Appropriates funding for the University of Hawaii college of arts and sciences.

A BILL FOR AN ACT

SECTION 1. Since the Fall of 2000, the enrollment at the University of Hawaii Manoa has grown by 3,670 students, an increase of twenty-one per cent in six years. During this same period, the colleges of arts and sciences has grown with an increase of 5,507 students, an increase of fifty-five per cent in six years. While enrollment was growing, the college has lost 56.25 faculty positions and has lost $3,650,000 in base budget, which seriously compromised the college's ability to serve the students at the university.

The college of arts and sciences advising program serves the entire University of Hawaii Manoa campus. The current advisor/student ratio is 1:1,500, while the nationally recognized standards is 1:250. The request of 8.5 FTE advisors will nearly double the size of the advising staff, will allow students to receive timely advice and speed up the graduation rate, and improve student retention. The goal of the college is to actively advise every freshman and sophomore, every semester.

Financial aid also serves the entire University of Hawaii Manoa campus. The financial aid office is critically understaffed because of loss of positions and increased enrollment. This issue is critical because the financial aid office is now unable to meet federal compliance guidelines and received audit findings that could lead to federal penalties. The college currently has eleven staff financial aid advisors who are currently trying to meet the needs of nearly 21,000 students. The college is requesting six additional financial aid advisors. With the addition of the six financial aid advisors, the college can meet the needs of the students on a timely basis and meet the new federal guidelines.

The college is actively seeking to integrate information technology to reduce manual data entry and reduce paper flow. Personal support staff does not currently meet the needs of the students and information technology may eliminate the need for hiring a multitude of personnel to keep up with the growing campus population. This can be accomplished through automation of routine transactions, reducing paper flow, and providing superior web-based services that can be accessed by students through the MyUH portal twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Using Student Tracking and Academic Reporting (STAR), a software package being developed and tested by University of Hawaii Manoa computer specialists, students will ultimately have access to better degree planning tools, financial aid information, and more transparent call scheduling options. STAR is already used extensively by deans and departments to manage enrollment in real time and has greatly reduced students' difficulty in finding seats in high demand classes over the past academic year. These position requests will allow the college to expand the use of these software technologies, further limiting the need for future staffing, reducing paper flow for many transactions, and providing direct support for student computing needs. The requested staff will also allow the college to integrate its financial and student management systems for more accountable management.

The college is requesting funding for approximately seventy-five classes staffed by part time faculty and for six new faculty positions in areas experiencing the greatest enrollment growth. This is to directly address the loss of faculty that has occurred since 2000.

The college of languages, linguistics, and literature has lost twenty-one positions since 1999, and has lost approximately $350,000 in operating funds. They desperately need hires in the department of English, as well as the Chinese and Japanese departments. The college of arts and humanities has lost twenty-five positions since 1999 and over $700,000 in operating funds since 2000. They have asked for additional hires in history and art. The college of social sciences has lost 10.25 faculty positions and over $2,600,000 since 1995 and has experienced tremendous growth in demand for psychology and social sciences classes. Overall, arts and science units have lost 56.25 positions and $3,650,000 in base budget while their enrollment grew fifty-five per cent. The colleges of arts and sciences, in order to keep up with the demands of a growing student population, need to have faculty positions and monies restored to its base budget.

SECTION 2. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $2,349,370, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2006-2007, for the University of Hawaii college of arts and sciences, as follows:

A. Restoration of college budget base. $400,000

B. Restoration of tenure track positions.

Six full-time permanent positions $360,000

C. IT specialists to provide college-wide support.

Two positions $107,100

Six IT specialist, PPB $348,000

E. Funding for IT infrastructure.

1. Personal services

IT specialist, PBC $61,392

IT specialist, PEE $50,340

Subtotal personal services costs $111,732

2. Other current expenses

Software, licenses $ 2,000

3. Equipment

Computer hardware $ 8,000

Total Request $121,732

Six institutional support, PPB $280,000

G. Student services faculty and staff support.

1. Personal services

Five faculty specialists $225,500

IT specialist $42,000

APT-institutional support $33,886

Student assistant $84,000

Subtotal personal service cost $434,394

2. Operating expense $ 44,625

Graduate assistants

(one and one-half positions) $49,008

One IT specialist $42,000

One APT-staff $33,886

(peer counselors) $84,000

Subtotal personal service cost $208,894

2. Operating expenses $44,625

SECTION 3. The sum appropriated shall be expended by the University of Hawaii college of arts and sciences for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2006.