.Publication of Florida Community College at u t l 0 O 1{ July/August 1992 Vol. 8, No. 5 Jacksonville Fall convocation kicks off the 1992 academic year August 24th may be a dreaded day to FCC] students who View it as their last day of “freedom.” FCC] administrators, faculty and staff, on the other hand, see it as a welcomed event. The College’s annual convocation, being held Monday, Aug. 24 on South Campus, is an opportunity for employees to renew friendships, catch up on summer activities and discuss plans for the upcoming academic year. “Though convocation was originally intended for faculty members, it has become, at Dr. Spence’s suggestion, a chance for the entire College to get to; gether,” said Bill Martin, associate vice president of instructional planning and development and convocation chairman. “Everyone seems to enjoy the opportunity to meet with colleagues from other campuses and to prepare for the new academic year.” President Charles Spence also welcomes the chance to address FCC] employees en masse. This year’s topics will include Pathway 2000, the College’s Futures Planning Process; the upcoming self~study portion of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools revaccreditation; and the General Education Review’s assessment of FCCJ’s general education requirements, according to Martin. In addition, the convocation program will include recognition of outstanding faculty members, Career Employees Council leadership and excellence winners, and 20 and 25 year employees. Exhibits featuring College programs and departments will also be on display throughout the day. After; noon division meetings will follow lunch in the South Campus courtyard. “This year’s convocation will have something for everyone,” Martin said. “And I encourage all faculty and staff to attend.” flee 766% m we (waited ta 1992 FALL CON VOCATION MONDAY, AUG. 24 8 a.m. South Campus 2WW4. Wmmwm. INSIDE Qeenmg of t. "'éampu‘ses gets derw y. . . Recent budget decision should improve financial foreCast for this year To FCC] staff and students, it was like an annual visit to the dentist—a combination of angst, pessimism and downright fear. But, unlike many dental appointments, this year’s legislative session and budget announcement turned out better than expected. “The community college system, as a whole, fared well in terms of funding. But FCC], as an institution, fared even better,” said Executive Vice President Ed Napier. “Even though we were cut $1.8 million in this last budget, we are in good shape for two reasons. First, we were prepared, and secondly, we will earn additional funds by raising tuition.” Making preparations for a bare bones budget began as early as two years ago when College staff banded together to save money. “There’s no question what our financial situation was and what it could become, so we started preparing long before the budget cuts even started happening,” Napier said. Throughout 1991, employees cut travel, reduced supply expenditures, conserved electricity and doubled up on workloads. Even something as seemingly inconsequen» tial as double—sided duplicating allowed the College to decrease spending and, as a result, add to its “rainy day" fund balance. “Everybody had apart in it. We all cut back, and in the process, the College saved money,” Napier said. “Making these kinds of basic cuts, we were in good shape going into [the legislative session].” FCC]’s financial picture was also bright~ ened with the state legislature’s decision to allow community colleges to increase tuition and fees. Though the legislature approved a tuition increase up to 15 percent of the state average ($26.74 plus fees per credit hour), College administration chose to limit FCC]’s increase to 10 percent or $33 per credit hour (including fees). “Originally, we anticipated that the legislature would approve a tuition increase up to 10 percent, and that is the number that we discussed with our student body. If we turned around and raised it 15 percent, we wouldn’t be supporting our students,” Napier said. “We need to develop and maintain a relationship of trust and faith with our students; that’s part of the educa’ tional process.” The main reason for limiting the tuition increase, however, was to maintain open access, Napier said. “A lot of our students live on part—time incomes, taking one or two classes to upgrade job skills or get back into the job stream. Unable to get financial aid, any increase—even nine dollars—is a burden to them. Whenever you increase tuition, you are limiting access to the most needy students,” he added. “We can’t deny access, that is the bottom line. Anyone who doesn’t understand that doesn’t understand the mission of this institution.” With the additional $1.3 million generated from increased tuition, College administration plans to, among other things, create new faculty positions; equip and staff the Urban Resource Center; hire employees in a number of departments and add new programs. But perhaps the area most employees are optimistic about is the possibility of raises. “At all times we endeavor to keep our “There’s no question what our financial situation was...so we started preparing long employees as well paid as possible, Napier before the budget said. Hopefully, we’re going to be able to cuts even started give our employees raises better or, at least, h ,, equal to last year. appening. While Napier admitted that, from a —Ed Napier financial standpoint, this academic year was going to be a better one, he advised employees that anything could happen. “Three of the last four years we thought the budget was ‘all set.’ Then they cut the budget,” he said. “We need to remain cautious and conservative in our spending.” ]ust like the dentist says, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. , OCR Text: .Publication of Florida Community College at u t l 0 O 1{ July/August 1992 Vol. 8, No. 5 Jacksonville Fall convocation kicks off the 1992 academic year August 24th may be a dreaded day to FCC] students who View it as their last day of “freedom.” FCC] administrators, faculty and staff, on the other hand, see it as a welcomed event. The College’s annual convocation, being held Monday, Aug. 24 on South Campus, is an opportunity for employees to renew friendships, catch up on summer activities and discuss plans for the upcoming academic year. “Though convocation was originally intended for faculty members, it has become, at Dr. Spence’s suggestion, a chance for the entire College to get to; gether,” said Bill Martin, associate vice president of instructional planning and development and convocation chairman. “Everyone seems to enjoy the opportunity to meet with colleagues from other campuses and to prepare for the new academic year.” President Charles Spence also welcomes the chance to address FCC] employees en masse. This year’s topics will include Pathway 2000, the College’s Futures Planning Process; the upcoming self~study portion of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools revaccreditation; and the General Education Review’s assessment of FCCJ’s general education requirements, according to Martin. In addition, the convocation program will include recognition of outstanding faculty members, Career Employees Council leadership and excellence winners, and 20 and 25 year employees. Exhibits featuring College programs and departments will also be on display throughout the day. After; noon division meetings will follow lunch in the South Campus courtyard. “This year’s convocation will have something for everyone,” Martin said. “And I encourage all faculty and staff to attend.” flee 766% m we (waited ta 1992 FALL CON VOCATION MONDAY, AUG. 24 8 a.m. South Campus 2WW4. Wmmwm. INSIDE Qeenmg of t. "'éampu‘ses gets derw y. . . Recent budget decision should improve financial foreCast for this year To FCC] staff and students, it was like an annual visit to the dentist—a combination of angst, pessimism and downright fear. But, unlike many dental appointments, this year’s legislative session and budget announcement turned out better than expected. “The community college system, as a whole, fared well in terms of funding. But FCC], as an institution, fared even better,” said Executive Vice President Ed Napier. “Even though we were cut $1.8 million in this last budget, we are in good shape for two reasons. First, we were prepared, and secondly, we will earn additional funds by raising tuition.” Making preparations for a bare bones budget began as early as two years ago when College staff banded together to save money. “There’s no question what our financial situation was and what it could become, so we started preparing long before the budget cuts even started happening,” Napier said. Throughout 1991, employees cut travel, reduced supply expenditures, conserved electricity and doubled up on workloads. Even something as seemingly inconsequen» tial as double—sided duplicating allowed the College to decrease spending and, as a result, add to its “rainy day" fund balance. “Everybody had apart in it. We all cut back, and in the process, the College saved money,” Napier said. “Making these kinds of basic cuts, we were in good shape going into [the legislative session].” FCC]’s financial picture was also bright~ ened with the state legislature’s decision to allow community colleges to increase tuition and fees. Though the legislature approved a tuition increase up to 15 percent of the state average ($26.74 plus fees per credit hour), College administration chose to limit FCC]’s increase to 10 percent or $33 per credit hour (including fees). “Originally, we anticipated that the legislature would approve a tuition increase up to 10 percent, and that is the number that we discussed with our student body. If we turned around and raised it 15 percent, we wouldn’t be supporting our students,” Napier said. “We need to develop and maintain a relationship of trust and faith with our students; that’s part of the educa’ tional process.” The main reason for limiting the tuition increase, however, was to maintain open access, Napier said. “A lot of our students live on part—time incomes, taking one or two classes to upgrade job skills or get back into the job stream. Unable to get financial aid, any increase—even nine dollars—is a burden to them. Whenever you increase tuition, you are limiting access to the most needy students,” he added. “We can’t deny access, that is the bottom line. Anyone who doesn’t understand that doesn’t understand the mission of this institution.” With the additional $1.3 million generated from increased tuition, College administration plans to, among other things, create new faculty positions; equip and staff the Urban Resource Center; hire employees in a number of departments and add new programs. But perhaps the area most employees are optimistic about is the possibility of raises. “At all times we endeavor to keep our “There’s no question what our financial situation was...so we started preparing long employees as well paid as possible, Napier before the budget said. Hopefully, we’re going to be able to cuts even started give our employees raises better or, at least, h ,, equal to last year. appening. While Napier admitted that, from a —Ed Napier financial standpoint, this academic year was going to be a better one, he advised employees that anything could happen. “Three of the last four years we thought the budget was ‘all set.’ Then they cut the budget,” he said. “We need to remain cautious and conservative in our spending.” ]ust like the dentist says, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. , Z ArchiveInABox,JAX,Outlook Newsletter,Outlook Newsletter 08-09,July - August 1992,P01 (2).tif, P01 (2).tif