Reshaping Frequently Asked Questions
Provost Gary L. Miller answers these questions that have been collected and condensed from those asked at presentations or sent by email. If you have a question related to the Reduce Reshape Rebuild process, or a suggestion, please send it Reshaping@wichita.edu.
These FAQs are the most recent FAQs, posted October 02, 2009.
- Does this semester’s increase in credit hours taken mean we won’t have to cut anymore this year?
- Are the satellite campuses worth the expense?
- Is there going to be an enrollment minimum for courses to be taught? What if they are required courses?
- Could WSU use motion detectors in all classrooms and offices to turn lights on and off to save energy and money?
- What about other efforts to save energy and money?
- How about recycling?
The following FAQs were posted September 24, 2009
- Are divisions outside of Academic Affairs and Research also part of the Reshaping process?
- When can open positions be filled for courses where there is clear student demand?
- How is WSU responding to the post-legislative audit?
- Will faculty be required to teach more course sections?
- Are you considering differential tuition for professional programs?
The following FAQs were posted September 16, 2009
- Is it time to think about combining some departments to save administrative costs for chairs and clerical support?
- How are we reacting to Governor Parkinson’s call for WSU and other state universities to improve their national rankings?
- Is there a plan to begin eliminating non-tenured faculty if the budget gets worse?
- Under what conditions would WSU have employee furloughs?
- Will employees have to pay more for health insurance next year?
- Is there a move away from recognizing the value of research in the humanities?
The following FAQs were posted September 2, 2009
- Why do I see construction projects on campus, like the indoor baseball facility, when money is so tight?
- Why is the university spending $65,000 on a new logo?
- Will employees who aren’t faculty members be included in the Reshaping high-level discussions and decision-making?
- Will the central administration’s costs also be examined?
- I heard on the news that WSU has $42 million in a “slush fund.” Why aren’t we using those dollars?
- This seems much faster than the usual academic program review process. Isn’t that dangerous?
- Who appointed the Faculty Senate Planning and Budget Committee and the Senior Review Group?
Q: Does this semester’s increase in credit hours taken mean we won’t have to cut anymore this year?
A: Any increase in student credit hours eases the budget situation. However, the increases aren’t great enough to prevent additional budget reduction planning.
Q: Are the satellite campuses worth the expense?
A: Data from the past several years strongly suggest that the satellite campuses are worth the expense. The full potential of the satellite campuses is very much under study.
Q: Is there going to be an enrollment minimum for courses to be taught? What if they are required courses?
A: Capping enrollment will be counterproductive in this economic environment since much of the university revenue is enrollment-dependent. The more important challenge is to effectively teach larger sections of courses in order to sustain enrollment with fewer faculty.
Q: Could WSU use motion detectors in all classrooms and offices to turn lights on and off to save energy and money?
A: In 2007 WSU completed a comprehensive project that addressed more than 200 energy conservation measures and touched nearly every building on campus. As a small part of this project, more than 26,000 lighting fixtures were retrofitted with electronic ballast and reduced 28-watt bulbs. More than 1,900 occupancy sensors/motion sensors were installed to control lighting in classrooms and offices.
Q: What about other efforts to save energy and money?
A: One recent project was the installation of new energy efficient storefront glass at Duerksen Fine Arts Center. Plans are underway to replace the HVAC systems at the Engineering Building and Duerksen Fine Arts Center with more energy efficient systems. The existing systems were part of the original construction of these buildings and are more 55 years old.
A: We have had a Recycling Program since 1993 and have recycled more than one million pounds of waste since 2006. You can learn more here about WSU recycling efforts, http://www.pp.twsu.edu/recycle/
Q: Are divisions outside of Academic Affairs and Research also part of the Reshaping process?
A: Both the Division of Campus Life and University Relations and the Division of Administration and Finance are reprioritizing the use of their state general fund budgets.
Q: When can open positions be filled for courses where there is clear student demand?
A: Successful planning in the fall 2009 semester should allow for some hiring to begin in the spring 2010 (assuming the state budget conditions do not worsen).
Q: How is WSU responding to the post-legislative audit?
A: All of the Regents universities have been directed to establish an Efficiency Task Force to develop campus-specific responses to the ten recommendations of the Legislative Post Audit. The Task Force must include members of the local community. At WSU, the task force will be composed of the President, the Provost, the Vice President for Administration and Finance, the Vice President for Campus Life and University Relations and several members of the community recommended by the Greater Wichita Chamber of Commerce. The Task Force must complete its work and report to the Board of Regents by December 10, 2009.
Q: Will faculty be required to teach more course sections?
A: The Faculty Senate Planning and Budget Committee, the Deans and the administration are examining faculty work assignments as part of the reshaping process. The Legislative Post Audit recommends significant increases in faculty teaching assignments.
Q: Are you considering differential tuition for professional programs?
A: Differential tuition is under consideration as are a number of other revenue increasing approaches.
Q: Is it time to think about combining some departments to save administrative costs for chairs and clerical support?
A: Several deans and their college faculty leadership are already considering departmental mergers. The recent Legislative Post Audit of State Universities linked here, http://kslegislature.org/postaudit/audits_perform/08pa24a.pdf, recommends departmental mergers as one way to increase efficiency.
Q: How are we reacting to Governor Parkinson’s call for WSU and other state universities to improve their national rankings?
A: The University approach is to focus on student success. The Foundations of Excellence initiative completed last year, http://webs.wichita.edu/depttools/depttoolsmemberfiles/academicaffairs/FOE/FoundationsofExcellencefinal.pdf, provided a number of potentially transformational recommendations to improve graduation rates and retention. The Faculty Senate Planning and Budget Committee is considering these recommendations.
Q: Is there a plan to begin eliminating non-tenured faculty if the budget gets worse?
A: There are no plans to lay off non-tenured faculty.
Q: Under what conditions would WSU have employee furloughs?
A: The President has stated repeatedly that furloughs are the very last option to be employed to meet budget constraints. The current outlook does not suggest the need for furloughs.
Q: Will employees have to pay more for health insurance next year?
A: Yes. Health insurance rates will go up although the exact amount is not known. The university contribution to employee health insurance will also rise considerably.
Q: Is there a move away from recognizing the value of research in the humanities?
A: Absolutely not. Wichita State University is a Carnegie High Research university and will continue to retain a broad portfolio of research areas commensurate with such universities.
Q: Why do I see construction projects on campus, like the indoor baseball facility, when money is so tight?
A: All significant construction is either privately funded (such as the baseball project), paid for by one-time federal stimulus funds, such as the upcoming HVAC work at Wallace and Duerksen halls, or part of state funding for catching up on long-deferred maintenance projects.
Q: Why is the university spending $65,000 on a new logo?
A: The recently introduced logo is the culmination of a process committed to a few years ago. There will be minimal expenses approved this year for changing to the new logo.
Q: Will employees who aren’t faculty members be included in the Reshaping high-level discussions and decision-making?
A: Yes. Non-faculty staff is represented on the Faculty Senate Planning and Budget Committee. President Beggs will review all decisions from a university wide perspective.
Q: Will the central administration’s costs also be examined?
A: Absolutely. In the office of Academic Affairs and Research, for example, we have already cut two positions and have decided not to fill a senior administrative role when it comes open this fall.
Q: I heard on the news that WSU has $42 million in a “slush fund.” Why aren’t we using those dollars?
A: There’s no slush fund. Those are dollars in Restricted Use accounts we’re not legally entitled to spend under state and federal regulations or bond covenants.
Q: This seems much faster than the usual academic program review process. Isn’t that dangerous?
A: Many of the ideas we’re likely to consider will be outside the scope of the usual review process. We’ll only be looking at programs that touch more than a single college. Deans will still be the key decision makers on internal college matters. Remaining topics will be vetted first by the Faculty Senate Planning and Budget Committee, then undergo several other levels of review.
Q: Who appointed the Faculty Senate Planning and Budget Committee and the Senior Review Group?
A: The Faculty Senate Planning and Budget Committee was appointed by the Faculty Senate. For the purposes of the Reshaping initiative, the Planning and Budget Committee has invited the President of the Unclassified Senate to join the group. The Senior Review group consists of the Provost, the President of the Faculty Senate, one Dean (appointed by the Provost) and four faculty members (appointed jointly by the Provost and the President of the Faculty Senate.)