VCU Richmond, Virginia LEADERSHIP PROFILE Winter 2012 WITT / KIEFFER
THE OPPORTUNITY Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) invites applications and nominations for the position of. The a newly created position will report to the Provost and lead the development, articulation and implementation of the university s new strategic vision through redefined enrollment strategies. As the university s chief enrollment officer, the Vice Provost will work collaboratively across the university and provide the leadership for a comprehensive enrollment strategy that is aggressive and forward looking and is consistent with the goals, mission, and resources of VCU, and is aligned with the university s recently completed strategic plan, Quest for Distinction. The enrollment strategy will expand the university s ability to attract, select, enroll, and retain a highly diverse and increasingly talented group of students. She/he will be expected to lead all areas involved in student recruitment and student enrollment services, including undergraduate, graduate and international admissions, financial aid, records and registration, student accounting and the student services center functions with management responsibility for over 110 professional faculty and staff. The successful candidate will be an experienced and visionary enrollment professional with a commitment to the value provided by an urban public research university. The Vice Provost will bring exceptional planning, analytical and organizational skills, a thorough understanding of enrollment management concepts, and a demonstrated ability to develop and implement successful enrollment strategies or initiatives. She/he will also possess superior interpersonal communication skills, an ability to manage and motivate a diverse professional staff, a demonstrated experience working in and fostering a diverse faculty, staff, and student environment or commitment to do so as a faculty member at VCU, and a record of exemplary personal and professional integrity. A Master s degree is required; an earned doctorate degree is preferred. Virginia Commonwealth University is one of the state s largest universities and ranks among the top universities in the country in sponsored research. It enrolls over 30,000 students in 216 certificate and degree programs. Sixty-nine of the programs are unique in Virginia, many of them crossing the disciplines of VCU s thirteen schools and one college. VCU is located on two downtown Richmond campuses the Monroe Park Campus and the Medical College of Virginia Campus. As an urban institution of higher learning, VCU and its partners have contributed immeasurably to the development of the fabric of the City of Richmond, transforming it into a center of artistic and cultural growth, business development, and social services. Information about how to nominate a candidate or to apply for this opportunity may be found later in this document in the section entitled Procedure for Candidacy. 1
ENROLLMENT SERVICES AT VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY Enrollment Services provides essential financial and records services from a student's first contact with admissions counselors until the final details of graduation. The division consists of the offices of undergraduate, graduate and international admissions, financial aid, records and registration, student accounting and the student services center. Virginia Commonwealth University enrolls 31,899 students, representing 47 states plus Washington, D.C., Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and 107 countries. VCU is the most diverse of Virginia's public universities with 40 percent of students from minority populations; more than five percent of students are international. For the Class of 2015, applications were received from 14,336 freshmen candidates. From those applicants, 9,412 were selected and 3,803 first-year students enrolled (a yield of 40 percent). The middle 50 percent of admitted students on the Critical Reading portion of the SAT scored 500 to 620; the middle 50 percent on the Mathematics portion scored 500 to 620; and the middle 50 percent scored 21 to 27 on the ACT. VCU's top overlap institutions for freshmen are James 2
Madison University, George Mason University, Old Dominion University, Virginia Tech and University of Virginia. The university received 6,283 applications for graduate admission for fall 2011, with 2,538 students accepted. VCU s top competing graduate/professional institutions vary by program area. Overall they are Virginia Tech, University of Virginia, George Mason University, University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University. For the School of the Arts, the competing institutions are Yale, Rhode Island School of Design and University of Chicago. For the School of Education the institutions are Virginia Tech, University of Virginia and College of William & Mary. Admissions and Enrollments First-time Freshmen 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Applications 8,540 9,435 9,836 11,764 13,155 15,160 17,489 16,915 14,086 14,336 Acceptances 6,206 6,993 7,315 8,020 8,671 9,331 10,193 10,055 9,246 9,412 Enrollments 3,048 3,326 3,364 3,540 3,540 3,882 3,724 3,665 3,615 3,803 Acceptance Rate 73% 74% 74% 68% 66% 32% 58% 59% 66% 66% Yield Rate 49% 48% 46% 44% 41% 42% 37% 36% 39% 40% VCU Graduate School Applicants Who Enrolled Resident Non-Resident International Total Doctoral 95 86 61 242 Masters 842 281 161 1284 Fall 2011 Post-Masters 43 3 46 Post-Bac Cert 123 27 2 152 Total 1103 397 224 1724 3
THE ROLE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR STRATEGIC ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT The has primary responsibility for developing, articulating, and implementing a dynamic enrollment management plan that aligns with the university s recently completed strategic plan, Quest for Distinction. As the university s first-ever chief enrollment management officer, the Vice Provost will need to spend considerable time defining and structuring the division and engaging in the kinds of crossinstitutional conversations that convey the power of effective strategic enrollment planning and management. Reporting to the Provost and working collaboratively with the deans of the university s schools and colleges and other university offices, the Vice Provost assumes broad leadership within the university, providing the vision and strategy to optimize Virginia Commonwealth s current and future enrollment and to retain students. The leadership of the university seeks to be dynamic, innovative, and nimble in every phase of the enrollment process, building academic excellence while further strengthening a diverse student population. As a university that prides itself on innovative thinking, exceptional research, and excellence in teaching, Virginia Commonwealth seeks an enrollment leader and thinker who will grasp the essential nature of this distinctive institution and employ both traditional and non-traditional means to expand the university s visibility so as to attract, select, enroll, and retain a highly diverse and increasingly talented group of students. As Virginia Commonwealth seeks greater impact on a broad scale, so too it seeks for its enrollment leader to use his or her position both as an opportunity to consider how best to enroll the most appropriate entering classes, and to occupy a leadership position in determining how the nation s leading public urban universities might best conduct enrollment practice. The university s will be an innovative, forwardthinking, collaborative, and highly experienced enrollment professional who has the vision and confidence to combine best practice with theory so as to lead the way for Virginia Commonwealth. In overseeing enrollment functions for undergraduate, graduate, and international students as well as the offices of financial aid, records and registration, student accounting and the student services center, the Vice Provost will have management responsibility for over 110 staff and an operating budget of over $8.4 million. It is essential that the Vice Provost lead the way in setting the message for those who assist with the enrollment effort, reaching out to and engaging all those in the Virginia Commonwealth community. The Vice Provost must ensure excellent relationships with secondary schools while overseeing a rapidly changing student profile; lead an enrollment team that proactively and strategically anticipates and responds to enrollment challenges and is optimistic, opportunistic, forward-looking, innovative, and results-oriented; employ both traditional and cutting-edge methods to engage prospective and current students; keep student welfare always at the forefront including an anticipation of and responsiveness to matters that influence retention; 4
and broaden dramatically the reach of the university in every part of the state, the region, and nationally as well as globally. It is worth emphasizing that this is not a status quo position: Virginia Commonwealth University, in its quest to serve as a distinctive, student-centered national urban research university and as a force for societal good, seeks an enrollment professional who is a bold and pioneering thought leader, willing to take calculated risks and engage students and families in new ways. The Vice Provost is expected to capitalize on the considerable existing level of forward momentum and institutional support for his or her area with vigor, enthusiasm, an inclusive leadership style, outstanding communication skills, and an eye to the possible, reflecting the entrepreneurial outlook that characterizes the university. OPPORTUNITIES AND EXPECTATIONS FOR LEADERSHIP The Vice Provost will have the opportunity to make a significant impact in shaping the vision and direction of enrollment at VCU. For a talented and resourceful professional, this is a transformational position in which he or she will be able to lead VCU to a new phase of success in recruiting, admitting, and graduating a talented and diverse student body. Key challenges and opportunities for the Vice Provost s first few years in office include, but are not limited to, the following: Develop a comprehensive and forward-looking enrollment strategy Upon coming to VCU, the Vice Provost will thoroughly examine current enrollment practices to assure an informed and analytical approach to crafting a shared vision for enrollment that all can embrace. The university has already identified several areas of opportunity including continuing to improve the academic profile of incoming students and increasing out-of-state enrollment, but the Vice Provost will truly have the opportunity to shape and implement a new vision for enrollment strategy at VCU. In building this plan, the Vice Provost will work with the President, the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, and other university officials to develop an integrated, comprehensive and redefined six-year strategic student 5
enrollment plan. This plan will guide the enrollment staff in supporting the university s academic and strategic plans, shaping the university s goals to be optimally positioned for success while making the best use of available resources. As part of this effort, the new Vice Provost will work with individual units to assess their enrollment projections and make recommendations for developing an informed enrollment target. He or she will lead the deans in discussing the profile of students that make up their incoming classes and the implications for overall university enrollment in maintaining varying admissions criteria among different units. Engage the entire campus community in discussing enrollment management strategy, fostering a culture of openness and inclusion The Vice Provost will build a culture of collective discussion and maintain strong, collaborative, and facilitative relationships with leadership across the university. Frequent and ongoing dialogue with senior administrators and faculty will engender cooperation, trust, and confidence and will be essential to the success of the enrollment functions. She/he will work collaboratively with schools and colleges to actively develop and manage student enrollment goals, and hold the schools and colleges accountable for those goals, with the overall objective of everyone working toward the same target. The Vice Provost will convey the vision for enrollment and promote a tone in the VCU community of open conversation and common goals, so as to engage and galvanize students, staff, faculty, parents, and alumni in helping achieve the enrollment vision. Work collaboratively across the university to enroll a highly talented and diverse student body Virginia Commonwealth University is committed to the City of Richmond and the students it serves. With recent success in growing university enrollment, VCU is refocusing its efforts to continue to increase academic quality in the incoming class. This is critical to achieving academic excellence and reflects VCU's aspirations as a premier research institution. In achieving this effort, VCU will be well served by an ambitious and forward-thinking enrollment leader who is committed to quality, access, and VCU's position as an urban public research university. VCU has already made progress toward this effort by bringing in a more selective freshmen class each year, and the Vice Provost will continue to move the academic bar by enrolling an increasingly talented freshmen class of students who are prepared for the rigors of a research university. Additionally, the Vice Provost will work toward increasing diversity in all its forms, including the geographic, socio-economic, and racial diversity of both the undergraduate and graduate student populations. He or she will be charged with raising the level of discourse across the university in regard to targeted enrollment and the apropriate mix of students, and the Vice Provost will strategically 6
employ both new and proven outreach methods so as to increase these populations within the student body, working in partnership with all areas of the university. Develop a solid financial aid strategy that is aligned with the Quest for Distinction The Vice Provost will continuously evaluate and be an advocate for financial aid policy and packaging so that it is used strategically and creatively and ensures maximum benefit to the university and its students. In doing so, the Vice Provost will align financial aid strategy with the Quest for Distinction strategic plan. There is need for ongoing analysis of data to shape strategic directions, ensuring a program that is proactive and responsive to market forces and student needs. In addition, the will: Promote the mission of Virginia Commonwealth University and the welfare of its students; Lead Virginia Commonwealth s enrollment function with vision, integrity, inclusiveness, sound judgment, wisdom and energy, engendering a team approach across its integrated functions; Further develop and support a strong enrollment staff that is optimistic, excited about change, responsive, innovative, analytical, results oriented, and student centered; Continue the development and implementation of the university s comprehensive enrollment program, including market segmentation, brand marketing, promotional strategies, and recruitment tactics to meet the university s enrollment goals; among these goals are: continuing to increase academic quality in the incoming classes, growing enrollments in specific programs and departments, growing geographic diversity, growing socio-economic and racial diversity, growing the size of the applicant pool, and enhancing retention; Present enrollment and recruitment reports to the Vice Presidents, President and University s Board of Visitors; develop enrollment projections to meet the goals of the University s six-year plan; Make data-informed proposals and decisions while seeking both standard and creative ways to achieve enrollment goals; Routinely analyze data to shape strategic directions and make appropriate adjustments to an integrated marketing plan that clearly identifies and defines historical university enrollment patterns and forecasts trends in new student markets; regularly reassess effectiveness of recruitment activities and financial aid programs and make appropriate 7
adjustments so as to lead an effort that is continuously proactive and responsive to market forces and university needs; Develop and continuously evaluate and refine a strategic plan that builds on Virginia Commonwealth s recent successes in attracting increasingly strong undergraduate and graduate students; Possess a keen, proactive, and forceful understanding of marketing opportunities and potential, as well as the ability to execute new initiatives with great finesse and work collaboratively and actively with the university s marketing professionals to ensure marketing campaigns support the redefined enrollment strategies; Develop and direct the implementation of plans to expand recruitment and enrollment of students from outside Virginia; Optimize financial aid and the leveraging of institutional resources to recruit and retain students; Communicate regularly with the university community to inform and broaden enrollment initiatives, progress and results, including frequent dialogue with deans, faculty, and senior administration, conveying the vision for, tradeoffs and complexities involved in meeting enrollment goals and promoting open conversation so as to engage and galvanize the entire VCU community in helping achieve the enrollment vision; Provide the vision for a state-of-the-art records management and registration operation, and empower the Registrar to continually assess and refine the strategy and tactics needed to provide excellent service to prospective and current students in a rapidly-changing technological environment; Promote frequent personal interactions with prospective students and their families by developing programs and creative initiatives to appropriately engage Virginia Commonwealth faculty, staff, students, alumni, trustees, and parents in the enrollment effort; Promote the importance of customer service in enrollment services offices as part of enhancing the student experience; Exhibit great skill, grace, and expertise in balancing the many complex and sometimes competing interests in selecting and building the incoming class; 8
Lead a transparent and forward-looking budgeting process for the enrollment area that aims high, projects clear outcomes for expenditures, and evaluates achievements in the context of cost effectiveness; Build on VCU s ability to attract and enroll a strong and diverse student body, including those from socioeconomic, ethnic, or racial backgrounds underrepresented in higher education, through bold and creative uses of marketing and technological tools; Ensure compliance with federal and state laws, regulations and guidelines and external reporting requirements in the areas for which responsible; Exploit cutting-edge communications technology to reach students in the ways they can best hear and respond to; and Fulfill other duties as assigned by the Provost. QUALITIES AND QUALIFICATIONS The ideal candidate must demonstrate progressive experience at a senior level in successfully developing, implementing, and evaluating an enrollment management strategy emphasizing vision and synergy across all enrollment functions. Experience and success at leading a large, complex organization is critical. Experience with appropriate information technology and the use of sophisticated data analysis to inform strategic decisions is critical, as is familiarity with marketing and financial aid leveraging for recruitment and retention. The ideal candidate will have the following professional qualifications and personal characteristics: Proven effectiveness and expertise in enrollment and change management: significant professional experience managing the complex interplay of marketing and recruiting strategies, enrollment goals, yield, and financial aid; knowledge of the strategic use of 9
financial aid; genuine enjoyment in leading, managing, and implementing large-scale innovation; Vision and leadership: ability to lead the creation of VCU s future student body with vision and creativity; an entrepreneurial outlook and eye to new possibilities and emerging challenges; capacity to independently make strategic decisions, generate innovative ideas and solutions, and multitask; ability to develop and manage relationships with a diverse array of partners that play different and divergent roles in the university community; ability to manage and motivate a diverse professional staff, and to inspire joy in one s work; A thorough understanding of enrollment management concepts: a demonstrated ability to develop and implement successful enrollment strategies or initiatives; Demonstrated ability in creatively marketing a selective institution so as to achieve superior levels of enrollment performance: proven success in innovative thinking and risk-taking combined with excellent execution of both complex and routine marketing strategies; a record of taking programs to new levels of success; ability to carry out marketing functions with close attention to the needs of the university and the match between it and its potential students; ability to think creatively and to leverage technology with a sensitivity to and understanding of the human/cultural impact; An ability to keep both the big picture and operational details at the forefront: evidence of ability to focus and lead an organization to achieve the elements of a strategic plan, and to continuously refine the organizational plan, structure, and operations as the plan evolves; comfort with delegating day-to-day management and decision making to senior managers; and sophisticated understanding of the laws and regulations that significantly impact enrollment operations; Mature communication skills: strong speaking and writing skills with the ability to articulate a vision effectively to all constituencies, including prospective students and their families, the enrollment staff, faculty and staff, alumni, trustees, and the public; Strong analytical capacity: the ability to produce forward-looking, transparent strategic plans and budgets that link expenditures to outcomes; to assess the effectiveness of how recruitment and financial aid funds are employed to achieve enrollment goals; to produce regular and systematic comparative reports that detail month-to-month as well as annual progress toward enrollment goals; to employ information on national and international trends in higher education and on developments in competitor institutions effectively in planning; 10
Personal qualities: a sense of urgency and engagement; articulateness; honesty, integrity, candor, and a strong internal moral compass; hard work; a joy in one s work; optimism, confidence, and excitement about change; a genuine interest in forming a team with the President, Provost, and deans; loyalty; a personal presence that is active and inclusive; proven skill dealing with complex and diverse cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives; ability to observe, listen, learn, and clarify needs while engendering trust quickly among various constituencies; wisdom, sound judgment; good sense of humor; and Credentials: A Master s degree or higher with qualifying experience is required; an earned doctorate or other appropriate terminal degree is preferred. VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY: AN OVERVIEW Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is rooted in the histories of two campuses: the MCV Campus, which was founded in 1838 as the Medical College of Virginia, and the Monroe Park Campus, which began as the Richmond School of Social Work and Public Health in 1917. The two campuses merged in 1968 to become Virginia Commonwealth University, the most comprehensive urban university in the state and one of the top research universities in the nation. As an urban institution of higher learning, VCU and its partners have contributed immeasurably to the development of the fabric of the City of Richmond, transforming it into a center of artistic and cultural growth, business development and social services. In consequence, the city and its leadership in business, industry and cultural affairs have given extraordinary support to the university s growth, complementing the support of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Richmond, the capital of Virginia, is a diverse cultural city, surrounded by historic neighborhoods, parks and the scenic James River. Today, VCU is one of the state s largest universities and ranks among the top universities in the country in sponsored research. Located on two downtown campuses in Richmond, VCU enrolls more than 31,000 students in 211 certificate and degree programs in the arts, sciences and humanities. Sixty-nine of the programs are unique in Virginia, many of them crossing the disciplines of VCU s thirteen schools and one college. MCV Hospitals and the health sciences schools of Virginia Commonwealth University compose the VCU Medical Center, one of the nation s leading academic medical centers. VCU s third campus is located in Doha, Qatar and is a cornerstone of Education City, which is now host to five other branch campuses of prestigious American universities Texas A&M University at Qatar, Weill Cornell Medical College in 11
Qatar, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, Northwestern University in Qatar and Georgetown University School of Foreign Service Qatar. Mission and Vision Mission: As the premier urban, public research university in Virginia, VCU s mission is to advance knowledge and student success through its commitments to: an engaged, learner-centered environment that fosters inquiry, discovery and innovation in a global setting; research that expands the boundaries of knowledge and creative expression and promotes translational applications to improve human health; interdisciplinary collaborations that bring new perspectives to complex problems and mobilize creative energies that advance innovation and solve global challenges; health care that strives to preserve and restore health for all people, seek the cause and cure of diseases through groundbreaking research, and educate those who serve humanity; diversity that provides a climate of inclusion, a dedication to addressing disparities wherever they exist, and an opportunity to explore and create in an environment of trust; sustainable, university-community partnerships that enhance the educational, economic and cultural vitality of the communities VCU serves in Virginia and around the world. Vision: VCU will be a premier urban, public research university distinguished by its commitment to: the intellectual and academic success of a diverse student body research and discovery that advances knowledge, inspires creativity and improves human health; the global engagement of students, faculty and staff that transforms lives and communities. Core values: Accountability committing to the efficient and transparent stewardship of our resources to achieve institutional excellence; 12
Achievement ensuring distinction in learning, research and scholarly pursuits, service and patient care; Collaboration fostering collegiality and cooperation to advance learning, entrepreneurship and inquiry; Freedom striving for intellectual truth with responsibility and civility, respecting the dignity of all individuals; Innovation cultivating discovery, creativity, originality, inventiveness and talent; Service engaging in the application of learning and discovery to improve the human condition and support the public good at home and abroad; Diversity ensuring a climate of trust, honesty and integrity where all people are valued and differences are recognized as an asset; Integrity adhering to the highest standards of honesty, respect and professional and scholarly ethics. Schools and Colleges Virginia Commonwealth University offers academic programs in the following schools and colleges: College of Humanities and Sciences o School of Government and Public Affairs o School of Mass Communications o School of World Studies School of Allied Health Professions School of the Arts School of Business School of Dentistry School of Education School of Engineering School of Medicine School of Nursing School of Pharmacy School of Social Work University College VCU Graduate School VCU Honors College VCU Life Sciences More information on Virginia Commonwealth University may be found at its Web site: www.vcu.edu. 13
PROCEDURE FOR CANDIDACY Recruitment will continue until the position is filled. Nominations, expressions of interest, and applications (including a cover letter and resume) should be submitted via email to VCUSEM@wittkieffer.com. Confidential inquiries and questions about this position may be directed to the university s consultants on this search, Robin Mamlet, Amy Crutchfield or Mary Elizabeth Taylor through the office of Kelly Torres at (630) 575-6118. Virginia Commonwealth University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer. Women, minorities and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. The material presented in this position specification should be relied on for informational purposes only. This material has been copied, compiled, or quoted in part from Virginia Commonwealth University documents and personal interviews and is believed to be reliable. Naturally, while every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this information, the original source documents and factual situations govern. 2
APPENDIX I ORGANIZATION CHART 1
APPENDIX II ENROLLMENTS, FALL 2011 Fall headcount 31,899 Annual FTE (estimated) 28,775 Student level: Student type: Undergraduate 23,754 Day 27,744 Graduate 6,454 Evening 2,504 First professional 1,691 Off-campus 1,651 Gender: Residency: Male 42% In-state 85% Female 57% Out-of-state 15% Not reported 1% Race/ethnicity: Status: Am Indian/Alaskan <1% Full-time 78% Asian 11% Part-time 22% Black/Af-American 16% Hawaiian/Pac Island <1% Hispanic/Latino 5% International 5% Multi-racial 3% Unknown 5% White 55% International students 1,500 Incoming freshmen enrolled 3,803 Transfers enrolled 2,114 Honors students enrolled 917 Number of living alumni: Total 159,683 Virginia 102,633 Richmond metro 60,534 2
APPENDIX III Offices within Strategic Enrollment Management Office of Admissions Undergraduate The Office of Undergraduate Admissions oversees the implementation of recruitment and marketing strategies to attract new freshmen and transfers, as well as overseeing the processing and review of applications for admission to undergraduate programs at VCU. International Processes nearly 21,500 undergraduate applications per year. Actively recruits prospective students using advertising and promotional materials, electronic communications, publications and direct mail, travel/college fairs and high school visits, and on-and off-campus events. Coordinates four large open houses which together bring more than 3,000 prospective students to the university; hosts about 14 receptions, both on-campus and off-campus, for prospective students, parents and guidance counselors, including two events targeting academically talented students. Operates a Welcome Center which conducts information sessions and tours Mondays through Saturdays, except holiday weekends. Also, hosts approximately 1500 students and their families (a total of 2500 people) during high school spring break weeks each spring. Coordinates the awarding of merit based scholarships to incoming freshmen. Operate offices to attract transfer students at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College and Northern Virginia Community College. The International Admissions Office is primarily responsible for the recruitment and admission of non-immigrant students (temporary visa holders). The staff review and evaluate all non-u.s. credentials for admissibility to undergraduate, graduate and professional programs. Credential evaluations are also provided to academic departments to assist them in making a determination for appropriate VCU transfer credit. 3
Specific figures for first time international freshmen were 429 applications for fall 2011, with 358 admitted and 79 enrolled. Financial Aid The Financial Aid Office at Virginia Commonwealth University seeks to assist students and their families so that any qualified student who desires to pursue an education at VCU may do so without the hindrance of financial barriers. The office supports enrollment and retention by identifying resources and educating parents and students so that they may make sound financial decisions. For the current year, nearly $90 million will be awarded through VCU to its students ($49.5 million in federal and state funded scholarships and $40 million in university funding). The university funding is a combination of need-based aid, scholarships, fellowships, tuition waivers and graduate student wages (see Appendix IV). For fiscal year 2010-11: 32,285 FAFSA applications were processed 23,565 students received some form of financial aid $323,103,660 was distributed in financial aid awards to 20,547 students (does not include outside scholarships or tuition Records and Registration University Records and Registration is responsible for registering students for classes and recording their academic achievements so that the credit they earn at VCU becomes part of a permanent record available for certifying their degrees, applying for employment and gaining admittance to higher education programs. For fiscal year 2010-11: Processed over 45,000 transcript requests, assisting hundreds of students per day by e- mail, and thousands by phone each week in various areas including academic records, registration, graduation, veteran services, residency, athletic certification, course and room scheduling. Processed over 7,000 graduation applications. 4
Certified over 900 students to receive veteran benefits. Imaged thousands of documents for easy retrieval; processed thousands of course and room changes; reviewed hundreds of residency appeals; and processed several hundred enrollment verifications or forwarded them to the National Student Clearinghouse for processing. Verified the eligibility of 264 athletes to compete in their sport. Student Accounting The Student Accounting Department is responsible for the assessment, billing and collection of tuition, housing and dining charges, and other university fees including the billing and collection of third-party sponsors and the issuing of refunds to eligible students and parents. For fiscal year 2010-11: Assessed tuition, fees, housing, dining and other miscellaneous fees totaling $398,460,979. Processed third party contract transactions on 5,432 accounts totaling $22,959,567 according to billing authorizations. Processed paid scholarships on 4,342 accounts totaling $12,867,474. Processed refunds on 29,871 accounts totaling $115,530,295. Processed 47,894 1098 T tax forms. Processed waivers on 3,433 accounts totaling $6,198,802. Processed 130 refund waiver appeals. Student Services Center The Student Services Center is designed to be a "one-stop shopping" experience for students to have questions answered related to enrollment services. The Student Services Center provides a convenient single point of contact for students to conduct business with the university, consolidating enrollment related functions and services. Services related to financial aid, registration, student accounting and cashiering are handled in the center. Students can 5
register/add/drop/withdraw classes, have verifications and deferments completed, change addresses, change majors, request transcripts, check their student bill, garner financial aid information and have documents reviewed at the Harris Hall Services Center. 6
APPENDIX IV 2011-12 University Budget Plan Student Financial Assistance Overview Student Financial Assistance includes scholarships, grants and fellowships awarded to students without requiring work or service, and work-related programs. Amounts for the Federal Work Study Program and Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants are federal matching funds. Related University portions are reported in the various budgets where the expenditures are incurred. Tuition waivers and the undergraduate scholars program are also excluded. Highlights A summary of sources and uses is presented in Table A. Preliminary estimates assume sources and uses of approximately $49.5 million in 2011-12 through the Student Financial Assistance program budget. Changes from the 2010-11 budget include: The majority of this increase over the 2010-11 budget year is due the implementation of Year Round Pell legislation that was not included in the original 2010-11 budget figure. Students were eligible to receive up to two scheduled Pell awards (fall, spring, summer) in one year versus one scheduled Pell award (fall, spring) if they were enrolled full time for the fall and spring semester and then enrolled for summer semester. The University had a 16 percent increase in the amount of Pell disbursed for summer 2010 due to the change in legislation for the Pell Grant Program. The Pell Grant Program maximum award of $5,550 will not change for the 2011-12 academic year. The Academic Competiveness Grants (ACG) and National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grants (SMART) will no longer be funded by the federal government for the 2011-12 academic school year. Additional state general fund support of $1.5 million for need-based undergraduate scholarship through the Virginia Student Financial Assistance Program, as recommended in the Governor s 2010-12 biennial budget and approved by the 2011 Session of the General Assembly. The decrease in the College Scholarship Assistance Program and Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant for the 2011-12 academic year is due to federal budget cuts. 7
In addition to the federal and state funded scholarships summarized on Table A, the University will fund an additional $40.0 million in need-based aid, scholarships, fellowships, tuition waivers and graduate student wages within other University programs (see Table B). Table A 2010-11 2011-12 Change Budget Budget Over DESCRIPTION Plan Plan 2010-11 A. Federal* 1. Grants and Scholarships a. Pell Grants $ 21,630 $ 25,866 19.6% b. Academic Competitiveness Grants and National 1,571 - -100.0% Science and Mathematics Access Grants c. Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants 574 507-11.7% $ d. Total Grants and Scholarships $ 23,775 26,373 10.9% 2. Federal Work Study 1,067 1,056-1.0% 3. Total Federal $ 24,842 B. State 1. Virginia Student Financial Assistance Program a. Scholarships $ 17,515 $ 27,429 10.4% $ 19,064 8.8% b. Fellowships 2,635 2,635 0.0% Total Virginia Student Financial Assistance $ c. Program $ 20,150 21,699 7.7% 2. College Scholarship Assistance Program 414 362-12.6% 3. Total State $ 20,564 $ 22,061 7.3% 8
C. Total Sources and Uses $ 45,406 $49,490 9.0% Note: The 2011-12 budget is based on the 2011-12 University Budget Plan. *Figures are subject to change based on pending interpretation by the United States Department of Education on recent Congressional legislation involving the federal budget. 9
Table B: Summary of Other Sources of Student Financial Aid (in thousands) Change Over 2010-11 2011-12 2010-11 E&G Programs* Tuition waivers; scholarships and wages for graduate $32,585 $29,919-8.2% teaching assistants; merit-based aid; and needbased aid Facilities and Administrative Cost Recoveries Funding for 50 graduate fellowships 1,598 1,666 4.3% Auxiliary Enterprise Programs Athletic scholarships 3,625 3,860 6.5% University Funds Scholarships and fellowships 3,886 3,688-5.1% School/departmental awards 1,370 876-36.1% Total $43,064 $40,009-7.1% Note: $12.05 million of need-based aid is included in E&G programs in 2010-11 and $8.05 million in 2011-12. *The decrease in E&G funding for scholarships and fellowships reflects the $4.0 million in one-time student financial aid assistance committed in FY 2011. A portion of these one-time funds will be carried forward and allocated in FY 2012 and FY 2013 to help ensure retention and graduation of continuing students with high achievement and financial need; however, the funding for all three years is budgeted in FY 2011. VCU was provided an additional $1.5 million of state general fund support in the 2011 Appropriation Act to support need-based undergraduate scholarships. 10
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