University Relations and Alumni Affairs - Institutional Support
Institutions of higher education encompass large university systems, independent colleges and universities and community colleges. The Texas School Performance Review recognizes that there are vast differences in the cultures and hierarchies of the different types of institutions that will be reviewed. Specific questions in this audit protocol may be more pertinent to some types of institutions than to others and are designed as a guide for the consultants. Regardless of type, higher education institutions benefit from being responsive to the needs of stakeholders, including students, parents, alumni, businesses, other political subdivisions and special interest groups. Stakeholders are more likely to respond appropriately to the institution's needs and concerns if they are well informed about issues facing the institution. For this reason, institutions need mechanisms to disseminate information and to gather feedback from the public. In turn, higher education institutions need to provide public service to the community. The areas reviewed in the section include:
Part 1
9.A. Community and Alumni Involvement
9.B. Public and Media RelationsPart 2
9.C. Public Service
9.D. Governmental Relations
9.E. Review and Evaluation of Contracting ProcessPART 2
9.C. Public Service
The 1987 Texas Charter for Public Education states that "Public service is a significant function of higher education. Colleges and universities enrich the State's quality of life by providing public access to libraries and cultural events. Local communities are afforded direct assistance from the agricultural and engineering extension services and academic health care centers. Most importantly, institutions of higher education shall serve both the private and public sectors as an independent source of information for policy decisions, resource allocations, management options and regulatory issues."
Data Needs
- Institutional publications (internal and external) pertaining to continuing education or other public service activities of the institution.
- Reports to and from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) regarding continuing education and any other public service programs.
- Examples of media releases that promote or publicize the availability of programs to the public.
- Lists of any committees or groups that support public service initiatives.
- Organizational charts of public services components of the institution. This includes, but is not limited to, the department of Continuing Education.
- Pertinent internal audit reports.
Possible People to Interview
System staff with assigned responsibility
President or vice president with assigned responsibility
Staff as assigned
Committees or organizations that support public service initiatives
Internal auditor9.C.a Continuing Education Programs
Activity to Perform
9.C.a.1. Obtain a copy of the catalog of continuing education course descriptions and note whether the catalog contains: specifics for each course, minimum and maximum contact hours, semester credit hours (SCH) and/or continuing education units (CEU) and minimum learning outcomes. 9.C.a.2. Describe the continuing education program at this institution, including the procedures used to evaluate program effectiveness. 9.C.a.3. Diagram the registration process for continuing education courses. 9.C.a.4. Diagram the organizational structure of the continuing education services provided by the institution. 9.C.a.5. Review the budget and funding for Continuing Education services. Questions to Ask
Has the institution complied with all state laws, rules and regulations in offering continuing education courses? Have all forms been submitted and approved by the THECB prior to the offering of continuing education courses? What is the process used by the institution to obtain approval for continuing education courses and is it efficient and effective?
How long does it take to create a new continuing education course from the time a potential course is identified until it can be offered? What is the process used to identify and create new courses? So as to assure quality control, are all Continuing Education courses offered through a centralized office?
Are publications and catalogs regarding continuing education clear and understandable? Is the registration process as painless as possible?
Is the tuition cost for the courses commensurate with the actual costs incurred by the institution? How are costs in excess of tuition absorbed by the institution?
9.C.b. Relevance and Impact of Public Service Programs to State and Local Communities
Activities to Perform
9.C.b.1. Prepare a list of all public service programs and opportunities provided by the institution describing: the program, the area of the institution responsible for oversight, the target audience (state and local), number of participants (in whatever increments the institution tracks this information), annual budget by program and whether a formal feedback mechanism exists. 9.C.b.2. Prepare a list of the employees, committees, local leaders, civic groups or other external organizations that assist in the creation or dissolution of public service activities of the institution. For each identified entity describe their role and responsibility in the decision-making process. 9.C.b.3. Examine the program evaluation process used by the institution to ascertain the impact of the institution's public service activities on the community. Where possible, using their own evaluation criteria, rank the effectiveness of each of the public service activities. 9.C.b.4. Prepare a diagram of how and by whom decisions are made to provide specific public service programs. Questions to Ask
Does the institution have a specific budget for public service? Are specific staff assigned public service responsibilities?
How does the institution envision new public service activities? Does the public have sufficient input into the process to ensure the relevance of the programs to the needs of the community? When needs are identified by the community, how does the institution respond? Are there formal and/or informal mechanisms to allow and encourage the public to give suggestions?
Does the board view public service as a significant activity for the institution? How does the board demonstrate its support for public service activities? How is the board involved in the assimilation and implementation of ideas for new public service activities? Does the board budget appropriate dollars to public service activities?
How does the institution track participation in or use of public service programs? How does the institution evaluate the impact of the programs on the community? Are there formal feedback mechanisms in place to evaluate the programs?
Do plans exist to show the goals and objectives of each public service activity? Are expected results clearly documented and regularly compared against actual results? When results fall short of expectations, how are programs modified to ensure improved performance? Is there a single individual or organization within the institution responsible for the success of each public service program or activity?
How does the institution encourage information sharing among public and private entities? Do employees know and understand that information sharing is part of public service? Is every employee of the institution encouraged to adopt a customer service orientation?
9.C.c. Museums and Art Galleries
Activities to Perform
9.C.c.1. Prepare a list of all museums and art galleries owned or operated by the institution, note the college or colleges within the institution that are responsible for its operation, the school or schools that make use of the museum or gallery, hours of operation, entrance or other fees if applicable, number of visitors per year, staffing by level for each, operating budget for each and the source of funds for each (i.e., foundations, grants, state or local funds, etc.) Also, note whether the items housed in the museums and galleries are the property of the institution (vs. held in trust for other owners). Questions to Ask
How are volunteers used to supplement the paid staff in these facilities? How is volunteerism encouraged? How are alumni and parent organizations made aware of volunteer opportunities?
How is student labor used to supplement permanent staff? Are the staffing levels appropriate for the size and length of daily operation? Are salaries commensurate with the type of work performed?
What kind of security exists to protect the assets of the museum or gallery? Is insurance sufficient to cover the loss if a catastrophic event should occur?
How are donations received? How are donations solicited? How are donated items recorded on the institution's books? Are collections regularly inventoried? Are inventories reconciled timely to the general ledger? How are losses reported to the insurance carriers? To local law enforcement?
How are loaned collections received and displayed to insure that the rights of the owner and the institution are protected? Do institutional attorneys review the terms and conditions of the contracts for the loaned items before the institution accepts the items? Have problems been encountered in the accepting of loaned items and if so, how could those problems have been avoided? Who is responsible for determining the value of donated items and documenting that value to both the donor and the institution?
How does the institution publicize the availability of museums or galleries to the public? To students? To alumni?
How does the existence of the museum or gallery contribute to educational excellence? How do instructors incorporate the contents of the museum or gallery into applicable course offerings? Are these facilities used for research? Administratively, is the museum or gallery overseen by the most appropriate school or department?
How are entrance fees determined? Are tours or instructional materials available for visitors?
If the museum or gallery is run by an external entity, what protections or assurances are provided by the vendor to the institution? Who has contract oversight? Are the roles and responsibilities of the vendor and the institution clearly defined? When is the contract up for renewal? How often does the institution rebid the contract?
Is a review performed periodically, to evaluate the operating costs for museums and art galleries in relation to the services provided?
9.D. Governmental Relations
Public colleges and universities are greatly dependent upon program and operational funds from all levels of government, with significant funding coming through state appropriations. Research institutions receive considerable funding for specific sources including federal sources. In this environment, state and federal governmental relations is critical to the maintenance and enhancement of funding levels.
Data Needs
- Organization chart and staffing of the governmental relations program
- Budget for governmental relations for the last five years
- Written legislative agendas (state and federal)
- Reports showing results of legislative requests
Possible People to Interview
System staff with assigned responsibility
President or vice president with assigned responsibility
Governmental Liaison
Legislative staff, as appropriate
Legislative Budget Board staff, as appropriateActivity to Perform
9.D.1. Compare legislative budget and other substantive requests Legislative Appropriations Request (LAR) and special requests against actual outcomes/results for the last five sessions. Determine how successful efforts were at both the state and federal levels. 9.D.2. Prepare organizational chart of the governmental relations function and show the reporting relationship with the board and key administration. 9.D.3. Compare the governmental relations budget and organization structure to selected peer institutions and note variances. Questions to Ask
How is the governmental relations function organized? Are state and federal relations handled by the same person? What role does the Chancellor/President play in the process? What role does the board play in advancing the institution's legislative agenda? Is there a separate committee of the board to address legislative relations? Have there been any instances where relations between the institution and the state or federal government have been strained? If so, what caused the strain and what has been done since to reduce or eliminate such occurrences? Has this improved relations?
Is any part of the function contracted out? If so, refer to the contracting guidelines for further instruction.
Who has access to the legislature? Is the number of people with access appropriate for an institution of this size? How does the institution ensure that individuals do not act outside of their authority when dealing with the legislature?
How does the institution ensure that legislative requests or requests from other statewide elected officials are handled expeditiously? Are all legislative requests or requests from elected officials channeled through the governmental relations area? If not, how is this office kept informed about such requests?
What is the background and experience of staff? What performance expectations exist for the governmental relations unit? How are those expectations communicated? How is success evaluated? How are individual staff evaluated?
9.E Review and Evaluation of Contracting Process
University Relations and Alumni Affairs could all or in part be purchased or contracted for through private companies or interlocal agreements with neighboring institutions or other governmental entities. It is important to regularly evaluate whether there are goods or services that can be obtained from the private sector at a lower cost, higher quality or both. It is equally important to continually evaluate existing contracts to determine if the institution is getting the best value possible through the contracting arrangement. This evaluation process is discussed in great detail in the Purchasing Chapter.