Chapter 5
Academic Programs

 

5.1 Introduction

This chapter is based on the work of four self-study subcommittees which addressed, respectively, issues of academic program development, assessment, General Education, and faculty development. Their work drew on a variety of university documents including catalogs, handbooks, assessment data, assessment reports, unit and department reports, the Faculty Contract, and task force reports on a variety of issues including diversity, General Education, and assessment. This chapter also is informed by interviews and surveys of Vice-Presidents, deans, the library director, program directors, department chairs, graduate program coordinators, faculty, and students.

As noted in previous chapters, SVSU has experienced a decade of unprecedented expansion and evolving maturation. This transformative change is evident in all aspects of its academic programs as well. Founded as an “institution of educational opportunity” for the region, SVSU has maintained that commitment, even as the growth of the past decade has allowed the university to develop programs of qualitative distinctiveness and expand the diversity of its curriculum, at both the graduate and undergraduate level, to better reflect the needs and interests of the student body and faculty. Goals and objectives for academic program development at SVSU, derived from its mission and five-year plan, are consistent with the expectations of the Higher Learning Commission and inform the evaluation of program development processes at SVSU.

As SVSU has grown and matured, its programs have reflected institutional changes while maintaining commitment to the university mission. That Mission and Vision, as discussed previously, have been articulated in two major planning documents: Constancy to Purpose, 1995, which focused on the intent to develop qualitatively distinct programs (first articulated in 1988), including an expansion of the institution’s graduate programs; and Next Steps: 2000-2005, which addresses the commitment to academic program improvement and the further development of more specifically defined qualitatively distinctive programs. Three of that document’s six goals focus on academic programs:

Academic Improvement

Goal: The University will develop and deliver academic programs that provide the highest quality intellectual preparation for its students and which both motivate and enable those students to reach their full personal and professional potential.

Programs of Qualitative Distinctiveness

Goal: The University will enhance the value of all its programs by developing several qualitatively distinctive programs that achieve and deserve recognition as among the finest such programs offered by teaching universities [Comprehensive I] in the United States.

Technology

Goal: The University will make a qualitative step forward in employing technology to enhance teaching and learning, improve institutional efficiency and expand access to educational opportunities, achieving a “state-of-the-art” level of technological capability among teaching universities (Comprehensive I) in the United States.

Overview of Programs

Saginaw Valley State University provides effective academic programs at the graduate and undergraduate levels, appropriate to the mission of this institution, including a newly revised General Education program, 68 programs of study (including a number of professionally accredited programs) leading to ten Bachelor degrees, as well as a wide array of traditional majors, minors and certification programs. These programs are consistent with the aspirations of SVSU students, many of whom are first-time-in-college students seeking to enter professions, such as teaching, health care, social work, business, and engineering. SVSU also offers 8 graduate programs (with a number of specializations totaling 20). Graduate programs are primarily professional development programs accommodating the needs of employed part-time students seeking to enhance their career credentials.

SVSU also has in place excellent support programs administered through academic support centers, a newly renovated library, and the technological infrastructure necessary to enhance student success in its programs and to ensure that student learning objectives are met. These programs and support services are made possible through the work of a dedicated faculty and staff, committed to the objectives of this institution, and a community that supports the university through financial commitments, service on various administrative and advisory bodies, and participation in outreach programs.

The range of undergraduate majors, minors, special programs, and graduate programs are consistent with curriculum offered by a regional state university, and courses from SVSU transfer readily to other institutions. Although only a small number of SVSU graduates pursue graduate studies in the traditional academic disciplines, those who do enter research-oriented graduate programs are well prepared and successful. More often, though, SVSU graduates seeking post-baccalaureate education choose a professional program such as the graduate programs offered by SVSU, discussed below. SVSU also offers all courses and advisement necessary to prepare students for admission to medical, dental, or veterinary school, as well as the background courses and majors for law school admission.

The SVSU Catalog, published every two years (with supplements in the interim), is a complete compendium of all degree programs, course descriptions, degree requirements, grading policies, tuition charges, support programs, and admission policies of the University. The Catalog is also available electronically at http://www.svsu.edu/catalog/, making it possible for information to be updated frequently, systematically, and consistently, increasing access to the institution.

Administration

As discussed in Chapter 3, the administration of the curriculum is the responsibility of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, who oversees the five colleges of the University: Arts and Behavioral Sciences (ABS); Business and Management (B&M); Education (COE); Crystal M. Lange Nursing and Health Sciences (N&HS); Science, Engineering and Technology (SE&T). Each of the five colleges is managed by a dean and an assistant dean. The Office of Academic Affairs is responsible for scheduling of all courses, maintaining academic support services, hiring faculty, and working with the deans and faculty to carry out contractually defined processes for tenure and promotion as well as curriculum development and assessment.

However, Admissions and Financial Aid and some academic support services, such as Admissions, Academic Advising, and Instructional Technology Services, do not report to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. Coordination across these lines occurs through the President’s Planning Council and the President’s Staff, as well as through various administrative committees, such as the Website Advisory Committee and the Teaching and Learning with Technology Roundtable (TLTR), established for particular purposes.

Admissions: With the growth of the university, more highly prepared students have chosen to attend SVSU. Through a system of Presidential Scholarships and other financial aid incentives, the university has attracted more high school valedictorians and salutatorians, senior class presidents, etc., than previously; the average GPA and ACT scores of entering freshmen have also risen. At the same time, SVSU remains an institution of opportunity. The institution is also the place where community college students may complete their degrees. Approximately 40% of SVSU students are transfer students.

Course Scheduling: SVSU offers a heavy schedule of courses. The total number of sections offered in Fall 2003 was 1149 (with 1079 on campus and 70 off campus). ABS offers the largest number of sections overall, with a large number of General Education and other service courses. COE offers the most off-campus sections. The goal of the scheduling process is to develop a cost-effective schedule that balances the needs of incoming freshman and of returning students by offering a variety of upper division courses as well as a sufficient number of introductory and General Education courses. The shift to an increasing number of residential students has had a significant impact on the scheduling process. An essential consideration used to be to ensure a full complement of courses in the evening. While evening courses are still offered, students now demand more daytime courses. The new General Education program has also added new pressures to course scheduling. There are fewer courses to choose from in the new program and the demand for required Communication Intensive (CI) courses has increased significantly.

Scheduling and Technology: Over the past several years much of the scheduling process has been transformed by new technologies. Although the technological infrastructure of the university has been discussed in previous chapters, it is worth noting its impact on the work of the Office of Academic Affairs. The introduction of new technologies into the course scheduling and room assignment process has meant the schedule can be developed and staffed more efficiently than previously.

The Colleague software for scheduling was first introduced in 1992; a major upgrade of that software in 1996 allowed the development of a completely integrated student information system at the same time the growth of the university was placing heavy demands on scheduling capabilities. Continuing new releases of this software have expanded its functionality, resulting in closer correlation between demand and course section offerings. Room availability can be monitored online among staff from maintenance, AV Services, Conference Bureau, and Academic Affairs, making scheduling for special events and maintenance tasks more convenient and less disruptive of instructional activities.

Online registration with the Cardinal Direct System has also meant students can better gauge class availability and do more effective long-range planning. Beginning in 2004, a paper Course Schedule will no longer be printed, since the more flexible scheduling process allowed by technology dates it before it is off the press. The system will give faculty access to student rosters, helping faculty better plan and prepare for teaching. It also will make it possible to post grades online, making the system more responsive to student concerns. The target date for these changes is March 2004. Many faculty have also been using Blackboard to communicate with students about grades.

One area that has not been automated is tracking faculty load. The specificity of such issues as “banked hours,” fractional lab counts, and release time for various assignments is not easily monitored by software. Consequently, many faculty employment issues are handled in the Academic Affairs Office rather than in Employment & Compensation Services (ECS). Adjunct employment is handled by the colleges with oversight by Academic Affairs.

Overall, technological systems have made it possible for closer communication and more effective coordination among units; the Office of Academic Affairs, Admissions, the Registrar, Advisement, and other Student Services have always worked closely together, but technology has facilitated the exchange of information on which decisions are based, making it current and accessible to everyone as soon as it is available. The impact of technology on course development and delivery and the infrastructure to support those programs has been even more profound, as discussed below.