FROM:
as requested in your memorandum of July 29, 1975.
GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
State University of New York
at Albany
September 29, 1975
Phillip Sirotkin, Bxecutive Vice-President
L. Gray Cowan, Dean
Herewith the Administrative Self-Study
LGC/mpw
GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
State University of New York
at Albany
’ ADMINISTRATIVE SELF-STUDY
OFFICE OF THE DEAN
INTRODUCTORY NOTE
The format of this administrative self-study follows the
question numbers of the guidelines for a self-study of adminis-
trative departments, attachment 1 of Vice-President Sirotkin's
memorandum of July 29, 1975. For the purposes of this study, the
administrative unit is defined as the Office of the Dean and the
classified staff assigned thereto, The Comparative Development
Studies Center and the Public Executive Project, while under the
administrative supervision of the Office of the Dean, are not in-
cluded in the present study, since they operate under their own
respective budgets, with a substantial degree of administrative
autonomy. It will be readily apparent that, given the size of the
Office of the Dean (three professional employees), several of the
questions posed in the guidelines have little direct relevance to
the activities of this office.
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Questions:
1. The functions of the Office of the Dean are generally
to provide administrative supervision of the operation of the
School, to handle admissions, record-keeping and degree clearance
for students in the School, and to assist the departmental chair-
men by coordinating scheduling, classroom space and general services
to the faculty. The Office is responsible for a large part of the
external contacts of the School and for overall relationships with
Federal, State and local government agencies. A substantial part
of the function of the Office of the Dean is devoted to development
of the School.
2. An organizational chart and a listing of positions
dependent on the Office follow. (pps. 2a, 2b.)
3. In addition to the Dean, two professional staff mem-
bers are employed in the Department.
(a) Assistant Dean for Academic Administration
The Assistant Dean is responsible for:
-- Overall control of admissions procedures
-- Degree clearance
-- Student placement, both full-time and
part-time
-- Non-academic student advisement and coun-
seling
-- Student records
-- Coordination of all financial aid awards,
both internal and external
Zascos
Organizational Chart
Graduate School of Public Affairs
State University of New York at E Albany
September 15, 1975
Assistant Dean
——
Assistant to Dean
Chairman,
Political
Science
Secretary to
Assistant Dean
Secretary (Part-
time) to Assistant
to Dean
Supervisor
Secretarial
Pool
Four Faculty Secretaries
Position Descriptions:
Incumbent
L. Gray Cowan
Sandro Barone
Richard Tastor
Mary Warburton
Donna Parker
Ann Wright
Addie Napolitano
Michael Vayo
Maxine Morman
Crystal Smith
Helen Ecker
Ada Bradley
Edith Connelly
Betty MacIntosh
Campus Title/
Budget Title
Dean and Professor
Assistant Dean
Assistant to the Dean, Technical
Specialist
Secretarial Stenographer
Senior Stenographer
Senior Stenographer
Stenographer
‘Admissions Clerk
Stenographer
Stenographer.
Dictaphone Machine Transcriber
~ Typist
Typist
Typist
oO Ww FU uN nA Oo Oo
Salary
(6/30/75)
$ 385369
“17,136
11,660
11,853
10,223
_ 10,223
8,547
8,757
7,060
8,280
8,416
7, 644
8,424
7,521
-- Gathering and making available institu-
tional data for the Office of the Dean
and Departmental Chairmen
-- Coordination of special projects, such as
the development of off-campus courses
-- Alumni relations
H The Assistant Dean, Mr. Sandro Barone, graduated from
the Graduate School of Public Affairs in 1971, with an MPA
degree. Prior to entering the School, Mr. Barone spent more
then twenty years in military service, retiring with the rank
of Lieutenant Colonel.
(b) Assistant to the Dean
The Assistant to the Dean is responsible for:
-- Financial administration of the School, in-
cluding account control, record-keeping,
and budget preparation
-- Liaison activity with all University busi-
ness and service offices, including
purchasing and rapid copy
-- Direct supervision of all classified per-
sonnel and personnel relations
-- Coordination of office and Tower classroom
space
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-- Coordination of information on outside
research and fellowship opportunities,
and institutional support grants
-~- Administrative aspects of individual faculty
and school grants
-- Coordination of class scheduling
-- Supervision of clearinghouse for volun-
| teer internships in the Legislature and
' in State agencies
-- Development’ and coordination of day-to-day
relationships with the State Legislature
and other State and local government
organizations
-- Assistance to the Dean in preparation of
development projects for the School and,
in particular, is responsible for prelim-
inary drafting of project budgets
-- Preparation of the School Bulletin
The Assistant to the Dean, Mr. Richard Tastor, is a 1974
graduate of the School, with a Master of Arts in Public Affairs.
Prior to his appointment, Mr, Tastor was Administrative Assis-
tant to State Senator Donovan. He received his undergraduate
degree from Utica College of Syracuse University.
4. Funding and Staffing Patterns, 1973-74 - 1975-76
a) State Funding
Salaries & Wages
Temporary Service
Supplies & Expense
Equipment
TOTAL State
FY 1973-74 FY 1974-75 FY: 1975-76
Expenditure Expenditure Allocation
$886, 996% $946, 285% $1,021, 829%
11,648 6, 826% 10,600
31,024* 18,631* 23,000
4,925* 1, 500% 625
$934,593 $973, 242 $1,056,054
FY 1973-74 FY 1974-75 FY 1975-76
Expenditure Expenditure Allocation
b) Non-State Funding
; IFR 91288 (T/S) 0 $ 11, 400%* 0
IFR 91289 (T/S) ‘ 0 11,077** $ 13, 866**
Research Grants:
"Land Use Planning"
[86096(F) ] -- on 300%%%
"Public Service Fel-
lowships" -- nt . 9, 000%**
a TOTAL Non-State $ 0 $ 22,477 $ 23,166
TOTALS $934,593 $995,714 $1,079,220
*Figures received from Budget Office, 9/15/75
** Used for faculty replacement, released-time
| *kkUsed to provide supplies or institutional development support
ce) FTE Staffing
FY 1973-74 FY 1974-75 FY_1975-76
I Professional 36.36 36.92 36.38
i Classified 11 il 11
TOTAL 47.36 : 47.92 47.38
5. Workload Indicators
Graduate School of Public Affairs
Departments of Political Science and Public Administration
and Program in Public Affairs
(Figures are from Office of Institutional Research)
Workload Measurement : 1973-74 1974-75 1975-76
1) Total Course Enrollment 1
(Graduate and Undergraduate) 2268 2511 2653
2) Total FTE's! a 631 572 660
3) Total Head Count 558 605 N.A.
4) Total Applications Processed 459 738 560
5) Amount of External Funding Re-
ceived (Used for Research and
Fellowships) 3 $301,600 $244,660 $520,1842
lyall Session.
2Includes applications received as of August 31, 1975 only. The
Graduate School of Public Affairs Admissions Office currently
processes over 2000 inquiries, applications and admissions
procedures per academic year. Each admission requires 16
individual actions by the office. :
3Exclusive of CDSC; PEP; includes Research Contract, Office of
Aging.
6. The general objectives of the Dean's Office have been
indicated in the previous questions. With reference to the overall
administration of the School, the basic objective continues to be
the improved services to both faculty and students in order to
allow faculty members to devote as much as of their time as possible
to teaching and research, with a minimum of attention to adminis-
trative detail.
Beyond this ovérall objective, this Office is engaged in
three further specific objectives: 1) to improve the School's
relations with its alumni body, many of whom work in State or
local governments, 2) to improve our relationships with the Legis-
lature and with State avenores, This is an area which has been
neglected in past. The School must prove to be of direct assistance
to both the Legislature and to the Executive agencies, and 3) to
improve the School's visibility within the community of Schools of
Public Affairs and Administration, and particularly, through con-
tact with undergraduate departments. of Political Science to attract
to the School from a national pool, the highest possible calibre of
student. No external evaluations of the Office have been done, but
the Office is constantly assessing its own activity internally.
7. The Department relates directly to the Office of the
Vice-President for Academic Affairs in budgetary etd personnel
matters. It interacts with the other professional schools and the
Division of Arts and Sciences through the medium of membership in
the Council of Deans. In the normal course of business, there is
intermittent interaction with the Office of Graduate Studies, the
Personnel Office and the Budget Office.
8. Computerized admission procedures play a continuing
role in the operation of the School's Office of Admissions. The
Office is at present considering the development of a computerized
student records system, primarily to locate students with specific
training and experience for job and internship placement.
9. The strength of the Department is most clearly
evident in its ability to absorb a continuously growing workload.
Over the past four years, the Office has been reduced by two pro-
fessional positions (Associate Dean and Registrar), and one
classified secretarial position. In the intervening period, the
Office assumed full control of its own admissions and degree
clearances, previously carried out by the Office of Graduate
Studies; and, in addition, the overall registration in the School
has tripled. Inevitably, the additional burden of work has meant
that the professional staff has not been able to carry forward, all
of the projects which it might have been desirable to do,-and ad-
ministrative inefficiencies have erept in. Recent reorganization
and rationalization of work assignments have gone some distance
toward solving some of these problems, and have resulted in higher
individual productivity. It would be desirable if the Dean's
Office could relieve the Departmental Chairmen of more of the
minor and routine administrative tasks in order to allow the Chair-
men to participate with the Dean to a greater degree on the long-
range development of educational policy and goals for the School.
Appendix -- External Funding
SOURCE
Federal H.U.D. and
State Department of State
U.S. Office of Education
Ford Foundation/NASPAA
U.S. Office of Education
Jane H.. Todd Memorial Fund
Jean Poletti Internships
Various Executive Agencies
NYS Office for Aging
TOTAL
1975-76
PROGRAM
Work-Study Fellowship
Public Service Fellowship
Minority Fellows
Improvement of Public
Service Education
Internship
Endowment for Internships
External Agency Assistant-
ships
Agency Research Project
Stage 1: irae eee
Stage 2: 130,000
AMOUNT
$ 13,000
37,500
34,900
53,784
2,000
26,000
78,000
275,000
$520,184
STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT ALBANY
ALBANY, NEW YORK 12222
MEMORANDUM
Executive Vice President
TO: L. Gray Cowan
FROM: Phillip L. Sirotkin (ettep tietleriyy
DATE: July 29, 1975
SUBJ: Administrative Self~Study and Evaluation
As you know, the report of the Select Committee on Academic Programs
has been completed. Some of its recommendations have been implemented,
others are still under study. It is now time for us to move to the
administrative areas of the University and to make similar evaluations with
the objective of allocating the University's diminishing resources in ways
that serve the University best. We want excellence and strength in
administrative support just as we want excellence and strength in academic
programs.
We are starting the assessment of administrative areas by asking
each department to prepare its own self-study. Guidelines for preparation
of the self-study are provided in Attachment I, It is expected that
completion of the self-study can be made conveniently and with minimum effort
by drawing upon such materials as annual reports, budget requests, performance
programs and evaluations, already at hand. We are asking each Dean to
participate in the administrative self-study by focusing on the administrative
aspects of the office of the dean and by refraining from dealing with the
academic programs, since they were reviewed by the Select Committee,
We ask that your report be prepared and submitted to my office by
October 15. Visits by outside evaluators will be arranged for the late Fall
in areas of organization which may benefit especially from an external point
of view. . ¢
The self-study should be limited to ten pages plus any attachments or
exhibits. For assistance in assembling data for your self-study, Harold
Brink and Leon Calhoun may be consulted on matters of budget and personnel
respectively.
PLS/ms
Attachment I: Guidelines for a Self-Study of Administrative Departments
ATTACHMENT I
STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT ALBANY
Guidelines for a Self-Study
of
Administrative Departments
Prepare a brief description of the functions performed by the
department and a short narrative history of the department if
it is pertinent.
Make an organizational chart showing all positions in the department
and their reporting relationships. Prepare a separate listing
indicating for each position: catalog and budget title, professional
or civil service grade, and salary as of June 30, 1975.
Provide a brief job description and background data on education
and experience of professional staff members in the department.
Prepare a three~year report on the funding and staffing pattern of the
department in the format shown below:
State Fundt
FY 1975-76 FY 1974-75 FY 1973-74
Allocation Expenditure Expenditure
Salaries & Wages $ $ $
Temporary Service
Supplies & Expense
Equipment $ $ $
Total
FIE Staffing
Professional
Classified
Total
If there are sources of funds other than State funding such as IFR
accounts, research grants, or FSA Agency Accounts, indicate the annual
amount of such funds, the source of the funds and how the funds were used,
i.e., to support FTE positions or to provide additional supplies and
equipment.
Provide workload indicators over the past three to five years which will
give a clear but uncomplicated measure of the level of activity of the
department and whether these activities are increasing, decreasing, or
holding level. For example, the Admissions Office might want to use
applications and registrations as an indicator, Purchasing may want to use
purchase requisitions processed.
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6. Prepare a statement of the principal objectives of the department
and submit a brief but comprehensive and candid appraisal of the
extent to which these objectives are being met. Cite any internal
\ or external evaluations completed in the last several years.
7. Describe the relationships of the department with other departments
and the nature of the interaction among the various departments
outlining particularly those relationships which are critical to
essential operations of the university.
8. Outline the ways in which technological methods such as computer
processing applications or automation play a part in the operations
of the department and review any problems which have developed.
Project how such methods may be expanded in the future or how the
problems may be solved.
9. Prepare an objective assessment of the strengths and weaknesses
of the department.
10. Make any additional comments which will help give a more complete
evaluation of the department.
HMW/ms
July 29, 1975
GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
State University of New York
at Albany
MEMORANDUM
May 3, 1973
TO: FACULTY
FROM: L. Gray Cowan, Dean
It has occurred to me that you might find
of interest the enclosed material which was prepared
for the Administrative Review recently, held by the
Vice President.
LGC/mpw
DISCUSSION NOTES FOR ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW
GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
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DISCUSSION NOTES FOR ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW
Introduction
The Graduate School of Public Affairs this year celebrates its
25th anniversary. The fact that the School has almost a 20-year
history preceding its incorporation into the State University at
Albany has had a profound effect both on its development and on
the conception of the future mission of the School.
The School was designed under the joint sponsorship of New York
University and Syracuse University initially to provide training in
public administration particularly for future State executives, and
for the larger part of its early years it served this function speci-
fically. A large number of senior State executives are either gradu-
ates of the School or had contact with the School at this early period.
The present composition of the School, comprising two Departments,
Public Administration and Political Science and the Programs, Public
Affairs and Political Economy, is essentially the product of the amal-
gamation of the School with the University. Joining with the University
brought to the School an entirely new element in the form of a sub-
stantial undergraduate component in political science.
The result of this early history has been to provide a kind of
bifurcation in the conception of the School's mission which has meant
a continuing stress within the faculty and student body of the School.
On the one hand, there is the clear consciousness of the relationship
of the School in the past to State government and of the service role
which the School was expected to play in the eyes of State agencies.
This role was to a certain degree blurred after the amalgamation of
the School with the University.
The other element of this bifurcation derives from the mission
of the School within the University and within the general structure
of the academic disciplines as a whole. The establishment of gradu-
ate degrees in Political Science and Political Economy, combined with
the addition of a substantial variety of undergraduate courses con-
stituting a major in political science required the School to devote
substantial attention to graduate and undergraduate academic training
which had little, if any, reference to its previous function as a
training center in public administration. Thus, over the past six or
seven years the School has felt itsel£ drawn in two divergent directions
which have made much more difficult the task of delineating the mission
of the School with sufficient clarity to permit pursuit of a single
clearly defined goal.
Clearly, the responsibility of the School falls both within the
academic and the service component. The failure of the School to
provide service to the State agencies at the level provided before
amalgamation had the effect of alienating some of the support it en-
joyed within the State bureaucracy in its earlier years. One of the
major objectives of the School at the present time should be to re-
store this previous level of confidence. I believe that this is
slowly being accomplished by increasing the visibility and availabil-
ity of the School as a training and research facility for State govern-
ment agencies. In part, this is being assisted through the Public
Executive Project now attached to the School. It will, however, re-
quire a continuing period to build confidence before the previous
level of acceptance of the School can be attained. Inevitably, the
degree to which the School directs its attention towards research
and service specifically for the State detracts from the attention
which can be paid by the faculty to the broader needs of national
administration and to abstract research within the disciplines.
This division of the School's attention has caused, and will continue
to cause, a certain tension within the faculty; some degree of such
tension need not be harmful, provided it does not reach a point where
it becomes disruptive to the major function of the ‘School --teaching
at the graduate and undergraduate levels.
Again, because of its history, the School has hitherto tended
to lack national visibility within the larger grouping of Schools of
Public Affairs and Administration. Greater visibility can be attained
from publication by faculty members, by placement of students and by
the uniqueness of the programs of graduate study which the School is
able to offer. Progress, albeit slow, is being made on all these
fronts, but it cannot be expected that the inherent parochialism born
of concentrated attention on the government of one state can be over-
come in a short period of time. Our faculty members are increasingly
directing their attention to research problems of a wider nature; an
excellent opportunity is provided through the extensive contacts of
the Comparative Development Studies Center within the international
area.
As the attached Tables indicate, enrollment in the School, even
in a period of declining graduate enrollment, continues to rise at a
modest rate. Hopefully, some of the newer programs outlined in suc-
ceeding pages, will serve to recruit a large number of students in
more diversified fields. Understandably, the emphasis in past re-
cruitment has been from the surrounding area of New York State, One
of the major benefits to be derived from greater national visibility
will be to cast the recruitment net more broadly nationally. It can-
not at this present time be assumed that student assistance will be
substantially increased; therefore incentive to enroll in the Graduate
School. will have to come in large part from the attractiveness and
uniqueness of the programs it offers.
~3-
There is little question that the effectiveness of the School
has been decreased by the frequent moving and by its physical sep-
aration from the main campus. This has been particularly difficult
for undergraduate students, but it has also meant that there has been
less interaction between members of the School's faculty and faculties
of other departments than might have been desirable. The physical
move of the School to the upper campus in the coming months will un-
doubtedly serve to alleviate this problem.
The preceding paragraphs are meant to provide something of a
setting for a discussion of the more specific problems and future
plans of the School, which are raised in the following pages.
Administrative Reorganization
It has seemed clear to me since assuming the Deanship that the
present administrative organization of the School is not the most
effective in terms of the combined mission discussed above. The
combination of a substantial undergraduate program combined with the
strong element of a professional school creates in itself inherent
difficulties. In addition, there is, because of the nature of the
disciplinary departments within the School, an overlap of Departmental.
interests which leads to a duplication of courses offered. Moreover,
the changing nature of the fields of Political Science, Public Admin-
istration and Public Affairs blurs traditional disciplinary divisions
to a point where they are no longer as clearly defined, or as clearly
recognized, as they have been in past. New vocational demands from
the students require combinations of disciplinary offerings which have
hitherto not been available. These must be created if the School is
to meet the changing needs of the fields which it is intended to serve.
Meeting these needs will require, ultimately, a number of substan-
tial administrative readjustments in the School. The methods by which
these adjustments can be attained are not yet clear, but substantial
discussion is under way within the faculty regarding them, A variety
of methods have been suggested, such for example as the elimination of
Departmental designations to create a single faculty of the Graduate
School of Public Affairs; alternatively, recruitment of new faculty may
be carried on in such a way that Departmental distinctions will gradually
no longer be necessary. A further alternative may be to return at least
part of the undergraduate segment of the School to the College of Arts
and Sciences, and, the faculty of the Graduate School might broaden to
include joint appointments with a variety of other graduate departments.
This might promote a much wider spectrum of specialized offerings in
addition to the overall programs in Political Science, Public Administra
tion, Political Economy and Public Affairs.
}
It should be stressed, however, that these or other alternatives
cannot at this time be regarded as more than merely suggested forms
of administrative reorganization, and adoption of these or any others
will require lengthy exploration by the faculty before any final
decision can be taken.
Clarification of the School's mission will not be accomplished
merely by administrative restructuring; this will only facilitate the
carrying out of the mission as it is conceived by the School faculty.
However, an immediate step will be taken during the coming year with
the reorganization of offerings within the present Departmental frame-
work to offer doctoral programs which will be broader in concept than
those now available. Thus, for example, task forces have been at work
during this spring to develop a program in American politics, adminis-
tration and public affairs, which will utilize the offerings of various
Departments in ways not hitherto attempted. Responding to specific re-
quests outside the School, a Doctorate of Arts in Public Affairs is in
process of development, which will be aimed specifically at the upgrad-
ing of faculty members of the Commmity Colleges. This program is
designed to offer broader acquaintanceship with new developments in
the social sciences in general, with an emphasis on public policy form-
ulation and will have within it a required internship element. Increas-
ingly, this element of internship will be required for other programs in
the School; the DPA degree will require internship beginning in the fall
of 1973, and opportunities for internship will be available to doctoral
candidates in political science. An indication of the importance attached
by the School to internship is the housing of the State Senate Internship
Program within the Graduate School of Public Affairs, beginning in 1972.
Development of New Programs
In addition to the programs mentioned above, which will be the re-
sult of curriculum revision within the present offerings of the School,
a number of new tracks are being developed within the Master of Arts in
Public Affairs, This degree, which has been offered by the School for
some years, has never received the development it merited. Within the
past two years, the requirements for the degree have been entirely re-
vamped, with the intention that the School should provide opportunities
for training in a mmber of fields of public affairs and public policy
for which career opportunities are only now becoming visible. These
include such specialized training as preparation of administrators of
programs for the aging; administrators of programs of environmental
studies at various levels in government; preparation of public infor-
mation officers; and training of a limited mumber of students to work
in legislative and executive staffs dealing with questions of technology
and public policy. Inevitably, training of students in these fields
will require substantial departures from the traditional disciplinary
models. So, for example, the training in gerontology will require the
close cooperation with the School of Social Welfare; and the training
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in technology and public policy is now being worked out in coopera-
tion with the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center. The Public Af-
fairs Program also envisages the development of a program in advanced
training of professional journalists in public policy, provided some
outside support for this can be attained.
At the undergraduate level, new second fields have been developed
in Public Affairs and Public Administration, which will go into opera-
tion in the autum of 1973. It has become clear that undergraduates
are now secking more direct vocational outlets for their undergraduate
training, and it is hoped that the combination of a major in political
science and minors in the other two fields will provide some direct
career outlets. As part of the curricular reorganization in the School,
plans are being developed to foreshorten the period in graduate school
by combining certain requirements for graduate degrees within the under-
graduate curriculum, so that the present two-year course for the MPA
may ultimately be reduced to a 9 to 12 month period, in combination with
specific satisfaction of requirements at the undergraduate level.
External Working Relations of the School
It has already been mentioned that the School has substantial work-
ing relations with a variety of State agencies. In. addition to its
normal inter-agency training programs, the Public Executive Project has
operated executive training programs for such agencies as the Department
of Parks and Recreation. Individual faculty members maintain close con-
tact with agencies and the School operates the academic portion of the
Senate Internship Program.
The School takes seriously the efforts of the University system to
develop regionalism. We have for some years past had a continuing cross
registration with the Albany Law School and with other schools in the
area. This will be extended with the new cross registration plans coming
in next year. The School has been working closely with the Community
Colleges in developing the Doctoral of Arts in Public Affairs and we
anticipate that this program, which will involve schools other than
GSPA, will provide continuing close contact and service to the Commmity
Colleges, not only within the region but within the system as a whole,
The School has not hitherto made an extended effort to remain in
contact with its alumi, It is clear, however, that the alumi may be
able to provide types of support and guidance for the development of
the School's programs which cannot be found elsewhere. Accordingly,
during 1973 substantial efforts have been made by the Office of the
Associate Dean, to assemble complete lists of the alumni and it is
sue clpated that a meeting of the alumi will take place in the fall
of 1973.
L nanainecnind
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The School has actively taken the lead to developing a consortiun
of schools within the region to provide joint membership in the Inter-
University Consortium for Political Research. This membership will
yrovide colleges which are members of the Consortium with access to a
wide variety of political data assembled at the University of Michigan,
Research Activities within the School
I£ the School is to gain the national visibility which it deserves ,
the research activities of the faculty must be extended beyond their
present level. While individual faculty members have, of course, car-
ried on the normal academic research, comparatively little effort has
been made hitherto, except in Comparative Development’ Studies Center,
to promote team research within the School. Nor, until recently, has
sufficient effort been made to secure outside funding resources for
research. A Research Center has now been established within the School
which will act as the nucleus for cooperative faculty research. Appli-
cations are now pending for research and development programs before the
Federal Administration for the Aging, the Innovation in Higher Education
Fund in the Department of Health, Education and Wélfare, and before the
National Endowment for the Humanities. It is hoped’ that these modest
efforts will lead to greater availability of research funds within the
School. Plans are also being made to seek funding for a Center for the
Study of Productivity in state governments.
Governance Procedures
The normal governance procedures of regular faculty and departmental
meetings have been established in the School for many years. Within the
faculty as a whole, curriculum development and planning is entrusted to
the Committee on Academic Policy. Since there is no departmental faculty
for the program in Public Affairs, this program is administered by a
Faculty Committee on Public Affairs, chaired by the Director of the Public
Affairs Program, Associate Dean Speckhard. The Graduate School of Public
Affairs early established the principle of student participation in the
decision-making process. The student body is represented at faculty and
departmental meetings and on the principal committees of the faculty.
A regularized student grievance procedure has been established within the
By-Laws of the Faculty, but there has been, as yet, no use made of the
machinery. Student input is a normal part of recommendations on tenure
and promotion and the new data of student evaluations of faculty members
has customarily been available to student committees making recommendations
on faculty promotions. Students are consulted on recruitment and are ex-
pected to meet with candidates who are on campus.
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Assessment of Faculty
The present faculty of the Graduate School of Public Affairs
divides itself essentially into two major groups. The first is that
group of more senior faculty members who were carried over from the
School at the time of the amalgamation. For the most part, the younger
members of the faculty were hired during the period since the School
was joined with the University.
Apart from the normal differences which might be expected from the
generation gap, a peculiar difficulty has been created by the fact that
15 faculty members out of 39 are on 12 month obligation. Efforts have
been made over the years to regularize these appointments to the normal
10 month obligation, but this has not been possible without a substantial
sacrifice of income for the faculty member concerned. It would be highly
desirable if some equitable method of regularizing the 12 month appoint-
ments could be found, not only in the interests of equality but in the
interests of greater flexibility. At the present time, for example ,
faculty members on 12 month obligation are required to teach in the sum~
mer session, thereby freezing in some degree the variety of courses which
may be offered during the sumer. Courses in fields other than those
covered by these faculty members are badly needed by the students in the
summer, but there is limited capability of changing the offerings,
The original terms of appointment of faculty members in the Graduate
School of Public Affairs prior to amalgamation, were on the understanding
that two-thirds of their time was to be devoted to teaching and one-third
to research, In theory, therefore, faculty members of the School under
this arrangement (which carried on for new faculty members hired after
amalgamation) , taught two courses each semester, In practice, however,
as the attached documents indicate, the average faculty credit load in
GSPA is 7.15 hours per week. In view of the fact that most of the GSPA
faculty are actively engaged in University service and many are supervis-
ing dissertations, it would not appear that the faculty load in the School
is seriously under the standards for the University as a whole. Neverthe-
less, I am not satisfied with the research production of a majority of
members of the faculty. Obviously, workload requirements are based on
averages, so that the share of workload will be under the standards for
some members of the faculty. Such members who, for one reason or other,
neither engage in productive research nor supervising extensive numbers
of dissertations, would be expected to accept higher course loads.
The School has instituted this year a continuing annual review of
the non-tenured faculty members in order to provide greater background
documentation for eventual tenure and promotional considerations. We
are further considering the possibility of similar evaluations for pro-
motions, at least for those tenured members of the faculty who will come
up for promotion in future years. In addition, it has become clear dur-
ing the past year that the instruments used for student evaluation of
teaching by the faculty are by no means satisfactory and we hope during
————7—
the coming summer to devise new instruments which will provide sub-
stantially fuller and more useful material for evaluation purposes.
One aspect, in particular, of faculty use deserves comment. The
present restrictions on faculty expansion presents equally serious re-
strictions on course offerings. In order to provide a wider variety
of course offerings, a much wider use of adjunct faculty would be of
substantial advantage. In many cases, the type of course offered by
adjunct faculty members is one for which there is only sporadic demand
and for which the use of a full time faculty line would not be possible.
While it is theoretical, at the moment, to hire adjunct faculty members
on split one-half lines, to do so depends on the availability of such
lines in the first instance and the Departmental priorities concerned
I am convinced that the University would save money and, in addition,
be able to offer a wider educational experience, if a small percentage
of the funds now allotted to instruction were freed from the line
item budget and made available to the units of the University specif-
ically for this type of hiring. Temporary service funds from which
such hiring has also been done in past, are now severely restricted
and cannot now be used as freely as heretofore. The practice of
making available to Departmental Chairmen small amounts of "free money"
for adjunct hiring is common in other State umiversities and substan-
tial advantage could be derived from application of this method to
SUNYA.
Administrative Considerations
The School has in past followed the normal University practice of
publishing an annual catalog. This has grown to be exceedingly costly
and is neither necessary nor effective. We propose to publish a full
catalog biennially or even triennially, with annual supplements of
course changes. In addition, in order to attract students to particu-
lar programs, brochures would be published, featuring these programs,
for distribution to undergraduate schools generally. They are much
more likely to be read by prospective students who have an interest in
the fields with which the brochure deals. An example of this type of
brochure is attached to these discussion notes.
The School has not for the past few years engaged in specific
student Yecruiting, except in the case of minority students. We pro-
pose, in the coming academic year, to engage in a series of specific re-
cruiting efforts tied in so far as possible with appearances at
other campuses both inside and outside the State, of faculty members
delivering lectures. The small amount of money involved in pursuing
recruiting efforts directly through personal contact of faculty mem-
bers, would pay off handsomely in bringing the School to the attention
of high quality graduating seniors.
Conclusion
The points raised in the preceding pages are intended only to
sketch some of the problems now facing the School and to give indi-
cations of ways in which we are hoping to cope with some of them.
For the sake of brevity only, a few of the many problems have been
touched upon in these pages, but it is hoped that they will provide
both background and a springboard for discussion.
Zo. Cty SO
————
/ owlcray Cowan,
Dean
raduate School of Public Affairs
April 23, 1973
Table (1)
GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS - ADMISSIONS
Public Administration
Total Admissions
Masters
Doctorate
Non-Degree
Total Enrollment
Masters
Doctorate
Non-Degree
Political Science
Total Admissions
Masters
Doctorate
Non-Degree
Total Enrollments
Masters
Doctorate
Non-Degree
in Albany Law School.
Masters and Non-Degree, 1970-73
1970-71 1971-72 1972-73 Summer
Fall Spring Fall Spring Fall ~ Spring 1971 1972
138 70 133 55 148 70 20 24
75 28 86 30 110 25
11 4 13 2 10 0
52 38 34 23 28 45
Enrolments
187 170 167 146 170 176 68 85
116 116 110 104 111 109
18 18 23 18 26 22
53 36 34 24 33 45
75 9 74 17 72 19
51 5 $1 5 53 10
15 1 19 5 10 L.
9 3 4 7 9 8
Graduate Enrollments
77 80 71 71 54 79
43 41 33 24 23 21
24 24 23 26 23 20
10 15 15 21 8 38"
“Largely composed (31 out of 38) of additional enrollment in one course by students
GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
Masters and None-Degree New Applications per Month
Total No.
1970-Mar '73 of Appli-
cations
Year Sept. Oct Nov Dec. Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug
(to
1972-73 12 22 46 47 84 68 35 - z - - - 314 Mar 1)
1971-72 13 17 23 39 AT 59 33 17 20 7 10 7 292
1970-71 8 15 25 35 53 62 30 23 I 15 8 4 279
Table (3)
Comparison of Doctoral Application Increases or Decreases
(to
1972-73 1 0 4 7 11 15 5 - - - - - 43 Mar 1)
1971-72 3 4 5 10 6 12 3 5 6 L. 5 4 64
1970-71 5 8 11 9 6 20 9 - 4 2 4 4 82
Table (3)
GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
‘ Graduate Enrollment Analysis 1970-73
Fall '70 Spring '71 Fall '71 Spring '72 Fall '72 Spring v7
A) Non-Degree
1) Pub. Admin. 57 36 31 22 24 94
2) Pol. Sci. 12 15 5 21 8 7
Total 69 51 36 43 32 101
| B) Part-Time
1)Pub. Admin.
MPA 77 75 68 55 63 58
Doctoral 12 13 on 6 8 6
Total 89 88 79 61 7 64
2) Pol. Sci.
Masters 22 16 20 7 5 5
Doctoral <j 10 8 5 3 1
| a _ = ow be =
| Total 25 26 28 12 8 6
I '
| C) Full-Time
1) Pub. Admin,
Masters 40 44 42 48 63 51
Doctoral 6 5 12 12 17: 18
— — = _ _— _
| Total 46 49 54 60 80 69
2) Pol. Sci.
Masters 21 24 32° 20 24 25
‘Doctoral 15 28 26 21 18 20
Total 40 49 58 4) 42 45
1970-71
191-72
1972-73
1979-80
Table -(4)
\
\ GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
FTE Equivalent Enrollments, 1970-1973
Fall and Spring Averages
Beginning Advanced Average
Lower Div. Upper Div. Graduate Graduate Total °
131.0 179.7 125.4 43.8 479.7
90.4 204.5 143.8 48.1 508.4
97.9 198.3 165.5 47.3 512.9
Enrollment Projection
110.0 240.0 220.0 65.0 625.0
Figures include projected undergraduage programs in
Public Administration and Public Affairs.
ANALYSIS (FALL SEMESTER 1972-73) SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
. ANALYS .
Seen OTS ecman Head count of FTE Value of Personnel | Instructional FTE
Departmental Budgeted to I6DR Value Charged to
Rank Personnel Department Account Department
(a) ‘(b) (c)
TOTAL 53 36.40 36.35
Professor 7 14.90 14.45
Associate Professor 10 8.50 8.90
Assistant Professor 5 5.00 5.25
Instructor 1 1.00 1.00
lecreree 5 3.50 3.25
Teaching Assistant 14 2.50 3.50
Non-Instructional 1 1.00 0
« ENROLLMENT ANALYSIS .
| idle OSS HS% Ee Neo oe ¥ ee UCN & Total, (Lower Div. Upper Div. Grad. NOTE: Data concerning
Number of Sections Taught 84 20 29 35 Graduate Sections
Total Student Loads and Contact
Enrollments.......e006 2,082 610 941 531 Hours includes
Average Section enrollments of
SLZC. sec ceeeeeceeeeee 24.8 30.5 32.4 15 2} Advanced Doctoral
Median Section students; Graduate
SIZE. cys ones cos wees 22.0 29.0 30.0 11.0] Student Credit: Hours
Number of Section . includes Beginning
Credits....cercceesece 260 $1 69 140 Graduate students
Total Contact only.
Hours... ces esse reeses 229.5 53 73.5 103 Advanced Doctoral
Z Credit Hours:
Additional Load , 518
Students......csceeeee 109 i) 46 63 Advanced Doctoral
Additional Load Head Count
Contact Hours.....seee 48 - 16 32 Full-time | Part-time
Student Credit Hours..... 7,085 1,641 3,024 1,902 35 il
#15 #15 +12 x 1.0 x 0.75
FTE Students.....eseee eee 512.9 109.4 201.6 158.6 35.0 8.3
Departmental Workload Analysis, 1972-73
Average Faculty Section Load: .eseccssccecees ++ 2.31 Sections ¢ 84 + 36.35 )
(Total Sections Taught, divided by
Total Instructional FTE Value) Section °
Average Faculty Credit Load: s.ssscesecsceseeoecee 215 Credit Hours (260 -+ 36.35 )
DEPARTMENTAL
WORKLOAD
Unit:
=
Table (5)
(Total Section Credits, divided. by
Total Instructional FTE Value)
Faculty/Student Ratlot csccecseevececccceceseeseee 1 ¢ LA IL (512.9 36.35 _)
(Total FTE Students divided by Total Instructional FTE Value)
Faculty Load/Student Ratio: sescsccosceseveccsceee 1 2 1,97 ¢ Wl 7.15 )
(FTE Studenta/PTE Faculty divided by average Faculty Credit Load)
Lrorey
Total Instructional
Average Faculty Credit Load: ssscesevecenceevcevee 1:93
(fotal Section Credits, divided’ by
"TE Value)
Faculty/Student Ratio: wecssvecsecercescceceseeses Lt 13,57
(Total FTE Students divided by Total Instructional FTE Value)
Faculty Load/Student Ratlot seveccsceseeececeeevee Lt
(FLE Students/FTE Faculty divided by average Faculty Credit load)
DEPARTMENTAL WORKLOAD Tait:
ANALYSIS (FALL SEMESTER 1972-73) PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION - 77078
, YSIS ‘
: FACULEY ANALY S18 5 pases wae Head count of FTE Value of Personnel ; Instructional FTE
—_— : Departmental * Budgeted to L&DR Value Charged to
} Rank Personnel Department Account Department
(a) (b) (ce)
TOTAL 12 11.00 11.35
Professor 6 5.00 (1) 5.85 (2)
Associate Professor 4 4.00 4,00 (3)
Assistant Professor 0 0 0
4 Instructor 0 0 0
‘| lecturer 2 2.00 1.50 (4)
Teaching Assistant iy J 0
| Non-Instructional 0 0 0
je ENROLLMENT ANALYSIS .
| cave save wiass,acaveteretesere sense weenie eset Total |Lower Div. | Upper Div. | Grad. | nore: pata concerning
Number of Sections Taught 23 lL 1 21 Graduate Sections,
Total Student Loads and Contact
Enrollments....sssesee Aaa 34 7 403. Hours includes
| Average Section enrollments of
SILC. cece eneer scence 19.3 34.0 7.0 19.1 | Advanced Doctoral
| Median Section students; Graduate
SIZ. cree eee eee e ees 16.0 34.0 7.0 16.0 Student Credit Hours
Number of Section includes Beginning
CLEdLtS...cccseeeecees 90 3 3 84 Graduate students
Total Contact : only.
HOurS.. oe eecereeceeees 69,5 3 3.5 63. Advanced Doctoral
Credit Hours:
Additional Load ‘278
Students. ....serevevee 28 0 0 28 Advanced Doctoral
Additional Load Head Count
Contact Hours...+..ees v7 - - 17 Full-time | Part-time
Student Credit Hours..... 1,874 102 21 1,473 17 8
+15 #15 +12 x 1,0 x 0.75
FTE Students..ssseseeseee 154.0 6.8 1.4 122.8 17.0 6.0
Departmental Workload Analysis, 1972-73
Average Faculty Section Load; secsccccsceves 2,03 Sections C23 11.35)
(Total Sections Taught, divided by :
Total Instructional FTE Value) Section
Credit Hours (
90 11.35 )
(154.0 =F
1,71
(13.57 +.
DEPARTMENTAL
WORK
LOAD
anew |
Unit:
ANALYSIS (FALL SEMESTER 1972-73) POLITICAL SCIENCE 77077
err Serre eee eee
. ANALYSIS ~ . :
See NATE mwa Head count of FTE Value of Personnel | Instructional FTE
SNS, Departmental Budgeted to IDR Value Charged to
Rank Personnel Department Account Department
. (a) g (h) (2)
TOTAL 37 25.40 22.40
Professor il 9.90 (1) 7.65 (5) (6)
Associate Professor 6 4.50 (2) 4,50
Assistant Professor 5 5.00 5.00
Instructor 1 1.00 1.00
Lecturer 3 1.50 (3) 1.75 (7)
Teaching Assistant 10 2.50 (4) 2.50
Non-Instructional 1 1.00 0
« ENROLLMENT ANALYSIS .
CSE CENDEES COVES VEN CES SUG Owe Zotal. {Lower Divs Upper Div. Grad. NOTE: Data concerning
Number of Sections Taught 47 15 19 13 Graduate Sections,
Total Student Loads and Contact
Enrollments.......c+e6 1,382 450 811 121 Hours includes
Average Section enrollments of
t BLOGG 1.65 16. ASRS 3 aS 29.4 30.0 42.7 9.3 | Advanced Doctoral
| Median Section students; Graduate
B12 6 ewes cere ones 18.0 29 39.0 10.0 | Student Credit Hours
Number of Section includes Beginning
Credits... cseccrcescoes 154 45 57. 52 Graduate students
Total Contact only.
HOUT oo os cer eee oneness 140 45, 56 39 Advanced Doctoral
Credit Hours;
Additional Load 240
Students.....secesenee 78 0 46 32 Advanced Doctoral
Additional Load Head Count
Contact Hours........- 28 - 16 12 Full-time | Part-time
Student Credit Hours..... 4,627 1,350 2,646 391 18 3
15 415 +12 x 1.0 x 0.75
FTE Students.....sseeeee 319.3 90.0 176.4 32.6 18.0 2.3
Departmental Workload Analysis, 1972-73
Average Faculty Section Load: .esecssevcecevescces 2,10 Sections C47 we 22.40°)
(Total Sections Taught, divided by
Total Instructional FTE Value) - Section
Average Faculty Credit Load: sesscccesesccveveeees 6,88 Credit Hours (154 + 22,40 _)
(fotal Section Credits, divided’ by
Total Instructional FIE Value)
Faculty/Student Rathos sevccccssecececcevcccsseees Lt 14,25 (319.3 -- 22.40 _)
(Total FYE Students divided by Total Instructional FTE Valuc)
Faculty Load/Student Ratho: sescccrcesecereeceoees bt 2.13 C1425 6.88
(FTE Students/¥TE Faculty divided by average Faculty Credit Load)
i
DEPARTMENTAL WORKLOAD Unit: ,
ANALYSIS (FALL SEMESTER 1972-73) PAF 77001
' ANALYSIS © .
: FACULTY ANALYSTS eee, Head count of FIE Value of Personnel j Instructional FIE
peeeeeeerees Departmental Budgeted to 1&DR Value Charged to
Rank Personnel Department Account Department
| (a) (b). (c.)
TOTAL 11 2.60
| Professor 4 ‘ % .95 (1)
| Associate Professor 2 \ +40 (2)
Assistant Professor 1 \ +25 (3)
Instructor 0 \ 0
|| Lecturer 0 \, 0
i Teaching Assistant 4 \ 1,00
|| Non- Instructional 0 \ 0
|. ENROLLMENT ANALYSIS .
FE HO RATT POWeD care HeneREnD Total Lower Div. | Upper Div. | Grad. NOTE: Data concerning
Number of Sections Taught 14 4 9 1 Graduate Sections,
Total Student Loads and Contact
Enrollments.......e+06 256 126 123 7 Hours includes
| Average Section enrollments of
SIZE. cascesceseeescees 18.3 3155 13.7 7.0 | Advanced Doctoral
Median Section students; Graduate
SLZC. ese eee eset secs 12.0 2265. 14.0 7.0 | Student Credit Hours
“Number of Section . includes Beginning
Credits. .scesscescveee 16 3 9 4 Graduate students
" Total Contact only.
Hours. essere sesserees 20 5 14 1 Advanced Doctoral
Credit Hours;
&
Additional Load 0 '
Students.cecercssceees 3 0 0 3 Advanced Doctoral
Additional Load Head Count
Contact Hoursesssseees 3 - : 3 Full-time | Part-time
Student Credit Hours...++ 584 189 357 38 -
15 #15 12 x 1.0 x 0.75
FTE StudentsS.eccceeeseees 39.6 12.6 23.8 3.2 - -
Departmental Workload Analysis, (1972-73
Average Faculty Section Load: ssssssseorereeeoeees | 5.38 Sections C14 + 2.60 )
(Total Sections Taught, divided by
Total Instructional FTE Value) . Section
Average Faculty Credit Load: sesecsesceecscucevene , 6.15 Credit Hours C16 + 2,60 _)
(Total Section Credits, divided by
Total Instructional FTE Value)
Faculty/Student Rathot sescseeceseevseeeecerseveoe — Lt 15.23 (39.6 -- 2,60 )
(Total FTE Students divided by Total Instructional FIE Value)
Faculty Load/Student Rathot csseseseeeccceeeeeeees bt 2148 (15.23 4 6.15 )
(FTE Students/FTE Faculty divided by average Faculty Credit Toad)
(Table 6)
GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFATRS
Department of Political Science
Undergraduate Headcoumt Enrollment
Fall Semester 1969-72
Lower Div. Upper Div, Total
1969
Sections 36 17 53
Enrollment 1038 466 1504
1970
Sections 37 26 63
Enrollment 1223 1079 2302
1971
Sections 17 25 42
Enrollment 487 . 1058 1545
|
| 1972
| Sections 15 19 34
Enrollment 450 811 1261
eumencial
etx Cowan,
STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT ALBANY
ALBANY, NEW YORK 12222
Executive Vice President
December 18, 1972
MEMORANDUM
TO: Academic Deans LOE ;
FROM: Vice President Sirotkin (12.02 Lc eKe
: ice President Sirotkin Lfiect hag x cbt heer
/
In line with previous discussions, my office is currently in the process
of setting up individual meetings with each of you to assess existing strengths
and weaknesses in our academic programs. The object is to provide a basis for
planning future development and to work out priorities in the allocation: of ‘
resources. :
Questions of program scope (present and planned) and program quality may
serve as useful areas to begin the discussions. The question of program scope
would cover proposed rationales for new or revised areas of study, or research
concentration, new special programs, or new areas of faculty specialization.
Also included could be questions relating to School and departmental. organization
and emphasis. The question of quality could cover the present and anticipated
nature of faculty, students and programs. Against the background of scope and
quality, as they describe present circumstances and plans for the future, the
discussion can turn to the economics of the future: what will be the nature of
enrollment change, what will happen to faculty resources, what changes can be
expected in budget support.
My office will soon be consulting with you to establish a date and time for
our conversation. Meanwhile, I would encourage you to continue your present
efforts at self-examination, utilizing (as appropriate) any documentation or
assessments that you may find available in the office of either undergraudate
or graduate studies. In advance of our meeting, you will receive from the Office
, o£ Institutional Research some present and historical data concerning enrollments
“and resource allocations on campus that will provide a context in which we can
look at the economics of the future. I also would appreciate having in advance
any key issues and questions you would like to have on the agenda.
Academic Deans
December 18, 1972
Page 2
I trust that you will include other members from your faculty and staff
in these sessions. From our side of the administration, we plan to have the
following staff present:
2 Justine Davidson
i John Hartigan
David Martin
Robert Morris
Louis Salkever and/or Paul Saimond
Dwight Smith and/or Wendell Lorang
Phillip Sirotkin
RM Od. g Fee
| hs fin. Oop
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