The Cost of Public Higher Education: A Community Forum
Presentations
The Higher Education Funding Model, Dennis Jones (.pdf)
Improving Cost Effectiveness, Jane Wellman (.pdf)
“The New Normal,” EVP Linda Johnsrud (video)
Attachment
Input from Forum Breakout Groups
The November 1 forum participants gave input that were summarized and grouped into five areas:
- Improve administrative practices: Forum participants suggested that business practices should be examined for improvement. Can the University as a large organization take steps to consolidate, systematize, or centralize to realize cost savings, for example, in purchasing goods or services across units or streamlining business processes?
- Enhance scheduling and transactional processes to support academic success: Several breakout groups discussed topics related to academics that focused on how to structure program delivery and back-office practices to help students navigate their college paths with greater ease and efficiency. Two recommendations were: a) Explore academic scheduling (year round; evening; weekend) that meets student needs and makes better use of facilities. Participants recommended that UH consider scheduling options (i.e., cohort, block, and other formats) and options to the current academic year (semester) calendar; and, b) reduce academic program duplication and strengthen articulation among campuses. In addition, it was suggested that practices such as common course numbering and program codes would ensure transparency and consistency across the system and provide support for students in planning efficient degree completion.
- Promote mission differentiation to avoid redundancies: Participants recommended that, on a strategic level, UH must revisit and leverage its advantages as a system of campuses. Clearly defining and differentiating campus missions strengthens the benefits of a single statewide system and mitigates the potential for academic proliferation and costly duplication of programs. Forum breakout groups also discussed a number of associated topics, such as the need to create a place of global learning while maintaining local access, and better valuing and communicating “the UH story.”
- Address pipeline issues: A range of comments supported increased partnerships with the Hawai‘i Department of Education (and state early learning system) in matters such as exploring careers and career-college alignment; remediation; math/writing/English articulation; early college; and creating college expectations.
- Strengthen student support services: Forum participants recommended that UH recognize and work toward overcoming barriers to students (i.e., remedial, financial, academic, and social barriers). Groups discussed processes such as examining assessments; reviewing academic advising and peer mentoring, counseling, and instituting common transcript evaluation.
