I. Program Productivity and Efficiency

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1 I. Program Productivity and Efficiency FGCU Enrollments by Major and Year * Criminal Justice FGCU Degrees Awarded by Major and Year Year Sum Criminal Justice Undergraduate Average Cost Per Student Credit Hour (SCH) By Selected Programs Average Cost Per Credit Hour Percent of University Average Percent Lower Level SCH Dollars Anthropology % 88% 78% 69% 73% 81% Biotechnology % 223% 268% 35% 33% 16% Economics % 105% 94% 74% 70% 73% Journalism % 108% 88% 62% 42% 42% Music % 163% 127% 67% 73% 85% Philosophy % 45% 41% 61% 66% 48% Sociology % 36% 34% 83% 85% 83% Theatre % 143% 157% 65% 70% 63% Graduate (Percent Undergraduate SCH) Criminal Justice % 134% 92% 92% 92% 95% (Percent Undergraduate SCH) Management Information Systems % 221% 243% 80% 77% 82% Total University % 100% 100% 51% 53% 53% 1

2 II. Post-Graduation Outcomes for Criminal Justice Alumni CAS Data on Graduate Outcomes A survey of graduates conducted as part of the Criminal Justice MS Seven Year Program Review found that 71% were employed in CJ or a closely related field, with a salary range from $38,000 to $85,000. Of these, the distribution of job type was as follows: Sherriff or Police 35% Corrections 15% Courts 15% State Bureaus 15% CJ Education 10% Other CJ Professional 10% Florida Education & Training. Placement Information Program (FETPIP) The graphs on the next page include only those graduates who stay in Florida for employment and/or further education. 2

3 No data value given for % of graduate degrees granted 1% of graduate degrees granted Criminal Justice Studies (430104) FT Average Qtrly Earnings Master's - No FGCU Data

4 III. Potential Impact Upon Performance Funding Metrics The potential impacts would largely be at the undergraduate level through the contributions of the faculty in that program and not directly to this program at the graduate level. 1

5 IV. Prospective Cost Benefits or Disadvantages Associated with Program Discontinuance The most recent academic year for which faculty productivity data were available was During this period, the faculty in the Criminal Justice Master s Program generated 4614 student credit hours. The tuition and fee revenue generated by these primary faculty at $204 per credit yielded a total revenue to the University of $941,256. The total direct cost of instruction (i.e., faculty salary) for these faculty was $440,741. Thus the direct return to the University was a net profit of $500,515. In addition, the Criminal Justice Master s Program faculty contribute to the credit hour production of multiple undergraduate programs across the university, such as Colloquium, Interdisciplinary Studies, and the Honors Program. These programs rely heavily on a faculty donation program. The faculty donation program requires faculty from different programs to contribute course instruction to these specific programs in order to meet enrollment demands associated with the FGCU graduation requirement. Eliminating the Criminal Justice Master s Program may adversely impact this model which could increase the time to degree completion and increase the cost of instruction in these required course areas. The impact program elimination will have on prestigious programs such as Honors is difficult to realize. There are approximately 600 students participating in the FGCU Honors Program. Currently there are 19 active Criminal Justice and Forensic Studies undergraduate students with an average grade point average of 3.7 participating in the Honors Program. Since the faculty of the Master s program provide significant credit hour production to the undergraduate program as well elimination of the program may have significant impact on the ability to provide the rigorous education that these students expect from such a prestigious program. Many of these students are the best and brightest and were actively recruited to attend FGCU. While the Criminal Justice Master s Program may generate a modest number of graduates, the faculty of this program clearly have an impact on the overall annual student credit hour production at FGCU. 1

6 V. Potential Impact Discontinuance of Criminal Justice on the University Impact on General Education Not Applicable the Criminal Justice M.S. is a graduate program, and not directly involved in providing Gen Ed offerings. Impact on courses used by other programs Closure of the Criminal Justice MS program would negatively impact the Forensics M.S. program. The Forensics program uses many of the courses offered by the CJ Master s Program as electives and vice versa. The two programs are extremely integrated and interdependent. Due to the new major MS revision the two graduate programs now have more core courses in common than previously. These include Advanced Qualitative Research Methods and Advanced Quantitative Methods. Closure of the Criminal Justice MS program would have a negative impact on the undergraduate programs in Criminal Justice, Legal Studies and Forensic Studies. The programs of the Department of Justice Studies are interrelated, with faculty teaching a both graduate and undergraduate levels, and offering courses that serve multiple programs. Any loss of faculty due to departure of layoff would impact effective delivery of the undergraduate program as well. The Master of Criminal Justice Program has connections with the Master of Public Administration Program. Currently, the CJ graduate program uses two public administration courses, PAD 6227 and PAD 6417, as part of the curriculum. These courses expose students to budgeting and administration that are important job skills for applicants to law enforcement administration positions. Impact on faculty retention and recruitment Faculty who have productive research and grant records as well as a passion for teaching are drawn to institutions that offer both an undergraduate and graduate degree in the field. The Department of Justice Studies has benefitted from the synergy of two related Master s programs to draw a highly accomplished faculty. Cancellation of the Criminal Justice MS would likely induce some faculty whose research interests lie primarily in the Criminal Justice area to seek employment at other institutions. Without a graduate program, it would be difficult to attract faculty with comparable research and 1

7 funding records. This could lead to a subject specialty imbalance in the Department, and also detract from effective delivery of the undergraduate Criminal Justice program. At a general level, cutting multiple programs would affect recruitment in disciplines beyond the ones under review. Because tenure is the norm in academia, candidates for faculty positions at FGCU already come to an interview with many questions about our contract system. So far, we have been able to reassure most candidates that the contract system protects academic freedom and provides reasonable security from arbitrary layoffs. A story about program cuts would create doubts on these points, and make it more difficult to convince candidates in any discipline that coming to FGCU is a smart career move. Impact on grants and awards Grants and sponsored research have been part of the work of Criminal Justice faculty, and the Department in which it is housed. Additionally, the Justice Studies Department houses the Human Trafficking Resource Center. Grants to the university have helped to establish the work of the Center. Grant activity within the last 5 years includes: Grant Project Amount Esperanza Center $120,000 Human Trafficking Resource Grant $150,000 Guatemalan Human Rights $21,000 NSF Travel Grant $2,000 Total $293,000 Critical to these institutions and grant pursuits is the expectation that the criminal justice graduate students will be available to perform many of the analytical tasks that are too advanced for undergraduate students. Loss of the graduate program would make Criminal Justice faculty less competitive for such grants, and would hinder the work of institutes affiliated with the department. Impact on faculty and student diversity Student Diversity The 2013 diversity profile of the CJ Master s program is similar to the overall CAS graduate population, with greater percentage representation of Hispanic students. 2

8 Reaction of alums The value of the degree obtained is diminished when a program is dismantled. Recent graduates have expressed concerns (as have current and potential students) with the news of this possible loss of the program. Additionally, discussions with, and surveys of, our graduate alumni demonstrate that they are concerned about the current review of our program. A number of our alumni have acquired their current positions or promotions as a result of their graduate degree. Thus, there is considerable concern among alumni that the loss of our program might diminish the value of their graduate degrees in the future. Indeed, a number of our alumni have stated that they were only promoted in their job after they had received their graduate degree. Losing this program may decrease the degree s value to our alumni in their pursuit of future jobs and promotions. Impact on public opinion The program was developed at the request of multiple public CJ agencies in the local community. Our major competitor is Hodges University and Barry University. We are a public university, and that badge of excellence brings credibility to the quality of the degree we issue. Loss of a graduate program in this high profile area would cause FGCU s reputation to lose ground relative to its competitors. Additionally, Criminal Justice as a discipline is perhaps the most popular academic field in popular culture today. There are countless novels, television shows, movies, etc. that focus on crime, criminals and components of the criminal justice system, making the criminal justice name a commodity of its own. Due to the importance of the pursuit of crime and terrorism in our society, and our public s fascination with this field, there is an expectation by the public that a state university will provide advanced graduate-level study in this area. Moreover, given the political climate today surrounding police use of force, the public has an even greater expectation that our universities will offer analytical, philosophical and ethical training of future criminal justice employees at the highest level to ensure that equity in the criminal justice field is maintained at all levels. 3