Institutional Research and Academic Planning
Appendix E: Systemwide Professional School Planning: Recommended Guidelines and Model
Endorsed by the Academic Council - July 2004
A significant and ongoing component of the UC response to the demand for increased post-graduate education is the development of new professional schools on the various campuses. Most will develop as a result of local campus initiatives in response to the academic vision, programmatic needs and strengths of the campuses, along with the community needs for trained professionals. To facilitate both the planning of these new schools and their review by the Academic Senate and administration, it is useful to articulate some of the general qualities and requirements for starting these schools and, likewise, to outline some of the general considerations in their initiation.
In viewing the development of new schools, three major issues dominate: 1) the local and systemwide academic rationale, 2) the student and societal need for the school and its graduates and 3) the feasibility from a resource standpoint. This document touches on each of these, though it focuses principally upon the third, and particularly on the planning process related to resource development and allocation.
ACADEMIC POSITION OF THE NEW SCHOOL
Because resources need to flow along pathways established by academic needs, it is important to emphasize that resource planning must necessarily align with a well- formulated academic plan. This background rationale needs to be clearly defined and described in the formulation and application process. A proposal for a new professional school should address and outline in some detail these points: Among the issues to be considered (and outlined in some detail when proposing a new school) are:
- How this new school fits with the overall academic profile of the campus, including how existing programs will be enhanced by the new school and, likewise, how these existing programs will enhance the quality and development of the new school. The new school should thus fit with the campus in its current configuration and its longer-term vision.
- How it will develop into a top-ranked school with an academic program consistent with a research university of UC quality.
- An outline of a proposed curriculum that can be evaluated by those in the field.
- Planning should include a clear vision of the faculty of the new school and indicate their number during the different phases of development (see below), and the balance of full-time faculty at various ranks with lecturers and other temporary or part-time teaching help. The need for particular specialties and sub- specialties should also be articulated and should fit with the curriculum.
- The eventual size of the school should fit with this academic vision and with its aspirations of achieving high national ranking.
- Facilities and space need to be adequate for the enterprise. Before considering their costs, their academic rationale needs to be clearly defined.
- The administrative structure and staffing must be adequate for the needs of the school.
STUDENTS’ AND SOCIETY’S NEED FOR THE NEW SCHOOL
Development of professional schools also must be considered in the context of the need of both students and society. These should be consonant – the school should fill a manifest need for training of qualified students who wish to fill a contemporary (and future) demand for qualified professionals in field. Thus,
- There needs to be clear societal need for professionals in the field; a demand that is not being fully met by existing facilities. Projections of employment opportunities for the graduates must / should be defined.
- This unmet need may be regional, national or international, or relate to particular social or demographic factors that the new school will address. The plans should clearly define how the school will address this unmet need.
- Similarly, there should be a clear student demand for the new school. It should be shown that the school would attract qualified, fully-competitive students.
- If there are professional schools of the same type in the UC system, planning should include a clear analysis of how this new facility would assume a needed, and perhaps even unique place in the University portfolio, whether related to the assets of the campus, other local opportunities or particular local demands. In this and in other respects, comparisons with existing UC or other schools of the desired rank should be included.
- Access to the new school, including opportunities for qualified students who might otherwise be less likely to avail themselves of higher-level training in the field, should be considered.
FINANCIAL PLANNING FOR THE NEW SCHOOL
Since a new school most commonly will develop over several years, it is useful to define the timeline of its development and some of its critical landmarks. The attached “Financial Table for New Professional School” provides a general guideline for modeling this timeline and the needs at various points in development. The major landmarks of the school’s development are its size on opening day (year ‘X’ in the sheet) and at maturity (not necessarily its ultimate size, but the targeted size for a University-quality school).
The year of maturity also marks the time when the school is in financial balance, with revenues equaling expenses.
The timescale of development may vary with different schools, and the template can be adjusted accordingly. The years before the first landmark (X-n) span the time from the plan’s approval to opening day. During this period the specific and detailed academic plans will be developed and the administrative structures established. Faculty will be hired or shifted to this school and administrative staff and structures put in place to meet the planning requirements and the opening needs. The years between opening day and maturity (X+n) describe the period of initial growth to the target; the faculty, administration and student enrollment will increase over this period in synchrony.
The attached planning template outlines the evolution over this timeline of the details of student enrollment, faculty and staff requirements, facilities needs and costs, and funding from various sources (page one), along with a summary of the costs and revenues (page two). This provides an outline for planning and a summary. Each individual item needs a clear rationale based upon realistic projections of needs and assets.