FAQs about Budgets and Staffing
Barbara Altmann, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Professor of French
March 19, 2013
Given ongoing contract negotiations between the University and United Academics, there has been much discussion recently about the University of Oregon budgets and staffing. The following addresses some of the questions and issues we have heard the most often.
Question: The number of university employees counted as Officers of Administration (OAs) increased on average by 5.1 % per year from 2007 to 2012. That’s a bigger increase than the student population (average 3.8% per year) or faculty (average of 3.4 % per year). Doesn’t that prove that there are too many administrators?
Answer: No. First, the Officer of Administration classification includes more than just “administrators.” This category includes all unclassified staff with supervisory, managerial or confidential responsibilities. The University currently employs close to 1,200 OAs, who work in a broad range of positions such as human resources, budget analysts, UO Health Center Staff, IT professionals, development professionals, project managers and coaches.
Second, while the 5.1% figure reflects hiring activity over this five-year period, it’s important to understand how the University of Oregon’s total staff compares to other public universities. Recent Department of Education IPEDS data shows that the UO has less than half (44.8%) as many administrative staff on a per student basis than the average of the other 33 public members of the Association of American Universities. While the percentages are also low for other employee groups as compared to the other public AAU members (74.5% for faculty and 79.2% for classified staff), they are the lowest for administrative staff.
Finally, over the last five years, there has been a greater increase in the number of OAs working directly in the schools and colleges (average increase of 6.1% per year) than those working in other central administrative areas (average increase of 4.8% per year). Many of the OA staff work directly with students and provide essential services, such as advising and instructional technology support.
Question: The University’s “non-restricted” reserve fund grew from about $29 million in 2009 to more than $100 million in 2012. Why isn’t that money being spent?
Answer: This fund balance represents an aggregation of all unrestricted university fund balances, including funds located in school, college, and department accounts, auxiliary operations, ICC accounts and faculty ASA accounts. The State Board of Higher Education requires that institutions maintain a fund balance in the Education & General Funds (Budgeted Operations) that is between 5% and 15% of operating revenue. Due in large part to enrollment increases in recent years, the UO started FY13 with a fund balance equal to 15.6% of operating revenue. Starting in FY14, the University expects the Education & General Fund Balance to begin to drop as projected increases in PERS costs and health care costs, salary increases, costs associated with new faculty hires, and other expenses hit the books.
Question: I have heard that “instructional salaries and benefits” accounted for just 25.7% of total UO expenses in 2011. Shouldn’t that be much higher?
Answer: That figure is very misleading. First, it does not represent all of the funds paid to faculty as compensation and benefits. For example, faculty being paid from grants are not included in the instructional salary figures; their compensation is included in research figures. Second, this figure is based on a percentage of all expenses, including non-education and general expenses such as student health fees, housing and parking. Such fees must be dedicated to the purpose for which they are collected, which is not instruction. Finally, this figure ignores other important institutional expenses such as debt, leases, and utilities.
Question: What is going on with class size?
Answer: At a time of dramatic enrollment increases, there have been slight changes in class sizes. Between 2008-09 and 2011-12 the percentage of all Student Credit Hours taught in classes with enrollments less than 25 decreased from 18.8% to 18.3%. Over the same period, the percentage of all Student Credit Hours taught in classes with enrollments greater than 100 increased from 36.6% to 37.6%.
Questions?
If you have any questions about the contract negotiations, please contact me at baltmann@uoregon.edu or (541) 346-2172.
