NORWICH – County government decision makers again scrutinized the proposed 2008 budget for Morrisville State College’s Norwich campus last week.
A requested 3 percent increase over 2007, on an approximate $34,000 budget, unanimously passed through two committees and is successfully on its way to being approved by the full board.
However, last Wednesday, Treasurer William E. Evans asked the college’s dean to look at whether a nearly half million dollar up-tick in community college charge backs this year was the result of losing an employee dedicated to marketing.
County leaders tentatively approved a $750,000 budget for payments to community colleges in 2007, but Evans reported fall bills were $476,000 more. New York’s community colleges have varied negotiated rates for full-time equivalent students, but all are subsidized – in equal thirds – by the enrolled student, by the county where that student resides and by the state.
Finance Committee member Dennis Brown, D-Pharsalia, said he recalled that “the object” for Chenango’s financial backing of Morrisville’s new Eaton Center-based campus was tied to hiring a recruiter to cut back on the number of students enrolling in colleges outside the county.
The Morrisville campus has been without a dedicated public relations person for two years. Dean Ted Nichols said he had researched the original contract agreement between the college and Chenango County and found no direct reference to hiring a specific employee. “It was related to marketing tools,” he told the committee.
Nichols said the college has continued to reach out to the community and to connect with high school students. He pointed to a range of partnerships with area high schools, public health agencies, Commerce Chenango, Opportunities For Chenango, the United Way, Catholic Charities, and Binghamton University.
While the numbers enrolled at the Norwich campus this fall are 14 fewer than last year, the number of students with full-time equivalent status is slightly higher. There were 554 registered as of Sept. 25. Maximum capacity is 1,000.
Nichols also referred to expanded internship placements and new degree opportunities in Early Childhood, Human Services and Criminal Justice. He said he expected to see higher enrollment numbers as a result of the new programs as early as the spring.
The college offers associate’s degrees in liberal arts and transfer credits in accounting, business administration, computer information systems, and nursing. New courses under consideration are in education and alcohol and drug counseling.
Committee Chairman Lawrence N. Wilcox said while he hoped the new campus would lessen the charge back bills, he had not expected an immediate “fix to our problem.”
Nichols pointed to Broome Community College’s lower tuition and proximity to towns in the southern part of the county. Full time tuition per semester at Morrisiville is about $1,000 more than at Broome.
“The reality is, what would happen to the 554 if they weren’t in school? The dollars we spend here are some of the most important that we do spend,” Brown said.
Parking at the college’s Eaton Center campus remains an issue during day-time school hours, said Nichols.