School of Arts and Sciences

Department Chair Meeting

Friday, March 23, 2007

2pm – 3pm

J-334

Those in Attendance: Alan Gabrielli, Andrew McMorran, Julie Newell, Mark Nunes and Laina Pond.

Agenda

1.  Updates from departments (including search updates)

2.  Status of evaluations

3.  News from BoR

4.  Exit interviews

5.  New business

1. Updates from the Departments:
1. SIS – Two faculty searches have been permitted to bring in candidates for interviews. The Psychology degree proposal was approved by the UCC.
2. BCP – Alan provided BCP updates in the absence of Phil Patterson. The Biology position has been filled, and the Chemistry and Physics searches are awaiting approval from Zvi. Mark suggested that we seek early ad approval for future searches, as this will help in completing searches more timely.
3. Math – Andrew began comparing current searches with those in the past and mentioned the large number of overqualified applicants for non tenure-track positions. Math is waiting on approval from Zvi to begin interviewing candidates.
4. ETCMA – Two tenure-track positions have been filled. The ETCMA retreat will focus on distinctions between the BA & BS programs. Mark expressed his concerns with the Technology Instructional Delivery plans and what is expected of the proposals. Alan noted that the proposals can run smoother if they are included in the IDP.
2. Department Chairs should be meeting with faculty and reviewing Faculty Evaluations, before the April 6^th deadline. Faculty have completed Department Chair Evaluations and Alan will review them next week. Alan reminded that the deadline for Senior Administrator Evaluations is Monday, March 26^th.
3. Alan passed out handouts that were taken from the March BOR meeting (see below for condensed versions of the BOR 10 Presidential Projects and draft strategic goals). Alan went over the details of the handouts, specifically the Enhanced Advising Process and K-12 STEM projects. Alan reviews the USG Strategic Goals which include obtaining additional capacity, optimizing capacity, increasing graduation rates, increasing the number of joint use facilities, and increasing the percentage of students that participate in study abroad programs. He noted that the BOR is not approve any more MAT (Master of Arts in Teaching) programs for institutions without a College of Education. SPSU’s only option to receive approval for an MAT program may be to partner with KSU. The odds are against SPSU getting approval for a STEM-only education program, as there is little interest in science education among prospective students and a STEM education program will do little to increase enrollment. Julie announced that faculty are now able to assign advisors to students through Banner. Julie passed a “how-to” handout out and gave step-by-step instructions on advisor assignment. Kelly Peyton will be making improvements to the process, that include allowing for faculty to view student’s alternative pin.
4. Julie is looking at other A&S exit interview documents as a model for developing a SIS exit interview procedure. Mark complained that the participation rate for ETCMA Exit Interviews is low, and the remedy to this problem may be to make the interview a graduation requirement. ETCMA may look at revisions to the interview during the upcoming ETCMA retreat.
5. Andrew expressed his need for clarification on how candidate interview expenses would be paid. Alan explained the travel expense and reimbursement procedures. Alan, Andrew and Julie spoke on candidate visit specifics.

FIRST TEN PRESIDENTIAL PROJECTS

• Improving Enrollment Capacity and Management

• Improving Retention, Progression and Graduation Rates

• Improving Health Professions

• Enhanced Advising Processes

• Emergency Operations Initiative

• Energy Management Initiative

• Training and Professional Development

• Early Outreach for At-Risk Middle School Students

• African American Male Initiative-Middle School

• K-12 Math, Science and Engineering Initiative

Strategic Planning Process Update Draft: March 16, 2007

Strategic Goal One: Renewing excellence in undergraduate education to meet

students’ 21st century educational needs.

A. Action: Consistent with transferability, restructure the core curriculum to focus on a common System set of competencies that reflect the knowledge and skills expected of an educated person in the 21st century.

B. Action: Increase institutional six-year baccalaureate degree graduation rates by at least one percent per year so that USG exceeds the national average by 2015; increase three-year associate degree graduation plus transfer rates by at least one percent per year.

C. Action: Ensure high-quality, consistent academic advisement for students to improve student engagement and success.

D. Action: Increase study-abroad participation from 21% of baccalaureate degree graduates to 25% of baccalaureate degree graduates by 2012.

E. Action: Consistent with the need to attract and retain the best and brightest faculty members to the USG, support and reward faculty members who make a meaningful contribution to undergraduate student learning and success, in addition to their commitment to research and scholarship.

Strategic Goal Two: Creating enrollment capacity to meet the needs of 100,000 additional students by 2020.

A. Action: Increase the use of access institutions from 26% of System enrollment to 30% of System enrollment to meet higher education needs.

B. Action: Create a more robust tier of comprehensive universities, increasing from 42% of System enrollment to 46% of System enrollment.

C. Action: Increase the joint use of facilities within the USG and with external partners.

D. Action: Position the USG among the leading systems in distance education by increasing the percentage of semester credit hours generated by distance learning from its current level of 4% to a level of 10% by 2012.

E. Action: Optimize the use of current capacity.

Strategic Goal Three: Increasing the USG’s participation in research and economic development to the benefit of a Global Georgia.

A. Action: Move USG universities from their current rank as 16th in expenditures of federal funds to the top twelve by 2015.

B. Action: Increase the number of health profession graduates in USG institutions.

C. Action: Create a long-term, System-level academic program plan for workforce development.

Strategic Goal Four: Strengthening the USG’s partnerships with the state’s other education agencies.

A. Action: Endorse and help implement the goals adopted by the Alliance of Education Agency Heads: (1) Increase the high school graduation rate, decrease high school drop-out rate, and increase post-secondary enrollment rates; (2) improve workforce readiness skills; (3) strengthen teacher quality, recruitment, and retention; (4) develop strong educational leaders, particularly at the building level; and (5) improve the SAT/ACT scores of Georgia students.

B. Action: Create a closer working relationship with DTAE.

Strategic Goal Five: Maintaining affordability so that money is not a barrier to participation in the benefits of higher education.

A. Action: Establish a need-based financial aid program to improve access and the likelihood of graduation.

Strategic Goal Six: Increasing efficiency, working as a System.

A. Action: Without compromising academic quality, increase efficiency of back- office functions to best-in-class standards.

B. Action: Develop a leadership culture within the University System.

C. Action: Engage the workforce in a process improvement initiative.

D. Action: Implement a System-level energy conservation initiative to move USG institutions to best-in-class energy usage levels.

E. Action: Create the staff and innovative programmatic capacity within the USO to respond to key needs within the state.

F. Action: Expand System-level projects for presidents.

G. Action: Establish accountability metrics for the System.