Budget Sustainability

A reminder from the Budget Sustainability Committee Chair: Don’t forget to review the Budget Sustainability Committee’s report

Anonymous — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 21:36:16 +0000

A reminder from the Budget Sustainability Committee Chair: Don’t forget to review the Budget Sustainability Committee’s report Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 08/14/2024 - 15:36

Welcome to the fall semester! Our first meeting for all staff and faculty is coming up on August 21 from 12-3:30 p.m. in Kittredge A&B. The Ad Hoc Budget Sustainability Committee looks forward to hearing your thoughts on the report and collaborating with you on the next steps for implementing recommendations.

Since we will be having a hearing session during the meeting, we ask that you please read and familiarize yourself with the full Ad Hoc Budget Committee’s report before the meeting if you have not already. Please note any ideas, statements, or recommendations in the report that resonated with you, that concerned you, that inspired you to participate, or that you would like to discuss.

The committee members, including Travis Anderson, Oded Gurantz, Roudy Hildreth, Emily Johns-O'Leary, Kelsey Ostenaa, Karla Scornavacco, Terri Wilson, and myself, will share a brief overview of our findings and facilitate smaller hearing sessions with faculty and staff so we can continue to work together.

This is an important next step in collectively moving toward the implementation phase of this initiative, and your involvement, once again, is critically important.

We will see you all soon.

Sincerely,
Valerie Otero, Budget Sustainability Committee Chair

View the Budget Sustainability Committee Final Report

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Joint update from the Budget Sustainability Committee Chair and Interim Dean: Sharing the committee’s final report

Anonymous — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 20:37:35 +0000

Joint update from the Budget Sustainability Committee Chair and Interim Dean: Sharing the committee’s final report Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 07/11/2024 - 14:37

Dear colleagues,

After a lot of listening and learning since the launch of our work in April, our Ad Hoc Budget Sustainability Committee finalized and shared our final report with Fernando and the leadership team on July 1.

We took our task very seriously, and I am proud of the work we have put into this report. We honor budget realties while making space for imaginative, strategic, and collective approaches. We greatly appreciated the feedback that many folks provided us, including 20+ webform submissions and several visits to our office hours.

In the report, we contextualized the School of Education budget, recent changes to our fiscal situation, and our current deficit, which needs to be addressed. We also described the process that led to the report and its recommendations and some potential limitations. We recognize the complexity of our organization and acknowledge that recommendations may not fully account for challenges we each face as community members, long-term budgetary impacts, and related work that is already in progress.

In the spirit of transparency that has been embedded in our charge, we are releasing the full report. There is one redacted appendix that included some calculations that require further review and cross-checking before it can be released by the interim dean and leadership team later this summer.

I learned so much about our school as a member and the chair of the committee. As a member of the faculty for 23 years and a part of the former budget committee, I came into this process with a working knowledge of our school, but I gained far more than I expected. This experience deepened my understanding of the school, and it strengthened my feelings of connection. I have great respect for my committee colleagues, who care deeply about our school and its future.

As our committee reflected, we agreed we would like to see more experiences in our school structured in this way — with representation across program areas and faculty-staff-student siloes with the goal of enhancing transparency, equity, and our collective mission. The work was often not easy, but it was fulfilling. I hope others will consider actively participating and sharing their experiences when future opportunities arise.

With respect,
Valerie Otero, Budget Sustainability Committee Chair

View the Budget Sustainability Committee Final Report

Dear all,

I want to extend my sincere thanks to Valerie and the members of the committee: Travis Anderson, Oded Gurantz, Roudy Hildreth, Emily Johns-O'Leary, Kelsey Ostenaa, Karla Scornavacco, and Terri Wilson. I was very encouraged by their insights and the thoughtfulness of their recommendations. I am impressed with the amount of work that the committee conducted in the 2.5 months that they had to complete the project. I also want to thank everyone who has contributed their voice in the process—this is not one person’s project, but rather our collective process.

For the next steps, I am carefully reviewing recommendations with the leadership team to develop a roadmap and implementation strategy for moving forward. We are also awaiting the report of the organizational study that our partners at C-Shift are working on. On August 21 at the semester-start meeting for all faculty and staff, we will have time to discuss the findings of both reports. To further transparency and equity, this will be the next opportunity for each of us to learn and collaborate on budgeting changes.

I acknowledge change can be challenging as we keep working together to make the operations of our school more sustainable, but I am filled with hope and appreciation for our continued conscientious process.

With gratitude,
Fernando Rosario-Ortiz, Interim Dean

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A message from the Interim Dean: Entering the final phase of the School of Education budget sustainability committee work

Anonymous — Fri, 28 Jun 2024 04:46:34 +0000

A message from the Interim Dean: Entering the final phase of the School of Education budget sustainability committee work Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 06/27/2024 - 22:46

Dear colleagues,

The ad hoc budget sustainability committee has been meeting multiple times per week, and they are working hard on a final report about their findings. I am so grateful for their work and look forward to learning more about their creative recommendations to enhance efficiency, equity and the quality of our school and its mission.

As the committee enters the final phase of their work, I want to send a quick reminder about the timeline.

The committee’s final report is due to me and the leadership team by Monday, July 1, and we will meet as a group with the committee to learn more about their final recommendations.
Later that week, the leadership team will discuss the recommendations and next steps.
I will share the committee’s findings later in July to keep you abreast of what the leadership team are learning and discussing.
In August, we will learn more about recommendations from C-Shift, the agency we are partnering with on the Organizational Diagnostic Study of our staff organization in the school. I will review C Shift’s report in conjunction with the committee’s report to begin rolling out the final set of recommendations during the fall semester.
I expect that the implementation part of the work will start in the fall semester and go through the rest of the academic year.

Thank you again to the committee members for their tremendous work and dedication. I am also grateful for everyone in our community who has offered input throughout the process. Your experience and knowledge have been essential to this initiative, and I look forward to continuing to engage with our broader community as we move toward a more sustainable future for our school.

With gratitude,

Fernando Rosario-Ortiz
Interim Dean

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A message from the budget committee: Budget Sustainability Committee meeting recap about budget deficits and drivers

Anonymous — Wed, 29 May 2024 19:06:16 +0000

A message from the budget committee: Budget Sustainability Committee meeting recap about budget deficits and drivers Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 05/29/2024 - 13:06

The Ad Hoc Budget Committee has been meeting weekly to process information we have received and move towards recommendations. Each week we review ideas submitted through our committee’s web form and suggestions made during office hours. We are also reviewing the slides submitted by each program area and center. The School of Education Leadership Team has provided a wealth of information. We have also learned how the school is organized. We have also learned about the campus and School of Education budget. In particular, the committee has a good understanding of the school’s current budget deficit and some of the drivers of future deficits.

As we move into the upcoming month, we will continue to identify areas that might benefit from reorganization to enhance efficiency, equity, and quality. Please continue to submit ideas via the response form and come to our office hours. There is still time to share your ideas with the team. We value and need your input and we are already including your ideas in our discussions.

Remaining office hours are listed below. You can join us in-person (MBE 144A, the Teacher Education conference room) or online (https://cuboulder.zoom.us/j/91612285110).

Monday, June 3, 9-10 a.m. (Oded Gurantz & Kelsey Ostenaa)
Monday, June 10, 1-2 p.m. (Travis Anderson & Emily Johns-O'Leary)
Monday, June 17, 9-10 a.m. (Kelsey Ostenaa & Valerie Otero)
Monday, June 24, 1-2 p.m. (Emily Johns-O'Leary & Terri Wilson)

If we have questions about slides programs submitted, we may contact you regarding your ideas within the upcoming weeks. Thank you again for your amazing input and we look forward to generating a plan that leads to financial resilience and community enrichment. Please continue to visit the School of Education Budget Sustainability webpagefor links and information.

— The Ad Hoc Budget Committee

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A message from the budget committee: Committee meeting recap about organizational structure

Anonymous — Thu, 16 May 2024 17:24:04 +0000

A message from the budget committee: Committee meeting recap about organizational structure Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 05/16/2024 - 11:24

The ad hoc budget sustainability committee had our third scheduled meeting on Wednesday, May 8. At this meeting, we heard presentations from School of Education staff and faculty about our budget projections for FY25. We also learned more about the organizational structure of our school, with presentations about funding sources, and the number of and reporting structures for staff, faculty and graduate students. The School of Education is a small, but complex, organization. We’re committed to learning more about this complexity and recognizing the varied and important work of so many people in our organization.

In addition to these presentations, we have been gathering additional information on our budget and structure, with assistance from the School of Education Leadership Team. We have also realized that we need more frequent meetings; we anticipate our committee will meet at least weekly in May and June.

We have also appreciated learning from many of you! Thanks to everyone who attended our first two office hours. We hope more of you can drop by—in person or online (see this page for details on upcoming times). We also appreciate the suggestions and questions submitted to our committee webform. Please keep these coming: we need your ideas, feedback and questions!

With appreciation,

The Ad Hoc Budget Sustainability Committee

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A message from the budget committee: Office hours for the Budget Sustainability Committee and Interim Dean

Anonymous — Wed, 01 May 2024 17:07:16 +0000

A message from the budget committee: Office hours for the Budget Sustainability Committee and Interim Dean Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 05/01/2024 - 11:07

The Budget Sustainability Committee will be holding office hours once a week (in pairs) and you can join us in-person (MBE 144A, the Teacher Education conference room) or online (https://cuboulder.zoom.us/j/91612285110). We’ve included both morning and afternoon times on Mondays.

The office hour dates and times, and attending committee members, are listed here:

Monday, May 6, 9-10 a.m. (Oded Gurantz & Roudy Hildreth)
Monday, May 13, 1-2 p.m. (Terri Wilson & Karla Scornavacco)
Monday, May 20, 9-10 a.m. (Travis Anderson & Valerie Otero)
Tuesday, May 28, 1-2 p.m. (Karla Scornavacco & Roudy Hildreth)
Monday, June 3, 9-10 a.m. (Oded Gurantz & Kelsey Ostenaa)
Monday, June 10, 1-2 p.m. (Travis Anderson & Emily Johns-O'Leary)
Monday, June 17, 9-10 a.m. (Kelsey Ostenaa & Valerie Otero)
Monday, June 24, 1-2 p.m. (Emily Johns-O'Leary & Terri Wilson)

We envision these office hours as a space to discuss your ideas, questions, or concerns about the committee, its charge, and its progress. It is important that the committee hears from you. We hope you can drop in!

Additionally, Dean Fernando Rosario-Ortiz will be holding office hours at the following times. Anything you share with Fernando in these office hours will be documented and also shared with the committee.

Thursday, May 2: 10-11 a.m. (in-person, MBE 210)
Monday, May 6: 3-4 p.m. (in-person, MBE 210)
Thursday, May 16: 1-2 p.m. (Zoom: https://cuboulder.zoom.us/j/97484715150)
Thursday, May 23: 1-2 p.m. (in-person, MBE 210)
Thursday, June 6: 10-11 a.m. (Zoom: https://cuboulder.zoom.us/j/94222699916)
Thursday, June 13: 10-11 a.m. (in-person, MBE 210)
Monday, June 17: 3-4 p.m. (Zoom: https://cuboulder.zoom.us/j/91721313918)

We also welcome you to share your ideas or suggestions with any of the committee members informally. If you do so, please also take a minute to share your idea through the committee’s feedback form. This helps to ensure that your ideas are communicated to all committee members. All comments will be kept confidential, though we hope to share general themes that emerge from these suggestions in future communications.

Thank you,
Terri Wilson and the Ad Hoc Budget Sustainability Committee

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A message from the budget committee: What we're learning from the School of Education ad hoc budget sustainability committee

Anonymous — Mon, 29 Apr 2024 23:01:37 +0000

A message from the budget committee: What we're learning from the School of Education ad hoc budget sustainability committee Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 04/29/2024 - 17:01

The ad hoc budget sustainability committee had our first meeting on Friday, April 19 and our second meeting on Wednesday, April 24.

At our first meeting we had a thoughtful discussion about the committee’s charge and how we will work together. I accepted the responsibility of committee chair and look forward to working with committee members to generate practical and thoughtful solutions that center our equity and justice values. The schedule of committee meetings and the updated committee charge are available at the School of Education budget sustainability webpage.

At our second meeting Vice Chancellor for Academic Resource Management, Ann Schmiesing, and Associate Vice Chancellor for Budget and Planning, Mandy Cole, joined us to discuss CU ��«��Ƶ and School of Education budget projections over the next five years. Also, Fernando led us through some details about School of Education budget, including enrollment projections and faculty teaching percentages.

We will be reporting to you through this newsletter at least two times per month on our progress. Starting Monday, May 6 and through June we will be hosting office hours on Mondays, more details to come, so that you can have a space to discuss your ideas, questions, or concerns. It is important that the committee hears from you.

While you are encouraged to attend office hours or share ideas with committee members in other contexts, we ask that your questions, ideas, or suggestions for the committee also be submitted through the web form. This will help to ensure that your ideas are communicated to all the committee members as intended. All comments will be kept confidential, though we hope to share themes that emerge from these suggestions in future communications.

We look forward to working with you and with each other to find ways forward to financial resilience and sustainability. The committee is committed to working carefully and empathetically for the health of the School of Education and our mission.

Valerie Otero
Ad hoc Budget Sustainability Committee Chair
Professor of STEM Education

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A message from the Interim Dean: Announcing the composition of School of Education ad hoc budget committee

Anonymous — Tue, 16 Apr 2024 22:59:27 +0000

A message from the Interim Dean: Announcing the composition of School of Education ad hoc budget committee Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 04/16/2024 - 16:59

As we continue to move through the School of Education’s budget sustainability initiative, it’s my pleasure to provide an update on the composition of the ad hoc budget sustainability committee.

Following the call for nominations, the leadership team and I were very pleased to receive nearly 100 submissions containing nominations and self-nominations and a wide sampling of representation across our community. We are pleased with the final committee composition, and we believe the members are well-positioned to listen, learn, and work together collectively for the benefit of our students, mission, and long-term resiliency.

Here are the committee members, who have all been contacted and have agreed to serve this important role:

Emily Johns O’Leary, PhD student, literacy studies
Karla Scornavacco, director of field experiences
Kelsey Ostenaa, sponsored projects manager
Oded Gurantz, assistant professor, REM
Roudy Hildreth, executive director, CU Engage
Terri Wilson, associate professor, EFPP
Travis Anderson, assistant dean of academic program and planning
Valerie Otero, professor, STEM education

The leadership team and I took several criteria into consideration in selecting members, including:

the individual’s representation across program areas and/or their diversity of service or leadership experiences within the school,
the overall representation and diversity of experiences across the committee composition,
how many times individuals were nominated, and
the individual’s unique insights and qualities as stated in their nominations.

The large pool of nominations was just what we were hoping for, and it made our task challenging — there were many interesting perspectives that came through the nomination process. We thank everyone, who either nominated someone or themselves, for their interest in joining or supporting the committee. We strongly encourage everyone to continue engaging by submitting your questions and ideas through the web form:

Submit Suggestions & Questions

All ideas submitted through the form will be considered by the committee and leadership team. As the committee begins and progresses, you’ll receive updates about what the committee is learning about and leaning into, and the committee timeline is available on the budget sustainability webpage.

We are all committed to thinking and working together throughout this process. I am grateful for your thoughtful nominations, and I thank the committee members, in advance, for their commitment to deeply understanding our school’s mission and our budget while we work creatively and thoughtfully toward potential solutions.

Sincerely,

Fernando Rosario-Ortiz
Interim Dean

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A message from the Interim Dean: Seeking your engagement in the School of Education budget sustainability project

Anonymous — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 16:50:51 +0000

A message from the Interim Dean: Seeking your engagement in the School of Education budget sustainability project Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 04/04/2024 - 10:50

As I shared in a message on March 21, and detailed on our new budget sustainability webpage, our School of Education is engaging in a budget sustainability project for the short and long term resiliency of our school.

The budget sustainability project will take place now through the end of the fiscal year, and it aims to provide transparency and multiple points of engagement for faculty, staff, and students throughout the process.

As such, the call for nominations or self-nominations for members of the Budget Sustainability Ad Hoc Committee are now open until 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 10. Please consider nominating a peer or yourself:

Submit Committee Nomination

You can read more about the committee composition, timeline, and draft charge on the School of Education’s budget sustainability webpage. We will announce the committee member selections on or around April 16.

In the meantime and throughout this process, we welcome suggestions and questions. We have launched a web form for questions and ideas that will be reviewed and considered by the committee:

Submit Suggestions & Questions

I am committed to thinking and working together while upholding our vital research, teaching, and public mission. I welcome opportunities to support you and learn from you, as holding care for one another is vital to this process and our future.

Thank you for your partnership and positivity, and for all you bring to our School of Education.

Sincerely,

Fernando Rosario-Ortiz
Interim Dean

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A message from the Interim Dean: School of Education budget sustainability conversations to begin in April

Anonymous — Thu, 21 Mar 2024 22:44:09 +0000

A message from the Interim Dean: School of Education budget sustainability conversations to begin in April Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 03/21/2024 - 16:44

Dear colleagues,

Like other universities nationwide, the CU ��«��Ƶ campus is embarking on a transformation and financial resiliency initiative to proactively address projections that expenses will exceed revenues in FY27. Our School of Education is simultaneously facing a pivotal juncture for the sustainability of our budget that requires us to think collectively and collaboratively about ways to address our shortfalls in the near term.

Beginning in April through the end of the fiscal year, our school will engage in a budget sustainability project that aims to provide budget resiliency through transparency and multiple points of engagement for faculty, staff, and students. We will form an ad hoc committee that will regularly engage with students, staff, and faculty and advise the leadership team and dean. Stay tuned for details to follow in the April 3 and April 4 faculty and staff meetings and an open forum for students on April 5 at noon.

We recognize that conversations about decision-making, structure, and budget sustainability can be challenging. We ask for your patience, positivity, and confidence in our good will and positive intent as we work through this process together.

Our vibrant School of Education community and our equity and justice commitments are critical parts of CU ��«��Ƶ’s mission and service to the state and nation — those truths have not and will not waver. We are committed to thinking and working together, remaining student- and people-centric, and upholding our vital research, teaching, and public mission.

Please stay tuned and take heart. You and your work are important to me, and we see and appreciate each of you. I look forward to moving through this process together and learning from you.

Sincerely,
Fernando Rosario-Ortiz
Interim Dean

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