CHAIR&DIRECTORLEADERSHIPIN
DIFFICULTTIMES
~UNIVERSITYOFMISSOURI,KANSASCITY~
Dr.CathyA.Trower
President,Trower&Trower,Inc.
August11,2014
2
Today,wewill…
• Discusstrendsaffectingallofhighereducation
• DiscusstrendsaffectingUMKC
• Eatlunch
• Whine
• Discussfacultymoraleandproductivity
• Discusspossibilities
• MakerecommendationsfortheProvostand
President(foractionsandcommunication)
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NineTrendsAffectingPublicHigher
Education
1. Moneywoes
2. Pennypinching
3. Publicperception
4. ROIisKing
5. Differentdemographics
6. Older&wiser
7. Giveitaswirl
8. Engagedconsumers
9. Technologicaladvances&multipleoptions
4
MoneyWoes
Manyfamiliesareexperiencingadiminishedabilityto
payforacollegeeducation.
Comparedtopre‐recessionlevels,medianhouseholdincome,
homeequity,andnetwortharealldown.
Meanwhile,collegetuitioncostshavecontinuedtoclimb
steadily,evenafterfinancialaidisfactoredin.
Theannualnetpriceoftuition,fees,room,andboardata
privatenonprofitinstitution($23,840)nowaveragesalmost
halfofwhatthemedianhouseholdearnsinayear.
TheLawlorGroup/thelawlorgroup.com
5
PennyPinching
Evenmorefamiliesarereevaluatingthepricetheyare
willingtopayforacollegeeducation.
Thecostofacollegeeducationisbumpingupagainstthe
ceilingofwhatfamilieswillconsiderpaying.
Evenstudentsfromupper‐middle‐incomefamiliesare
experiencinghigherlevelsofstudentdebtandfactoringinthe
costofpost‐graduatestudyandtheROIofmajoringincertain
fields.
TheLawlorGroup/thelawlorgroup.com
6
PublicPerceptions
Mediacoverageandlegislativeattentionareshaping
publicopinionaboutthevalueofacollegedegree.
Whileanoverwhelmingmajorityofthepublicbelievesa
collegeeducationisnecessarytogetahead,a“valuegap”has
openedupinthepollingbecausefarfewerpeoplebelieve
goingtocollegeatanypricewillbeworththefinancial
investment.
Governmentfunders,aswell,arelookingtomaketheir
appropriationscontingentuponinstitutionalperformance
measures.
TheLawlorGroup/thelawlorgroup.com
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ReturnonInvestmentisKing
Familiesareseekingevidenceofsuccessfulresultsto
justifytheircollegeinvestment.
Highereducationhasbecomelessanendinitselfand
increasinglyameanstoanend—primarilyaneconomically
viablecareerpath.
Incalculatingacollege’svalueproposition,familiesfactorin
outcomesaswellascostandprestige.Theyexpectproofof
highgraduationratesandgraduateemploymentatacceptable
salarylevels.
TheLawlorGroup/thelawlorgroup.com
8
DifferentDemographics
Thenumberofhighschoolgraduatesisshrinking,but
theproportionwhoareethnicallydiverseisgrowing.
Thecountry’schangingdemographics,combinedwitha
wideninggapbetweenthenation’srichandpoor,is
producingmorefirst‐generationstudentsandstudentsfrom
socioeconomicbackgroundsthatnotonlymakepayingfor
collegeachallenge,butalsoleavethemunderpreparedfor
college‐levelstudy.
TheLawlorGroup/thelawlorgroup.com
9
Older&Wiser
Non‐traditional‐agestudentsstillrepresentalargely
untappedmarket.
Duringtheeconomicrecession,morepeopleage25andolder
returnedtocollege,butthatbumpreacheditspeakin2010.
Butnon‐traditionalstudentsarealsomorelikelytodropout
intheirfirstyear,sotheyseekconvenientcoursescheduling,
assistanceinthefinancialaidprocess,tutoringand
counselingservices,andcentersforveterans.
TheLawlorGroup/thelawlorgroup.com
10
GiveItASwirl
Morestudentsareattendingmultipleinstitutionsintheir
pursuitofadegree.
Transferringisincreasinglybecomingacost‐consciouspartof
students’long‐termplanstoaffordabledegreecompletion.A
pluralityofstudentswhotransferfromaprivatenonprofit
institutionattendtwo‐yearpublicinstitutions,withfour‐year
publicinstitutionsbeingtheirsecondmostpopular
destination.
The Lawlor Group/thelawlorgroup.com
11
EngagedConsumers
Growthinmobileonlineaccessandsocialmedia
useisallowingpeopletoinstantlyverifyany
claimsacollegemakes.
GenerationC”(theCisfor“connected”)isnotboundbyage
brackets,butratherbysharedbehavior:theiruseofreal‐time
social,local,mobile(SoLoMo)technology.
Theyfinditincreasinglyeasytoinvestigateinstitutions’
reputationsviaonlinenetworks,word‐of‐mouth
recommendations,andothercommunicationchannels
beyondthecolleges’directcontrol.
TheLawlorGroup/thelawlorgroup.com
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TechnologicalAdvances&MultipleOptions
Wearenolongerdependentonasinglemodel
ofeducationalprogramdevelopment,thatofthe
tuitionpayingstudentattendingcoursesthat
aggregatetoadegree.
Theproliferationofdeliveryoptions,rangingalongthe
spectrumfromfullyface‐to‐faceclassestoblendedtoonline
toopencertificatetoopenmaterials,meansthatthe
instructionalmodelcanflextomeetanylevelofdemand.
Underthisnewregime,thekeyquestiontoaskisnot,“isthere
amarketforthesecourses,”but“wheredowehavefacultyand
institutionalexpertise?”
Kim, J. “Why every university does not need a MOOC,”
InsideHigherEd.com, March 6, 2012.
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TableDiscussions
• Howdoesthetrendimpacttheuniversity?
• Howdoesthetrendimpactourdepartments/ourfaculty?
• Whathasyoumostconcerned?
• Whatthreatsdoesthetrendsuggest?
• Isyourdepartmentwell‐positionedtorespondtothetrend?
• Whatopportunitiesdoesthetrendsuggestforus?
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TopTrendsImpactingUMKC
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Decreasingstatefunding
Increaseddemandsforaccountabilityfromexternalconstituents
Increasedfocusonstudentpersistenceandcompletion
Increasedstudentrelianceonfederalandprivateloans(debt)
Shifttoperformance‐basedfunding
Tuitionlimitssetbystategovernment
Perceiveddecreasedvalueinaliberalartseducationandmore
focusonhighereducation’sroleinpreparingtheworkforce
Collegereadiness
Decreasedfederalfundingforresearch
Increasedfederalregulationandoversight
Unfundedmandates
Adjuncthiring
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StateFundingforUMO
1. Statesupportforoperationsoverthepasteightyearshasbeenstagnantinnominaltermsanddeclining
inrealterms.
2. MissourihighereducationandtheUniversityofMissouriareunderfundedwhencomparedtohigher
educationinotherstates.
3. Statesupporthasdeclinedatatimewhenenrollmentshavegrownsignificantlythustheresourcesper
studentavailableformaintainingaqualityeducationalprogramhavediminished,bothinnominaland
realterms.
4. Extraordinarywithholdings,annual3%withholdingsandbelowinflationincreasesinstatesupport
havehadthefollowingimpact:
Accessandaffordability:Increasinglythecostofeducationhasbeenshiftedfromthestatetostudentsandtheir
familiesandstudentloanindebtednesshasincreasedforalltypesofstudents.
b. Compromisedtheuniversity’sabilitytorecruitandretaintopfaculty:Rankedfacultysalariesareinthelowest
quintilewithapotentiallongtermimpactonteaching,research,andtechnologytransfer.
c. Increaseddeferredmaintenance:Therehasbeenareductionintheamountavailabletofundon‐goingmaintenance
andrepaircreatingabacklog.
a.
5. The3%Governor’sreserve(withholding)wasreleasedforhighereducationpriortothemideighties
exceptinshortperiodsofeconomicdownturns.Since1986onlyasmallportionofthereserve,ifany,
hasbeenreleasedevenduringgoodeconomictimes.
6. Thepotentialimpactofthereleaseoftheannualgovernor’swithholdingreservewouldbecompetitive
facultycompensation,increasedeconomicdevelopmentandtechnologytransfer,andadditional
investmentinon‐goingmaintenanceandrepairtoreducethedeferredmaintenancebacklog.
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AnnualCosttoAttendUMKC
In‐State
Out‐of‐State
$22,188
$34,935
CostBreakdown
• $8,103tuition
• $11,552oncampusroom&board
• $1,180books&supplies
• $1,353fees
CostBreakdown
• $20,502tuition
• $11,552oncampusroom&board
• $1,180books&supplies
• $1,353fees
(Basedonstatsfrom2013/14)
(Basedonstatsfrom2013/14)
~$3,878AnnualInstitutionalAid~
• 92%ofstudentsreceiveaid
• 42%getfederalaid($4,118ave.)
• 43%getstateaid($1,000ave.)
• 66%getinstitutionalaid($3,878ave.)
• 60%getloans($6,236ave.)
~Ranks15th inMissourifor4‐yearcollegesforaffordability~
~62nd mostexpensive4‐yearcollegeinthestate(outof79)~
[15th cheapest4‐yearcollegeinthestate]
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TableDiscussions
• Howdoyouthinktheseissuesmostaffecttheuniversity?
• Oftheissues,whichonesmostaffectyourdepartment?
• Oftheissues,whichonesmostaffectyourfaculty?
LUNCH
IMPACT?
Let’sgripeforabit…
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TableTalks[“WhineTime”]
Atyourtables,discussandlist…
Whatcomplaintshaveyouheard,ordoyouhave,about:
1. Theadministration?
2. Thepress?
3. Thelegislature?
4. Students?
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YourFaculty
1.
Whatexternalfactorsmostaffectfacultymoraleinyour
department?
2.
Whatinternalfactorsmostaffectfacultymoraleinyour
department?
3.
Whatexternalfactorsmostaffectfacultyproductivityin
yourdepartment?
4.
Whatinternalfactorsmostaffectfacultyproductivityin
yourdepartment?
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MultiplePerspectives
• Howdostudents(andparents),electedofficials,trustees
frametheproblemsfacingtheuniversity?
• Whatarethemostdifficultargumentstorefutefromeach
constituentgroup?
• Whyarethecounterargumentshighereducationhasoffered
unpersuasive?
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ATaleofTwoBillionaires
• Oneanarchconservative,theothernotablyliberal
• Haveestablishedtogethera$10MprizefortheUniversity,
$1Mprizeforadepartment,and$250Kprizeforthechairat
apublicuniversitythathasthesinglebestideatocontain
costsand,atthesametime,increasequalityasmeasuredby
graduationratesandsometestofcompetencydesignedby
thedepartment/university.
• Whatideawouldyousubmit?
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SensemakingSession
• Whatdowesee?
• Whataretheimplications?
• Whataresomepossiblenextstepsforchairs?
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PossibleSteps
• Developonefeasible,actionablerecommendationforthe
ProvostandPresidenttoimplementthatwouldmeetthe
concernsofBOTHthepublicandthechairs.
• WhatdoyouwantfromtheProvostandPresidentinterms
ofcommunication?
Havewemetthe
enemy?
…andheisus…
Pollyannaor
Possible?
Whyareweoften
buttingheads
insteadofworking
collaborativelyto
definetheshared
problemsandfind
solutionsthat
satisfyeveryone?
StepstoInclusiveCulturesand
SharedResponsibility
• EnsuremoreUPSTREAM,“sense‐making”timespentindiscussionswith
administration,facultyleadership,andthegoverningboard
• Discuss:
• Thehallmarkcharacteristicsofagreatuniversity(inyourcontext)…the“meaning”of
adegreefromyourinstitution
• Theuniqueandsharedcontributionsofeachgroup(admin,faculty,board)
• Whatideasdowehaveforhowwecanbalanceautonomy,consultation,and
accountabilityintheseuniqueandsharedcontributions?
• Howmightwebestcapitalizeonthemultipleperspectivesoffaculty,
administrators,andtrusteestodiscoverbettergoals,betterproblems,and
bettersolutionsandtolearnbetterasaninstitution?
• Howmightweorderourlifetogethersothatthesepointsofintersection
becomeopportunitiesforcreativeproblemsolvingratherthanbonesof
contention?
• Howdoensurethatweunderstandtheculturesinwhichweallexist?