Office of the Chancellor > Campus Stragetic Planning > The Quality for Colorado: 2003-04 Progress Report

Quality for Colorado: 2003-04 Progress Report

In 2003, the University of Colorado at Boulder joined in a unique partnership with the State of Colorado, students, and their parents. The Quality for Colorado initiative called for special tuition increases phased in over four years—with revenues invested in improved quality at the flagship campus.

Phase I of the initiative was approved in July 2003 by the Colorado Commission on Higher Education, the Legislature, and the Governor’s Office, resulting in new revenues totaling about $5.7 million. The new funds already are making a difference—from innovative learning opportunities to increased financial aid to faculty recruitment initiatives.

The plan also called for stabilizing enrollment growth and improving the academic preparation of entering undergraduates. In its first year, CU-Boulder followed through on its commitments in both areas. The entering freshman class was reduced in size and new students’ credentials have never been better.

INVESTMENTS AT A GLANCE
The Boulder campus is proud to report the following early results from the first phase of Quality for Colorado. In summary, revenues from the program were allocated to:

FINANCIAL AID
Through Quality for Colorado, over $1.7 million in new funds was directed toward need-based and merit aid for the 2003-04 academic year. Of that amount, about $310,000 was used to offset the tuition rate increase for those with demonstrated need.

An additional $750,000 went to a new program of need-based aid for resident undergraduates, $100,000 to merit aid for resident undergraduate transfer students, and almost $550,000 was used to supplement existing scholarship funds affected by state budget reductions.

These investments included:

• CU Buff Grant ($750,000): Awarded to 316 students whose average family income was $20,264. Amounts varied between $500 and $4,050 and were part of the students’ overall financial aid package.
• CU Buff Transfer Scholarship ($100,000): Awarded to 100 transfer students with a GPA of 3.7 or higher. Each received a $1,000 scholarship.
• Scholarship supplemental fund ($548,000): Awarded to Colorado resident students with a 3.0 or higher GPA who also received one of several existing scholarships.

UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION
More than $1.1 million in Quality for Colorado revenues was allocated to programs that enrich the undergraduate learning experience. Most of these investments were intended to be multi-year enhancements to undergraduate education programs, assuming Quality for Colorado would continue to be supported by the University and CCHE. Examples include:

• Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) ($175,000): Awarded to 233 undergraduates to support their participa- tion in research with outstanding faculty.
• Norlin Scholars ($125,000): Funding for 62 scholarships awarded to academically outstanding students.
• Writing Program ($350,000): Funding for first-year implementation of writing program and center (first of three-year investment needed for full implementation).
• Arts and Sciences Advising ($320,000): Funding for seven additional academic advisors (first of three-year investment).
• ART Residential Academic Program ($30,000): Funding for implementation of a new RAP focused on the arts (first of three- year investment needed for full implementation).
• Journalism Academic Advising ($50,000): Funding for hiring an additional academic advisor in journalism to address the growing student demand in this field of study.
• Academic initiatives ($75,000): Funding for such initiatives as increased honors classes and other programs within the Undergraduate Academy, a supportive intellectual community for students seeking academic excellence.

TARGETED ACADEMIC PROGRAMS AND FACULTY SUPPORT
Quality for Colorado calls for targeted investments in a select number of core academic areas, areas of existing strength, and emerging areas of excellence. The plan emphasizes the importance of investing in the recruitment and retention of outstanding faculty, particularly in the targeted academic programs. Investments included:

• Targeted new faculty lines and start-up support ($1.76 million): Created new faculty positions and support to enhance high-quality core disciplines, distinctive areas of excellence and emerging areas of excellence. For example:
  • two faculty positions were funded from Quality for Colorado this year in the emerging area of chemical/biotechnology, along with three positions from the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Engineering and Applied Science. This initiative involves 20 faculty members on the Boulder campus.
  • One faculty position also was allocated to the micro/nano technology initiative, an emerging area of excellence. This position was matched by two positions that were reallocated by the engineering college and the department of mechanical engineering. In addition, this initiative received $600,000 from the federal government for equipment. The campus matched the federal grant with $400,000 from Quality for Colorado funds.
  • In the distinctive area of space sciences, the campus committed a new faculty position to complement new National Science Foundation funding. The NSF grant will pay the salary of the faculty member for five years, with the campus picking up the salary thereafter.
  • In the core area of chemistry/biochemistry, the campus funded a senior-level position with the department funding a second senior-level position to offset the loss of a senior faculty member to another university. These two senior-level positions will ensure that chemistry/ biochemistry will remain one of the top departments in the country.
  • The College of Music has built one of the premier opera programs in the country. To maintain the opera program’s national stature, the campus allocated a new faculty position to the program.
• Targeted faculty merit compensation ($1.12 million): Invested in a faculty salary pool for merit pay increases to the top 25 percent of the faculty, based on annual or career merit factors. In addition, the campus was able to retain top faculty in key departments, who had offers from other prestigious universities.

ADMISSIONS AND ENROLLMENT STRATEGIES
Quality for Colorado emphasizes the value of managing enrollment growth to help enhance the overall quality of the learning experience. The plan called for stabilizing the size of incoming freshman classes, improving academic preparation of entering freshmen, guaranteeing admission to eligible Colorado high school students graduating in the top 10 percent of their classes, and increasing the number of transfer and graduate students.

In the plan’s first year, the campus took the following steps:

Freshman Class

• The fall 2003 freshman class totaled 5,571 students. Virtually all of these students were admitted prior to the approval of Quality for Colorado.
• For fall 2004, the first class impacted by Quality for Colorado enrollment strategies, the campus reduced the freshman class to approximately 5,150 students.

Admissions Plan

• CU-Boulder has begun limiting the use of the admissions “window” by which the state allows admission of a certain number of students with lower test scores and grade- point averages, but who possess other desirable qualifications.
• The Boulder campus’s goal is to reduce the use of the window from the previously allowable 20 percent to between 10 and 13 percent within five years. The campus already is approaching that goal.
• Among students admitted for fall 2003 and fall 2004, less than 14 percent were admitted within the window.

Admissions Guarantee

• CU-Boulder has committed to guaranteeing admission to eligible Colorado high school seniors graduating in the top 10 percent of their class. In fall 2004, for example, the campus offered admission to nearly 2,000 Colorado high school seniors in the top 10 percent of their class. Nearly 800 of those seniors enrolled at CU-Boulder. The campus will continue its ongoing admissions guarantee to students who meet high school curricular standards. The guarantee is published at http://www.colorado.edu/prospective/ freshman/requirements/guarantee.html.

Transfer Student Enrollment

• The total Colorado transfer student enrollment increased about 2 percent from fall 2002 to fall 2003, including a 14 percent increase in students from Colorado public community colleges.
• The number of Colorado transfers has been stable over the past three years.

Graduate Student Enrollment

• A campus-wide committee has been named to explore measures for further increasing graduate enrollment.
• Graduate enrollment increased in fall 2003 by 2.5 percent, before Quality for Colorado was approved. • For fall 2004, graduate enrollment is projected to stabilize at the current level.

QUALITY FOR COLORADO: The Next Steps
The Boulder campus remains committed to the priorities of Quality for Colorado, even in the face of significant funding challenges. In 2004, the Colorado Commission on Higher Education chose not to approve the second year of the tuition funding plan for Quality for Colorado. The Boulder campus will continue to pursue the academic priorities of Quality for Colorado, as resources allow.

As in the past year, CU-Boulder intends to focus its available resources on academic initiatives that enhance the learning environment while bolstering the campus’s competitive position among its peers nationwide. The Boulder campus plans to support access by dedicating resources to financial aid—and the campus remains committed to recruiting and retaining outstanding faculty.

To be successful in reaching those goals, CU-Boulder seeks to diversify and enhance its overall resource base, in keeping with the Quality for Colorado initiative. The university will continue to seek support for the plan from its many partners, including CCHE and state officials, students and their parents, potential donors, and Colorado citizens.

CU-Boulder is dedicated to Quality for Colorado because, in the end, the State of Colorado benefits from having a high-quality flagship university. It educates future leaders and citizens; it advances new knowledge; and it enriches the state’s economy. Indeed, with support from Quality for Colorado partners, CU-Boulder can help shape the future of Colorado.