MPA newsletter is updated on a bi-monthly basis or more often, and the other newsletters are updated once or twice a semester. Career Services: The Differential Tuition funds a full-time career services counselor along with a part-time college assistant in the Center for Career and Professional Development. 4

Differential Tuition Financial Support: The value of the Differential Tuition Waiver was originally set at 100% of the Different Tuition surcharge, thus waiving the total cost of the waiver for the eligible student. For AY 2013-2014, the value of the waiver has declined to 64% of the Differential Tuition surcharge, because of tuition increases. The waiver, $125 per course for in-state students and $250 per course for out-of-state students, is allocated to students who have unmet need based on their FAFSA financial aid application, and who meet merit qualifications based on GPA, public service or military service. During AY 2012-2013, the MPA faculty recommended changes in the administration of the DTFS to enhance applicant and admitted-applicant awareness in the admissions process. Association Memberships: Memberships are funded for MPA-PPA and MPA-IO students in the American Society for Public Administration. Student memberships are provided for MPA-IO students in the Association of Inspectors General at the national and NYNJ chapter levels. Tablet Project: The Differential Tuition funds ipad tables on a loan basis for students in selected courses, currently PAD 700 and Pad 715. The goal is to extend the loans to students in PAD 739, 758 and PAD 771. Digital Textbook Project: The Digital Textbook project seeks to provide students with easy access to course materials through a single web portal. Textbook Loan Project: This project provides loaner textbooks to students. By purchasing textbooks and loaning them to students, the Differential Tuition offsets student costs to complete the MPA programs. A single textbook purchased for $90 at a wholesale price without sales taxes, if used 10 times, can save all of the MPA students using the book more than $1,000 before the book is scheduled for replacement. Pi Alpha Alpha: The Differential Tuition supports the cost of lifetime memberships, for qualifying students, in Pi Alpha Alpha, the national honor society for Public Administration. MPASA: The Differential Tuition supports activities and events of the MPA Student Association. Enhanced Services for Off-Site and Special Programs: Funds are provided to support services for students in special programs such as the Saturday MPA program, the Online MPA Inspector General Program and the MPA program at West Point. Preparatory Courses for the GRE, LSAT and CPA Examinations: The Differential Tuition supports course to assist eligible students in preparing for these examinations. Students interested in advancing to doctoral studies can benefit from the GRE course. Students in the law specializations planning to advance to law school can benefit from the LSAT course, and 5

students completing the Forensic Accounting specialization of the MPA-IO program, with the Advanced Certificate in Forensic Accounting, can benefit from a CPA examination course. PAR Editorial Assistant: A student is funded to assist Professor Daniel Feldman in his service as an Associate Editor of Public Administration Review, the leading journal in the field of Public Administration. MPA Marketing: Funds are provided for advertising, promoting and marketing of the MPA programs. The advertising and promotional initiatives raise the profile of the MPA programs, thereby raising the value of the degree to alumni. MPA Assessment: Funds are provided for a college assistant to support assessment activities in the MPA programs. Measures of Student Support Based on an evaluation survey conducted in Spring 2012 as part of the first Differential Tuition Evaluation, 60% of MPA students now support differential tuition, compared with 23% as the time the differential tuition was under consideration. Student support of particular projects was also assessed and the following responses were provided, representing responses of Strongly Support or Support. Financial Support: 71% MPA Advising: 77% Career Services: 80% Workshops: 72% Textbook Loan: 84% MPA Student Association: 57% American Society for Public Administration Memberships: 73% Association of Inspectors General Memberships: 59% MPA Newsletters: 67% With respect to Financial Support, as part of the MPA Faculty s assessment of this program, students were asked about what should be done in this budget. Only 5-6% of respondents supported partial or complete reductions in financial support. Forty-seven percent supported a continuation of the current policies, and another 30-40% supported increasing the amount of support, increasing the share of students eligible for the support, or both. 6

JJCCJ Differential Tuition Budget Overview FY 2013-2014 Total Income Differential Tuition Revenue Fall In-State FT 64,242.00 Fall In-State PT 245,649.00 Fall Out-State FT 6,773.00 Fall Out-State PT 29,820.00 Spring In-State FT 66,133.00 Spring In-State PT 241,540.00 Spring Out-State FT 4,197.00 Spring Out-State PT 20,113.00 Summer In-State PT 66,735.00 Summer Out-State PT 4,144.00 Total Differential Tuition Revenue $ 749,346.00 DT Financial Support Fall Academic (100,713.00) Fall Military (5,900.00) Fall Service (38,494.00) Internship Tuition Waivers (26,000.00) Richard Culp Scholarship Waiver (2,500.00) Spring Academic (90,109.00) Spring Military (10,191.00) Spring Service (42,932.00) Summer Academic (20,824.00) Summer Military (1,770.00) Summer Service (9,067.00) Total DT Financial Support $ (348,500.00) Xfer CA Advising Fund (non-dt) 4,500.00 Xfer of 216 Prior Year Carry-Over 150,000.00 Total Income $ 555,346.00 Net Income $ 555,346.00 7

Expenses Adjunct Services Adjunct - Annual Evaluation 3,500.00 Adjunct - MPA Workshops 16,000.00 MPA Services - Adjunct 38,908.00 Xfer Adj Funds - MPA Advising - Faculty Reassignment 14,000.00 Xfer APPAM Project Reassignment 3,500.00 Xfer MPA Newsletter Faculty Editor Reassignent 7,000.00 Total Adjunct Services $ 82,908.00 College Assistant Annual Evaluation - Students 2,000.00 Assessment CA 12,000.00 Computer Skills Workshops 5,000.00 Digital Textbook Project 20,000.00 Internships CA stipends 0.00 MPA Advising 20,000.00 MPA Newsletter 60,000.00 MPA Workshops 12,000.00 PAD 715 SDA Project 3,500.00 PAR Assoc. Editor Assistant 5,400.00 Xfer Career Services CA 13,080.00 Xfer Writing Center #885 CA 25,000.00 Total College Assistant $ 177,980.00 OTPS Expenses ACPA Enhancement 8,000.00 AIG Memberships 5,124.00 APPAM Expenses 8,000.00 ASPA Memberships 24,030.00 Digital Textbook Pilot 5,000.00 Directors' Contingencies 15,000.00 Laptop/Tablet Loan Project 30,000.00 MPA Marketing 30,000.00 MPASA Support 4,000.00 Pi Alpha Alpha 3,000.00 Prep Courses GRE LSAT CPA 10,000.00 Saturday MPA Services 4,000.00 Student ASPA Travel 7,000.00 Textbook Purchases 35,000.00 West Point Expenses 10,000.00 Xfer Career Services OTPS 4,000.00 Total OTPS Expenses $ 202,154.00 Personal Services Xfer Career Counselor Salary 61,364.00 Total Personal Services $ 61,364.00 Xfer of 216 Carry-Over Balance 30,000.00 Total Expenses $ 554,406.00 Net Revenues after Expenses $ 940.00 8

Appendix One: Differential Tuition Objectives and Program Categories