ITEMS FOR REFLECTION FOR EACH STANDARD CAN BE FOUND AT http://www.stjohns.edu/about/ir/apr 1. Reporting School/College: St. John s College 2. Program Reviewed: History DA Q 3. Date Submitted to Department/Division Chair: 10 April 2010 Overview: (Suggested limit 1 page) The DA program in modern world history is one of a select number of doctoral programs offered by St. John s University. It was created in the 1980s to help fill the vacuum created by New York State s decision to eliminate a large number of Ph.D. programs in History, including our own. The program was created with the goal of a) offering a content-oriented doctoral degree as an alternative to teachers who otherwise would only be able to take the Ed.D., b) providing a doctoral program in which students would gain teaching experience that would prove advantageous to their careers at both the secondary and junior college levels. As a field of study that seeks to understand the broad range of human activity across time and space, History is naturally aligned with the historic mission and identity of the University, and with our current Strategic Plan, with its emphasis on mission, student engagement, and globalization. The DA program in particular, with its emphasis on modern world history and its appeal to mid-career professionals is well positioned to reflect the core principles that define St. John s, particularly the Vincentian mission. It encourages graduate students to identify, define, and analyze theories and methodologies of history that assist our understanding of modern world history, especially regarding the reproduction of racial, gender, and class inequalities, the specializations of many of our faculty members. The DA program s original emphasis on modernization in modern world history is unique. (It has since developed a second area of emphasis: globalization.) There is no other doctoral program in the field of history with the same theme, and there is no other similar program with the same kind of interdisciplinary emphasis in which about one-third to one-half of the courses taken by students are taught by nonhistorian scholars from other departments at St. John s. The DA program is also distinguished by the three team-taught interdisciplinary seminars that serve as bookends to the coursework in the program (a sequence of two in the first year and a third one at the end of students coursework, before they embark on their research essay). The DA program in Modern World History has become increasingly relevant in today s world. The program provides a broad base of knowledge, emphasizing teaching, learning, and usable history, beneficial to high school teachers as well as instructors at community colleges. At these levels the relevance of the Ed.D. has LAS_HIS_HIST_DA_Q Self-Study Template page 1
been challenged as lacking substantive content, while the Ph.D. has been criticized for being overly specialized and research oriented. We regard our DA program to be highly innovative and a model for teacher education in the twenty-first century. As the only similar program in the metropolitan area and one of a handful of similar programs nationwide, we believe we have found a niche with great potential that the university should develop in future years. With three senior faculty taking the VSO this semester and one junior faculty departing for another university, the department and program are entering a period of transition. This is especially true of the DA program, since all three departing faculty members have been mainstays of the program, in terms of its administration, course offerings, and mentoring of students. In addition, the program will be affected by the VSO-related departure of two colleagues in the departments of Sociology/Anthropology and Philosophy, who were long-time contributors to the program. This transition presents us with challenges and opportunities. The main challenge is to replace the faculty we are losing, so we can continue to build on the achievements of the past five years. But this transition also gives us an opportunity to build on these achievements and continue to reallocate our resources to better meet the needs of our students. Our first and most pressing priority will be to request the replacement of our four departing faculty, ideally over a period of 2-3 years. Standard 1. The purpose of the program reflects and supports the strategic vision and mission of St. John s University and of its School/College. (When responding to this standard, please see Items for Reflection under this Standard.) 1. Program purpose The degree programs offered by the History Department share a common purpose in providing an essential component of a liberal arts education for undergraduates in the core and/or major and an advanced critical understanding of the past for students in its graduate programs. As such, the History Department s various curricula from the core to its BA, MA, DA and upcoming new MA in Public History all reflect the values and spirit of a St. John s education. The History faculty is dedicated to fostering in every student a deep appreciation of human experience in all its dimensions and diversity, from the social and political to the cultural and religious, because study of the past better equips them to deal with contemporary problems and the challenges of the future. 2) Program Alignment with University and College Mission The degree programs in the History Department are closely aligned with the complementary missions of St. John s College and the wider University. Since its foundation, St. John s University has always given History a leading role in LAS_HIS_HIST_DA_Q Self-Study Template page 2
advancing its perennial mission to offer a Catholic and Vincentian education for striving, often under-served groups in the New York metropolitan area. As the University has grown in national and international stature, this misson and the History Department s role in upholding it abide. A Catholic education rests in considerable measure on an understanding and appreciation of tradition as well as the diverse experiences and perspectives of people across the world. To knowing about the past is added the responsibility to act upon it in the present, for a Vincentian education emphasizes service in the cause of social justice and human dignity. Such action takes place in the context of community, each with their own distinct historical identy and memory, which brings us to the University s Metropolitan character. In all these domains knowledge, action, community the study of history forms an essential component in empowering all our students to make a real difference in the world and lives of other people. It does so in the context of the mission of St. John s College to foster and uphold the values of a liberal arts education in the humanities, arts, social sciences, and natural sciences. The study of history nurtures critical thinking and communication skills, the ability to understand and tackle complex problems, and an eschewal of quick, simplistic judgments in favor of more reasoned, open-minded deliberations that reflect the University s enduring mission. 3) Distinctive Aspects of the Study of History at St. John s University Any discusson of the Department s distinctive aspects must begin with the faculty, both full-time and adjunct. All of them share a deep commitment to excellence in teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels, continually incorporating new pedagogies and technologies into their instruction. Assessment data reflect their collective success in helping students achieve mastery of essential learning objectives. In addition, members of the full-time faculty actively pursue research across a broad array of area, topical and chronological specializations. Books, articles, conference presentations, and leadership in professional organizations readily manifest their success in advancing scholarship, which they then bring back to their classes and students. Furthermore, the Department fosters global perspectives among students, from core courses to the doctoral seminars in the DA program. It also reaches across disciplinary boundaries in its curriculum, colloquia, and special lecture series. In sum, the Department offers its students, the university community, and the historical profession an ongoing record of educational and scholarly excellence and innovation. LAS_HIS_HIST_DA_Q Self-Study Template page 3
1b. What activities provide evidence that the program furthers the Catholic identity of St. John s University? (Suggested limit 1/3 page) The interdisciplinary character of the program and support from the Department of Theology and Religious Studies allow us to regularly offer courses such as HIS 714 Modernization and the Secular Alternative, HIS 722 Human Values and the Modernization of Societies, HIS 726 Religious Evolution in the Technological Age, and HIS 760 Modern Religious Pluralism and World Peace. Taught by a member of the Department of Theology and Religious Studies, these courses allow students to engage in issues that are integral to the Catholic identity of our university. The role of religion in the modern world is also a topic that is regularly discussed in the program s three interdisciplinary seminars. 1c. What activities has the program undertaken to provide evidence of support for the Vincentian tradition and values? (Suggested limit 1/3 page) The Vincentian tradition of respect for the diversity of human experience is an essential ingredient of modern historical research and pedagogy and is reflected in the program s emphasis on Modern World History. More specifically, the relationship between globalization, development, and poverty is a major theme in many of the courses offered in the program. The twin anchors of modernization and globalization further allow students to engage in the study of economic development, social justice, poverty and inequality, and others within the framework of our discipline. These themes are further reflected in the topics that students choose to write about for the final research essay, the program s equivalent of a dissertation. 1d. What activities provide evidence that the program promotes the metropolitan character of the University? (Suggested limit 1/3 page) In addition to the thematic foundations mentioned above, the program primarily attracts students from many walks of our metropolitan environment, such as midcareer professionals and high school teachers. Their non-traditional academic backgrounds and research interests help shape the discussions in our classes in practical, real world directions that are not always present in more traditional academic settings. Standard 2. The program engages in ongoing, systematic planning that is reflective of the University and School/College strategic direction and priorities. (When responding to this Standard, please see Items for Reflection under this Standard.) LAS_HIS_HIST_DA_Q Self-Study Template page 4
2a. Narrative: (Suggested limit 1 page) Ongoing, systematic planning for the Doctor of Arts in Modern World History, one of the 12 doctoral programs at St. John s maintaining its Carnegie classification status as a doctoral intensive university, is undertaken by the program s core faculty, with decision-making vested in a four-person Academic Policy Committee (APC) having a rotating membership selected from the core faculty. Day-to-day planning is by the Director of the program, Professor of History Frank Coppa. The core faculty, as the teachers and ongoing planners of the team-taught doctoral seminars (whose content, approaches, and readings change yearly in accordance with advance planning by the seminar teaching teams, which also change yearly) and practica continually develop and define the intellectual focuses of the seminars, pratica, and the program as a whole in light of current, cutting-edge scholarship. (All faculty teaching in the program have the Ph.D. and are well published.) The initial focuses of the program have been modernization and diplomatic consequences of modernization. During the program s 25-year history, these approaches have been continuously updated to reflect the latest comparative theories of modernization and new themes such as globalization. These themes provide coherence to the exhaustive qualifying and comprehensive examinations for the degree candidates; core faculty who have participated in the seminars and practica submit the examination questions. The team-taught seminars, unique in the graduate school, are themselves a collegial and collaborative exploration of the latest ideas in the field, an ongoing self-examination and planning process designed for degree candidates whose mission is to transmit historical and global knowledge in their careers as high school or community college teachers. The collegial nature of the seminars also makes them vehicles of faculty development, because of the exchange of interdisciplinary views among the faculty on the teaching team. The APC meets periodically to redefine the goals and intellectual underpinnings of the degree program. With the Director, it interviews students, grades the qualifying and comprehensive examinations, and plans for the three doctoral seminars by putting together three-person teams reflecting different areas of historical, geographical, and interdisciplinary expertise, with a view to exposing doctoral candidates to a wide variety of approaches by the end of their studies. The Director, with the support of the APC, approves each degree candidate s terminal research essay topic and helps the candidate assemble yet another team, a research essay committee drawn from various departments of the university that will have the expertise to guide the research and supervise the final defense of the research essay. The Director and APC keep abreast of faculty interests throughout the university as well as within the department to draw new faculty with diverse areas of expertise into the seminars, as teachers and occasionally as guest participants, and into the pool of expertise for research essay committee work. The APC and Director, after identifying geographical, historical, and methodological areas needing elaboration, ask new faculty in and outside the department to devise new 700-level courses for LAS_HIS_HIST_DA_Q Self-Study Template page 5
the program. The third seminar, which takes place as the degree candidate finishes course work and begins the research essay, allows for evaluation of course and seminar outcomes. To these ends, the Director coordinates course offerings with the chair of the Department of History and other departments, who must release their faculty to contribute to the doctoral program. The regular meetings for full-time faculty of the Department of History and its Educational Policy Committee are also forums for planning, particularly for the approval of new doctoral-level courses offered by faculty in the department. University staff attending departmental meetings representing Service Learning, Writing across the Curriculum, Global Studies, Library services, and new programs at the Staten Island campus to forge academic partnerships and coordinate the needs of D. A. and M. A. students. Departmental meetings are the major venue for planning events such as conferences, talks, and film series, for reconstructing the department s website to more effectively present the faculty s research and teaching to the public, and pursuing faculty development with the goal of helping faculty to better engage students. The departmental colloquium, required of all graduate students, is another focal point of collegiality and sharing of interests among faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates. All faculty of the program, like all members of the history and other participating departments, collaborate with the library, including its media services department, to promote acquisition of new resources needed by doctoral and other students for their research. In addition to all the above, in 2010 a special an ad hoc committee led by Dr. Dolores Augustine was formed to examine and revamp the three graduate programs offered through the department to ensure their academic quality and success. 2b. How does your program's strategic goals/objectives link to your School/College plan and the University s 2008-2013 Strategic Plan, specifically related to Mission, Student Engagement, and Globalization. (Suggested limit 1 page) The doctoral program s objectives are closely aligned with the goals of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and with the University s 2008-2013 Strategic Plan. It provides degree candidates with a history education that emphasizes Vincentian values, that engages them through active and lifelong learning, and that prepares them not only to be useful citizens of the world but also to propagate these ideals in their own professions, typically as high school or community college teachers, and sometimes as diplomats. In furtherance of the University s Catholic and Vincentian missions, the D. A. program helps students understand the historical underpinnings of global injustice and poverty, as in the program s courses on comparative historical modernization, which analyze both successful and less successful paths to improving standards of living, achieving sustainable development, peaceful global interactions, and other indices of modernity. Courses on international consequences of modernization LAS_HIS_HIST_DA_Q Self-Study Template page 6
elaborate on negative outcomes of modern historical developments, including global inequality, pollution, climate change, and threats to world peace. A strong interdisciplinary component of the doctoral program comes from courses taught by professors of Theology and Religious Studies, Philosophy, and Sociology and Anthropology (Bulman, Califano, Rasmussen, Rossi); the interdisciplinary seminars frequently tackle religious subjects, including modernization as it relates to the papacy and the missionary activities in China of the Vincentian Fathers. Faculty perform service special representatives for the Mission of the Holy See at the United Nations and attend, as well as contribute to, research programs and forums of the Vincentian Center for Church and Society. Student Engagement is fostered through small classes, mentoring and tutoring outside of class, and departmentally organized speaker series, film series, extracurricular trips to museums and archives, conferences (such as the 2008 conference on the year 1968), and social events for students (such as parties for current students and past graduates of the D. A. program). Faculty members have helped degree candidates and graduates publish their research in books and seek employment in higher education. Members of the program have also participated in academic service learning. Faculty development and the improvement of faculty skills are an integral part of the effort to advance student engagement. Program faculty serve as models for improving student engagement in other teachers classrooms, through their training of secondary school teachers and community college professors who are the degree candidates in the D. A. program. In the area of Globalization, the D. A. curriculum equips its degree candidates with the necessary critical skills and perspectives to understand the complexities of global change and continuity. Faculty in non-western areas of history including Africa, Asia, and Latin America teach D. A. courses and newly hired faculty covering the Middle East and the Caribbean have already been incorporated into the doctoral seminars. They will develop new courses in the future. The faculty also has a strong research record in the international context, having conducted research abroad, participated in international conferences, and translated books into and from foreign languages. The faculty s familiarity with the world outside the United States allows us to provide insights to students into study and work opportunities abroad. 2c. How does your program s strategic goals/objectives link to the University s institutional focus to transform the institutional culture to one in which the quality of how we serve our students both in and out of the classroom is exceptional. (Suggested limit ½ page) The D. A. program is strongly committed to serving its students both in and out of the classroom. At the graduate level, such service rests on developing in our students the requisite research skills to carry out historical investigations using archives, historical artifacts, oral interviews and other techniques by which to understand the past. Students are encouraged and supported to seek out LAS_HIS_HIST_DA_Q Self-Study Template page 7
conference venues at which to present their work; they also on occasion accompany faculty to participate in professional conferences. The program participants believe that the key to providing students with an excellent education is keeping faculty skills current, as a model for our degree candidates, most of whom are themselves teachers. Faculty development, new intellectual trends in the field, and new pedagogical techniques for secondary and higher education that may be of use to the degree candidates are emphases of the program. Faculty are encouraged to update syllabi, develop new courses featuring recent methodologies and topical concerns, and to participate in workshops on active learning, technology in the classroom, and related subjects. Faculty skills and enthusiasms are transmitted to the students, who in turn directly or indirectly teach with Vincentian and global values before their diverse student populations. Most important, intensive instruction by faculty at the highest levels of expertise resides outside the classroom in the program s mentorship of the doctoral research essays (theses), provision of specialized programs of directed readings (for credit), and assessment of student skills through teaching mentorships. Individual guidance of thesis work, available to the student almost on demand, lies at the heart of the Doctor of Arts experience. It initiates degree candidates into the spirit of academic collegiality through the mentor-student bond. All of these time- and expertiseintensive faculty commitments are provided pro bono. 2d. Describe the process for implementing program goals/objectives. (Suggested limit ½ page) The APC and core faculty articulate and implement program goals at doctoral and history department meetings. Through a collaborative, inclusive planning process, the faculty discuss, with each other and with faculty of other departments and colleges, how to meet program objectives. Current projects include realigning and rebranding the graduate programs and planning activities and study abroad courses for students. The Doctor of Arts program is now, as always, engaged in internal and external planning so as to update the program s intellectual underpinnings to more fully reflect developing theories of global interaction and create a more focused program to better serve our primary targeted enrollees, high school teachers. Feedback from our doctoral candidates, who are involved daily in teaching at the secondary school level as well as in their studies at St. John s, is a crucial factor in ensuring that program goals are implemented, second only to the professional retooling and renewal of the doctoral faculty itself. 2e. What activities undertaken by the program provide evidence of monitoring the external and internal environment, specifically, what are the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats facing this program? How were these identified? What actions have been taken in response to these LAS_HIS_HIST_DA_Q Self-Study Template page 8
findings? What characteristics of the program suggest a competitive edge against other programs regionally and nationally? (Suggested limit ½ page) The D. A. program s most important resource in monitoring the external environment is feedback from the degree candidates. Most are involved in daily teaching at the secondary or higher education level (the latter, as community college instructors or adjunct professors at St. John s and neighboring colleges), variously in public and private schools in New York City, Long Island, Westchester, and New Jersey; they constantly take the temperature of conditions in the program s primary recruiting grounds, the public and private schools. As colleagues in the teaching profession, they also provide professional feedback internally, on the quality of our seminars, practica, and courses. They constitute one of the program s greatest strengths by providing widespread favorable publicity and outreach, which reaches their colleagues in their own and friends schools, and ultimately their own students. This promotes recruitment of future enrollees even at the undergraduate level. Moreover, the 25-year-old D. A. program now has a substantial cadre of alumni who provide further contacts of the most important kind, and favorable publicity for the program. A major weakness for the program is the present economically weakened condition of the public and private schools, which in the current climate has depressed the hiring of teachers despite increasing need for them. The St. John s history D. A. has little direct competition because of its uniqueness. No other D. A. history program in the country focuses on global modernization. There are few D. A. programs in history at neighboring universities, if any. Since the height of their creation in the 1960s and 1970s, Doctor of Arts programs have diminished in number, partly due to lack of resources to support graduate education. Competition mostly comes from Ph.D. and Ed. D. programs, and the St. John s School of Education. The greatest strength of the program affecting its quality and reputation is the stature and diversity of its interdisciplinary faculty. Recruitment of excellent degree candidates further improves the quality of the classes, seminars, and practica; in the practica in particular, experience-hardened teachers contribute materially to class knowledge of current challenges in secondary and community college teaching, as well as the advantages of technology, collaborative class projects, and so forth. The relatively small size of D. A. classes encourages active student participation and engagement, inside and outside of class. The team-taught seminars that are the unique trademark of the program evidence a commitment to quality of academic resources expended per student and generate a classroom atmosphere that is often quite exciting, as well as revelatory of the program s deep faculty resources. All courses are offered in the evening or at night, which allows the program to cater to the needs of part-time degree candidates who teach at their own schools during the day. Potential weaknesses of the program include weak library resources for top-level research and weakened faculty resources if the VSOs lead to large-scale retirements LAS_HIS_HIST_DA_Q Self-Study Template page 9
of the prestigious senior faculty (in history and other departments). Another weakness will be problems of maintaining adequate faculty time for pro bono mentoring of the research essays, and offering specialized directed readings programs and teaching mentorships, if course reductions are not restored to previous levels, even as all departmental faculty are expected to teach core courses and undergraduate seminars (the B. A. program now has two required seminars for all students) on a regular basis. It would be particularly difficult to lure junior faculty into the program to undertake pro bono work when they must direct much of their out-of-class time to research and publication in preparation for application for tenure. More frequent scheduling of doctoral courses would improve the time-tograduation rate of the doctoral degree candidates. Based on past experience, greater and more focused advertising and promotion might go far to increase enrollments. A major competitive weakness is the cost of private education and the charging of full tuition to students who are writing their terminal research essays, having already completed all coursework and written examinations. More financial aid, or particularly discounted tuition for degree candidates at the thesis stage, would surely improve recruitment. An opportunity for expansion of the D. A. program would be the enrollment of more public historians once the M. A. program in public history is established. 2f. What is the market growth potential for the program? What internal and/or external sources support your response? (Suggested limit ½ page) Enrollment of a sufficient number of degree candidates in the program to fill the seminars, practica, and courses, which must serve not only part-time doctoral students but also students on sabbatical leave who would like to study more intensively, was a problem in the early years of the program. At present, D. A. enrollments, which regularly exceed those of the M. A. program, may already be straining the limits of library and faculty resources to keep the program going, as noted above, particularly if the number of course reductions is not restored and/or many senior faculty retire. For the time being, faculty resources are sufficient to staff regular courses and seminars regardless of pending retirements, but resources for mentoring the research essays may already be straining at their limits. Satisfaction with the program, expressed anecdotally by the degree candidates and program alumni, suggest that current levels of enrollment can be sustained. Focused advertising such as existed in earlier years of the program (some enrollees claimed that they learned of the program through newspaper ads; advertising in New Jersey appears to be somewhat weak at present), more financial aid, tuition discounts for advanced students, and continuing opportunities to teach at St. John s LAS_HIS_HIST_DA_Q Self-Study Template page 10
as adjuncts, might also help the program remain at current levels or grow. Conferences and other outreach activities, such as hosting a National History Day conference, could be used to showcase the work of the faculty to the public and inspire local history teachers to apply to the program. Major constraints are the present economy and the high cost of private education. The Augustine committee, in reconsidering qualifications for advanced standing and total credits for the degree, hopes to make the degree more attractive to recruits. Standard 3. The program provides a high quality curriculum that emphasizes and assesses student learning and engagement. (When responding to this Standard, please see Items for Reflection under this Standard.) 3a. Please indicate how the program curriculum is in alignment with the following three items: (Suggested limit 1 page) Disciplinary standards The Doctor of Arts in Modern World History program offers students an established alternative to the Ph.D. Students take survey and seminar-style classes that build a broad knowledge of history s main currents along with an opportunity to specialize in an area of concentration. Students gain proficiency in research, written and oral communication, decision-making and critical thinking. Consistent with the suggested disciplinary standards as set forth by the American Historical Association graduate students enjoy rich interactions with a variety of faculty members as well as a special relationship with their individual adviser. Advisers maintain regular contact with their advisees, and vice versa, meeting one-on-one with their advisees at least once a semester. 1 Students complete a minimum of 72 credits beyond the B.A., including 15 hours of courses at the 100-500 level and HIS 401, three required interdisciplinary seminars, 24 credits of 700-level courses, Professional Skills courses (800s) in teaching history including a three-credit Practicum, a 2-semester teaching internship under faculty supervision, and successful completion of qualifying exams and a thesis. The 2008-2013 Strategic Plan areas of focus (Mission, Engagement, Globalization) At St. John s, the D.A. in Modern World History is Catholic, Vincentian, and Metropolitan. It offers an interdisciplinary approach to the study of world history, focusing on modernization and seeking to encourage global awareness in the teaching of history. Seminars and colloquia engage students in critical analysis at an advanced level of the main events, processes and dynamics of change in world history and the specific geographic concentrations required as part of their 1 The Education of Historians for the 21st Century. Viewable at http://www.historians.org/perspectives/issues/2003/0310/0310not1.cfm LAS_HIS_HIST_DA_Q Self-Study Template page 11
program. Because the seminars are faculty-guided but student-led, engagement is central to the graduate program, training students to interrogate both the readings and their colleague s interpretations. Faculty members offer guidance and recommendations for students in seeking internships, and encouragement in seeking global opportunities for research and study. The University Core competencies The History D.A. program exemplifies the St John s goal of providing a lifelong touchstone for achieving excellence. Students master critical and analytical skills required for an advanced reading and interpretation of the documents and texts used in historical analysis. They conduct sound ethical research, demonstrating proficiency in information literacy and the basic tools of historical research; demonstrate effective communication in a variety of written formats and in the style appropriate to the discipline of history; demonstrate advanced understanding and explanation of the historiographical traditions and issues that serve as a foundation to the discipline; and demonstrate recognition, understanding and respect for the complexity of diverse socio-cultural and historical traditions. Thus the program meets all essential and suggested core competencies of The University. 3b. Please describe the comprehensive assessment model currently implemented for the 2009-2010 academic year for the program through WeaveOnline. Be sure to include how many objectives have been indicated for each program, the number of objectives being measured with findings and action plans for this assessment cycle, and the time it will take in this model to complete assessment of all objectives. (Suggested limit ¾ page) Assessment at the level of the DA program currently concentrates on the following objectives. We want graduating history students to be able to: a) identify, define, and analyze theories and methodologies; b) design research objectives and complete a doctoral research essay; c) engage in a critical evaluation of information and sources and situation of these sources in a historical context; d) understand the development of our discipline; and e) demonstrate knowledge of other cultures and societies and conceive or entertain viewpoints from a variety of perspectives. Of these, we have identified the timely completion of the doctoral research essay as a primary objective. We have been working in conjunction with the office of the Associate Dean of the Graduate Division of St. John s College, who first alerted us to the need of improving the time-to-completion performance of our students. 3c. From the 2008-2009 Assessment Plan (WeaveOnline) indicate what action plans the program has implemented to meet indicated targets. (Suggested limit ½ page) Improving time-to-completion of the research essay involves several factors, some of them beyond our control. Most, with very few exceptions, of our students are part-time students who cannot devote the necessary dedicated to complete their LAS_HIS_HIST_DA_Q Self-Study Template page 12
research essays in the suggested two-semester sequence. Issues of financial aid are also relevant in this context. Nevertheless, the department has identified a new initiative or action plan to help improve the program s performance in this regard. One of the difficulties in completing a research essay of 150-250 pages is that, after being part of a course sequence in which they feed of the presence of other students in their classes, they now have to work on their own to produce a well-researched manuscript. Our plan is to require that students registered for HIS 975 Research Essay, meet every two weeks as a group with 1 or 2 faculty members to present whatever written portions of their essay they feel are ready for feedback. We feel that in this peer-driven supportive environment (that also includes faculty feedback), students will find the motivation to write their essays in a more timely manner. Standard 4. The program has the faculty resources required to meet its mission and goals. (When responding to this Standard, please see Items for Reflection under this Standard and complete the following chart(s).) 4a. Narrative: (Suggested limit 1 page) In our small D.A. program, student-to-faculty ratio (measured as FTE Student/FTE Faculty) has fluctuated around one-to-one. Students receive a great deal of care and attention from their professors. They benefit tremendously from the concentration of distinguished scholars in the graduate teaching faculty, including specialists on the U.S., Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as across many disciplines. They benefit from this situation, not only in the classroom, but also in directed reading sections and in the mentoring they receive while writing D.A. theses (neither of which are counted as part of faculty s course load). The part-time faculty involved in graduate teaching in our department does not include adjuncts. They are primarily full-time faculty from other departments who teach courses in our doctoral program. (The data do not distinguish between M.A. and D.A. courses, among other things because M.A. students take some D.A. courses, while D.A. students take some M.A. courses.) Thus the drop in the percentage of credit hours and courses delivered by part-time faculty is neither a sign of improvement nor of worsening of teaching quality. Our department has achieved increasing diversity in terms of demographics, tenure and ethnicity. From 2005 to 2009, the percentage of full time female faculty in the history department has risen from 25% to 50%. From 2005-2009, the number of black, Asian and Hispanic full time faculty members has increased. Among part time faculty, however, men far outnumber women. In ethnicity, as in gender, the part time faculty remains less diverse. However, there have been some signs of improvement. In 2009, 9 faculty members, or 56% of the department were tenured and 5 faculty members, or 32% were tenure track. 1 faculty member or 7% were on a contract basis. LAS_HIS_HIST_DA_Q Self-Study Template page 13
Despite the scarcities in external funding in our field, our faculty is very active in attempting to secure it wherever possible. In the period 2004/5 to 2008/9, faculty have received external funding from a wide variety of sources, totaling $33,350 in the last year for which data were available (2007-2008). The department has been very active in the area of faculty development. 4b. What is the student to full-time faculty ratio based on number of majors and minors in the program and the number of full-time faculty assigned to the program? For full-time faculty assigned to the program, please provide the most recent year and previous years if available. The number of majors and minors can be found below. Full-time faculty by program is only available through departmental records. Please complete the table below and provide additional information in 4e if that may help to explain the pattern of this ratio. # Majors/ Fall 2005 Fall 2006 Fall 2007 Fall 2008 Fall 2009 FT Faculty FT PT Total FT PT Total FT PT Total FT PT Total FT PT Total Majors 5 26 31 2 25 27 3 23 26 5 29 34 12 20 32 Minors 0 0 0 0 0 Majors & Minors Combined 5 26 31 2 25 27 3 23 26 5 29 34 12 20 32 # of FTE Students (Majors & Minors) 5.00 8.67 13.67 2.00 8.33 10.33 3.00 7.67 10.67 5.00 9.67 14.67 12.00 6.67 18.67 # of FTE Faculty assigned to the program 12 12 12 12 15 15 15 15 16 16 FTE Student/ FTE Faculty Ratio 1.14 0.86 0.71 0.98 1.17 LAS_HIS_HIST_DA_Q Self-Study Template page 14
# of FTE faculty assigned to the program FTE Student/FTE Faculty Ration Fall 2010 Fall 2011 Fall 2012 Fall 2013 Fall 2010 Fall 2011 Fall 2012 Fall 2013 F P Total F P Total F P Total F P Total Majors Majors Majors Majors Majors Majors Majors Majors Majors Majors Majors Majors MAJORS 12 23 35 10 20 30 11 26 37 13 31 44 Fall 2010 Fall 2011 Fall 2012 Fall 2013 F P Total F P Total F P Total F P Total FTE FTE FTE FTE FTE FTE FTE FTE FTE FTE FTE FTE Total FTE MAJORS 12 7.667 19.667 10 6.667 16.667 11 8.667 19.667 13 10.333 23.333 Important Notes: FTE Students = Number of FT Students + (number of PT Students/3) FTE Faculty = Number of FT Faculty + (number of PT Faculty/3) This methodology is used by STJ for all external reporting. If your department provides service instruction to support the core curriculum, please explain in the context of student credit hours taught, 4c, and courses taught, 4d, and 4e below. 4c. How many credit hours has the department delivered by full-time faculty? How many credit hours has the department delivered by part-time faculty (including administrators)? What percent of the total credit hours consumed were by non-majors? LAS_HIS_HIST_DA_Q Self-Study Template page 15
Credit Hours Fall 2005 Fall 2006 Fall 2007 Fall 2008 Fall 2009 Taught # % # % # % # % # % 2091 44% 2454 56% 2427 51% 3111 65% 3708 76% FT Faculty PT Faculty 2646 56% 1953 44% 2313 49% 1650 35% 1194 24% Total 4737 100% 4407 100% 4740 100% 4761 100% 4902 100% % consumed by Non-Majors 82% 82% 79% 77% 78% Credit Hrs Taught Fall 2010 Fall 2011 Fall 2012 Fall 2013 Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent F-T Faculty 2,890 54.9% 2,784 50.3% 2,282 42.9% 1,860 39.9% P-T Faculty (inc Admin) 2,373 45.1% 2,748 49.7% 3,042 57.1% 2,799 60.1% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% Total 5,263 100% 5,532 100% 5,324 100% 4,659 100% % Consumed by Non-Majors 4,163 79.1% 4,443 80.3% 4,332 81.4% 3,633 78.0% 4d. How many courses has the department delivered by full-time faculty? How many courses has the department delivered by part-time faculty (including administrators)? Courses Fall 2005 Fall 2006 Fall 2007 Fall 2008 Fall 2009 Taught # % # % # % # % # % FT 39 62% 44 59% 50 71% 54 79% Faculty 29 52% PT 24 38% 30 41% 20 29% 14 21% Faculty 27 48% Total 56 100% 63 100% 74 100% 70 100% 68 100% LAS_HIS_HIST_DA_Q Self-Study Template page 16
Courses Taught Fall 2010 Fall 2011 Fall 2012 Fall 2013 Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent F-T Faculty 42 62.7% 34 79.1% 40 52.6% 34 50.7% P-T Faculty (inc Admin) 25 37.3% 9 20.9% 36 47.4% 33 49.3% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% Total 67 100% 43 100% 76 100% 67 100% 4e. Narrative: Provide any additional information about the student (majors & minors)/full-time faculty ratio, credit hours delivered and courses taught by fulltime and part-time faulty that may be helpful to understand the noted trends above. (Suggested limit ½ page). In our small D.A. program, student-to-faculty ratio (measured as FTE Student/FTE Faculty) has fluctuated around one-to-one. Students receive a great deal of care and attention from their professors. They benefit tremendously from the concentration of distinguished scholars in the graduate teaching faculty, including specialists on the U.S., Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as across many disciplines. They benefit from this situation, not only in the classroom, but also in directed reading sections and in the mentoring they receive while writing D.A. theses (neither of which are counted as part of faculty s course load). The part-time faculty involved in graduate teaching in our department does not include adjuncts. They are primarily full-time faculty from other departments who teach courses in our doctoral program. (The data do not distinguish between M.A. and D.A. courses, among other things because M.A. students take some D.A. courses, while D.A. students take some M.A. courses.) Thus the drop in the percentage of credit hours and courses delivered by part-time faculty is neither a sign of improvement or worsening of teaching quality. 4f. Explain the representative nature of faculty in terms of demographics, tenure and diversity. (See departmental information on next page) Our department has achieved increasing diversity in terms of demographics, tenure and ethnicity. However, as the data indicates, we should continue to work toward enhancing diversity in our department. Please note that our discussion of the data is limited to the Queens campus, while the quantitative data included on the chart includes both the Queens and Staten Island campus. From 2005 to 2009, the number of full time female faculty in the history department has increased from 3/12 to 8/16, resulting in a rise from 25% female faculty to 50%. We are pleased to have reached parity in terms of equal numbers of men and women among the full time faculty. LAS_HIS_HIST_DA_Q Self-Study Template page 17
Among part time faculty, however, men far outnumber women. While the numbers have fluctuated somewhat during the past five years, on average, men have made up 93.2% of our part time faculty. If we are to strive for gender balance in the instruction of history, we should hire more women as part time faculty members. Our ethnic diversity has shown signs of improvement. From 2005-2009, the number of black full time faculty members has increased from 1 to 2, raising the percentage of black full time faculty from 8% to 13%. Likewise, the number of Hispanic faculty has gone from 1 to 2, resulting in an increase from 8% Hispanic to 13% Hispanic. Our number of Asian faculty has followed the same pattern, rising from 1 to 2, yielding an increase from 8% to 13%. As our ethnic diversity has increased, the percentage of white full time faculty has decreased slightly from 7 out of 12 (58%) in 2005 to 9 out of 16 (56%) in 2009. The number and percentage of full time faculty members with unknown ethnicity has remained fairly stable, going from 2 faculty members or 17% unknown in 2005 to 2 faculty members or 13% in 2009. In ethnicity, as in gender, the part time faculty remains less diverse. However, there have been some signs of improvement. The number of black part time faculty has increased from 0 in 2005 to 2 in 2009, which represents 22% of part time faculty. However, the number of Hispanic instructors remains low, going from 1 part time faculty member in 2005 to none in 2006, 2007, 2008, or 2009. The department has not employed any Asians as part-time instructors from 2005-2009. The percentage of part time instructors identified as white has fluctuated somewhat from 2005 to 2009, with an average of 84% white part time instructors and 78% white in 2009. Given the diverse student body we serve, it seems advisable to continue to diversify the ethnic profile of our full time and part time faculty. Over the past five years, the relative percentages of tenure and tenure track faculty have remained steady. In 2005, 7 faculty members, or 58% of the department were tenured and 4 faculty members, or 33% were tenure track. 1 member or 8% was a contract hire. In 2009, 9 faculty members, or 56% of the department were tenured and 5 faculty members, or 32% were tenure track. 1 faculty member or 7% were on a contract basis. The University and the College s commitment to hiring and promoting tenure-track faculty are undoubtedly a source of stability and continuity within the department, enabling us to offer excellent history instruction at the BA level and to maintain a program with a global scope. LAS_HIS_HIST_DA_Q Self-Study Template page 18
Departmental Data 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 FT PT Tot al FT PT Tot al FT PT Tot al FT PT Tot al FT PT Total # % # % # % # % # % # % # % # % # % # % Gender Male 12 Female 3 Total 15 80 % 15 94 % 27 13 20 % 1 6% 4 5 10 0% 16 10 0% 31 18 72 % 1 3 93 % 26 11 28 % 1 7% 6 7 100 % 1 4 100 % 32 18 61 % 13 39 % 2 100 % 15 87 % 24 12 13 % 9 8 10 0 % 33 20 60 % 1 2 92 % 24 12 40 % 1 8% 9 7 100 % 1 3 10 0% 33 19 63 % 9 100 % 21 37 % 0 0% 7 10 0% 9 100 % 28 Ethnicity Black 1 7% 0 0% 1 2 11 % 0 0% 2 1 6% 1 Hispanic 1 7% 1 6% 2 1 6% 0 0% 1 1 6% 0 Asian 1 7% 0 0% 1 1 6% 0 0% 1 1 6% 0 67 94 72 1 93 72 White 10 % 15 % 25 13 % 3 % 26 13 % 13 13 11 Unknown 2 % 0 0% 2 1 6% 1 7% 2 2 % 1 Total 15 10 0% 16 10 0% 31 18 100 % 1 4 100 % 32 18 100 % 15 7 % 2 2 10 % 2 15 % 4 2 11 % 2 22% 4 0 11 % 1 1 5% 0 0% 1 2 % 0 0% 2 0 10 % 1 2 % 0 0% 2 0 0% 0 0% 0 87 65 69 68 % 26 13 % 9 % 22 13 % 7 78% 20 7 10 15 11 % 3 2 % 2 % 4 2 % 0 0% 2 10 0 100 1 10 10 100 % 33 20 % 3 0% 33 19 0% 9 % 28 LAS_HIS_HIST_DA_Q Self-Study Template page 19
Tenure Status Tenured 10 67 % 10 11 61 % 11 12 67 % 12 12 60 % 12 12 63 % 12 Tenure- Track 4 27 % 4 4 22 % 4 3 17 % 3 5 25 % 5 5 26 % 5 Not Applicable 1 7% 1 3 17 % 3 3 17 % 3 3 15 % 3 2 11 % 2 Total 15 10 0% 15 18 100 % 18 18 100 % 18 20 100 % 20 19 10 0% 19 LAS_HIS_HIST_DA_Q Self-Study Template page 20
2010 2011 2012 2013 FT PT Total FT PT Total FT PT Total FT PT Total # % # % # % # % # % # % # % # % Gender Male 8 47% 10 83% 18 9 50% 13 87% 22 8 47% 17 89% 25 8 47% 16 80% 24 Female 9 53% 2 17% 11 9 50% 2 13% 11 9 53% 2 11% 11 9 53% 4 20% 13 Total 17 12 29 18 15 33 17 19 36 17 20 37 Ethnicity Black 1 6% 3 25% 4 1 6% 2 13% 3 1 6% 3 16% 4 0% 3 15% 3 Hispanic 2 12% 0% 2 2 11% 1 7% 3 2 12% 0% 2 3 18% 0 0% 3 Asian 1 6% 0% 1 1 6% 1 7% 2 1 6% 3 16% 4 1 6% 1 5% 2 American Indian/Alaskan Native 0% 0% 0 0% 0% 0 0% 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 White 11 65% 9 75% 20 12 67% 11 73% 23 12 71% 12 63% 24 11 65% 16 80% 27 2 or More Races 1 0% 2 0% 0 0% 2 Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0 0% 0 Unknown 2 12% 0% 2 2 11% 0% 2 0% 1 5% 1 0% 0 0% 0 Total 17 12 29 18 15 33 17 19 36 17 20 37 Tenure Status Tenured 9 53% 9 11 61% 11 10 59% 10 10 59% 10 Tenure-Track 6 35% 6 5 28% 5 7 41% 7 7 41% 7 Not Applicable 2 12% 2 2 11% 2 0% 0 0% 0 Total 17 17 18 18 17 17 17 17 LAS_HIS_HIST_DA_Q Self-Study Template page 21