The Department of History will provide quality programs at the undergraduate, master's, and doctoral levels.
Objective
Faculty Scholarship
The Department of History will increase faculty research and scholarly activities.
Indicator
Faculty Research
The History faculty will contribute to the field by presenting at professional meetings and by publishing in scholarly venues.
Criterion
Faculty Research
At least 55% of the graduate faculty will publish a scholarly work each year. The total number of pages published by history faculty will average at least 35 published pages per graduate faculty member per year.
Finding
Faculty Publications
During 2009, 42% (as opposed to 70% in 2007 and 68% in 2006) of the tenured or tenure-track faculty published a scholarly work. The average per capita number of pages published during 2009 among this group was 104 pages The levels of scholarship in 2009 did not meet our overall expectations for faculty scholarly productivity. However, this production did include two nationally recognized monographs: Dr. Domitrovic's Econoclasts and Dr. Olson's Making Cancer History. Additionally, markedly increased conference participation this cycle presages increased publication in the next.
Criterion
Faculty Research--presentations
At least 55% of the graduate faculty will present in scholarly venues each year.
Finding
Faculty Presentations
During 2009, 79% of the tenured or tenure-track faculty presented papers or served on a panel at scholarly meetings. This percentage of active scholars exceeded our percentages of activity in each of the preceeding two years (73% activity in 2008 and 65 in 2007). This level of success was in part a result of the fact that the department was able to provide $1800 per faculty for the support of scholarly activity. The level of scholarly activity in 2008 exceeded our expectations. Additionally, faculty presenting research indicated likely subsequent publication, thus promising improved performance in Faculty Publications for the next academic cycle.
Indicator
Grant Activity
The history department will be involved in seeking grants to support student enrichment opportunities, professional development and scholarly research.
Criterion
Grant Activity
At least 50% of the graduate history faculty will submit at least one grant proposal each year, and at least one of these proposals will be funded.
Finding
Grant Activity
During 2009, 68% (as opposed to 41% in 2008 and 50% in 2007) of the tenured or tenure-track faculty were active in seeking external and/or internal grants. This included the successful funding of 12 grant projects and one Fulbright International Scholar Award to China. These results exceeded our expectations.
Action
Faculty Research And Grant Activities
The production of significant historical scholarship is a time-consuming process. The dip in scholarly production for the academic year 2009-2010 appears to be a normal statistical variation. Given the increase in grant activity, the department will continue to follow the policy decision made last year to increase the level of merit points for faculty engaged in grant activity. Given the abundance of conference activity related to publishing projects, the department proposes to maintain its current goals and policies relating to this matter and to monitor results for one more year.
Objective
Faculty Teaching
History instructors will be rated above the national average on the Individual Development and Educational Assessment (IDEA) instrument.
Indicator
IDEA Student Ratings
History students will complete the IDEA faculty evaluations, which document student perception of teaching effectiveness.
Criterion
IDEA Student Ratings: % Classes
At least 65% of the classes taught by History faculty will have IDEA Student ratings at or above the national average among professors of history at institutions using the IDEA system.
Finding
IDEA Student Ratings
In 2009-10, 85% of classes taught by History faculty met or exceeded the national average rating for professors of history using IDEA. This result exceeded our expectations.
Criterion
IDEA Student Ratings: Average
The average adjusted student evaluation of all SHSU History teachers as measured by the IDEA Center will place the average SHSU History faculty in the top quartile among teachers in the nation who use the IDEA instrument.
Finding
IDEA Student Ratings - Average Percentile Rankings
During 2009-10, 79% of the tenure or tenure track history faculty received student ratings above the nationwide 50th percentile; 73% of this group had student ratings that placed them within the top 30% of teachers in the nation while 60% were placed by their students within the top 20% of US college and university teachers. Overall, the IDEA ratings of SHSU students placed tenured or tenure-track history faculty in the 70th percentile among other college and university teachers employed at institutions using the IDEA Database. This percentile ranking was noticeably lower the 78th percentile ranking achieved during 2008-09. However, these overall results met our expectations and were achieved with regular full-time faculty on leave, replaced by adjuncts and first-time employment visiting assistant professors. Additionally, a review of IDEA returns indicates a discrepancy between students generally favorable reactions to faculty and generally less favorable reactions to course content.
Indicator
Students Taught By PhD Faculty
Undergraduate students will be taught by faculty holding the PhD.
Criterion
PhD faculty
During any academic year the percentage of history students taught by faculty holding the PhD will exceed 80%.
Finding
PhD Teaching Faculty
In the fall of 2009, 9868 history students or 93.2% of all history enrollments received instruction from PhD-holding faculty. In the spring of 2010, 8951 students or 94.3% received instruction from PhD-holding faculty. These figures represented a significant increase from the previous year and are accounted for by the addition of two PhD-holding Visiting Assistant Professors replacing non-PhD faculty sections.
Action
Faculty Teaching
The department holds high standards for the credentials of its faculty and the delivery of outstanding classroom teaching. Having met our benchmarks for excellence, the department proposes to maintain the performance achieved this year. We propose to strengthen even further performance on IDEA evaluations by exploring ways to make course content more accessible to students. One proposal is to seek designated funding for faculty travel to teaching conferences. Additionally, SHSU supports the Professional and Academic Center for Excellence (PACE). We propose to seek closer coordination with PACE to access resources for teaching development among history faculty.
Objective
Faculty Diversity
The Department of History will recruit, maintain and develop a faculty that is able to offer a well-rounded curriculum and that represents the gender and ethnic diversity of the student body.
Indicator
Hiring Strategies
When hiring tenure track faculty, the Department of History will advertise widely and actively seek PhD faculty able to offer courses that will support a well-rounded curriculum. Special efforts will be made to attract minority candidates for these open positions.
Criterion
Maintaining Diverse Faculty
The Department of History will maintain and develop a faculty that can offer a well-rounded curriculum and that represents the gender and ethnic diversity of the student body. Within applicable institutional constraints, the Department will endeavor to hire such faculty at least once each hiring cycle.
Finding
Maintaining Diversity
The department did not hire anyone this cycle.
Action
Maintaining Diverse Faculty
The department did not hire any permanent faculty during this period. Of the two Visiting Assistant Professors hired for the academic year 2009-2010, the department maintained gender equity, hiring one man and one woman.
Objective
Careers In History
History graduates will reach their career objectives
Indicator
Future Teachers
Teacher education students who major or minor in History will pass the TEXES examination.
Criterion
Future teachers
80% of all teacher education students who major or minor in History will pass the TEXES examination.
Finding
Future Teachers
During 2009-10, 77% of all history majors and minors taking the TExES exam passed.
20 of 29 (69%) history majors or minors passed the Texas Examination for Educator Standards (TExES) exam for future history teachers and 13 of 14 (93%) history majors and minors passed the Social Studies TExES.
The History Department has made an intensive effort to offer the Practice TExES to students planning to be teachers in order to improve their scores. The History Department offered the Practice TExES to 61 students who passed and were thus allowed to take the TExES for certification.
The proposal by the History Department to use HIS 390 (Conceptualizing History Education) as a means to help students pass the TExES has not proven consistently effective. Not all future teachers enroll in the course, and many who enrolled were not future teachers and had no intention of taking the TExES. Many students avoid the course once they have passed the Practice TExES.
Indicator
Professional Mentoring
The History Department will monitor the professional and career advancement of former history graduates.
Criterion
Student Professional Growth Inquiry
At least once every three years the History Department will conduct a survey designed to monitor the career development of history graduates. At least 80% of those who respond to the survey will report that the degree skills they acquired as a student has enabled them to met their career goals.
Finding
Student Professional Growth Inquiry
Despite a low response rate (less than 5%), the department found that all respondents affirmed the utility of their degree work here to their career development.
Indicator
Alumni Publications
The History Department will prepare its graduates to publish in their respective fields.
Criterion
Alumni Publications
At least once every two years, a SHSU history graduate will publish a scholarly work within his/her field that was begun while he or she was a student at SHSU.
Finding
Alumni Publications
In 2009, two SHSU History alums published scholarly works rooted in their initial history graduate study at SHSU.
Seventh Day Adventists and the Civil Rights Movement. University Press of Mississippi, 2009.
Holy Mavericks: Evangelical Innovators and the Spiritual Marketplace. NYU Press, 2009.
Indicator
Post Graduate Student Progress
History graduates will be admitted into a graduate programs in pursuit of higher degrees
Criterion
Pipeline Into Graduate Programs
In any two-year period, at least three history graduates will be accepted into a graduate program.
Finding
Pipeline Into Graduate Programs
In 2009-10, three graduates of the history department went on to history doctoral studies, political science masters studies, and law school (one in each program). Additionally, two previously matriculated students successfully completed history doctoral studies at their final degree-granting institutions.
Action
Future Teachers
The department undertook a review of HIS 390, the preparatory course for students intending to take the TExES exam.
Action
Alumni Publications
With the successful appearance of alumni scholarly publications, the department resolved to increase professor contact efforts to make early identification of students whose seminar paper or thesis writing projects showed promise for future development. In particular, the department will be alert to students whose written projects indicate potential for conversion to PhD dissertation work.