REPOSITIONING FOR THE FUTURE
What Seneca State University is doing to Survive and Thrive
•Marla Frisby•Julia Hankins•Holly Jones•Tina Porter•David Robertson
An Action Plan by PBL Group…
Right kidney
Liver
Left eye
Spleen
Pituitary Gland
The Human Body: Surviving and Thriving
What could you do without and still live?
•Mandatory $15 million dollars in budget cuts •State funding is expected to fall •Student enrollment is expected to increase•Tuition is expected to rise•SSU faculty and staff feel threatened•Student, faculty, and staff morale are strained
Defining the Problem
“Most important of all, how can I ensure that Seneca State University will survive and thrive beyond my time at the helm, despite the challenges of the present?” -- President
Henry
President, Seneca State University
Dr. Robert G. Henry
NOTE: Photo taken BEFORE the PBL proposal was accepted
Chancellor Mason Sanders
Tough Times Are Coming…
Mason Sanders, M.A., Ed.S, Ed.D., F.B.I., C.O.D., U.P.S., F.Y.I. |
To: University Presidents
From: Mason Sanders, Chancellor, Board of Regents
Date: January 3, 2008
Re: Tough Times Are Coming
Blah, blah, blah…
We had the stimulus, and that helped us to ‘dodge a bullet,’ but we all know that those funds run out in two years. This is the time to plan for when we have to make severe cuts in our budgets. Each institution will be asked to share the load. We can expect higher tuitions as we try to offset declining state funding. We will have to make partnerships with private enterprise, pursue grant funding, and attempt to think creatively about how we are to position ourselves for a radically different paradigm in the future, one in which we will be asked to do more with less support.
Yadda, yadda, yadda…
MS/dsr
Using the Problem-Based Learning Method we…
•Identified key points in the scenario•Exchanged ideas for solutions•Discussed what additional information was needed•Assigned learning objectives
Proposed Solution
Goals
Short-Term Long-Term1. Maximize remaining
stimulus funds2. “Get the right
people on the bus” 3. Delegate research
assignments4. Provide an effective
communication network
1. Develop a budget cutting plan to trim $15 million
2. Develop a plan to increase revenue
3. Implement the SSU Action Plan
4. Develop a Next Steps Plan
Bolman & Deal’s 4 Frames
Human Resources Frame * Weekly meeting with SSU Director of HR* Host two "Fireside Chats" with faculty &
staff* Try to protect tenured staff Structural Frame
* Allow business & marketing deans & faculty to play a dominant role
* Involve maintenance staff in campus-wide energy audit
* Work closely with the Office of Development to identify
additional revenue streams
Political Frame* Utilize state representatives & senators to lobby for extra funds
* Include Glenn Harris, President of Faculty Senate, on Presidential Advisory
Core Group* Invite Student Government
Association President on Oversight Steering Committee
Symbolic Frame* Heavily involve Alumni Relations
* Provide the Mayor a minor role at the "Town Hall" meetings with SGA
moderating* Host two "Fireside Chats" with the
faculty, staff, and administration
President Robert Henry
Author of Good To Great
Jim Collins
Good to Great Framework
Action Plan Phase A: Disciplined People
Level 5 Leadership
Action Plan Phase A: Disciplined People
First Who…
Then What
SSU
Transition Era Groups
Presidential Advisory Core Group
Department Chair Council
Deans and Vice Presidents Council
Strategic Work Groups
Task Force Groups
Oversight Steering Committee (OSC)
Organizational Development Group (ODG)
Communications Group (CG)
Coordination & Implementation Group (CIG)
An Important SSU Demographic
Student-Friendly, Student-Centere
d
Web Site
Town Hall
Meetings
SGA
Polls
SSU Student Body
Student Affairs Work Group insures student involvement
Action Plan Phase B: Disciplined Thought
Confront the Brutal Facts
Seneca State University “Repositioning for the Future” Initiative
FACT SHEET
Budget Facts
Mandatory $15 million dollars in budget cuts within a 2-year period State funding is expected to fall by as much as 25% in the next 2 years Student enrollment is expected to increase due to the nation’s rising unemployment
rate Tuition is expected to rise proportionately to cover increased cost
Special Groups to be Formed
Department Chair Council Deans and Vice Presidents Council Strategic Work Groups Oversight Steering Committee (OSC) Organizational Development Group (ODG) Communications Group (CG) Coordination & Implementation Group (CIG) Task Groups
SSU Positioning and Budget Reduction Process
Brainstorming session with Department Chair Council Brainstorming session with Deans and Vice Presidents Brainstorming session – combined groups Assignments and reports to OSC Task Groups to identity and vote on top 10 initiatives to pass on to ODG, CG, and CIG Presidential “Fireside Chats” with faculty “Town Hall Meetings” with students
Action Plan Phase B: Disciplined Thought
Hedgehog Concept
THE THREE CIRCLES
What is SSU deeply
passionate about?
What drives SSU’s
economic engine?
What can SSU be the best in the world at?
Action Plan Phase C: Disciplined Action
Culture of Discipline
Achi
eve
goal
s
Create accountability systems
Mea
ning
ful
invo
lvem
ent
Expanded levels of authority and decision-making
Gro
ups
& s
tude
nts
Honest, open communication
Facu
lty,
sta
ff, a
dmin Broad-based participation
Making certain that task groups move beyond merely talking to acting on and implementing plans
Action Plan
Keys to Success
7 Strategic Work Groups1. Stimulus Fund Management Group2. External Revenue Development Group3. Energy Efficiency and Conservation Group4. Restructuring, Consolidation, or Elimination of Non-academic
Support Units Group5. Instruction/Academic Review Group6. Information Technology Maximization Group7. Student Affairs Group
Action Plan Phase C: Disciplined Action
Technology Accelerators
SSU – On the Cutting Edge
E-learning
“Green” computing
Enterprise-level tech
Social networking
Action Plan Phase D: Flowchart of Meetings
“Repositioning for the Future” Initiative
Meeting Facilitator Attendees Location Purpose Brainstorming 1
(January of Year 1)
Robert Henry Dept. Chair Council
Forest Gump Hall
Budget cuts/revenue generation
ideas
Brainstorming (March of Year 1)
Robert Henry Deans & VP Council
Forest Gump Hall
Budget cuts/revenue generation
ideas Brainstorming 3 (May of Year 1)
Robert Henry Combined Forest Gump Hall
Budget cuts/revenue generation
ideas Fireside Chat
(September of Year 1)
Robert Henry Faculty, Staff, Administration
Drucker Theater
Update, Q&A
Strategic Work Groups 1 (October of Year 1)
Glenn Harris Team leader/members
LRC, Rooms 201-207
Identify top 10 issues
Town Hall (November of Year 1)
Mayor/SGA President/Dr.
Henry
Student body/public
Murphy’s Law Center
Update, Q&A
Strategic Work Groups 2 (January of Year 2)
Glenn Harris Team leader/members
LRC, Rooms 201-207
Identify top 10 issues
Follow-Up (February of Year 2)
Presidential Advisory
Core
All Faculty Drucker Theater
Presentation of top 10
issues Oversight Steering Committee (OSC)
(March of Year 2)
Vice President
ODG, CG, CIG SSU Library, Room 100
Application of Academic
Master Plan Task Force Group 1
(April of Year 2)
Glenn Harris Team leader/members
LRC, Rooms 201-210
Narratives on top 10 issues
Task Force Group 2 (May of Year 2)
Glenn Harris Team leader/members
LRC, Rooms 201-210
Narratives on top 10 issues
Organizational Development (ODG) (September of Year 2)
Vice President
Team leader/members
LRC, Room 201
Focused application
Communications Group (CG) (September of Year 2)
Vice President
Team leader/members
LRC, Room 202
Focused application
Coordination & Implementation (CIG) (September of Year 2)
Vice President
Team leader/members
LRC, Room 203
Focused application
Fireside Chat (October of Year 2)
Robert Henry Faculty, Staff, Administration
Drucker Theater
Update, Q&A
Town Hall (November of Year 2)
Mayor/SGA President/Dr.
Henry
Student body/public
Murphy’s Law Center
Update, Q&A
PowerPoint has new layouts that give you more
ways to present your words, images and
media.
7 Strategic Work Groups
& 10 Task Force Groups final reports forwarded to
these 3 groups
ODG, CG, and CIG – 2-year Assignment
Organization Devel-opment Group
(ODG)
Communications Group
(CG)
Coordination & Im-plementation Group
(CIG)
Narratives
Description of issue
Why it is important
Connection to SSU Academic
Master Plan
Timeline Contact Info
Funds
Staff
Space
TimeConsulting
Protocol
Counting the Cost…
SSU
Constraints
Methods to measure successRight
people in key
positions
Inspire campus we can make it
The Three Circles
Crystallize SSU prime
directiveRally
fanaticism to AMP
Leverage technolog
y
“To infinity and beyond!” – Buzz Lightyear
•Review feedback•Final Summary Report from the Oversight Steering Committee •Submit financial plan to Chancellor •Implement plan •Conduct “autopsies and analysis” guided by the three circles
How it all worked out…
…fast forward 2 years
Cost Savings / Revenue Generation Action Summary
Page 6 in your
Presentation Guide
Cost Savings (italicized) / Revenue Generating Action Summary(bolded)
Realignment / restructuring of
academic units Increase efficiency Eliminate campus-based academic
affairs offices Reduce summer staffing Eliminate offices, departments, and
entire colleges Re-structure extended education and
extra-curricular activities Keep open positions vacant Voluntary buyouts for qualified
faculty Eliminate staff positions
Eliminate faculty positions Eliminate remedial education programs
Use money from savings
Reduce general spending Eliminate or restrict travel Raise tuition Freeze raises Utilize research grants & funding Increase teaching loads
Increase class size – (teacher-to-pupil ratios)
Energy audit of campus facilities Reduce publications
Postpone new equipment purchases and upgrades
Access a Financial Recovery Fee to students
Academic reorganizations
Mandatory unpaid furloughs of varying degrees for faculty and
employees
Lay-offs Hiring freeze
Return of unused, non-restricted funds from previous budget years
Charge fees for transcripts Raise facility use fees for outside vendors, customers
Decrease operational budget Lower response time to equipment repair
Reduce office cleaning schedules
Reduce athletic scholarship funds Reduce student programming Reduce training and development activities
Reduce professional development Reduce custodial and grounds services
Revise weekend lockdown schedules
Delay information technology implementation
Create a “Work to Learn” Program Require every administrator with a master’s or doctoral degree to teach
a course Suspend or close all undergraduate
minors Suspend or close all non-
professional master’s programs and doctoral programs that are not the
university’s signature programs
Reduce salaries by a certain percentage
Expand sabbaticals and research leaves
Renegotiate long-term debt Improve student retention
Increase enrollments by offering tuition rebates and mini-
scholarships for graduate, professional, and adult learners
Provide cash incentives to departments who exceed enrollment
targets
Focus on the quality of results
Offer students workshops on financial management.
Lease prime space to retailers Close and lease remote campuses or unused buildings
Increase rental revenues by encouraging community groups to
use recreational fields and faculties
Collaborate with other institutions to share staff and resources
Halve the size of committees and reduce the number of meetings by
50%
Hold as many current fiscal dollars in reserve as possible
Give departmental managers latitude to move operating money
across budget lines
Negotiate key purchases for better pricing
Demote or fire managers who overspend
Renegotiate or reduce employee benefits
Use hybrid teaching models to attract adult learners
Lease excess residence hall rooms to nonstudents
Eliminate mid-level administrative positions to protect tenured faculty
Follow up on every student who does not re-enroll
Budget Cut Top 5
•Realignment / restricting of academic units
#1
•Energy audit and conservation#2•Hiring freeze#3
•Eliminate remedial education programs
#4
•Eliminate mid-level admin positions to protect tenured faculty
#5
Generate Revenue Top 5
•Raise tuition#1
•Redirect designated philanthropic donations from wills and trusts
#2•Lease excess residence hall rooms
to non-students
#3
•Maximize information technologies for cost savings / revenue generation
#4
•Close and lease remote campuses or unused buildings
#5
President Henry & the 4 Frames
PoliticalHuman Resourc
es
Structural
Symbolic
THE THREE CIRCLES
What is SSU deeply
passionate about?
What drives SSU’s
economic engine?
What can SSU be the best in the world at?
Circle 1 – Passion – Preserving academic excellence and quality remains a priority. Circle 2 – Best in the world at… – We are a growing university with a student-friendly, student-centered culture. Circle 3 – Economic engine – Increased enrollments of qualified students capable of being retained through graduation.
“We can become the best university in our region at
offering an innovative, flexible, and technologically advanced
education in a student-friendly, student-centered environment.”
Origin: Unknown - Member of the SSU Honor Society
SGA President
President, Seneca State University
Dr. Robert G. Henry
Follow-Up MeetingPresidential Advisory Core GroupOversight Steering CommitteeOrganizational DevelopmentCommunicationsCoordination & Implementation
Groups
PBL Action Plan in Action
SSU Faculty Senate President
Professor Glenn Harris
PBL Action Plan
Before
PBL Action Plan
Before After
SSU Graduate – Former Football Star
Sammy B. Lewis
$15.2 million dollars in budget cutsRetained all tenured facultyReduction of staff was held to 2.5%Successful campaign involving philanthropic donors to
redirect funds previously restricted (due to designations) thereby freeing up and redistributing $356,413
Leased 5 out of 6 unused buildings to generate $934,500 in additional annual revenue
Office of Development and Alumni Relations raised $2.75 million in cash from the community with $310,000 in pledges maturing within 36 months
Streamlined all academic units on campus including consolidation of 2 colleges
Implemented energy savings measures estimated to save $1 million annually
The Breakthrough Phase
Remedial education programs eliminated and enrollment standards raised
Tuition was raised, but only 2.25%63.5% of all excess residence hall rooms were
successfully leasedFive new hybrid classes were introduced for the
new semester with 4 more in development$750,000 was raised selling SSU’s unused horse
stablesThe stimulus investment in reinforcing Information
Technology paid off handsomely with the eventual discovery of cost saving devices netting $219,750 and new income streams tapped generating an additional $2.1 million in annual revenue
The Breakthrough Phase
When the birds started singing again