FINAL
Residence System Governance Report for 2010-2011 Academic Year
University: IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
1. FIVE YEAR PLANS FY11 – FY15 – Please include an explanation of any variances from prior plans in the executive summary.
Five Year Plan Executive SummaryDepartment of Residence
The Department of Residence (DOR) opened the fall 2010 semester with 9403 residents - the highest occupancy since 2002 and third highest total ever. This is due to a comparable freshmen class size to previous years and solid retention rates to on-campus housing. Freshmen to sophomore return rates to on campus housing reached 50% for the first time since this activity has been tracked.
Since 2005 enrollment has increased 11.4% (from 25,741 to 28,682) while on campus housing occupancy has grown 21.5% (from 7736 to 9403). While this has been a good trend the forecasted decline in traditional age graduating high school students will challenge both enrollment and occupancy in the next few years.
As occupancy has increased, the revenue generated has enhanced the ability to reinvest, including the installation of a surveillance camera system on all ground level exterior entrances/exits in the residence halls and Frederiksen Court apartments, completion of an ubiquitous 802.11n wireless network, modernization of heat and smoke detection systems, installation of fire suppression systems, and general painting, floor covering, and furniture upgrades. New energy efficient windows, electronically controlled fan coil units, and entire building envelope upgrades will occur in Larch and Willow halls during the summers of 2011 and 2012 respectively.
Even with this improvement in financial position, the DOR has over $45 million identified in unfunded and needed improvements in new windows, upgraded HVAC systems, modern student room furniture, and restroom renovations.
ISU Dining
ISU Dining continues to focus on providing meal plans and services that meet the students’ desire for value, choice and flexibility. To do so, feedback is solicited from staff in the DOR contracting office and from student groups such as Food Committee, which includes both on and off campus and Government of the Student Body (GSB) representation, and the Inter-Residence Hall Association (IRHA), which also includes GSB representation. Based on comments from these groups, there will be some substantial changes beginning fall 2011. Changes, detailed in section 1.A., include:
· A reorganization of the meal plan structure
· A reduction in service hours on Saturdays and Sundays,
· A revision of the financial support to the Farm to ISU program
Reinvestment into facilities, detailed in section 1.C., also remains a high priority for ISU Dining. Several projects have reached completion while others remain ongoing or are under consideration.
As such, ISU Dining is currently working with an outside consultant to develop a comprehensive strategic plan that will cover the next five years. Currently in the Discovery and Development stage, a preliminary plan is anticipated by December 2011.
A. Enrollment and Occupancy Projections – see Excel “Five Yr Plan” tab
· Enrollment (headcount) projections per year
· Total operating capacity for residence halls and apartments (current and planned changes including any new construction)
· Residence hall, apartment, and total occupancy projections per year
· Occupancy ratios
Five Year Plan - Enrollment and Occupancy Projections (See attached Forecasts and Five Year Plan.)Enrollment projections, provided by the Admissions Office, indicate that the University will experience a period of declining demographics over the next five years due to a decrease in the number of college aged individuals available for enrollment. Occupancy percentages are based upon enrollment projections, historical capture rates of NDHS (New Direct from High School) students and the five year historical average retention rates for currently contracted students. By fall 2015, overall occupancy is anticipated to drop to 8450. This represents a decrease of approximately 953 occupants when compared to fall 2010 numbers.
B. Significant Policy and Program Considerations
· UNI Only – provide an update on the Two-Year Advantage Plan
· Strategies to increase/maintain occupancy
· Potential new programs that may impact policies and/or business practices
· Other policy considerations
Five Year Plan - Significant Policy and Program ConsiderationsDepartment of Residence
The DOR strives to enhance retention to Iowa State University (ISU). Avenues used to improve retention include:
· DOR continues to partner with Enrollment Services to provide services to students enrolled in the Admissions Partnership Program (APP).
· Hall Directors serve as instructors for Psychology 131, an academic skills building course offered through the Academic Success Center.
· Hall Directors conduct interventions with all residents receiving two or more mid-term grades of C- or lower.
· Implementation of MAP-Works (Making Achievement Possible) for all freshmen the third week of their first semester.
· MAP-Works is a web-based self assessment that identifies areas of strength and concern for student transitioning to ISU. In its third year. MapWorks is an important retention tool for 5 of 6 colleges with the College of Design planning to partner for fall 2011. Veterinary Medicine students are admitted under very specific criteria and experience high success rates so they do not participate.
o This endeavor is substantially funded by the Department of Residence with student responses shared across the University for Retention Intervention planning purposes.
o Nearly 85% of all on-campus freshmen took MAP-Works fall 2010 and the average GPA for this group was 2.78 The GPA for on-campus students not taking MAP-Works was 2.41.
¨ About half of all off-campus freshmen (52.8%) took MAP-Works fall 2010, and the average GPA for this group was 2.77. The GPA for off-campus students not taking MAP-Works was 2.30.
o A comparative analysis was done of the first year, full-time freshman that entered ISU at the beginning of fall 2004. Those that received a first semester GPA of 2.00 or higher had six-year graduation rate of 81%. Conversely, those who received a first semester GPA less than 2.00 had a six-year graduation rate of only 31%.
· As outcomes, students in all classifications have higher average GPA’s for on-campus living vs. off campus living.
Academic
Classification / On-campus / Off-campus / Total
N / Mean / N / Mean / N / Mean
Freshman / 2,823 / 2.59 / 801 / 2.25 / 3,624 / 2.52
Sophomore / 2,436 / 2.86 / 2,351 / 2.55 / 4,787 / 2.71
Junior / 1,381 / 2.94 / 3,687 / 2.76 / 5,068 / 2.81
Senior / 1,134 / 3.13 / 7,272 / 3.05 / 8,406 / 3.06
ISU Dining
The economy continues to have an adverse effect on catering revenues as groups and individuals are less financially able to host catered events. Unfortunately, this trend is projected to continue. To minimize lost revenue, the Knapp-Storms (KS) Catering office was closed and staff members were incorporated into the Memorial Union (MU) Catering staff. Now, in addition to all Memorial Union events, MU Catering handles all campus events that are not part of the Iowa State Center. Additional cost savings were realized due to staff restructuring following several retirements and resignations.
Vending sales have also experienced a slight decline. There are several reasons for this drop. First, due to the floods that impacted ISU and the Ames community in August 2010, several machines were unreachable. Second, the relatively warm fall and early winter resulted in lower sales. Historically, cold and snowy weather discourage staff and students from going outdoors, which results in increased vending purchases. Finally, incidents of theft and vandalism resulted in select machines being turned off or removed for some time.
Meal Bundles, considered to be a value by students, continue to grow in popularity. As bundles are offered in more retail locations, the purchase of voluntary meal plans has increased. As a result, bundles will continue to be offered at Memorial Union Food Court, Hawthorn Market & Café, Clyde’s Sports Club, Westside Market and Eastside Market. Beginning fall 2010, bundles were added for dinner service at Wallace-Wilson C-store and for breakfast service at Conversations.
ISU Dining continues to work with the National Association of College and University Food Services (NACUFS) to gain further understanding of national trends and strategies for meal plan development. Beginning summer 2010, ISU Dining, in coordination with contracting staff in the DOR, began to examine the current meal plan structure. Discussions were held with Food Committee, IRHA and individual students and families. Throughout these discussions a few trends in opinion were observed. Specifically:
· Too many plans were offered
· Some of the plans were redundant
· The value of the plans was perceived as being low
· Individuals were confused by the pricing
· Students on weekly plans felt they were losing too many meals each week
· While semester style plans were preferred, they were more expensive
Based on this information the following mandatory meal plan structure was developed:
Plan Name / Meals per Sem. / DD$ per Sem. / Meal Discount
Cyclone / 304 / $ 125.00 / 40.0%
Cardinal / 275 / $ 150.00 / 35.0%
Gold / 225 / $ 200.00 / 30.0%
Silver / 175 / $ 250.00 / 15.0%
Bronze / 125 / $ 300.00 / 10.0%
In this new structure, Weekly Plans have been eliminated. All mandatory plans are now Semester Plans. This style of meal plan, preferred by students and families, gives students the ability to determine how they will use their meals each semester and removes the weekly meal loss issue.
The total number of mandatory plans has been reduced from eight to five, eliminating two redundant plans and the least popular plan. This smaller number of plans, while still offering a variety of options, will decrease student anxiety over which plan to choose, ultimately leading to greater choice satisfaction.
Pricing has also been adjusted for added clarity. The Dining Dollar$ (DD$) associated with each plan will vary equitably - the lower the meals per plan, the higher the DD$ per plan. Additionally, the pricing of the meals on each plan is based on a percent discount off the cash door price. This allows for simplified explanations to students and parents and clearly demonstrates the value associated with each plan.
No changes have been made to the types of voluntary Yearly Meal Blocks offered. However, the pricing structure has been adjusted to mimic that of the Semester Plans. Pricing for each Yearly Meal Block is now based on a percent discount off the cash door price.
Plan Name / Meals per Sem. / DD$ per Sem. / Meal Discount
100 Meal Block / 100 / $ 0 / 9.0%
75 Meal Block / 75 / $ 0 / 8.0%
50 Meal Block / 50 / $ 0 / 7.0%
25 Meal Block / 25 / $ 0 / 6.0%
In addition to changing the meal plan structure, the students in Food Committee and IRHA requested some programmatic changes be made to control costs and keep meal plan pricing low. Based on their input, the following changes will be made beginning fall 2011:
· Breakfast will no longer be offered on the weekends. Instead, brunch and dinner will be offered at Seasons Marketplace and Union Drive Marketplace.
· Conversations will close one hour earlier Monday -Thursday and two hours earlier on Friday.
· Financial support from IRHA for the Farm to ISU Program will be reduced.
· Premium Entrees will not be offered. To offset the decrease in IRHA support, ISU Dining monies previously earmarked for this option will go toward supporting the Farm to ISU program.
C. Plans for Renovation/Construction of Facilities
· Include an update of deferred maintenance and fire safety issues (include update on sprinklers)
· Explain any significant changes from prior plans presented to the Board
Five Year Plan for Renovation/Construction of FacilitiesDOR and ISU Dining successfully met the FY10 project schedule, completing all projects that were scheduled to end and initiating all projects scheduled to begin.
Life Safety Initiatives:
· With the completion of Friley Hall-Heat and Smoke Detection Installation-Phase 4 during summer 2011, all outstanding State Fire Marshall citations have been satisfied.
· Installation of sprinkler systems is still scheduled to be completed by fall 2017. There was a slight variation in sequence and Willow Hall will be sprinklered in 2011 followed by Larch Hall in 2012. Larch Hall was originally scheduled for 2011 and Willow Hall was 2012. The sequence was changed due to greater concern with the building envelope integrity of Willow Hall. These issues are being addressed with façade repairs and new windows which is part of the overall project.
· DOR is currently in the process of installing elevator safety bulkheads to comply with 2004 A17.1 Elevator Code and is on schedule to meet the July 1, 2011 deadline.
Sustainability Initiatives
· DOR added the replacement of fan coil units to both Willow and Larch Halls in 2011 and 2012 respectively. With the replacement of windows and new heating units a reduction in utilities is expected.
· DOR is partnering with other ISU Departments to create opportunities for recycling student room furniture, mattresses, sofas and chairs.
Student Comfort and Retention Initiatives:
· DOR is purchasing 480 sets of student room furniture for Maple Hall. The new furniture has been redesigned to take up less floor space and the existing furniture will be moved to Wallace and Wilson Halls. This investment will provide three residence halls with new or reallocated furniture that is considerably upgraded.
· DOR has allocated funding in upcoming years for student comfort and retention. Specific projects will be based on identified needs in each year.
During the August 2010 floods, DOR sustained damage to Freeman Hall, Barton Hall, Frederiksen Court-Building 43 and 26 University Village (UV) apartments. Residents of UV were relocated within the Residence system while repairs were made to their apartments. Residents of Freeman and Barton halls and Frederiksen Court were able to remain in their assignments while repairs were completed. Clean-up and restoration costs were $866,000.
Department of Residence Projects Summary
· FY11 – Willow Hall – Sprinkler System Installation, Façade Repairs, Window and Fan Coil Unit Replacement
· FY12 – Larch Hall – Sprinkler System Installation, Façade Repairs, Window and Fan Coil Unit Replacement
· FY12 – Buchanan Hall Roof Replacement
· FY12 – Wallace Hall – Sprinkler System Installation
· FY13 – Friley Hall – Sprinkler Installation-Phase 1 of 4
· FY13 – Frederiksen Court Storage Building - Currently, a four bedroom apartment is off-line, serving as office and storage for DOR custodial and maintenance staff. However, the staff has outgrown this location. The proposed construction of a new facility will provide the needed space and allow for the current office to be brought back on-line as a student rental.
· FY13 – Maple/Willow/Larch Commons-Office Remodel
· FY14 – Friley Hall – Sprinkler Installation-Phase 2 of 4
· FY14 – Friley Hall – DOR and ISU Dining are exploring the consolidation of administrative offices in the former Friley Dining space. This would provide better service to students and increase occupancy by returning office space back to student rooms. A project place holder was added to FY14 and FY15, but thus far a feasibility study has been the only action taken.
· FY15 – Friley Hall – Sprinkler Installation-Phase 3 of 4
· FY16 – Friley Hall – Sprinkler Installation-Phase 4 of 4
ISU Dining Projects Summary
· FY11 – Linden Training Center – Linden Dining Center is being converted to a training kitchen facility for managers, staff and students. Linden is no longer utilized for academic year service, but is retained for high traffic summer conferences.
· FY11-12 – Hawthorne Market Reconfiguration – During summer 2011, Hawthorn Market will be reconfigured to address operating inefficiencies and add a serving line. The serving line will offer Frederiksen Court residents a close dining option and provide a growth in meal bundle service for this venue.
· FY12 – Curtiss Hall Kiosk – ISU Dining has been asked to incorporate a food option in the renovated Curtiss Hall Student Success Center. While a full food service option would not be prudent in this location, ISU Dining is considering a beta test of an expanded vending option similar to a staffed airport-style kiosk.
· FY12 – Froots – As part of the new Recreation Services Facility project (scheduled to open during fall 2012), a Froots smoothie concept is being constructed.
Five Year Breakdown of Reinvestments
Improvements / FY12 / FY13 / FY14 / FY15 / FY16
Fire Safety / $ 3,986,228 / $ 2,274,762 / $ 2,274,762 / $ 3,357,620 / $ 2,502,986
Building / $ 5,398,071 / $ 3,656,486 / $ 3,617,748 / $ 3,235,590 / $ 2,684,050
Dining / $ 1,647,944 / $ 568,622 / $ 605,128 / $ 626,373 / $ 700,000
D. Financial Forecasts for the Next Five Years - see Excel “Five Yr Plan” tab