Situation:
The Faculty of Arts, Science, and Medicine collaboratively developed a proposal for a new Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience degree program, expanding upon existing behavioural neuroscience offerings. SDS was engaged by the Provost’s Office to assess the financial viability of the proposal, as well as formulate a mechanism for cross-Faculty revenue and expense sharing.
Our Actions:
- Consulted with Faculty business officers to understand the challenges of offering a multi-Faculty program, in the context of current business processes
- Devised a 10-year enrolment and financial modeling tool, with user-controlled drivers for student composition and tuition pricing
- Articulated a methodology for the allocation of program profit, based on each Faculty’s proportionate share of teaching responsibility
- Achieved consensus on a methodology for multi-Faculty revenue and expense allocation as a precedent for future multi-Faculty programs
Results:
- Summary enrolment and financial projections for the program, including an assessment of financial viability
- User-controlled template for further scenario analysis
- Establishment of best practices concerning multi-Faculty program delivery
- Development of a foundational approach and financial model for subsequent financial viability assessments
Building the blueprint to launch a new degree program is always a considerable task for any Faculty; doing so in collaboration across three of UBC’s Faculties for a BSc in Neuroscience took compromise, collaboration …. and stamina! The SDS contribution to that process was absolutely invaluable as they supported lead faculty from different Departments across these three faculties, iterating a flexible 10-year financial forecast as the details of the curriculum took shape in parallel. Not only has this been instrumental in the development of the BSc in Neuroscience, it serves as an approach to support other interdisciplinary and cross-Faculty offerings in the future."
Simon P Bates, Associate Provost, Teaching and Learning