EDDD

EDDD:8104 Managing Resources in Higher Education Week 1 Discussion

As a leader in higher education, the financial decisions you make are as likely to be shaped by priorities and resource trends in your institution as the economic situation of the institution’s community constituencies both on and off campus. In this module, you will look at the complexity of trends that impact institutions of higher education, including funding at the state and national level in public and private universities. This week, you will examine trends that impact enrollment, tuition, and fee levels, and funding sources of different institutional types. You will also begin to explore how financial and human resources are managed at your own campus or an affiliated campus of your choosing.

Institutions of higher education face many challenges in identifying and securing funding to support the educational goals of the university or college. The implications of emerging financial realities and trends are a concern for many higher education leaders in terms of the ability of the institution to sustain higher education access, affordability, and quality. The Learning Resources in this module provide insights on financial-related trends in higher education in the United States, including such trends as enrollment, state funding, and tuition costs. Higher education administrators must be aware of these trends to make effective decisions on how to manage their institutions’ resources in times of rapid change.

Review the Learning Resources for an overview of recent funding trends in private and public two-year and four-year colleges and universities, including nonprofit and for-profit institutions. Be sure to note similarities and differences in higher education institutional finance by institutional type. Also note the variations that may occur given the institutions’ location in a particular state or region.

In your initial Discussion post, identify which funding trend(s) in private and public colleges or universities has had, from your point of view, the most impact on higher education from the standpoint of institutional stability. Provide evidence from your experience, readings, and research.

Based on these resources, explain what you think institutional leaders should worry about most regarding institutional finance.

Resource

Barr, M. J., & McClellan, G. S. (2018). Budgets and financial management in higher education (3rd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.