A shorter description of the project

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Executive Summary
II. Introduction
III. Background for Grant Request
IV. Administrative Cost Containment Initiatives

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

"Promoting Efficiency and Cost Containment" is a grant proposal submitted by the Associated Colleges of the South (ACS), a thirteen member consortium of leading liberal arts colleges and universities located in eleven Southern states.

Formed in 1991, ACS's mission is to make the case for liberal arts education and strengthen academic programs of its member institutions. It accomplishes these aims through the collective use of the financial, intellectual, and physical resources of its affiliates. Since its inception, ACS has coordinated programs, workshops, information exchange, and services for faculty, staff, and students. An emphasis on collaborative effort and the development and sharing of replicatable models are trademarks of its activities, whether in academic or administrative areas.

In the past decade, like all other higher education institutions, the ACS member colleges and universities have faced both a downturn in the available enrollment pool and an upswing in major operating costs. The two forces combined to strain finances and compel institutions to examine every available means of preventing operating costs from spiraling out of control. Rapidly rising energy costs and technology costs, to name two, created significant pressures on institutional budgets from 1985-1995.

To respond to these issues, institutions looked to traditional revenue streams --tuition increases, institutional development efforts, and endowment income-- for financial relief, but they typically were not enough to close the budget gap. Thus, institutions increasingly sought more creative solutions that offered the possibility of immediate cost cuts and lasting cost containment. One such approach was the privatization or outsourcing of certain services, through which institutions contracted with outside vendors to perform on-campus functions, such as computer services, facilities management, or campus security, at a lower cost than the institution itself could provide them.

ACS institutions pursued these options in the past ten years, but feel that much more can be achieved in cost containment and cost efficiency by joining forces to test promising pilot programs, and then sharing and replicating results at member college campuses.

Toward that end the ACS is requesting a grant of $497,000 to fund six distinct cost efficiency/cost-cutting programs, which can produce potential multi-million dollar annual savings for its members and improved service delivery for their students, both inside and outside the classroom. The various programs would be implemented over a three-year period.

The six initiatives are grouped into administrative and academic programs, with a final component for technical/project support in administering the grant, if approved.

The three administrative projects are summarized below:

Using the services of an outside consulting firm, The Innovation Network, benchmarking and reengineering techniques will be applied in thoroughly reviewing these two areas to identify "best practices" and "best performers" in service delivery. The Innovation Network will assist ACS member institutions in developing customized plans to transform these findings into concrete next steps and expected results for each of them in improving Admissions and Registrar's Office functions. Estimated savings: typically 20 - 30% reduction in personnel costs for an institution. Project cost: $110,000.

ACS plans to undertake a pilot program at one college that could provide a basis for all thirteen institutions to institute energy efficiency renovation programs.

Rollins College is tentatively proposed as the site for the pilot energy audit, which will entail a detailed survey of its primary energy-using facilities conducted by E-Max, an energy conservation consulting firm based in Louisville, Ky. The pilot audit will offer written recommendations on the improvements needed, the total investment required, the savings, and the payback attainable by implementing the program. It will also include recommended priorities, vendors, suppliers, and contractors, with various options presented for financing the improvements.

The audit will enable the twelve remaining institutions to follow the "Rollins blueprint" in moving toward their own master plans for energy renovation, and will establish a mechanism for securing mass buying contracts with key energy suppliers and contractors.

Estimated savings: On average, a savings equal to 24% of the institution's current energy bill is anticipated.

Project cost: $100,000.

Relying on the expertise gained from its eighteen years of experience, the Massachusetts Higher Education Consortium (MHEC) will consult with ACS institutions' purchasing and chief financial officers to develop a joint purchasing system for certain goods and services. MHEC is credited with producing savings of more than $200 million for its 57 members since they began their joint purchasing venture. ACS believes that proportionate savings can be realized for its members.

MHEC will assist ACS in developing an inventory of items for joint purchasing, installing a vendor bidding mechanism, advising on vendor negotiations, collaborating on a purchasing manual, and establishing an ongoing communication system to support the process.

Estimated savings: $1.25-2.5 million annually.

Project cost: $30,000.

Academic initiatives include pilot classroom programs and faculty training programs outlined below:

The introductory computing course pilot will be conducted at Furman University and is based on the premise that students can learn introductory computing better and more cost-effectively through linking multimedia computing and networking concepts as learning tools. Central to the course's new methodology are team projects which challenge the students to produce multimedia presentations or learning modules on topics relevant to their academic pursuits. The instructor shifts to a role of mentor or advisor, encouraging students to collect and research their own information and use him or her as a resource in synthesizing and interpreting the information. The course developers are convinced that not only will learning outcomes be enhanced for students, but that the new approach will actually allow class size to be expanded. In fact, the pilot will test that theory by increasing class size from 24 (normal class size for the course) to 30. If proven successful, this will allow other ACS institutions to replicate the approach with their own introductory computing courses, thereby reducing faculty costs.

The second pilot, "Multimedia Applications to Language Study," will be taught at Millsaps College and will use interactive computer simulations of authentic overseas environments to teach students to use the subject language to solve problems, act out roles, and respond in culturally relevant ways.

The approach is more cost-effective than conventional language instruction using textbooks, supplemented by books, videotapes, etc., and creates a stimulating atmosphere to encourage language study. Since the lessons simulate the study abroad experience, they may allow extending such benefits to a wider range of students at sharply reduced expense, while permitting advance preparation for those students who plan to study abroad. Estimated savings from pilots: Reduced faculty costs from more cost effective instruction.

Project cost: $65,000 for each pilot program.

The college campus is one of the most invigorating, and demanding, environments in which to apply new technologies. But, training in these technological advances is an expensive and time-consuming proposition for any institution. ACS proposes to combine its resources in the joint training of its faculty in such areas as networking, understanding and using the Internet, the use of interactive multimedia in the classroom, distance learning techniques, and teleconferencing.

Using faculty and outside experts, the workshops will help faculty match technology to their specific classroom needs, plan for emerging technologies, and will encourage them to take their newly-acquired skills back to their home campuses and train their colleagues.

Estimated savings: Savings in financial and human resources, compared to attempting training on an individual institution basis.

Project cost: $70,000.

The final grant component requests $57,000 for technical/ project support in facilitating the scheduling and coordination of various projects' workshops; gathering, organizing, and disseminating information and results generated by the projects; administering the proposed grant; securing specialized computer hardware and software needed; and retaining temporary part-time help to perform the above functions.

A President's Steering Committee, chaired by Dr. Richard Morrill, President of the University of Richmond, will be responsible for overall project oversight, including financial stewardship, periodic reporting to all necessary constituencies, and project review and evaluation.

In summary, the proposed projects will benefit varied audiences --the institutions themselves, their students, faculty, and administrators, the ACS, and the broader higher education community. If funded, the grant will:

The Associated Colleges of the South hopes that the Board of the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation will approve the detailed proposal that follows and enable ACS to pursue the many benefits that will accrue.

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INTRODUCTION

Description of the organization - Formed in 1991, the Associated Colleges of the South (ACS) is a consortium of sixteen outstanding liberal arts colleges and universities located in eleven Southern states. Member institutions are listed below:

All share a commitment to excellence in their programs, to the continuation of the liberal arts tradition, and to the growth and development of each of their students. These common goals are the foundation for the ACS, whose mission is to make the case for liberal arts education and to strengthen academic programs of the member institutions. ACS provides the mechanism through which member colleges and universities create and build programs cooperatively that would not be possible individually. ACS' budget is also funded jointly by annual assessments of its member institutions, currently set at $18,000 each.

Since its inception, ACS has coordinated programs, workshops, information exchange, and services for faculty, staff, and students of its member colleges and universities. Collective effort and the development and sharing of replicatable models have been hallmarks of ACS activities, whether in academic or administrative arenas. Examples of the range of its activities include the following:

In the future, ACS expects to assume a greater leadership role in higher education through demonstrating the synergies consortia can achieve and sharing information and duplicatable models of cooperative action with other organizations and institutions.

Nature of the grant request - In keeping with its emphasis on collaborative efforts, the ACS is seeking a grant of $497,000 to fund several cost-cutting projects to be implemented over a three-year period, which will increase efficiency in critical areas of institutional life common to all ACS member institutions. At their June, 1995 meeting, ACS member institution presidents cited cost containment as their top priority in improving institutional operations. Earlier deliberations by the group had examined more than fifteen different areas of interest before reaching consensus on those that offered the greatest promise for joint study and action.

The grant proposal described in this document reflects these mutual concerns and outlines specific programs, both administrative and academic, where improvements in efficiency will yield substantial savings and the ability to replicate results across member institutions.

Administrative cost containment initiatives encompass three projects:

On the academic side, the projects focus on the use of technology in higher education, both to optimize the teaching and learning process and to hold escalating technology costs in check. Grant support is requested in two areas:

The final section of the grant proposal requests a modest allocation for technical/project support. The initiatives will require some overarching support to coordinate arrangements for workshops, the dissemination of information and reports, and project/grant management. The need will be most evident for the academic programs. Technical needs will include additional hardware, software and other supplies.

Details of each component of the grant request are provided in Sections IV - VI. In submitting the request, the staff of ACS and its member institutio

n presidents pledge to monitor the proposed projects rigorously and have created a steering committee for that purpose. Composed of four ACS presidents, the committee would provide semiannual (or more frequent, if requested) progress reports to the Woodruff Foundation describing project activities and results, and tracking grant expenditures.

Linkage with ACS Mission - The ACS proposal complements the organization's goal of enhancing higher education through cooperative endeavors and the sharing of insights, information, programs, and models. The request addresses proactively critical components of academic and administrative operations that have contributed to escalating costs at virtually all institutions of higher education. In examining these key functions critically ACS institutions will have the opportunity to identify cost-cutting measures, to better ensure optimal use of financial and human resources, and to share models and recommendations that could benefit institutions both within and outside of ACS.

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Trends in college costs - The past ten years have likely been one of the most challenging periods for presidents and other administrators at higher education institutions. As the baby boom generation graduated from college, institutions faced a dearth of students to replace them, thereby increasing competition to attract and retain a dwindling enrollment pool. Concurrently, they also experienced significant, often dramatic, increases in key budget items.

Technology costs, for example, surged during the period as institutions sought to stay current on new computer hardware and software to meet the needs of students and staff alike. Fax machines, cellular telephones, high-speed and color copiers, and numerous other technological innovations appeared during the 1980s, becoming indispensable to day-to-day operations. Yet, "state-of-the-art" quickly became obsolete as new generations of technology produced seemingly constant refinements and improvements. Staying abreast of the changes, much less funding them, became a continual dilemma, and ACS institutions were no exception. A recent sampling of 1985-1995 technology budgets at ACS institutions shows annual increases over the past decade ranging from 8-13%.

Energy costs were another critical factor ratcheting up institutional expenses. Utility and fuel price hikes, coupled with older, less energy-efficient buildings on many campuses frequently accounted for the increases. During the past decade, representative ACS institutions reported 4-7% annual increases in energy costs, at a time when inflation averaged 3.5% per year.

Institutional responses - The options available to institutions in meeting these, and other, increased operating costs required them to tap traditional sources of income and to develop new approaches to cost containment.

The most obvious source of income for any institution is the tuition it charges its students to attend. However, even when applicants are plentiful, higher education recognizes that tuition cannot bear solely the burden of increased expenses. Nevertheless, virtually all institutions, public and private, raised tuition rates during the 1980s and early 1990s. From 1985-95, a typical ACS institution raised tuition and fees an average of 8% per year. Tuition increases were a double-edged sword for both institutions and their students, though, since they addressed one problem --increased operating costs-- but exacerbated another, by leading to sharply increased demand for institutional financial aid.

Other conventional income sources were also explored. College development offices boosted fundraising efforts to meet ever higher goals for annual operating support. Investment policies were also reviewed for ways to squeeze extra revenue from endowment funds.

These efforts alone were not sufficient to offset rising costs totally, much less contain them. As a result, many institutions turned to new methods of cost-cutting and containment as a means to prevent the problem from becoming a permanent, and increasing, drain on resources.

Privatization or outsourcing of services was one option embraced by many campuses. A college reviewed the various services it provided and identified those that could be contracted as easily and more cost effectively with an outside vendor, with resultant savings in personnel costs, equipment, service delivery, etc.

Several ACS institutions have moved toward privatization of selected functions and have reported great success. For example, in 1992 the University of Richmond began contracting with Systems And Computer Technology, Inc. to provide all computer services for the campus. It now estimates this change will save the institution $500,000 over the first five years. Similarly, last year Rollins College engaged Marriott Education Services to handle all facilities management and systems, including custodial, plumbing, and electrical work. Though it is too early to predict total savings, Rollins has already noted a marked improvement in processes and in the quality of services delivered.

Cost containment has also been addressed through consortia of colleges and universities, who combined to share resources, information, and/or expertise for their collective benefit. The Associated Colleges of the South was formed in 1991 for this express purpose, particularly related to program development. Others, such as the Massachusetts Higher Education Consortium. described later, originated to leverage resources in purchasing or other administrative areas.

ACS rationale for grant request - Individually, ACS member colleges and universities have pursued conventional remedies to combat escalating costs in the ways described above.

Now, the Associated Colleges of the South wishes to explore other cooperative solutions to vital cost containment concerns. As mentioned earlier, ACS presidents have identified cost containment and efficiency as their highest priority for group action.

The projects described in this proposal promise broad applicability to all ACS member institutions in both administrative and academic arenas and potential multi-million dollar annual savings. Through the sponsorship of a grant from the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation and the diligent stewardship of ACS, member institutions may both test and replicate the proposed models, as well as share them with institutions outside current membership. ACS is confident of the projects' ultimate success, their worthiness for support, and their value to its member colleges and universities.

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Project 1: Admissions/Registrar's office Process Improvement

Purpose: The objectives of this initiative are to:

Scope and execution: The project will include all key processes typically a part of the Admissions and Registrar's offices of each institution, as well as how these areas interface in performing their functions. Examples of processes that -might be examined would include:

The primary focus will be on how such processes are executed and on their performance (cost, quality, service). The project will utilize a creative blending of two different but complementary performance techniques -- benchmarking and reengineering.

Benchmarking is defined here as "an approach to facilitating change by systematically and creatively borrowing ideas from others." As applied to this initiative, benchmarking will involve four key steps:

Reengineering, in contrast, utilizes a "clean sheet of paper" approach to redesigning processes and functions in order to improve performance to a level not currently achieved by any of the institutions. This process will follow the following steps:

1. Analyzing how current processes are designed, using interview and mapping techniques. Such analysis is complementary to and compatible with the identification of "best practices" in benchmarking, but is undertaken in greater depth and detail.
   
   
2. Identifying specific issues and opportunities emerging from the analysis.
   
3. Specifying new designs including (as suitable) new processes, restructured organization, upgraded information systems, modified facilities, employee training, etc.
   
4. Implementation planning for the "resource sharing" or "best performer improvement" strategy followed. Such a plan would include an analysis of each member's current situation and an assessment of those facets of the new concepts that will be transportable.

The actual implementation of these techniques will be accomplished through a multi-step process using two teams of key personnel from ACS institutions working with The Innovation Network, a management consulting firm specializing in issues affecting higher education. The first team, the main project task force, will consist of officer-level representatives from ACS member institutions. Their charge will be to reach consensus on the scope of the processes to be evaluated (e.g. for the Registrar's function, registering of students may be of particular importance, while formulation of the class schedule may be secondary), the specific objectives of the project (start and end dates, anticipated results, etc.), approval of the approach, the organization of the project, and agreement on ongoing oversight and reporting.

The second team will form one or two working groups focused on the two functions--Admissions and Registrar's Office--to be studied. The working groups' members will be director-level personnel from the member institutions, and will be "hands-on;" therefore, in-depth knowledge of one or both of the functional areas will be required. The working groups' tasks will be to:

Examples of Benchmarking Measures

Admissions:

Registrar:

The Innovation Network will act as the facilitator for the project, coordinating the formation of the teams, the convening of team meetings, and playing a primary role in data-gathering, analysis, and reporting. (See Appendix 1 for a description of The Innovation Network, its principals, and the results it has achieved for other clients.)

Program evaluation and benefits: Each participant will consent to submit the agreed-upon data. The data will be analyzed, validated, and consolidated to ensure that "apples to apples" comparisons are possible. A key part of the validation will be obtaining the explicit agreement from each working group participant that the data is sufficiently accurate to identify "best performers."

Once "best performers" are identified, the practices they use to achieve superior performance will be assessed. The scope of assessment will include:

These practices will be evaluated using a combination of structured questionnaires and on-site interviews.

The results of this intensive review and dissection of the Admissions and Registration functions will then be used to benefit ACS member institutions through both broad information sharing and the development of customized plans for each institution.

Information sharing will be promoted through interactive workshops at the project's end to discuss the results of the analyses. These meetings, utilizing formal presentations coupled with questions and answers, will be designed to encourage the active exchange of information, deepen the understanding among the group of the practices discussed, and provide the participants with the opportunity to explore the "transportability" of innovative practices and concepts to their institutions.

As the final step, the project includes the development of customized plans which would transform the practices and concepts advanced by the project into concrete next steps and expected results for each institution in improving Admissions and Registrar's Office functions.

Although potential savings cannot be estimated yet for ACS member institutions, The Innovation Network's experience with other higher education clients on similar projects has been that the process typically leads not only to increased customer (e.g. student and/or parent) satisfaction with service quality and delivery, but also to reductions in personnel costs ranging from 20-30%. (Please refer to the examples provided in the biography of The Innovation Network in Appendix 1.)

cost: $110,000, to cover consultants' fees, analysis of Admissions and Registrar's offices, and meetings/workshops for key institutional representatives.

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Project 2: Energy Efficiency Pilot Audit

Purpose:Associated Colleges of the South engaged E-Max, an energy conservation consulting firm based in Louisville, Kentucky, to complete an energy efficiency feasibility study of nine of its thirteen colleges. (See Appendix 2 for a description of E-Max and its client results.) The results were presented to ACS member institutions' Chief Financial Officers on March 9, 1995.

Based on this study, ACS decided to pursue a pilot program at one college that could provide a basis for all thirteen institutions to institute an energy efficiency renovation program. The colleges would benefit from economies of scale through analyzing similar building types and establishing a priorities for energy renovation implementation. Savings could be realized through a master purchasing agreement with key vendors including lighting, air conditioning, boilers, windows, roofing and insulation.

Scope and execution: Rollins College has been tentatively proposed as the site for the pilot energy audit, which would be conducted by E-Max. The survey would consist of detailed energy audits of 50 of their 60 campus buildings, representing 781,000 of the campus' 855,000 total square feet of buildings. Buildings excluded have insignificant energy use.

The audit will enable the twelve remaining institutions to follow the "Rollins blueprint" in moving toward their own master plans for energy renovation. At the same time, the audit will establish a mechanism for securing mass buying contracts with key energy equipment suppliers and contractors. Actual equipment/ services and supplier bids along with E-Max's evaluation of the bids will be submitted with the audit.

Program evaluation and benefits: All ACS institutions will benefit from having access to the pilot audit of Rollins College. The pilot audit will provide written recommendations on the total investment, the savings, and the payback available by implementing the program. It will also include recommended priorities, vendors, suppliers and contractors. Preliminary bids will be taken on payback items of four years or less and guaranteed payments on key items selected will be made available.

The audit will contain low interest, municipal lease arrangements and guaranteed savings contracts so that Rollins College can proceed with minimal cash investment and most of the savings opportunities can be paid for by using a lease pay-from-savings contract. Smaller items that can be implemented easily by the colleges will be included in the detailed energy audit as part of the mass buying agreement.

Specific benefits of the pilot program will be the following:

1. Rollins College will be able to benefit immediately from purchasing lighting, air conditioning, boilers and other equipment on a mass purchasing agreement that can be used by all ACS members.
   
2. All ACS member institutions will have access to the Rollins audit and may proceed to conduct similar full audits of their own facilities. Savings from lighting retrofits and other energy conservation measures with short payback periods can be used to fund the audits. Implementation of measures which require larger capital investments can be accomplished via municipal lease programs. As the table below demonstrates, based on the prior experience of E-Max and the baseline data gathered thus far on nine of the thirteen ACS member institutions, E-Max estimates $2.2 million in total annual savings can be achieved for these nine institutions alone, compared to their present annual energy budget of $9.4 million. In fact, in a recent project for one of the largest Indiana vocational colleges, the client realized savings of more than 50% on energy costs within the first two months of implementing E-Max's energy audit recommendations.

Table 1

1. At the pilot audit's conclusion, E-Max will conduct a one-day seminar at a central location for key financial officers and facilities managers of ACS institutions to review and discuss the audit's results and to acquaint them with typical savings opportunities of buildings such as dormitories, laboratories, gymnasiums, libraries, etc. (Of course, on-going communication will occur throughout the project as a means of capitalizing on learning along the way.)
   
   
2. E-Max will provide a check list at the seminar for the various building types so that ACS participants can identify quick payback items, and will provide a blanket purchase buying catalog, allowing ACS members to purchase energy efficient equipment directly from suppliers at more favorable costs.
   
3. As other institutions develop and pursue their own energy renovation plans, annual progress meetings will be conducted to share energy conservation strategies, information, and ideas.
   

cost: $100,000, which includes consultants' fees for the detailed energy audit, the workshop for ACS members at the end of the project, and one additional annual progress meeting.

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Project 3: Joint Purchasing

Purpose: The joint purchasing of key goods and services has been proven by other collectives of higher education institutions to result in substantial savings for its members. In particular, a joint purchasing organization, Massachusetts Higher Education Consortium Inc., (MHEC), incorporated in 1977 and staffed at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, is credited with producing $200 million in savings for its members since that time. Such results have caused their membership to swell to 57 colleges and universities today. (See Appendix 3 for a description of MHEC.)

Based on MHEC's experience, ACS believes that proportionate savings can be realized for its members through joint purchasing of certain goods and services now purchased individually by the institutions. Although not an ACS member, officials at Emory University are also keenly interested in joint purchasing and in identifying mutual joint purchasing opportunities with ACS, with the potential positive impact their participation could bring. Moreover, the collaboration among the purchasing directors of the ACS institutions contemplated by this project will produce a useful sharing of information on the value and quality of merchandise and ways of establishing discipline and coordination of purchasing on the individual campuses.

Scope and execution: The project will concentrate on developing a plan outlining opportunities for joint purchasing of both goods and services. ACS representatives will develop the plan in conjunction with a planning consultant from MHEC. Given MHEC's expertise and proven track record in implementing a joint purchasing process, their consultant will be responsible for:

Program evaluation and benefits: Besides the final action plan for joint purchasing, the project will result in the identification of genuine, quantifiable savings for each of the items to be purchased, as well as the overall anticipated savings.

A national study of higher education institutions estimated that 25% of each institution's total budget related to purchases. Applying that figure to the combined budgets of ACS institutions, which equal $500 million, one could then assume that ACS institutions spend approximately $125 million annually on purchases. MHEC's experience is that 10% of institutional purchases can be accomplished cooperatively. Extrapolating from the ACS' members' purchasing estimate, $12.5 million in yearly joint purchases would then seem feasible. To complete the analysis, MHEC's 18 years of joint purchasing activities show that savings of 10 - 20% annually are likely. This would suggest that by implementing a joint purchasing venture, ACS member institutions could save from $1.25 - $2.5 million annually. With the possible addition of Emory University as a joint purchasing partner, savings toward the upper end of the range may well be attainable.

Cost: $30,000 for consulting services and meetings/workshops with purchasing officers and chief financial officers of ACS institutions.

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Project 1: Pilot Programs

1. A New Instructional Approach to Introductory Computing Pilot program location: Furman University
   
   
2. Purpose:
   CS 16: Introduction to Computingis an elective taken by roughly one-half of all Furman University students. Like similar courses at other colleges and universities, it provides a general introduction to computing, but emphasizes multimedia computing and networking--two essential concepts for computer literacy in the 21st century.
   
   The goal of the course is to give students a solid understanding of how information represented in all media (text, numbers, sound, images, and video) can be converted, processed, integrated, and distributed using the computer as a digital common denominator. Professors Ken Abernethy and Tom Allen are the primary developers of this new approach to the course and are the authors of a forthcoming text, An Introduction to Computing with Multimedia and Networking (PWS Publishing Co., Boston, MA), which covers the course material and the approach taken.
   
   Beyond the emphasis on computing as the "digital denominator" for communication and discourse, the course allows experimentation with a unique delivery structure as well, described below, which can be refined at Furman University and replicated at other ACS campuses. The approach also is expected to prove to be a more cost-effective instruction technique that permits larger class sizes without sacrificing quality.
   
   Scope and execution: Central to the course's new methodology is a team project in which students demonstrate the usefulness of the multimedia computing and networking concepts they have studied in producing a multimedia presentation or learning module on a subject they choose. Working in teams of three or four, participants explore the applicability of the latest computing and telecommunications technologies to topics relevant to their other academic pursuits.
   
   This mode of instruction seems to enhance the excitement of learning and oftentimes generates a great deal of self- and peer-instruction. The instructor is shifted toward a role as mentor or advisor, rather than the primary source of information. Students learn to collect and research their own information and seek the instructor's advice only when needed to synthesize and interpret this information.
   
   The approach has evolved over several years of experimentation with new classroom methods and new teaching materials (both textual and electronic). The course developers are convinced that equal or better outcomes can be achieved with larger class sizes. Thus, defying conventional wisdom that "smaller is better," Furman will increase class capacity for this course by 25% (from 24 to 30 students) in the fall of 1995 on a trial basis. It is easier for an instructor to manage a larger class size when his or her primary role becomes advisor -- with many problems being resolved within the team structure without his or her intervention at all. The course developers believe the trial will prove successful and that optimal class size may even exceed 30.
   
   Program evaluation and-benefits - The two major expected outcomes of the pilot program are cost savings through the effective use of larger section sizes in introductory computing courses and improved student learning outcomes.
   
   The larger class size will be a given during the pilot program, so emphasis will focus on measuring any changes in student learning through pre- and post-course surveys/questionnaires to determine whether larger class size had any negative effects.
   
   Prior to the pilot program commencing, a 3-4 day, ACS-sponsored workshop will present the program to ACS member representatives, describing the approach and course materials, and discussing strategies for replicating the course on their home campuses. Workshop participants will create their own student pre/post surveys or questionnaires that they will agree to use in assessing their replication efforts. Further, workshop participants will be expected to develop their own assessment tools to measure any student learning changes that might be unique to or specifically appropriate for their own projects. These assessment results will be shared with ACS campuses. Once the Furman pilot program is completed, ACS representatives will reconvene at a second workshop to hear and discuss results.
   
   In summary, the Furman pilot program in introductory computing is expected to benefit ACS member institutions in the following ways:
   
   
   • By developing a lower-cost, but equally (or more) effective method of teaching a high-demand course that can be replicated at other institutions.
     
     
   • By offering a "laboratory" in which the innovative teaching method and course materials can be tested by the professors who developed them and their findings shared with ACS member institutions to assist them in implementing similar programs.
     
     
   • By providing an on-going mechanism for sharing the results of subsequent programs at other ACS campuses.
     
     

   cost: $65,000, to cover professors' stipends, development of pilot results, release time for faculty to apply pilot results on individual campuses, materials, technical support and two workshops.

3. Multimedia Applications to Language Study Pilot program location: Millsaps College

Purpose:
This pilot program will enable ACS faculty to combine their interest in language-across-the-curriculum with multimedia teaching methods in a way that is expected to enhance learning and improve cost effectiveness.

Foreign language skills are increasingly viewed as a practical means of equipping oneself for active participation in a global society. This upsurge in interest has led to demand for more learner-centered, interactive media lessons -- a need which is not being met.

Even today, videotapes, computer exercises, workbooks, and the like are largely used as supplements to textbooks, rather than as integral components of overall language instruction. This pilot program aspires to provide truly innovative, integrated materials to develop flexibly sequenced, multimedia lessons in language instruction. Teachers well-versed in pedagogy and technology will produce these learner-centered, interactive lessons in Millsaps College's state-of-the-art Culpeper Language Acquisition Resource Center and refine them for use as models for curriculum development.

Scope and execution: Simply stated, the approach will use video episodes to re-create environments in which the subject language is spoken and will challenge students to use the language to solve problems, act out roles, and respond in culturally relevant ways. Students will engage in problem-oriented, self-paced discovery guided by interactive feedback that accounts for different learning styles and presents supplementary information when students request it. Lessons will be appropriate for intermediate courses.

As an example, incorporating such lessons into a course like Millsaps' "Spanish for the Professions" will help students interested in learning the language skills essential for fields such as medicine, law, sociology, education, ecology, and archaeology. Since only audio tapes and workbooks designed for specific career areas are now available, learners presently work in small, separate groups studying only their distinct disciplines.

The new approach will not only foster collaborative learning, but, because the lessons emphasize communication skills in authentic situations, they will help learners integrate the vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structure needed for expressing ideas cogently. Practicing with discovery techniques will encourage students to experiment and gain insights into the systematic functioning of language. Faculty members will experience new ways of approaching language instruction and have stimulating models for designing innovative, interactive lessons.

Program evaluation and benefits: The pilot program will be evaluated initially through an ACS-sponsored workshop in which ACS member representatives will review the program design and materials and will be asked to review the utility of the workshop, both at its conclusion and later after they return to their campuses and attempt to apply the lessons learned.

Student and faculty users at Millsaps College will critique the sample lessons via a check-list and short essay questionnaire. After they practice with the lessons and suggest improvements, the exercises will be revised. The developers will then pre-test and post-test students to determine if the model lessons increase student motivation, retention, and performance. To check qualitative as well as quantitative improvement, selected students will also be interviewed.

Preliminarily, the course developers believe the project will show that sophisticated lessons can be delivered on cost-effective multimedia systems. Hands-on experience with these models will provide an engaging, inexpensive way for sharing the most up-to-date pedagogy and technology for language learning.

In addition, since the lessons simulate the study abroad experience, they can make many of its benefits available to a wider range of students at sharply reduced expense. The lessons can also be used to prepare students to take full advantage of the study abroad experience.

cost: $65,000, to cover professors' stipends, development of pilot results, release time for faculty to apply pilot results on individual campuses, materials, technical support and workshops.

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Project 2: Cooperative Training Programs in Technology

Purpose:
The rapid growth of technology poses constant challenges to the computer literate and not-so-literate to understand and apply the advances on the job, in the classroom, and at home. Today's college campus is one of the most stimulating, and demanding, environments in which to apply these skills. But, training in new technologies is an expensive and time-consuming proposition if attempted campus by campus.

The consortium, therefore, proposes to take full advantage of combined resources in training faculty to understand and use the new technology currently available. Examples of the topics and skills to be addressed are the following:

Scope and execution:These cooperative programs will streamline training efforts and allow joint use of experts from outside and from within the consortium. In addition, the programs will focus attention on the importance of training itself, and be designed to enhance leadership skills of faculty members who attend to equip many of them to return to their home campuses and train their colleagues as well.

Besides instruction on the topics listed earlier, the workshops will concentrate on helping faculty to match technology to the teaching and learning needs on each campus, thereby clarifying and strengthening the linkage between pedagogical and technological knowledge. Practically speaking, the workshops should assist faculty in the design and development of institutional resources, such as integrating technology into the classroom more effectively, planning for emerging technologies, and making efficient use of available technical support.

Through organizations such as The Shodor Education Foundation, specialized computational workshops may also be offered in mathematical modeling and computational tools, techniques, and technologies.

Program evaluation and benefits: An evaluation committee will be formed to carefully review proposed training programs, measure the success of the sessions, and evaluate progress made by faculty on their campuses. The results of evaluation will be shared regularly by e-mail and in person at periodic ACS meetings, thereby enabling ACS institutions to improve programs as they proceed.

Besides the obvious, and considerable, savings in financial and human resources that accrue from joint workshops and training sessions, faculty attendees will establish a peer network for ongoing communication on technology needs and training. By identifying and developing some participants as future trainers, the workshops will also fulfill a "train the trainer" function which further leverages the investment in the programs and expands their reach. In this way, ACS will make maximum use of its own talented faculty and outside consultants as well.

Cost: $70,000, for the costs of the varied workshops and their materials, stipends for workshop leaders, and funds to defray expenses of workshop participants.

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Purpose:Technical/project support is requested to ensure that all hardware, software, supplies, and project management backup are available to ensure the successful implementation and completion of all initiatives. such support would encompass all of the activities described in the grant request, but especially the academic initiatives.

In particular, technical/project support will allow for the following:

Cost: $57,000 to fund all of the functions described above.

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Robert W. Woodruff Foundation Grant Proposal

Proposed Grant Expenditures

($ in thousands)

TOTAL GRANT REQUEST $497

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As evidence of its commitment to the successful implementation and completion of the projects proposed in this document, ACS has formed a Presidents' Steering Committee which will be responsible for oversight of the grant, if approved. The committee is composed of four ACS institution presidents and chaired by Dr. Richard Morrill, president of the University of Richmond.

Working with the ACS president, the Steering Committee will have a four-fold function:

1. Financial stewardship - Ensuring the appropriate allocation and expenditure of any funds awarded, and that accurate records are kept of such expenditures.
   
   
2. General oversight - Providing a periodic review of all initiatives to be certain that they adhere to project objectives and that timely progress reports are submitted.
   
3. Reporting - Updating internal and external audiences on progress made. For ACS members, this would entail facilitating the exchange of information both during a project and at its completion. Externally, the Committee would forward periodic reports to the Robert Woodruff Foundation as assurance that the grant is being properly administered and that objectives are being met. Additionally, the Committee would identify other external parties (non-ACS institutions, education journals and publications, higher education meetings and conventions) with whom results might be shared and determine the best method(s) of disseminating any data.
   
4. Evaluation - The Steering Committee would conduct the final assessment of each project to evaluate results, determine what information would be of greatest benefit to its members and others and the -means of presentation, and require each project coordinator to submit a detailed project evaluation at the program's end. While a project is on-going, the Committee would also examine any requests for changes in project design or implementation to ensure that project objectives are still met.

If acceptable to the Woodruff Foundation, the Presidents' Steering Committee would foresee providing the Foundation with semiannual (or more frequent, if requested) progress reports, which would review each initiative, its progress to date, and results achieved, and would provide a summary accounting of expenditures by project.

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Beneficiaries of the proposed grant - The ACS proposal has numerous beneficiaries: its member institutions, their faculty, students, and administrators, ACS itself, and the broader higher education community. The benefits each group derives vary but cumulatively represent enormous financial, intellectual, and practical value.

For ACS member institutions, such benefits include:

The Associated Colleges of the South as an organization will benefit in different ways, to the extent that the projects result in the following:

Beyond its own audiences, the cost containment and efficiency initiatives can be applied to other higher education institutions with the following anticipated results:

Conclusion - By any measure, the proposed projects have .demonstrable value and can make lasting, measurable differences in how and how well ACS member institutions operate. By promoting cost containment and efficiency, they not only will improve "behind-the-scenes" operations and produce much-needed budget relief, but will also link cost efficiency and innovation in the classroom to better serve their primary customers -- the students.

The Associated Colleges of the South sincerely hopes that the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation will share its excitement about this proposal and provide the funds requested to allow the immediate pursuit of these goals.

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The Innovation Network

Organized in 1989 and headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee, The Innovation Network focuses on the management of institutional change in higher education. Their approach integrates strategic planning with operational analysis techniques, such as benchmarking and reengineering.

The firm's clients include public and private, large and small institutions of higher education across the United States. Each engagement is highly tailored to the client's institutional mission and objectives, as well as its internal culture and resources.

The Innovation Network is led by a group of consulting generalists and blends the skills of functional experts from every area of higher education administration. The firm's general partners are Mr. Robert Glenn and Dr. Thomas Dibble, both of whom have more than 20 years of consulting experience.

Mr. Glenn is a former officer with Booz, Allen & Hamilton, Arthur Andersen & Co., and Quorum Health Resources and has spent the past seven years in higher education consulting. Mr. Glenn earned his B.S. degree from Purdue University and his M.B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh.

Dr. Dibble was a full-time faculty member for twelve years at the University of Michigan and Vanderbilt University. Dr. Dibble obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Michigan and his M.B.A. at Emory University.

Projects undertaken by the firm are results oriented in that they produce demonstrable improvements in productivity and quality for the clients. Examples of client projects and their results are described below:

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APPENDIX 2

E-Max, Inc.

Based in Louisville, Kentucky, E-Max, Inc. was established in 1969 by Andrew H. Susemichel to provide mechanical, electrical, and structural engineering for industrial facilities. Clients have included: the Naval Ordnance, General Plywood, Ethyl Corporation, Dupont, International Harvester, and Kaiser Agricultural, as well as other leading industrial firms. In 1974, E-Max designed a $4 million anchor insulation process for the Alaska pipeline, which resulted in a number of patents and national recognitions, including the Top 10 Achievement award from the National Society of Professional Engineers.

In 1975, the need and demand for national energy conservation measures, along with the pressing oil embargo, catapulted E-Max into the developing field of energy engineering. E-Max had primarily served industrial clients in mechanical and electrical engineering and energy renovation. That service was expanded to schools and hospitals in 1981.

E-Max's energy conservation projects have included energy renovations of International Harvester, Hillenbrand Industries, and Batesville Casket Company. In the Louisville area, energy renovation clients have included the Seelbach Hotel, the First National Tower (40 stories), and Citizens Fidelity (30 stories).

As a result of E-Max's energy engineering for the Louisville school systems, the Federal Department of Energy gave E-Max the top National School Energy Management System Award. This national acclaim led to visits to Louisville by representatives of more than 30 schools from around the country to determine the potential of using E-Max's innovative radio-controlled system with guaranteed energy savings and guaranteed comfort improvement. More than 22 school systems nationwide have since utilized the E-Max design and have developed procedures for contractor guaranteed savings and long-term cost adjustments.

In other innovative energy work, in 1984, E-Max developed an integrated energy and maintenance software system called the Facilatizer. The Facilatizer remains the only totally integrated energy and maintenance software that provides corrective, preventative, and impending failure work orders. The Facilatizer was thoroughly tested in two schools and a hospital before it was offered to E-Max clients in 1987. Since then, the Facilatizer has been installed in additional schools, hospitals and large office buildings nationwide. It is now being tested as a pilot maintenance program for Nippon Electric, one of Japan's largest companies. The Facilatizer is now integrated with Johnson, Barber-Colman, Trane, Andover, and the American AutoMatrix Control Systems.

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APPENDIX 3

Massachusetts Higher Education Consortium

The Massachusetts Higher Education Consortium (MHEC) was organized in 1977 with the mission of leveraging its collective purchasing power to reduce costs in buying goods and services for its member institutions.

Located on the campus of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, its membership of 57 institutions is composed of public and private colleges and universities, community colleges, and seven other smaller consortia in the state. Currently, MHEC has 85 contracts in place with over 350 vendors, which generate more than $40 million a year in purchases. A conservative estimate places cumulative savings achieved by the consortium over its history at more than $200 million.

Nationally recognized, the MHEC has been the model for the startup of other such consortia in Texas, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut, to name a few. Purchasing agents from around the country and from other countries have visited the MHEC to review its operation. It is unique in that it was the first organization in the country to join public, private, sectarian, and nonsectarian institutions into a successful group buying effort.

The MHEC operates on the dues paid by its members, owns all its own equipment, and pays all its own expenses. With a $150,000 operating budget and $50,000 in UMass in-kind support, the MHEC is one of the most efficient in the country -- operating costs are only one-half of 1 percent of member purchasing volume.

The MHEC staff is composed of three employees, with twenty nine years of purchasing experience. Jake E. Bishop is the founder of the MHEC and serves as chairman of the MHEC Board of Directors and Executive Director. Mr. Bishop has been Director of Procurement at the University of Massachusetts since 1974. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts and holds an LLB degree from LaSalle University. In 1976, Mr. Bishop became one of the first purchasing managers in education to be certified by the National Association of Purchasing Managers. He has served four terms as a director on the National Board of the Educational & Institutional Cooperative Service, Inc. and is currently First Vice President of the E & I Board. The Educational & Institutional Cooperative Service is the oldest, and one of the largest, educational purchasing consortia in the U.S. Mr. Bishop also lectures, teaches and consults with various organizations all over the country, and is recognized nationally and internationally as a leader in cooperative buying.

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