What's happening with SCSU?

In FY2010, SCSU hit its peak in terms of FYE (Full Year Equivalent) enrollment. Each year since then, FYE enrollment has dropped. Thanks to one-time money, SCSU will be able to operate, albeit at a diminished capacity.

A longtime reader of this blog and a retired professor at SCSU just told this blog "Under the plan that has just been announced the balance sheet shows a continuation of deficit spending with reserves being consumed to a point where they are practically non existent. With 82 programs being closed and with another round of negative news the plan assumes a 1% increase in enrollment."

It helps to understand the history at SCSU. According to a statement from SCSU, "SCSU’s current budget deficit 'has several underlying factors, including significant demographic decline in the number of graduating high school seniors over the past decade, increased operations expenses caused by inflation, high instructional costs to deliver programs, decreases in state funding and depleted federal funds.'"

The part that says the structural deficit is due, in part, to "decreases in state funding" is baffling. Each budget year, the DFL praises itself for historic increases in K-12 funding. Why would the DFL not invest in higher education, specifically in MnSCU?

Further, I saw an email chain this week that says that SCSU is eliminating 61 professorial positions and 2 administrative positions. Question: what good are administrators if there aren't any professors to teach classes? High school graduates won't enroll for the adinistrators with the exception of those deans that build strong programs.

What's required at SCSU are administrators who understand the importance of building strong programs that attract students. A perfect example is the elimination of the Aviation program. Had SCSU's leadership at that point understood the future of the aviation industry, coupled with the rising drone industry, they would've kept Aviation around. Instead, they eliminated that program, which contributed to the decline in enrollment. This is disturbing:

SCSU has 157 programs, yet just 35 enroll a sizeable 75% of undergrad students. At the graduate level, 24 of the school’s 80 grad programs account for 75% of enrolled students, leading to a reexamination of its portfolio of offerings.

That means that, by SCSU's own reporting, 78% of the undergrad programs produce just 25% of SCSU's enrollment.

Check this out:

Community Psychology

The number of students enrolled in Community Psychology programs declined from 250 to 124 (a decline of 50%) from FY18 to FY22. Community Psychology also experienced a 17% decline in its producOvity raOo. The productivity ratio is calculated as FYE/FTE. From a cost perspective, based on the System Office Cost Study, which compares SCSU’s instructional costs to instrucOonal costs of other universiOes in the MinnState system, Community Psychology spends nearly $411,000 more for instruction and support than the lower threshold of the system’s cost band for like programs.

Social Work

The number of students enrolled in Social Work programs declined from 356 to 234 (a decline of 34%) from FY18 to FY22. Social Work also experienced a 25% decline in its productivity ratio. The productivity ratio is calculated as FYE/FTE. Social Work spends about as much for instrucOon and support as similiar programs at other institutions

How many programs aren't an efficient use of a university's limited funds? It's one thing to ignore things when things are running smoothly. It's another thing to ignore them when things start going poorly. During a catastrophe, this is inexcusable. Is this what's next for MnSCU?

This happened because management didn't change direction, at least not in the right direction. Top MnSCU management and the top echelon of SCSU management (throughout the years) crippled the system.

When Pres. Potter signed the agreement on the Coborn's Plaza, that was the first step in the decline. When he signed the agreement with Dave Kleis to pay for 3 police officers for 3 years, the decline accelerated. What's happening at SCSU isn't surprising. It's just sad. It didn't need to be this way.