Browsing by Author "Lacey, Vincent A."

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    A comprehensive analysis of community college funding mixes by state, size, and setting: 2003-2004 to 2013-2014
    (University of Alabama Libraries, 2017) Koh, Jonathan P.; Katsinas, Stephen G.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
    The ever-changing landscape of community college finance maintains the need for consistent and continuous research to develop best practices. Policy analysis can inform best practices. The need to constantly improve our knowledge base to inform policy and ensure efficient use of tax payer dollars always exists. Recent community college finance literature analyzes public two-year colleges in their entirety, but national averages mask stark differences in mission, function, and funding – especially local funding – that exist across the 50 states, leaving a large gap in this research. These differences – well known to community college policymakers and community college scholars, have been magnified due to steep declines in state funding over the recent years. Yet they are not well known by sociologists, economists and political scientists focusing on STEM, healthcare, workforce, or college completion issues. The purpose of this study is to build a reliable data base of revenue across all 50 state systems of community colleges that accurately illustrates state funding flows from 2003-04 to 2013-14. In addition to the need for a consistent categorical analysis of state funding mixtures for community colleges, the ability to analyze geographical differences in relation to the categorical funding mixes at these critically important institutions creates an opportunity for researchers and policy analysts alike to compare similar colleges on a case-by-case basis. Over the course of three articles, public community college revenue streams and enrollment are analyzed in a comprehensive manner that accounts for state funding differences, institutional size, and institutional setting. The first article uncovers the differences and similarities in the varying funding streams that exist for community colleges over time. The second article offers a student perspective of funding for unmet financial need to access community college education, taking into account the legislative funding differences across the 50 states and across the different institutions by size and geographic setting. Article three considers tax capacity and effort exerted by each state in 2013-14. Through all of these articles, this study takes a close look into the differences and inequalities experienced across the different states and is intended for reference by policy makers looking to investigate best practices.
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    The Economic & Social Impacts of Alabama Public Higher Education
    Katsinas, Stephen G.; Koh, Jonathan P.; Murphy, David S.; Lacey, Vincent A.; Fincher, Mark E.; DeMonBrun, R. Matthew; Bray, Nathaniel J.; Breaux, Arleene P.; Malley, Michael S. Jr.; Adair, J. Lucas; Shedd, Louis E.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
    The Education Policy Center at the University of Alabama has completed an objective analysis to determine whether there is a quantifiable relationship between the funding of Alabama’s universities and the per capita income of Alabama’s citizens. The study revealed a statistically signifcant relationship. Alabama’s state-wide per capita income rises in direct proportion to Alabama’s funding of its public higher education institutions. Alabama gains a quantifiable return on its investment in higher education. Simply put, the more Alabama spends on universities, the better off Alabamians will be.
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    A pilot test of a 21st century mission-driven classification system for higher education institutions
    (University of Alabama Libraries, 2017) Shedd, Louis Edwin; Katsinas, Stephen G.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
    Since that initial release in 1973, the Carnegie Classification system has become embedded in all facets of higher education research. However, the 2015 Carnegie Basic Classification system, due to ever-increasing complexity, the lack of geographic classifications for institutions, and prioritizing highest degree awarded as the deciding classification variable, promotes groupings among institutions with little similarity in mission or function. Over the course of three articles, a new mission-driven classification system for all 1,552 public higher education institutions a new this dissertation is developed pilot tested. The mission-driven classification system prioritizes the number and type of degrees awarded while also updating the Katsinas, Lacey, and Hardy geographic classification model developed to classify Associate’ Colleges and expanded across for the three sectors of Flagship Universities, Regional Universities, and Community Colleges with an additional goal of including subcategories for Regional Universities and Community Colleges that reflect an institution’s geographic setting and institutional size. The first article in this study, using IPEDS data, presents a snapshot from 30,000 feet, illustrating the types of students enrolled, a breakdown of the employees, and the financial situations institutions classified within each category of the mission-driven classification system. Article Two utilizes the mission-driven classification system to examine the impact of collective bargaining agreements on the average number of employees, salaries, and areas of employment at public higher education institutions. Article Three categorizes institutions under both the 2015 Carnegie Basic Classification system and the mission-driven classification system, and further analyzes both by the presence a collective bargaining agreement. The goal of this article was to identify any differences between the mission-driven classification system in direct comparison to the 2015 Carnegie Basic Classification system through the presentation of data on enrollment, revenue, expenses, employment categories, and the presence or lack of collective bargaining agreements. The mission-driven classification system proves to be equally adept at presenting clear and distinct categories as the 2015 Carnegie Basic Classification system. In several areas the mission-driven classification system returned more useful data due to the predictable scaling of data and highlighting of differences through the geographic subcategories. These benefits, along with the understandable categorical nomenclature, can aide researchers in telling higher education’s “story.”
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    Stewardship of place: perceptions of chief executive and academic officers at public regional universities regarding internal and external issues associated with involvement in economic development
    (University of Alabama Libraries, 2016) Killingsworth, Don Cordell; Katsinas, Stephen G.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
    The American Association of State Colleges and Universities launched its stewardship of place program in 2002, “to promote direct, two-way interaction with communities and key external constituencies through the development, exchange, and application of knowledge, information, and expertise for mutual benefit” (AASCU, 2002). The emphasis on economic development and community engagement is occurring in an era of rapidly declining and/or inconsistent state appropriations. This study surveys perceptions of CEOs and CAOs regarding issues and barriers related to public regional university involvement in economic and community development, to assess the engagement of stewardship of place. Out of the 375 public regional university members of AASCU, 98 CEOs responded to the survey while 115 of the CAOs responded. Key findings include community engagement is important to public regional universities and their leaders, finances are becoming a greater challenge at public regional universities, and a well-trained workforce is important to future economic development opportunities. Key conclusions include public regional universities are committed to Stewardship of Place, but lack the financial resources to do so and regional university leaders lack sufficient knowledge to be effectively involved in economic and community development. The responses of the CEOs indicated that 9 out of 10 CEOs learn about economic development of the job. Another key conclusion is that the deficiencies in the existing Carnegie Basic Classification as they pertain to rural institution are well documented that 130 institutions that are members of AASCU not in the Carnegie public MCU universe limits is effective use. Key recommendations for further study include further research is needed to flush out suburban and urban classified institutions to combine the suburban small and large institutions and the urban small and large institutions for a total of five categories in the modified Carnegie Classification scheme. A key recommendation for policy is that stewardship of place means providing access, which is needed to improve college success rates, and a key recommendation for practice includes funding should be allocated by federal agencies charged with regional economic development to provide regional university leaders with the tools (research, leadership, and networking skills) needed to do the job.