You're assessing budget decisions' impact on academic quality. How will you shape future strategies?

Budget is something which constraints your strategy for the future course of action. Hence, it plays a crucial role in every action and result. We have to do a deep study on current uses of budget, parameters on which it was allocated last year and difference between expected output and actual output. Once you identify the glitch in the performance of last year, try to fix it if you can or bring some parametric changes to fix it in coming up budget. But soul of the budget must stand by long term vision of the institution. If you are looking for a short term gain by cutting costs in academics by compromising the quality, you will never achieve the academic excellence anytime soon because it shows behavioural inefficiency.

Mission, values, and mission should guide the allocation of resources. Budgets should reflect those. If they don't, where is the disconnect? What do budgets actually show, and how can they be re-aligned? Of course, not every allocated dollar may be effectively allocated though the budget may not indicate that or only provide a glimmer of that.

Budget is a very important fiscal exercise. It has an impact on education, healthcare and social services. It can be instrumental to universalise education and make it more affordable and accessible to all. Formal education is expensive. If the budget is thoughtful to make it available for weaker sections and deserving learners, the country will have an educated generation. Workforce will be skillful and knowledgeable with budgetary support. Researchers will be benefited with financial grants for pathbreaking projects. Study materials and academic resources will be available to the youth at reasonable price. Darkness of ignorance can be removed. The country will have more knowledge workers who will contribute in various fields of study.

Budget analysis should start with a vision. In HE, quality should be the most important goal/factor. In the medium and long terms, higher quality will translate into revenue performance and competitive advantages. I have witnessed many examples of cost-cutting reforms which failed to consider quality impacts, which just leads to disruptions. Unfortunately, a few years later, much more money was spent to repair the damage! Higher quality can be obtained in conjunction with cost-effective budgeting.

A mechanism for continuous improvement has to be set. This requires reflecting on previous budgeting performance and collecting feedback from various stakeholders (students, faculty, alumni, employers, etc.). In the absence of such mechanism, the process is likely to be influenced by various pitfalls: Status quo bias, where a preference for traditional practices is maintained regardless of the changes affecting the educational landscape. Social proof, where decisions are shaped by actions of other industry players, although every institute has its unique context. Subjective validation, where reliance on personal perceptions of what is correct ignores the importance of obtaining feedback and reflecting on previous performance.

By focusing on student impact, you can shape future budget strategies to enhance academic quality. Assess how financial decisions affect student outcomes, experiences, and success. Prioritize investments in resources, programs, and support services that directly benefit students. Engaging with student feedback and performance data ensures budget allocations align with their needs, fostering a supportive learning environment and driving continuous improvement in academic excellence.

Budget decisions directly affect medical students, who are the heart of your institution. Changes in funding can alter their academic experience, impacting course availability, resources, and support services. It's crucial to evaluate how these changes affect student success and retention rates. Prioritizing student needs in your budget strategy ensures the institution stays focused on its primary mission: educating future healthcare professionals. A well-considered budget can enhance learning outcomes, support student well-being, and maintain high educational standards.

Una inversión en educación permite que los procesos de ense?anza y aprendizaje se mejoren, contando con infraestructura y herramientas tecnológicas. Se concibe una mejor educación, al realizar cambios, modificaciones. Haciendo uso de los recursos, el estudiante contará con todas las herramientas y experiencias necesarias dentro de una institución y le será benéfico y provechoso, ya que obtendrá las competencias necesarias (Adquisición de conocimientos, desarrollo de habilidades, actitudes, aptitudes), que demanda el mercado laboral.

En esta parte es muy importante elegir o dise?ar de manera adecuada los indicadores que habremos de utilizar para la evaluación del impacto de los temas presupuestales en la experiencia académica que están viviendo los estudiantes.

Too many people focus on anecdote and best guess to make decisions about student impact. Here you absolutely need hard data. I had a psychology chair who swore that their gateway course was research methods. Students failed it and hated it, with juniors actively warning sophomores about it. The program pumped money and staff into addressing what they thought was a shortcoming. The data showed it was actually the biology course they used as a prerequisite for their cognitive psych and learning courses that determined progression to major. We changed the faculty member teaching that course at no cost. Retention went up 14% in one semester. People online say, “No photo? Didn’t happen.” With student impact, no data, no impact.

AI and emerging technologies require faculty staff to continuously update and improve their skills. More budget need to support staff in doing this, so that they can be at the frontier to teach students. There are examples that HE organisations spent money on upgrading their T&L technologies but not on equiping their staff sufficiently to utilise technologies in improving quality! This is not sustainable and inefficient!

A Institui??o de ensino da qual fiz parte, prioriza o corpo docente, pois estes s?o Mestres e Doutores. Os mesmos s?o referência na Educa??o Brasileira, devido aos artigos publicados, à qualidade do ensino e a própria institui??o em si, pela qualidade do conteúdo programático. Valorizar à docência é Valorizar a Educa??o, é Qualidade e Excelência. Ao longo do Curso, mo caso Licenciatura em Pedagogia, pude ouvir e ver Professores doutores e Mestres, que ao longo dos períodos ou semestres me familiarizei com suas falas e metodologia de ensino. Diante desta trajetória Educacional, entendo o valor essencial e fundamental do corpo docente, bem como a sua valoriza??o, que faz parte do respeito ao profissional que tanto se dedica.

Considerar la priorización del cuerpo docente desde la disponibilidad de recursos, de formación y también a nivel económico es importante para construir un equipo docente sólido y entusiasta.

US colleges and universities face billions of dollars in deferred maintenance. Older buildings are often energy inefficient and require ongoing repairs that tie up facilities staff. They also are often unattractive, which makes them a challenge in recruiting and retaining students. Yet, with funding pressures on operations budgets, many colleges are hard pressed to find the funding for facility renovations. Best practice counsels in favor of major renovations after 25 years & a total rebuilt after 50 years but many colleges miss those milestones as other budget pressures abound. Fundraising for renovations are often difficult as funders envision shiny new buildings. For many US colleges today, deferred maintenance is yet another challenge.

Las inversiones en infraestructura, como aulas, bibliotecas, laboratorios y tecnología, son esenciales para proporcionar un entorno de aprendizaje adecuado. Decisiones presupuestarias que no prioricen estas áreas pueden resultar en instalaciones obsoletas y una experiencia educativa deficiente.

Esta inversión es clave. El entorno ense?a y da contexto a lo que se aprende. Muchas instituciones tienen escasos recursos para mantener la infraestructura y generar ambientes adecuados. En este aspecto, invertir en la gestión de los riesgos tambien es importante.

Las innovaciones como toda decisión educativa, deben ser monitoreadas y evaluadas. Innovar por la novedad no necesariamente repercute en mejores aprendizajes

Desarrollar un sistema de evaluación y monitoreo continuo del impacto de las decisiones presupuestarias permitirá ajustar las estrategias de manera proactiva. Esto implica establecer métricas claras de calidad académica y realizar análisis periódicos para identificar áreas de mejora.

Evaluation should be an integral part of the budgeting cycle. There are so many techniques and methods available for this evaluation purpose. HE leaders should move beyond a simple reliance on multiple choice questions in undertaking valuations!

Las estrategias futuras pueden enfocarse en el desarrollo sostenible, asegurando que las decisiones presupuestarias no solo consideren el corto plazo, sino también el impacto a largo plazo en la calidad académica y la sostenibilidad financiera de la institución.

By employing future forecasting, you can shape budget strategies to enhance academic quality. Analyze trends, project future needs, and anticipate challenges to make informed financial decisions. This proactive approach ensures resources are allocated efficiently, supporting innovation and academic excellence. Prioritizing long-term goals and potential impacts allows you to adapt strategies, maintain high educational standards, and sustainably support student and institutional success.

Estoy de acuerdo pues considero que la proactividad en relación a prepararse para el futuro es algo muy importante en cualquier industria o sector, y la educación no es la excepción, y no sólo para preservar la calidad y el nivel académico sino incluso para la supervivencia institucional.

A análise cuidadosa desses impactos permite identificar áreas que necessitam de mais investimentos e ajustes, assegurando que os recursos sejam aplicados de maneira eficiente e eficaz. Ao moldar as estratégias futuras, é fundamental considerar tanto as necessidades imediatas quanto os objetivos de longo prazo, sempre com foco na melhoria contínua da qualidade do ensino.

Las decisiones presupuestarias tienen un impacto significativo en la calidad académica de una institución. Evaluar estos impactos es esencial para desarrollar estrategias futuras que aseguren un entorno de aprendizaje de alta calidad, innovador y sostenible. Al priorizar recursos, diversificar fuentes de ingresos, implementar tecnologías innovadoras y establecer sistemas de monitoreo continuo, las instituciones pueden mejorar su capacidad para ofrecer una educación excepcional y adaptarse a los desafíos económicos.

Considero que, si es importante contemplar en los presupuestos, el invertir en instituciones educativas (capacitación, desarrollo e infraestructura), ya que la productividad de una nación radica en la educación, quiero citar al Dr. Jackson Grayson fundador del centro estadounidense para la calidad total, dijo que para llegar a la productividad de una nación es indispensable hacer reeducación del sistema educativo de una nación, después educar para la calidad total y tener gente preparada para alcanzar la calidad y la productividad. Uno de los 20 principios prioritarios sobre productividad dice que la productividad, calidad y la excelencia se dan de arriba hacia abajo.