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Projects

Connecticut State Colleges and Universities Organizational Study

Summary

In January 2024, the Connecticut Office of Policy and Management partnered with NCHEMS to evaluate the Connecticut State Colleges and University System (CSCU). The study aimed to assess the System’s organizational structure, financial sustainability, and ability to meet student demand and workforce needs.

NCHEMS provided a report identifying challenges for CSCU including declining enrollments, misaligned staffing, structural issues, and financial strain, in the process of situating those challenges in relation to similar ones facing institutions across the nation. The report provided recommendations to CSCU to address these challenges that focus on improving efficiency, accountability, and sustainability. Among them were the need to address ongoing problems with Western Connecticut State University’s financial conditions, clarifying the complementary roles of the system office and its institutions and reorganizing accordingly, adjusting staffing levels, and developing and implementing a new model for allocating funding to the institutions, among others. Additionally, the report offered recommendations to the state aimed at creating a more fertile ground for CSCU and its institutions to thrive by addressing a lack of statewide policy coordination and prioritization and revising its approach to funding higher education, among others. This report was presented at a special meeting of the CSCU Regents, a recording of which is available here.

Topics Challenges Approach Impacts Resources

Topics

During the evaluation of the Connecticut State Colleges and University System, NCHEMS completed analyses of:

  • Evaluation of CSCU’s Organizational Structure.
    • NCHEMS explored the System’s organizational structure and the functions it carries out on behalf of the CSCU institutions.
  • Financial Sustainability.
    • NCHEMS analyzed expenditure alignment with revenues received from tuition and the state.
  • Student and Workforce Outcomes.
    • NCHEMS explored strategies to improve student success and align with state workforce needs.
  • Governance and Accountability
    • NCHEMS examined System versus institutional roles and responsibilities and addressed the role of an effective Board of Regents.
  • Resource Management
    • NCHEMS investigated staffing levels and personnel policies, the use and maintenance of facilities, and the strategic allocation of resources.
  • Statewide Policy and Coordination
    • NCHEMS researched related state policy issues such as dual enrollment, accessibility, and funding models, and compared them to models used in other states.

Challenges

During this year-long project, NCHEMS investigated several areas of the Connecticut State Colleges and University System (CSCU). With a large system to analyze, NCHEMS identified challenges CSCU will need to address, as well as ones that could potentially be a barrier to change. The report NCHEMS developed from this report, while identifying and acknowledging these challenges, offers recommendations addressing them. These challenges include:

  • Enrollment Declines
    • Demography across New England presents persistent challenges for CSCU institutions, resulting in persistent enrollment declines.
  • Fiscal Management
    • Across the system, costs are not consistently aligned with revenue trends.
    • Funding allocations are not strategic nor effectively used to create needed change.
  • Project Management Issues
    • The System has demonstrated a limited ability to manage projects that have the potential to increase efficiency and student service across all CSCU institutions.
  • Organizational and Governance Challenges
    • Overall, there is a lack of distinction between system and institutional roles.
  • Facilities and Maintenance
    • Insufficient and nonstrategic use of state funds for deferred maintenance needs in the CSCU institutions.
    • In some places, facilities’ capacity is misaligned with current needs.
  • State-Level Challenges
    • The State of Connecticut lacks a comprehensive higher education strategy, which does not sufficiently equip CSCU for success.
    • The state approach to funding higher education does not fully unlock the power of funding to incentivize institutional behavior and support the achievement of statewide priorities.
    • Other state policy areas, such as dual enrollment, are not sufficiently developed to serve students and institutions well.

Approach

This project involved comprehensive data analysis and stakeholder engagement. NCHEMS examined the Connecticut State Colleges and University (CSCU) and its institutions, comparing them with peer institutions to identify areas for improvement in financial sustainability, organizational structure, and enrollment strategies.

NCHEMS visited all of the four-year institutions in the system and many of the two-year campuses of the statewide community college, as well as the CSCU System office, to interview institutional leaders, faculty, staff, students, and community stakeholders. During these visits, NCHEMS also consulted with state officials and legislators. In addition, NCHEMS analyzed financial, operational, and enrollment data while reviewing stakeholder feedback to ensure recommendations were grounded in evidence and practical insights. This project culminated in a final report and a set of actionable recommendations to guide CSCU and state leaders in addressing the System’s challenges.

Impacts

NCHEMS provided the impartial, third-party perspective necessary for a comprehensive examination of the challenges and opportunities facing the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities. Like many other public higher education systems, CSCU is experiencing and continually confronting challenges that require bold and urgent action. This report is intended to shape and prioritize those actions moving forward, with the intent of ensuring a sustainable system of comprehensive and two-year colleges necessary for the state to meet future workforce needs.

Resources