Community Colleges Explore Creative Approaches to Counter Budget Cuts

After years of deep cuts in state funding, the recession and its slow recovery, only to be followed by sequestration and a government shutdown, community college leaders across the country are beginning to use unprecedented measures to help make ends meet. Fundraising — a long-standing activity at four-year institutions — is becoming a necessity, rather than an option, for community colleges struggling to continue the mission. Schools are also turning to foundations, relying on scholarships and partnering more with business and industry for support and opportunities to enhance student success and graduation rates. College presidents and administrators are being asked more often to secure donations like the $1 million-plus that Contra Costa College received.

County Board cuts MSUE budget - Peter Nocerini, Iron County Reporter

As the final days of 2013 ticked away, one unanswered question hovering over the Courthouse was: Will there be a 4-H program in Iron County in 2014? That decision will eventually come down to the Michigan State University Extension, after the County Board voted during its Dec. 12 meeting to reduce its MSUE allocation in the new county budget to $17,000. The Extension had been looking for $34,545. The issue was discussed at length during the Dec. 12 regular meeting. A public hearing on the new budget preceded the regular meeting, and the future of 4-H was the topic of most speakers. All supported 4-H, sometimes passionately and emotionally so, and said how much it means to Iron County’s children.

http://www.ironcountyreporter.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4125:county-board-cuts-msue-budget&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=44

Financial woes cause strife at Cayuga Community College

Enrollments that did not meet projections and several years of spending down the fund balance came to a head this year at Cayuga Community College when the school's trustees and president began aggressively cutting costs to try to turn around a massive budget deficit. The college leadership and its employee unions, particularly the Faculty Association, fought over the cuts. The trustees eventually declared a state of financial exigency, put the school's plans for a new dormitory and athletic fields on hold and approved a series of staff layoffs.

Recent cuts have had Louisiana universities reeling

Local higher education officials are expected to scramble for ways to grab some $300 million in unallocated cash from Louisiana’s treasury following reports Thursday the state has the unexpected surplus. Universities have seen little additional dollars flow from the state over the past several years, and many have made drastic cuts in light of state-wide budget cuts. In November, the University of Louisiana at Monroe announced the elimination of 25 positions in accordance with university reorganization because of recurring state-wide budget cuts over the last five years.

University of Akron cuts some holiday cheer in cost-saving efforts

The University of Akron has spent the better part of this year working to cut a $40 million budget gap, mostly due to a decline in enrollment. On the list of cuts was an annual holiday card. The Beacon Journal reports the university decided against spending $10,000 for paper and digitally-animated cards featuring Zippy the mascot for the first time in perhaps 20 years. The cards went to friends and donors. Also cut this year was an annual holiday party for faculty and staff held in the student union featuring Zippy-shaped decorated cookies. That move saved $3,000.

Getting an elite MBA for free: It's possible

So you want an MBA, but you can't afford to take two years off and invest upwards of a quarter of a million on tuition, books, living expenses, and lost wages? Boy, do I have a proposition for you. Now, it's a little unconventional. And it'll require a load of self-discipline. When it's over, you'll have an Ivy League education on your resume. And it won't cost you a cent. Sound too good to be true? Maybe it is. But I got your attention. And that's one of the first things you learn in a foundational marketing class. And one of the world's best business schools -- Wharton -- offers one of those for free through a MOOC. MOOCs -- an acronym for massive open online courses -- are courses that can be accessed globally over the Internet. Thanks to their flexibility, students covet them.http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2013/12/23/online-education-mba-moocs/

Fixed-rate tuition programs help college students budget.

Tuition and fees at four-year public colleges rose 27 percent in the past five years, while those at four-year private schools went up 14 percent, according to the College Board. About 320 colleges and universities offered tuition guarantees during the 2012-13 school year, according to an analysis of U.S. Department of Education data done by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. The schools represent about 6.7 percent of the nation’s nearly 4,800 institutions where students receive federal financial aid.http://www.abqjournal.com/325669/news/fixedrate-tuition-helps-college-students-budget.html

Financial health of several Colorado universities in question

When officials from Adams State University sat down before the Joint Budget Committee recently, one of the contingent said he felt "like we're standing in front of a firing squad." And while they were assured that wasn't the case, it's clear that a number of Colorado schools are firmly in the legislative cross hairs. A study prepared for the JBC indicated that six schools — Adams State, Colorado Mesa University, Colorado State University, Fort Lewis College, University of Northern Colorado and Western State Colorado University — fell below the threshold that indicated "moderate financial health" during the 2012-13 fiscal year.http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_24778738/financial-health-several-colorado-universities-question

Evangel University Faces Layoffs, Budget Cuts

Higher education in Springfield is hit again by hard times. Evangel University is laying off faculty and staff and cutting the budget to make up for more than a $1 million budget deficit. President Carol Taylor says they decided to tell those affected on Thursday, rather than wait. The cuts are do-in part to Evangel's consolidation with two other schools that created job redundancies. They also cut nearly three percent of the operating budget. Evangel University is eliminating twelve staff and 6 faculty positions and making other cuts. Evangel President-elect Dr. Carol Taylor explained there are several variables involved in the decision.

http://www.ozarksfirst.com/story/evangel-university-faces-layoffs-budget-cuts/d/story/r0cEVtJVeUi8J9i835WhAw

Audit report solidifies Cayuga Community College's struggle with current financial situation

Months of budget struggles and employee layoffs came together Wednesday night as cold, hard proof of the financial situation that Cayuga Community College is in this year. At its monthly meeting Wednesday night, the Board of Trustees was presented with the college's annual audit report for the fiscal year that ended Aug. 31, done by the Cuddy & Ward accounting firm in Auburn. The report laid out the specifics of CCC's recent budget struggles, which peaked in July when the board declared a state of fiscal exigency, and provided the trustees with the numerical facts of the situation they now face. Richard Ward, who presented the report on behalf of the firm, described CCC as having "significant cash flow problems" over the past year, evidenced by some of its bills not being paid as timely as in the past. The audit shows CCC's cash balance to be around $2.8 million, down about $331,000 from last year. In 2011, the school's cash balance was about $8.4 million, Ward said.

http://auburnpub.com/news/local/audit-report-solidifies-cayuga-community-college-s-struggle-with-current/article_2d0218e2-d6a3-5526-b19b-1c67cf18ad9c.html

College applications suffer under Philly school counselor cuts

Students and parents across Philadelphia are scrambling to meet Jan. 1 college application deadlines amid a budget crisis and deep cuts to the ranks of school counselors. Some Philadelphia high schools reached a counselor-to-student ratio of 1 to 3,000 this fall, according to Philly School Counselors United. That's much higher than the 1-to-250 ratio recommended by the American School Counselor Association. The School District of Philadelphia, following budget cuts made by Gov. Tom Corbett that aggravated a long-term fiscal crisis, opened this school year with 3,000 fewer staff members than last year.

http://www.citypaper.net/article.php?College-applications-suffer-under-Philly-school-counselor-cuts-18178

The Next Phase Of Online Education: 24/7 Digital Video Channels

Want a new skill? Now you can channel flip at any time of day, just like on TV. Walk into CreativeLive's airy San Francisco studios and you could be forgiven for thinking you're in just another snazzy software startup office. That is, until you open one of the closed doors and notice the cameras, producers, presenters, and live studio audience. Co-founded by photographer Chase Jarvis in 2010, CreativeLive offers free, live online workshops taught by experts. You won't learn how to code in CreativeLive classes (online education startups like Udacity and EdX can help with that), but you could learn about photography, design, the music business, e-mail marketing, and other hands-on topics. Think of it more as a replacement for enrichment classes at a community college than high-level classes at a university.
http://www.fastcoexist.com/3023392/the-next-phase-of-online-education-24-7-digital-video-channels

Next-generation MOOCs tackle budget-cuts at state universities

A new generation of online course providers is marrying the lofty goals of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) with a tangible benefit to students. MOOCs were originally created to spread access to education by putting lectures and course materials from top-notch professors on the Web. However, they do not address rising college costs. As budgets shrink on campuses, from New York to California, students are struggling to pay for classes and to get into them. To address this problem, Education Portal, an online education platform, has created the next generation MOOC: a new type of online course that allows students to learn independently and earn low-cost, transferable credit. By taking courses from a third-party, students bypass high costs at their schools while still transferring credits that apply toward their degrees.

http://northdallasgazette.com/2013/12/13/next-generation-moocs-tackle-budget-cuts-at-state-universities/

Governor Pence Cuts Budgets Due To Low State Revenues

The news came as a surprise to many state officials, including those at Indiana University who are being ordered to trim their budget by 2 percent. IU Associate Vice President Mark Land says that amounts to a $10 million cut. “The budget has been set which is one of the things that makes this really challenging and quite frankly a little bit disappointing, because we put together a budget that included the lowest tuition increase in more than 40 years based on the appropriation that was passed by the legislature.”http://indianapublicmedia.org/news/governor-pence-cuts-budgets-due-state-revenues-60025/

Lake Tahoe Community College eyes budget reductions - Griffin Rogers, Tahoe Daily Tribune

Lake Tahoe Community College is considering a number of budget reductions for the current fiscal year, as projected enrollment has dropped from 1,750 full-time equivalent students to 1,640. The college, which operates under a total budget of about $21 million, needs to cut about $500,000 to remain fiscally prudent, President Kindred Murillo said. Therefore, officials are projecting about 13 percent of classes being canceled as a result of low enrollment in the winter and spring sessions.

http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/news/9190051-113/college-murillo-budget-community

Due to budget restructuring, Temple cuts seven varsity sports - NCAA

Temple announced Friday that it will reduce the number of its intercollegiate athletic programs by seven, effective July 1, 2014. The action will mean a better and more sustainable experience for its remaining student-athletes and bring Temple into line with most other schools in the American Athletic Conference. Affected by the action are baseball, men’s crew, men's gymnastics, men's outdoor track & field and men's indoor track & field; as well as two women’s sports: softball and rowing. The action brings Temple's total from 24 to 17 varsity sports.

Slippery Rock President Norton expects more cuts next year - Rebecca Dietrich, the Rocket

Slippery Rock University President Cheryl J. Norton discussed the declining enrollment trend present at the university at the town meeting Thursday afternoon. Down 9 percent this year, Norton forecasts enrollment to be a major a challenge for the budget in years to come. “We are in a period of declining enrollment. We haven’t had as low of an enrollment at this institution since 2008 and that’s the challenge that we’re really dealing with,” Norton said. President Cheryl J. Norton broke the news to the public during the town hall meeting in the ballroom of the Robert M. Smith Student Center that the university should expect cuts present in the 2014-2015 fiscal budget. “I have to tell you in all honesty we know that to address this size gap, we will have reductions in workforce, we will have to cut operation budgets, but we also will try to increase revenue.”

http://www.theonlinerocket.com/news/2013/12/05/norton-expects-more-cuts-next-year/

Universities in Pennsylvania cutting programs and faculty: Higher Education Roundup - Karen Farkas, The Plain Dealer

As officials at Ohio’s public universities scrutinize their budgets in the wake of ongoing enrollment challenges and state funding issues, their counterparts in Pennsylvania are facing serious problems. In the last few years, the state’s 14-university system has shed 5 percent of its permanent workforce and discontinued or frozen new enrollment to 198 academic programs, according to Inside Higher Ed. But that wasn’t enough to shore up their budgets. Now, universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education are looking to end programs, lay off dozens of full-time faculty members, and cut ties with numerous adjuncts and more staffers.

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2013/12/universities_in_pennsylvania_c.html

3 Ideas to Make College (Mostly) Free - SOPHIE QUINTON, the Atlantic

Oregon's legislature is kicking around concepts that would make higher education cheaper for the state's increasingly diverse student population. Oregon wants 80 percent of its adults to hold a college degree or postsecondary certificate by 2025. To meet that goal, lawmakers are focused on making college more affordable—whether that means increasing funding after years of budget cuts or rethinking tuition payments altogether. Currently, about a third of students in the Beaver State don't graduate from high school on time—or at all—and just 61 percent of graduates immediately head to college. A third of Oregon students are nonwhite, and half of students are low-income. State and local funding for higher education dropped by 32 percent between 2007 and 2012 even as enrollment jumped by 36.2 percent, according to the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association. Unsurprisingly, Oregon students are paying 18 percent more in tuition and fees than the national average, and students' debt loads are soaring. Here are three ideas kicking around the state Legislature that would make college free, or much cheaper, for Oregon's increasingly diverse student population.
http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/12/3-ideas-to-make-college-mostly-free/281952/

Budget Cuts Cause Some Colleges to Cut Key Academic Programs - City Town Info

Slate reports that Minnesota State University Moorhead and the University of the District of Columbia may soon cut notable departments -- like English, physics and history -- in an effort to balance their budgets in the face of marginalized state funding. Columnist Rebecca Schuman, an adjunct professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, suggested the trend indicates that higher education's business model is "backward," and that education, "the very raison d'être for a university" also seems the most disposable. Another point of contention for Schuman: the possible prioritization of professors' and administrators' salaries over students' educations. University President Edna Mora Szymanski suggested that years of declining enrollments have contributed to the problem, and that programs with the largest enrollment drops would be more vulnerable than popular ones.

http://www.citytowninfo.com/career-and-education-news/articles/budget-cuts-cause-some-colleges-to-cut-key-academic-programs-13120401