TC Communique Issue 1, Number 7

Setting financial priorities at Teachers College, Columbia University

The Financial Priorities Committee moved one step closer to selecting projects that should be given the highest priority by the College and in the upcoming Capital Campaign. The committee took a preliminary vote late last month on how to distribute among seven priority areas the $100 million that is the fund-raising goal of the Capital Campaign.

Physical plant repairs are at the top of the list. The remainder will be used to stimulate the academic environment at Teachers College. Among the projects that will enhance academic opportunities and programs are new scholarships that will reduce the need for part-time jobs that keep many students from fully participating in programs and activities at the College. Faculty will receive new research support in the form of dollars, facilities, technology, and research assistants.

The committee's recommendations closely mirror the responses from students, alumni, faculty and staff members. The final determination of which recommendations to send to the TC Trustees will be made at the FPC's April 29 meeting. It is expected that the Trustees will make the final decision on funding priorities at their May meeting.

Open Forums the Weeks of April 6 and April 20

The FPC has solicited comments from various organizations on campus, including the Faculty Executive Committee, the Professional Staff Executive Committee and the Student Senate. Now rank-and-file members of those organizations and other members of the TC community are being asked for their input once again.

Notices will be placed around the College announcing the time and location of open forums to review the FPC's preliminary recommendations. The information about the time and location of the open forums will also be posted on the TC Communique's Web site, which can be found at http://www.tc.columbia.edu/~newsbureau/.

The TC community can give feedback at any time to FPC members or by sending electronic mail to fpc@columbia.edu. There is also a newsgroup on Usenet (accessible via Pine, Netscape or other browsers), columbia.tc.fpc, where faculty, students and staff can discuss the strategic planning process and the committee's tentative recommendations. Past editions of the TC Communique are posted on the TC Web site, http://www.tc.columbia.edu/~newsbureau/, and to the columbia.tc.fpc newsgroup.

Top Priority: Bricks and Mortar

The committee wants to ensure that the decades-old pattern of deferring maintenance and repairs at Teachers College does not continue. The FPC recommends that more than $30 million be allocated out of the Capital Campaign for critical repairs, renovations and special projects. That money will fuel the beginning of a series of projects including renovating classrooms, Horace Mann Auditorium and the Milbank Memorial Library. As part of this commitment, renovations will include changes to improve accessibility.

But that's only one portion of the repairs to be done at Teachers College. The committee has decided to strongly urge the TC Trustees to make repairing the physical plant its top priority above and beyond the dollars that can be raised by the Capital Campaign. The Trustees are already considering the use of bond measures to speed repairs, to expand the list of facilities to be renovated, and to finance the construction of new student housing.

Reinvigorating Teachers College's Academic Spirit

The balance of the money raised in the campaign will be used to reinvigorate the intellectual environment at Teachers College. New doctoral fellowships will allow the best students to work hand-in-hand with faculty members. Money for endowed chairs will be used to keep and recruit outstanding faculty. The creation of a student life center will give students a comfortable place to study and to mingle with classmates and professors. Facilities for video conferencing will create new opportunities for exchanging ideas with national and international scholars.

New Scholarships to Fuel Students' Dreams

The FPC has earmarked about $29 million for scholarships. The money would be used for doctoral fellowships, urban teacher corps scholarships and master's student professional assistantships. The new scholarship programs will make dramatic improvements in TC's ability to recruit students and in the learning experience of those who do enroll.

Currently, the average financial aid award at TC is $4,500 and only 25 percent of the students receive aid. That is a problem for Teachers College as well as its students, said John Fisher, Executive Director for Student Recruitment, Admission, and Student Aid. Teachers College loses some potential students to peer institutions that provide more financial aid and too many students who do come to TC have to get part-time jobs, Fisher said.

Academic Initiatives to Improve the Intellectual Environment for Faculty

The committee recommended that about $19 million go for academic initiatives including professorships, program support, professional development, department initiatives and seed money for research projects.

In addition, $8 million would be placed in an innovation fund to help finance innovative programs and new projects.

Technology for On-Campus Instruction, Research and Distance Learning

About $6.1 million of the money raised in the campaign would be spent on technology improvements in classrooms, laboratories and the library.

An additional $3.5 million would be allocated for distance learning projects. At the top of the committee's list of projects is developing a video conferencing center. Other projects include setting up a distance learning classroom and developing online education programs.

More Comfort and Convenience for Students

The FPC wants attending Teachers College to be a more convenient and comfortable experience for students. It recommended that $5.9 million be spend on student initiatives in addition to the $29 million slated for scholarships. The money would finance the creation of a student life center and a child care center. The child care center would benefit both parents and academic researchers. The Departments of Curriculum and Teaching and of Human Development have said that they could both conduct research at the proposed facility.

Meanwhile, the new student life center would give commuter students and others a place to go to relax and study between classes. It also would become the headquarters of student life and student activities.