Texas HB 2504, the Cost of Compliance
Technology is the Silver Lining for Supporting Unfunded Mandates
Troy, NY August 6, 2010 – House Bill 2504 has Texas State higher education shifting the debate from transparency and academic freedom to the cost of compliance. By Fall 2010, Texas taxpayers will have the power to access syllabi, curriculum vitae, faculty evaluations, cost of attendance, and departmental budget reporting, in three clicks or less. However, this unfunded mandate has forced colleges to develop solutions in-house, which is not always the most cost effective means to meet the mandates. Fortunately, there are tools specifically designed to address this legislation that are cost efficient.
Texas schools have long been publishing syllabi and CV's to meet the accreditation standards of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). As a result many colleges were in front of HB 2504 in terms of getting faculty and course information online; but, a head start still hasn't prepared schools for all the nuances of this legislation.
Dr. Murray Leaf, speaker of the Faculty Senate at the University of Texas at Dallas said, "The schools within the University of Texas System were well prepared, having posted syllabi and CV's online for years. Students benefit from the availability of course content. The main challenge for schools comes from the need for technology to meet the unfunded mandate to post the additional, and academically unnecessary, information at the same time."
Since this legislation passed in May 2009, schools have developed new tools, restructured their existing systems, and sought external support. Many universities were already moving in this direction; however, few were prepared for the structure that HB 2504 demands. Even schools ahead of the curve are finding that the cost of compliance is well into the hundreds of thousands.
The University of North Texas reported that even before this legislation passed, they had opened their walls by developing a public-facing faculty profile system. They have already invested $100,000 to expand their current system and process tenure faculty CV's. They are now working on adding adjunct and teaching fellow information.
Texas State University was fortunate to be ahead of the House Bill. They extended their existing system to incorporate syllabi, CV's, and student evaluations. But even with their sophisticated platform, they estimate administrative work, technical training, scantrons, and other resources to be into the hundreds of thousands.
Intellidemia, Inc., the leader in online syllabus software, offers Concourse, an efficient middle ground for addressing time, money, transparency, and privacy concerns. Concourse is an online platform to centrally manage course syllabi. It supports HB 2504 by automatically creating a public-facing version of the syllabus that can be reached in three clicks or less.
"There is a trend among schools in deploying systems to get their syllabi online. I believe Texas is leading the way and that other states will follow this type of legislation," said Judd Rattner, CEO of Intellidemia. "At the end of the day legislation like this benefits everyone, and it's imperative you use technology to support it."
Concourse is not only a more affordable means to comply with this legislation; the value stretches far beyond what is required by the bill, and at a fraction of what schools are spending. To learn more about Concourse, the applications addressing HB 2504, and beyond, visit: www.intellidemia.com
About Intellidemia
Intellidemia™ develops smart information technology solutions for higher education to help institutions meet compliance standards, enhance collaborative interactions, and electronically standardize workflow. The company's flagship product and first online "living syllabus", Concourse™, offers a solution to streamline campus processes including course development, accreditation and compliance, academic advising, and transfer evaluation. Intellidemia was founded in 2007 by Judd Rattner, CEO and Edward Levie, Technology Director, with headquarters in Troy, NY.
Contact
Jennifer Connally
Marketing and Sales Manager
Intellidemia, Inc.
Telephone: 518.444.2060
E-mail: jenniferconnally@intellidemia.com