Colleges explore ways to raise money : News-Record.com : Greensboro & the Triad's most trusted source for local news and analysis

UNCG is considering an increase in the number of out-of-state students and putting on a program similar to Guilford College’s Bryan Series as ways to raise money for the university.

A UNCG task force last week gave its recommendations on how the university could get money beyond what it receives from the state.

In its report, the task force said the recommendations “will require innovative approaches to providing higher education.”

Mike Tarrant, UNCG’s director of strategic initiatives and a member of the task force, said everything should be on the table, given the economic hardships colleges and universities across the state and nation face.

“I think a lot of these we can do with existing resources,” Tarrant said.

Among the recommendations are that UNCG enroll more nonresident students, who pay a higher tuition than in-state students.

Only about 9 percent of UNCG’s undergraduates are out-of-state students, far below the 18 percent cap the UNC system has set.

Increasing its online presence is another area where UNCG could raise more money. The report suggests the university offer select online degree courses to community college students to encourage them to transfer to UNCG for their bachelor’s degree.

It also recommends collaborating with N.C. A&T and other local schools to serve more online students who are not enrolled at UNCG.

Other recommendations include:

Increasing the number of international students on campus.
Increasing the number of students affiliated with the military. Because of the benefits they receive, these students are less likely to be affected by the economic downturn, and more likely to start and complete their educations, according to the report.
Creating a successful athletics program, which would boost student and alumni support.
Sponsoring local, regional and statewide events. One suggestion is for a program similar to Guilford College’s Bryan Series, an educational and cultural enrichment program that has brought such speakers as former President Bill Clinton and writer Toni Morrison to Greensboro. UNCG’s would be centered on its music program.
Targeting senior citizens by offering on-campus seminars that are taught by faculty. The report says more people 50 and older are pursuing higher education.
Pursuing funding from foundations and increasing corporate partnerships.

“A lot of the recommendations included are things that the university is currently doing, that we’ve got some staff and faculty already working on,” Tarrant said.

That includes stepping up marketing to students outside the state and reaching out to more international students.

UNCG plans to leverage its strengths, which Tarrant said include a distinguished faculty and hardworking staff.

He said they realize that the recommendations would require working together and being coordinated and strategic.

Randall Kaplan, chairman of UNCG’s board of trustees, asked in October that the university create a task force to look at ways — other than appropriations from the state — to drum up money.

Legislators have trimmed appropriations to the UNC budget in recent years — $414 million last year.

To students’ chagrin, universities have raised tuition as a cushion to the blow of budget cuts.

UNCG isn’t the only campus exploring ways to raise money. N.C. A&T also has a committee investigating alternative funding sources.

A&T is now focused on targeting alumni for financial support and conducting a feasibility study for a capital campaign, said Robert Pompey, interim vice chancellor for university advancement.

Pompey said the feasibility study will look at the university’s potential for raising money.

At UNCG, Kaplan appointed David Sprinkle, vice-chairman of the board of trustees, to lead its task force.

Sprinkle urged the board last week to expose the university’s strengths to attract more attention and money to the campus.

The task force report is now in the hands of Chancellor Linda Brady and her staff for review before it comes back to the trustees for discussion.

“There’s a lot of energy and enthusiasm on the board,” Tarrant said. “So we want to keep that momentum going and work to begin to address these issues as quickly as possible.”

Contact Jonnelle Davis at 373-7080 or jonnelle.davis@news-record.com

brian444

February 21, 2012 - 4:40 am EST

"Creating a successful athletics program, which would boost student and alumni support."

I'm going to take a wild stab and say that the chancellor will run with this one, even if it increases the cost of a UNCG education in the short term. It takes money to make money, right?

Why bother with a task force, when the task is to tell the chancellor what she's already decided? Linda Brady is an autocrat, and not a malicious or inept one: she has some good ideas and some bad ones. I do wish, however, she'd be a more honest autocrat and dispense with the formalities of convening task forces and hiring directors of strategic initiatives for the purpose of telling her what she wants to hear.

The_Doctor

February 21, 2012 - 7:05 am EST

She's a mini Lyndon Johnson: Just tell me what I want to hear.

ambrclaire

February 21, 2012 - 6:36 am EST

UNCG should play to its strengths and not try to develop a "successful" sports program..focus on music, art, education....why does every school strive to be LIKE every other school? UNCG has strengths beyond sports...why do they keep believing they need a sports program? geesh

snapandwhistle

February 21, 2012 - 7:08 am EST

I'm not sure that sports or "music, art, education" will help the institution survive financially. At least a successful sports program does bring in some money. When's the last time you paid to go see a music recital or see some art? I've been to a few games this year and paid the ticket price.

2fer

February 21, 2012 - 3:01 pm EST

Besides the obvious waste of the students' money extracted through fees, athletic teams at UNCG consistently lose money by playing games. Only men's basketball has any chance of making money, and then only when the crowd comes to see Duke or Carolina. Last year, every game at the Coliseum except the Duke game lost money. This year is on course for every game - period - to loose money unless Cone Medical and Lincoln Financial are covering enough of the advertising costs - last year's advertising consistently cost more than it brought in in ticket sales.
The idea that athletic teams make huge dollars is simply another myth about college athletics. Even with the millions UNC-CH teams bring in, the university doesn't "make" money because the millions go right back into the big money athletic programs, the students still have to pick up the costs or the less popular sports (around $100 per student at Chapel Hill and Raleigh), and virtually nothing goes to the school, much less than a penny on the dollar of athletic revenue.

February 21, 2012 - 7:04 am EST

I heard that HPU is in worse financial shape than what Mr. Quebein is saying in public. Maybe they've overspent on the big construction programs in the past 7 years?

igliigli

February 21, 2012 - 7:14 am EST

UNC-CH and NC State have proven that "successful sports programs" do NOT increase donations to the Schools' academics. They do increase donations to the Athletic Department but far less than the cost of the sports teams.
Instead, the UNC System Schools should fire all coaches and sports teams and concentrate on academics.

JonW

February 21, 2012 - 8:10 am EST

Or maybe we should revise the UNC system curriculum which Mr. Bowles set forth during his tenure of power which he admitted will increase the time it takes the average student to finish a four year degree therefore increasing the overall cost of a higher education. Or we could also go back to the mindset that a higher education is not for everyone out there and should not be handed out to just anyone. Currently households, by percentage of debt, carry more of a debt for higher education costs than any other personal debt. College is not for everyone and it should not be intended to be that way.

VALawyer

February 21, 2012 - 8:49 am EST

The problem is that the price of a college degree is increasing while the benefits of it are decreasing. The causes of this current economic downturn are structural and are likely permanent. People are borrowing all of this money to go to college just for the chance to earn a decent living upon graduation. Maybe in the 19th and early 20th centuries people went to college just for the sake of learning but now people go because they feel they have to so they can get a job that pays a living wage. Too bad the job market is horrible. The loss of manufacturing and the outsourcing of jobs to other countries affects all of us eventually--even if you have an advanced degree. It's a race to the bottom.

It seems like we're witnessing an education bubble. Eventually college will be so expensive that people will just stop going once they realize the costs outweigh the benefits. The rise in tuition is far outpacing the rate of inflation.

February 21, 2012 - 10:07 am EST

I agree wholeheartedly with your statement, and do feel that we are on the verge of a higher education bubble just as we have recently experienced with the housing market bubble. Some college expenses are as difficult to pay off as home mortgages and we will begin to see many defaults across the board on these debts. If anyone was truly smart and had the financial means, now is the time to begin offering private, low interest rate student loans with flexible terms and prevent a financial fallout of some publicly held banks.

It is becoming more important now than ever to obtain a technical degree so that we have skilled workers in place once it comes time to re-develop our infrastructure which will occur within the near future. The problem is, everyone thinks that a four year degree means they will immediately secure a 50k salaried job as soon as they graduate, but with a job market over flooded with college grads, that dream is no where close to being a reality.

Tall_Guy

February 21, 2012 - 11:52 am EST

VALawyer...you say the cost of college outweighs the benefits. On one hand, I agree. If you drop $50k on a Psych or Sociology degree...you overpaid. What job are you going to get to pay off that loan?

If, however, you chose a major that actually has marketable skills, the benefits by far outweigh the costs. Granted, there are a ton of people with great degrees that are out of work right now, but that is not their fault...it's just the reality of our current economy. They will bounce back.

February 21, 2012 - 3:11 pm EST

And yet people with all kinds of college degrees have but half the unemployment rate of those without any degree. People with Psych and Sociology degrees are still in demand and earning good salaries; maybe Latin scholars and mediocre basketball players less so. The free market should work as well in this area as in any other, and thoses degrees which command decent jobs will be favored. Of course, giving students a free educational ride to play games sort of distorts that free market.

February 21, 2012 - 3:03 pm EST

Don't confuse UNCG's Iron Chancellor with facts. She has drunk the cool-aid and buys into all the myths.

GboroMan

February 21, 2012 - 8:05 am EST

If by "successful sports" UNCG means eliminating more winning sports team like the wrestling team was treated last year or adding a money-sucking football program then they are clueless. Football will corrupt academics and take money away from the educational mission.

February 21, 2012 - 3:13 pm EST

They are clueless, and with Kim Record as AD, their integrity is already corrupted.

rooster8786

February 21, 2012 - 9:27 am EST

"...the task force said the recommendations “will require innovative approaches to providing higher education.”

Mike Tarrant, UNCG’s director of strategic initiatives and a member of the task force, said everything should be on the table..."
After reading this, two things come to mind:
1. ANYTHING that requires innovative approaches, if past experience is indicative, has already been "considered" AND shelved.
2. EVERYTHING will not be on the table. How about paycuts for the senior administration and non-teaching positions, BEFORE a single faculty member is laid off or tuition raised again?

tuffi

February 21, 2012 - 9:37 am EST

That is a super idea. Some of the administrators make huge salaries and do not have the work to do to truly compensate. They could make a lot less for what they do. The people who actually do the work, make a fraction of what these people are paid.

February 21, 2012 - 3:23 pm EST

When UNCG was supposed to have a salary freeze in place, Brady still got a raise, as did many other administrators, including the athletic staff. The freeze only applied to faculty.
Please clarify "non-teaching positions." Research positions frequently bring grant money and equipment to the university, including funds that make possible summer positions for undergrads and fellowships for graduates and doctoral students. These positions also attract researchers whose reputations in turn attract the best students from in and out of state and elicit donations, unlike the mythical benefits of athletic teams. Non-teaching research positions are essential to UNCG's educational mission.
UNCG has one administrative position that ihas become completely useless. Unfortunately, it's the Chancellor.

JackK

February 21, 2012 - 9:34 am EST

Are there any creditable studies to show that big-time sports are a cash cow for colleges and universities? And do they balance what is brought in against the cost for tutors, asst coaches, conditioning rooms/coaches and keepers for many of the athletes? UNCG has a pretty good reputation for being a place with good teaching and a strong research component . . . seems like those two, already in place, might be a more fruitful direction to move if they want to attract more students.

February 21, 2012 - 3:29 pm EST

USAToday had a good series on this last year. The basic answer is that very few universities receive any substantial payback from athletic programs. As at UNC-CH, many athletic programs make a big deal about donating back $100,000 or so, but when put in the context of one or more $20,000,000 programs, that's practically nothing, .5%.
Go to amazon.com and search for college sports to find books on both sides of the issue.

Traveler

February 21, 2012 - 11:06 am EST

Why do colleges and universities need more money?

In my opinion, they are operating in a failed system. They provide store front delivery, expensive labor, and expensive fixed costs.

Bockbuster, Barnes and Noble, and more have closed. Online delivery is the wave of the today and the future.

Online classes work at the high school level, college level, and for continuing education.

I am currently taking a Java programming class online. I have taken business courses from Duke online. I plan to take more. The cost is less for the university and less for the student.

Advantages of online classes include:

1. Lower labor costs. One good professor can teach many many students online, reducing the number of teachers needed.

2. Better teaching. Because fewer teachers are needed, the university can select the cream of the crop.

3. No need for many of the existing buildings. This reduces energy costs, and other fixed costs.

4. More affordable for the student. Because the universities costs are reduced, they can pass along the savings to students.

Not all classes should be done online. Science labs, nursing courses, and more need the "face to face, hands on" teaching.

However, many of the current classes like English, history, economics, etc can be delivered, effectively, online.

February 21, 2012 - 12:45 pm EST

On-line classes have a place in the broad panoply of course offerings, but just as not all courses lend themselves to the venue, not all students are right for them either. I have monitored high school students for several years now while they take on-line classes, and very few have the ability, self-motivation and general desire to do well in them. It also seems to me that to make the courses--very much do-it-yourself--doable for many students they have to make them cover less material than would be covered in class. Many of my students, when the move to the next level of a course find themselves behind students who sat in a regular class.

February 21, 2012 - 2:03 pm EST

I said that many classes need hands on teachers, but I would guess that half can be taught online. Subjects like English, history, and economics can be taught better online than in the classroom.

It's easier with college level and continuing education than high school. The continuing education candidates have more self motivation.

One of the problems I see with high school education is what you said, the students do not have motivation to take advantage of available opportunities. With the current unemployment rate exceeding 25% for high school graduates, what does it take to motivate them? I would hate to think that students believe that someone else with take care of them.

February 21, 2012 - 2:23 pm EST

I agree that many courses would more easily lend themselves to the on-line venue, but whether students should have to take on-line classes just because they can be taught that way is quite another issue, especially when they are paying top dollar for direct instruction. For myself, I wouldn't have cared for virtual classes; I equate them to virtual dates with a virtual good-night kiss--I would rather have the real thing. But then again I went to a small, liberal arts school rather than a large state institution and thus am used to very small classes and the access to professors before, during and after class. I might have learned as much outside of class from my professors as I did in class. That sort of schooling is worth every penny. Of course, most Div-3 schools are that way and athletics do not rule the roost. Teaching and learning does.

February 21, 2012 - 3:38 pm EST

Most of NC's state universities are behind the curve on this. Their IT people and equipment are not up to the job. UNCG's on-line offerings are weak, attract weak students, and are shoved out to professors who are not yet prepared to handle the medium. Most are done through a bulletin board system, so their is no real personal interaction between students or students and the instructor. They are as impersonal and prone to misinterpretations as blogs such as this.

Abruti

February 21, 2012 - 12:20 pm EST

Nothing wrong with brainstorming for additional revenue. However, there are still a lot of cost-cutting measures that could be undertaken while protecting the core mission of the university.

Overpaid bureaucrats in the administration, who offer little in added value, should be given their pink slips. Expensive degree programs that service very few students could be curtailed. Full-time salary and benefits paid for housekeeping and maintenance and groundskeepers could be contracted out to private companies who could do the work more efficiently at less cost. New programs, that are expensive to implement and create millions of dollars in programming costs should be thoroughly examined prior to approval. Scheduling courses at more times of the day so that current classroom space could be fully utilized and nontraditional students would have more options, instead of relying on building new buildings.

The only thing we seem to read in the paper is that the sky is falling and about the basketball team and the Glenwood Revitalization project.

February 21, 2012 - 4:09 pm EST

There are certainly overpaid bureaucrats at UNCG, starting at the top, but she has Tom Ross's vote of confidence, Ross, tragically, has become another overpaid and generally useless bureaucrat. The lower tiers, where too many critics start their search for those to fire, are filled with hard-working folks who do a generally good job and make the place run. They're the ones who have been told that their job performance will be judged on their basketball game attendance and have missed out on the relatively big raises Brady and the top tier have enjoyed. Degree programs become expensive because they have few students, but many of those programs are needed, and any that are ended would have to be wound down so that current students could finish or transfer successfully. Efforts to contract out service jobs usually end up starting cheap, producing poor results, and then rapidly becoming as or more expensive as full-time staff. I might be prejudiced here, as I have friends among these staff who work hard and do a wonderful job throughout the year. UNCG's grounds, for example, are as beautiful as any other campus I've seen, and they really add to Greensboro's reputation when visitors come by. All programs should be examined prior to approval and are examined. Even Brady is not a naif about the basics of budgeting; she just sets unconscionable priorities. One problem is that Brady will not listen to anyone who does not agree with her predetermined positions, and she has insisted on several unneeded reorganizations that were poorly implemented because no one had bought into them except her favored few. Scheduling more classes in more places adds to costs. It approaches without reaching the problem. Extant classes are being curtailed so that it takes more than four years for a student to graduate. Some programs are spread out all over campus as it is, so that students majoring in those programs have little opportunity to get together and share ideas or establish the fellowship that encourages students having temporary problems.
The sky is falling. That fall is the fault of a legislature that has repeatedly failed to accomplish its constitutionally mandated obligation to education - under both parties. The basketball team is either irrelevant or a joke to every student and faculty member I know - and most of the administrative staff who have the courage and forthrightness to have an independent opinion. Glenwood is representative of Brady's arrogance, but better intentioned and more sympathetic people have overcome some of those bumps in the road. Nevertheless, UNCG and Greensboro will be better off when Brady moves on. She has been promoted past her level of competence.

b-logical

February 21, 2012 - 4:23 pm EST

Colleges explore ways to raise money:
1) Stop spending and spending and spending.
2) Terminate the "slackers"
3) Stop spending and spending and spending.
4 ) Little less talk - lot more action
5) Stop spending and spending and spending.
6) Omit useless "electives'
7) Stop spending and spending and spending.
8) Initiate "real world" classes with useable and MARKETABLE skills..
9) Stop spending and spending and spending.
10) Find ways to cut paperwork, duplication, complication, overstaffing.and waste.
11) Stop spending and spending and spending.
12) Get rid of the "wants" and concentrate on educating - not entertaining.
Please - their is only about 40% of the population paying taxes now and we are broke, tired and looking for help too. The breaking point has arrived...................

retiree

February 21, 2012 - 6:21 pm EST

For those educators at UNCG, here's a tried and true way to raisse money. Stop spending. Works everytime and companies do this all the time when they have financial problems. The college crowd just wants to get more money, not cut back and look to cut non-productive programs or professors with tenure.

The problem with the educated elite is they want their names up in lights, they want to see their pictures in the paper where they are putting a shovel in the ground for a new building . . . so they can name it after one of the esteemed alum or big donor who has an ego, etc. They are also trying to get every student in high school to believe that the path to wisdom and financial success is by going to college. All of that is just one more way for them to increase their students, who bring in dollars, so they can hire more of their cronies who are already overpaid, etc.

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