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Comparative Analysis of Northeastern University Costs and Revenues. Report of the 2012-13 Financial Affairs Committee of the Faculty Senate: Paul Bolster, Jackie Isaacs, John Kwoka , Armen Stepanyants. Procedural Background.
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Comparative Analysis of Northeastern University Costs and Revenues Report of the 2012-13 Financial Affairs Committee of the Faculty Senate: Paul Bolster, Jackie Isaacs, John Kwoka, ArmenStepanyants
Procedural Background • 2012 Senate Agenda Committee requested FAC “analyze the revenue and cost profiles of Northeastern University and compare them to those of other research universities…” • Motivation for this inquiry • Committee work and assistance
Key Questions • Are the cost and revenue profiles of Northeastern University outliers relative to comparable institutions? • Specific areas of inquiry: • Costs • Revenues • Staffing/compensation • Data sources: • Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) • University Fact Book • University financial statements • IRS Form 990
Costs: NU Over Time ($) Total Expenses
Observations on Costs: I • Instructional expenditures have declined from 39.2% to 37.4% • Academic support has increased significantly • Other categories show little change
Observations on Costs: II • Northeastern’s total dollar costs lie between RU/VH and RU/H • Northeastern’s percent cost distribution: • Instructional expenditures similar to other RU/H • Public Service and Research Support below RU/H • Above the mean for Academic Support, Institutional Support, and Student Support • Northeastern’s costs by FTE show similar results
Costs: Statistical Analysis • Costs are affected by • Number of undergraduates • Number of post-BA students • Number of faculty • Amount of research activity • Whether private or public • Whether affiliated medical school or not
Regression Results on Costs * statistically significant
Regression Results on Costs * statistically significant
Observations on Costs: III • Additional undergraduate costs little • Additional graduate student is expensive • Faculty are costly • Private school costs exceed public school costs • Very high research institutions more expensive • Affiliated medical schools raise costs • Northeastern is not significantly different from norm
Observations on Revenues: I • Northeastern’s total revenues lie between RU/H and RU/VH • Major differences is tuition revenues • Northeastern’s dollar total exceeds RU/H, RU/VH • As percent, NU is third highest of all institutions • Northeastern moderately above/below for various other revenue categories • Below on gifts, etc., in percent terms • Notably, no governmental appropriations
Observations on Revenues: II • Northeastern’s total revenues and tuition revenues much larger than mean private RU/H • Northeastern is much more tuition-dependent • Other revenue sources not much different
Observations on Staffing: I • Total executive/administrative plus managerial personnel rose 31% over 2001-2011 • All of the increase is in category “Executive/Administrative and Managerial without faculty status”
Observations on Staffing: II • Northeastern faculty count over 2007–2011: • Has grown by 587 to 2313 • 2/3 of increase due to part-time CPS faculty • After adjusting for CPS faculty growth, Northeastern faculty as percent of total employees is approximately constant