DESCRIPTION OF STUDENT AND OTHER CAMPUS COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IN PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT AND/OR REVIEW OF PROPOSALS

The Manhattan campus Tuition and Fees Strategies Committee (TFSC) is a student-led committee comprised of student representatives from each academic college on the Manhattan Campus, as well as a student representative from the Graduate School, the Salina campus and the College of Veterinary Medicine. Administrators serving as ex-officio members of the committee are the provost/senior vice president, vice president for student affairs, associate dean of student life, faculty senate president, senior vice provost for academic affairs and vice president for administration and finance. The TFSC met eleven times beginning December 11 through May 5 to review existing fees, discuss increases to existing fees, consider a new fee request and a tuition rate increase. Co-chairs of the committee were Student Body President Reagan Kays and Speaker of the Student Senate Abby Works. Committee members maintained regular and frequent communication with university administration and students

regarding the tuition and fee review process as it developed throughout the year. The following principles served as the fundamental guidelines for the TSC process: balance the needs of the university with affordability for all students, preserve transparency of tuition and fees and the review process, maintain a tuition and fees structure that is simple and easy to communicate and remain competitive in both the resident and non-resident student markets.

The TFSC implemented a three-year review process for all existing fees and reviewed the fees for the College of Architecture, Planning and Design and the College of Arts and Sciences. Each of the deans presented to the committee how the funds had been allocated and the value the investments contributed to their students’ educational experiences.

The College of Human Ecology conducted a series of working sessions that included faculty and staff representation along with student involvement to develop the priorities of how the fee revenue would be used to enhance existing programs and provide a value added experience for their students that gives them a competitive edge as they pursue careers and graduate education. The experiences align with priorities identified in K-State 2025. Multiple student organizations provided letters to the dean expressing their support of the new fee and the enhanced educational value students will receive. The dean, along with faculty and student representatives, presented their proposal to the TFSC and the dean responded to questions and concerns of the committee throughout the spring semester.

The College of Business appointed a faculty and staff task force in Fall 2014 to examine the salary and personnel comparisons to the benchmark schools. An open forum was held in the fall where the college received input from the Dean’s Student Advisory Council and other students who attended. The College of Engineering met with faculty, staff and students within their college to discuss their fee proposals and to receive input. Both colleges also presented to the TSFC justification for the fee increase, the impact it would have on students’ educational experiences and the process used to receive input from students to develop the request.

Throughout the semester, administration updated the committee on the budget planning work completed by the budget advisory committee and the legislative actions taken throughout the session that impacted the state general fund and other areas of higher education. President Schulz reported to the Board of Regents a FY 2016 budget plan that included a 5% tuition increase and that was the rate increase considered by the TFSC. The committee made a recommendation to create an academic building support allocation that would establish a student credit hour fee that generated $1 million in revenue, increases the same percent as tuition each year, requires annual review by the TFSC, is not used for building construction and is used for technology, furniture and other furnishing in the interior of an academic building. The allocation would be used to fund the university support of $15 million for the College of Business building project for technology, equipment and furniture. The TFSC unanimously agreed to recommend a 5% tuition increase for resident and non-resident tuition beginning Fall 2015.

The Salina campus Tuition Strategies Committee is chaired by Student Body President Zachary Freeman. Committee meetings are open and all are invited to attend. The committee met several times and discussed the budgetary needs of the campus and looked at several alternatives before recommending a 5% tuition rate increase for both undergraduate resident and non-resident students. The students did not support increasing tuition-funded scholarships. The students supported salary increases that may occur should be directed first toward the lowest paid employees who receive outstanding performance evaluations.

The Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine meets annually with DVM students to talk about tuition rates and proposed increases. He discussed the priorities and needs of the college with the students. Students provide input and feedback to the process and to the needs of the college as it relates to instructional priorities. The dean meets twice a year with the student leadership group (officers of the Student Chapter of the American Veterinary

Medical Association, club presidents and class officers) and includes tuition and fees as one of the topics to be discussed.

Students who did not serve on committees were able to provide feedback to their college representatives throughout the entire process.

F.

PROJECTED TUITION AND FEE REVENUES AND PLANNED USES OF INCREASED

REVENUES

Institutional Scholarships $1,168,000 $0 $0 $1,168,000 GTA Waiver and College Instructional

Allocation Increase (3.6%) $361,648 $12,683 $11,298 $385,629 Utilities Rate Increase and Infrastructure

Support $1,500,000 $35,000 $0 $1,535,000

Faculty Salary Enhancements and Promotions $1,791,516 $7,108 $159,560 $1,958,184 New faculty and Unclassified positions $1,273,836 $159,769 $226,947 $1,660,552

Laboratory and Classroom Upgrades $0 $0 $92,195 $92,195

Global Campus Increase $750,000 $0 $0 $750,000

Total Uses $6,845,000 $214,560 $490,000 $7,549,560

Revenue generated from the tuition rate increase is estimated at $6,845,000 for Manhattan and Olathe campuses, $214,560 for the Salina campus and $490,000 for the College of Veterinary Medicine. The Manhattan campus enrollment was flat in FY 2015; therefore, no additional revenue is projected from enrollment growth and the university enrollments are expected to maintain current levels through FY 2016. The College of Veterinary Medicine 2015 graduating class was significantly larger (125 students) due to the number of students that had not progressed previously. The class size for FY 2015 was 475 and the projected class size for FY 2016 is 462. The tuition revenue projection allows for the class size reduction.

The University Budget Advisory Committee (UBAC) met throughout the year reviewing the Main Campus revenue, developed multiple budget scenarios considering legislative actions throughout the session. The UBAC recommended the following budget priorities based on the revenue constraints of the tuition cap approved by the legislature. The institutional scholarship allocation of $1 million provides second, third and fourth year students scholarships if they maintain a certain GPA. The remaining financial aid amount of $168,000 is to be assist in attracting engineering students to K-State. The GTA waivers and college instructional allocation will increase by the tuition rate percent increase of 3.6% which totals $445,500. Funding of $1.535 million is added to the utilities budget to address projected cost increase due to rate increases, additional space added from the phase IV Engineering expansion project and additional debt service payments for the chill water plant expansion project. Approximately $2 million is allocated from tuition for faculty salary increases for faculty promotions, professorial awards and targeted faculty salary enhancements. Sixty-two faculty were awarded promotions from assistant to

associate and associate to full professors this past year. Twenty-eight professors completed the requirements to be approved for the professorial awards. In addition 164 targeted faculty salary enhancements of $3,000 each plus fringe benefits will be distributed to each college based on its number of faculty to apply to aid in faculty retention, compression, inversion and to reward high performance for faculty at the ranks of full professor, associate and assistants.

The university is investing approximately $1.66 million in strategic positions throughout core areas of the university in support of K-State 2025. The Division of Human Capital Services was created merging Human Resources and the Office of Institutional Equity to focus on recruiting, developing and retaining a diverse, highly qualified workforce. Additional funding is being invested in the division to elevate services provided to campus to better manage our greatest resources, our faculty and staff. Additional funding is being invested in K-State Research to provide critical support to the research efforts of our faculty, staff and students as we move toward becoming a Top 50 public research university by 2025.

K-State Global Campus has a mission of providing educational opportunities to adult learners. The funds generated from the 3.6% tuition rate increase estimated at $750,000 will be distributed back to colleges to pay increased costs for delivery, salaries and development and maintenance of distance education courses and programs.