Accountability measures discussed at planning and budget
Members of the Planning and Budget Committee learned where BU ranks according to criteria in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education's accountability measures for 2007-08 during the Thursday, Oct. 16, meeting.
"We did better than last year and improved in more areas than in the past," said provost James Mackin.
Each of PASSHE's 14 universities in evaluated on criteria ranging from graduation rates and retention to diversity and instructional costs. PASSHE measures the factors three ways: baseline, or how an institution has improved; benchmark, or how an institution compares with peer institutions; and system target, or how an institution fares in comparison to PASSHE expectations.
Areas where BU exceeded its baseline, for example, included the six-year graduation rate, enrollment of diverse students, number of female faculty and the number of full-time faculty with terminal degrees.
Also during the meeting, the committee approved new uses for two spaces on campus. McCormick Center, room 1269, formerly a media production area, will become a secure, non-class lab for an anthropology faculty member who assists area police agencies. Centennial Hall, room 226, will be converted from a waiting area to a faculty office for the audiology and speech pathology department.
In other matters:
- Richard Rugen, vice president for administration and finance, said Gov. Ed Rendell sent a letter to Chancellor John Cavanaugh requesting that PASSHE universities hold back 4.25 percent of their state allocation due to economic conditions. The Board of Governors will vote on the request when they meet later this month. At BU, that amount is $1.65 million.
- Claudia Thrush, director of finance and business services, explained discretionary tuition waivers for graduate assistants, Board of Governors scholars, international students, senior citizens and transfer students in the All Pennsylvania Academic Team.
- Dick Baker, chair of the Middle States Steering Committee, said a draft of BU's self study is nearly complete and will be sent to the campus community for review.