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Consultants “punt” ball back to SIU trustees

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Illinois

* September of last year…

The Southern Illinois University Board of Trustees has unanimously approved the firm that will reassess the distribution of state funds among SIU Carbondale, SIU Edwardsville and the SIU School of Medicine.

AGB Consulting, a subsidiary of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, will start its system-wide funding study “immediately,” according to SIU System Interim President J. Kevin Dorsey.

AGB plans to deliver findings within this fiscal year, which could begin to impact budgeting and funding distribution as soon as next fiscal year, beginning July 1, 2019, Dorsey said. The study will cost the university $97,000.

Calls for such a study have intensified since the Board of Trustees voted 4-3 to reject a controversial transfer of $5.125 million from SIUC to SIUE in April, proposed as compensation for the funding disparity.

* Also…

Duane Stucky, the board treasurer, said the university system has distributed its state money the same way since about 1975. Meanwhile, the number of students studying at the Edwardsville campus has been growing until it surpassed the flagship campus in Carbondale for the first time this fall. […]

It’s expected to be completed within six months, when the trustees can use it to make a decision about how to dole out state cash for the next fiscal year, officials said in a news conference after the meeting.

* The study was discussed by the board of trustees yesterday…

Instead of an updated mathematical formula indicating what share of state funds each campus should get based on costs, the firm AGB Consulting returned a set of policy recommendations to help the board create its own formula.

To [Southern Illinois University Board of Trustees Chair Phil Gilbert], that feels like a “punt,” he said, dodging the most controversial aspect of the project: quantifying the differences between SIUC and SIUE. […]

Lacking clear mathematical weighting directions from AGB, the board will now “take the bull by the horns,” Gilbert said at Wednesday’s board meeting, creating an ad hoc committee of trustees and administrators to work out a formula.

That places the board right back at the center of a potentially future-altering decision. […]

The board hopes to agree on a weighting formula by its December meeting, Gilbert said, drawing on internal data and the Illinois Board of Higher Education’s annual statewide institutional cost comparisons.

Well, that was totally worth it.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 10:35 am

Comments

Consultants starts with “Con.”

Comment by A Jack Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 10:48 am
Looks like the IPI overlooked $97k in waste a few weeks back.

Comment by Blue Dog Dem Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 10:51 am
Unfortunately, IBHE will be of no help as they don’t follow a formula for distribution of the state appropriations either.

Comment by Momof2 Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 10:51 am
So they got paid to produce a report saying: that is a good question.

Comment by Michelle Flaherty Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 10:54 am
Im going to defend the consultant here. Funding decisions are inherently political and policy ones that is the responsibility of the governing board, not an outside group. However, having a process to make those decisions is helpful and appropriate.

Comment by Just Me 2 Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 10:55 am
Frequently, when you hire a consultant, they come in, look at your watch, and tell you the time.

Comment by Langhorne Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 11:00 am
Punt gets punted back.

Comment by Ron Burgundy Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 11:00 am
I think this poster sums it up: https://despair.com/collections/posters/products/consulting

Comment by Pot calling kettle Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 11:03 am
One of the reasons you hire a consultant is to tell you what you already know / want to hear and put an official stamp on it.

Somebody forgot got to tell the consultant the desired answer …

Comment by RNUG Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 11:07 am
Classic game of administrative hot potato. No one wants to get caught being responsible for a lose-lose issue, so it keeps getting passed around in the name of “consulting” or “getting additional input”

Comment by OutOfState Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 11:14 am
Another masterful moment for the Cdale trustees
Hopefully DE drafting FOIs now to get some insight on chatter about how this conclusion was reached.

Comment by Annonin' Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 11:15 am
RNUG@11:07. Brilliant.

Next up. Pay somebody to conduct an evidence based,data driven survey to collaborate ones position.

Comment by Blue Dog Dem Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 11:32 am
There is so much to be excited about when thinking about the future of SIU. Three campuses serving drastically different communities… The SIU university system should be a powerhouse.

Unfortunately, it all comes back to poor leadership and a clear lack of mission between SIUE and SIUC.

With that said, the funding need is still in Carbondale.

While student enrollment should be a HUGE factor in the division of support, the advanced degrees offered at Carbondale cost much more to support.

In addition, you have Southern Illinois Healthcare pumping millions of dollars into a new building and nursing program. How do you think they will feel when there money is being used to fill holes from changes in an internal funding formula?

Another huge issue that I don’t know anything about… Where does Athletics fit into this? SIUC has the big ticket stadium and football team.

Comment by Pizza Rat Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 11:53 am
= Well, that was totally worth it. =

Good way to remember the Randy Dunn years.

Comment by Dirty Red Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 12:42 pm
== Pay somebody to conduct an evidence based,data driven survey to collaborate ones position. ==

-Blue Dog-, you sure you aren’t are former political appointee bureau chief? Used to have one that wanted to dictate the answers before the studies were conducted …

Comment by RNUG Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 2:20 pm
Can someone at SIU explain to me how the formula itself was not a written deliverable?

In theory, without the vendor providing a formula they should be able to withhold payment.

I mean how poorly written was this contract?

Comment by Get a Job!! Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 3:51 pm
===Used to have one that wanted to dictate the answers before the studies were conducted …

Nothing is more soul sucking than a boss who is doing this kind of work and you cannot support the answer the cl”ient” wanted so he makes it a mishmash of non-answers.

Comment by ArchPundit Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 7:03 pm
RNUG. some day soon i would love to have a beer with you. Springfield or Murphy?

Comment by Blue Dog Dem Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 11:07 pm
-Blue Dog-,

Springfield would be a lot more convenient for me. Not that I don’t get to southern Illinois, but I usually have family with me and they probably wouldn’t appreciate my interrupting a vacation trip.

I’ve got a bunch on my plate the next couple of months, but one event I always make is the RT-66 Mother Road Festival in Springfield the last weekend of September. Rich has even been known to show up now and then at that with his old Caddy.

If you’re going to be in the Springfield area anyway, email Rich and ask him to forward to me. He’s usually willing to do that. Or we can arrange a designated meeting place / time and I’ll show up in a classic car that should be easy to spot.

Comment by RNUG Thursday, Jul 18, 19 @ 11:38 pm
Sounds like a plan.

Comment by Blue Dog Dem Friday, Jul 19, 19 @ 6:46 am
Pizza Rat is 100% on target.

Pritzker has funded the largest increases in budget for SIU in a very long time, especially for the Carbondale campus. SIU is critical for this region, especially to counter who want the nativism that some of the less educated amongst us are pushing. A better SIU will lead to a better Southern Illinois.

This governor has done more already than most who have had the position in the last 30+ years. Now the only piece left is to find a new President who can push SIU in a visionary direction.

Comment by Southern Illinois Infrastructure Friday, Jul 19, 19 @ 7:06 am
Do I understand correctly? SIU-C (who is in an obvious enrollment crisis and charges twice as much as SEMO for tuition and fees) just wasted almost $100,000. Why am I not surprised?

Comment by Ken Young Friday, Jul 19, 19 @ 2:40 pm