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