5. A. 1. The institution has the fiscal and human resources and physical and technological infrastructure sufficient to support its operations wherever and however programs are delivered.
Fiscal Resources
Miller College relies on four main income streams to fund general operations: tuition, grants from the Miller Foundation and the Binda Foundation, and a line of credit with the Miller Foundation. Six-year enrollment and revenue projections (which include the prior and current academic years, as well as the next two academic years) are reviewed annually by the College and the Board of Trustees and revised as necessary. Prior to 2011-12, enrollment projections were based on a 15% growth in credit hour enrollments in each successive academic year, and current enrollment projections are based on a 2.5% growth in credit hour enrollment. These figures are used to determine the annual amount to be drawn on the Miller Foundation line of credit, which expires after the 2012-2013 school year. (See Enrollment and Revenue Projections-2009-2010 through 2014-2015, Revenue and Expense Comparison Update – November 2010, Board of Trustees minutes, Miller Foundation reports).
Evidence
Human Resources
In terms of human resources, Miller College has adopted a conservative strategy for hiring personnel, a comparison of Organizational Charts between 2005 and 2012 reveals in a core organization that has grown only incrementally yet sustainably over its years of operation. Miller College does rely on adjunct faculty to teach a significant percentage of its courses, yet the College carefully monitors course loads to ensure that adjunct loads do not exceed those of FTE and percentage-time faculty. Although the total number of semester hours taught by adjunct faculty has increased ten-fold over the history of Miller College’s operations (from 33 SH in 2005 to 334.5 in 2011), the average number of semester hours taught by an individual adjunct in a given semester has never exceeded 6 SH, with an overall average between 2005 and 2012 of 3.76 SH per semester per adjunct. Adjunct faculty members at Miller College also maintain a significant relationship with the College beyond their teaching duties for a given semester, preserving a strong degree of program consistency continuity semester by semester. The majority of Miller College’s adjunct faculty members teach three or more semesters, and the average number of semesters of service given by adjunct faculty members is four (See Organizational Charts 2005-2012, Adjunct Semester hours 2005-12 Spreadsheet).
Evidence:
Physical and Technological Resources
Miller College’s physical and technological infrastructure has been more than sufficient for supporting all of its operations to this point in its history. Miller College has developed strong strategic partnerships with a number of institutions in our service area to offer instructional space for Miller College courses free of charge on the rare occasions that demand for classroom space exceeds the capacity of the Mawby Center. These partnerships have proven mutually beneficial, expanding Miller College’s market for programming of interest to our partners. Miller College’s technological infrastructure is maintained by Kellogg Community College’s Information Services Department, as part of our annual contract with KCC for use of the Mawby Center and other KCC services. KCC’s I.S. Department maintains all office and classroom hardware and all software applications, including Colleague, the Miller College Portal, Outlook email system and Blackboard course management system. New servers with dynamic storage were introduced for Miller College’s Blackboard system in early 2012, providing ample space to accommodate steadily increasing use of Blackboard in online, hybrid and face-to-face courses. Directors and representatives from KCC’s I.S. Department meet bimonthly with Miller College administrators and staff to ensure that the technological services they provide meet Miller College’s demands (See Contract with KCC).
Evidence:
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