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Taxonomy Subcommittee

Purpose of the Taxonomy Subcommittee

The taxonomy subcommittee is charged with reviewing the current subsidy model clusters and recommending models or clusters that will have a balance of the following characteristics:

  1. Have similar costs and characteristics: Each model or cluster will include subjects and levels of instruction with similar cost or characteristics. Every effort will be taken to avoid costly programs grouped with inexpensive programs and vice versa. This is important because in the SSI formula, the cost of each subject and level of instruction is represented by the cost of its model or cluster. The range from the high cost to the low cost for each model or cluster should be as uniform as possible.
  2. Be predictable and easy to manage: The models or clusters should be reasonable to administer and should be supportive of the planning and forecasting needs of both the campuses and the Board of Regents. Ideally each model or cluster would have similar number of enrollments and those enrollments should be of sufficient size to allow the model to have relatively stable average cost over time.
  3. Easy to understand and communicate: The models or clusters should represent identifiable groups of instruction to state policy makers and campuses. When new academic programs are developed it should be apparent early in the planning process which models or clusters will support the new program.

Once the subcommittee has identified a limited number of viable alternative taxonomies, it will investigate the fiscal ramifications of any proposed taxonomy at the campus level. This means applying the current SSI formula using the new taxonomy. The subcommittee may need to consider areas where some of the components of the SSI formula, such as the fee assumption and POM rates, might need to be restructured.

The subcommittee understands that recommendations should be made to the full SSI Consultation by February, 2006.

Taxonomy Committee Documents

December 2006

March 2006