Business Question

HEA 560 WEEK 4-2

Policies can be developed to provide recommendations for courses of action to be taken, allocate (or re-allocate) resources, develop solutions to counteract or resolve problems, or grant authority to individuals. Policies can also be created to develop formal collaborations or partnerships between agencies, create new rules or regulations, or guide strategic efforts in new directions. Whatever the purpose, the intended outcomes of policies are often to remediate a problem or take advantage of a new opportunity through a course of action. In the context of higher education, high-level critical issues associated with students’ preparation for college-level academics, access to educational institutions, and success in terms of retention and degree completion need to be considered in policy development.

As you draft your proposed admission policy, it is important to consider the intended and unintended outcomes of the admission policy. It may be useful to research how other admission policies have been enacted at other institutions to gauge the potential outcomes that may occur at your institution as well. While it may appear as though administrations at institutions would be excited to see dramatic increases in enrollment figures, consider the short-term and long-term effects of increased headcounts, including impacts on class sizes, the availability of courses for students, whether students have the ability to enter into the academic majors of their choice, and whether there is sufficient capacity in residential housing for students.

Additionally, consider the constellation of services traditional institutions offer to their students—dining services, counseling and academic advising, medical care, and so on. How will those types of services and facilities be impacted by increases in enrollments? Alterations to admission requirements may lower institutional selectivity and prestige, lower student satisfaction (especially if they cannot register for required courses because the courses are at capacity), or lead to decreases in retention and graduation rates. All of these factors need to be considered by higher education administrators when developing policies associated with students’ enrollment. At this stage, begin brainstorming some of the unintended consequences of your admission policy for the institution.

In Module Four, you will research admission policies, and select and develop an admission policy. As you do so, consider the intended outcomes of the policy and whether the policy impacts the mission and vision of the institution.

Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:

1. Proposed Policy
   1. Describe the proposed policy on student attainment, retention, and completion. How does the policy articulate the intent that admissions become less selective in order to increase student enrollment, while maintaining compliance with higher education regulations?
   2. Devise and explain your proposed admission policy and include a minimum of two peer-reviewed references justifying your selection of the policy. Defend your selection of this policy above other possibilities.
   3. This critical element will require a minimum of one-page following APA format.
2. Intended Outcomes
   1. Describe the intended outcomes of the policy on student attainment, retention, and completion. Consider the current state of the institution: What are some reasons for implementing this policy? What are the potential impacts to the institution if the policy is not implemented? How might the policy alter the current state of the institution?
   2. Predict the intended outcomes of the policy and include a minimum of two peer-reviewed references that provide supporting evidence for these forecasted outcomes.
   3. This critical element will require a minimum of one-page following APA format.
3. Mission and Vision
   1. Articulate evidence of how elements of the mission and vision were considered when recommending the policy. Consider: What is the relationship between the mission and vision of the institution and the crafting of policy? Why is it necessary to consider the mission and vision when crafting policy?
   2. Describe the mission and vision of the higher education institution (as outlined in the written policy proposal guidelines). Justify how the proposed policy does not conflict with the mission and vision of the institution. Provide one example (at minimum) of how a policy similar to that which you are proposing has impacted a higher education institution with a similar mission and vision.
   3. This critical element will require a minimum of one-page following APA format.
4. State and Federal Regulations
   1. Describe how variables of state and federal regulations were considered and included in the development of the policy. What are the state and federal regulations that apply to enrollment, retention, and completion in higher education? Considering the policy, do the regulations seem logical? Why or why not?
   2. Identify two federal regulations and two state regulations that apply to students’ enrollment, retention, or completion in higher education that are connected to your proposed policy.
   3. This critical element will require a minimum of one-page following APA format.

What to Submit

Your paper must be submitted as a four- to five-page (plus a cover sheet and reference page) Microsoft Word document with double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins, and at least three sources cited in APA format (following the APA Manual 7th Edition). Ensure that the cover sheet and reference page are also in APA format.

HEA 560WEEK 5

HEA 560 Milestone Three Guidelines and Rubric

Because the clear majority of higher education institutions are not self-sustaining enterprises, many are dependent upon state and federal forms of financial assistance, whether those funds are indirectly obtained through students’ federal or state financial aid awards, directly obtained through state appropriations, or whether the funds support other aspects of the enterprise, including research and development. Given the expense of higher education to state and federal government, students, families, or other donors, these important stakeholders increasingly hold higher education institutions accountable for student outcomes.

In order to retain state and federal funding, higher education institutions must achieve accreditation, which is most often granted by regional accrediting agencies. Each of the six regional accrediting bodies in the United States has its own set of standards by which institutions are judged in three dimensions: assessment of student learning outcomes, assessment of overall institutional effectiveness, and ongoing strategic planning activities.

The wide variety of stakeholders in higher education have demanded greater transparency in terms of institutional accountability. Therefore, programs like the Voluntary System of Accountability provide formal means for institutions to share data regarding their undergraduate profiles, undergraduate success and graduation rates, financial aid awards to students, admissions profiles, classroom environments (e.g., class sizes, student-to-faculty ratios), and percentages of full-time faculty. With these data elements more readily available to the public than they were in the past, stakeholders—including students, parents, and legislators—are better able to discern whether institutional investments are paying off and judge whether institutions are performing as well as they should.

While external stakeholders, including governmental officials, are increasingly holding institutions responsible for achieving student success outcomes, it is important not to neglect the internal stakeholders who are often responsible for implementing policies. For instance, an admission policy seeking to increase students’ enrollment may mean that existing admission staff need to review more admission applications, lead more students on tours, or respond to more inquiries. Increased headcounts affect the number of courses offered by departments and programs, potentially impacting faculty teaching workloads. Internal stakeholders advocating for enrollment of students from diverse backgrounds may point toward the lack of multicultural student services as a potential problem in recruiting new students. The capacity of internal stakeholders to support—or stymie—the recommendations of policies should be carefully considered at this stage of policy development.

In Module Five, you will create a stakeholder map providing a visual representation of the internal and external stakeholders and narrative statements discussing these stakeholder perspectives in more detail. Additionally, you will consider the impact on internal stakeholders—those who work in areas of institutional operations—and develop an action plan for how you would work in concert with these stakeholders to enact your proposed policy.

Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:

1. Internal and External Stakeholders
   1. Recommend internal and external stakeholders to participate in the crafting of the policy and what their roles will be in the crafting of the policy. You might also consider the possible impacts of the policy: Which internal and external stakeholders should be invited to attend? What are the roles of the internal and external stakeholders?
   2. Integrate the perspective of a higher education professional as discussed in your one-to-one interview with a professional regarding the state, federal, and institutional policies believed to have the greatest impact on students’ access and success.
   3. Create a stakeholder map using a power interest grid of internal and external stakeholders. Describe these stakeholder populations in more detail and rank those that you believe will have the most influence on the decision to enact the policy, will be most negatively affected by the policy’s implementation, and will have the most to gain from the policy’s implementation.
   4. This critical element will require a minimum of one to two pages following APA format.
2. Action Plan and Additional Resources
   1. Design an action plan that will result in necessary responses from internal and external stakeholders to the implementation of the policy. Based on possible consequences of the implementation of policy, you might consider predicting potential responses from stakeholders. In preparation for these responses, what are some proactive strategies that could impact future decision making regarding the implementation of policy?
   2. Describe additional resources, for and from internal and external stakeholders, that the institution will need to provide and identify based on implementation of the policy. Consider comparing and contrasting the original policy, as depicted within the mission and vision, and the new policy. What are some of the justifications for the additional resources?
   3. Describe how you might work with internal and external stakeholders to implement the policy most effectively. Develop specific steps that you will take, including proactive strategies you may take to work with stakeholders. Create an outline for a communications plan to meet the needs of these stakeholders.
   4. This critical element will require a minimum of one to two pages following APA format.
3. Institutional Impacts
   1. Analyze the impact of institutional operations for increasing enrollment, retention, and completion through implementation of this policy.
   2. Describe how institutional operations may need to adjust to meet the policy requirements. Provide a minimum of three examples of areas of institutional operation that may be affected. Predict how your proposed policy will impact internal institutional stakeholders and consider how these stakeholders will respond to the policy given their roles in policy implementation. Compose two to three responses that you may consider using when discussing the policy outcomes with those stakeholders.
   3. This critical element will require a minimum of one to two pages following APA format.

What to Submit

Your paper must be submitted as a four- to five-page (plus a cover sheet and reference page) Microsoft Word document with double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins, and at least three sources cited in APA format (following the APA Manual 7th Edition). Ensure that the cover sheet and reference page as also in APA format.

HEA 640 Overview

This module covers the importance of managing and adjusting current operating budgets to address shifting priorities. In a two- to three-page short paper, you will review the article Ashland University Taking Steps to Deal With Budget Deficit, which addresses the importance of managing operating budgets to address and/or avoid budget deficits.

Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:

1. Identify three major causes, from the article, for the operating budget deficit
2. Address whether these causes are relevant and can exist today
3. Based on readings and research, describe what strategies might be employed to deter such causes in the future. Consider the following questions: Are certain causes inevitable and assured and, if so, should they be built into the budget during the initial planning process?

What to Submit

Your paper must be submitted as a two- to three-page Microsoft Word document with double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins, and at least three sources cited in APA format.

HEA 620 Budget Manager Interview Guidelines and Rubric

Overview

A fundamental skill and responsibility of a budget manager is the ability to forecast, create, and reforecast or manage institutional budgets and employ different budget models. During periods of shifting institutional priorities or unpredictable external crises, such as the 2008 market crash and the COVID- 19 pandemic, campus leadership must choose how to navigate financial challenges and assess if a specific budget strategy may be best, given the changing landscape internal and external to the college. For your final project, you will be choosing a budget model and providing supporting arguments to support your choice. One way of choosing what model may be the best fit for “your” college is to scan the best practices of other colleges and universities.

This assignment will provide you the opportunity to learn about one small, public, liberal arts institution amid a budget crisis. You will watch a press conference held by the chief budget manager, the interim president of Keene State College, as she assumed the role and inherited a significant financial deficit. This real-life scenario provides a glimpse into some of the complexities, or internal and external constituents, while keeping in mind the different budget models from your readings and how those principles can be applied in this specific crisis.

Prompt

This assignment has two parts. Part One, watching the interview with a budget manager, will be completed in Module Three. The reflection on the interview, Part Two, will be due in Module Five.

Part One Requirements

Watch the press conference held by the interim president of Keene State College during a significant budget crisis. Review the guided questions prior to watching, as this will assist you in looking critically at the important elements of the assignment. Also, consider taking notes to aid in your recall for the paper due in Module Five. Specifically, it is important that you tie together the importance of internal and external stakeholders as they relate to budget management.

Part Two Requirements

Utilize the guided questions to write your critical analysis of how one budget manager, interim president of Keene State College, addressed the components of the budget.

Specifically, you must address the following critical elements in your paper:

1. Deficit Amount
   1. What was the original deficit amount?
   2. When did the interim president discover the new amount of the deficit?
2. Internal Stakeholders
   1. What internal stakeholders were involved at the press conference?
   2. What key messages did the interim president communicate to these stakeholders? Use details to support your points.
      1. Consider if you were an internal stakeholder, such as the director of Student Leadership and Engagement; what might you be feeling based on the interview? How might you feel if you were another type of internal stakeholder, such as a student?
3. External Stakeholders
   1. What external stakeholders were involved at the press conference?
   2. What key messages did the interim president communicate to these stakeholders? Use details to support your points.
      1. Consider if you were an external stakeholder (the press, alumni); what might you be feeling based on the interview?
4. Interview Strengths and Weakness
   1. What did the interim president do well in the interview? Analyze at least one strength of her demeanour during the interview. Use specific references to support your point.
   2. What could the interim president have done better in the interview? Analyze at least one weakness of her demeanour during the interview. Use specific references to support your point.

What to Submit

Your paper must be submitted as a 2- to 3-page Microsoft Word document with double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins, and at least three sources cited in APA format.