The Financial Structure of Higher

Education—Is it sustainable?

Eva Marie Mancuso

Chair

Board of Education

Clark Greene

Acting Executive Director

Office of Higher Education

The Status of Rhode Island’s Higher Education:

A National Review with a Local Perspective

• States need to support public institutions of

higher education

• Institutions need to continue focus on value

Broad Initiatives

State Appropriations to Higher Ed

from 2003-2013

$169,438,085

$171,041,442

$173,441,684

$178,932,477

$182,343,544

$174,971,682 $153,507,791

$143,814,089

$143,803,910

$147,668,509

$146,923,636

$152,673,973

$-

$20,000,000

$40,000,000

$60,000,000

$80,000,000

$100,000,000

$120,000,000

$140,000,000

$160,000,000

$180,000,000

$200,000,000

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

State Appropriations as % of Revenue

Higher Ed from 2003-2013

29.1% 28.8% 28.0%

26.3%

24.4%

20.1% 18.6%

15.4% 14.9% 14.7% 14.3% 14.2%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

State Appropriations as a % of Total Revenues

• Driving economy through certificates, degrees, research

• Focus on preparedness, access, completion

• Cost savings and efficiencies

Assuring Value

• College’s workforce arm trains 30,000 to 35,000 Rhode Islanders annually

• CCRI has partnered with and developed training programs for, among others, National Grid, Lifespan, Textron, Bank Newport, Taco, Carousel Industries, IBEW, CVS, Electric Boat, Care New England, Toray Plastics, Tiffany & Company, City of Providence, U.S. Naval War College, and Verizon

• Joint Admissions Agreement program with URI and RIC, which provides incentivized discounts and seamless transfer to nearly 1,000 students annually

• Working with R.I. Labor Institute to provide college credit for workforce training

Community College of Rhode Island

• Early Enrollment Program Offering high school and college credit - 50 courses

offered at 40 high schools to over 1400 students ($60 per credit)

• Learning for Life (L4L) - A collaboration with non-profits to provide academic, social, life-skill, financial, and career-related supports for college completion.

• New programs to meet economic needs: • 31 programs, 12 of them certificates, some of which are stackable and are

paired with training programs • Programs in STEM areas prominent such as nurse anesthetist, medical

imaging, behavioral neuroscience, health care administration, and elementary math content specialist

• Certificates in graduate-level special education and in autism education

• Finish Strong College Completion Program - Cohort of 1,404 students within reach of degree completion (75 earned credits), 477 students have reenrolled; 272 have now graduated

Rhode Island College

• Strategic initiatives to increase student credit completion rates have resulted in

an increase in the first-year 30 credits completion rates from 45% to 65%

• Expanding online and active learning • 5000 students annually participate in experiential learning for academic

credit and/or pay: service learning projects, internships, research projects, etc

• Selected online graduate programs that largely serve working adults and part-time students

• Post-baccalaureate certificates designed for college graduates who are unemployed or underemployed: Cyber Security and Digital Forensics.

• Comprehensive Administrative and Management Review of all academic,

administrative, business process, and student life areas in an effort to improve quality and efficiency, add value, and modernize all aspects of university processes.

University of Rhode Island

• Time for a statewide vision for the entire education system

• There are best practices and policies we need to institute system wide – from K-12 across the higher education institutions

• Promote linkages to workforce

• Promote collaboration, efficiencies, strategic financing, data, technology

Going Forward

Proposed Higher Education

Administrative Structure

Proposal of the Board of Education to

Governor and General Assembly

Per SFY 2013 Appropriations Act

SFY 2013 Appropriations Act

• Replaced Board of Governors for Higher Education and Board of Regents for

Elementary and Secondary Education with a single Board of Education

• Requires that the Board submit to the Governor and the General Assembly a

final plan for the permanent administrative structure for higher education.

Opportunities for New Board

• Establish long-range goals for education system and report on progress

• Prioritize workforce and economy drivers within the education system

• Promote collaboration between and among education agencies

• Establish strategic budget and finance recommendations for the system

• Provide leadership on cross-cutting issues:

College and career readiness focusing on reducing remedial instruction

Common core implementation and coordination – and other standards system-wide

Adult education and certificate programs in high schools and community college

Challenges for New Board

Compared to other states this new Board has a uniquely broad range of

governance and policy responsibility:

• Policy and regulation within Pre K – 12 system

• Governance for the 3 higher education institutions

• Policy for the higher education system

• Policy for the system as a whole and promoting collaboration and

efficiencies.

Recommendation

• Maintain the single Board as proposed by the General Assembly:

Set goals for the system as a whole

Prioritize collaboration and efficiencies throughout system

Prioritize education’s role in strengthening the workforce

• Executive Committee:

Advisory to the Board, responsible for setting Board’s agenda –Chairs and Commissioners

Develop strategic plan to deliver on system wide goals, direct work on system wide initiatives

• In addition to serving on Board, members serve to one of two councils with authority for governance

and regulation:

Pre K – 12 Council

Council for Postsecondary Education

• Return authority and responsibility for select management decisions to the college and university

presidents

B O A R D O F E D U C A T I O N

Sets goals for the entire public education system, sets

action agenda for system-wide priorities, and holds

the system accountable for performance

Executive Committee Sets agenda for Board,

monitors Board’s system-wide initiatives

Pre-K – 12 Council Formulate broad policy for elementary and

secondary education in alignment with

strategic plan

Council on Postsecondary Education Higher education governance and coordination of

functions in alignment with strategic plan