OATdb Archive

2012 - 2013

Academic Affairs, Provost And Vice President

Goal
Promote And Support The Development And Delivery Of A Rigorous, Contemporary Curriculum
The Office of the Provost will promote and support the development and delivery of a rigorous, contemporary curriculum at Sam Houston State University. 

Objective
Redevelopment Of The Core Curriculum
The Office of the Provost will progress work on the redevelopment of the core curriculum at Sam Houston State University to be implemented Fall 2014.

KPI
Successfully Progress Discussions On The Redevelopment Of The Core Curriculum
Committee work should continue on the development, review, and approval of the 2014 Core Curriculum at SHSU.  Core Curriculum Committee members should meet to discuss, review, and make recommendations for approval on each proposed Core course.  A final recommendation of all approved courses should be presented to the Academic Affairs Council and the Provost for consideration.


Result
Core Proposals Developed And Approved
Progrss continued on the redevelopment of the core curriculum for Sam Houston State University. The Core Curriculum Committee met frequently from August 2013 through March 2013. Core courses were proposed, with a final recommendation of coursework reviewed and approved in August, 2013 by the Core Curriculum Committee, the Academic Affairs Council, and the Provost. Current work is underway to finalize the insitution's final report to the THECB.

Action
Core Curriculum Assessment Plan Development
The 2014 Core Curriculum Assessment Committee will be formed and work initiated in September, 2013.  The Committee will develop an overal plan to assess the core objectives of the SHSU Core Curriculum.  The assessment plan, along with the Core Curriculum Proposal, will be submitted to the THECB in November, 2013.

Objective
Initiate A Formal Undergraduate Program Review Process
The Office of the Provost will initiate a formal undergraduate program review process that includes an analysis of faculty resources; student inputs; student outputs; financial, personnel, technical, space, and library resources; assessment plan activities; and curriculum review procedures.  Specifically, policy, guidelines, and templates will be developed for review and approval of the Council of Academic Deans and the Provost.

KPI
Successfully Initiate A Formal Undergraduate Program Review Process
The Office of the Provost will initiate a formal undergraduate program review process that includes an analysis of faculty resources; student inputs; student outputs; financial, personnel, technical, space, and library resources; assessment plan activities; and curriculum review procedures. Specifically, policy, guidelines, and templates will be developed for review and approval of the Council of Academic Deans and the Provost.

Result
Draft Undergraduate Program Review Policy And Template Created
A draft Undergraduate Program Review Guidelines document and Template were developed.  An internal review of the guidelines and template is currently in progress within the Office of Academic Planning and Assessment. 

Action
Finalized Undergraduate Program Review Documentation And Implementation
During the 2013-2014 year, the draft Undergraduate Program Review Guidelines and Template will be reviewed by the Council of Academic Deans.  Pending approvoal, implementation of the Undergrduate Program Review process is scheduled to occur in the Spring 2014 semester through a pilot process. 

Objective
Enhance Strategic Planning Process
The Office of the Provost will enhance the strategic planning process to look beyond a one-year time context.

KPI
Successfully Enhance Strategic Planning Process
During the 2012-2013 cycle successfully enhance the strategic planning process to encompass a 5-year projection.  An overall direction and scope of the revised strategic planning process will be developed by the Council of Academic Deans and the Academic Affairs Executive Council. Guiding questions, scope, time frame, and purpose should be addressed.


Result
Development Of Strategic Planning Direction
An overall direction and scope of the revised strategic planning process was developed by the Council of Academic Deans and the Academic Affairs Executive Council.  Guiding questions, scope, time frame, and purpose were addressed.


Action
Academic Strategic Plan Publication
Strategic planning activities should now progress to the next stage.  In 2013-2013, the Council of Academic Deans and the Academic Affairs Executive Council will meet as a group in a series of planning retreats to discuss answers to the established planning questions.  Data will be gathered to inform the 5-year projections.  A finalized academic strategic plan will be published and shared with campus and community constituents.


Goal
Provide An Enriching Environment And Appropriate Resources To Recruit, Retain, And Develop Highly Qualified And Successful Faculty Members
The Office of the Provost will work to provide an enriching environment and appropriate resources to recruit, retain, and develop highly qualified and successful faculty members for Sam Houston State University.


Objective
Equitable Distribution Of Faculty Salaries And Workloads
The Office of the Provost will assess the faculty and staff salaries and workloads to establish equitable distributions across colleges at Sam Houston State University.

KPI
Assessment Of Faculty Salaries And Workloads, Across Colleges
During the 2012-2013 cycle, the Office of the Provost will collect data to determine the distribution of pool faculty salaries accross colleges. Pending findings on equitable distributions, an analysis will be conducted to determine the fiscal impact of resolving any inequities.

Result
Pool Faculty Salary Analysis
During the 2012-2013 cycle, the Office of the Provost collected data to determine the distribution of pool faculty salaries accross colleges.  Findings indicated that not all colleges were compensating pool faculty at the same rates.  As a result, an analysis was conducted to determine the fiscal impact of resolving these inequities.  Findings revealed a total fiscal impact of $277,000 to bring all pool faculty salaries to $3,000 per course and $680,858 to bring all pool faculty salaries to $3,500 per class.   

KPI
Review Of Staffing Resources
Data will be collected to review the staffing resources by college and department.

Result
HR Staff Classification Review
During the discussion of staffing data collection within Academic Affairs, Human Resources commissioned an analysis of staffing resources accross campus.  The HR Staff Classification Review will provided data capus wide.  To avoid duplication of effort, the internal, Academic Affairs review will be replaced with data from the more comprehensive Human Resources study.

Until the study concludes and an analysis is provided, staffing reclassifications within the Division of Academic Affairs will be placed on hold.

Action
Pool Salary Adjustments And Faculty Senate Review Of Policy
Discussions continue on the fiscal impact of adjusting pool faculty salaries to align from college to college.  A 'new initative' was submitted as part of the budget process, pending budget constraints and initiative prioritization.

In addition, the Faculty Senate is currently reviewing the SHSU Faculty Workload Policy.  Results of their review will be presented to the Academic Affairs Administration for consideration and/or action.  Policy revisions may be necessary for the 2013-2014 cycle.

Objective
Restructure The Provost's Breakfast Series
The Office of the Provost will restructure the Provost’s breakfast series to include both Fall and Spring events, with a focus on information not already covered in new facutly orientation. 


KPI
Successfully Restructure The Provost's Breakfast Series
During the 2012-2013 cycle, successfully restructure the Provost’s breakfast series to include both fall and spring events, and to expand to topics not covered in new faculty orientation. 

Result
Expansion Of Provost's Breakfast Series
During 2012-2013, the Provost's Breakfast Series was expanded to include events in both the Fall and Spring semesters.  In addition, a lunch event was incorporated to reach additional facutly members.

Action
Provost's Breakfast Series Topics
Based upon informal conversations with facutly and staff in both casual and formal meeting settings, gaps exist in the knowledge presented to new facutly members in the new facutly orientation and through other sources.  The Provost's Breakfast Series, therefore, will incorporate topics such as higher education governance structures (state government, THECB, TSUS, etc.) and roles and unctions of other university divisions (i.e., Student Services, Finance and Operations, Enrollment Management, etc.).

Objective
Enhance The PACE Center
The Office of the Provost well work to enhance the PACE Center as the lead unit in faculty development at Sam Houston State University.

KPI
Successfully Centralize New Faculty Orientation With The PACE Center
During the 2011-2012 cycle, develop the PACE Center as the lead unit in faculty development by successfully aligning the Center under the Associate VP for Success Initiatives.

Result
Adminsitrative Relocation Of PACE Center
During the 2012-2013 cycle, the PACE Center was adminstiratively moved to an Associate Vice President of Success Initiative to allow for assimilation of similar activities.

Goal
Serve As A Centralized Source For Planning, Assessment, And Reporting In The Division Of Academic Affairs
The Office of the Provost will strive to serve as a centralized source for planning, assessment, and reporting in the Division of Academic Affairs at Sam Houston State University.


Objective
Expand The Office Of Academic Planning And Assessment
The Office of the Provost will expand staffing resources in the Office of Academic Planning and Assessment.

KPI
Expansion Of The Office Of Academic Planning And Assessment
During the 2012-2013 cycle, successfully allocate funds for the expansion of the Office of Academic Planning and Assessment.  Specifically, the allocation of 3 additional FTE will be secured for a Director of Assessment, an Administrative Assistant, and a Staff Associate III.

Result
Funding Allocation For Office Of Academic Planning And Assessment
Funds were allocated, and 3 FTE (Director of Assessment, Administrative Assistant, and Staff Associate III) were hired in the Office of Academic Planning and Assessment. 

Action
IDEA Faculty Evaluation Relocation
Due in part to the additional staffing resources, as well as the connection to academic planning and reporting, the Office of Academic Planning and Assessment will take on the IDEA Faculty Evaluation processes in the Spring 2014 semester.  These processes are currently administered in the Office of Institutional Research within the Division of Enrollment Management. 

Objective
Restructure Provost Office Staff Duties
The Office of the Provost will work to restructure the Provost Office staff duties to emphasize budgeting and de-emphasize reporting.

KPI
Successfully Restructure Provost Office Staff Duties
During the 2012-2013 cycle, successfully restructure the Provost Office staff duties to increase resources to budgeting and faculty hiring processes.

Result
Promotion Of Staff
During the 2012-2013 cycle, 2 existing staff members were promoted, with adjustments to job duties.  Adjustments resulted in staff members' duties focussing solely on their respective roles of budget planning and faculty hiring processes.

Action
Faculty Hiring Process Streamlining
Facutly hiring processes require more staffing resources than are currently present within the Office of the Provost.  In order to facilitate a faster turn-around on faculty hiring, the following will be implemented: (1) a facutly credentials form will be developed and incorporated into the front-end of the hiring process, and (2) department will be instructed to submit individual hiring packets upon completion, rather than holding and submitting multiple facutly packets together.


Goal
Provide Appropriate Resources To Promote Student Recruitment, Success, And Retention
The Office of the Provost will provide appropriate resources to promote the recruitment of potential students as well as promote the success and retention of current students at Sam Houston State University.

Objective
Restructure Developmental Courses
The Office of the Provost will initiate discussion and solicit formal proposals to restructure the mode of delivery in developmental courses at Sam Houston State University.

KPI
Successfully Initiate Discussions And Solicit Formal Proposals
During the 2012-2013cycle, successfully solicit formal proposals for restructuring the mode of delivery in developmental courses. 

Result
Proposal To Restructure Developmental Math Courses
The Department of Mathematics and Statistics will submit a proposal to restructure the developmental math sequence at SHSU.

Action
Implementation Of Restructured Developmental Courses
During the 2013-2014 cycle, restructured developmental courses will be implemented. Non-Course-Based Options (NCBOs) as well as course pairing structures will be implemented in Mathematics, English, and Reading. 


Objective
Establish A Joint Program Marketing Effort And Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) Plan
The Office of the Provost will work with the Division of Enrollment Management in the establishment of an annual joint program marketing effort and SEM plan.

KPI
Successfully Establish Of A Joint Program Marketing Effort And SEM Plan
During the 2012-2013 cycle, successfully work with the Division of Enrollment Management to establish an annual joint program marketing effort and SEM plan.

Result
Development Of Joint Marketing Effort And SEM Plan
During the 2012-2013 cycle, the Office of the Provost worked with the Division of Enrollment Management to appoint a Recruitment and Retention Committee.  This committee was charged with (1) the development of an International Student Recruitment Plan, (2) development of a student success formula, (3) development of a transfer student enrollment plan, and (4) development of a retention plan.  Proposals and recommendations resulted from these charges and are currently under review by the Strategic Enrollment Management Committee.


Action
Recruitment Plan Implementation And New Committee Initiatives
Based upon the recommendations and reports from the Recruitment and Retention Committee, recruitment and retention and retention plans will be implemented in 2013-2014.  Specifically, the development of a comphrehensive international student recruitment plan is in progress and will be implemented in the 2013-2014 cycle.  Further, an analysis of student admissions data revealed a need to collect additional student data at point of admissions.  The collection of additional data will occur over the following few years to allow for a more comprehensive, future analysis of a student success formula (PREP formula).  From the retention initiative, data revealed a need for a 45 hour advising threshold. 

New initiatives for the Recruitment and Retention Committee for the 2013-2014 cycle include: (1) scholarship analysis, (2) Bookstore Textbook/Materials Initiative, (3) 45+ Hour Advisement Plan, and (4) Extension of International Student Recruitment Plan.

Goal
Promote The Pursuit And Awareness Of Scholarly Activities, Creative Endeavors, And Faculty/staff Accomplishments And Expertise
The Office of the Provost will work to promote the pursuit and awareness of scholarly activities, creative endeavors, and faculty/staff accomplishments and expertise at Sam Houston State University.

Objective
Funding For Internal Grants
The Office of the Provost will seek line item funding for internal grants.


KPI
Successfully Establish Funding For Internal Grants
During the 2012-2013 cycle, successfully establish funding for internal grants.

Result
Funding Secured For Internal Grants
Funding was successfully secured for the internal grants in 2012-2013.


Objective
Develop A Clearinghouse Of Centers Of Excellence In The Office Of Research And Sponsored Programs
The Office of the Provost will work to develop a clearinghouse of centers of excellence in the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs.

KPI
Successfully Develop A Clearinghouse Of Centers Of Excellence In The Office Of Research And Sponsored Programs
During the 2012-2013 cycle, successfully develop a clearinghouse of centers of excellence in the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs.

Result
Preliminary Work Continued On Clearinghouse Of Centers For Excellence
During the 212-2013 cycle, preliminary work continued on the creation of a clearninghouse of Centers of Excellence.  Pending restructuing of the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs necessitated the Clearingouse of Centers for Excellence be temporarily placed on hold.

Goal
Develop Alumni And Donor Relations To Support The Academic Mission Of All Departments And Colleges.
The Office of the Provost will work to develop alumni and donor relations to support the academic mission of all departments and colleges at Sam Houston State University.

Objective
External Funding
The Office of the Provost will work with the Division of University Advancement to secure external funding for the Agriculture Complex, Nursing and Biology Building, and Ag/IT academic building.

KPI
Successfully Secure External Funding
During the 2012-2013 cycle, successfully secure external funding for the Agriculture Complex, Nursing and Biology Building, and Ag/IT academic building.

Result
External Funding Partially Secured
Work continued to secure external funding for  the Agriculture Complex, the Nursing and Biology Building, and the Ag/IT academic building.

Action
Exapnsion Of External Funding Needs
With an ongoing need to secure exteranl funding for new university projects, efforts continue.  In addition to the Agriculture Complex, the Nursing and Biology Building, and the Ag/IT academic building, program development and expansion has necessitated funding for a future Montgomery County facility for Allied Health programs.

Goal
Provide Resources And Support To Ensure That External Campuses And Alternative Delivery Methods Maintain The Quality And Culture Of The Main Campus
The Office of the Provost will strive to provide resources and support to ensure that all external campuses and alternative delivery methods maintain the quality and culture that exists on the Sam Houston State University main campus.

Objective
Establish Appropriate On-line Fee Structures, On-line Marketing Efforts, And Equitable Distributions Of Fee Revenue
The Office of the provost will work with the DELTA Center to establish appropriate on-line fee structures, on-line marketing efforts, and equitable distributions of fee revenue.

KPI
Establish On-line Fee Structures, On-line Marketing Efforts, And Equitable Distributions Of Fee Revenue
During the 2012-2013 cycle, work with the DELTA Center to establish appropriate on-line fee structures, on-line marketing efforts, and equitable distributions of fee revenue. 


Result
Re-distribution Of Online Fees
During the 2012-2013 cycle, analysis of the DELTA Center budgeting needs revealed an opportunity to re-distribute the online student fees.  While online student fees were previously distributed 50% to DELTA and 50% to the college and/or department responsible for the student enrollment, revised fee allocation allowed for additional funds to be provided to the college/department and to the Division of Academic Affairs.  The new distribution model, will be: 35% to DELTA, 60% to College/Department, and 5% to the Provost for selective distribution upon formal, written requests. 

Objective
Marketing And Recruiting Plan For The University Park Facility
The Office of the Provost will work to develop a marketing recruiting plan for University Park facility.

KPI
Successful Development Of Marketing And Recruiting Plan For The University Park
During the 2012-2013 cycle, successfully develop a marketing and recruiting plan for University Park facility.


Result
Successful Development Of Marketing And Recruitment Plan For University Park
A marketing and recruitment plan was developed for the University Park facility.

Objective
Develop Plan For The Woodlands Center
The Office of the Provost will develop a marketing and recruitment plan for The Woodlands Center.

KPI
Successfully Develop Marketing And Recruitment Plan For The Woodlands Center
During the 2012-2013 cycle, successfully develop an initial plan for The Woodlands Center including personnel resources, furnishing needs, timelines for programs, and responsibilities for all personnel.

Result
Successful Development Of Marketing And Recruitment Plan For Woodlands Center
A marketing and recruitment plan was developed for the Woodland Center facility.

Goal
Promote The Importance Of Service, Civic Engagement, And Exposure To Diverse Cultures In The Education Of Our Students.
The Office of the Provost will work to promote the importance of service, civic engagement, and exposure to diverse cultures in the education of students at Sam Houston State University.


Objective
Growth In International Recruitment
The Office of the Provost will facilitate a formal strategic planning process for growth in international recruitment.

KPI
Successfully Establish An Enrollment Plan For International Students
During the 2012-2013 cycle, successfully establish a plan for growing the enrollment of international students at Sam Houston State University.

Result
Preliminary International Student Recruitment Plan
During the 2012-2013 cycle, a preliminary international sudent recruitment plan was developed.  In addition, a new Director of Special Programs was hired to oversee the Department of International Programs.  International student recruitment was also continued as a major initiative of the Strategic Enrollment Management Committee.

Action
Implementation Of International Student Recruitment Plan
Under the direction of the newly hired Director of Special Programs, the preliminary plan for international student recruitment will be revised and implemented in the 2013-2014 cycle.



Update to previous cycle's plan for continuous improvement

During the 2012-2013 assessment cycle, a number of actions detailed from the 2011-2012 cycle were implemented. 


With regard to curriculum, a 2014 Core Curriculum Assessment Committee was implemented.  The committee worked tirelessly throughout the 2012-2013 assessment cycle reviewing and making recommendations for courses to be included in the 2014 SHSU Core Curriculum.  A final set of courses was recommended for approval by the Committee to the Academic Affairs Council.   In addition to core curriculum changes, a number of new degree programs were proposed, approved, and/or implemented at SHSU.   New bachelor’s degrees were added in Computer Science, Agricultural Communications, Electronics and Computing Engineering Technology, Biomedical Sciences, and Entrepreneurship.  Finally, the university made strides in implementation of program review processes.  The Graduate Program Review process was developed and implemented, with the first reviews conducted in early 2012-2013.  The Undergraduate Program Review processes are currently under development, with program made in guidelines and template development during 2012-2013.


With regard to faculty development, progress was made in the analysis of pool faculty salaries.  Work remains necessary in the evaluation of tenure/tenure track faculty positions.  Additional salary analysis is currently underway at the staff level, however, the Department of Human Resources has taken the lead on this project.  Results are anticipated as early as February 2014. 


Much progress was made with regard to the actions associated with academic planning and assessment.  During 2012-2013, additional staffing resources were allocated to the recently established Office of Academic Planning and Assessment. With these additional resources, the Division of Academic Affairs was able to implement a structure strategic planning process, with connections between budget and new initiatives.  In addition, increased faculty and staff support for assessment activities was possible though formal trainings, presentations, and one-on-one sessions.  Finally, a meta-assessment process was presented to and approved by the Council of Academic Deans. 


Work continues on the restructuring of developmental courses.  During the 2012-2013 cycle, a campus-wide committee addressed the need to restructure developmental course sequences to align with newly adopted TSI regulations.  Preliminary proposals of course design were reviewed by the committee, with implementation scheduled for the 2013-2014 cycle.  Online course offerings, course-pairing systems, and non-course based options (NCBOs) were outlined for Mathematics, Reading, and Writing. 


Progress continues on the growth plans for Allied Health programs.  During 2012-2013, a new College of Health Sciences was approved by the THECB, and a Dean was selected.  The existing Department of Health and Kinesiology and the School of Nursing were administratively relocated to the new college.  A comprehensive, strategic plan for program implementation within Health Sciences is currently in development. 


Work by the Recruitment and Retention Committee also yielded results.  An International Student Recruitment Plan was developed and a Director of Special Projects was hired to oversee the department and recruitment initiatives.  A need for additional admissions data surfaced in the review of the student success formula used in PREP Admissions.  As a result, a new PREP formula was not developed and will be delayed at least 2 years while additional student data is collected.  Work on the Retention Plan resulted in a need for a 45+ Hour Advising Plan.  This initiative will be examined during 2013-2014.


With regards to scholarly activities and creative endeavors, work will continue to develop a clearinghouse of centers of excellence in the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs. Additional reorganization within the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs is necessary prior to implementation.


Finally, initial marketing and operations plans were implemented at University Park and the Woodlands Centers.  Work continues to enhance these marketing and recruitment efforts.


Plan for continuous improvement Based upon the results from the 2012-2013 assessment, a number of action items will be addressed in the 2013-2014 cycle. 

  1. Work will conclude on the initial development of the 2014 SHSU Core Curriculum.  In early 2013-2014, the Office of the Provost will submit course proposals and assessment plans to the THECB for their review.  Pending approval, the University will initiate work to implement the new core courses and assessment plans for the Fall 2014 semester.  Work will be necessary to communicate new requirement to students via university catalogs, websites, and registration systems.  Extensive work on the implementation of core assessment plans will continue with the university faculty.
  2. Development of the Undergraduate Program Review processes will conclude with beta implementation scheduled for Spring 2014.
  3. Strategic Planning process will enter the next phase, with a 5-year plan approach.  Strategic Planning retreats, data collection, and research will occur though-out the Fall 2013 and Spring 2014 terms.  Existing annual strategic planning documents will be re-purposed with an emphasis on annual budgeting and new initiative planning.
  4. Faculty salary distribution analysis will continue into 2013-2014, with an expanded emphasis on tenure/tenure track faculty FTE distribution by college.  Results from the HR Staff Compensation study will be reviewed by Academic Affairs with action to be determined.
  5. Changes to the Provost’s Breakfast Series will be implemented in 2013-2014.  Specifically, new topics will include local and state governance structures, as well as, cross divisional functionality.
  6. In Spring 2014, the IDEA faculty evaluation system will be administratively realigns from the Division of Enrollment Management, back to the Division of Academic Affairs. 
  7. Faculty hiring process modification will be implemented.  Specifically, additional faculty qualifications form/justifications will be required to be submitted with the hiring packet.  This will allow for a more timely review of credentials and a more thorough and timely analysis of SACSCOC expectations. 
  8. Revised Developmental course sequences and options will be implemented with the Spring and Fall 2014 semesters.
  9. New initiatives for the Recruitment and Retention Committee for the 2013-2014 cycle include: (1) scholarship analysis, (2) Bookstore Textbook/Materials Initiative, (3) 45+ Hour Advisement Plan, and (4) Extension of International Student Recruitment Plan.
  10. Work will continue on securing external funding for new university projects.
  11. The International Student Recruitment Plan will be implemented with oversight by the newly appointed Director of Special Projects.