Promote The Development And Maintenance Of Quality Academic Programs
In support of the University's and College's missions, the College will develop and maintain quality academic programs.
Objective
Initiate Comprehensive Program Reviews Of All BBA Programs
Consistent with the college's commitment to continuous improvement, the faculty of the college will initiate comprehensive reviews of all BBA programs. The review will include an evaluation of the business foundation that is included for all majors. The process will take more than one academic year, so no final results will be in place at the end of the 2012-2013 assessment period.
KPI
Program Review Reports
Reports with the findings and recommendations will be generated.
Result
Review Of The Business Foundation
COBA faculty were provided an opportunity to provide input about each course in the Business Foundation. A committee reviewed the input and submitted a final recommendation for no changes, at this time. Some concern was expressed as to students' excel skills, communication skills, and critical thinking skills. These concerns will be address in the review of each major.
Action
Program Review
The review of the Business Foundation is part of a larger review of all programs offered by COBA. The review is a two-year project and will be completed in the 2013-2014 academic year. No action will be taken on the Business Foundation until such time as the entire review is complete. At this time, the action is to continue the program review.
Objective
Conduct Program Reviews Of The College's Graduate Programs
Consistent with the college's commitment to continuous improvement, the faculty of the college will initiate comprehensive reviews of all graduate programs (MBA and MS in Accounting).
KPI
MBA Review Report
The COBA Graduate Council will submit a report to the COBA Leadership team outlining their findings and recommendations.
Result
Report Submitted
The MBA program review was conducted and a final report was submitted. The review team did submit its report and recommendations for improvement.
KPI
Graduate Program Review Reports
The committees will submit a report to COBA's Leadership Team and the Office of Graduate Studies.
Result
EMBA And MS Accounting Reports
Reviews of the EMBA and the MS in Accounting Program will produce a report detailing the results of the review.
Action
Improving MS Accounting
New faculty lines were alloted to COBA. To aid the MS in Accouning Program an additional line was allocated to the department for the 2014-2015 academic year. The search will be conducted during the 2013-2014 academic year.
Goal
Support The Recruitment And Retention Of A Productive, High-quality Faculty
The most valuable asset for a college is its faculty. The faculty are responsible for the creation and delivery of quality academic programs, the creation of new knowledge as well as other intellectual contributions, and for providing service as it relates to shared governance and serving students, the academy, employers and the community. As such, it is vital that the college recruits and retains a high quality faculty.
Objective
Provide Departments Funding For Faculty Development
The faculty represent the most valuable asset of the college. A productive faculty is required if the college is to fulfill its mission. Toward that end, the college will provide the department with funding to support faculty development. The funds will be used to support the faculty members' efforts in the teaching and research sectors.
KPI
Departmental Travel Budget
Funding for faculty travel and development will be supplied to each department within the college.
Result
Funding For Travel And O&M
Using a formula based on number of faculty, number of tenured/tenure-track faculty and semester credit hours, each department was allocated funds for academic year 2012-13.
Action
Allocation Of Funds
The College has developed a process to allocated funds to the departments that meets the needs of the departments. As such, the College will continue to use its existing allocation process.
Objective
Provide Graduate Assistants
Providing graduate assistants who are available to assist the faculty will enable the faculty to be more productive in both teaching and research.
KPI
Provide Funds For Graduate Assistants
At the Summer Planning Retreat, the Leadership Team will determine how many graduate assistants will be funded for each department.
Action
Funding Provided
To support a the educational and research efforts of the faculty, COBA allocated funds for three graduate assistants for each department for the nine-month academic year and one assistant for the summer. This represents an increase over the previous year.
Goal
Provide An Environment Supporting Students' Professional And Academic Success
As a college that offers professional programs, the COBA is cognizent of its responsibility to promote its students' growth both inside and outside of the classroom. Toward that end, the college desires to create an environment that supports students’ professional and academic success.
Objective
Fund And Hire Coordinator Of Graduate Programs & Distance Learning
The College has experienced rapid growth of both its graduate programs and enrollment in distance learning courses. To provide quality advisement to existing students as well as accurate and timely response to inquiries prospective and current students, the College needs a staff member assigned to these responsibilities.
KPI
Associate Director Of Graduate Studies And Distance Learning
COBA will secure funding to hire an Associate Director of Graduate Studies & Distance Learning. Staffing this position will provide greater access to quality advising for graduate students in COBA.
Result
Position Staffed
The position of Associate Director for Graduate Studies and Distance Learning was funded and staffed. The new staff member provides more readily available, quality advising for potential and current students.
Action
Train New Hire
The new hire will be trained to provide quality advising to graduate students within COBA.
Objective
Support The Development Of Academic Support Material
To aid in helping students acheive the high standards of performance set by the COBA, the College will start creating Academic Support Material for select topics. These tutorials will allow the students to review pertinent material as well as allow faculty to not spend inordinate amounts of time reviewing material covered in prerequisite material.
KPI
Electronic Tutorials
The number of tutorials will be monitored and access to the faculty and students will be tracked.
Result
Failure Of Initiative
While several faculty have reported developing electronic tutorials for use in their classes, a repository has not yet been developed to allow access to other faculty members. It is hoped that the move back to BlackBoard will allow for the creation of the repository in the near future. While this initiative has been a failure to date, the concept is intriging as to how it may improve the educational environment in the College. As such, the pursuit of this intiative will continue.
Action
Move To Next Year
This initiative has the potential to drastically improve the learning environment within COBA. While it has been a failure to date, COBA will continue to pursue ways to successfully implement this initiative. It will be included in the initiatives for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Objective
Provide Study Abroad Opportunities
Study abroad opportunities provide a venue for students to experience new cultures and expand their perspectives. The College will expand the study abroad opportunities for its students.
KPI
Study Abroad Offerings
The number and location of study abroad opportunities.
Result
Study Abroad Opportunities
The College offered summer study abroad opportunities in China, Costa Rica, and Japan. Scholarship funds were made available to encourage participation. The China and Japan offerings attracted sufficent student enrollment. However, the Costa Rica offering was cancel as student interest was not sufficient.
Action
Continue To Offer Study Abroad
Accepting the premise that study abroad may be a life altering experience for students, COBA will continue to pursue opportunities to offer programs abroad. Additionally, COBA will continue to offering scholarships to partially offset the cost of the programs. It appears that China and Japan are viable options. COBA will seek addition sites for future offerings.
Objective
Develop A Plan For Day-time Schedule At TUC In AY13
With the rising cost of pursuing a baccalaureate degree, the College will support students pursuit of such a degree by offering the BBA in General Business at The University Center (TUC). Such offerings will expand the opportunities to students in this high-growth area who may not have the funds to live in Huntsville to pursue a BBA from SHSU. The creation of a day-time schedule for the TUC will allow the college to promote the program at Lone Star College.
KPI
TWC Schedule
The development of a short and long-term schedule of offerings at The Woodlands Center.
Result
TWC Schedule
A current and projected schedule of offerings at The Woodlands Center was created. The schedule will expand educational opportunities for students in The Woodlands area who cannot travel to Huntsville for SHSU course offerings.
Action
Monitor Progress
COBA will monitor enrollments for the day-time program at TWC and use this information to determine future offerings. It is understood that it may take several years to build enrollments up to an desirable level.
Goal
Develop Relationships With Non-student Stakeholders
The college's success in helping students help themselves is buoyed through productive relationships with a wide array of stakeholders, to include, alumni, employers, donors, and community leaders. As such, the college seeks to develop and maintain viable relationships with non-student stakeholders.
Objective
Engage COBA Advisory Council
A proactive and supportive COBA Advisory Council can provide many positive returns, to include greater access to employment opportunities for its graduates and enhanced financial contributions to the College.
KPI
COBA Advisory Council Meetings
The COBA Advisory Council will meet on campus to provide a forum for engagement with the business community.
Result
Meeting
The COBA Advisory Council met in Spring 2013
Action
Additional Meeting
The COBA Advisory Council provides a forum to engage alumni and the business community. The number of meetings will be increased to at least two a year in the 2013-2014 academic year.
Goal
Enhance External Recognition Of Quality
External recognition of quality enhances the college's ability to attract quality students, faculty, and prospective employers for its graduates.
Objective
Identify And Promote Points Of Excellence
Points of excellence serve as differentiators for the College. The College will identify existing points of excellence as well as targeting additional points of excellence. The College will then initiate efforts to promote these points of excellence to enhance the College's reputation.
KPI
Identify Potential New Points Of Excellence
The identification of one or more potential points of excellence.
Result
Center For Innovation And Technology
A Center for Innovation and Technology has been identified as a potential point of excellence. Funding will be secured to create the Center.
Action
Center Creation
The Center has been approved and funding found to equip the Center. During the coming 2013-2014 academic year the Center will develop operational procedures and policies. Additionally, clients will be pursued, both internal to the university and external.
Goal
Promote Efficient And Effective Administration Within The COBA
The college's success is dependent on the success of the academic departments housed within the college. Furthermore, the efficient and effective administration of resources is demanded due to the scarcity of such resources.
Objective
Conduct Strategic Planning And Budgeting
Strategic planning, connected to the budgeting process, is a key to efficient and effective administration. The College's Leadership Team will annually review and update the College's strategic plan and connect accompanying action items to budgetary resources.
KPI
Strategic Planning Retreat
COBA will hold a Strategic Planning Retreat each year to evaluate the past year and make plans for the immediate and long-term needs of the College.
Result
Summer Strategic Planning Retreat
In the summer of 2013 the College's Leadership Team met to plan for the upcoming year(s).
Action
Continued Use Of Summer Retreats
The annual strategic planning retreat provides an excellent forum for the evaluation of past and creation of current strategic plans. The retreat will continue to be held each year.
Objective
Provide Funding For Assessment Tools/products
Assessment is a vital tool in evaluating the effectiveness of the units within the college. While many assessment tools are developed inhouse and have little or no costs, the College's AoL process does include some normed external tools. The College will provide funds for effective use of these tools.
KPI
AoL Funding
Funds for Assurance of Learning (assessment)
Result
Funding Provided
Funds were increased for the year's assurance of learning efforts.
Action
Evaluation Of AoL
In the 2013-2014 academic year, the AoL efforts for 2012-2013 will be shared with the faculty at at Learning Retreat. It is hoped the retreat will raise the awareness of the College's assessment efforts.