USVI Public Records

Document text

1 Key Performance Indicators Fall 2009 Report Text for PowerPoint Presentation Board of Trustees Meeting, October 31, 2009 Prepared by: Mary Ann La Fleur, Ph.D., Director Office of Institutional Research and Planning Slide 1. Title Page. Key Performance Indicators, Fall 2009 University of the Virgin Islands, Board of Trustees Meeting, October 31, 2009, Prepared by the Office of Institutional Research and Planning. Slide 2 – Presentation Cycle for KPIs In June 2004 we began to report the Key Performance Indicators/KPI’s for the first time. In Fall 2004 we began to report in a predetermined cycle with the fall meeting designated as our benchmark or our State of the University Report. During the fall cycle we present enrollment, student and employee profiles, and the 2008-2009 financial year report for development. Our spring meeting is our mid-year report which focuses on planning. During this meeting we again report on enrollment, as well as on our financials, research, development and facilities indicators. Slide 3 - Presentation Cycle for KPIs Continued Our spring meeting presents the academic year in review and includes a review of enrollment, financial aid, student retention, persistence and graduation rates, community engagement, crime statistics, financials, development, facilities and a report on the status of our capital projects. In each cycle, comparisons are made with previous years, with our peers as possible, the academic master plan, and VISION 2012. In keeping with this described cycle, the Key Performance Indicators considered today are Enrollment, Student and Employee Profiles and Development. Slide 4 - Headcount Enrollment Headcount Enrollment for Fall 2009 was 2,602 and we did not meet VISION 2012 Objective 1.C.7 which was to enroll 2,700 students by Fall 2009. We did, however, experience an 9% growth in our headcount enrollment. This was due, in part, to a multifaceted approach to encourage students to pay before they were eliminated from the system for non-payment. While some activities were already in place, Dr. Hall called together a team to develop additional measures for encouraging students. Suggestions from the team included faculty announcements in class, a letter from the president, notice from student government, and denial of web access. A survey instrument was prepared by the Office of Institutional Research and Planning and distributed to students at the cashier’s office in an attempt to assess which approach/s were the most successful for future reference. On St. Thomas, the most successful method, by far, was the letter sent by President Hall; on St. Croix, it was the letter from the Vice Provost of Access and Enrollment. Headcount enrollment alone is an incomplete way of considering the realities and impact of enrollment on an institution since it weights both full-time and part-time students equally. While our headcount enrollment rose by 9% our full-time equivalency (FTE) rose by 10.3% 2 Slide 5. Credit Hour Production/CHP If we move to Slide 5, we see that our credit hour production/CHP also rose by 10.5%. FTE and CHP generally rise and fall at about the same rate. When we consider our FTE in conjunction with our CHP we see that we have actually increased our students’ participation within the institution more than what is revealed by headcount. These two variables also continue to suggest something we have been observing over time, that is, UVI’s transition to an institution consisting of mainly full-time students. We observed this shift for the first time in Fall 2005. Slide 6. Full Time vs. Part-time Enrollment Slide 6 shows growth in our full-time enrollment between Fall 2007 thru Fall 2009 in comparison with a relatively stable part-time enrollment. In summary, UVI is a different institution than when we first developed VISION 2012. At that time, we assumed the composition of our enrollment would consist mainly of part-time students or maybe an equal proportion of full-time and part-time students. That being said, I would like to refer you to Appendix A to consider our Fall 2009 thru a different perspective. First, let me begin by stressing we did not reach our VISION 2012 objective of 2,700 headcount enrollment by Fall 2009 and the following is meant only to show the impact of a different student body composition on FTE and CHP. Basically, this is a ratio equation with solving for x given three known variables. The following is meant only to show the impact of a today’s very different student body composition on FTE and CHP in contrast to what the FTE and CHP would have been with the student body of Fall 2005 has been successfully projected to Fall 2009. In Fall 2005, we had an enrollment of 2,392 the FTE was 2,056. If we project the enrollment to Fall 2009 and an enrollment of 2,700 , we can see the FTE should have been around 2,321. In Fall 2009, UVI’s FTE was actually 2,415 showing an additional growth of 94 FTE beyond the estimated fte. 2005 Enrollment = 2,392 = 2,700= 2009 Enrollment 2005 FTE=2,056 x = 2,321 = 2009 FTE UVI’s Actual FTE in Fall 2009 = 2,415 (+94) Similarly, if we continue along with the same reasoning and consider Fall 2005’s enrollment over CHP and project this out to Fall 2009 we see that as in the case of fte, the credit hour production for Fall is 1,252 credit hours over what we projected would be our CHP if our enrollment of 2,700 had been reached. 2005 Enrollment = 2,392 = 2,700 = 2009 Enrollment 2005 CHP =24,312 x = 27,422 = 2009 CHP UVI’s Actual CHP in Fall 2009 = 28,674 (+1,252) So while we did not meet our VISION 2012 headcount goal of 2,700 for this fall, we perhaps did meet the intent or spirit of this goal in terms of FTE and CHP due to the increased proportion of full-time UVI students. 3 Slide 7. Enrollment by Campus Overall the graduate program experienced a 5% loss with those losses taking place on St. Croix. Our graduate programs are small and as such, the percentage exaggerates the actual impact of the decline in enrollment. St. Croix experienced an overall increase of 25% in undergraduate full- time enrollment. The campus now is 56% of the total full-time undergraduate population. When including the graduate population, 53% of the student body is full-time. We have been observing the transition of the St. Croix campus from a part-time to a campus consisting of mainly of full-time students for the last few years. St. Thomas continues to have a significant full-time undergraduate population. St. Thomas also saw growth in both its part-time graduate and undergraduate programs. In summary, UVI did not reach its VISION 2012 objective of a headcount enrollment of 2,700 students for Fall 2009 but it did increase enrollment by 9% and FTE and CHP increased by 10.3% and 10.5% respectively. UVI continues to observe the transition of its undergraduate population from a largely part-time to full-time student body. Slide 8. Full-Time Retention Rates – Fall 2009 Our full-time retention rate for Fall 2009 was 75% and we did meet our VISION 2012 1.D. 4 Objective. When we speak of retention in this context, we are speaking about first-time, full- time, degree-seeking students who were enrolled in Fall 2008 and returned in Fall 2009. Last year for the first time, in keeping with our interest in recruiting and retaining males, we began looking at retention rate by gender. In Fall 2008, 75% of our female students returned while only 68% of our males returned. The Fall 2009 male retention rate is at 78%, an increase of 10% while our female retention rate dropped by 1%. By campus, the male retention was 69% on St. Croix and 90% on St. Thomas. The retention rate of males on St. Croix was the same in Fall 2008 and Fall 2009. The difference in male retention was because of the 23% increase in the male retention rate over last year on the St. Thomas Campus. Further study in this area is needed. Women on St. Croix had a 71% retention rate while women on St. Thomas had a 76% retention rate. The retention rates for females on both campuses were relatively stable. When comparing our retention rates to those of our peers, we compare well. Our peer full-time retention rates ranged from 49% to 87% with UVI tied with Savannah State for 6th place. An overall comparison with our peers shows that we do a relatively good job in retaining our students, regardless of gender. We have begun to use the National Student Clearing House to identify which of our students who did not return to UVI actually transferred to other institutions. Following-up with this group of students would assist us in identifying the reasons why they chose to transfer and identify our possible competitors. UVI needs to be alert to changing patterns of student attendance patterns due to “swirling,” that is, of students moving in and out of institutions and/or taking combinations of various types of instruction including in class and on-line classes from other institutions. This may affect the university. In summary, UVI met it VISION 2012 objective of a 75% retention rate by Fall 2009 and compares well with peer institutions. 4 Slide 9. Freshmen and Transfer Admissions – Fall 2009 This fall we saw a 5% increase in new freshmen. At the same time we experienced a 9% decline in the percentage of transfer students. The percentage of students who were accepted at UVI increased by 2% while there was also a slight increase in those students who decided to attend after being accepted. Slide 10. Transition Slide – Move to slide 11 Slide 11. Undergraduate Student Characteristics. In Fall 2009, the profile of a typical undergraduate UVI student is a 25 year old, black female from the territory who is attending UVI full-time. When considering student characteristics, gender has become a focus as nationally and locally there has been concern over the decline of males in higher education. This has been particularly true in the case of black males. The potential social and economic repercussions of this decline are myriad. In order to address this issue at UVI, the Academic Master Plan, Section 1.11.a. sets forth a goal to increase the male population at UVI between 1-1.5% per year from Fall 2006-Fall 2009. This goal was reached in Fall 2006, 2007 and exceeded in Fall 2008 when the percentage of males in the undergraduate population was raised by 2% or to 27%. In Fall 2009, the percentage of males in our undergraduate population remained stable at 27%. In summary, the goal set in the Academic Master Plan to raise the percentage of our male student population by 1/ 1 ½% for Fall 2009 was not met but the male population remained stable. 12. Who are our Freshmen? Fall 2009 Each year we try to learn about our entering freshmen class. In those years when we do not complete the CIRP (Cooperative Institutional Research Program Survey) we distribute a short survey titled, The Entering Freshmen Survey (developed by the OIRP) within the Freshmen Development Seminar on both campuses. Our new freshmen told us a great deal about themselves. Of the 480 freshmen enrolled at UVI, over 77% are nineteen or younger and in all likelihood, came directly from high school to UVI. Nearly 90% of these students described themselves as full-time. Please note that 31% or 148 of our freshmen are males and we will work to retain these and all students. Some 91% are single, and 16% have children while some 45% live in single head of households. Over 2/3 (69%) of our freshmen indicated that they have financial aid. Our students are ambitious, 91% indicated they aspire to receive a degree while some 44% plan to pursue an advanced or terminal degree. Nearly two-thirds told us that they were not the first member of their family to attend college, but fewer students responded to the question when asked if a family member had graduated. Regardless, it appears UVI has already impacted the VI community. The SAT scores of our first-time entering students declined by 18 points over last year with an average score of 1,170. This was below the national average and below the national average for blacks. ((national average = 1,509 (-339)) and blacks, 1,362 (-192)). This year we will remediate 84 percent of our students; this is a 13% increase over last year and the highest percentage of students since we began monitoring the skill classes. Our greatest challenge remains in mathematics where this year we were 146 points below the national average. (UVI math=369 (-146); reading=398 (-95); writing =403 (-98)) This is an additional 5 drop of 11 points over last year. This challenge is further reflected by the 63% of entering freshmen who were identified as needing remediation in basic mathematics; this represents a 4% increase over last year (59%). While many institutions provide remediation our mission is to serve all students and is part of our commitment to the larger community. The literature suggests that the SAT scores can be improved by attendance at SAT prep courses especially in mathematics; however, the challenges run deeper than this. The literature and UVI data suggests that inadequate mathematics preparation can significantly impede our students’ success. Further, a study completed by the U.S. Department of Education suggests that “despite assistance offered through remediation, students enrolled in remediation are less likely to earn a degree or certificate.” The University of the Virgin Islands has received two grants, one from National Science Foundation, titled, “Improving Mathematical Skills and Attitudes” and a more recent planning grant to work with the VI Department of Education to improve mathematical and science skills. While the funding of the first grant ended, the research continues to identify what skills (e.g. fractions, multiplication) are missing and then to link each to the grade level that skill is taught in K-12 with the goal of improving students’ mathematical skills. In summary, over three-quarters of our freshmen are nineteen years old or below and expect to graduate from college. Some aspire to attain an advanced and/or a terminal degree. UVI is remediating, especially in mathematics, the highest percentage --84% -- of our entering freshmen since we began monitoring enrollment in skill classes. Continued and increased collaboration with Department of Education should lead to improved student success particularly in the area of mathematics. Slide 13. When Would you Prefer Classes? In our Entering Freshmen Survey, we asked our freshmen, when would you prefer classes? The majority of our students, on both campuses, indicated they would prefer classes between 8- 3. This seems to be consistent with the expectation of a traditional student body. Slide 14. Residence Hall Occupancy Rates for Fall 2009. For Fall 2009, the overall Resident Hall Occupancy Rate is 93%. While St. Croix’s residence halls have not traditionally run to full capacity they remained stable at 76% occupancy. St. Thomas’ occupancy rate was lower than expected due to students who had reserved spaces but who changed their minds and did not notify the university in a timely manner and those who had failed to pay their tuition and fees and were asked to leave the residence halls. Please note on St. Thomas this constitutes fourteen out of 287 beds. UVI is required to hold beds for certain students based on requirements associated with articulation agreements and with the National Student Exchange (NSE). Some of these students and others from St. Thomas did not notify the university that they would not be attending or had changed their mind about residing in the residence halls. However, the demand for residency in the halls allowed most of these beds to be filled even though the semester was well under way. Better coordination and monitoring of those students and institutions involved in articulation agreements and the National Student Exchange are needed. Policies regarding payment requirements before occupation of rooms in residence halls may need to be considered. Some research indicates that on-campus residency of traditional students is linked to student retention. (Source: Northeastern University) 6 In summary, on St. Croix residence hall occupancy rates remained stable over last year. On St. Thomas, the demand for residency in the halls resulted in most beds being filled even after the semester was well under way. Better coordination and policy considerations may be desirable. Slide 15. Staff Profile. (Includes non-teaching faculty) This slide refers to only non-faculty personnel. The university employs some 390 staff; this represents a 1% increase over last year. According to Human Resources, this increase represents four new positions. (On St. Croix - Provost Office – 1 regular staff; Office of CEA 2 professional staff ; On St. Thomas - Provost Component - CES – 1 professional staff.) For three successive years we have seen a decline in the turnover rate of salaried employees with a turnover rate of hourly personnel fluctuating only slightly over the last two years. Staff remains predominately black and female. While there was very little fluctuation in ethnic composition over last year there was a slight increase in the number of males. In summary, the university continues to make strides in retaining employees, particularly salaried employees, creating stability within the institution. Slide 16. Teaching Faculty Profile In Fall 2009, UVI employed 110 full-time teaching faculty representing an increase of six new faculty over last year. Of this number five were on sabbatical or leave. The numbers of full-time faculty holding terminal decrees remained stable while the number of tenured faculty declined by 4% after a 3% decline last year. Tenure-in-Waiting Faculty were not included in this number. UVI is actively committed to hiring teaching faculty with terminal degrees for accreditation purposes and to ensure the quality of teaching and learning at the university. In Fall 2008, after three years of gains, the majority or 52% of full-time teaching faculty were black while conversely white faculty continued to decline. This fall, (Fall 2009), we saw a reversal of this trend with a 5% decline in black faculty and increases in the percentage of white, Asian and those identified as “other.” The percentage of black and white faculty are now nearly equal with male faculty continuing to constitute a clear majority. The percentage of part- time faculty declined and the student–faculty ratio is 17 to 1. In summary, the profile of our teaching faculty is that of a full-time, non-tenured, black/white male faculty with a terminal degree. Slide 17. Full-Time vs. Part-Time Faculty Fall 2006-Fall 2009 We have been observing the decline of part-time faculty over the last three years as full-time faculty increased slightly. The number of part-time faculty may drop down below full-time faculty if this trend continues. A 10 percent increase in credit hour production resulted in a need for more part-time teaching faculty. The Middle States Commission of Higher Education and best practices encourages the use of full-time faculty. However, Middle States also recognizes the value of part-time faculty and the responsibility of the institution to provide orientation, oversight, evaluation, professional development and opportunities for integration into the life of the institution. In the academy, there is a belief, grounded in research (Astin, 1993; Pascarella & Terenzini, 1991; Tinto, 1993) that interaction with faculty is linked to student success. Derived from this premise is the assumption that full-time faculty have a greater commitment to students 7 and contribute to the quality of the education of its students by being available outside of class, and particularly during office hours for interaction with students. Slide 18. Peer Comparisons Tenured Faculty When we compare the percentage of tenured faculty with our peers we are near the bottom. The percentage of tenured faculty dropped four percentage points over last year to 37%. In summary, while UVI continues to hire more faculty and hire individuals with terminal degree, the institution continues to have a lower percentage of tenured faculty than most of UVIs peer institutions. Additionally, part-time faculty play a significant role in the teaching of classes. Slide 19. Peer Salary Comparisons Under VISION 2012, Strategic Goal 2A1, UVI has been committed “to establish compensation adjustment policy guidelines and implement compensation adjustment plan for staff and faculty.” The plan was actually implemented in FY 2007. UVI appears to have met this goal for faculty, in most cases, when we compare UVI salaries with those of our peer institutions. In comparing UVI 2008 salaries with those of our peers we see that in the rank of professor and assistant professor we are above the mean and median for our peers. At the rank of associate professor, we are below both the mean and median for our peers. In summary, the compensation plan appears to have been successful in taking salaries to above the mean in all ranks with the exception of the rank of associate professor. Slide 20. National vs. UVI Faculty Salaries by Carnegie Classification When comparing our faculty salaries nationally with the AAUP Faculty Salary Survey for Baccalaureate, four-year public institutions for 2008, UVI average salaries by rank fell between the 60- 80th percentile at the rank of professor and assistant professor. At the rank of associate professor, UVI salaries fell from the 60-80th to the 40-60th over the previous year. The rank of instructor remained at the 40-60th as in 2007-08. In summary, the success of Strategic Goal 2A 1, is demonstrated by the favorable comparison of UVI to our peers and nationally with the exception of the rank of associate professor. Slide 21. Development – Fiscal Year 2008-2009 Report – Transition Slide/Move to Slide 22 Slide 22. Annual Contributions – Fiscal Year 2008-2009 Report The goal for Annual Giving was set at 1.1 million dollars which was lower than the 1.8 million dollars set in the previous year. However, that goal has been reached and exceeded with more than 1.2 million dollars being collected. Slide 23. % Alumni Who Contributed – Fiscal Year 2008-2009 Report Development set a goal of reaching 6% new alumni within their database. At the same time the Board of Trustees set a goal that the percentage of alumni giving would be between 4.7-6%. This goal was met and exceeded with Development reaching 6.3% of alumni. 8 Alumni donations increased by 89% over last year at this time. Most contributions come through the annual phone- a-thon. This year’s phone-a-thon focused on those who had never donated to UVI with the goal of expanding the donor database. The phone-a-thon’s goal was $25,000 but actual pledges reached more than $31,000. The median gift was $50. This was an exciting opportunity for the UVI community to participate. Trustee Dianna Rogers and Dr. Hall were among those who participated in the phone-a-thon. In summary, the goal of reaching 6% of new alumni has been reached and exceeded. Slide 24. % Cabinet Who Contributed This is the first year we are reporting contributions by the Cabinet, based on a request last year by the Cabinet to be included as a separate entity. This number and contributions includes people who were in their respective positions within the fiscal year. 100% of the Cabinet contributed with a total of over $37,000 with a median gift was $1,000. Slide 25. % Trustees Who Contributed 100% of the trustees contributed for the fiscal year or one person less trustee than last year when 100% of trustees donated. Total contributions were over $188,000 due to a one-time significant donation. The median gift was $1,000. This is the second consecutive year that trustees have successfully reached 100% participation. In summary, Development successfully reached and exceeded its goal of 1.1million dollars for FY 2008-2009. Some additional 6% new alumni were contacted for the first time while 100% of the Trustees and Cabinet participated. Slide 26. - Conclusion Under Vision 2012  1.C.7 Increase Headcount Enrollment to 2,700 for Fall 2009. Goal not met.  1.D. 4. Increase Retention Rate for First-Time, Full-Time Freshmen to 75% by Fall 2009. Goal met. Under the Academic Master Plan  1.11.a . Increase the Male Population Between 1-1.5% Per Year from 2006-2009. Fall 2006-2008, Goal met; Fall 2009, Goal not met. UVI Achieved the Following in Fall 2009  Increased Headcount Enrollment by 9% and FTE and CHP by 10%  Developed a Multifaceted Approach to Encourage Students to Pay Tuition and Fees Leading to Students Remaining at UVI  Stabilized Male Enrollment and Increased Male Retention  Reached 6% of New UVI Alumni Leading to Greater Alumni Participation  Experienced a Third Consecutive Year Reduction in Turn-Over Rate of Salaried Employees Leading to Increased Stability at UVI 9 In conclusion, Fall 2009 shows UVI to be a dynamic institution continuing its transition into a more traditional, full-time institution while serving both traditional and non-traditional students.