Comparative Costs of Instruction, University of Minnesota Departmental Allocated Total FYE Cost per Cost per Cost per Campus College Student FYE Student FYE Student | FYE Student Twin Cities | Architecture 381 $6,914 $3,449 $10,363 Biology 1,252 7,006 3,219 10,225 Education 3,312 4,765 2,916 7,681 Human ecology 892 5,996 S}CY25) 93321 Liberal arts 12,480 4,883 2,621 7,504 Natural resources 293 4,748 2,689 7,437 Agriculture 1,185 5,870 3,685 SOO Business 2 aVTis) 9,059 3,191 12,250 Dentistry 627 12,129 8,330 20,459 General college 699 8,303 3,562 11,865 Public affairs 193 12,501 3,980 16,481 Engineering 6,627 (MOF 3,392 11,094 Law 801 9,365 2,567 11,932 Medicine 4,063 15,554 4,422 19,976 Nursing 368 10,198 4,665 14,863 Pharmacy SIL 15,328 5,040 20,368 Public health 632 8,441 4,127 12,568 ROTC 22 12,314 3,300 15,614 Veterinary 545 14,859 4,991 19,850 10.971 Duluth Achievement ctr 39 6,528 Human services 1,107 7,002 Liberal arts 2,071 Sso2 Science & engineering 1,970 7,064 Medicine 22 29,908 Business & economics 668 8,188 Fine arts 611 alan 4\l Total Duluth 6,678 4,740 2,836 7,576 Morris 1,861 3,663 4,016 7,679 Crookston 1,043 3,540 4,393 7,934 Required

a. Critique the allocation methods used by OPA to measure cost per FYE student at the college level.

b. A Minnesota state legislator at a recent budget hearing argued, “It is clear that the state could save significant funds by transferring programs from the Twin Cities campus to the Duluth campus.

For example, every student in a business program that we transfer from the Twin Cities campus to Duluth would save the state $4,062. And every student in an engineering program that we transfer to Duluth would save nearly $4,030 per student. People are tired of paying high taxes to support inefficient programs. We need to be sure that taxpayers get the most for their money.” What are the pros and cons of this argument?

c. How could the OPA figures be used to support higher-education decision making? In what ways are the figures presented either helpful or misleading?