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
Complete Comprehensive Program Reviews Of All BBA Programs
Consistent with the college's commitment to continuous improvement, the College initiated reviews of its BBA programs. The reviews and accompanying recommendations should be completed in the 2013-14 academic year. As the College has high quality programs in place, it is anticipated that any changes may be minor in nature. However, the process of regular reviews enables the faculty to maintain quality and pertinent curriculums.
KPI
Reports From The Various Departments And/or Review Committees
The deparments and/or review committees with submit their recommendations.
Result
Program Reviews
There are eleven majors within the BBA program. A summary of the recommendations follows:
Accounting-Use the upcoming change in the university core to add an unrestricted elective to the program
Banking-Reintroduced a speech course to the program. Will create a new course on banking regulatory requirements.
Economics-Review still in process. Are communicating with the Finance faculty to determine if there are some changes that will benefit both the Economics and Finance curriculum.
Entrepreneurehsip-This is a new program and was exempted from the review.
Finance-Review still in process. Are communicating with the Economics faculty to determine if there are some changes that will benefit both the Economics and Finance curriculum.
General Business-Submitted a series of changes that have not been approved by the College's Leadership team. The concept of creating more structure to the major was approved, but the details need to be agreed upon.
Human Resource Management-Adding additional advanced COBA elective.
International Business-Recommended some minor changes encouraging demonstration of knowledge of a second language.
Managment-Adding two management courses to the program. Eliminating one course in economics.
Management Information Systems-Requiring an additional database course.
Marketing-Add a management course and a technical elective. Eliminating one course in economics.
Action
Implement Changes
The approved changes will go into effect with the 2014-15 academic year.
Objective
Continue Application Of The College's Assurance Of Learning (AoL) Process
Assurance of Learning (AoL) is a vital component in the pursuit of continuous improvement. The COBA will continue its AoL program and improve the process by hosting a Learning Retreat to allow the faculty to share best practices.
KPI
Learning Retreat
The Assistant Dean for Assessment will organize the Learning Retreat.
Result
Learning Retreat
The College of Business Administration hosted a Learning Retreat in October, 2013. At the retreat best practices were shared as well as each MAT (Major Assessment Team) and GAT (Goal Assessment Team) sharing an oral status report on their efforts.
Action
Improve AoL Process
While the Learning Retreat provided an excellent forum to share information about the College's assessment efforts, it proved to be less than effective as a motivational tool. The Retreat did reveal the need to streamline the College's assessment efforts and that is a goal for AY 2014-15.
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
Departmental Faculty Development Budgets
Each department was provided funds to be used for faculty travel and development.
Action
Funding Process
The college has developed a formula to determine allocation of funds for each department. The formula uses three inputs: (1) number of tenured/tenure-track faculty, (2) number of full-time faculty equivalents, and (3) credit hours productivity. Each summer the College holds a Strategic Planning Retreat to review it past and plan its future budgets. The department chairs have indicated satisfaction with the existing process and budget. As such, the college will continue to use its existing process to determine departmental budgets.
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.
Action
Allocation Of Graduate Assistants To The Departments.
At the Strategic Planning Retreat, the Leadership Team agreed to funding three graduate assistants for each department for the fall/spring academic year and one graduate assistant for each department for the summer of 2014. A total of $120,000 was set aside to fund the positions.
Objective
Funding For Databases Such As CRSP And Research Insight
Access to existing databases enable the faculty to conduct quality research.
Action
Access To CRSP
The College is, once again, purchasing access to CRSP. CRSP is a financial database that is used primarily by Finance faculty as a research resource.
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
Expand Online Offerings
Online courses provide access to educational opportunities to students who find it difficult or impossible to attend traditional face-to-face courses.
Action
Offering Increased
The College increased the number of online courses and with it enjoyed an increased in credit hours produced. The number of online courses increase from 45 to 52 (Fall 2012 to Fall 2013. Credit hours increased from 5,406 to 6,057.
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.
Action
Objective Not Met
While this objective remains a priority within the College, the College failed to successfully implement this initiative. While several faculty did create tutorials and others expressed a willingness to do so, the hurdle of how to create a repository for the tutials proved to be too large to overcome. Meetings are taking place with representatives from DELTA (the university's distance education support arm) as to how to best move foward, not enough progess was made in 2013-14. It is hoped that 2014-15 will see a breakthrough on this initiative.
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
Hold Receptions With Recent Alumni In The Houston Area
Building relationships with alumni is an important component of the college's success. The college is attempting to promote networking opportunities for its recent graduates. The receptions will provide such a forum as well as promote continued interaction between our alumni and the college.
Action
Objective Not Met
The College failed to host Houston area alumni events during the 2013-14 academic year. Instead, the College opted to host COBA Alumni Career Panels on the SHSU campus. These panels enhanced relationships with alumni and provided professional development opportunities for COBA students. The College will continue the COBA Alumni Career Panels and will also seek to offer alumni events in the Houston area in the 2014-15 academic year.
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.
Action
Advisory Council Meetings
Engagement with the COBA Advisory Council allows the College to tap into a wealth of experience and knowledge as the College seeks to improve the educational environment it offers. The Council meet in Fall 2013 and Spring 2014, providing insights as to how to improve the professional development of COBA students.
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
Increase Involvement With AACSB
The College is accredited by AACSB International. The College's reputation will be enhanced by better informing deans of AACSB institutions of how COBA is actively pursuing excellence. Greater involvement with AACSB will allow the College greater access to deans across the country and internationally. The College's dean will pursue opportunities to increase engagement with AACSB.
Action
Increased Engagement
During the 2013-14 academic year, the dean of COBA increased engagement within AACSB in two ways: (1) he was elected to serve as a board member of a regional association (Southern Business Administration Association) and (2) he served a a member of the peer-review visitation team for two AACSB instituions.
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.
Action
Strategic Planning Retreat
In the summer of 2014 the College's leadership team meet to conduct its annual Strategic Planning Retreat. Discussion centered on initiatives for the upcoming year as well as budgetary issues. The team allocated funds for departments, assessment efforts, initiatives, graduate assistants, research grants, and efforts to improve the educaitonal environment.
Objective
Review Mission
The AACSB standards are in the process of being updated. One major change is the requirement for the mission to be more descriptive. The College will review it and update its mission.
Action
Mission Updated
Associate Dean Lilly led the effort to engage the faculty in a discussion on the College's identity. The results of this discussion contributed to the creation of the College's new mission. The new mission was presented at the Spring 2014 Faculty/Staff meeting.
Objective
Educate Faculty And Staff Of The New AACSB Standards
The College is accredited by AACSB International. The standards are being updated and the faculty/staff of the College will need to be award of the changes and the corresponding impact on their responsibilities.
Action
AACSB Update
At the Spring 2014 Faculty/Staff meeting, the updated standards were presented to the faculty and staff.