A comparative study of the extent of support for certain budget-balancing measures among a sample of administrator, faculty and student constituents in Maryland public community colleges

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent of support among a sample of community college administrators, faculty and credit students for certain budget-balancing measures. The study sample consisted of 82 administrators, 119 faculty and 185 credit students randomly selected from seven Maryland public community colleges. In late Spring of 1993, each participant completed the Personal Data Sheet (PDS) and the Budget Balancing Strategy Inventory (BBSI) instruments developed by the researcher specifically for this study. The PDS requested six items of census data about each participant. The BBSI asked each participant to indicate his/her extent of support on a modified Likert numerical scale for each of 27 budget-balancing actions classified in subcategories of Staffing, Cost Containment and Revenue Enhancement. Five research questions were addressed in this study. F-tests were performed to determine significant (p $\le$.05) differences between the variable, constituent group, and each budget-balancing measure. The study confirmed earlier research that revenue enhancement measures were most popular and staffing measures least popular in community college budget reductions. Specific research conclusions were that (a) Maryland community colleges can initiate or intensify efforts to increase revenues generated from external sources and expect to receive "average" to above "strong" support from each constituent group included in the study, (b) credit students were generally opposed to any actions that would increase their "out-of-pocket" costs of education, (c) the study sample considered fiscal constraint a long-term condition and that each constituent group would lend above "average" support for systematic program and service review processes as a means of on-going cost reduction, (d) the constituent groups would lend above "average" support to early retirement programs, and (e) the study sample considered the 15 credit hour per semester teaching load for full-time faculty to be an appropriate level of work at current rates of compensation.