PVCC Puma Press: April 2006

Paradise Valley Community College’s faculty, staff and administrators are facing the consequences of a surprisingly low enrollment this spring, a disappointment that has sent projections for increased student numbers next fall spiraling downwards from 7 to 1 percent.

The drop will cost the college’s projected budget increase over a half million state dollars for the 2006-2007 school year, impacting the development of old and new programs.

Dr. Paul Dale, vice president of learning support services, says between 2000 and 2005 the average enrollment growth has been between 5 and 8 percent. If the college had grown five percent or more, as expected, the funding would have been at least $500,000, approximately $100,000 for each projected percentage point of growth. Instead, the growth numbers only yielded $100,000.

“The college always builds a budget to the revenue that is available. Growth projections are just that—projections. Once actual growth is calculated the budget is aligned to actual revenue,” says Dale.

The operating budget is strictly a numbers game. Colleges showing growth receive more money. The more growth a campus has, the more state money it receives each year for programs.

The formula is simple yet difficult to explain to those outside of the budget process. Fifteen credit hours equal one Full Time Student Equivalent (FTSE) which brings an additional $2,100 to the budget. Actual enrollment (determined on the 45th day of each semester) for fiscal year 2005-2006 determines the growth budget for 2006-2007.

Less money means fewer or leaner programs. Some pilot programs may not be able to continue or segments of existing programs may go away as a result of the projected drop in growth, according to Dale.

Faculty leaders are dedicated to keeping instructional programs off the table.

“The faculty is very concerned that the instructional needs are not being given the consideration they should have,” says Reyes Medrano, current faculty senate president and business faculty.

Rumors have been circulating speculating there may be faculty lay-offs. Dale says that is not the case.

It’s “not in the realm (of possibility),” says Dale emphatically. “In fact the number one mission is to protect the teaching and learning relationship between student and faculty.”

Jim Patterson is the senate faculty president-elect and CIS faculty. He will represent the faculty constituency beginning May 4. For him, communications is a key issue.

“It’s also imperative to talk about spending cuts or slowdowns in spending in an open fashion,” says Patterson. “In American colleges, we have what’s called ‘shared governance’ which essentially means the faculty are in on decisions as equal partners. Open communications is a must.”

Members of all college constituent groups will participate in coming up with a plan. Although nothing has been finalized, according to Dale, the final plan will be presented to PVCC President Dr. Mary Kay Kickels in mid-May.

“Budgets and budgetary decisions are always taken seriously on a college campus,” says Kickels. “At PVCC, we have a program planning and budgeting process that takes into consideration the strategic initiatives and priorities that have been identified by the college community. The available funds are allocated based on these priorities and the funds available to meet these priorities.”

The drop in growth will not affect construction on the campus. Parking lots, buildings and physical upgrades to the facility come out of the capital budget. Money cannot be moved from the capital budget to boost operation funds.

Programs are primarily determined by community demand according to Dale. Some programs having community partners like fire science and nursing can be brought to fruition in a relatively short period of time. Other programs like baseball are planned well out into the future. Planning and partnerships give programs a better chance of survival.

“Key programs develop contingencies—creative ways to make programs happen,” explains Dale. Identifying and maintaining partnerships will become more important if enrollment growth does not generate enough revenue to support these programs.

Another consideration is supporting new programs designed to bring more students to the campus in the first place.

“We are really trying to help those areas who were behind this year,” says Dale. “As we look at the budget we will continue to build developing programs.

“Every year there are far more requests from all of the PVCC departments for funding than there are funds available, so we do the best we can to meet college priorities,” says Dale.