Monday, April 30, 2012

My Driving Buddy


This is the season.  Winter gray is replaced by the color of spring and the blank spots on my schedule are filled with more and more end of the semester, as well as end of the academic year, activities.  Plus my school board activities also escalate as the Board works to provide a clear understanding of the proposed budget before the community votes and hopefully approves the budget.

Don’t misunderstand my feelings about this time of year.  I enjoy the added contact with students and faculty, and I also enjoy the opportunity to meet more people in the community I live in, as we explain educational and economic ramifications of the budget. And I never mind the associated driving, except to areas I was unfamiliar with and especially after sundown.  In those occasions, especially when driving to a private house in the suburbs, I had found in the past that my stress level increased.  Street signs were often hard to read after sunset, and house numbers were even more problematic. To compensate for and in fact reduce the stress level, I left earlier to get to wherever I was going, often not a great use of scarce time, especially when it turned out that I had no trouble finding where I was going. The best example of my building in extra time was my first job interview at Hofstra.  Though I lived and grew up close by in Manhattan, I had only been on Long Island five times in my life when I applied for the position at Hofstra.  I also was not a seasoned driver, though we did have a family car at that time.  My interview at Hofstra was at 2 PM; I left Manhattan at 9 AM and arrived on campus by 10 AM.  I really got to know the campus well before my interview.

My wife has a great sense of direction.  She can remember the directions to a place she had visited a decade earlier; she can read a map like a pro; and she can inevitably find whatever place she is looking for.  I, on other hand have the “passion for chocolate” gene but not the “sense of direction” gene.  Though AAA and MapQuest were my best friends, I had made more than my share of wrong turns.  But not anymore.

I no longer leave early. I no longer request a AAA Triptick or print out MapQuest directions. I also volunteer to drive more often, even when I am sure I could travel along with colleagues going to the same event.  And I no longer worry. I will be there, wherever there is.  The reason, very simply, is the navigation system in my car.  There is no question that cars today are very different than previous cars and the standard features and options create a very different environment. Power this and automatic that and great sound systems are wonderful but in no way essential.  But the navigation system for me is clearly where the rubber meets the road.  I am a happier, more involved and more efficient person as a result of GPS.  And now the system even tells me where I will encounter traffic jams on major roads. 

Monday, April 23, 2012

Differential Tuition


I’m was not at all surprised when Santa Monica College abandoned their  proposed two-tier fee schedule.  Charging more for more popular courses alienates both students as well as faculty.  And if one three credit course earns as much credit toward graduation as another three credit course, how can there be a differential pricing mechanism? 

But let’s go back a step to the actual cost of a course.  Costs vary widely.  A course can be taught by a full time faculty member or by an adjunct faculty member with very different cost ramifications; or by a senior faculty member or a junior faculty member, once again with very different cost ramifications.  A course can be taught as a seminar and the same course can often be taught in a large lecture section, once again with very different cost considerations, even if the actual faculty cost for the seminar and the lecture were identical.  Most courses are taught in standard classrooms but many are also taught in labs of varying sophistication.  Lab or studio courses tend to have smaller enrollment limits (based on available lab stations) than regular classrooms.  And for both equipment reasons and seating availability, these courses tend to have a higher cost base.  But the cost consequences of courses often extend outside of the classroom.  Library and technology needs vary widely and can significantly increase the cost base.  And these differences can even take place in the same department and discipline, and also remember that different disciplines often have market related cost differences.  There are so many cost differences inherent in higher education, that it would be impossible to build them into the cost structure.  We are not a department store, supermarket or restaurant where every discrete item has its own cost.  What we are selling is the opportunity for students to earn credits, and the credits each have identical value.

Differential pricing is not a new concept.  There are different schools and programs within the same university that charge different tuition rates.  Typically these differences are on the graduate level, where the programs are self-contained and do not cross over to other schools or programs.  When differences are built into the undergraduate level, the mechanism most used is a (lab or technology or equipment) fee.  And there are differential scholarships that are awarded, once again especially on the graduate level where the programs are self contained.  Graduate programs where there is tremendous demand tend to award smaller scholarships than those programs striving to assure a critical mass of students. 

What should a hard pressed institution do when it needs to generate additional revenue?  Not an easy question.  Charging more for popular courses is not the right strategy.  Courses are often “popular” because they are required for graduation.  There is no basis for charging more for these courses.  Of course at the extreme, you could charge so much more for these courses that students would substitute into much less popular courses (in areas where staffing is nevertheless abundant) that would meet the same graduation requirements.   Students might hate the course but they would appreciate the lower cost.  Not a strategy I would ever be likely to embrace.  Charging a fee, where there are no obvious extra costs is also not a good strategy.  How could you charge a fee in a room where there are just seats and a white board, or even seats and a smart board?  In addition, reducing scholarships, especially when much of this money goes to meet need, is also not a desired strategy.  And containing all costs is also not a workable solution either for the institution or the individuals working at the institution.  Larger class sizes mask the issue but don’t ultimately solve the problem in most cases.  Lastly, fundraising, even though it is extremely important, is likely to have an impact only at the margin.

What are we left with?  Tuition increases may be the only alternative.  Inflation does exist, costs do increase and as unpopular as such increases may be, they may also be the response that makes the most sense.

Monday, April 16, 2012

Autonomics


The worries began as soon as the economic news was released.  After three months of strong economic growth, the March figures just recently announced were a major disappointment.  The gain in March was a modest 120,000 jobs, half of what the gains were from December through February.  And of course as soon as the statistics were announced, both the economic doubters as well as the political opponents of the Obama administration began to question the strength of the recovery. For me, one month of bad news doesn’t represent the start of a new recession just as one month of good news doesn’t represent a vibrant recovery.  The economic situation we are in will be clearer over time.  And given how interconnected many economies are, the result may not entirely be of our doing.

I have my own economic barometer.  My hypothesis has not been tested (at least not by me) but I believe the results are accurate.  I believe that attendance at a major automobile show, as well as where the attendees congregate at the show, is a leading indicator of economic expansion.  I attended the New York auto show this year on the first day it was open to the public.  It was a beautiful day and the show was extremely well attended.  If you go back to the 2009 or 2010, the contrast was extremely noticeable.  In those days, there were according to my observation fewer couples, fewer kids and smaller exhibits.  This year the couples were plentiful, the kids were plentiful, and the cars were plentiful.  And what mattered even more to me, is that the cars being looked at were not just the dream cars that are affordable by very few but the bread and butter cars that help determine how many cars are manufactured and sold on an annual basis.

Almost every manufacturer (and especially every US manufacturer) had desirable new cars available or on the near horizon.  Seeing a new Chevrolet Malibu or a Cadillac ATS, a new Dodge Dart or Chrysler 300, or a Lincoln MKZ or a Ford Escape were  just a few of the many signs of American manufacturers responding to the need of the public.  Foreign manufacturers were equally impressive in their lineup of cars including, to make sure we have additional highly desirable choices, the South Korean manufacturers (Hyundai and Kia).  And yes, in looking for a new car for me or my spouse, we would now also consider a Hyundai or a Kia. The diversity of the lineups was also noteworthy.  No lack of sedans, SUVs, crossover vehicles, all-wheel drive vehicles, hybrid vehicles, small vehicles, larger vehicles, faster vehicles, and more economical vehicles.  The automobile industry to its credit and to the credit of our government is back as a positive key factor in our economy.

Economics, as I have indicated before, has a significant psychological component.  Automobile manufacturers producing cars that appeal to the public stimulate additional car sales.  These car sales in turn lead to higher profits and, most likely, additional investments by the industry.  This leads to more jobs and more discretionary income. And the end result as this process continues is a more robust economy.  Based on my caronomics analysis, the economy is doing better than the recent job statistics suggest.  Our government bailed out GM and Chrysler; nice to see that they (as well as Ford, etc.) are now returning the favor by moving our economy forward.

Monday, April 9, 2012

Evaluation


I read with interest the recent article in Inside Higher Education regarding the retiring President of Westminster College preparing for retirement by compiling an eportfolio.  President Bassis prepared the eportfolio both “to reflect on his 41 years in higher education…but also as a way to communicate to students and faculty members his steadfast belief in electronic portfolios as a method of cataloging and assessing student work.”

I am a long time believer in evaluation, both formative as well as summative.  In teaching, I think the faculty member, the administration, and the students all benefit from these evaluation programs.  The faculty member especially benefits from formative evaluation programs and faculty members, students and administrators potentially benefit from the information available in summative evaluations.

There is also benefit in evaluation of administrators. These evaluations should take place regularly and if done correctly, should have the same beneficial impact as faculty evaluations.  But there are complications in the evaluation of administrators that do not arise in student evaluations.  Any well run student program, has as the student evaluators, students in the class.  They are there, in class, on a regular basis, interact with the faculty member and consequently have the contact necessary and the information necessary to render an informed judgment.  In evaluating an administrator, especially a non-academic administrator, who has the information to provide a valid assessment?  Is it the faculty that should evaluate these non-academic administrators?  Clearly, faculty is an intelligent and sophisticated constituency.  But nevertheless, are they in a position to provide these evaluations?  Can they, for example, evaluate the effectiveness of a vice president for technology or a vice president for admissions or a vice president for finance?  No question, faculty can provide very accurate assessments of the campus’ academic technology and no question they can comment on the credentials of the incoming class but are these assessments or comments reflective of the person heading an area?  In technology, if the resources are not there, is it the VP who should be blamed?  Or if the quality of the incoming class has increased less quickly than expected, is that the fault of the VP in charge of the area?  Or could it be greater tuition discounting on the part of other institutions?  In cases such as this, valuable evaluation can still take place and faculty can still play a lead role in that process.  Faculty can evaluate academic technology; faculty can evaluate the quality of the class, but not necessarily a single individual heading a particular area.

For the evaluation of department chairs, faculty have a perfect vantage point to assess the leadership and administrative ability of the chair.  Faculty in a particular school or college are also very well placed to evaluate the dean, though depending on the size of the school or college there may be more or less direct involvement with the dean.  (As an undergraduate, I was an active student government type and I remember a number of my professors commented that I had more contact with the dean than they had.) As the provost, I have an excellent vantage point for the evaluation of deans as do department chairs.  Deans also have an excellent vantage point for the assessment of the provost as do a significant number of chairs and a significant number of faculty. And, of course, the president is also ideally positioned to evaluate the provost and other senior administrators.

But President Bassis, by his initiative in compiling an eportfolio, may have helped many of us to further strengthen assessment and evaluation.  When a faculty member stands for tenure or promotion or applies for a sabbatical, that faculty member provides a portfolio (e or regular) that helps in the assessment of that person’s work.  In evaluating an administrator, chairs, deans, provost, president, or in evaluating an area, a portfolio should also be compiled by the person being evaluated, and the process should encompass that portfolio as an important statement of self evaluation and as important data for evaluation by other constituencies.

Monday, April 2, 2012

Back to School


Earlier this week, I sat through an excellent presentation on social media.  And in terms of my skill set in this area, I consider myself to be an effective communicator.  I was a very early adopter of email.  I enjoy using PowerPoint.  I blog on a regular basis.  In addition, I text message regularly;  I Google often; and I  Iook at various YouTube postings relatively often.  I also have a Facebook page that I hardly ever look at and a LinkedIn page that I look at occasionally.  After the presentation, I have come to the conclusion that this is not good enough and that I need to upgrade my social media skills.  No, I am not about to share my  life story on social media nor am I interested in commenting on every place I’ve been to or everyone I’ve met, or everything I’ve eaten.  I am not even interested in using social media to brag about my kids or our new family dog (and she is incredibly cute).  Instead, I think that any provost or dean or other higher education administrator as well as faculty member should be as up-to-date as possible on the key tools of communication.  We all need to know the different ways we can engage in a conversation.  And we all need to be part of the conversation on social media.

I have only a limited knowledge regarding Twitter.  I don’t “Tweet.”  I don’t  use “hashtags” and I have seen only one Tweet deck in my life.  But I am convinced that Twitter is, within the constraints of 140 characters, a very effective way to communicate quickly.  For example, I have heard about an occupant of an elevator that was stuck, Tweeting for help and through that Tweet receiving help very quickly.  We have sent Tweets to various groups of students in various situations and the results have been good.  I should know more and I should have more Twitter experience.

My knowledge of Zinch, Foursquare, Google +, Pinterest and other forms of social media is extremely limited.  Up to this week, I am not sure I have even come across some of these terms previously.  My interest in knowing more is to fully understand how to best reach whatever audience I need to reach. My interest in knowing is to help determine how we can best reach out to the vastly increasing number of social media users that almost solely rely on mobile access to the internet.

In summary I need to go back to school (and I’m sure I’m not alone in that regard) so that I am aware of all the best practices in  effectively communicating with students and, through effective communicating, enhancing the educational experience and learning of our students and the interest of our potential students.  As noted above, I want to be a knowledgeable part of the conversation.   So let the conversation continue and my learning continue … but for the immediate future, please send me your comments only via email, a text message, snail mail, or through Inside Higher Education.