Frostburg (Re)construction

As most everyone on campus is now aware, owing to the massive fences and complete annihilation of the stairs by the Performing Arts Center, the deconstruction and eventual renewal of Tawes hall is underway.

What most on the campus probably aren't aware of, is that construction on the Sustainable Energy Research Facility (SERF) has now started. Below is a link to the University's official announcement:
http://www.frostburg.edu/news/searchnewsdt.cfm?id_number=6527

So, for now, make with the clicky and see what other building projects the university is into right now.

Food Stamps for College Students

Many students off campus are finding new ways to help keep up with their bills. After learning how to get rid of bad spending habits, they realize that doing just that is not enough. After paying for food, utilities, cable, and electric each month, life can get pretty expensive. However, with food being one of the most expensive necessities in a person’s life, college students are turning to food stamps.

Food stamps? Most people don’t believe me when I tell them this, but yes, food stamps. College students all over are applying for food stamps, which allow them to spend several hundred dollars on food each month, and it doesn’t come out of their pockets. The amount you get to spend per month varies. However, there are qualifications. You must be involved in some kind of work study for your school, federal or state, that’s it! You can also apply for food stamps with or without your roommates.

Loren Brown, a college junior, liberal arts major, who currently does work study at Frostburg State University says “Applying for food stamps is quick and easy, and once you submit your stuff, the food stamps card comes within 5 to 7 executive business days.”

If you are a student who does work study, living on or off campus, you can apply for food stamps today! Applying for food stamps will allow you to have money left from your paychecks to spend not only on your bills, but on personal items for yourself.

Apply at www.mass.gov/snap

Faculty and Administrative Salaries

Included among the minutes of the latest faculty senate meeting, was a detailed listing of the salaries of most of the faculty and administrative employees here at FSU. Trying to post the entire listing is quite complicated, and frankly confusing. What has been done, however, is a quick breakdown of the top 10 faculty salaries, and the top 15 of the administration.

It would be important to note too, that excluded in these listings were student positions, lecturers (save for two) and adjunct/contractual positions.

Top 10 Faculty Salaries

Name		Title		Department		Salary
Amit J. Shah		Professor		Management		101, 828
Shakil M. Rahman		Professor		Management		101, 171
Evan H. Offstein		Associate Professor		Management		101, 000
Hung Sik Shin		Professor		Marketing&Finance		100, 278
Daniel M. Plucinski		Professor		Marketing&Finance		100, 252
Mohsen Chitsaz		Professor		Computer Science		100, 047
Steven P. Wilkinson		Professor		Marketing&Finance		99, 987
Chiulen Chuang Venezia		Assistant Professor		Accounting		98, 327
Yan Bao		Associate Professor		Accounting		98, 164
George B. Rinard		Professor		Computer Science		97, 784

As it can be seen, the top 10 highest paid positions at FSU are not particularly varied in nature. The Department of Management has the distinction of having the highest paid teaching staff at the university, with three making over 100,000.

The accounting department appears to be the highest paid staff when salaries are averaged, with the mean salary being $92, 390.

For the administration:

Name		Title			Department			Salary
Jonathan C. Gibralter		President			Office of the President			272, 800
Bernard J. Davisson		VP of University Advancement			Office of VP University Adv.			229, 556
Stephen M. Spahr		VP/Econ& Communication Initiatives			Office of the President			193, 158
Stephen J. Simpson		Provost&VP for Acad. Affairs			Office of the Provost			182, 210
David C. Rose		VP for Admin.&Finance			Off. VP Admin.&Finance			165, 564
Ahmad Tootoonchi		Dean			College of Business			157, 000
Joseph M. Hoffman		Dean			College of Liberal Arts&Studies			150, 160
Thomas L. Bowling		VP, SES			Office VP Student and Executive Serv.			143, 489
John F. Bowman		Vice Provost			Office of the Provost			131, 786
Mary Katherine Snyder		VP for HR			Human Resources			120, 314
Karen A. Treber		University Counsel			Office of the President			118, 964
Clarence E. Golden Jr.		Interim Dean			College of Education			110, 000
Cindy E. Herzong		Associate Dean			College of Liberal Arts&Studies			106, 525
Richard A. Repac		Associate VP/Finance&Comptroller			Associate VP/Finance&Comptroller			106, 035
Troy A. Dell		Athletics			Athletic Director			100, 000
David M. Gillepsie		Director of Library			Library			105, 294

It most likely comes as no surprise to anyone that Dr. Gibralter is the highest paid individual at Frostburg. We do notice a disparity though, when one considers the salaries of the remaining employees of these particular departments.

For instance, in the Office of the President, if one removes the top three making at least $100, 000 (all listed above) the average salary of an employee of the Office of President is approximately $59, 908. Such disparity extends to other administrative departments.

(All figures are approximate)
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences (With removal of Herzog and Hoffman) - $54, 583
Office of VP University Advancement (With removal of Davisson) - $49,075

And what of the Health Services? (With no removal)
Health Services - $56,564
Counseling and Psychological Services - $62, 246

Clearly, Frostburg has a great deal of payscale disparity. For a professor of the Liberal Arts, or those working in an administrative position other than a directorship/President/VP or the equivalent position, the top tier salaries remain nearly unattainable.

Those are, instead, reserved for a few.

Financial Aid

From the FSU Media Release

Frostburg State University Announces Award for Associate Degree Holders
Release Date: 10/05/2011

$1,250 Per Semester Available for Students With 3.0 GPAs

Graduates of Maryland community colleges may now be able to attend Frostburg State University at a significant discount, following the establishment of the FSU Associate Degree Scholars Award.

The award is available to students who graduated from any Maryland community college, as well as Potomac State College of West Virginia University, with an Associate of Arts, Associate of Science or Associate of Arts in Teaching degree with a cumulative 3.0 grade point average. Certain Associate of Applied Science degrees may qualify as well.

The award is worth $1,250 per semester and will be awarded for a total of four semesters if the student enrolls full-time and maintains a 3.0 GPA.

Last Year's FSU Financial Aid Profile
72.3% of FSU students receive some form of financial aid

We awarded $960,000 in institutional need based FSU grant funding

We award $100,000 every year to first generation low income college students who participate in our Student Support Services Program

We awarded nearly $1,500,000 in academic scholarships

The Foundation Scholarships totaled $360,000

Thought these were two interesting points to bring up. It would be good too to refer back to this link,

http://www.frostburg.edu/budget/budget-resources/budget-graphs/

These are, again, the budget graphs that were posted on this blog last week. Based on the posted Financial Aid profile, 72.3% of students receive aid. This aid, as posted on the budget expenses, constitutes 13.81% of a $102, 360, 000 budget. Of course, some of the aid comes from external sources, but the scholarship portion constitutes $14, 135, 916 of the budget.

http://www.frostburg.edu/budget/enrollment/

Going off the Fall 2010 enrollment statistics, and sticking to undergraduates, we can estimate (with 72.3% of students receiving some sort of financial aid) that about 3,519 undergraduate students receive financial aid. These students therefore receive an average of about $4,017 from the university.

According to the cost of attendance link, here: http://www.frostburg.edu/ungrad/faid/cost.htm, and posted below, one can see tuition is $5,304, fees at $1,824, and room & board at $8,752 (all for MD residents). The $4,017 allotted in the budget, wouldn't even cover tuition costs.

Of course, the numbers calculated are subject to scrutiny of my own calculations, as well as the assumption that the system would work like this. It of course, does not.

	Maryland Resident	Contiguous Counties**	Out-of-State Resident
*Tuition	$5304	$11356	$15196
*Fees	$1824	$1824	$1824
*Room & Board	$8752	$8752	$8752
Books	$1200	$1200	$1200
Transportation	$750	$750	$950
Personal	$1000	$1000	$1000