Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University

Transcription

1 Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Tallahassee, Florida Excellence With Caring Telephone: (850) Fax: (850) SCHOOL OF BUSINESS & INDUSTRY OFFICE OF THE DEAN April 15, 2006 Arthur Kraft, Chair of the PreAccreditation Committee AACSB International 777 Harbour Island Blvd., Suite 750 Tampa, FL Dear Dr. Kraft: The School of Business & Industry (SBI) at Florida A&M University appreciates you and the PAC for affording SBI the opportunity to update the Accreditation Plan. We are pleased to submit three (3) copies of our updated Accreditation Plan to AACSB International. The revised Accreditation Plan addresses the five (5) points of clarification that the PAC requested. Specifically, SBI offers the following accounts which are incorporated into the Accreditation Report: 1. The submission now includes a draft of our Strategic Plan (see Appendix E) that provides sufficient detail to obtain an understanding of the situation of the school relative to its long term planning process and the AACSB standards and the action items of the plan. 2. The financial resources and number of new hires have been modified to avail eight replacement faculty (total needed $800,000). The timeline for hiring the faculty has been modified to reflect that the faculty will be hired over a period of two academic years. The plan describes the development of faculty, and provides sufficient detail regarding the faculty development resources (i.e., Standard 5: Financial Strategies). 3. The University has acquired the services of a search firm, The Hollins Group, and is aggressively pursuing the appointment of a permanent Dean by August A budget has been appended (see Appendix F) to delineate the resources needed to pursue AACSB International accreditation. (Standard 5: Financial Strategies). 5. SBI faculty has revised and approved a policy for Academically and Professionally Qualified faculty. Table II does not list any Professionally Qualified faculty members. The total percentage of Academically Qualified faculty members is not adequate (Standard 10: Faculty Qualifications); however, SBI expects that with the hiring of new faculty along with the implementation of other action items, the AQ/PQ percentage will dramatically improve within the next year. Since the submission of the December 2005 accreditation plan, Dr. Patrick R. Liverpool, a former member of the AACSB International Board, has been hired as the Interim Dean. The Dean and the faculty have undertaken several initiatives to maintain momentum toward accreditation. This includes: a) organizational restructuring to move from a divisional structure and toward a departmental structure; b) curriculum re-

2 engineering and redesign; c) laying the groundwork for a comprehensive strategic planning process; and d) fully engaging and involving the faculty and staff in the AACSB International accreditation process. The Administration of Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University resolutely supports the School of Business & Industry in its pursuit of AACSB International accreditation and endorses this Accreditation Plan. The University is in full accord with the AACSB's commitment to achieving quality management education and continuous improvement through its accreditation processes. We sincerely appreciate your consideration of this Accreditation Plan. Sincerely, CastellVaughn Bryant, Ed.D. Interim President Debra Austin, Ed.D. Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Patrick R. Liverpool, D.B.A. Interim Dean, School of Business & Industry

3 Accreditation Plan School of Business & Industry Florida A&M University Submitted to The Candidacy Committee AACSB International Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business April 2006

4 Business Precandidacy School Profile Sheet Institution Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University _ Location Tallahassee, FL _ Name of Business Academic Unit School of Business & Industry _ Dean Patrick R. Liverpool _ Mentor Otis Thomas _ Liaison Eileen Peacock Reader V.K. Unni _ Date of this report April 15, 2006 _ Projected Year of Self-Evaluation (last year of PreAccreditation) _ Degree Programs (Business Academic Unit) Undergraduate Accounting Major and Business Administration Major _ Business Administration Concentrations: Marketing and Finance _ Master MBA _ Number of Degrees Conferred (Business Academic Unit) - Per Year (2005) Preliminary Undergraduate 346 Master 120 Enrollment - Fall Term (2005) Preliminary Institution - FAMU Undergrad. 10,650 Graduate 1,529 Total 12,179 Undergraduate Student Credit Hours (SCH) 141,996 Graduate SCHs 16,583 Business Unit - SBI Undergrad. 1,367 Graduate 166 Total 1,533 Undergraduate Student Credit Hours(SCH) 12,313 Graduate SCHs 2,062 Participating Faculty Profile - Spring Term (2006) Actuals Number Field of Academically Instruction Qualified* Number Professionally Qualified* Number Other Faculty Resources* Accounting & Finance Management & Marketing Infor Systems & Oper Mgt Professional Development Total *Do not include the same individual in more than one category Total i

5 FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF BUSINESS & INDUSTRY S AACSB ACCREDITATION PLAN TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION... 1 CHAPTER 2: SCOPE OF ACCREDITATION CHAPTER 3: EVALUATION AGAINST THE STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT STANDARDS FOR BUSINESS ACCREDITATION... 4 CHAPTER 4: EVALUATION AGAINST PARTICIPANTS STANDARDS FOR BUSINESS ACCREDITATION CHAPTER 5: EVALUATION AGAINST ASSURANCE OF LEARNING STANDARDS FOR BUSINESS ACCREDITATION CHAPTER 6: SUMMARY OF STANDARDS AND ACTION PLANS FOR AACSB ACCREDITATION CHAPTER 7: CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT INITIATIVES...52 APPENDICES: APPENDIX A: SBI DEPARTMENTAL ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE APPENDIX B: SBI AACSB ACCREDITATION PROCESS AND MILESTONES APPENDIX C: SBI MISSION REVIEW PROCESS APPENDIX D: FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY MISSION STATEMENT, VISION STATEMENT & CORE VALUES APPENDIX E: SBI STRATEGIC PLAN APPENDIX F: SBI ACTION PLAN BUDGET APPENDIX G: SBI FACULTY QUALIFICATIONS POLICY APPENDIX H: TABLE I: ACCOUNT OF SBI FACULTY CREDENTIALS APPENDIX I: TABLE II: ACCOUNT OF SBI FACULTY INTELLECTUAL CONTRIBUTIONS & QUALIFICATIONS APPENDIX J: FACULTY QUALIFICATIONS: PROCESS AND MILESTONES ii

6 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University Florida A&M University (FAMU), founded in 1887, is a Masters I institution and is fully accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). The University provides a caring, nurturing, collegial and respectful environment. Presently, FAMU has over 12,000 students and 14 colleges/schools, and offers 62 bachelor s degrees in 103 majors/tracks and 36 master s degrees, two professional degrees, and 11 Ph.D. degree programs. School of Business & Industry In 1974, the School of Business & Industry - or what is now popularly known as SBI - was formed. SBI expanded its undergraduate program in 1981 to include a one-year MBA degree. In 1995, a new MBA degree program called the Professional MBA was officially approved, and the one-year MBA was redesigned in 1998 as a two-year MBA program. Currently, SBI offers three degree programs: the Bachelor of Science in Accounting or Business Administration, the Two-Year MBA, and the Professional MBA. SBI is undergoing an organizational restructuring to move from a divisional structure toward a departmental structure. See Figure 1 in Appendix A for a depiction of SBI s Departmental Organizational Chart. The AACSB Accreditation Process The School of Business & Industry s Eligibility Application was submitted to the AACSB in August The PreAccreditation Committee (PAC) reviewed the application and SBI was accepted as eligible for accreditation. The Mentor visited SBI on March 24-25, 2005 to meet with SBI faculty, students and administrators. He explained the role of the Mentor; the working relationship between the Mentor and SBI; the AACSB standards; the AACSB Accreditation Plan process; and SBI opportunities and challenges relative to accreditation. After his on-site visit, the Mentor advised the PAC that the School of Business & Industry at Florida A&M University was ready to proceed with their accreditation activity. Specifically, the process advanced, from April to November 2005, with the SBI Accreditation Steering Committee and affiliated accreditation committees meeting on a regular basis to prepare documentation in line with the AACSB standards and priorities identified by the Mentor. This entailed faculty committees performing gap analyses and developing the SBI Accreditation Plan. After consultations with the AACSB Mentor to review the draft Accreditation Plan and resolve issues, the School of Business & Industry submitted its Accreditation Plan to the AACSB on December 15,

7 In February 2006, the PreAccreditation Committee (PAC) requested that SBI submit an updated Accreditation Plan for review at its next scheduled Committee meeting on June 5, Interim Dean Patrick R. Liverpool reconstituted the affiliated accreditation committees as accreditation Action Groups/Task Force. The Accreditation Steering Committee charged them with revising appropriate sections of the SBI Accreditation Plan to address the PAC request for clarifications. Those groups are as follows: Strategic Planning and Mission Action Group; Recruitment, Admissions, Retention & Academic Progression Action Group; Educational Responsibility, Resources & Support Action Group; Faculty Planning & Development Action Group; Learning Assurance Action Group; and Curriculum Task Force. The proposed Peer Review Team visit will take place during the academic school year. A flowchart of the AACSB accreditation process and milestones is noted in Figure 2 (see Appendix B). The format of SBI s Accreditation Plan is organized by the AACSB three standards: Strategic Management Standards; Participants Standards; and Assurance of Learning Standards. The Plan analyzes SBI strengths and areas for improvement according to each standard and action plans are detailed to build on assets, remedy limitations and maintain continuous improvement. Lastly, a summary of standards and SBI action plans are proposed. 2

8 CHAPTER 2: SCOPE OF ACCREDITATION A list of SBI programs is noted in Table 1. Table 1 Degree Programs Date program established Number of courses required for degree completion Program length (Number of academic terms) Number of students graduated in: Bachelor of Science (120 cr hrs) c Graduate a : c Two-Year MBA (50 cr hrs) 4 Professional MBA (155 cr hrs) 10 b Notes The graduation statistics are reported for the three-semester academic year, starting with Summer and ending with Spring. For example, statistics for 2003 consists of students graduating in Summer 2002, Fall 2002, and Spring The number of students who graduated with the Bachelor of Science degree in business includes students awarded the Bachelors degree as a result of earning the Professional MBA degree. a Graduation statistics for the Two-Year and Profession MBA programs are reported as combined totals. b Not reflected here is the requirement that students in the Professional MBA program must complete three internships which range in length from 3 to 12 months. c Graduation statistics for 2005 are estimates based on the number of students that SBI certified to receive degrees in business. 3

9 CHAPTER 3: EVALUATION AGAINST THE STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT STANDARDS FOR BUSINESS ACCREDITATION Standard 1: Mission Statement The school publishes a mission statement or its equivalent that provides direction for making decisions. The mission statement is derived from a process that includes the viewpoints of various stakeholders. The school periodically reviews and revises the mission statement as appropriate. The review process involves appropriate stakeholders. SBI Mission Statement The mission of the School of Business and Industry (SBI) is to develop leaders with the technical, conceptual and professional competencies to positively impact the world. This is achieved by: Providing innovative academic, professional development, and internship experiences in an enlightened, ethical, and stimulating student-centered learning environment. Developing, supporting, and creating opportunities for a diverse qualified faculty and staff committed to excellence with caring through high-quality teaching, relevant intellectual contributions, and meaningful service. Creating an environment in which shared governance, collegiality, openness, respect for others, and individual and mutual responsibility and accountability flourish. Embracing the University s historic mission of educating African Americans while recruiting students of all races and ethnic origins with strong academic backgrounds committed to the pursuit of excellence. Developing new, and expanding existing, creative partnerships with alumni, and private and public stakeholders to maintain the relevance and currency of our academic programs. Promoting an environment of continuous improvement by acquiring and developing the necessary human, physical, financial, and technological resources to maintain our competitive edge. SBI Values Statement We value a work and learning environment that is based on professionalism, responsibility, accountability, respect, trust, pride, ethics, integrity, caring, excellence, knowledge, research, and service. SBI Vision Statement The School of Business and Industry aspires to be recognized nationally and internationally as a preeminent center of excellence in business. Process for the Development of the Mission & Mission Review and Revision Process SBI has a standing Mission Review and Revision Committee. The composition of the committee includes junior and senior faculty representing various functional areas within the School along with student representation. The committee follows a systematic mission review process as outlined in the Figure 3 flowchart (see Appendix C). 4

10 Mission Dissemination It is important to prominently display the mission statement through a variety of channels, so all stakeholders can have a clear understanding of the priorities and motivations for SBI s policies and decisions. Although the mission statement is currently posted in some administrative offices and on the web, it has limited circulation. Evaluation of Performance against Standard 1: Mission Statement SBI believes that it complies with Standard 1 in that the mission statement provides direction, includes the viewpoints of various stakeholders and is periodically reviewed and revised, as appropriate. Strengths SBI has a mission statement that is periodically reviewed and revised, as needed, by a faculty committee with student representation that uses a stakeholder review approach. The standing Mission Review & Revision committee meets periodically and reviews and revises the mission statement as necessary. If revisions are made to the mission statement, the draft mission statement is circulated to its various stakeholders (e.g., administration, faculty, staff, students, alumni, public and private partners, and various campus entities). The feedback obtained from the various stakeholders is incorporated in the draft mission statement before it is submitted to the faculty for adoption. The mission statement clearly states why SBI exists, the various stakeholders we serve, and how we address the needs of our stakeholders (e.g., administration, faculty, staff, students, alumni, public and private partners, and various campus stakeholders). Areas for Improvement Improve the visibility of SBI s mission statement by posting the statement in physical locations on campus, on all SBI related websites, and in SBI and University publications. Standard 2: Mission Appropriateness The school s mission statement is appropriate to higher education for management and consonant with the mission of any institution of which the school is a part. The mission includes the production of intellectual contributions that advance the knowledge and practice of business and management. Appropriateness of Mission for Personal Development of Students The mission statement, in conjunction with the values statement, is appropriate for both the personal and professional development of students. The mission statement affirms that SBI is committed to providing students with innovative academic, professional development, and internship experiences in an enlightened, ethical, and stimulating student-centered environment. The values statement enhances our commitment by

11 stating that we value a learning environment that is based on professionalism, responsibility, accountability, respect, trust, pride, ethics, integrity, caring, excellence, knowledge, research, and service. Relationship between SBI s Mission Statement and Intellectual Contributions SBI's mission statement clearly states that we are committed to developing, supporting, and creating opportunities for faculty to produce intellectual contributions as a result of their engagement in relevant research - even though our primary focus is high-quality teaching. Over the past five years, SBI s intellectual contributions have averaged 69 annually. Interestingly, there has been a 140% increase from the academic year to the academic year (see Table 2 below). This reveals an increasing attention to the significance of producing and supporting intellectual contributions. Portfolio of Intellectual Contributions Table 2: SBI Intellectual Contributions Per Capita Areas of Instruction Accounting and Finance Management and Marketing Information Systems and Operational Management Professional Development Total Consonance with the Florida A&M University Mission SBI s mission is in accord with the University s overall mission in all areas, but at the crux of both is the overwhelming commitment to produce graduates capable of productively contributing to the State of Florida, the nation, and the world (see Appendix D for FAMU s Mission Statement, Vision Statement & Core Values). Evaluation of Performance against Standard 2: Mission Appropriateness SBI believes that it meets several aspects of Standard 2 but needs improvement with regard to intellectual contributions. Strengths SBI s mission statement unequivocally supports FAMU s mission statement. SBI's mission statement is also appropriate to higher education for management. Additionally, SBI's mission statement addresses the School s commitment to producing intellectual contributions that advance the knowledge and practice of business and management. Areas for Improvement Provide funding to support faculty development. Provide funding to support faculty travel for intellectual contributions. 6

12 Standard 3: Student Mission The mission statement or supporting documents specify the student populations the school intends to serve. Mission Statement specification of the Student Populations It is clearly specified in the mission statement that SBI intends to embrace FAMU s historic mission of educating African Americans while recruiting students of all races and ethnic origins. Evaluation of Performance against Standard 3: Student Mission SBI believes that it fully complies with the requirements of Standard 3 with respect to the student populations it serves. While the majority of SBI students are African Americans, the SBI student body also includes domestic and international students representing a variety of racial and ethnic groups. Standard 4: Continuous Improvement Objectives The school specifies action items that represent high priority continuous improvement efforts. SBI's mission statement articulates that we are committed to promoting an environment of continuous improvement by acquiring and developing the necessary human, physical, financial, and technological resources to maintain our competitive edge. SBI is in the process of revising our Strategic Plan to ensure continuous improvement (see Appendix E). In addition, SBI has recently embarked on a transition from a divisional structure to a departmental structure that will allow faculty and administration to be more responsive to students needs. The current structure aligns the business concentrations under Area Coordinators who report to the Assistant Dean. Longer term plans call for the transition of these positions to Department Chairpersons. Evaluation of Performance against Standard 4: Continuous Improvement Objectives SBI believes it should be more responsive in satisfying the requirements of Standard 4. Areas for Improvement Recruit a permanent Dean. Revise and finalize a Strategic Plan. Group SBI Academic faculty along functional area lines. Implement a new organizational structure. Develop a student recruitment strategy for programs. Implement the student recruitment strategy. Increase the use and availability of current technology. 7

13 Standard 5: Financial Strategies The school has financial strategies to provide resources appropriate to, and sufficient for, achieving its mission and action items. Financial Strategies for SBI to achieve its mission Several processes are in place to help SBI marshal the financial resources necessary to achieve its mission and to implement its strategies. A budget has been created that identifies current and future dollars necessary to achieving SBI s plans (see Appendix F). The budget is an account of resources needed for implementing improvement activities in this accreditation plan. Further funding of SBI s initiatives will be sought through our corporate partners. These one hundred plus corporate members of SBI s Big Board represent many of the largest and most successful firms in the country, and have in the past pledged their dollars and support for SBI s success. We will implement a fund raising campaign to solicit their help to do so again. In addition, SBI has an endowment of approximately $15 million that can be tapped for some of our plans. Finally, SBI will explore the possibility of utilizing Title III funds to pursue several continuous improvement initiatives. Process for Allocating Resources to Activities in support of SBI s Mission & Priority Goals SBI provides and offers access to numerous physical, technological and human resources to develop leaders who can positively impact the world. SBI provides and manages instructional resources through the following: Currently, faculty often request resources directly to satisfy their research and instructional needs. Such requests can be routed through the Area Coordinators, the office of the Dean. Planning for instructional resources involves inputs from students, faculty, staff, and the office of the Dean. The Dean s office compiles the input and makes appropriate adjustments according to budgetary constraints. University funding for current and new initiatives in support of SBI s Mission and Priority Goals The current annual educational budget for Florida A&M University is $72.04 million* and the School of Business and Industry unit is $6.85 million. The budget figures provided here for Florida A&M University and for the School of Business & Industry are for the fiscal year Exhibit 1 shows that the SBI share of the budget amounts to 9.5 percent of $72.04 million. *This amount represents 43 percent of the total Educational and General budget of $ million. 8

14 Exhibit 1 Education Budget Distribution by College/School (%) Allied Health, 3.4 SBI, 9.5 Architecture, 3.4 Pharmacy, 9.5 Nursing, 1.8 Arts & Sciences, 23.8 Law, 12.5 Journalism, 3.1 General Studies, 1.8 Graduate Studies, 3.7 Engineering, 12.4 Education, 7.5 CESTA, 7.6 Approximately 95 percent of SBI s budget provided by the University is allocated to salaries for faculty, staff, and administrators. Additionally, the budget for SBI represents the amount earmarked by the University, but not the amount derived from other sources. SBI is considered a flagship school within the University. Historically, SBI receives the fourth highest percentage allocation of the Educational & General budget amount when compared to all other schools (see Exhibit 8 in the SBI AACSB Accreditation Eligibility Application). As seen from Exhibit 2, the Educational and General budget is almost 43% of the total operating budget of the University and amounts to $ million. Exhibit 2 Florida A&M University Estimated Budget: Budget Entity Estimated Budget ($) Percent Educational & General 167,565, Auxiliary Enterprises 22,935, Contracts & Grants 57,425, Student Activities 3,423, Intercollegiate Athletics 6,764, Concessions 160, Student Financial Aid 132,102, Total 390,377,

15 Evaluation of Performance against Standard 5: Financial Strategies In accordance with Standard 5, SBI provides faculty, staff and students with resources to ensure instructional assets. However, SBI believes that it must work to raise additional funds to support continuous improvement. Strengths SBI has developed a budget that identifies current and future dollars necessary to achieve our plans. SBI has a unique partnership arrangement with our Big Board firms that will be leveraged as an additional source of funds for our continuous improvement initiatives. SBI has an endowment of approximately $15 million that can be utilized to assist funding our continuous improvement initiatives. SBI will explore the possibility of utilizing Title III funds to pursue several continuous improvement initiatives. Areas for Improvement Establish and implement fundraising campaigns to support further continuous improvement. 10

16 CHAPTER 4: EVALUATION AGAINST PARTICIPANTS STANDARDS FOR BUSINESS ACCREDITATION Standard 6: Student Admission The policies for admission to business degree programs offered by the school are clear and consistent with the school s mission. Admission Policies SBI s admission policies result in a student body that is of high quality and supports the achievement of the mission of the school. Written policies for admission to SBI guide interested applicants through the admissions process and provide access to SBI s degree programs: (1) the Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Accounting or Business Administration; (2) the Professional Masters of Business Administration (MBA); and (3) the Two-Year Master of Business Administration (MBA). The Undergraduate programs in Accounting and Business Administration provide access for first time in college students, out-of-state transfer and Florida Community College transfer students. The Professional MBA provides an integrated undergraduate and graduate educational experience for first time in college students. Admission to the Professional MBA program is also granted to transfer students from other universities and other schools at FAMU. Selection for admission to the two-year MBA program is based on having attained a Bachelors degree. The admissions policies for each program results in an entering student body that supports the achievement of SBI s mission. Evaluation of Performance against Standard 6: Student Admission The policies for admission to SBI comply with the requirements of Standard 6 in that they are consistent with the school s mission to develop leaders with the technical, conceptual and professional competencies to positively impact the world. Recently, graduate admissions policies have been revised. Therefore, SBI believes one area of improvement is as follows: Area for Improvement Institutionalize a formal process for reviewing and revising admissions policies for all SBI programs Create and maintain a tracking system for recruitment & admissions Improve recruitment by establishing an annual recruitment budget. Standard 7: Student Retention The school has academic standards and retention practices that produce high quality graduates. The academic standards and retention practices are consistent with the school s mission. Academic Standards and Evaluation The School of Business and Industry s academic standards are based on the University s academic standards. At the undergraduate level, if a student s GPA falls below a 2.0, he 11

17 or she is placed on academic probation. If this status persists for 2 semesters, the student is placed on academic suspension (see University Catalog page 30, for more details). At the graduate level, if a student s GPA falls below a 3.0, he or she is placed on academic hold. With respect to academic evaluation, academic advisors and student support staff meet with students at least once per semester to review academic performance. Student Retention Strategies SBI s retention strategies used to retain and graduate students include formal academic advisement, formal and informal academic and personal counseling, and financial support (scholarships and graduate assistantships). More specifically, SBI s Internship Office supports the school s mission of developing and expanding creative partnerships that have relevance to the academic programs, by managing relationships with corporate, state, federal, and other potential employers. The outcome is student placement with organizations in domestic and global full-time internships for Fall, Spring and Summer semesters and extended assignments. Additionally, non-academic student services staff provides students with the following services: academic advisement; registration planning and scheduling; files management; course withdrawals; authorization for excused absences; academic appeals; graduation audits; graduation applications; and when required, managing the separation process. In addition to the SBI s retention strategies, there are university resources and retention tools that are also used to assist in the retention of SBI students. The University s Center for Academic Advisement provides a comprehensive and intensive advisement program for freshmen and sophomore students regarding retention, progression and support into the upper division. Through this initiative, a full-time advisor is dedicated to students from SBI, and additional support from other advisors in the Center is available, as needed. Academic advisement for upperclassmen is provided by SBI faculty and staff. Evaluation of Performance against Standard 7: Student Retention The School of Business and Industry believes that it satisfies some of the requirements for Standard 7 but needs improvement on others, as noted below: Strengths SBI has informal processes for early identification of students who are failing to perform satisfactorily. SBI provides formal and informal interventions appropriate to each student s needs for progression in or separation from their academic programs, when necessary. SBI s retention strategies of advisement and counseling offer students the opportunity for one-on-one interaction with faculty and staff advisors, and present chances for early intervention, when needed. Areas for Improvement Institutionalize a formal process to review and update retention, progression, and separation policies for programs. 12

18 Improve progression and retention of students. Standard 8: Staff Sufficiency Student Support The school maintains a staff sufficient to provide stability and ongoing quality improvement for student support activities. Student support activities reflect the school s mission and programs and the students characteristics. SBI offers a number of support services to students that are performed by a combination of faculty members and specialized staff including: the Instructional Support & Technology Coordinator, Recruitment & Admissions Coordinator, Graduate Student Services Coordinator, and the Undergraduate Student Services Coordinator. SBI s approach to student support and development concurs with its mission statement and centers on providing innovative academic, professional, and internship experiences in an enlightened, ethical, and stimulating student centered environment. Services delivered by non-academic staff Non-academic support services sufficient to meet students needs for progression and continuous improvement through their respective programs are provided through the following functions: internship experiences and student services (e.g., registration support, academic advisement, etc.). Detailed descriptions of internship and student services support are provided in Standard 7. The student support services provided by non-academic staff are reflective of the school s mission. Technological support Extensive technological support is maintained for all students on a year-round basis. University technological resources provide all students with access to their class schedules, student fees, grades, financial aid awards, holds on registration, unofficial transcript, an account, and the Blackboard web-based course system. Career Planning Through interactions with public and private partners, the SBI faculty support students in career planning. In addition, the Internship Office staff coaches and provides individualized support to students for career planning and placement. Students also use the University Career Placement Office for their career planning needs. Evaluation of Performance against Standard 8: Staff Sufficiency Student Support SBI believes that it satisfies the requirements of Standard 8 in that there are an extensive number of services that are provided to students by academic and non-academic staff. But, we recommend a continuous improvement activity of centralizing the advisement process. In addition, student support services provided by faculty and staff are sufficient to provide stability and ongoing quality improvement for student support activities. Moreover, student support services reflect the school s mission and programs and the characteristics of the students. 13

19 Standard 9: Faculty Sufficiency The school maintains a faculty sufficient to provide stability and ongoing quality improvement for the instructional programs offered. The deployment of faculty resources reflects the mission and programs. Students in all programs, majors, areas of emphasis, and locations have the opportunity to receive instruction from appropriately qualified faculty. Faculty Numbers and Work Allocation SBI has 54 full-time faculty members, all participating faculty. Supporting faculty members are employed on a part-time basis and are usually assigned to teach undergraduate courses. Only one supporting faculty member was assigned to teach graduate classes. Because of the part-time nature of their employment within SBI, their hiring is contingent on course demands and the availability of funding. Teaching assignment, load, and responsibility of participating faculty: With regards to teaching loads, tenured or tenure earning participating faculty members are normally assigned nine (9) credit hours. Instructors normally are assigned twelve (12) hours. For each full-time faculty member, the teaching load is specified in his/her assignment of responsibility. Where possible, teaching loads of all faculty members are reduced to support SBI research (intellectual contributions) expectations of faculty. On average, teaching accounts for approximately percent of the faculty assigned work effort. Service responsibility of participating faculty: Participating faculty members are eligible to serve on various committees. Many serve on committees devoted to rendering institutional and professional services, including student advisement. As part of their assignment of responsibility, approximately 5 10 percent of full-time faculty members time is normally allocated to service. Research or intellectual contributions of participating faculty: To remain academically qualified (AQ), participating faculty members must achieve a total of five (5) intellectual contributions during the most recent five (5) year period. At least two (2) of the five must be refereed journal articles published or accepted for publication. The remaining three (3) can be fulfilled from a prescribed list of intellectual contribution activities adopted by the faculty from three categories of intellectual contribution areas Discipline Based Scholarship, Learning and Pedagogical Scholarship and Contribution to Practice. In order to maintain professionally (PQ) qualified status, participating faculty must maintain professional currency and /or active professional certification in the area of primary teaching responsibility and achieve a total of eight (8) intellectual contributions during the most recent five (5) year period from a prescribed list of intellectual contribution activities adopted by the faculty from three categories of intellectual contribution areas Discipline Based Scholarship, Learning and Pedagogical Scholarship and Contribution to Practice. 14

20 Participating and Supporting Staff The below Table shows the percentage of teaching time delivered by participating faculty delineated by areas of instruction and academic level. These data are based on the data for the Spring 2005 semester. Table 3: Faculty Sufficiency by Area of Instruction in Spring 2005 Unit of Analysis / Area of Instruction School Wide Student Credit Hours Participating Faculty Supporting Faculty % Participating Accounting 3, % Finance & Economics 1, % Global Business % Management 3, % Management Information Systems 1, % Marketing 1, % Quantitative Methods & Operations Management 2, % Professional Development 2, % MBA Programs Total 15,802 1, % Accounting 1, % Finance & Economics % Global Business % Management 1, % Management Information Systems % Marketing % 15

21 Quantitative Methods & Operations Management 1, % Professional Development 1, % Bachelor of Science Programs Total 8, % Accounting 1, % Finance & Economics % Global Business % Management 1, % Management Information Systems % Marketing 1, % Quantitative Methods & Operations Management % Professional Development % Total 7,631 1, % Notes Credit hours for student internships in Spring 2005 and 81 credit hours earned by students in Directed Individual Study courses are excluded from the statistics in the this table. Table 3 shows that SBI satisfies the AACSB standard that stipulates at least 60 percent of the credit hours at the discipline (area of instruction) level and at least 75 percent at the school level should be taught by participating faculty. At the school level, slightly more than 90 percent of credit hours are taught by participating faculty. SBI has no full-time supporting faculty. As far as part-time supporting faculty is concerned, SBI does not have a fixed annual number or a fixed amount of funding for this group. Each semester SBI employs the service of six to eight part-time (adjunct) faculty members who are categorized as supporting faculty. 16

22 Academic Qualifications of Staff SBI has adopted a school-wide policy regarding faculty qualifications (see Appendix G). The policy provides a basis for designating a faculty member as academically qualified and/ or, professionally qualified, or other. The original policy was recently revised by the faculty to strengthen and to help clarify the intellectual contributions requirements for AQ and PQ designations. The following major changes were made to the original policy regarding academically qualified members: Revised the standards to improve the quality and type of minimally required intellectual contribution activities for obtaining and maintaining AQ or PQ status. Faculty are required to achieve two (2) refereed journal article publications, whereas the original policy required a minimum of one (1) refereed journal publication for those faculty teaching only undergraduate courses and two (2) for those teaching some graduate level courses. Specifically, SBI s expectations regarding participating faculty intellectual contributions based on the revised faculty qualification are summarized as follows: Participating faculty members designated as academically qualified, must achieve a total of five (5) intellectual contributions during the most recent five (5) year period. At least two (2) of the five (5) must be refereed journal articles published or accepted for publication. The remaining three (3) can be fulfilled from a prescribed list of intellectual contribution activities adopted by the faculty from three categories of intellectual contribution areas Discipline Based Scholarship, Learning and Pedagogical Scholarship and Contribution to Practice. Additional requirements for academic qualification vary, depending upon the nature of deviation between the degree and the area of instruction. Participating faculty members designated as professionally qualified, must maintain professional currency and /or active professional certification in the area of primary teaching responsibility and achieve a total of eight (8) intellectual contribution activities during the most recent five (5) year period from a prescribed list of intellectual contribution activities adopted by the faculty from three categories of intellectual contribution areas Discipline Based Scholarship, Learning and Pedagogical Scholarship and Contribution to Practice. Additional requirements for professional qualification vary, depending upon the nature of deviation between the professional experience and the area of instruction. Aside from the criteria stipulated in the faculty qualifications policy, in order to be tenured, tenure-track faculty members have to meet intellectual contributions requirements specified in the University s and SBI s tenure and promotion policies. 17

23 Of SBI s 54 participating faculty members, 45 or 83 percent hold a Ph.D. or equivalent degree (see Appendix H Table I for an Account of SBI Faculty Credentials). While 44 (82%) of these faculty members are tenured or tenure earning, ten (10) are non-tenureearning appointments. Support for Academic Staff Generally, faculty members are assigned a three-course teaching load while Instructors are assigned four courses. Where possible, teaching loads of all faculty members are reduced to support SBI research (intellectual contributions) expectations of the faculty. One aspect of SBI s faculty support process is that most faculty members generally have two preparations per semester, with their class schedules consisting of no more than three days a week. Many get a two-day weekly schedule. Usually, participating faculty members teaching schedules alternate from one semester to another [i.e., two days a week (Tuesday and Thursday) one semester and three days a week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) the next]. Furthermore, in the and academic years, graduate students have been employed to assist some faculty with their research. Evaluation of Performance against Standard 9: Faculty Sufficiency SBI believes that it satisfies the requirements of Standard 9 but stands to benefit from developing a formal policy on faculty teaching loads and release time. Strengths The School of Business & Industry maintains sufficient faculty to provide stability and ongoing quality improvement. Faculty resources are deployed equitably among programs. At the school level, slightly more than 90 percent of credit hours are taught by participating faculty. Areas for Improvement SBI should develop and implement a formal policy for faculty teaching loads which better addresses the individual roles and needs of faculty members, which rewards productivity, and which supports the research and curricula goals of the faculty and School. Standard 10: Faculty Qualifications The faculty has, and maintains, intellectual qualifications and current expertise to accomplish the mission and to assure that this occurs; the school has a clearly defined process to evaluate individual faculty members contributions to the school s mission. Academic Staff Qualifications SBI calculated the percentage of academically and professionally qualified faculty for each area of instruction, utilizing the data in Table II: Account of SBI Faculty Intellectual Contributions and Qualifications (see Appendix I). 18

24 As seen from Table 4 below, SBI does not satisfy the AACSB stipulation that the academically qualified faculty rate of Schools with graduate programs exceeds 60%. Table 4: Academically and Professionally Qualified Staff by Areas of Instruction Areas of Instruction Academically Qualified Professionally Qualified Other Total Academically Qualified (%) Accounting and % Finance Management and Marketing % Information Systems and Operations Management Professional Development % % Total % Total 46% 0% 54% 100% Intellectual Contributions For the counting of faculty intellectual contributions, in completing Tables 5 and 6, SBI s Faculty Planning and Development Action Group relied on faculty curriculum vita. The committee counted only those intellectual contributions that were publicly accessible within the past five academic years ( , , , and ). The data presented in Table 5 show that most intellectual contributions have been in the area of Discipline-based Scholarship. Table 5: Intellectual Contributions Past 5 years Academic Year Learning and Pedagogical % Contributions to Practice % Discipline-based Scholarship % to % (58) 20% (69) 63% (217) 19

25 The data in Table 6 reveal that by areas of instruction, Management and Marketing has the greatest number of peer reviewed journal publications followed by Accounting and Finance and Information Systems and Operations Management, respectively. Table 6: Research Publications (Peer Reviewed Journals) by Areas of Instruction Areas of Instruction Learning and Pedagogical Contribution to Practice Discipline-based Scholarship Total Accounting and Finance Management and Marketing Information Systems and Operations Management Professional Development Total number of publications An account of the intellectual contributions and qualifications for each individual faculty and staff member in each area of instruction is provided in Appendix D Table II: Account of SBI Faculty Intellectual Contributions & Qualifications. Maintaining Qualifications SBI maintains a process for assessing Faculty Qualifications. In the most recent review of faculty qualifications, the initial step of evaluating and maintaining faculty qualifications is for the Office of the Dean to request that each faculty member update information about their education and intellectual contributions. The basis for this request is to verify the information about faculty members education, teaching, and intellectual contributions and activities. Faculty members submit their updated information to the Faculty Planning and Development (FPD) Action Group. The FPD Action Group submits the revised information to the Office of the Dean. Afterwards, the Office of the Dean/Area Coordinator notifies each faculty member of his/her qualification status. Each faculty member with a qualification of Other, will be evaluated by the Area Coordinator and the Office of the Dean to determine his/her future status with the School of Business & Industry. Where necessary, a faculty member will be asked to prepare a developmental plan. For a flowchart that outlines the process the Office of the Dean utilized to plan and to implement the Faculty Qualifications policy, which SBI recently adopted, see Appendix J for Figure 4: Faculty Qualifications Process. 20

26 Evaluation of Performance against Standard 10: Faculty Qualifications SBI believes that it complies with some requirements for Standard 10 but needs improvement in others, as detailed below: Strengths SBI has established a Faculty Planning and Development Action Group to draft plans and policies - along with the associated processes and timeline - to close the existing faculty qualification gap and satisfy AACSB requirements. SBI has implemented a Faculty Qualifications maintenance and development plan and process to address faculty sufficiency and qualifications. This plan addresses: (1) the qualification status of each faculty member; and (2) the faculty member s plans to maintain their AQ/PQ status or to get AQ/PQ qualified. In addition, remedies are outlined for faculty members who are not AQ/PQ qualified. Areas for Improvement: Establish a plan and assessment tool for faculty intellectual contributions. Develop and implement a School policy and activities for faculty development support. Increase faculty level of intellectual activity. Revise and implement a faculty travel policy to fund faculty development and intellectual contribution plans. Create a faculty development mentoring program. Fill vacant faculty positions with faculty who are AQ/PQ. Rightsize the Professional Development faculty to be consistent with the curricula. Standard 11: Faculty Management and Support The school has well-documented and communicated processes in place to manage and support faculty members over the progression of their careers consistent with the school s mission. These include: Determining appropriate teaching assignments, intellectual expectations, and service workloads. Providing staff and other mechanisms to support faculty in meeting the expectations the school holds for them on all mission-related activities. Providing orientation, guidance and mentoring. Undertaking formal periodic review, promotion, and reward processes. Maintaining overall plans for faculty resources. Processes for Allocating Faculty Responsibilities and Workload Given the overall mission of SBI as a teaching institution, faculty workload consists of 60 to 80 percent teaching with the balance of the faculty time allocated to research, student advisement and service. This allocation varies in accordance with intellectual productivity; classroom needs and shared governance activities required of the faculty. 21