Tarleton State University
LAR Hearing
August 30, 2010
1
Tarleton Country
 Tarleton locations are in some of
the most populous and fastest
growing regions in Texas.
 Tarleton employs approximately
1,100 faculty and staff.
 Tarleton offers 90 degree
programs and specializations.
 Tarleton serves students from
218 Texas counties, 46 states,
and 24 countries.
 Tarleton is a regional university
making an international impact.
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Growth
 Tarleton has experienced a 51% enrollment growth since 2000.
 Fall 2010 accepted and admitted first-time in college students are up 33%
over fall 2009.
 Fall 2010 transfer applications are up 16% over fall 2009.
 In the past five years, our Hispanic and Black student enrollment has
increased by 57%.
 Most rapid growth is in our outreach areas in the Southwest Metroplex and
the McLennan Community College University Center in Waco.
• A university priority is to develop our outreach programs.
• Additional funding is needed to respond to this increase and meet
goals as outlined by the “Closing the Gaps” initiative. (Exceptional Item
request)
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Growth
Fall Enrollment – Headcount
Stephenville, Southwest Metroplex, and Waco
10,500
9,402
8,598
7,776
7,739
7,756
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010*
Waco
337
444
546
637
750
SW Metroplex
443
579
668
755
873
6,996
6,716
6,542
7206
7779
8,500
6,500
4,500
2,500
500
Stephenville
*2010 represents preliminary 12th class day estimate based upon current registration numbers
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Growth
Online Courses
Semester Credit Hour Summary (SCH)
22,500
20,499
Semester Credit Hours
20,000
17,500
252% Increase – FY 2003 to FY 2009
15,000
13,088
12,500
9,834
10,625
9,162
10,000
5,820
8,037
7,500
5,000
FY 2003
FY 2004
FY 2005
FY 2006
Fiscal Year
FY 2007
FY 2008
FY 2009
5
Minority Growth Rates
900
800
125% growth in Hispanic enrollments since fall 2000
Headcount
700
600
500
400
300
200
180% growth in African-American enrollments since fall 2000
100
0
Fall
2000
Fall
2001
Fall
2002
Fall
2003
Fall
2004
Fall
2005
Fall
2006
Fall
2007
Fall
2008
Fall
2009
Af rican-American
**Preliminary fall 2010 registrations show
increases of 12% in Hispanic and 13% in
African-American enrollments.
Hispanic
6
Additional Growth Opportunities
• Collaboration with Navarro Community College
• Multi-Institutional Teaching Center (MITC)
• Navarro Community College, Texas A&MCommerce and Tarleton
• Located in Midlothian, Texas
• Veterinary Technology Program
• Collaboration with Cedar Valley College (CVC)
• Students take first two years at CVC
• Complete bachelor’s degree at Tarleton via
distance education
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Community College Partnerships
Top Academic Partners:
 McLennan Community College
 Tarrant County College System
 Weatherford College
 Hill College
Memorandum of Understanding provides:
• Transition advising/support programs for students who plan to transfer
• Program specific articulation agreements to maximize course transfer,
• financial aid and library consortium agreements
• Tarleton course work made available within a close geographic proximity
 Navarro College – MITC to provide services in Ellis County area
 Cedar Valley College – Vet Technology bachelor’s degree completion
collaboration
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Student Success Initiatives
•
Centralized advising services
• Advisors match students with assistance needed for academic success
•
Supplemental Instruction (SI)
• Peer assisted study sessions
• Participants are less likely to withdraw from or fail a course
• Participants earn a letter higher grade in the course
•
New Degree Evaluation System
• Allows closer monitoring of student progress
• Identify academic problems sooner (“early alert” program),
•
Upward Bound Program
• Targets high school students who likely would not attend college
• Over 90% of participants enroll in college
• Retention rate is 79% fall to fall
• Six year graduation rate is 72%
With more than 60% of the graduating class being composed of 1st generation graduates, Tarleton
ranks 12th in the State rates among the 31 universities for students who begin their education at
Tarleton and graduate from Tarleton in 6 years.
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Quality Enhancement Plan
• “Keeping it REAL (Real-world Experiences Applied to Learning)”
• Promotes student success
• Connects classroom learning with job-related
experiences that occur outside of the classroom
• Five key applied learning experiences
• Service
• Leadership
• Internships
• Research
• Study abroad/away
10
Tarleton
Special Items
• Agriculture Center
• Environmental Research
• Tarleton Outreach
• Institutional Enhancement
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Special Items
Agriculture Center
[Biennium Total = $492,168]
• Funds support salaries of 7 faculty, 2 professional staff, 4 support staff
• Purchased dairy cows for starting Tarleton’s new TRB-funded Dairy Center
• Secured farm and lab equipment for the Agriculture Center
• Supports teaching and research activities for 1,400 undergraduate and graduate
students.
• Supports demonstration and service activities for 12,000 visiting high school students
(future college students) from across the state.
• Supports the most critical component of the laboratory activities required for
teaching and research for undergraduate and graduate education in the College
of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
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Special Items
Environmental Research: Institute for Applied Environmental Research
[Biennium Total = $2,099,912]
The Texas Institute for Applied Environmental Research (TIAER) was
legislatively established in 1991.
• Funds support the development of solutions to environmental concerns.
TIAER has obtained more than a dollar in outside funding for every dollar of
state funding received.
• TIAER’s on-campus, nationally certified research laboratory supports research
opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students.
• Only university/college-based laboratory to be accepted into the EPA’s
Environmental Response Laboratory Network.
• TIAER is currently working with Texas A&M-Galveston to develop and oileating bacteria solution that will reduce the potential damage to coastal
ecosystems resulting from the BP oil spill.
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Special Items
Tarleton Outreach
[Biennium Total = $100,000 ]
Current Outreach Sites:
• Southwest Metroplex Center
• Funds support salaries for on-site transition advisors
• Tarleton is lowest cost upper level and graduate degree provider in the
Southwest Metroplex
• 73% increase in headcount from fall 2006 to fall 2009
• 75% percent of our students are women; 25% are minorities
• Offer 37 graduate, undergraduate and certification programs
• University Center at McLennan Community College
• Tarleton delivers 90% of the semester credit hours delivered by four-year
institutions at the University Center
• 90% increase in headcount from fall 2006 to fall 2009
• Offer 22 graduate, undergraduate and certification programs
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Special Items
Institutional Enhancement
[Biennium Total = $6,293,802]
Institutional Enhancement funds are used in the following areas:
•
Supplement base funding for core academic operations.
•
Recruitment and retention of qualified faculty.
•
Salary increases for faculty and staff due to market conditions, promotions,
equity, and market requirements.
•
Library support
•
Student leadership
•
Instructional support
•
Departmental operations
•
Support of student success programs for purposes of recruitment and
retention
•
Nursing Program
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Tarleton
Impact of Additional 10%
Budget Reduction
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Additional 10% Budget Reduction
Overall Impact
An additional 10% budget reduction for FY 2012 and FY 2013 would result in:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Reduction in operations and services.
Reduction in force (elimination of 25-30 FTE).
Limited salary increases for employees.
Possible elimination of academic and non-academic programs that are low
producing and of marginal value to the University. This could result in loss
of students and personnel.
Delayed expenditures for facilities repairs and rehabilitation.
Difficulty in accommodating and supporting projected enrollment growth.
Reduction in support for Special Item initiatives.
Additional general revenue reductions to formula funds would negatively
impact availability of student services and academic programs, impeding
student success.
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Additional 10% Budget Reduction
Special Item Impact
An additional 10% budget reduction would result in cutting or reducing Special Items, which
would have a direct impact on university operational budgets.
•
Tarleton Outreach: Our most rapid growth is in our outreach areas. Budget reductions impact our
ability to provide affordable public higher education in most rapidly growing areas of the state.
•
Agriculture Center: Budget reductions to our Agriculture Center will limit our ability to offer a
technologically up-to-date curriculum in agricultural and environmental sciences; restrict partnerships
with Texas AgriLife Research and Extension, public schools and community college districts, and other
state institutions. Funds are needed for start-up operation of the new Southwest Regional Dairy
Center, scheduled to open in September. Budget reductions would jeopardize the dairy start-up.
•
Environmental Research: Since its inception, TIAER has leveraged state funding 1:1 with
external support and developed an internationally recognized research program. Every dollar of
reduction in funding for the Texas Institute of Applied Environmental Research is a dollar of outside
funding lost and impact:
•
Long term Bosque River monitoring program
•
Base support to hire/retain staff
•
Quality of agricultural academic programs supported by TIAER
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Tarleton
Exceptional Item Requests
• Tarleton Outreach
• Agriculture Center
Tuition Revenue Bond Request
• Instructional and Student Success Space Renovation
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Exceptional Item Requests
Tarleton Outreach ($3,000,000)
 Support growth in our primary outreach centers
• Southwest Metroplex Center
• Provides higher education access to southwest region of Fort Worth and surrounding
communities in Parker and Johnson counties
• One of state’s most rapidly growing areas
• Lowest cost upper level and graduate level provider
• 37 graduate, undergraduate and certification programs
• MCC University Center in Waco
• Currently no public higher education institutions in Waco
• Deliver baccalaureate completion and master’s programs
• 22 graduate, undergraduate and certification programs
 Enhance partnerships with Weatherford College and Tarrant County College
 Expand outreach efforts
• Multi-Institution Teaching Center (MITC) in Midlothian
•
Navarro Community College, Tarleton, and Texas A&M University-Commerce
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Exceptional Item Requests
Agriculture Center ($1,990,000)
 Support joint effort between Tarleton Agriculture Center and the
Texas Institute for Applied Environmental Research to establish a
Bioenergy Recovery Research and Education Center.
• Provide research opportunities for faculty and undergraduate and
graduate students in solar, wind, methane, ethanol, algae and biodiesel
energy technologies.
• Support start-up operations of new Southwest Regional Dairy Center
• Support State’s renewable energy program
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Tuition Revenue Bond Request
Instructional and Student Success Space Renovation ($36,200,000)
 Renovate, rehabilitate and expand College of Liberal and Fine Arts
(COLFA) instructional and student success space to improve delivery of
core curriculum courses and to enhance student success efforts.
• Modernize/update the core curriculum instructional spaces
• Provide centralized location for student success initiatives
•
•
•
•
Increase retention of existing students
Assist in recruiting new students
Create environments that are secure and enhance student learning
Improve energy efficiency
• Five percent of our PUF allocation is available as matching funds
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Tarleton
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