Governing board spends $1million for consultants
By Josselyn Berry, November 2009
Lynx Editor
On July 13, the Maricopa County Community College District Governing Board voted to hire consulting firm, Alvarez and Marsal, causing dissent among board members and faculty; the firm presented its first report on Sept. 30.
Don Campbell is one of the board members who voted "no" on the project and is still in disagreement with it.
“I didn’t feel we needed that type of a program, especially when its cost us over a million dollars,” says Campbell.
The contract for Alvarez and Marcel is for $1,143,040, and the cost has Campbell concerned. Campbell says he believes that the amount is excessive.
Debra Pearson is another board member who disagrees with the hiring of the consulting firm. In an interview with the Puma Press on Sept. 22, Pearson expressed strong opposition to the hiring of Alvarez and Marsal.
“This is a wasteful expenditure,” says Pearson. “It’s like a gush...was inappropriate and in my opinion was a betrayal to the taxpayers and the people of this state and the people of this district.”
Pearson’s main objection to the efficiency review is that board members should be doing this job themselves. In a message sent to fellow board members July 28, Pearson says she doesn’t understand why the board needs to hire a consulting firm to “do what we as a governing board can and should be doing.”
The Alvarez and Marsal consultation was proposed by Board President Colleen Clark and was approved by the governing board on July 28. According to Campbell, Clark had been talking to faculty and administration who were dissatisfied with their positions in the district.
In an e-mail sent July 29 from Clark to Maricopa district faculty, Clark says, “This is an opportunity for us to identify what we do well, maximize those programs, processes and services and then improve upon the areas that may not be giving our students the best chances to succeed.”
On its Web site, Alvarez and Marsal describes itself as a professional services firm, which provides “comprehensive performance improvement, turnaround management and business advisory services.”
In a governing board meeting held July 13, Sajan P. George, managing director for Alvarez and Marsal, explained that all 10 colleges should provide excellent quality, and Alvarez and Marsal will help them provide this.
On Sept. 30, Alvarez and Marsal presented a report to board members outlining the project overview and goals. The project focuses on student recruitment, retention and achievement and plans to complete a “redesigned blueprint of 21 century Maricopa” by the end of the year.
So far Alvarez and Marsal has interviewed around 300 people and created nine student focus groups to obtain their opinions. The report also says it will implement “best practices” in all 10 Maricopa colleges. These practices include a single student enrollment center, enhanced academic advising and improved financial aid services. The report further states that structural changes across the Maricopa district would provide opportunities to better distribute resources.
However, Campbell thinks the Maricopa colleges are already doing a satisfactory job in providing education.
“I felt that with the qualified administrators we have that the district…and the other colleges were doing an above average job,” he says.
The Faculty Executive Council has also been against the efficiency review.
An e-mail sent Sept. 1 from PVCC's Faculty Senate president, Rick Vaughn, to PVCC faculty, says, “The Faculty Executive Council has opposed this review from the beginning.”
Another e-mail expressing resistance was sent to board members by Faculty Executive Council president, Jim Simpson, on July 24. The e-mail representing the views of the Faculty Executive Council, the MAT Executive Council and the AFA Executive Committee, says, “The district is not in financial crisis and does not need a complete restructuring… There could be a risk of tarnishing the district’s reputation by turning to this controversial consultant.”
The overall project is expected to be completed by December, and Alvarez and Marsal will then present their recommendations to the board. However, complete implementations of the project throughout the colleges will likely take a longer time.
In an interview with the Puma Press, Chancellor Rufus Glasper explained that the governing board authorized him to take the Alvarez and Marsal recommendations and find a process to determine its impact and the best way to implement those recommendations.
Concerning who will review the recommendations, Glasper says, “The model of civic participation will be used to vet recommendations, which would include faculty, staff and community advisors."
Although controversy is still present, faculty is willing to cooperate with the efficiency review. In an e-mail to Maricopa faculty, Simpson advised faculty to "cooperate with the team and provide evidence of (their) expansive roles not only in the classroom with students, but in the communities (they) serve..."
Campbell also believes the efficiency review may have some positive impact, especially on the student population.
“My thinking is that they’ve put a lot of emphasis on recruiting students, giving students a quality education and making sure students complete their goals,” he says. “If these three things are followed, then I think it will help the students who are in the system.”
Currently, Alvarez and Marsal is in its ninth week of the efficiency review and will present its next report to the entire district on Nov. 24.
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