As a mid level community college administrator and faculty member my experience and knowledge of higher education budgeting strongly influenced my blog posts. My reflection revealed an overarching theme of how the economic and political environment impacts the economies of higher education. Rising federal deficits, unsettled financial markets, and increased funding for defense and security has altered the perception of higher education when considering funding. Therefore funding assistance has not been viewed as a top priority in recent years. While public higher education institutions depend on government funding, the dependence can become problematic when the federal and state governments cannot reach budget agreements or fiscal support decreases.
These challenges were reflected in my blog posts where I addressed faculty salaries and budget, financial burdens on higher education, the budgetary grip of enrollment, balancing enrollment numbers, performance base standards, and funding, and future presidential leaders' impact on higher education. All of these topics represent the challenges colleges and community colleges face in securing necessary funding to fulfill their college's mission. Additionally, I shared very specific incidences in which I dealt with such challenges in my work.
Higher education institutions exist to provide educational pathways to students and advance the economic workforce within the community they serve. So what have I learned?
It is very clear to me that I have developed a good understanding of the budgetary process in higher education and the challenges that go along with it. Having this understanding will allow me to work within the constraints while considering additional fiscal support methods. For example, building community partnerships can lead to potential individual donors for scholarships, equipment, and professional development. Furthermore, understanding the budgetary process and constraints promotes alternative thinking and emphasizes the importance of tactical and strategic planning. As a mid level manager, I have learned that I can contribute to the budget process in a positive way by collaborating with community partners and the foundation to help secure funds. I find my budgetary understanding to be empowering rather than constraining. This is because I recognize what the challenges are and realize it is more productive to derive funding methods to advance the higher education institution rather than complain about them.
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