Report of the Ad Hoc Committee on Providence Admissions

Marshall Feldman, Chair

 

 

Background
 
Committee Membership

         Marshall Feldman, Chairperson

         Will Dvorak

         Ed Ferszt

         Cliff Katz

         Barbara Newman

         Kat Quina

         Jayne Richmond

         Deborah Rosen

         David Taggart

 

Charge to the Committee

€ To address the issues of quality, staffing, and resource allocation at the Providence Campus for daytime programs serving ³traditional² students

€ To consult all units that would be affected by a change in admissions policy

 

Focus

€ Advantages and attractiveness of such a program

€ Quality curriculum

€ Financial viability: Self-supporting program

€ Implementation plan

 

Working Process

€ Recognized unique opportunities in Providence for a program attracting students interested in urban related issues (³evolutionary,² not ³revolutionary²)

€ Worked with departmental representatives to develop plans for each major

€ Met with departments to obtain support and feedback from department and tune plan accordingly

€ Developed plans for support services in consultation with University College

€ Developed plans for General Education courses using UC Learning Communities as a basis for breadth and depth.

€ Determined cost based on needs as stated by departments, projecting new lecturers and faculty for each program.

€ Adopted a ³snapshot² approach, utilizing 2003-2004 figures, and not incorporating projected tuition or salary increases, promotions (would be in years subsequent to projections).

€ Developed a model projecting overall enrollment and revenues, as well as costs, including staffing and advising, from 2005-2011.

 
Program Proposal

 

Justifications

 

Resources:

€ URI has a state-of-the-art facility in Providence with underutilized resources available

9 am ­ 4 pm weekdays.

€ Increased enrollment pressure on the University requires an innovative response maximizing the use of existing resources.

 

Students:

€ URI needs to serve the northern part of the state, specifically the urban portion, in more visible and tangible ways.

€ A potential group of students living in the greater Providence area (including northwestern RI and southeastern MA) are currently not able to access the University because of social, demographic, or economic reasons. 

€ Students seeking specialization in urban-based issues or Providence-based organizations must now commute from Kingston for applied opportunities.

 

Community Connections:

€ The Urban Field Center, Family Resources Partnership, Early Intervention Training Center, Community Research and Services Team, and the Child Development Center offer opportunities for students to engage in applied practice and research.

€ URI Programs based in Providence have developed relationships with Providence area agencies and businesses which allow undergraduates to participate in applied research and practice in a community context. Current placements include the RI State House, RI Department of Health, Head Start (Providence), Brown University Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Sexual Assault and Trauma Treatment & Resource Center, Convention Center, law firms, Butler Hospital, Hasbro Children¹s Hospital.

€ New faculty hires will enhance these relationships and opportunities.

 

Program Model

 

Students:

€ Nonresidential students would be admitted to the Providence campus each year, into one of four existing Providence programs. Eighty students will be targeted for the first two years, which would not impact overall quality of admissions; after two years 100 students will be admitted into the program.

€ Applicants would elect to attend the Providence campus on their application form but will be considered part of the overall admissions cohort.

€ Freshmen and sophomores would attend courses in 2-3 meetings per week formats, in a Learning Community model, in order to enhance a sense of connection among nonresidential students.

€ Juniors and seniors would be integrated into existing advanced courses available in a variety of formats.

€ Students would be permitted to take up to 6 credits per year in Kingston without additional fees.

 

Programs:

€ The target programs already have active programs on the URI Providence campus and excess demand in Kingston:

            Communication Studies (COM): Offers courses; will apply to offer the B.A.

            English (ENG): Offers the B.A.

            Human Development and Family Studies (HDF): Offers the B.S.

            Psychology (PSY): Offers the B.A.

€ General Education and elective courses to meet the needs of these new students will be provided.

 

Support Services:

€ Academic advising is currently available days and evenings; the proposal includes funds for increased advising services through University College, and new faculty are designated as supports for advising support within the majors.

€ The URI Providence campus already features student services, including peer counseling; an Academic Skills Center which includes a Writing Center, tutoring, and Disability Services; and an active arts program with ongoing exhibits and shows.

€ URI Providence has a Student Government Board with active programming.

€ Library, computing facilities, and food services can accommodate additional students.

€ URI Providence has an on-site Child Development Center serving students¹ children with scholarship opportunities for students and their children, as well as training for relevant majors.

€ A ³consortium card² could be developed along with other Providence area schools which offer discounts to local restaurants, gym facilities, museums, and businesses such as the Providence Place mall.

 

Quality:

€  A quality curriculum will be delivered. At present most courses in the four target majors are taught by a mix of overload / in load Kingston faculty and Ph.D.s; some programs require that all 400 level courses are taught by Ph.D.s

€ Criteria for admissions will be the same regardless of site specified.

€ Home departments are responsible for hiring and monitoring, including new full-time faculty and lecturers hired to support the program.

€ General education offerings will cover at least as wide a selection as the learning communities in Kingston and will be taught by instructors appointed by home departments.

           

Enrollment and Revenue Projections

 

Cumulative Enrollment

 

Year

Number of Students

Total Enrollment

2005

80

80

2006

80

144

2007

100

220

2008

100

260

2009

100

300

2010

100

308

2011

100

316

Note: These figures incorporate a projected retention rate of 80% Fr-So, 85% So-Jr and Jr-Sr, and among those, 50% requiring 5 years to complete the degree.

 

Projections of Instructional Needs and Costs: Target Majors

€ Each program developed their own figures for additional course needs. Some existing CCE courses with excess capacity will be converted to multi-day, daytime courses as needed; at Junior and Senior levels students should be fully integrated from both populations. Overall costs were comparable across programs.

€ Lecturers and Assistant Professors were figured into instructional plans for each department; timing was generated by departmental needs assessment. For Communications, the needs could be met with an Assistant Professor beginning in Year 2 and an additional lecturer in Year 3; English and Psychology would need a lecturer beginning in Year 2 and an Assistant Professor beginning in Year 3; HDF would need an Assistant Professor in Year 2 and additional per course instructors.

€ In some cases (e.g., Psychology), the lecturer and assistant professor positions would be split between the Kingston and Providence campus, at no cost to Kingston.

€ Tenure track faculty members would contribute to advising in Providence, and might be expected to conduct research related to the urban setting / community issues.

 

Projections of Instructional Needs and Costs: General Education Courses

 

To provide an appropriate range of courses filling general education requirements, as well as additional suggested elective courses (over and above those currently offered), new sections of courses fulfilling the seven categories of General Education requirements would be added at the Providence campus. These would be in addition to those new courses offered in the four target majors, and in addition to Gen Ed courses currently offered for nontraditional students at CCE.

€ Staffing would be by a combination of faculty members teaching overload or in load (with mutual agreement of the faculty member, department chair, and dean), lecturers hired in high-impact areas, and part-time instructors hired by the respective departments.

€ Between 46 (in year 1) and 122 (years 6 & 7) courses are needed to provide a sufficient breadth and depth of courses.

 

Summary of Instructional Costs

 

Year

COM

ENG

HDF

PSY

Gen.Ed.

Support

TOTAL

2005

$3,200

$6,400

$6,400

$6,400

$258,918

$10,000

$291,318

2006

$69,212

$55,447

$76,679

$55,447

$459,189

$10,000

$725,974

2007

$124,659

$124,659

$76,679

$124,659

$632,895

$10,000

$1,093,551

2008

$124,659

$124,659

$76,679

$124,659

$652,095

$10,000

$1,112,751

2009

$124,659

$124,659

$76,679

$124,659

$747,954

$10,000

$1,208,610

2010

$124,659

$124,659

$76,679

$124,659

$751,154

$10,000

$1,211,810

2011

$124,659

$124,659

$76,679

$124,659

$751,154

$10,000

$1,211,810

Note: Support includes University College advising.

Note: In AY 2003-2004 figures. Tenure track faculty calculated at Assistant Level.

 

Gross Revenue

 

Year

Tuition Revenue

2005

$411,936

2006

$741,485

2007

$1,132,824

2008

$1,338,792

2009

$1,544,760

2010

$1,585,954

2011

$1,627,147

Note:  AY 2003-2004 Tuition Rates.

Column 2: In-state (90% of students) tuition $4,136; Out of State (10% of students) tuition $14,268.

 

Net Revenue

 

Year

Gross Revenue

Program Expenses

Centennial Scholars

Net Revenue

2005

$411,936

$291,318

 

$120,618

2006

$741,485

$725,974

 

$15,551

2007

$1,132,824

$1,093,551

 

$39,273

2008

$1,338,792

$1,112,751

 

$226,041

2009

$1,544,760

$1,208,610

 

$336,150

2010

$1,585,954

$1,211,810

 

$374,144

2011

$1,627,147

$1,211,810

 

$415,338

Note: Centennial Scholars attend URI tuition-free and thus would be an expense to the overall program.

 

Conclusion

 

€ A program geared to Providence area context and offered at the Providence URI campus could offer a set of new and unique opportunities to an underserved population of students;

€ This program could be viable financially;

€ The added students, faculty and staff could enhance program offerings for all students in Providence and, in some cases, Kingston offerings as well.