Chapter 5
Academic Programs

 

5.9 Conclusions

As noted throughout this Self-Study Report, SVSU has experienced a decade of unprecedented expansion and 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. SVSU has attracted an increasing number of better prepared students to the university even as it continues to provide academic support programs for those who enter the university less well-prepared.

Saginaw Valley State University offers a wide range of traditional liberal arts and sciences programs as well as a number of professional undergraduate programs appropriate for its mission. SVSU has thoroughly revised its General Education program to align with recommendations from the 1994 NCA evaluation team report. The program is in its third year of operation and assessment measures have been undertaken to determine the effectiveness of the program.

Diversity in the curriculum has been an issue of concern. Although some have wanted a required course on diversity, others have felt that it is more effective to integrate diversity issues into all aspects of the curriculum. That is the approach taken by the General Education program, and a survey on Diversity in the Curriculum showed that issues of multiculturalism, international relations, and race/gender analyses inform both curricular and extracurricular programs at all levels. The effectiveness of this approach needs to be assessed.

SVSU has also expanded its graduate curriculum from three major programs to eight, with a subset of specializations within College of Education Masters of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) and Education Leadership (EdL) programs bringing the number of concentrations to 20. Consequently, SVSU is now considered a Masters I institution in the Carnegie Classification. Graduate programs at SVSU are part-time professional programs serving non-traditional students who tend to be employed full-time in their respective fields and seek to enhance their credentials and move into leadership positions. These professional programs meet the same community needs as the undergraduate professionally accredited programs; their creation is often prompted by local business and community leaders. Graduate programs reside in the respective five colleges and are managed by Program Coordinators appointed by the dean. Graduate enrollments have proved variable and because part-time graduate students may not maintain consistent registration in the programs, it is difficult to monitor their progress. Task forces have been appointed for each program to examine enrollment trends and review issues facing each of these programs.

Academic programs are supported by an extensively renovated library and a significant expansion of the technological infrastructure and services through the University. Student learning at SVSU is also facilitated by a variety of academic support programs and centers. While many of these services are provided through the Academic Affairs division, student advising is administered by Student Services & Enrollment Management, a somewhat unusual arrangement that makes effective communication between units essential.

Academic program planning and assessment primarily takes place at the department or college level (outside a university-wide planning context). Many faculty members have expressed lack of familiarity with Next Steps 2000-2005 and do not see its relevance to the work of their departments. Academic program assessment is most consistently carried out in professionally accredited programs and in the General Education program. Most other programs and departments utilize some assessment measures, at least at the course level, and some use the outcomes to revise courses and programs. However, assessment is uneven across academic programs and has not been institutionalized into processes for program development and resource allocation.

Curriculum revision processes are defined in the Faculty Contract. Program and course ratification is carried out by University-wide committees with elected faculty members and administrative appointees. The faculty as a whole votes on committee recommendations, which then go to administration for implementation. Some have argued that as the University has grown, these processes have become less effective, that input from faculty outside their area of expertise carries undue and inadequately informed influence, and that curricular processes should lie within the respective colleges. Others strongly support the continuation of the current system and see it as a way of maintaining academic standards and faculty engagement.

The course schedule at SVSU has traditionally been cost effective, with every effort made to maximize the number of seats occupied in each section. Enrollment has consistently increased over SVSU’s 40-year history and credit hour counts have increased even more significantly, reflecting the shift to residential students. The average course size is 24, although some departments have consistently higher enrollments than others, depending on the subject matter. Although some lecture courses admit as many as 55 students, few courses have higher enrollments. In the current economic climate, the ratio of full-time to part-time faculty will continue to demand attention.

The number of full-time faculty has increased significantly since 1993. Faculty are recruited from nationally recognized graduate programs and typically hold terminal degrees in their fields. Full-time faculty teach a 12-hour per semester schedule, and many faculty teach Spring/Summer sessions, as well. Teaching is the primary consideration in tenure and promotion decisions, as is consistent with the mission of the university. A week-long Faculty Summer Institute, focusing on best teaching practices, helps orient new faculty to the university. Faculty also engage in significant amounts of research supported by the university; increasingly, grant-funding efforts, aided by the Sponsored Programs Office, have become a measure of faculty scholarship. Faculty also provide extensive service to the University, which is also a factor in tenure and promotion decisions. Evaluation processes are contractually defined and have a long history. With the growth of the faculty, some have come to view these processes as inefficient, and the work of the Professional Practices Committee and evaluation teams as overwhelming. However, others feel strongly that these processes are democratic, effective, and should be maintained.