From: President's Office <president@mills.edu>
Date: Fri, Jul 11, 2014 at 5:56 PM
Subject: Balanced Budget and Restructured Operations
To: Mills College Faculty <faculty@mills.edu>, Mills College Staff <staff@mills.edu>
MILLS COLLEGE
OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
MEMORANDUM
To:
Mills College Faculty and Staff
From: Alecia A. DeCoudreaux, President
Date:
Friday, July 11, 2014
Re:
Balanced Budget and Restructured Operations
Background
The campus community has been waiting patiently for information regarding restructuring
and details about how the budget has been balanced. After conversations over the last
months with the Board of Trustees, Faculty Executive Committee, deans, and administrative
and academic department and program heads, and following numerous Cabinet meetings,
including an on-campus retreat on June 18, we are now prepared to share details and plans.
As background, you will recall that the College recently began the implementation of a fiveyear strategic plan that is designed to strengthen Mills for 2027 when it will be 175 years old,
and well beyond. A five-year financial plan was developed that would position the College to
sustain itself and would balance the budget within the next three years. In this first year of
the strategic plan and second year of the five-year financial plan, the College faced much
lower than expected bequests than had been included in the FY14 budget. You may recall
that we balanced the FY13 budget, in great part, due to higher than expected bequests. We
also experienced higher student attrition than was expected from fall to spring in FY14. As a
result, I decided that it would not be prudent to take the next three years to balance the
budget and that a balanced budget for FY15 would be presented to the Board of Trustees by
the end of June.
In order to invest in the core functions and services that would enable the implementation
of the six imperatives in the strategic plan and balance the FY15 budget, a restructuring of
College operations was necessary. The restructuring required the Cabinet to examine the
core functions and services provided by Mills and change the structure and operations of the
College to position Mills to meet the needs of future generations of students. With
restructuring, the Administration has built a balanced budget that supports the strategic
plan of the College. Unfortunately, to do so required cuts to establish leaner operating
budgets, and decisions which resulted in layoffs and elimination of some open positions. In
addition, there has been some attrition due to staff members who chose to participate in
the Employee Retirement Incentive Plan (ERIP).
Eliminated Positions Resulting in Layoffs or Reduced FTE
The following positions have been eliminated, resulting in the layoff of employees in June
and July. The titles of the individuals who were laid off or had a reduction in FTE, to date,
with an additional layoff anticipated by the end of the month, are listed below by
department:
Academic Affairs, English Dept. Coordinator of English Graduate Enrollment & Programs
Academic Affairs, English Dept. Director of English Graduate Enrollment & Programs*
Division of Student Life
Director of Spiritual and Religious Life
Facilities
Gardener
Human Resources
HR Specialist
Human Resources
HR File Clerk
Human Resources
Payroll Specialist
Library
Serials Librarian
M Center
Financial Aid Specialist
Web Publishing
Departmental Web Liaison*
*represents a reduction in FTE
Open Positions that have been Eliminated
Thirteen currently vacant positions will remain unfilled, with the core functions of each
strategically integrated into the College’s new structure. They include:
Division of Student Life
Associate Dean
Division of Student Life
Inclusion and Engagement Coordinator (as of Aug. 1)
Enrollment Management
Admission Operations Technology Coordinator
Enrollment Management
Customer Services Specialist
Enrollment Management
Admissions Visit Coordinator
Enrollment Management
Graduate Admissions Counselor
Housing Mgmt. & Dining Services
Auxiliary Services Specialist
MBA
Director, Career Services
Media Relations
Media Relations Manager
Office of Institutional Advancement Senior Director of Development Communications
Office of Institutional Advancement Major Gifts Officers (2)
Office of Institutional Advancement Executive Assistant
Positions Eliminated/Restructured with Staff Reassigned
Some of these changes will be taking effect in the coming weeks as staff transition to new
roles and certain newly created mission critical positions are posted.
MBA
Director of MBA Recruitment and Admission**
Public Policy Assistant Director, Public Policy Program***
Public Policy Program Manager***
**position to be restructured to also include MPP
***staff to be reassigned to MBA and MPP
Hiring Freeze
The hiring freeze that was implemented on April 14, 2014 remains in effect until further
notice. Exceptions to the hiring freeze will be considered on an individual basis and require
approval by the President. If a position that is critical to the implementation of the strategic
plan needs to be filled, a written justification for an exception to the hiring freeze must be
submitted to the appropriate Cabinet member. The Cabinet member will evaluate the
request and determine whether she/he will forward the request to the President for
approval.
Furloughs
We will continue to have furloughs, although they will be reconfigured. Information
regarding furloughs will be disseminated by Human Resources as soon as possible. The
President’s, Provost’s, and faculty salary reductions remain in effect.
Administrative Restructuring
Attached to this memorandum are the current organization chart and an organization chart
reflecting the changes in reporting structure effective August 1. On the current chart, areas
highlighted in green are moving to a different reporting line. On the new organization chart,
areas highlighted in orange indicate the new reporting structure. These changes are
summarized below in a narrative form, as well as in an attached summary chart.
Admissions (Graduate)
There has been restructuring in the administrative staff in academic departments and
programs responsible for graduate student admissions and career services. As a means of
streamlining graduate admissions outreach and efforts, staff positions in English and the
dedicated position in Public Policy have been eliminated. To maximize efficiencies and
synergies by integrating administrative services, responsibilities for new student outreach
and enrollment will be accomplished, as described below:

The position of Director of MBA Admissions and Recruitment in the
Lokey School of Business (GSB) will also assume responsibilities for
the outreach and admission of students in the Masters in Public
Policy (MPP) program in conjunction with Public Policy faculty.
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Along with admissions efforts, the GSB and MPP programs will move
to integrate career services and all other administrative services as
well.
The position of Assistant Dean and Director of Enrollment in the
School of Education has been maintained.
The Office of Graduate Admissions will be responsible for all new
student enrollment efforts for all of the other graduate programs.
Career Services, Internships, Student Engagement
The strategic plan calls for a strong Career Services unit that can integrate internships,
service learning, study abroad, and other co-curriculum programs. In fulfilling this desired
purpose, Career Services will move from the Division of Student Life to Academic Affairs,
reporting to the Provost and Dean of the Faculty, Kimberley L. Phillips. In restructuring
Career Services, the Provost will consolidate the three Career Services offices on campus
(the undergraduate Career Services Office, the one in the Graduate School of Business, and
the one in public policy) and realign the applicable budgets. The FY15 budget includes funds
for a new Director of Career Services and additional operating expenses.
Communications and Community Outreach
It is important that campus wide communications and outreach be strategic and well
coordinated in order to assure consistent messaging, branding, and the most effective
representation of the College to outside constituents. These functions are being restructured
under the supervision of Chief of Staff, Renée Jadushlever, and include bringing together the
following functions: marketing, media relations, web publishing, alumnae communications
(Alumnae Community, Quarterly, (e)ucalyptus), government relations, events, and
community engagement. In addition, Renée will continue to supervise the President’s Office
staff and special projects such as the possible development of the current site of the
corporation yard and the Women in Public Service Project Institute.
Facilities and Auxiliaries
Consistent with the College’s need to increase revenue, a restructure will bring together all
revenue generating departments under the supervision of Vice President for Finance and
Administration (VPF), Tammi D. Jackson. In addition to her responsibilities related to finance,
procurement, human resources, compliance, legal, and insurance, Tammi will now supervise
auxiliary programs. These programs include revenue generating areas requiring contracts,
such as Housing Management and Dining Services, Conferences (representing rentals to
external groups), and vendors such as Follett’s Bookstore and Bon Appetit. The Facilities
Department is integrally tied to these areas and will also move under the VPF. The pool is a
revenue generating facility which is often rented out and will now be under Facilities. Public
Safety will also report to the VPF area given collaborative work on Title IX and other
compliance issues, which are overseen in the VPF area.
The Events Department, previously combined with conferences, will be under the
supervision of Renée Jadushlever as they deal with institutional opportunities needing
coordination across campus, and community outreach.
Library
Given the critical connectedness to support the academic goals of the College and the
strategic role that librarians play in instruction and in facilitating the curricular and research
needs of students and faculty, the Library will move under the supervision of Kimberley L.
Phillips. Instructional Technology already resides in the Provost’s area and this consolidation
of these academic and instructional units will allow for synergies and collaboration.
Retention and International Students
As we have discussed throughout the year, a focus on retention is a core element both to
best serving our students and growing the enrollment of the College. Bringing new students
to campus who do not persist to graduation does a disservice to both the student and Mills.
As we focus on this area moving forward, we will be examining the roles of various positions
on campus which most naturally can collaborate to reduce attrition. Staff from Enrollment
Services, Division of Student Life, and Academic Affairs will be identified to partner with
faculty to further assess and address student needs.
Included in the strategic plan is the internationalization of Mills. While there are several
components to this, one critical element is the growth of international student enrollment.
This can only be done through both increased student recruitment and robust acclimation
and support services for these students. As such, we will be identifying a position within
Enrollment Services that will be responsible for all facets of international student enrollment
from outreach through graduation. Components such as new international student arrival
and orientation, Optional Practical Training (OPT) assistance, and F1 student visa
administration, which were previously the responsibility of the Associate Dean of Students,
will now be overseen by the enrollment counselor responsible for recruiting international
students to come to Mills.
Technology
A Chief Information Officer (CIO) will be hired, reporting directly to the President. A search
committee will be formed and commence its work immediately to fill this position. Once
filled, Information Technology Services and Telecom will move under the CIO. This will allow
the College to more strategically address the technological opportunities and challenges for
the Mills community.
While the administrative changes described above represent reporting line changes for
departments, changes within each individual area are not articulated here. Cabinet members
will discuss these changes with their staffs and look forward to collaboratively identifying
synergistic and innovative approaches to their work.
Academic Restructuring
Curriculum Transformation Task Force (CTTF ) and curriculum review
The Curriculum Transformation Task Force (CTTF), an interdisciplinary faculty task force
charged with revising the Mills College curriculum, has developed a basic framework of skills
and competencies that will constitute a revised and enhanced undergraduate core
curriculum (currently known as the Mills College General Education Program). While a
curriculum is always a work-in-progress, the task force has a very limited charge, and its
work, pending faculty approval, will end in fall 2014. This summer, the CTTF has been
working on innovative strategies, including coursework or other high-impact learning
experiences, to deliver the curriculum defined by the framework of skills and competencies
in keeping with both current trends in general education and Strategic Imperative 2:
Creating more flexible ways to obtain a Mills education. Beginning in fall 2014, the specific
language for each requirement will be available for a faculty vote by spring 2015 at the
latest. The new core curriculum will be implemented quickly, based on selected existing
course offerings that can be used as is or reconfigured. Additional courses, including a new
first-year seminar, may take longer to develop.
Restructuring in Academic Affairs
The Faculty Executive Committee, Educational Policy Committee, and the Provost’s Faculty
Fellow are working on a proposal for restructuring in Academic Affairs, which will be sent to
the faculty next week.
Work Groups
While high-level decisions have been made regarding the restructure, there will be
opportunity for greater involvement by faculty and staff in key areas. The restructure will
allow the College to consolidate, free up resources, and enable staff to develop and use new
skills. To streamline processes, enhance efficiencies, and provide for even more productive
operations, as well as to facilitate collaboration across departments, work groups of
staff/faculty will be convened to map out best practices and processes for the following
areas:
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


Career Services
Communications
Corporate and Community Relations
Events
New Student Services
Student Retention Integration
We believe that centralized procurement will allow for substantial savings. A work group on
procurement has already been established and has been meeting to effect efficiencies and
savings.
We will announce the membership of the work groups when finalized. Each work group will
be given a charge and asked to benchmark and consult with staff and faculty as appropriate
and necessary to accomplish their charge, and to report back to the Cabinet on their work
during the process.
SEIU and Ranked Faculty as Instructors
On May 14, 2014, our adjunct faculty voted to be represented by the Service Employees
International Union (SEIU). As such, the College is required to engage in collective bargaining
negotiations this summer with the Union. College representatives met with the SEIU late last
month and will continue to do so with the intention to have a mutually agreed upon contract
for the adjunct faculty as soon as possible. We will keep the community apprised of the
negotiations via campus communications.
Job Descriptions
All staff recently submitted job descriptions for their current positions. Supervisors were to
have collaborated with staff and then supervisors submitted the job descriptions to HR. Staff
whose positions are changing as a result of the restructure will collaboratively work with
supervisors to develop the revised job descriptions. These job descriptions will be finalized
and submitted to HR by August 31, 2014. Given certain reporting line changes, some office
locations may change. We will sort out how office space might need to shift over the next
several weeks.
Improving the Mills Experience
Mills College will be a different Mills as we restructure how we operate the College. The
restructuring process allowed the Cabinet to redirect resources to those strategic
imperatives that will enhance the services provided to students and the development of
faculty and staff. In the end, students and the campus at large will be better served by a
more highly functioning faculty and staff.
Funds have also been allocated in the budget to establish a strong Career Services unit, as
described above, and to enhance counseling and psychological services. And, additional
diversity and other training will be provided across the College, which will also contribute to
enhancing the student and employee experience.
Balancing the Budget
During the board’s Finance Committee meeting in May, the committee expressed support
for the President and Cabinet’s plan to restructure the College and balance the budget. At a
June teleconference of the full board, the FY15 budget was approved. The balanced budget
includes many best financial practices, such as removing bequests entirely from the
operating budget and reducing the endowment payout rate. In addition, the budget includes
a $1.1M administrative reconciliation, which must be realized by the end of the fiscal year,
June 30, 2015. The administrative reconciliation will be realized through increasing revenue
or decreasing expenditures. In order to have a balanced budget, we built the budget to
support the core operations of the College. The budget reflects the priorities and future of
the College. The restructured budget includes:


Savings from positions which have been eliminated, including open
positions and those resulting in layoffs.
In addition to leaner operating budgets, the balanced budget
incorporates funding for strategic initiatives, including: career
center, counseling, marketing, and accreditation costs for the
Graduate School of Business.
Retirements
Nine staff members participated in the Employee Retirement Plan Incentive (ERIP), which
concluded on June 29. As you can see from the list below, their contributions to the campus
have been far reaching, representing many decades of dedication to Mills College. As they
each enter the next phases of their lives, we wish them much success and happiness.
Kathy Dodge, Building Access Administrator
Erlinda Duldulao, Set-up Custodian
Kennedy Golden, Associate Dean, Operations, Division of Student Life
James Graham, Director of AV/Media Services
Christine Kaes, Head Teacher, Preschool
Ngar Lee, Housekeeper
Sang Nam, Senior Maintenance Technician/Electrician
Linda Northcott, Director of College Events
Mary Ann Wight, Executive Assistant
Next Steps
We will soon communicate these budget decisions and changes to alumnae and will
communicate with students closer to their arrival on campus. This work continues and is an
ongoing process. The Cabinet has addressed the restructuring at the highest levels and more
work will be done at the department/program level in Academic Affairs and through the
working groups and within staff groups to realign work to most effectively and efficiently
achieve the strategic imperatives. The restructured organization, balanced budget, and
strategic investments reflect a significant change in how we do business at Mills. Moreover,
these changes will put us on the path toward achieving the goals we articulated in our fiveyear strategic plan and better position the College to meet the needs of current and future
students. Should you have any questions about any of the information in this memorandum,
please do not hesitate to contact me and either I or a member of the Cabinet will respond.
I hope that by explaining the process and decision making behind the restructure and the
steps taken to balance the budget, staff and faculty will now feel informed and be able to
move forward with renewed spirit. I thank you for your patience during this process and look
forward to our next steps so that we can fully accomplish the work of the College and
provide as supportive and educationally challenging an environment as possible for our
students.