University Business - May 2012 - (Page 25)

ended subsidies to programs that could not pay for themselves. By taking these steps, we have been able to hold instruction harmless while avoiding layoffs that have plagued other public institutions. Operating Realities Unfortunately, things will not return to “normal.” The halcyon days of the mid-2000s are over. In describing Pima Community College’s situation to employees before the start of the fall 2011 semester, I said, “There is no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. … [The] smart thing to do is to understand that this is our new reality, not a temporary emergency.” As foreclosures mount and real estate values continue to be depressed, property tax revenues—our primary source of funding— will likely remain anemic even as other sectors of the economy rebound. Far more ominous is that Arizona’s state lawmakers have, for more than a decade, reduced investment in public higher education. The three state’s universities have sustained massive cuts. So has PCC, in good times as well as bad. In 1998, state appropriations accounted for 19.2 percent of PCC’s operating budget. In 2012, it was 3 percent. It is unlikely that this trend will reverse. Nor can we look to Washington, D.C. for relief. The federal government is caught in budget-cutting, deficit-reduction fervor that makes significant national initiatives aimed to help community colleges unlikely. In summer 2009, the Obama administration proposed the American Graduation Initiative, a $14 billion aid package to community colleges. By March 2010, it had been pared to $2 billion. President Obama’s current $8 billion proposal to enhance community college workforce training seems destined to be a victim of election year politics even as recent changes in Pell Grants, particularly the new rule tying eligibility to having a high school credential, make it harder for students of modest means to meet their educational goals. Underlying the cuts seems to be a shift in culture, a change in the tenor of the public conversation regarding higher learning. Of course, some of the talk is mere political theater, such as characterizing as “snobs” those who think everyone could benefit from some postsecondary education. But the trend seems to be that education is fair game when attempting to advance political agendas for short-term, tactical gain. Now, I am not so naïve or nostalgic to believe that the good old days were free of hard dealing in education. But underneath the Realpolitik was a core belief that having people attending college is a public good. In statehouses, in some quarters of the nation’s capital and elsewhere, that fundamental proposition is being assailed. Against this stark backdrop stand PCC and the nation’s 1,100 community colleges. We all are trying to be valuable economic and educational resources for the communities we serve. No community college can succeed, however, unless its leaders recognize that universitybusiness.com maintaining in a constant state of emergency is untenable. An institution can run on adrenaline no more than an individual can. In talking to PCC employees in August, I acknowledged that “people here are stretched and stressed” from having to do much more with a lot less for so long. That has to change. Faculty and staff must again begin receiving pay raises, and PCC is building a FY 2013 budget that contains a 3.5 percent pay raise, the first in four years. Professional development must be enhanced. PCC’s planning process for 2013-2015 contains substantive discussions regarding the best ways to nurture employees—our most important asset—so that they remain healthy, content, and productive. As senior administrators, we must improve our institutions’ ability to seek out and secure revenue streams to serve as alternatives to government funding. We must master new skills, much like the dislocated workers who have come to PCC to improve their marketability in a fiercely competitive workplace. Grants cannot substitute for operating-fund revenue, but can enhance services. The trend seems to be that education is fair game when attempting to advance political agendas for short-term, tactical gain. PCC has improved its ability to secure and oversee federal grants by creating a One Stop center that has consolidated and streamlined grants-related operations. PCC obtained Data Universal Numbering System (better known as DUNS) numbers for each of the college’s six campuses, which multiplied its ability to pursue grant opportunities. Community colleges also have to be smarter in their relations with other government entities. At the state level, that means hiring a lobbyist. State legislators will not be swayed by the eloquence of your arguments or the incontrovertibility of your data. Lobbyists understand the political realities faced by individual lawmakers and have an overview of the dynamics at play in the legislative process. It is also important to forge new partnerships and connections with other government and community groups, but that enthusiasm should be tempered by the realization that everyone is seeking the same scarce resources. By the way, I lost the hard hat sometime after receiving my doctorate in Economics from Iowa State University. It would have come in handy at several junctures in my career as a community college executive administrator and CEO. Given the fundamentally new landscape they must traverse, it is increasingly clear that current and aspiring community college leaders might want to invest in one. Roy Flores is chancellor of Pima Community College (Ariz.). May 2012 | 25 http://www.universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - May 2012

University Business - May 2012
Contents
Editor's Note
College Index
Ad Index
Behind the News
Human Resources
Education Gateways
Big Ideas
Reaching Higher
Admissions Goes Social
Learning Disabled Students Welcome
Who Goes There?
Computing Trends, Today and Tomorrow
Money Matters
End Note

University Business - May 2012