Budget, buildings and enrollment: UNC board has lengthy to

May 29, 2023

The University of Northern Colorado Board of Trustees is scheduled for a meeting Friday in Greeley as a lengthy agenda awaits including approval of a nearly $199 million operating budget and tuition increases for the 2023-24 fiscal year.

The meeting begins at 8:30 a.m .in the Campus Commons Multipurpose Hall and won't officially wrap until about 1:00 p.m. according to a revised agenda on the UNC website. The board is then scheduled for an executive session to discuss the performance evaluation of President Andy Feinstein and next steps. The Board will receive legal advice regarding the status of an investigation and personnel matter, also according to the agenda.

Executive sessions are confidential and not open to the public.

Multiple other matters will be in front of the board for the morning: an update on projected enrollment for fall; the deactivation — not closure — of four programs in the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences for the 2023-24 academic year; a facility program plan for the proposed college of osteopathic medicine; a state capital construction priority list for the next five years; the approval of faculty promotion and tenure recommendations and emeritus faculty recommendations; a procedure for presidential evaluation for Feinstein and all future university presidents; and a delayed bereavement leave for Feinstein through mid August.

The budget before the board includes $198.9 million in net revenue — what's coming in — and $195.2 million in expenditures — what's going out.

The budget recommends a 6% increase for undergraduate resident, non-resident, international and undergraduate extended campus tuition to $8,784; a 5% in graduate and graduate extended campus tuition; a 5% increase in student fees; the elimination of online course fees; a 6% increase in residence hall room rates; a 7% increase in Arlington Park Apartment rates and a 9.5% increase in board rates.

Earlier this year, university officials said the proposed 6% tuition increase affecting some full-time, undergraduate resident students would equal $628 more next year before financial aid.

The total financial aid available to UNC students from all source for FY24 is estimated to be $112.1 million. The sources of these funds are institutional, state, federal, private and loans).

With financial aid considerations and changes for the next fiscal year, the university estimated 75% of those undergraduate students with an expected family contribution of less than $16,641 — which can include an annual household income of up to $132,000 — will see no out-of-pocket financial impact from a 6% increase.

Also in the budget: new institutionally funded capital projects totaling about $11.9 million with the expected expenditure of $8.8 million in FY24. Inside the $8.8 million are $3.5 million for projects approved in prior fiscal years that remain ongoing and $5.3 million for new projects. Among the capital work covered are: elevator upgrades, roof structure repairs, renovation of career readiness area, and central campus residence halls carpet and paint.

The university's cash position is projected to be at $67.1 million at the end of the fiscal year. This is $4.4 million less than projected end of fiscal year 2023. For FY24, additional cash is committed to capital projects supporting renewal, renovation, and maintenance projects, as well as equipment purchases.

State funding for higher education has increased by $120 million or 11.5% for the upcoming fiscal year. UNC's allocation will be an additional $5.7 million for a total of $62.7 million.

The budget of personnel expenses includes the annualization of the mid-year increases of $1,500 per year per employee started in January and the 3% compensation pool recommended to be implemented in next month.

University staff is asking the board to approve the nearly $376 million five-year state-funded capital construction and capital renewal project plan — which is a wish list of projects identified by UNC. The plan runs through the 2028-29 fiscal year.

The university is seeking board approval to send this plan to the state.

According to UNC, every state agency submits an annual capital plan. The plan is a list of significant projects for which the university wants funding, according to director of news and public relations Deanna Herbert.

"We’re competing for funding from the same pot of money with all other state agencies, not just higher education institutions, so the expectation is that we won't get approval the first year for any of the projects," Herbert said in an email. "It's more likely that maybe one of those projects might get funded in the next several years, so for that reason it's referred to as a wish list."

The UNC projects identified as priorities are:

Frasier Hall hosts classes in the schools of music and theatre arts and dance.

The capital information technology plan requests $5.3 million to fund the university's Wireless First project, which implement a modern WiFi 6 wireless network to enhance student experience, alleviate security risks and reduce tech debt.

At the request of academic units, four education-related concentrations will be deleted from the 2023-24 academic catalogue without replacement, according to the agenda.

The programs are: in school psychology, concentration within education specialist degree — applied behavior analysis concentration; in special education, concentration within a master's degree — intervention specialist: applied behavioral analysis concentration; in special education, concentration within bachelor's degree — early childhood special education teaching concentration; and in teacher education, graduate endorsement — reading specialist.

Requests for program deletion typically originate from the academic unit in which the program is housed, according to back-up information for the meeting.

"In all cases, the deactivated program is a specific concentration or endorsement within a degree program that will continue to be offered by UNC," according to a summary of the agenda item.

When a request is approved through the curriculum process, the program is removed for all future academic year catalogs and the university admissions portal. Once a program is deleted from the catalog, no new students may enroll in that program; however, any currently enrolled students have the option to complete the program.

There are three students enrolled in the applied behavior analysis concentration, five in the intervention specialist: applied behavioral analysis concentration, and none in both the early childhood special education teaching concentration and reading specialist concentration.

As of June 5, UNC projects a 2.8% drop in overall undergraduate enrollment this fall from 2022 (6,539 down from 6,728). With a projected total graduate headcount of 2,424, UNC estimates 8,963 students to be enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs this fall. This number represents degree-seeking and non-degree seeking students.

Last month, the university said it anticipates an estimated 1,400 new, first-time students on campus for this fall. Data from June 5 shows 1,444 new, first-time students have confirmed for fall, which is 158 more students from the same time last year.

Almost 9,000 (8,947) new, first-time students have been admitted to UNC for fall — also as of earlier this month.

In a 190-page document, plans for the proposed college of osteopathic medicine include a suggestion for "redeveloping and re-visioning" the Bishop-Lehr Hall site on the west side of the UNC campus to host the college.

Bishop-Lehr Hall is located on 20th Street, near the intersection with 11th Avenue.

"The building has been minimally utilized for almost two decades and is prime for redevelopment," according to the proposal. "The structure is unfortunately not suitable for rehabilitation as a teaching or learning environment and will be demolished as part of the project."

The estimated total cost of a new building is approximately $100 million.

The proposal adds the footprint of Bishop-Lehr "yields opportunity" for a new building and big enough to maintain the newly paved parking lot. The parking lot is on the south and east side of Bishop-Lehr, bordering 11th Avenue.

"The site also has direct access to the campus utility tunnel that will lend certain efficiencies as compared to the adjacent athletic field to the west," the proposal says.

One of the program objectives of the medical college is to increase the supply of primary care physicians in Colorado, according to the proposed plan. This has been a key theme and reason for the university and Feinstein since they began another exploration into the college about two years ago.

The Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) dictates the student population, and it's capped at 150 per year. The first class to enroll can't exceed half that total or 75 students. By the second year, the estimate is for 112 students and no more than 150 in the third and fourth years the college is open.

UNC hired founding dean Dr. Beth Longenecker last year.

The board will consider and likely grant Feinstein a compensated leave of absence from June 12 to Aug. 18.

Feinstein continued to work through the spring semester following the death of his son, Nick, during winter break. The board is now seeking to provide the president leave "during a time when the operations of the university are less impacted….," according to the agenda item.

The leave may be provided pursuant to UNC policy allowing for a combination of up to 40 hours of bereavement leave and compensate leave for the remaining time.

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