Possible Best Practices Initiatives (from May 2003)

Cost Containment and Savings Strategies

1.  Clear Budget Prioritization

• Justification of all hires: (a) priority on revenue generators; (b) freeze on all  non‑critically‑essential non‑revenue generators
• Freeze all new programs.
• Freeze all non‑critically‑essential travel.
• Freeze all non‑critically‑essential equipment.
• Freeze all non‑critically‑essential promotions.
• Freeze part-time salaries.
• Eliminate all summer classes not required as a part of a curriculum.  Reduce summer staffing to levels needed to support the reduced course offerings. [Modified through use of self-supporting courses.]

2.  Reorganization and Consolidation

• Explore reducing the number of service areas from 6 to a lower number.  Consolidate areas in such a way to maximize efficiency and effectiveness and to balance administrative load.  Use social network analysis to inform reorganization decisions.
• Encourage service areas, divisions, and departments to explore how reorganization, consolidation, and reassignment could increase efficiency and effectiveness and balance administrative load.
• Establish clear and fair criteria for reviewing programs and then systematically evaluate all programs and recommend one of the following actions: enhance, maintain, maintain with conditions, consolidate, reduce, place on probation, and review for termination.

3.  Partnering and Sharing Resources with Others

• Explore savings possible from collaborating with nearby sister community colleges to offer some expensive programs.

4.  Renegotiation of External Contracts

• Explore renegotiation of all utilities contracts.
• Determine which contracted services are cheaper completed in‑house and renegotiate all others.
• Hold graduation ceremonies on campus in existing facilities.  [Considered]

5.  Utilization of Technology and Innovations

• Electronic grade submission
• Use electronic media to realize real reductions in paper and other supplies use and speed workflow.  For example, eliminate student grade mailings, printouts of advising information.
• Implement a document handling system that allows print jobs to be sent electronically from the workstation to the print shop for review and printing.  The system should also automatically gather data on the volume of printing.
• Create online forms (similar to the online PIR) and surveys to eliminate the need for many forms and to speed data collection, analysis, and dissemination.
• Move from current telephone system to Voice‑over‑IP or Voice‑over‑Wi‑Fi.
• Explore alternative energy sources for heating and cooling needs.
• Merge several databases created and maintained by different areas into a master database accessible to those who need to use more efficiently.
• Lease copiers capable of printing on 2 sides of the same piece of paper.
• Put electronic gates on parking lots and require the use of ID cards for entry.  Put a gatehouse at the main entrance to help and direct visitors.  This will help for security issues, but it also will give a true picture of parking needs.
• Replace Windows with Linux in many of the labs.

6.  Revising Current Practices

• Communicate detailed budget information to all employees to engage them as full partners in the cost containment and revenue generation process.
• Encourage departments to explore the value of raising course capacities (caps).
• Encourage departments to explore the value of raising teaching loads.
• Budget supplies by department.
• Provide incentives (not to exceed the savings) for those areas that take significant steps to contain costs.
• Re-align curriculum outlines so that more programs require the same courses during a particular semester.  For example, all programs that require MAT 121 might schedule it during the Fall Semester.
• Re-align curriculum outlines so that fewer courses are required during the Summer Term.
• Make the 9-month contract option more attractive to more faculty.
• Lower graduation requirements from the maximum to a lower allowable figure.  Many programs require 76 credit hours (the max) to graduate, but they may be able to cut the requirement to 73 or 70 credit hours.
• Explore offering early retirement incentives to those who qualify.
• Explore reductions possible in book, periodical, and other library and learning resources.
• Market programs with low enrollment to undecided students.
• Determine savings possible from going to a 4-day week for courses, faculty, staff, and administration during summer terms.  Consider extent of reductions in proportion to reduction in level of course offerings.

Revenue Generation

1.  Aggressive Pursuit of Alternative Sources of Funding

• Raise fees currently charged.  For example, raise parking fee.
• Levy fees for programs requiring high supplies expense.
• Reassign some current employees to grants development and foundation areas. [Modified]
• Explore selling Wake Tech merchandise or its licensing.
• Sell naming rights to buildings on existing campuses; if not for current buildings, make it a priority for future buildings and campuses.

2.  Securing Alternative Governmental Revenue Streams