Challenges of College Budgeting: Insights from Community College Governance

College budgeting is a complex challenge, and when resources are limited, which is a common scenario, tensions rise. My experience at the community college level, which mimics the governance structures of four-year institutions but often in a more performative way, has shown me firsthand the critical role of state allocations in community college funding. Throughout my tenure, budget concerns were always at the forefront, with the looming threat of funding cuts tied to low completion rates despite the push for ever-increasing enrollment.Chronicle of Higher Education

This persistent scarcity mindset meant that faculty across the college—not just those in the senate—were deeply involved in budgetary decisions. However, I hesitate to use the word "decision" because, even at the Dean level, our role was largely to implement top-down directives from the President's office, distributing funds as best we could. For instance, our annual faculty hiring requests were based on a financial formula. Yet, once the budget was approved by the President, securing a new faculty position often felt like navigating a subjective, competitive process.

The faculty senates at community colleges essentially operate at the pleasure of the President, with their influence being a matter of presidential preference. It's noteworthy that now, even elite, private institutions are facing similar challenges to those we've encountered in the community college sector. Reading about the extensive efforts faculty senates put into their recommendations only to see predictable outcomes reminded me of our experiences. Like a recurring cycle, a new group may find themselves repeating the same futile exercises a year or two down the line, expecting different results.