Implementing Change: Strategies for College Transformation

1. Implementing Change:or how to be the next Ex-DeanBill TrumbleDean, College of Life Sciences and AgricultureDirector, NH Agricultural Experiment StationUniversity of New Hampshire

2. Why don’t we like change • We are in our comfort zone • It is too much work • It implies consequences for actions • Things have always been this way • Misery loves company

3. Why would you want to change? • Complicated navigation of college by students • Stale classes • Shallow teaching pools • Financial problems • Problem departments • Departmental barriers

4. Our Situation: an example • Responsibility Centered Management • A decentralized financial model • Most tuition and F&A returned to college • College pays assessments • Faculty Collective Bargaining Agreement

5. 6 Year Forecast • $1.36 million deficit in FY04 • $1.9 million deficit projected for FY05 • Projected accumulated deficit of $8.7 million by FY10 • Forecast assumes flat enrollments and 3% increases in state funds – reality may be much worse • Forecast does not include potential costs of vehicles, equipment or farm maintenance.

6. How did we get to this point?(what you don’t want to do) • Flat/declining enrollments and growth in personnel – over the past 4 years undergraduate credit hours have increased a total of 5% while personnel costs have increased by 20%. • Nonexistent budget process/controls to prevent overspending. No financial accountability at the department/program level. • Faculty workload not optimal. Have significant costs in adjunct faculty and graduate students for instruction.

7. How did we get to this point?(what you don’t want to do) • Current structure requires significant cost to administer and does not promote working across department lines. • Poor summer session performance. COLSA ranks last among UNH schools/colleges in summer session activity. In addition, many courses offered did not come close to breaking even financially. • Graduate tuition revenues discounted at 77%. COLSA ranks last among UNH schools/colleges.

8. How did we get to this point?(what you don’t want to do) • General fund subsidization of non core programs – Total direct and indirect net costs equal to over $600k per year • Major problem is: NO STRATEGIC DIRECTION! NO CONSEQUENCES!

9. What do we want to accomplish • Fewer, larger departments • Clear organization/meaningful majors • Faculty work load analysis • New, modern, exciting, relevant curriculum • Excellence in student education

10. What do we want to accomplish • Greater collaboration • Change of decision makers • Efficient use of staff • Change of culture for research • Increased enrollments

11. Implementing Change:Before Reorganization • Strategic planning – staffing, governance, curriculum • Request proposals – discuss, modify, vote • One year planning before implementation

12. Implementing Change:Before Reorganization • New work expectations • Review course prereqs/course names • Review of fit with college mission

13. Implementing Change:Before Reorganization • Establish new procedures • Summer classes • Grant submission • RA & TA assignments • MOU for Centers • Promise of new realistic budgets • Make financial operation transparent

14. Implementing Change:After Reorganization • Sunset old departments – keep programs consistent with catalog • Self-select departments, joint appointments • Select new chairs

15. Implementing Change:After Reorganization • Restructure use of personnel • Departmental reviews after one year • Incentives to departments • Increased credit hours taught • Recruitment/retention

16. Problems to anticipate • If no consequences, people get comfortable • Change is equated with something bad • Questions of why change is better than now • Efforts to block or delay

17. Problems to anticipate • Worry that changes are too fast for faulty or administration • Need for support from higher administration