Minutes from November 23, 2015

I.  Welcome and Announcements

No announcements

II.  Minutes from October 28, 2015 approved

III.  Information/Updates

None offered

IV.  Discussion:

A.  Metric deep dive

1.  A.1.2 – transfer enrollments – guided by Chris Fastnow and Ronda Russell

• Where do transfers come from, MUS and non-MUS?
• Articulation agreements, especially with tribal colleges
• Details on credit acceptance – elective, core, major, Lower Division vs Upper Division
• Which programs receive majors?
• Recruitment strategies
• What do transfers out look like? Full or part time students?

The Council reviewed data on transfer enrollments, demographics, test scores, feeder schools, major and departments, for AY06-AY14 (attached) and retention and graduation (http://www.montana.edu/opa/facts/gradratetransfer.html).

Ronda Russell, Director of Admissions, discussed trends in transfer enrollment and recruitment strategies, professional ethical limits on recruiting efforts, and challenges to increasing transfer numbers at MSU, including:

      Increased retention efforts everywhere

      Undeveloped 2 to 4-year transfer paths in Montana relative to other state systems

      Local costs, opportunity costs

      Transfer “shock”

Becky Roeder, Assistant Director of Admissions, discussed transfer articulation, tribal college articulation agreement progress, transfer credit, and common course numbering questions.

2.  A.1.6 - % of need met – guided by Chris Fastnow and Brandi Payne

• Need-based aid data - # students, define need, who/how many file FAFSA?
• Scholarships on campus that include need indicators
• What counts as need-based aid?

The Council reviewed data on the kinds of financial aid available, how much aid is awarded and how many students qualify for and receive need-based aid.  (attached)

Brandi Payne, Director of Financial Aid, explained the process for establishing cost of attendance, calculating amount of need, and sources of need-based aid.  A current challenge is the sunsetting of federal Perkins Loans (notes attached).

Jeanne Marie Callahan, Associate Director of Communications for MSUAF, explained the Foundation’s role in raising and distributing scholarships.  Donor wishes are determinative, though the MSUAF works with donors to broaden the applicability of their gifts.  Disbursement of scholarships depends on the donor’s wishes, with each fund unique.  Matching to student attributes involves an iterative process.

The Council raised questions about the timing of awards, communication between Financial Aid, academic units, and the MSUAF.  The UPdate Scholarships task force has been working on these issues and has recommendations for improving the process.

3.  S.1.2 – salaries – guided by Becca Belou

• Why not 100%
• Info re: comparison data - positions included, peer sets
• Retention of faculty and administrators

The Council discussed the origins of the metric target, including both where MSU was relative to peers in 2010-11 and the relative wages in Montana generally. 

The Council reviewed data on average salaries and average % of peers by rank over time, based on comparisons with the OSU Faculty Salary Survey, which MSU participates in and benchmarks against each year.  We compare to public RU-VH universities in OSU.  Faculty salaries are compared within rank and nearest disciplinary match.  These comps have been used for market adjustments in last three years, helping to raise the average % of peers.  More senior ranks are further from their peers, but the overall has now reached 80%. (http://www.montana.edu/facultysenate/AcademicUpdate100715.pdf)

Martha Potvin, Provost, described the faculty salary adjustment categories and processes in place.

Some staff and all administrator salaries are benchmarked in a similar process using the CUPA-HR national salary surveys, using title and job descriptions to match to CUPA categories.  Not all staff positions are compared at this point, only those that are defined by CUPA as professional positions, which is not a direct match to MSU’s professional contract group.  We use the group of doctoral-granting universities as the peer set in this survey, a more diverse group of universities than that used for faculty.  There is no equivalent university-wide salary adjustment process for these groups, but there are individual opportunities for adjustments.

Council members asked if MSU is able to hire first choice candidates, if we are able to track that result, and if salary is determinative if that result is high.

B.  Discussion guides for next meeting (Retention and Graduation metrics, Diversity metrics)

No additional volunteers

V.  Other Business

No other business

Next Meeting January 27, 1-3 pm PCR (skip December’s meeting)

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