slupublicpolicydefense201201

8/3/2019 slupublicpolicydefense201201

1/19

ResponsetotheVicePresident,AcademicAffairsReportonthe

AcademicReallocationintheCollegeofEducationandPublicService

by

TheDepartmentofPublicPolicyStudies

January2012


2/19

2

ExecutiveSummary

TheproposedclosureoftheDepartmentofPublicPolicyStudieswoulddiminishSaintLouisUniversityasanurbaninstitutionwithadistinctlyJesuitmissionofservingtheregionanditspeople.The

Universitycanbetterestablishitsnationalandinternationalpresencebyembracingitshistoricalmission

ofthinkinggloballyandactinglocally.Webelievenoacademicprogramsoncampusbetterarticulate

thatmissionthanthoseinCEPSandespeciallytheDepartmentofPublicPolicyStudies.

WeofferareassessmentoftheVicePresidentsmeasureofthedepartmentscostandbenefittothe

UniversitybasedonmorecompleteandvalidinformationthanthatpresentedintheReport.Wealso

providetwoadditionalmeasuresofthedepartmentscost-effectiveness.Nomatterwhichcriteriaare

used,thenumbersshowthedepartmentsmarginsmorethanjustifyitshistoricmission.

Wedoagreethatthereisgreatvalueinthesilo-freeintellectualconceptthattheVicePresidentwouldhaveusachieve.Indeed,fewifanyprogramsattheUniversityalreadyembraceitmorethanthe

DepartmentofPublicPolicyStudies.Ithasbeensupportingabroadervisionofscholarshipandtraining

successfullyforaquartercentury.Itsprogramsprovideawiderangeofeducationalservicestoother

academicunitsattheUniversityandtothecommunitiesandpeopleoftheregionthatithashistorically

served.Moreover,thegraduatedegreesofferedbythedepartmentareinfieldswithstrongfuturejob

potential.Regardingjobprospectsforcitymanagers(MPA),theBureauofLaborStatistics

(http://www.bls.gov/oco/cg/cgs042.htm)reportsthefollowing:

AlthoughjobprospectsvarybyStateandregion,overallprospectsareexpectedtobe

favorable.Inadditiontojobopeningsfromemploymentgrowth,manyopportunitieswillbecreatedbyworkerswhoretirefromtheindustry.Prospectswithmanagerialexperiencewill

havebetteropportunitiesasagrowingnumberofmanagersareexpectedtoretireinthe

comingdecade.Currently,someStatesandlocalitiesarebeingforcedtoreducepayrolls;

however,asStateandlocalbudgetsimprove,newopportunitiesshouldarise.

Ofparticularinterestarethejobopportunitiesinpublicadministrationforwomenandpeopleofcolor.

AccordingtoanarticleontheInternationalCityManagersAssociationWebSite(http://icma.org):

Executiverecruitersreportthatshiftsinthecitymanagerprofessionarecreatingopportunities

acrosstheboard,regardlessofgenderorethnicity,andgreaterawarenessandsensitivityhave

significantlyincreasedthepresenceofwomenandminoritiesinuppermanagementpositions.

SincethisisapopulationthatourMPAprogramhastypicallyserved,weareagaininagoodpositionto

takeadvantageofthispotentialjobgrowth.

SimilargrowthprospectsexistforUrbanPlanning.AccordingtoU.S.NewsandWorldReport:


3/19

3

Anexpandingpopulationhascreatedtheneedforadditionaltransportationsystems,

affordablehousing,andschoolsinmanypartsofthecountry.Theurbanandregional

planningfieldisexpectedtogrow19percent,from38,400jobsin2008to45,700jobs

by2018,accordingtotheLaborDepartment.Mostofthenewjobswillbewithstate

andlocalgovernments(http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos057.htm).

AstheonlygraduateUrbanPlanningdegreeinMissouri,SaintLouisUniversityispoisedtotake

advantageofthisgrowingandpopularfield.Finally,allindicationsarethattheimpendingretirementof

largenumbersofbabyboomersfromtheacademywillproviderobustjobopportunitiesforPhDs

enteringtheacademicjobmarketoverthenextfewyears.

MindfuloftheUniversitysmissiontoserveanevenbroaderuniverse,however,weshalloffer

suggestionsofhowbesttousetheDepartmentsresourcestohelpitgrowandrealizeitscommitment

totheUniversitysJesuitmissionofusingourknowledgetoserveandimprovethelivesofothers.

Themembersofthefacultyarenotoblivioustotheneedfortheirprogramoranyprogramtobe

reviewed.Regularreviewanddiscussionofprogramsonlyservestoimprovethefunctionandoutcomes

thatacademicswelcome.Regular,fair,andaccuratedatacanhelptoimproveprogramingandacademicexcellence.Wealsobelievethatouracademicprogramscanbeimproved.Wemakethe

followingrecommendationspursuanttobothgoals.

First,therecommendationtoclosethedepartmentisnotwarrantedandshouldbesummarily

withdrawn.

Second,weembracethelegitimateneedtoservetheUniversitybyexpandingourgraduateprograms

andmakingthemmoreavailableanddesirabletootherunitsacrosstheUniversity.

Third,weproposetoexpandthefocusoftheDepartmentsGraduateProgramsbyincreasing

collaborationwiththeMastersinSustainability.

Fourth,wesuggestthatsufficientresourcesbeprovidedtoallowtheStuppGISlabtoworkeffectivelyas

alabandresearchcenter.

Fifth,increasethedepartmentsundergraduatecourseofferings.

Sixth,wealsoproposetoendtheM.A.degreeinUrbanAffairsandseveralsmallgraduateprogramsthat

wesharewithotherdepartmentsoncampus.Thereisnotenoughinterestacrosscampustosustain

them.

Seventh,weproposeanextensiveinternalreviewofthebudgetsforthelastfiveyearstodetermine

otherareaswherecostscanbecutandrevenuesenhanced.Thisreviewcanbeconductedin

collaborationwiththeCollegesbusinessmanager.


4/19

4

Introduction

ThisdocumentisaformalresponsetotheOfficeoftheVicePresident,asrequestedintheAcademic

ReallocationintheCollegeofEducationandPublicService.Thatreportrecommendstheterminationof

theDepartmentofPublicPolicyStudies.ThisunitoffersprimarilygraduateeducationinPublicPolicy,

PublicAdministration,CityandRegionalPlanning,andUrbanAffairs.Theseprogramshavealong

historyatSaintLouisUniversityandwerecreatedtoaddressthenumerousproblemsfacingurban

areas,especiallythoseintheSaintLouismetropolitanregion.

Theprimarymarketsforthesegraduateprogramsincludemanyoftheregionschiefadministratorsand

publicofficialsincityandregionalgovernment,urbanandregionalplanning,lawenforcement,higher

education,healthcare,andthenon-profitsector.Additionally,numerousindividualsgraduatingfrom

theprogramcurrentlyholdacademicappointmentsinmajoruniversitiesincludingtheUniversityof

TexasatArlington,theUniversityofSanDiego,theUniversityofMissouri,andSouthernIllinois

University.

ThemissionoftheDepartmentisarticulatedwellbyDerekBok(1975),formerPresidentofHarvardUniversity,whenhesaidthatinlightofkeyurbanproblems,...universitieshaveamajoropportunity

andresponsibilitytosetaboutthetaskoftrainingcorpsofablepeopletooccupyinfluentialpositionin

publiclife.ThismissionisacorevalueofJesuitlifeandembodiedintheprinciplesofthefour

academicprogramsofferedintheDepartment.

TheDepartmentsmission,furthermore,embodiesseveralcharacteristicstheVicePresidents

CommitteeontheFeaturesofJesuitEducationidentifiesaskey:

Masteryofcutting-edgedisciplinaryknowledgesituatedwithinabroaderappreciationofthemanydimensionsofknowledge.TheDepartmentisinterdisciplinaryandmultidisciplinaryand

hasbeensinceitscreation25yearsago.Inaddition,studentsareoftenrequiredtotakecourseworkinlaw,politicalscience,economics,psychologyandotherdepartmentsintheuniversity.

Enduringengagementwiththeworldandaneducateddesiretoseekjustice.Accordingtothecommitteesreport,Studentsarepreparedtoplungeintotheheartoftheworldandto

understandthecomplexfactorsunderlyinginjusticesatthelocal,nationalandinternational

levels.TheDepartmenthasalegacyofworkingwiththecommunitytohelpsolvecommunity

problemsthroughcoursework,internships,capstoneprojects,facultyresearchandgrants.

Respectfordifferenceanddiversity.Studentslearnthroughtheircourseworkandassistingonresearchprojectstobecognizantoftheimpactofsocialandeconomicinstitutionsonsocietys

mostvulnerablepeople(SLU,2011,p.4-5).

ThefirstpartofthedocumentwilladdressthelasttwoargumentsadvancedintheVicePresidents

recommendationtoterminatetheDepartmentofPublicPolicyStudies:thedevelopmentofmetricsto

assesstheproductivityoffacultyanddepartments;andtheideathattheDepartmentofPublicPolicy

Studiesfallswoefullyshortofthemarkintermsofitsteaching,scholarship,andgrantproduction.A

numberofmethodologicalandphilosophicalflawswillbeidentifiedinthereport.Twoadditional

methodsofcalculatingtheDepartmentsprofitabilityormarginwillthenbeproposed.

ThesecondpartofourresponsewillfocusonthefirstandsecondargumentsmadeintheVice

Presidentsreport:theneedtocullnon-productivedepartmentsandprograms;andtheUniversitys


5/19

5

desiretojointheranksofthenationstop-50universities.1Centraltothispartoftherebuttalwillbean

alternativepackageofrecommendationstotheBoardofTrustees.Theserecommendationsaremore

consistentwiththeUniversitysJesuitmissionanddesiretoimprovetheirrankingsamongmajor

researchinstitutions.

TheNeedforFurtherMethodologicalandPhilosophicalAnalysis

OurresponsetothedataandmetricsintheVicePresidentsdocumentproceedsontwofronts:a

generalassessmentoftheirvalidityandaccuracyaspresentedbyaspecialcommitteeoffacultyfrom

theCollegeofEducationandPublicService;andtheirapplicationtotheDepartmentofPublicPolicyin

particular.AdetailedreviewofthemetricsanddataappearingintheVicePresidentreportisbuilt

aroundfourmajorpoints:

I.Themetricsandmethodologydonotmeasureeverythingthatisimportant.2

2.Thedatausedareincompleteorinaccurate.3

3.Performanceexpectationsarenotspelledoutinadvanceorareundulyburdensome4.

4.NostatisticalrationaleforindexscalesusedintheReportwasoffered.5

Theseproblemswiththedataandmetricsoftheoriginalreporthaveaseriousanddecidedlynegative

impactontheassessmentoftheDepartmentofPublicPolicyStudies.AccordingtotheReport,the

Departmentproducedaninadequatescoreincredithourgenerationoverafive-yearperiod(2007-

2011).AnexaminationofdataprovidedbytheOfficeofInstitutionalResearch(OIR),however,reveals

numerousinconsistenciesinthereportandseriousflawsinitsanalysis.Specifically,theReporthasa

greatmanymissingnumberslikeenrollmentsbynon-PPSstudents,onlycountsstudentspursuingPPS

degrees(anddoesnotincludedualdegreestudents),andgroupsenrollmentsinawayastoleavethe

impressionofoverallandseriousdeclineinenrollmentsforallprograms.

Thebiasbuiltintotheanalysisbeginswiththedatausedandismaskedbythemetricswhich

mistakenlyconveystheimpressionthataveryvalidandscientificassessmentwasmade.Infact,ourreanalysisshowsthatourprogramsarehighlycosteffective.

Problem1:TheNumberofFTEFacultyintheDepartmentofPublicPolicyStudies

Thereare6.5FTEfacultyintheDepartmentofPublicPolicyStudiesinAY2011-2012.Threearetenured

FullProfessors(i.e.,Cummings,Gilsinan,andMonti).Montijoinedthefacultyin2009.Gilsinan,asthe

E.DesmondLeeProfessor,teachesareducedloadasperagreementwiththeDesLeeFoundationso

thathecanworkhalftimeinthecommunity.ThecommunityprojectsaresupportedbyhisE.Desmond

LeeProfessorshipwhilehissalaryiscoveredbytheUniversityaspertheiragreement.Twoaretenured

AssociateProfessors(i.e.,CoffinandCropf).OneisanuntenuredAssistantProfessor(i.e.,Ganning).

OneisatenuredInstructor(i.e.,Tomey).Tomeyteachesfulltimebuthaslimitedresearchexpectations

attachedtohisposition.Theteachingfacultyisroutinelysupplementedbyseveraladjunctsandhad

anotherfull-timeinstructorfortwoyearsduringtheperiodinquestion.Thesepersonshaveno

researchexpectationsattachedtotheirposition.

Wehavelostfacultyduringthisperiod.Severalhadonlyteachingresponsibilities.Othershadboth

teachingandresearchobligations.Onenon-tenuredAssociateProfessor(i.e.,Domahidy)retiredatthe

startofAY2011-2012.She,too,hadonlyahalf-timeappointmentduringfiveoftheyearsinquestion.

Twoadditionalstaffmemberswhohadsometeachingresponsibilitiesbutnoresearchexpectations


6/19

6

havebeenreleasedinthelastcoupleofyears.OnetenuredFullProfessor(i.e.,Swanstrom)lefttojoin

thefacultyatUMSL.AnuntenuredAssistantProfessordidnothavehiscontractrenewed.

Ittakessomeworktoreconstructtheactualnumberofresearchand/orteachingstaff,butitsnot

impossibleandisimportant.Inthepresentcase,acarefulaccountingoftheDepartmentsstaffing

duringthefiveyearsinquestionwouldhaveshownthatithadthe9facultycountedfortheteaching

staffonlyonce,forthe2007-2008academicyear.Itwassubstantiallylessthan9fortherestofthe

period.Thefive-yearaverageturnsouttobe8.1FTE.The8staffcitedinthereportforthepurposesof

accountingforthefacultysresearchandgrantgettingactivitiesisoverstatedevenmore.Onaverage,

thedepartmenthadonly5.45FTEstaffwithspecificresearchobligations.

Whatthedatashowisthatthedepartmentneverenjoyedthesustainedservicesof9FTEtenure-track

facultyalludedtointheReportwhenitcametothedepartmentsteachingactivities,capstone(i.e.,

thesis)ordissertationsupervision.Nordiditenjoytheservicesof8full-timeresearchstaffaswas

claimedintheReport.AlargernumberofFTEsdividedintoasmaller-than-accuratefigureon

enrollmentsshowsasmallerstudent-to-facultyratio.AlargernumberofFTEsdividedintothesame

numberofpublicationsandgrantsconveystheimpressionthatresearchfaculty(asopposedtofaculty

whoseonlyjobwastoteach)wereproducingfewerpiecesofscholarshipandfewergrantdollarsperFTE.

Theeffectoftheover-countinginthereportwassubstantial.Allmeasuresofteaching,research,and

grant-gettingproductivityforPPSfacultywereboundtomakethedepartmentanditsfaculty

memberslooksubstantiallylessproductivethantheywere.Wecanonlysupposethatthe

performanceofotherunitsinCEPSwasgradeddowninaccuratelyinmuchthesameway.

Problem2:FailuretoCreditEnrollmentsbynon-PPSStudents

TheDepartmentroutinelydeliversgraduateeducationclassestoawidevarietyofstudentsbesides

thosespecializinginPublicPolicyAnalysis.Graduatestudentswhoroutinelyconsumetheeducationalservicesdeliveredbythedepartmentincludepsychology,law,publichealth,sociology,politicalscience,

andavarietyofstudentsfromotherdepartments.Inaddition,thegraduateprogramsofferedthrough

theDepartmentofPublicPolicyStudiesallentailthecollaborationofgraduatefacultyfromallthose

programsjustidentified.Thisenablesallprogramstoachieveahighdegreeofcosteffectivenessinthe

deliveryofeducationalprograms.

NoconsiderationwasgivenintheReporttotheimpacttheproposedclosureswouldhaveonallthese

collaboratingdepartments.Further,theproposedclosurewouldcontradicttheVicePresidentsexplicit

interestinpromotingprogramsthatcutacrossacademicsilos.

Notonlydidthereportneglectthesecosteffectivemeasurescurrentlyinplacebutitalsoappearsto

haveinaccuratelyrepresentedthefactsoftheprogramsunderanalysis.Theadministrationclaimsinthe

reportthatenrollmenthasremainedlowoverthepastfiveyears:109studentsin2007,and112,111,

96,and91insubsequentyears.DataacquiredfromtheUniversitysOIRrevealamuchdifferent

departmental.EnrollmentdatafromtheOIRshowactualenrollmentsformajorsaloneoverthefive

yearperiodare:294graduatestudentsand22undergraduatesin2007;268graduatestudentsand22

undergraduatesin2008;219graduatestudentsand23undergraduatein2009;220graduatestudents

and21undergraduatesin2010;and,198graduatestudentsand33undergraduatesin2011.


7/19

7

Theaccuracyoffiguresappearingintheanalysiscantbeverified.ReportsissuedbytheOfficeof

InstitutionalResearchatdifferenttimes(e.g.,February25,2008andSeptember25,2008)donothave

thesamecountsforanygivencategoryofstudentinthePublicPolicyStudiesdepartment.The

numbersareoffbyatleastacoupleofpersonsineachcategoryandarebestthoughtofasarough

countratherthananaccuratecount.Thesamecautionarynoteappliestonumbersweacquiredfrom

theOIRforthepurposeofourreanalysisandrebuttal.

Evenwiththisinmind,thedataunder-representedactualgraduateenrollmentsby270%in2007,239%

in2008,197%in2009,229%in2010,and218%in2011.Allsubsequentrenderingsofthosedatainthe

metricscreatedbytheVicePresidentmasktheseomissionsandpresentadramaticallyunfavorable

anddemonstrablyinaccuratepictureofthedepartmentsperformance.Itislikelythatthesame

problemsexistinthedataandmetricspresentedfortheotherCEPSdepartments.

Thegraphdepictingthediscrepancybetweenactualandreporteddataforgraduateenrollments,as

bestwecanreconstructthem,appearinFigure1.

Theanalysispresentedinthepreliminaryreportdonotreflectthefactthatenrollmentinmanyofthe

graduatecoursesinPublicPolicydrawasignificantamountofenrollmentfromothergraduateprograms

includingpoliticalscience,socialwork,publichealth,psychology,andsociologyand,indeed,fromother

UniversitiesincludingUMSLandWash.U.Furthermore,enrollmentfiguresinmanycoursesinPublic


8/19

8

Policyarereflectedintheenrollmentcountsoftwoormoredepartments.Manydepartmentsdistrust

theenrollmentfiguresproducedbytheOIRandinsistthatstudentsenrollinPublicPolicycoursesbe

countedthroughcoursenumberstalliedthroughtheirdepartment.

Thesewell-takensuspicionsnotwithstanding,departmentsdeliberatelyparticipateinthedeliveryofnot

onlycurriculumbutalsodissertationsupervisionandmastersthesespreparationinnearlyallthePublic

Policygraduateprograms.TerminationoftheestablisheddegreesinPublicPolicywillhaveamajor

impactonthegraduatedegreesandprogramsofferedthroughitsseveralcollaboratingdepartments.

AllgraduatedegreeprogramsintheDepartmentofPublicPolicyarepremiseduponcollaborationand

mutualcooperationfromotherdepartments.Thisprinciplewillbesignificantlyunderminedbythe

currentrecommendationtoclosefourgraduateprograms.Theseobservationsgainfurthercredence

whenweexamineeachprogramseparatelyaswedobelow.

Problem3:FailuretoDisaggregatePPSEnrollmentFiguresforitsConstituentPrograms

Figure2showsthegraduateenrollmentdatabyseparateprograms.Thedataarepresentedaccording

totheaccuratefiguresprovidedbytheOIRandnotthoseappearingtheVicePresidentsreport.InordertobeconsistentwiththeVicePresidentsreport,however,dataareexaminedbetween2007and

2011.

Figure2showsthatthePh.D.consistentlyrevealsthehighestenrollmentfigures.Thedeclinefroma

highof116in2009to93in2011areconsistentwithlossesexperiencedingraduateprogramsacross

thecountryduringthisprolongedrecession.Enrollmentsinpublicadministrationhaveremainedfairly


9/19

9

stablefrom49studentsin2007to46in2011.Theydroppedabitin2009butshowedaslightincrease

inthelasttwoyears.Meanwhile,enrollmentinplanningclassesoverthelastfiveyearshasdropped

consistently.Planningenrollmenthasdroppedfromahighof73studentsin2007toalowof49in

2011.EnrollmentsintheUrbanAffairsMAhavebeenmodestforthelastfiveyearsandappeartobe

declining(24in2007to9in2011).TheenrollmentfiguresforstudentsenrolledintheGISandthe

organizationalstudiescurriculumhavealwaysbeenfairlysmallandalsoaredecliningnoticeably(14in

2007,20in2008,11in2009,3in2010,and3in2011).

Theimportantpointtobedrawnfromthispresentationisthis.Thedatadonotsupportthecontention

thatoverallenrollmentsaredowninthedepartmentsgraduateclasses.Themajoromissioninthe

reportcamefromnotcountingthewidespreaddrawofPublicPolicyclassesfromcollaboratingdegree

programs.

Asimilarproblememergeswithregardtothedepartmentsundergraduateenrollments.These,too,

appearonlytohaveincludedthenumberofmajors,notthenumberofundergraduateswhoroutinely

takeourclasses.Inthetablesandanalysisthatfollow,wehaveincludedallstudentsthathavetaken

classesintheDepartmentofPublicPolicyStudies.Thenumbersrevealamuchdifferentpictureofthe

facultyscontributiontotheUniversitysteachingmission.

Ouranalysis,nonetheless,doesconfirmthefiguresandconclusionoflowenrollmentintheurbanaffairs

programandtheGIS/organizationalstudiescurriculum.EnrollmentinthePh.D.,however,isquite

stableoverthefive-yearperiod.Enrollmenthasexperiencedaslightdecreaseamongallgraduate

programsnationallyduringtherecession,afactthatmanycollegeadministratorshaveaddressedover

thepastthreeyears(June,A.W.,September22,2011).Whileplanninghasexperiencedaslight

decreaseinenrollmentovertheperiodexaminedinthereport,theMPAhasremainedfairlyconsistent.

ThesetrendsareclearlyrevealedinFigure2and,aswealreadynoted,areincompatiblewiththeVice

Presidentswholesalecharacterizationofenrollmentdeficienciesinallourprograms.

Problem4:RejectionofPart-TimeStudentsasaCriticalConstituencyofSaintLouisUniversity

Ofparticularconcernarecommentsaboutthepart-timestudentsenrolledinthegraduatedegrees

sponsoredbytheDepartmentofPublicPolicyStudies.Ratherthanapologizeforthismission,we

embracetheprinciplesembodiedinthecurrentconfigurationsofdegreeprograms.Thedegree

programscurrentlyunderscrutinyweredesignedtoserveasanincubatorfortheprofessional

aspirationsoftheregionsyoungandmid-careeradultsandasatestinggroundforsolutionstothe

areaseconomic,environmental,andsocialproblems.Theseprogramsattractpeoplefrompublic,

business,andnon-profitarenas.Theirgraduatesfillamyriadofpublicoffices,administrativeposts,

teachingandresearchpositions,andplanningpositions.Theymakeadifferenceinurbanregionsall

overthenation,notjusthereinSt.Louis.Further,giventheregionsemphasisonstemmingthebrain

draincausedbyyoungpeopleleavingtheSt.Louisarea,ourprogramsencouragebothprofessional

developmentinplaceandsubsequentlyputtingdownrootsintheregion.

Wedonotdisputetheconclusionthatittakesourstudentbodylongertocompletethedegree.Nordo

wedisagreewiththeconclusionthatthebulkofourstudentsarepart-time.Wedotakeissue,

however,withtheimplicationthatSaintLouisUniversityisnotinterestedinservingtheprofessional

communitiesthatarecommittedtourbanandcommunitydevelopment,urbanandregionalplanning,

publicadministration,andthecreationofsustainablecommunities.Indeed,thePPSdepartmentisa


10/19

10

primaryunitinCEPSwithahistoricmissiontopromotesustainablecommunities,oneofthefourkey

valuesrecognizedintheCollegesfuturemissionstatement.

Wetakeissueaswellwiththeimplicationthatittakestoomuchtimetoproduceadoctoralormasters

student.Wearewellawareofthefactthatittakestheolder,professionalstudentlongertocomplete

degreerequirements.Atthesametime,wedonotcompromisethequalityofourdegreesandtherigor

ofthetrainingweoffertostudentswhoarehalf-timeorless.Weremaincommittedtomaking

qualityeducationprogramsavailabletoolder,establishedprofessionalsintheregion,andyounger

professionalspursuingthesecareerobjectives.WethinkthesevaluesareconsistentwiththeJesuit

missionandrefusetocompromisetheseobjectives.

ThepeculiarnatureofthelogicintheReportisfullyrevealedinthecommentsaboutthecompetitive

PublicPolicyMastersdegreeofferedatUMSL.Theyrecommendclosurebecausethestateinstitution

hasacompetingdegree.PleasenotethatthePublicPolicydegreeatSLUisadoctoralprogram.AnMA

programatUMSLdoesnotcompetewithaPh.D.programatSLU.Theonlycompetitivedoctoral

programatUMSLisinpoliticalscience.Thatprogramdoesnotcompetewithanydoctoraldegreesat

SLU;wedonotofferadoctorateinpoliticalscience.TheMastersprogramatSLUisaMastersofPublic

AdministrationnotPublicPolicy.Thosetwoprogramsdonotcompeteastheyemphasizeseparateareasofstudy.

Eveniftheprogramsdidcompete,itdoesnotmakeadministrativesensetorecommendthatonebe

closed.WebelievethattheeducationalprogramsofferedatSaintLouisUniversityhaveimmenseadded

educationalvalueinthemarketplace,asour25-yearrecorddemonstrates..

Buildingonthenarrowerpointabouttuitiondollars,thepremiumplacedonundergraduatestudentson

page4oftheVicePresidentsreportisaccuratebutmisleadingatthesametime.Thetuitionpaidby

undergraduatesforeachcredithourinthecurrentacademicyearexceeds$1,100.Graduatetuitionat

$970percredithourisslightlyless.Undergraduateprogramsaremoreexpensiveand,hence,valuable

totheUniversitybecausestudentsalsotakemoreclassesoverashorterperiodoftime.Inassessingdepartmentalteachingproductivity,however,thereportexaggeratesthisdifferencebyweightingthe

metricinsuchawayastoover-countthedollarsspentbyundergraduatesfortheireducationand

downgradingthesignificanceofthedollarsspentbygraduatestudents.

Majorresearchinstitutionsprivilegetheirgraduateprogramsandallocatetuitiondollarsaccordingly

becausegraduateprogramsbringmoreprestigetotheinstitutionandcontributetotheirnational

rankings.Onlyselectivefour-yearcolleges(Amherst,Colgate,Dartmouth,etc.)gainstatureinnational

rankingsbyprivilegingtheirundergraduateprogramsandnumbers.SLUisnotinapositiontocompete

fornationalrankingswithhighqualityundergraduateinstitutions.Likewise,itwillnotbeableto

competewithmajorresearchinstitutionsbyeliminatingitsgraduateandprofessionaldegrees.

Institutionswithselectivegraduatedegreeprograms(e.g.,IndianaUniversity,UniversityofCaliforniaat

Berkeley,UCLA,UniversityofTexas,etc.)emphasizetheproductionofwell-trainedgraduates.Theyare

rewardedbymoretuitiondollarsratherthanless.Theprofessionalvalueofthedegreestheirstudents

earnarereflectedinjobplacementandadvancement.


11/19

11

Problem5:UnderestimatingFacultyResearchandGrantProductivity

TheprofessionalproductivityoftheDepartmentofPublicPolicyStudiesisalsogrosslymisrepresented

intheVicePresidentsreport.Thefiveseniorprofessorshaveauthorednumerousbooks,articles,and

bookchaptersduringtheircareers.Severalofthebookshavewonvariousawardsandareroutinely

usedamongprofessorsinpublicpolicyandurbanaffairs.Inaddition,theseniorprofessorshave

generatedsignificantgrantfunds;oneprofessoralonehasgeneratedover$3.1milliondollarsingrant

fundsduringhiscareer.Inrecentyears,thejuniorprofessorshavegeneratedsignificantgrantfunds

andproducednumerousarticlesandbookchapters.

Afullerpictureoffacultyproductivityemergeswhenthreeadditionalfactorsareconsidered.First,

mostacademicdepartmentscountmagazinearticlesandtechnicalreportstowardonesservicetothe

unit,notasscholarlyoutputaswasdoneinthereport.Second,theproductionofabookisequated

withamagazinearticle,report,andjournalarticle.Bookshavemultiplechaptersandtakeyearsto

produce.Booksarediscountedinthemetric.Magazinestoriesandtechnicalreportstoagenciesare

privilegedeventhoughtheyusuallyarentreviewedforpublicationbyonesfellowscholars.Third,as

ourcolleagueshavenoted,ActivityInsightdidnotcaptureeverythingthatwascountedasscholarship.

Somefacultydidntentereverythingtheyhadwrittenthatwouldhavecounted.TheworkoffacultywholeftbeforeActivityInsightwaslaunchedwasnotcounted.Alsomissingfromtheanalysisisallthe

workthatfacultyhaveunderwayandsubmittedforpublication.InthecaseoftheDepartmentofPublic

PolicyStudies,atleasttwobooksareeitherbeingreviewedforpublicationorundercontract.Research

forathirdbookdetailingamongotherthingstheroleofSaintLouisUniversityinhelpingtoredevelop

theCityofSt.Louisisunderway.Chaptersforaneditedvolumeonthecultureofentrepreneurshipare

beingcollected.Severalarticleshavebeensubmittedforpublication.Inshort,thescholarlyoutputof

facultyintheDepartmentwithresearchobligationscontinuestogrowevenasitsmembersteachtheir

classes,overseeCapstoneanddissertationprojects,andapplyformoregrants.

Problem6:MisrepresentationoftheContributiontoTuitionRevenues

PerhapsmostsignificantisthemisrepresentationofthecontributionoftheDepartmentofPublicPolicy

tothegenerationoftuitionrevenuesatSaintLouisUniversity.Whilethereportnotesthatthe

departmenthasgeneratedmoregrantrevenuesthatanyotherunitinthecollege,thecharacterization

oftuitionrevenuesisinaccurate.Table1showstheestimatesofactualenrollmentfromtheOIR.


12/19

12

Ashasalreadybeendemonstrated,theseenrollmentfiguresaremuchgreaterthanthosepresentedin

theVicePresidentsreport.Foranalyticalpurposes,theenrollmentdatahavebeenpresented

separatelyforgraduateandundergraduatestudents.ByapplyingtheUniversitysmetricforgraduate

andundergraduatestudents,itispossibletocalculatetherevenueproducedbytheDepartmentof

PublicPolicyStudies.Table2showsthetuitiondollarsearnedbytheDepartmentofPublicPolicy

Studiesoverthefive-yearperiod.Thecalculationswerebaseduponthevariabletuitionratescharged

fortheseveralyearsincludedintheanalysis.Tuitionrateshavesteadilyincreasedoverthefive-year

period.Currently,graduatestudentsarecharged$970percredithourandundergraduatestudentsare

chargedapproximately$1116percredithour.In2007,tuitionratesforbothgraduateand

undergraduatestudentswerelessthancurrentlycharged.

Thetableshowsthattuitionrevenueshaveincreasedsomewhatamongtheundergraduateandslightly

decreasedamongthegraduatestudentpopulation.Thespikeingraduatetuitiondollarsinthe2008-2009and2009-2010academicyearscorrespondstoshiftsintheAmericaneconomy.Thedropin

graduatetuitiondollarsappearstobeassociatedwithdecreasesinenrollmentsinthatprogram.While

weexpectourgraduatetuitiondollarstorebound,theshiftingbalancebetweengraduateand

undergraduatetuitionrevenuessupportsourproposaltoupgradeandexpandourundergraduate

curriculum.

Ingeneral,thetotaltuitionrevenueproductionisnearlythesamein2011asitwasin2007.Overall,the

DepartmentofPublicPolicyStudiesgeneratedapproximately$1,363,738intuitionrevenuesduringthe

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

UndergraduateMajor 74 107 132 89 86

Non-Majors 368 318 271 343 332

442 425 403 432 418

Graduate

Majors 991 1329 1062 822 781

Non-Majors 126 129 84 180 144

1117 1458 1146 1002 925

TABLE 1

PPS Credit Hours


13/19

13

currentacademicyear.In2007,itgeneratedapproximately$1,363,323intuitionrevenues.Tuition

revenueproductionhasremainedflat,buthasdonesoduringanespeciallytryingeconomicperiod.

Nevertheless,asweshallseebelow,thedepartmenthasbeenproducingverycostefficientprograms.

Theothermajorsourceofrevenuesforthedepartmentcamefromexternalgrantsandcontracts.

Duringthefiveyearsunderanalysis,thedepartmentgenerated$75,784in2007,$105,114in2008,

$240,383in2009,$118,838in2010,and$394,512in2011.Table3showstherevenueproducedfrom

tuitionplustherevenuesgeneratedthroughtheacquisitionofgrantsandcontractresearch.Total

revenuesproducedaredisplayednexttototalexpensesfortheDepartmentofPublicPolicyStudies.

Thetotalexpensesforthedepartmentincludeallpersonnelcosts,secretarialservices,aswellas

suppliesandexpenses.Ashasalreadybeenexplained,personnelcostshavebeenreducedinrecent

yearswithretirementsandreallocations.

AlsoshowninTable3arecalculationsofreturnonthedepartmentsinvestment(ROI),profitmargins,

andoperatingmargins,whicharetheVicePresidentspreferredmeasureofprofitability.ROIisbased

onthegainofaninvestmentminusthecostofthatinvestmentdividedbythecostoftheinvestment.

Profitmarginisbasedonthenetincomeearneddividedbytherevenueproduced.Operatingmarginis

calculatedbydividingtheunitsoperatingincome(costs)byitsrevenues.

Whileitisnoteasytoapplytheseaccountingtermstohighereducation,wethinktheyareinstructive.

TherevenueearnedbytheDepartmentofPublicPolicyrangedfromalowof$548,833in2007toahigh

of$804,191in2011.ThestandardcalculationofROIrangedfrom62%in2007toahighof84%in2011.

Thecalculationsofprofitmarginsrangedfromalowof38%in2007toahighof46%in2011.The

departmentsoperatingmarginswereneverlessthan50%,theunrealisticallyhighbarsetbytheVice

PresidentintheReport.Byanybusinessstandardthesearehighfigures.FewFortune500corporations

makea50%profitinoneyearmuchlesseveryyear.Anyprivatesectorfirmwouldbeveryenthused

aboutthegenerationofthedepartmentsperformancefigures.

Table4showstherevenueanalysiswithoutthegrantdollarsappearingintheprevioustable.


14/19

14

TheidenticalformulawasusedtocalculateROIandprofitmargins.ThefiguresforbothROIandprofit

marginaresomewhatlowersincegrantdollarsweredeductedfromrevenues;expensesareidenticalto

thosepresentedinTable3.WhileROIandprofitmarginareobviouslylowerthanthosepresentedin

Table3,thefiguresremainverypositiveandareinconsistentwiththoseappearingintheVice

Presidentsanalysis.Thedepartmentsoperatingmarginisactuallyhigherwhenonlytuitiondollarsare

countedasrevenues.Basedonthesefiguresalone,therecommendationtoclosethedepartmentis

withoutfoundation.Wealreadyexceedtheproposedmarginsbyasubstantialamount.Evenin

theircurrentconfigurationourprogramsarehighlycostefficient.

TheVicePresidentclaimsinhisreportthatallmetricswerebasedonstructureddiscussionswiththe

facultyandthatallmetricswerebasedonfacultyfeedback.Thisisnottrue.CEPSfacultyhaveno

ideahowthemetricswerederivedinhisReport;nordowehaveanyideaabouthowhisanalysiswas

conducted.Hestatesthathisanalysisisbasedupontheoperatingmarginsofadepartmentandthata

marginof50%constitutesascalescoreof1.Themethodologyisnotconventionalortransparent.Webelievethatstandardproceduressuchasreturnoninvestmentandprofitmarginarereasonableterms

tobeappliedtoperformanceanalysis.Whilewebelievetheapplicationofoperatingmarginanalysis

aloneisproblematicwhenappliedtohighereducation,weactuallydobetteronitthantheothertwo

metricswhentuitionrevenuesaloneareconsidered.

PolicyRecommendations

Basedonouranalysisofhisreport,weproposeanalternativesetofpolicyrecommendations.

Recommendation1:WithdrawthedecisiontoclosetheDepartmentofPublicPolicyStudies.

DataavailabletotheVicePresidentdidnotwarrantsucharecommendation.Ourmorethorough

analysisofmorecompleteandaccuratedataconfirmsthattheproposaltoclosetheDepartmentof

PublicPolicyStudiesiswithoutmerit.Thedepartmentishighlyproductiveandcostefficient.

TheVicePresidentobviouslyrecognizedthevalueofourprogramswhenheinitiateddiscussions

betweentheprogramonSustainabilityandtheDepartmentlookingtounitethemunderhisofficein


15/19

15

2010.TheintellectualcontributionoftheDepartmentsprogramstotheUniversityremainsstrong,its

programsalotmoreattractivethantheReportsuggests.

Recommendation2:ExpandthefocusoftheDepartmentsdoctoralprogram.

TheUniversitygainsprestigefromitsgraduateandprofessionalprograms.Universitiesdonotenhance

theirnationalstaturebyeliminatinggraduateprograms.

TheDepartmentwouldliketohaveanopportunitytoexplorenewpartnershipsoncampusandoff

campusthatwouldenhanceitsenrollmentsandresearchfunding.Ithadbeenindiscussionwith

universitiesinChina,Jordan,Thailand,Korea,andItalybeforethedecisiontocloseitwasmade;

currently,weenrolldoctoralstudentsfromAfrica,Asia,andtheMiddleEast.Wethinkthesediscussions

canmakegoodprogressinthecomingyear.Butweneedtimetobringthesediscussionstofruition.

Thedoctoraldegreeprogramisalreadyattendedbystudentscomingfromseveralotherunitson

campusincludingBusiness,Engineering,History,Law,PoliticalScience,PublicHealth,andSociology.It

canbeopenedupfurthertootherdepartments.

Recommendation3:ExpandtheFocusoftheDepartmentsGraduateProgramsbyIncreasing

CollaborationwiththeMastersinSustainability.

WealreadynotedthattheVicePresidentwaskeenontheideatomergetheprogramsunderhimlast

year.TheDepartmenthasqualifiedstafftoteachmanyofitscoursesandamissiononbehalfof

sustainablecommunitiesthathasbeenendorsedbytheCollege.Indeed,itisaprimaryunitcurrentlyin

theCollegewiththegoalofbuildingsustainablecommunities.

Recommendation4:IncreasetheeffectivenessoftheStuppGISlab.

AdditionalresourceswouldhelpusenhancetheservicesitprovidestootherunitsintheUniversityandtothelargerregion.Thesuccessofthelabfiguresprominentlyinourongoingandsuccessfuleffortsto

buildaconsortiumofregionalresearchinstitutionsandprogramsinurbanpolicyanalysis,planning,and

publicadministration.

Recommendation5:IncreasetheDepartmentsundergraduateprogram.

TheUniversitymakesmoremoneyoneveryundergraduatecredithourthatistaken.Undergraduate

studentsarealsomoreprofitablebecausetheytakelesstimetomovethroughtheUniversitys

academicprogramthangraduatestudentsdo.InasmuchastheUniversityproducesmanymore

undergraduatestudentseveryyearthanitdoesgraduatestudents,itisfairtosaythattheUniversitys

undergraduateprogramsineffectsubsidizeitsgraduateprograms.

Ofcourse,thesamecanbesaidofeveryuniversity.Universitiesbytheirverydefinitionvalueand

subsidizetheirgraduatedegreeprogramsbecausetheseprogramsaretheonesthatincreasetheir

statusamongtheircompetitors.Selectliberalartscollegesmoveuptherankingsbyprovidingahigh-

qualityundergraduateeducation.

InstitutionsliketheUniversitythathavelimitedgraduateofferingsoutsideofthemedicalandlaw

schoolsandschoolofpublichealthcanmoveuptherankingsbyofferingahybridizedmodel.This


16/19

16

wouldbeonethatbetterintegratesaportionofitsundergraduatepopulationwithitsgraduate

programs.Wealreadydosomethinglikethisbyallowingespeciallytalentedandaccomplished

undergraduatesintosomeofourlower-levelgraduateclasses.So-calledpiggybackclassesthatallow

morethanafewsuchundergraduatesdonotworkwellforeitherstudentpopulation.

Amuchmoreeffectivemodelwouldresemblewhatourcolleaguesineducationandsocialwork

implement.Theyprovideundergraduatestudentswithprofessionaltrainingandresearch

opportunities.TheDepartmentofPublicPolicyStudiescoulddomoreofthiskindoftrainingby

providingmoreundergraduatesatasteofwhatitmeanstobeaprofessionalplanner,public

administrator,andpolicyexpertthroughclassesdedicatedtothem.Theywouldalsolearnhowthe

knowledgetheyareacquiringinthemaindepartmentcanbeappliedinwaysthatenhancethe

UniversitysJesuitmission.

Recommendation6:EndtheUrbanAffairsMastersProgram

TheMastersofUrbanAffairsprogramhashistoricalrelevanceforthedepartment.Itwasthefirst

academicprogramcreatedintheCenterforUrbanStudiesfoundedbyDr.GeorgeD.Wendelin1968.

However,withthesubsequentcreationoftheUrbanPlanningandRealEstateDevelopmentprogram,themarketforUrbanAffairsmastersstudentshaslargelydriedup.Asaresult,itistimetoclosethe

MastersofUrbanAffairsprogramandreallocateitsresourcestomoreprofitableuseswithinthe

department.Thiswouldincludeanexplorationofon-lineofferingsinPlanningandPublic

Administration.

Recommendation7:Examinewaystostreamlinecostsandenhancerevenues

Somepossibilitiesintheareaofcostcuttinginvolvereducingouruseofadjunctprofessors,reducing

operatingcoststhroughcostsharingwithotherdepartmentsandotheropportunitiestobeidentified

throughdiscussionswiththeCollegeBusinessManager.Revenueenhancementsarepossiblethrough

investigatinginternationalprograms.Thesemightbeachievedthroughareallocationofexistingresourcesandminimaladditionalresources.

Conclusion

ThisresponsetotheAcademicReallocationintheCollegeofEducationandPublicServicereport

(Report)submittedbytheOfficeoftheVicePresidentofAcademicAffairstothefacultyoftheCollege

ofEducationandPublicService(CEPS)hasbeenorganizedaroundfourkeythemesorproblemsraisedin

theReport:

1. theneedtoreviewolderdegreeprogramsinlightoftheadditionofnewprogramsinrecentyears;

2. thedesirefortheUniversitytoberankedamongthetop50universitiesinthecountry;

3. theimportanceofdevelopingmetricstoassesstheeffectivenessandcontributionofdegreeprogramstotheUniversity;and

4. theallegedfailureofDepartmentofPublicPolicyStudiestomeasureuptothestandardsimpliedinthesemetricsand,hence,theneedtoclosethedepartmentat

theendofthe2014-2015academicyear.


17/19

17

Thedesiretosubmitdepartmentsandprogramstointermittentreviewsisvalidandfaironitsfaceand

requiresnofurtherdiscussion.Thelargerinstitutionalcontextandmannerinwhichthereviewis

conducteddoesinasmuchastheclosureofanacademicprogramcanhaveseriousconsequencestothe

Universitysotherprogramsandhistoricalmission.Forbothreasons,theDepartmentofPublicPolicy

StudiesusesthisopportunitytoexplainandjustifyitscontributionstotheUniversity.Itdoessointhe

knowledgethatotheracademicprogramsacrosstheUniversitywillsoonreceivethesamescrutinyto

whichourdepartmenthasbeensubjectedusingthesamemetricsandvaluesembeddedintheVice

PresidentsReport.

ThedesireoftheUniversityandindeedofanycollegeoruniversitytobeviewedmorefavorablybyits

alumni,presentandfuturestudents,majorstakeholders,andthelargercommunityisequallyvalidand

compelling.TheinterestoftheUniversitytoexpanditsfocusandmissiontoincludenewinternational

marketsisunderstandable,bothintermsofattractingstudentstoitsprogramsandclaimingapresence

amongotheruniversitiesthathavebeendoingsofordecades.

HowevercommendableorrealisticitmaybefortheUniversitytoincreaseitsstaturetothepointthatit

willbeviewedasoneofthetop50nationaluniversities,undernocircumstanceswouldthatgoalbe

advancedbytheterminationofgraduateprogramsinpublicpolicy,publicadministration,andurbanplanningorbydilutingtheirquality.Iterodesthevalueofagraduatedegreeanddiminishesthestatus

oftheinstitutionthatawardsit.

Thedesiretodevelopasetofmetricsthatcanbeappliedacrossdifferentprogramsanddepartmentsis

understandableandachievableinageneralway.Noonequestionsthestandardpracticeofassessinga

facultymemberordepartmentintermsoftheirteaching,research,andservice.Themetricsusedfor

analysisofacademicunitsintheCollegeofEducationandPublicService,however,arenotdesignedto

revealcomprehensivelyanyofthedepartmentscontributions.Forexample,thereisnometricfor

serviceasitisconventionallyunderstood.Thisisasignificantomissiongiventhemissionofserviceas

impliedbythenameoftheoverallUnit.

TheDepartmentofPublicPolicyStudiescontinuestomakeavaluablecontributiontotheUniversityand

regionforaquartercentury.Itsacademicprogramsarewellattendedandhighlyregardednationally.It

producesahealthyprofitormarginfortheUniversity,anditispoisedtomoveintotheinternational

arenawithitsgraduateofferings.Thekindsofscholarshippursuedbyitsfacultybothfundedand

unfundedplaytoboththeUniversityscommitmenttobasicandappliedresearch.

Byanyreasonablemetric,theDepartmentshouldnotbeclosed.Itcanmakeabettercontributionto

theUniversitybymarketingitsdoctoralprogramandMastersprogramsinUrbanPlanningandPublic

Administrationtomoreunitsinsidetheinstitutionandinternationallyandbyexpandingits

undergraduatecourseofferingsoncampus.

TheVicePresidentwouldbewelladvisedtoconsidertheprecedinganalysisashecontinueshis

assessmentoftheproductivityforotheracademicprogramsandoftheoperatingmarginsproducedby

itsseveraladministrativedepartments.So,too,wouldourcolleagues,membersoftheBoardof

Trustees,andthePresidentofSaintLouisUniversity.


18/19

18

REFERENCES

Bok,D.(1975).Harvardtoday,18(2).

CenterforSelf-OrganizingLeadership.(n.d.).Available:http://centerforselforganizingleadership.com.

June,A.W.(9/22/2011).Newgraduate-studentenrollmentdipsforfirsttimein7years.Available:

http://chronicle.com/article/New-Graduate-Student/129111/(Jan2012).

InternationalCityManagersAssociationWebSite(http://icma.org).

U.S.NewsandWorldReport(http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos057.htm).

BureauofLaborStatistics(http://www.bls.gov/oco/cg/cgs042.htm)

FinalReportoftheCommitteeontheFeaturesofJesuitEducationatSaintLouisUniversity,

October25,2011,pp.4-5.

1TheVicePresidentsowntaskforceonResearchProductivityinareportreleasedonNovember1,2011identifiedseveralmajorweaknesseswiththeUSNewsandWorldReportranking.Theyarethe

following:reputationaldatamakeitaverysubjectiveapproach,rankingformulaisnottransparent,

rankingsareunreliablebecausemethodologycanchangefromyeartoyear,andfocusesoninput

measures(wealth,acceptancerate,facultysalaries)withnomeasuresofteaching.2ThemethodologyomitsanyindexormetricthathastodowithcontributionstotheJesuitmissionor

service.MuchofourworkintheCollegeinvolvesservicetoothersandnoneofthiswasdeemedof

value.Themethodologyomitsanyindexormetricthathastodowithteachingorstudentlearningoutcomes.Thereisnodocumentationsupportingtheindicespresented,northeirapplicabilitytobest

practicesinacademicprogramevaluation.Thecommitteereviewingthemethodologywasunableto

obtainsuchdocumentationfromtheOfficeoftheVicePresidentforAcademicAffairsorthroughtheir

ownresearchefforts.Finally,theoriginalreportfailstorecognizethecontributionthatdepartments

maketounitsacrosstheuniversity.Measuresusedalsodonotdisaggregateexternalgrantsthatinvolve

collaborationwithotherdepartmentsanddonotdisaggregatescholarlyproductionthatinvolves

collaborationwithfacultyfromotherdepartments.3ThemetricsusedtocalculateSFRandoperatingmargindonotincludenon-majorenrollments.

Includingnon-majorenrollmentswouldresultinasignificantincreaseintheactualnumberofcredit

hourstaught.Itisamoreaccurategaugeofteachingload.Unfortunately,universityaccounting

practicesfailtopickuprevenuedollarsfromnon-majorswhotakecoursesintheCollege.ThewayFTEF

iscalculatedismisleadingbecauseitincludesfacultywhohaveleftduring2006-2011,facultywhoare

part-time,andone-yearappointments,aswellasadjunctfaculty.Thisresultsinunder-counting

scholarlyproductivityandStudentFacultyRatio.TheReportdoesnotdisaggregateenrollmentsinto

constituentprograms.Thisfailuretodisaggregatemasksthefactthatsomeprogramshaveactually

beenstableandnotdeclining.ThisisimportantinthecaseofPublicPolicyStudies(PPS)becausethe

reportmakestheclaimthatitisunabletocompetewithUMSL.Thedatacollectionmethodcurrently

underestimatesfacultyresearchandproductivity.ActivityInsightwasrecentlyimplementedasa


19/19

19

databaseforscholarlyproductionanddoesnotcaptureeveryone'scontributionandbecauseofsurvival

problemsfacultywholeftbefore2009werenotincluded.Thescholarlyproductivityindexsuppresses

publicationimpact;thewaytheindexisweightedafacultymemberwouldhavetodoublepublications

peryeartomoveupthescalebyonepoint.ThesameistrueoftheStudent-FacultyRatioIndex.The

externalgrantdataareatbestincompleteandofteninaccurate.ActivityInsightandERSdonot

communicateeffectivelywitheachotherandoftenprovideerroneousdata.Operatingmarginisbased

ontheCollegesaggregatedrevenue.Thisamountisbrokendownbypercentageofenrollmentofeach

department.Thisdoesnotadjustforthelowertuitionratesofsomeprogramsinacollegeorother

differingrevenuestreams.4Themannerinwhichtheoperatingmarginindexwascalculatedplacesaheavyfinancialburdenon

departments.Itrequiresdepartmentstohavegrosstuitionrevenuetwiceaslargeasitsoperating

expensesduringafiscalyearinordertoreceiveanacceptablescore.Breakingeven,thatis,covering

operatingexpenseswithtuitionrevenueisscored-5.Expectationof$45,000/FTEinexternalgrant

productionisunreasonable.Therehasbeenalackofinstitutionalsupport,untilrecently,forthepursuit

andmaintenanceofexternalfunding.Thefigureprovidedhasneverbeencommunicatedtochairsand

deanasanexpectationforfaculty.TheExternalGrantFundingbaselineof$45,000alsowasderivedfrominternalfundinglevelsratherthanfrombenchmarkequivalentsfromcompetitorand

aspirationalacademicprograms.Consequently,thereisnosensitivitytodiscipline-specificfunding

trendsorprofiles.IfallunitsintheUniversityaretobehelduptosuchexactingstandards,itwouldbe

interestingtoseehowany,includingthoseofthecentraladministration,couldsurvive.5Theindicesaggregateaseriesofnon-comparableordinalleveldataandincorrectlytransformthem

intointervallevelindexmeasures;thenproceedtocalculateratiosandaverages.Thisviolatesbasic

premisesofmeasurementevenasitobscurestheincompleteandofteninaccuratedatausedinthe

calculations.Thereisnojustificationforusingdifferentscales(weights)forthedifferentindices.For

example,theGrantsIndexgoesfrom-5to+6;theOperatingMarginIndexgoesfrom-6to+6;the

ScholarlyProductivityIndexgoesfrom-3to+5;andtheSFRIndexgoesfrom-4to+4.Throughoutthe

evaluationprocess,theVPlinkedhismetricstoaprocessenneagramwhosepromotershaveshown

nosuccessapplyinginacademicsettings(http://centerforselforganizingleadership.com).However,the

enneagramsprovide,atbest,aconfusingframeworkbywhichtoviewtheinterrelationshipofmetrics

andwhattheyareintendedtomeasure.

slupublicpolicydefense201201

Documents