College Update

From: Sanford Shugart
To: All Faculty and Staff
Date: 06/28/04
Subject: College Update 

I apologize for the long time between college wide emails. It has been a very hectic spring and early summer. Here are a few items:

1. Legislative - The session ended well for us. Our system unfunded FTE was reduced from over 20,000 to just a few thousand. This resulted in the best budget for community colleges in many years. Also, the legislature approved a 5% tuition increase and a strong capital budget, enabling us to complete all the projects we have in planning and design and to add a parking structure on East Campus. I hope, also, that we are well positioned for the next couple of years by virtue of the advocacy we began a year or more ago. I will serve as chairman of the Council of Presidents this coming year and will continue, therefore, to be deeply involved in this work.

2. Budget - The Board of Trustees approved our 2004-2005 operating budget last week. At $103 million, it represents a $4.7 million increase over last year. Salaries account for 73.5% of the budget, 24.9 % is in general expenses, and 1.6% is capital and technology. For the third year in a row, we were able to increase the percentage of the budget committed to instruction. Among the highlights of the expenditures we plan are:

• $1.775 million for faculty compensation increases;
• $1.08 million for other salary increases;
• $220,000 for health insurance increases (no benefit changes);
• $504,000 for operating costs of new facilities (most of which come on line next January);
• continuing strategic budget initiatives from last year in the amount of $273,000;
• new strategic budget initiatives in the amount of $427,000 (nine projects);
• Staff and Program Development funds budgeted at $1,488,000;
• Keith Houck and his staff will be happy to answer any specific questions you have about the budget. My thanks to the College Planning Council and the many others among the staff who contributed their wisdom to this year's budget development.

3. Compensation - The Board approved the faculty compensation proposal in principle and enacted the first phase of its adoption in the budget by approving an average 9.55% increase (ranging from 2.78% to 13.91%) to begin moving the faculty schedule toward our market objectives. This process will be year to year as the Board adopts budgets. In addition, they will expect further work from the Faculty Association on the components of compensation beyond the base schedule. My thanks and congratulations to the faculty leadership for their good work on this effort. The college will be stronger for it. Special thanks are due to Maryke Lee and Michael Shugg, as well as the committees with which they worked.

All other staff received a 3.02% increase (slightly better than the 2.7% CPI for the southeast, but not as high as we would have liked to give.) A new minimum salary was set at $18,850, in keeping with our recent tradition of a "living wage." The faculty schedule is likely to take two more years to implement, if not more. This will depend on revenues from the state and tuition growth. Meanwhile, we will begin studies of the market for other classes of employees.

4. Sabbaticals - The Board also approve new policies to govern the awarding of sabbaticals to faculty and staff. The first sabbaticals will not occur until spring of 2006, but the process must begin soon. A committee is being formed, as described in the new policy. Watch for guidelines in the fall.


Politics, budgets, policies, procedures - these aren't our main work, but they are all necessary for the future health of the college. I'm looking forward to reconnecting with you all on our more central work, student learning. Have a great summer!

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