Drawn-back housing, Internet portal technology and university investments were the focus of the Board of Regents meeting last week.
Administrators also apprised the Board of plans to raise funds through a continued hiring freeze and by offering more courses in nursing and radiology.
Administrators revealed that a 4 percent drop in enrollment this fall may stall additional housing plans.
The floundering enrollment may push back a plan to build a new residence hall on campus slated for 2014.
“Our housing occupancy is very healthy right now, but it is a little below where it was last year at this time,” said Dr. Keith Lamb, vice president for student affairs and enrollment management.
Last year, MSU housing occupancy was 99 percent. This year, it’s at 95.
“I think we need to let our enrollment stabilize a little bit before we go out there with additional housing,” Lamb said. “We need to take a little more conservative an approach with this.”
Administrators have not yet submitted any requests for qualifications for architects or contractors on the project.
Regent Charles Engelman asked Lamb if he thought raised admission standards at MSU were the culprits behind the enrollment drop. Lamb said he didn’t think so, and if they were, they only contributed to it.
“It could be a number of things,” Lamb said.
“There are so many variables,” President Dr. Jesse Rogers said.
Those variables could be the stunted U.S. economy, the new admissions standards or competition from other institutions, to name a few.
Housing
MSU, along with other Texas universities, is making a move to utilize Internet “portal” technology. The university has been courting the idea for several months and now plans to invest $150,000 of technology fee reserves in the project.
At least $60,000 of that money would pay for a full-time employee to implement and operate the new technology. Juan Sandoval, vice president for business affairs and finance, intimated that it may cost more.
“We need to change the way MSU communicates with the world,” said Dr. Robert Clark, vice president for administration and institutional effectiveness. “We need to change the way we connect with students.”
An Internet portal system is a single point of access for students and administrators to share information. Its purpose is to streamline the communication process between the two. Portal systems are part of a rising trend in higher education, said Clark.
In 2001, Merrill Lynch reported that the total corporate market for Internet portal systems was $4.5 billion.
“I don’t think this is a nice-to-have,” Regent Dr. Lynnwood Givens said. “It’s a must-have.”
Portal Technology
Lamb heads an ad-hoc committee formed a few months ago that studied technology needs on campus.
Students, faculty and staff told the committee that the university needs to do a better job communicating with them.
About 50 members of the MSU community were interviewed on the subject.
“A portal system is a more effective way for us to communicate with the students, and very effective way for us to communicate with prospective students, which is increasingly important,” Lamb said.
In that vein, the system would serve as an important recruiting tool.
Clark said most prospective students check out a university’s website when choosing an institution.
If they see that a school has a portal system, they may be more inclined to enroll.
“It’s good PR,” Clark said.
With one login, students could check the university calendar of events, open an email from the financial aid office and check their bank accounts.
Other services include checking transcripts and grades, which is now done through WebWorld.
“You create a virtual campus that is open 24/7,” he said.
On a related note, MSU is in talks of purchasing additional administrative bandwidth.
Administrators also said they plan to implement wireless Internet all over campus, but didn’t discuss the project in detail.
Investments
Three investment managers retained to manage $9.3 million from the Redwine Endownment did not fare well this year.
In early 2011, their numbers were up, but dipped during the third quarter.
As of Aug. 31, the JPMorgan account was down $96, 739, Luther King Capital Management dropped by $182, 229 and Fisher Investments lost $16, 689.
Altogether, that’s $295, 657. About $54,302 of those losses went to the firms in the form of management fees.
Each firm was awarded $3.1 million late in 2010.
Their goal was to make a 3 percent annual return, which is about $90,000.
Later, the MSU administration, citing a rough financial environment, dropped the goal to $75,000.
“It was not a good summer for investments,” Sandoval said.
At least one of the investment firms, according to Sandoval, has bounced back from low numbers.
He declined to comment on the current status of the firms’ investments.
“What would be the procedure to switch to another manager?” Regent Kenneth Bryant asked after the Investment Committee’s presentation.
Sandoval suggested that Regents give the firms until 2012 before scrutinizing their returns.
“I hate to pay people to lose money for us,” Engelman said. “I don’t mind paying fees as long as they’re performing.”
