EDHE 856 Higher Education Finance, Spring 2016
Course Section:
Meeting Time and Place:
Course Credit Hours:
Not Applicable
Per Doctoral Course Schedule
Three (3) Credit Hours
Faculty Contact Information:
Office Hours
E-Mail:
Telephone:
Benjamin Brown, PhD
Thursday 12 pm - 6 pm (class week)
Friday 1 pm – 4 pm
Other times – On-line (24/7)
benjamin.brown@lmunet.edu, or
bbrown1@aol.com (preferred)
615-496-66531
I.
Course Description: This course provides prospective college and university administrators with a
working knowledge of strategies, techniques, issues and practices related to college and university budget
development and implementation. Attention is given to the formulation of various budgetary strategies:
presentation strategies for multiple constituencies; management and execution of the university budget,
including various revenue sources and review of expenditure patterns; and how strategies vary among types
of institutions. Candidates have the opportunity to engage in financial analysis and modeling to explore the
current issues in the financing of higher education as well as accounting principles and practices. Landmark
cases in higher education finance as well as national, state, and local policies regarding funding for higher
education will be discussed. The economic importance of higher education for the individual and for
society will be investigated. Candidates will become familiar with software applications that are commonly
used in planning, management, and accounting.
II.
Course Objectives
a. Expose students to historical and contemporary challenges to financing post-secondary education
b.
Identify and debate the investment and dividends of post-secondary education for individuals and
society
c.
Provide an in-depth understanding of the rising costs and corresponding price increases across
higher education, particularly over the past two decades
d.
Provide an in-depth look at various sources of institutional funding, including state
subsidies/appropriations, institutional endowments, research grants, tuition, and other sources.
e.
Provide an overview of the sources of student aid and funding for post-secondary education, with
corresponding examination in changes in student debt levels.
f.
Compare different state funding models and their relative merits and challenges in providing
incentives for access and completion, as well as in maintaining affordability and stability
g.
Examine the changing economy of post-secondary education with an eye toward future trends
h.
Explore new sources of revenue, cost controls, and productivity within post-secondary education
i.
Examine recent and long-term trends in the post-secondary market place, particularly
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privatization and commercialization
j.
Identify and explain key terms and concepts in budget management
k.
Provide opportunities for students to apply concepts and skills of budget management in the
context of their own work environment and professional aspirations
III.
Texts/Materials for the Course:
a. Archibald, R. B., & Feldman, D. H. (2010). Why does college cost so much?. Oxford University
Press.
b. Barr, M. J., & McClellan, G. S. (2010). Budgets and financial management in higher education.
John Wiley & Sons
IV.
Course Requirements, Assessment (Learning Outcomes) and Evaluation Methods:
Attendance Policy:
At the graduate level, direct interaction with the course instructor and with other candidates is integral to
each candidate’s ability to acquire, integrate, and obtain a better context for, the knowledge and skills that
the course is designed to deliver. Therefore, each candidate is expected to attend each class and to interact
with the professor and other candidates when possible and appropriate during, as well as outside of, class
hours throughout the course. However, in the event a candidate is unable to attend a regular class session
due to circumstances beyond his or her control, the professor may request a face-to-face or Web-based
meeting to ascertain the extent to which the candidate has met the course obligations and to assign
additional study should such be required. Candidates who violate the policy will be given the option to
accept a lower grade for the course or to accept an incomplete until the attendance requirements have been
met (unless a class absence qualifies for make-up assignments under ADA requirements).
Learning Outcomes:



Candidate demonstrates values congruent with the disposition and practices of the education
profession.
The candidate demonstrates in-depth general and content-specific knowledge of a high quality and
distinguished educator.
The candidate serves as a leader in the education profession.
Requirements / Assignments:
1) Budget Concepts, Skills & Application Project – 20%
The Barr & McClellan (2010) text will serve as the primary guide for our understanding of budget
management in this course. While each student is responsible for all the material in all chapters,
we will divide up Chapters 2-7 as a class and present as follows:
Meeting 2: Chapter 1 (all, no presentation), Chapter 2 & 3
Meeting 3: Chapters 4&5
Meeting 4: NONE
Meeting 5: Chapter 6&7
Presentation Instructions:
Each student will be responsible for one of the six assigned chapters (2-7). Presenting students
should briefly summarize key points, concepts and important terms from his/her assigned chapter.
Students will also be asked to apply and contextualize the material from the assigned chapter
within his/her work setting. For example, what are the sources of revenue or major costs
associated with your organization? Who is responsible for the budget in your organization and
how are budget allocations/decisions made? How does your organization forecast expenses and
revenues? Does your organization use auxiliary and/or capital budgets separate from its operating
budget? Why or why not? What outside factors affect your organization’s budget process? How
does the history of budget decision processes in your organization shape its formation today?
Describe chronic versus one-time budgetary problems in your organization. These are just a few
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examples drawn from the text, students are encouraged to apply the concepts from their assigned
chapter in the context of their workplace as they see fit.
2) Group Assignment – Due Meeting 4: State Funding Models Comparison/Analysis – 30%
Students will work in two groups of three students each as follows: Compare three state funding
models for public post-secondary education :
Group 1: The University of California system (Group 1), and two other state funding systems
(other than University of Tennessee)
Group 2: The State University of New York system (Group 2), and two other state funding
systems (other than University of Tennessee).
Groups 1 &2 should NOT have any overlapping state systems.
In each, address the following:
A. Overview:

Total number of students served in the system, across X number of campuses/institutions

Describe governance structure

Describe funding structure/model(s), including, but not limited to: institutional funding,
direct student funding, private funding, federal subsidies, research grants, endowment
size (if any), etc.

Tuition for in-state FTE students

Funding Trends pre- and post-recession (pick specific date ranges as appropriate)

Find and present “state effort” for each state
B. Analysis Questions:
In comparing/contrasting the different state models, your group should address the
following:

Which state’s funding model provides the most stability? Why? How has a given state
succeeded or failed in managing rising costs as described in Archibald and Feldman
(2011), and more specifically, during the most recent economic recession?

Compare “state effort” across each model. Looking at the spectrum from high to low,
how do higher or lower state contributions to public post-secondary institutions affect
other aspects of a state’s budget? For example, if a state contributes a comparatively high
percentage of its total budget to post-secondary education, what other expenditures in a
state’s budget are comparatively low?

Considering the definition of affordability in Archibald and Feldman (2011), which state
has been most successful in providing affordability? Has the state done so at the expense
of quality? Why or why not?

What incentives, if any, are in place to increase post-secondary access, enrollment and
completion rates (respectively) in each state’s funding model?

In evaluating each state’s funding model, what opportunities exist, if any, for: reducing
costs, increasing revenue, or increasing productivity (without sacrificing quality or
raising tuition!)?
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
Drawing on your knowledge of all three states’ funding models, design the ideal state
funding model for your home state1. What best practices (if any) would you take from
each state and why?
Paper – 10-20%2:
Each group will write a ~15 page paper addressing the items/questions above. In Meeting 3, we
will spend more time in class providing more detailed instructions, particularly regarding structure
and formatting.
Presentation – 10-20%2:
During Meeting 4, each group will present an overview and analysis in a ~30 minute presentation
which will provide your peers an understanding of the different funding models and their
benefits/challenges. In conclusion, you will also present your ideal state model and justify its
merits.
3) Final Paper: Policy Proposal and Analysis – Due Meeting 5 – 25%
During our first class, students will submit ideas about how to reduce cost, increase revenues, or
improve educational productivity. Each student will then take his/her policy idea and 1) develop
that idea into a formal proposal, and 2) analyze his/her proposal as follows:
1) Formal Policy Proposal (250-1200 words)
This proposal should describe in sufficient detail the author’s idea for (any of): increasing revenues,
reducing costs, or improving productivity (or all of the above!). The word limits are intentionally broad
and flexible as some students ideas could be very straightforward (raise tuition!), while others may be
very long and complex. Do not be overly concerned about either the word limit or the prose
style—academic prose/style is fine—please no legalese or “policy” voice!
2) Policy Analysis (7-12 pages):
Drawing on course materials used throughout the semester, analyze your own proposal. In analyzing
the potential benefits, challenges, and overall implications of your proposal, consider the following:
has your proposal (or something similar) been tried before, if so, where and to what effect? In what
ways would your proposal affect access, enrollment, and completion rates? How would your proposal
affect affordability? Educational quality? How would your proposal affect cost stability? Overall, what
have you learned about the pros/cons of your proposal and how it would affect the investment of
higher education?
4) Miscellaneous/TBD – Out-of-Class Work – 10%
During our first class, the instructor will solicit specific topics and possible projects of interest from the
students. These projects will be one piece of a student’s final grade (10%). Such projects may include a
mini-research project/presentation on an area of higher education finance not covered in this course, or
it could be a student-hosted, online, monthly current events discussion around HE Finance—these are
simply examples. After our first meeting, the instructor will update the syllabus to reflect more detail
around this aspect of student evaluation.
5) Class Participation - 15%
1
2
Home state can be defined as a hypothetical US State.
The higher of the two scores will be worth 20%, the lower of the two scores will be worth 10%.
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As part of your degree program, you are expected to demonstrate a series of dispositions that
characterize educational leaders and serve to leverage their professional performance and overall
effectiveness. As such, it is expected that this course will provide you with an opportunity to
further hone, shape, and refine the repertoire of skills you already possess. Your ability to
thoughtfully consider issues that are presented for discussion and to contribute meaningful and
relevant ideas to the conversation is a very important part of your evaluation.
Grading:
Group Projects and Presentations:
Each student will evaluate the presentations that his/her colleagues develop for the class (see above). The
ratings given by one’s peers will be combined with the ratings that the instructor gives in order to derive the
final course grade for each student. Evaluators will use a subset of scoring rubrics that has been adopted by
LMU as a means to assign a value/rating to each project.
Each student will also rate the students with whom s/he collaborates on his/her project(s)
Finally, the instructor will look holistically at a student’s progress across projects and presentations, with
more weight given to how a student finishes the class (i.e. how much progress s/he makes) than a
cumulative average of rubric scores; the allotted percentage scores for each assignment are therefore a
guide to relative weight, but should not be consider hard-and-fast. NB: It is at the instructor’s discretion to
judge an appropriate grade should a student’s pattern not follow a clear progression, or, if, in the
instructor’s judgment, a student is inconsistent in effort, care, quality or thought to various assignments
throughout the term.
In this course, students will have every incentive and opportunity to improve throughout the term, and be
evaluated on improvement and progress wherever possible and appropriate.
Papers:
For all papers, students will have two options for grading: “One-shot” or “A/Incomplete.” The “One-shot”
grade means students can submit only one final draft by the appropriate deadline and will neither have any
further chance to revise/resubmit, nor will there be any further expectations related to this particular
assignment (NB: students who choose this option are NOT precluded from submitting pre-final drafts to the
instructor for review, comments, edits, etc., well in advanced of the deadline) The “A/Incomplete” grading
option allows a student to continually resubmit written work until the last possible date by which a paper
can be received (final class: 12/5/14) or until s/he has received an “A.” Prior to receiving an” A,” students
will have an” Incomplete” grade for their work. If a student has not received an “A” by 5/16/16, they will
be assigned a grade based on their most recent draft submission.
Each student's work will be evaluated using the following rubrics: Inquiry and Analysis (Page 13), Oral
Communications (Page 15), Critical Thinking (Page 19), Creative Thinking (Page 20), and Written
Communications (Page 11). The criteria for the professional dispositions against which you will rate
yourself are listed on page 24.
Students will submit their written work to the instructor via email (peter.silberman@lmunet.edu) for
analysis and evaluation. Submissions must be in the form of document files (Microsoft Word format (e.g.,
.doc or .docx files)) attached to the email message. Please use the following format when attaching your
document: Last name, First name – Assignment Title. For written assignments, students must choose their
grading option at the time of their first submission by indicating either the “One-shot” or the
“A/Incomplete” option in the body of your email. The instructor encourages students to submit drafts of
their work to him well before the due dates to obtain feedback (preliminary evaluation, editing suggestions,
and comments).
V.
Methods of Instruction:
The candidate and instructor will collaborate to identify tools, applications, activities, lectures, and / or a
myriad of other resources that may be used to effectively and efficiently facilitate learning around this area
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of study.
VI.
Clinical Experiences: In courses with Clinical Experiences, candidates will receive regular coaching and
feedback from mentors. The coaching process must be documented, for example, through an Activity/Time
Log or Formal Evaluations. NOT APPLICABLE
VII.
Information Literacy/Technological Resources: [This section should include any type of research
materials or technology (i.e., Blackboard, LiveText or a bibliography) the student will need to use for the
classroom.]
Technology
Incoming students must be computer literate, able to use software for e-mail, word processing, web
browsing, and information retrieval. Students must have access to the Internet for communicating with
instructors and accessing learning resources. Computer access must be available on a personal
computer.
Turn-it-in
Portions of written materials may be required to be submitted to Turn-It-In, the computer program
designed for checking literature duplication. Submitting additional course work to Turn-It-In is at the
instructor’s discretion. Instructions will be available early in the semester on the Graduate Education
Office webpage.
LiveText
Each student will be required to establish an account with the LiveText program by the second
class session. LiveText is a web-based application offering a comprehensive suite of development,
management, and assessment tools. This suite of tools provides colleges and universities with the
capability to assess student work online using assessment instruments that have been developed and
implemented by the individual college faculty and/or departments. Specific instructions were
distributed on a separate handout at your orientation. LiveText may be purchased online at
https://c1.livetext.com or through the LMU Bookstore. LiveText Help is available on the Graduate
Office web page.
Library Resources
The Carnegie-Vincent Library provides access to many outstanding resources for students in Teacher
Education field, including tutorials, databases, and experienced reference librarians. Visit the library’s
website (library.lmunet.edu) for full details. There are many professional databases including: ERIC,
the Educational Resource Information Center, the premier database for education related journal
articles and documents containing over one million citations and links to more than 100,000
documents in full-text; ProQuest Education Journals database which contains access to 760 leading
journals of which over 600 are in full-text; ProQuest Dissertation & Theses Full Text: The
Humanities and Social Sciences Collection: A comprehensive collection of scholarly research in the
Humanities and Social Sciences, this database covers more than 1 million dissertations and theses;
Mental Measurements Yearbook which contains descriptive information & critical reviews of
commercially-available standardized English-language educational, personality, aptitude,
neuropsychological, achievement & intelligence tests. Additionally, the library provides access to over
100 other databases and can obtain books and articles from libraries worldwide through Interlibrary
Loan.
IIX.
University Policies:
Students With Disabilities Policy: As a rule, all students must read and comply with standards of
the LMU Student Handbook and LMU catalogue. Any student seeking assistance in accordance with the
Americans Disabilities Act (1990 as amended) should contact the ADA Coordinator, Dan Graves, with
regard to required documentation and in order to make appropriate arrangements. Contact information:
dan.graves@lmunet.edu and/or 423.869.6267 (800-325-0900 ext. 6267).
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Counseling: LMU counselors are available to help current students with personal, career and
academic concerns that affect academic success and quality of life. The Director of Counseling, Jason
Kishpaugh, can be contacted at jason.kishpaugh@lmunet.edu and/or 423.869.6401 (800-325-0900 ext.
6401).
Discrimination, Scholastic Dishonesty, Cheating, and Plagiarism Policies can be found in the
student handbook:
LMU’s website: http://www.lmunet.edu/campuslife/handbooks.shtml.
Course Evaluations: In addition to meeting degree requirements specified in the graduate and
undergraduate catalogs, all students are required to complete University-administered course evaluations.
Outcomes Assessment Testing: Degree requirements include participating in all outcomes
assessment testing (e.g., general education assessment, major field tests, etc.) and activities when requested.
Students may be required to complete one or more questionnaires and to take one or more standardized
tests to determine general educational achievement as a prerequisite to graduation (see appropriate catalog
for additional information).
All Associate of Science – Nursing; Associate of Science – Veterinary Health Science; and
Associate of Science – Veterinary Medical Technology students must take the General Education
Proficiency Profile examination.
LMU’s Inclement Weather Policy can be found at the following link to LMU’s website:
http://www.lmunet.edu/curstudents/weather.shtml. Students should check their LMU email during
delays/closures to receive information from individual faculty regarding potential assignments and/or other
course information.
Unit Commitment to Diversity – The School of Education recognizes differences among groups
of people and individuals based on ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, gender, exceptionalities,
language, religion, sexual orientation, and geographical area. The unit designs, implements, and evaluates
curriculum and provides experiences for candidates to acquire and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and
professional dispositions necessary to help all students learn. Assessments indicate that candidates can
demonstrate and apply proficiencies related to diversity. Experiences provided for candidates include
working with diverse populations, including higher education and K-12 school faculty, candidates, and
students in K-12 schools.
IX.
Mission Statements:
Lincoln Memorial University Mission Statement can be found at the following link to LMU’s
website: http://www.lmunet.edu/about/mission.shtml.
Department Mission Statement:
The School of Education is dedicated to preparing professional educators of distinction who embody the
three core ideas of Lincoln Memorial University. We accomplish our mission through instilling the
core ideals of Values, Education and Service in candidates who:
 demonstrate the disposition of the education profession – Values
 articulate and live the knowledge base and understands of moral, social, and political dimensions
which will impact individual students, schools, districts, and communities for the enrichment of
society – Values
 demonstrate the teaching skills and learning strategies acquired through rigorous academic studies
and active engagement in real life classroom experiences while involved in field and internship
placements in partner P-12 schools – Education
 promote lifelong learning through continued professional development and scholarship –
Education
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

I.
II.
III.
assist in meeting the educational needs of an ever-increasing global society, especially the
underserved – Service
articulate an understanding that all students can learn as well as demonstrate the disposition to
serve and teach diverse student populations – Service
Program Mission Statement
Research - To provide a program that attracts high quality candidates and faculty and has
achieved recognition and positioning amongst those institutions and communities that others
acknowledged as leaders in conducting basic and applied research in education.
Teaching / Leadership - To offer our students life-changing and meaningful educational
experiences that help them develop insights and skills and nourish their passion for “doing
education well” through effective instructional practices and a well-articulated and aligned
curriculum.
Service, Dispositions, Values - To provide a program in which its faculty and candidates can
engage in action research projects, consulting, and field experiences targeted to serve local
education agencies, communities, businesses, not-for-profit centers, and other such entities.
X.
Honors Contract Addendum Information (if applicable):
XI.
Course Outline/Assignment/units of Instruction or Clinic Schedule:
Consult the reading list and your course folder in BlackBoard for resources.
Be prepared to discuss your informed perspective on salient points during class sessions.
Meeting 1: January
Meetin
g
1
Topics

Introductions
Assignments
(check when completed)

Spellings, M., Education, United States
Department of Education, United States
Secretary of Education Commission on the
Future of Higher Education. (2006). A test
of leadership: Charting the future of US
higher education. United States
Department of Education

Course Overview
 Expectations
 Academic Integrity
 Syllabus & Assignments
 Student Selected Topics of Interest
and Corresponding OOC Assignment
Available on Blackboard:


Bowen, Howard R. (1977). Investment in
Learning: the Individual and Social Value
Of American Higher Education. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publications.
Chapter 2 (Goals:The Intended Outcomes
of Higher Education)

Lohmann, S. (2004). Can’t the university
be more like business?. Economics of
Governance, 5(1), 9-27.
Winston, G. C. (1999). Subsidies,
hierarchy and peers: The awkward
economics of higher education. The
Journal of Economic Perspectives, 13-36.
The Higher Education
Marketplace
 Higher Education Context –
Reading
 Intro to HE Finance –
Investment, Model and
Economy
 In class exercise
 Policy Recommendation
Assignment
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
Meeting 2: February
Meeting
2
Topics
Assignments
(check when completed)


Review Session 1 and interim activities
Costs
 Summary Lecture; Discussion of
A&F Chapters 1-6
 Testing key points/arguments in A&F
Barr & McClellan Chapter 2 & 3

Presentations
 Applications to student work sites.
Inquiry: Administrative Growth





Archibald & Feldman (2011) Chps 16
Barr & McClellan (2010) Chapter 1
(All)
Barr & McClellan Chapters 2 & 3
Delta Cost Project
See BB for additional
required/recommended materials
Meeting 3: March
Meeting
3
Topics
Assignments
(check when completed)




Revenue
Commercialization of Higher Ed
Discussion of A&F Chapters 8-12
Barr & McClellan Budget Presentations:
Chapters 4&5
 Guest Speaker: Proprietary Higher Education
 Group Project Overview and Discussion



A&F Chapter 8- 12
Barr & McClellan Chapters 4 & 5
See BB for additional required and
recommended materials
Meeting 4: April
Meeting
4
Topics
Assignments
(check when completed)
Group Presentations: State Funding
Model Comparisons




Federal & State Funding Models
Tennessee Outcomes Based Funding


DUE: Group Project: State
Funding Models
A&F Chapters 13-16
Gov. Bill Haslam on CCTA
YouTube: Higher Education
Finance Reform: Lessons from
Tennessee (10/2012)
Douglass, J. A. (2009). Reimaging California higher
education.
See BB for additional required
and recommended materials
Meeting 5: May
Meeting
5
Topics
Barr & McClellan Budget
Presentations: Chapter 6&7
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Assignments
(check when completed)


DUE: Policy Proposal Analysis Paper
Barr & McClellan Chapter 6&7
The New Economy of Higher
Education
Alternative Sources of Revenues
XII.
[Each instructor may insert Miscellaneous course elements here, as desired – numbered in sequence]:
[OPTIONAL SECTION(s).]
XIII.
Important Dates in the Academic Calendar Fall/Spring 2016: [OPTIONAL SECTION]
Last Day to Add Classes
Martin Luther King Day (no classes)
Convocation (9:30 a.m.)
Last Day to Drop Course without “WD”
Last Day to Drop Course without “F”
Spring Break/Easter Holiday (no classes)
Last Day of Classes
Final Exams
XIV.
Student Community Engagement: A cornerstone of the University’s mission is service to humanity. As
part of the University’s Student Service Initiative, students receiving any form of institutional aid
participate in at least 10 hours of service learning per semester. Students are encouraged to network with
one another in classroom settings and with instructors and advisors for searching out and creating
appropriate service learning projects related to their field of study. For more information visit:
http://www.lmunet.edu/campuslife/initiative/index.shtml or contact the Associate Dean of Students.
XV.
THE INSTRUCTOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REVISE, ALTER AND/OR AMEND THIS
SYLLABUS, AS NECESSARY. STUDENTS WILL BE NOTIFIED IN WRITING AND/OR BY
EMAIL OF ANY SUCH REVISIONS, ALTERATIONS AND/OR AMENDMENTS. [OPTIONAL
SECTION/LANGUAGE.]
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