– Portfolio Management Atwood Memorial Center Student Life and Development Division Criteria Analysis:

Atwood Memorial Center – Portfolio Management
Student Life and Development Division
Criteria Analysis:
Demand Criteria:
1. Program Essentiality and Potential
1.1 Atwood is a student-focused facility, service, program and community. It is a central element to many of
SCSU’s most impactful programs, supporting more than 14,000 reservations in 13-14 with 270,000 estimated
attendees. During the academic year over 11,000 people visit each day and service is offered 7 days, 113
hours/week.
Student focused areas and offices: informal lounges and gathering spaces, computer access areas,
Cultural Center, Student Government and student organization offices and work areas, Campus Involvement
and programming offices, Student Life and Development offices, Health Promotions and UChoose offices,
LGBT Resources Center, MSS, gender open restrooms, lactation room, foot washing room,
prayer/meditation room, Atwood main office which offers staff support to all.
Retail and Programmatic areas: Information Center, Underground Recreation Center, Art Gallery, Copies
Plus Printing/Design services, TCF Bank, Affinity Credit Union, Campus Card, Quarry night club.
Dining Services: 12 Dining offerings and Catering services
Event Services: 21 reservable spaces including ballroom, theater, dance studio, meeting rooms, outdoor
spaces, and full service event support (equipment, furniture, set up, technical/audio visual support,
scheduling and event planning services).
Promotion and Public Expression: kiosks, tables, free speech areas, posting, banner, and digital
communication opportunities.
1.2 Atwood’s purpose is unique; it is the only facility/program that meets all the multipurpose needs in 1.1. It is a
vital contributor to the MnSCU Board Policy 2.8 that each campus should “establish a student life/activity
program”. In Student Government’s Fall student survey, 72% rated Atwood as the most important student feefunded service. 76% reported frequent use of Atwood. Impact on diversity is high as noted in the various
spaces and programmatic services listed in 1.1.
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1.3 Atwood has a high level of interdependency with others on campus; providing service and support to almost
every student organization and university department on the campus, and to many MnSCU and external clients.
Almost 50% of all reservations are from SCSU academic or student support departments so Atwood provides a
crucial level of support to M&E funded units on campus. Opportunities for collaboration and resource sharing in
the future include: with Campus Involvement (we just completed a joint staffing analysis to guide future changes
as opportunities and budget challenges arise), with other offices co-located in Atwood like Campus Card or
LGBT Center, looking at a centralized facility scheduling and/or event service for the campus.
2 Demand – Current and Future
2.1 Future Trends/Needs include increases in: requests for large color posters and design services, digital
offerings for promotion, group entertainment, bowling and recreation gatherings, late night events, night clublike dances, multipurpose vs single use spaces, variety of dining options (more branded concepts), retail
services (e.g. - movie rental kiosks, gaming), A/V support services for events in/out of Atwood, spontaneous
space requests vs. advance planning, more culturally diverse programs and services, offerings for adult
learners, support for social issues and advocacy events, assistance for fundraising for organizations, alcohol
service for non-student events, the need to increase revenue vs. student fees, and our scheduling staff time
supporting EMS system. Atwood anticipates a steady usage pattern in the future; even with enrollment declines
in the past few years, building usage has remained constant or increased. Daily traffic counts averaged 11,737
in last 7 years; was at 11,040 in FY14. Reservations were over 14,000 in FY14; 10,338 in FY13 and 11,464 in
FY12. Participation/revenues stayed steady in the Underground Recreation Center.
2.2 Opportunities existing to adapt to the future include –
2.2.1 Changes resulting from Atwood/Campus Involvement visioning process that provides a strategy as
opportunities arise (staffing analysis, new collaborative efforts/programs),
2.2.2 Future dining RFP/contract which will begin July 2016,
2.2.3 Possible 3 retirements within the next 3 years,
2.2.4 Increase in online scheduling/calendaring options,
2.2.5 Implementation of new revenue generating services
2.2.6 Review of lower-level visioning/repurposing
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2.3 Opportunities pursuing for alter program for the future – all of the above in 2.2 and will support looking at
collaboration opportunities with Campus Card, campus scheduling efforts, and areas co-located in Atwood.
Also pursuing planning for increased support of adult learners and cultural groups.
3 Strategic Alignment
3.1 Alignment with SCSU’s mission – Atwood, in many ways, serves as a “living, learning laboratory” for the
mission, vision and learning commitments of St. Cloud State University. Through our programs, services, facilities,
and staff support, we create and foster an environment and sense of community that enables and enhances what we
aspire our students to experience. As issues arise on campus, in many instances, Atwood staff is engaged
immediately in support and facilitator roles to respond safely and unbiasedly to the issues. A recent example is our
quick support of the Social Responsibility Student Organization’s rallies and advocacy teach-ins as responses to the
Michael Brown death and the growing “I Can’t Breathe” movement.
 Creative interaction - happening all day, every day; interaction is what a student center is founded on.
 Active and applied learning – On a daily basis in Atwood, student employees, interns, graduate students,
organization leaders and members, student program participants, class-related groups, social groups, and
individual students are finding opportunities to apply their curriculum-based learning to an active
environment. As a staff, we are very intentional in the way we supervise, advise, support, and make
inclusive decisions as to involve and challenge students to learn, develop, and problem solve.
 Community engagement – sense of and serving community are key components to Atwood and the
programs and services within. Creating a student-centered community is one of our focuses.
 Sustainability – Atwood focuses on sustainable practices including environmental practices like the cooking
oil recycling program for fuel for a Metro bus, and sustainable financial practices by applying appropriately
conservative and careful decision-making to ensure a precedence-setting action or expenditure is able to be
supported into the future. Through constant review our financial status, we are good stewards of the student
fee funding we receive, and we adhere to the budget we submitted to our student government with integrity.
 Global and cultural understanding – Atwood does not directly create programs; it creates and facilitates an
environment to foster. Atwood has been described as the most diverse area on campus which offers daily
opportunities for increased understanding of global and differing cultures. Examples of Atwood’s
contributions to this learning commitment include: support of ~20 Cultural Night programs each year;
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diverse art work throughout the building; multiple centers, displays & spaces to support and welcome
differing cultures, religions, values, and viewpoints; and focal points like the world map in the lobby where
the campus community can learn about where we all have studied, visited or come from
3.2 Alignment with SLD’s Learning Outcomes – as an integral unit within SLD, Atwood contributes directly to
the learning outcomes of our division, many of which directly intersect with the campus’s. Atwood offers an
environment, services, employment and leadership opportunities, and programs that:
3.2.1 contribute to diversity,
3.2.2 enhance and enable the development of inter and intra-personal competence
3.2.3 support and foster engagement and community building
3.2.4 support personal growth
3.2.5 facilitate and enable leadership development and exploration
3.2.6 teach life balance. and productive and fun use of leisure time.
3.3 Opportunities for better alignment in the future – Atwood is working to adapt and align our programs with
the Husky Compact and the changing student demographics of the campus.
4 Student Experience and Success
4.2 Support of Student Success
4.2.1 Student employment – Implementation of a pre, during, and post-employment assessment process
to guide our training programs, and to measure the impact of each student’s employment experience
on their learning, development, and engagement (Husky Compact components). Early data shows
that Atwood’s employment DOES enhance students’ success and retention. Inside Higher Education
(2009) reports that students who work on campus report higher levels of engagement, it contributes
to student achievement and success, and increases the student’s chances of finishing college.
4.2.2 Student leadership and engagement – staff assist hundreds of student leaders and organizations
each year, contributing to their development thru training and mentoring, advising them related to
policy development, program planning/execution, risk management practices, cash handling and
ticket sales, and provision of spaces and services to support their efforts.
4.2.3 Sense of community – the Association of College Unions International (December, 2014) reported
in a nationwide study of 15,000 students that student centers matter to students’ overall satisfaction
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with their sense of community and belonging to the university. The correlation between the student
center and students’ sense of community is greater than that of other physical spaces on campus.
Sense of community and belonging is of the utmost importance to a student’s retention and success.
4.2.4 Atwood staff members are involved in groups/programs that directly contribute to the student
experience (i.e. – New Student Orientation, Power in Diversity conference, International Student
Orientation, several Student Government committees, Celebrate!, Advising and Registration, Cultural
Nights, campus-wide programming, etc.)
4.3 Enhance service and support of underserved populations
4.3.1 Student employment – we are purposeful in recruiting underserved student populations and work
study for our employment program. (example – current student building manager leadership team - 1
African American female, 1 African international female, 1 Hmong American male, 2 international
males from Middle Eastern countries, and I male from Minnesota)
4.3.2 Multicultural and international students - Provision of staff support and dedicated spaces for
cultural programs and organizations. Atwood supported 1749 reservations for international and
multicultural student organizations in 2013-14.
4.3.3 Adult learners/student parents – Director is currently working with Adult Learner Support Group to
assess space, services and programs to meet their differing needs.
4.3.4 LGBT Resource Center – provision of support and dedicated spaces for LGBT programs and
services. Atwood accountant also provides day-to-day budget and accounting services for the center.
4.3.5 Atwood Council is the primary advisory and governing group for Atwood programs, services, and
policies including retail dining services. The group has representative seats for an international
student, a multicultural student, a student from the LGBT Center, and a graduate student, in addition
to many other student groups and populations on the campus.
5 Quality and Continuous Improvement as Evidence through Assessment and Evaluation
5.2 Assessment and Evaluation Efforts:
5.2.1 Creation of a formal Atwood/Campus Involvement Assessment Committee to develop a current
assessment inventory and creating an annual assessment plan to be implemented ;
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5.2.2 Review of sales and usage statistics for each program/service to adjust hours, service offerings and
pricing, as well to make any needed budget adjustments;
5.2.3 Conduct periodic building traffic counts to measure traffic patterns, building usage, and peak hours to
influence changes in staffing levels needed, service hours, maintenance needs, and importance of
building to campus community;
5.2.4 Conduct post-event evaluations/surveys after each larger event or meeting series to collect feedback
on facility, staffing, service, catering, tech support, cleanliness, set up and parking; to identify trends,
and develop improvement strategies for each category;
5.2.5 Offer comment cards in each of the dining and retail areas to collect feedback for improvement of
service, quality and menu offerings, also an on-line comment option;
5.2.6 Analyze EMS usage statistics and reporting for event/meeting spaces and services to influence
changes in room set ups, event staffing levels needed, etc.
5.2.7 New student employee development assessment process where success is defined by growth in
learning outcomes from beginning to end of employment experience;
5.2.8 Consistent review of local, professional association, and national data related to student centers,
student involvement and development, student affairs, etc. to benchmark and identify best practices
(e.g. ACUI research, NSSE data)
5.2.9 Developed a formal visioning process with involvement from all employees in Atwood and Campus
Involvement to identify goals, values, focuses, and the strategy for the future – ongoing process;
5.2.10 Atwood Council serves as a monthly assessment and review group for “everything Atwood”
5.3 Changes in last 2 years based on assessments:
5.3.1 Adjustments in building and service hours, and product/program offerings;
5.3.2 Created new efficiencies for schedules/duties of building support personnel by using EMS and traffic
count data;
5.3.3 Improving furniture, set up options, and meeting room locations based on requests and usage
patterns identified from EMS;
5.3.4 Improving areas, mediums, and policies related to promotion and advertising spaces based on
Atwood Council feedback;
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5.3.5 The visioning process has led to the formation of Atwood/DCI Revenue Generation Idea work group,
Staffing Analysis process, a Training and Development committee and the Assessment Committee;
5.3.6 Currently integrating needed improvements in campus dining within the Dining RFP/Contract process
and developing proposals for a campus wide food policy & student organization bake sale guideline;
5.3.7 Aligning our student employment program as student development program with learning outcomes.
6 Cost and Productivity
6.2 Atwood’s Funding Sources – 74% from student fees; 25% from revenue funds (i.e. - product sales, print
services, space rentals, dining commissions, recreation center sales, interest income, work study
reimbursements, etc.), and <1% M&E support for .5 Building Maintenance Worker. Note – Compared to 5
other MnSCU 4-year universities… Atwood has the 2nd lowest cost-to-operate per student FYE; generate the
highest % of revenues, and have the lowest % of student fees contributing to budget.
6.3 Do differently? – Would like to: re-organize staffing per the staffing analysis, increase marketing and revenue
generating opportunities, increase usage of Atwood during the summer months (need alcohol approval),
develop a formal leadership program, start planning the next renovation phase making the lower level of
Atwood as a dining, recreation, and entertainment destination, assist in the development of a campus-wide
event scheduling and support team, help build the retail and merchant use of the campus ID card.
6.4 Strategies for Reducing Costs –
6.4.1 Implement future Atwood/DCI staffing analysis strategies
6.4.2 Alter building and service area hours
6.4.3 Implement energy saving strategies (lighting, utilities, printing, etc.)
6.4.4 Set all printers to double-sided as default
6.4.5 Review need for land-based phone lines
6.5 New Revenues – a collaborative Atwood and Campus Involvement committee has been meeting since early
fall, 2014 to develop new ideas for revenue generating programs and services to implement for FY 16.
Increased Revenues Potential = ~ $20,000 annually
6.5.1 Adding new classic gaming options and new programs in Underground
6.5.2 Rental for Husky Tech 2 space which will not be used by IT after FY 15
6.5.3 Increase in Design Services time for non-university clients
6.5.4 Exploring the addition of a new Instaflix kiosk (similar to a Redbox) for movie rentals
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6.5.5 Increase non-university space rental rated (rates have not been increased in several years)
6.5.6 Development of additional summer usage of Atwood by non-university entities & new programs
6.5.7 Slight increase in Sodexo Commissions based on previous years’ actuals and forecasts.
6.6 Student employees and GA’s – Undergraduate and graduate student employees are key to the provision of
Atwood’s services and programs as we are open 7 days, 113 hours/week. They contribute over 27,000 hours of
service equivalent to over 13 FTE. 13 FTE would have a cost estimate of ~$850,000 (salaries and fringes) vs.
less than ~$250,000 to fund our mission-driven student employment program.
7 Adequacy of Current Resources
7.1 Current resources are barely adequate to maintain the level of services, facilities and programs Atwood
provides especially in the areas of non-personnel operating expenditures and student employment. The
following provides a history of budget reductions already absorbed in last 3 years.
 FY 13 Initial Budget = $2,941,650 (included retirement separation $)
 FY 14 Initial Budget = $2,804,946 (decrease of $136,704)
o Reductions included: loss of 1 FT GMW, student employee wages, building and service hours,
and operating expenditures (supplies, maintenance, travel/development, etc.)
 FY 15 Initial Budget = $2,716,839 (decrease of $88,107) (This doesn’t reflect the 5% set aside)
o Reductions included: loss of 1 GA, student employee wages, building and service hours,
operating expenditures (supplies, maintenance, travel/development, etc.), and absorbed $21,601
in salaries of DCI staff members
(7.7 % reduction over 3 years (~ 8.8 % reduction if the current FY 15 set aside is included)

FY16 Base Budget (if FY15’s 5% set aside is factored in) = $2,683,437
o 46% Personnel (non-student) (if staffing level remains)
o 9% Student Personnel (minimum wage increase will have a significant impact)
o 35% Fixed Costs (indirect, debt service, MnSCU chargebacks, utilities)
o 10% Operating expenditures for building and all areas within (supplies, maintenance, products for
resale, etc.)
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Because many of our expenditures are fixed (i.e. debt service), all reductions need to be absorbed by the
19% of our budget that is variable which is dangerously low already. The safety, security and condition
of the facility and users will be at risk soon if we need to absorb more reductions in operating
expenditures.
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