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JPBC Minutes: November 3, 2022

8:30 – 10:30 a.m., Virtual Meeting via Teams

Attendees

Voting Members
  • Sondra Aman
  • Mike Andriatch
  • Frances Dearing
  • Michael Doyle
  • Thomas Hager
  • Kristin Hartway
  • Tom Hernandez
  • Tegan Hughston
  • Yin Liu
  • Jason Morris
  • Carl O’Connor
  • Kathy Peterson
  • Heather Raczkowski
  • Janet Roy
  • Katy Wilson
Non-Voting Members
  • Bob Cushman
  • Damita Davis
  • Crystal Hallenbeck
  • Mike Harrison
  • Cathy Houston-Wilson
  • President Macpherson
  • Darson Rhodes: Co-Chair
  • Karen Riotto
  • Jim Wall: Co-Chair
  • Melissa Wight
Guests
  • Nathan Bull
  • Steve Cook
  • Deborah Ferris
  • Johnna Frosini
  • Jennifer Green
  • Scott Haines
  • Rachael Killion
  • Tammy Jo Manz
  • Brad Menear
  • Mary Jo Orzech
  • Garrett Roe
  • Bonnie Swoger
  • Sarah Unger
  • Susan Wielgosz
  • Rachel Winter

Regrets

Voting Members
  • Martin Abraham
  • Austin Busch
  • Meghan Irving
  • Jose Maliekal
  • Mark Stacy
  • Elliot Weininger

The meeting was called to order at 8:30 a.m.

Approval of the Minutes

Dr. Rhodes asked the committee to review the minutes from the October 13, 2022, meeting. Dr. Peterson motioned to approve the minutes; Ms. Aman seconded the motion. 12 members voted to approve the minutes. Therefore, the minutes were approved.

Announcements

The following announcements were made:

  • The Budget Townhall will be on November 17, 2022, at 12:45pm in the McCue Auditorium and will be streaming for Brockport Downtown.
  • The Campus Climate survey has opened. Please complete the survey and encourage others to provide feedback as well.

Campus Based Fee Review Committee Update

(Presentation is available on Teams)


Ms. Riotto presented an update on the Campus Based Fee Review Committee. The following question and answer occurred during the presentation:

  • The question was raised if the schedule has been adjusted so that the timing of approvals can occur in a timely fashion without a delay to SUNY. It was stated that the committee has been developing the spring calendar. The issue is that approvals have a tight time schedule. It becomes difficult when we receive late submissions to get them through the approval process and submitted to SUNY on time. Historically, the SUNY deadline for summer fees is April 1 and May 1 for fall fees.

5-Year Financial Model Update

(Presentation is available on Teams)


Mr. Wall presented an update on the 5-year financial model. The following questions, answers and discussion points occurred during the presentation:

  • The question was raised regarding what the status of tearing down Morgan is. It was stated that it is on the list of key projects for the next five years. We are waiting for approval, and it is going to cost between $1-$2 million. Early feedback from the construction fund is that getting out of space that is not usable is something they can prioritize. We are hoping in the next couple years we will get the approval. There are minimal utilities being used in that space right now.
  • The question was raised regarding improving the retention rate by 5% over the next four years and if the 5% listed is a gradual increase. It was stated that it is improving from the current number and improving by 1-2% each year. It was added that Sara Kelly will be presenting an update on undergraduate retention and enrollment initiatives at the next JPBC meeting.
  • The question was raised regarding what caused the shift of the last reported deficit for this year from $11.1 million to $13.5 million. It was stated that the difference is due to the investments in scholarships and marketing.
  • The question was raised regarding what the plan is to prevent Athletics from being in a budget deficit each year. It was stated that we are looking at all the IFR accounts to ensure that they are balanced. The previous debt is almost all paid back from the loan that the College provided Athletics years ago. The structural deficit of the Athletics budget is being reviewed and addressed. It was added that SUNYAC is regularly reviewing how to manage the ongoing costs of athletic programming. During the pandemic, there were different competitions where we had east and west versions of SUNYAC. The athletic programming costs are an issue for campuses across the board. Some of the big expenses we have seen over the years is around transportation. There are ongoing conversations about athletics regarding roster size and the number of sports teams.
  • The question was raised regarding how the projected 12% annual growth in graduate enrollment was calculated and what resources are needed to reach that target. It was stated that the growth projection is based a couple of different items. The first is that we are developing new graduate programs that are meeting market needs. As we add more programs, we assume that there will be growth in the number of students that will be coming to the College. Also, just as we indicated better retention growth for the undergraduates, we intend to do the same at the graduate level. Lastly, looking at areas where we can expand the graduate enrollment without causing accreditation issues.
  • The question was raised regarding the SUNY initiative involving undergraduate tuition matching with flagship universities in eight states and if SUNY is considering a similar initiative for graduate tuition. It was stated SUNY is not focusing on tuition matches for graduate programs because it is easier to implement at the undergraduate level due to the commonality between the 32 four-year institutions. At the graduate level, the SUNY schools are very different, and a one-size fits all approach would not work. Therefore, the graduate tuition matching is a campus-by-campus decision.
  • The question was raised regarding if the free application program has a similar reasoning to the tuition matching as it is only for undergraduate applications. It was stated it is same reasoning. Most SUNY students are undergraduate. If you are making a larger impact in the undergraduate group, you may be making a larger impact overall within the SUNY system.
  • The question was raised regarding how the annual decline in demographics is factored into the model. It was stated that we recruited 580 transfer students this year and are projecting to recruit 600 transfer students next year. These numbers are down from the over 1000 students we used to recruit. The model does reflect that we have seen a decline in the number of transfer students. We have a large market share of MCC, GCC and FLCC and we can maintain the market share of the students. We are going to be doing some things differently with how we are having relationships with the community colleges and what kind of partnerships we are putting in place. In addition, the degree completion programs will assist with the maintaining the projected numbers.
  • The question was raised regarding what the long-term goal would be for the College reserves. It was stated that if we maintain over $10 million in reserves, it would be a good safety net. The ideal calculation is $17 million but this was calculated when enrollment and spending levels were higher so the calculation should adjust accordingly. It was added that for a number of years we were operating below SUNY guidelines for our reserves, and we would receive a notice from SUNY every year that we were not meeting our targets. Short term we just want to maintain being in the positive, but long term we would ideally like to be close $17 million. There are real consequences for campuses that don’t maintain reserves. Not only is it problematic from a SUNY perspective, but it is also problematic for accreditation status as well.
  • The question was raised regarding what the SUNY calculation for reserve levels is based on. It was stated that it is a percentage of the operating budget for the campus. SUNY gives the schools a range of where the reserves should be, and it is usually between 10-20%. If a school has over 25%, SUNY will say you might have more than you need and under 10% SUNY is concerned about the school.  

Additional Items from the Committee

The following items were discussed:

  • There will be a budget presentation at College Senate on November 14 and at the Budget Townhall on November 17.
  • The update on the College’s university designation status approval process. We received approval from SUNY this week and it has been submitted to the New York State Education department. As of this morning, the New York State Education department is working on the legal name change. The designation should be happening soon. Once it does, there will be conversations with Middle States, a campus-wide communication and an external press release. Appreciation was extended to everyone for their support during the process.
  • There will be announcement coming out today from Academic Affairs regarding the status of the Delta College.
  • Members were encouraged to wear their Brockport apparel tomorrow for Green and Gold Friday and to celebrate the changing of the institution from college to university status.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:26 a.m.

DR/JW/mw