The CHSS will develop academic programs and constantly review existing programs to ensure excellence in this important mission of the college.
Objective
Increase Student Enrollments
The CHSS will increase both undergraduate and graduate student enrollments by specified amounts each year.
KPI
Increase Enrollments In Graduate Programs
Increase enrollments in graduate programs by 10%.
Result
Graduate Student Enrollments 2014-2015
In 2013-14, CHSS recorded 1053 graduate student enrollments for 6534 student credit hours. In 2014-15, there were 1049 graduate student enrollments for 6200 credit hours. These figures represented an 0% change in student enrollments and a 5.1% decrease in total graduate student credit hours.
KPI
Increase Undergraduate Enrollments
Increase undergraduate majors in programs of college by 2%
Result
Undergraduate Student Enrollments 2014-2015
In 2013-2014, CHSS recorded 4447 undergraduate-major enrollements for a total of 117,662 student credit hours. In 2014-2015 the figures were 4541 undergraduate-major enrollments for 120274 hours. These changes indicated a 2% increase in major enrollments with an 2% increase in student credit hours.
NOTE: the data for 2014-2015 includes students registered as double majors with one or both major occurring in CHSS. Data from 2013-2014 and before did not include these students.
Action
Enrollment Growth Strategies
The growth of graduate enrollment is a complex problem consisting in part of recruiting issues and in part of logistical issues. Previously, CHSS departments have improved both the numbers and the quality of incoming graduate students by offering entire degree programs online. In 2015-2016, CHSS will assist the department of Political Science with the transformation of the MA program to an online offering.
CHSS undegraduate enrollment continues to grow along with university enrollment. To enhance the production of actual majors, departments within the college are increasing their offerings of social/educational events such as field trips. They are inaugurating or expanding a committment to undergraduate clubs. Finally, they are reviewing how their majors are presented during advisement to ensure that inquiring students understand the full potential of majors in the humanities and social sciences.
Objective
Enhance Graduate Student Entering Credentials
The CHSS will increase the quality of credentials of incoming graduate students.
KPI
Incoming Graduate Student GPA
Graduate programs across CHSS will demonstrate a total average incoming graduate student GPA increase of 2%.
DEPT: Percent Change Fall to Fall/Spring to Spring
COMS MA: Creative Writing MFA: -5%/12% ENGL MA: -8%/10%% SPAN MA: -6%/-21% HIST MA: 6%/8% POLS MA: 12%/-6% POLS MPA: 12%/5% PSYC MA: 2% (admits annual fall class only) PSYC SSP: 6% (admits annual fall class only) Clinical PSYC MA: 4% (admits annual fall class only) Clinical PSYC PhD: 4% (admits annual fall class only) SOCI MA: -2%/10%
KPI
Increase GRE Scores Of Incoming Graduate Students
Increase GRE scores of incoming graduate students in departments with underachieving admissions criteria. During this academic year, average GRE scores of incoming graduate students in the departments of COM, SOC and FOL will increase by 2%.
Result
Incoming Graduate Student GRE Scores
Average incoming GRE scores are recorded 2013-2014::2014-2015 (% change) by program
*(not including an individual admission with 491 overall)
Across all programs, the non-weighted average was -.01%, essentially unchanged from the previous academic year.
Result
GRE Waiver Rates By Program
Program: Fall Waiver %/Spring Waiver %
COMS MA: 85%/33% Creative Writing MFA: 0%/0% ENGL MA: 0%/0% SPAN MA: not required for admission HIST MA: 4%/18% POLS MA: 69%/80% PSYC MA: 0%/no spring admissions PSYC SSP: 0%/no spring admissions PSYC Clinical MA: 0%/no spring admissions PSYC Clinical PhD: 0%/no spring admissions SOCI MA: 55%/40%
Action
Graduate Student Entrance Credentials
The departments of the degree programs have primary control over the admissions standards they impose upon applicants. At the level of the college administration, we can assist these programs in part by increasing their access to strong applicant pools. In the past, we have found that offering whole degrees online actually increases the strength of incoming student credentials by opening enrollment to highly qualified students who cannot physically attend campus. To this end, CHSS will assist the POLS MA program in converting to offering the degree wholly online.
Objective
Periodic Graduate Program Review
The CHSS will complete a thorough program review of each of its graduate programs before August 2019.
KPI
Graduate Program Review Process
The College will complete program reviews of all its graduate programs according to the following schedule:
Review Year Program 2012-13 History MA 2013-14 School Psychology SSP 2015-16 Political Science MA 2015-16 Public Admin MA 2015-16 Communication Studies MA 2016-17 Sociology MA 2016-17 Spanish MA 2018-19 English MA 2018-19 Clinical Psychology MA 2018-19 Clinical Psychology PhD
Scheduled completion of the PSYC MA SSP review before closure of the 2013-2014 reporting cycle will indicate timely initiation of this process. All departments will fulfill the process by submitting thorough program self-studies conducted according to a rubric provided by the Office of Graduate Studies. Each department will then host on-campus visitors from peer institutions/programs to review the reports and to make further recommendations. Departments will conclude the process by submitting responses to visitors' reports and any additional program planning inspired by the overall program review.
Result
Graduate Program Review Progress 2014-2015
At the close of the 2013-2014 academic year, the PSCY MA SSP successfully completed a program review including reporting by external visiting referees. PSYC MA SSP is one of the best-reported programs in the college owing to the accreditation context of the discipline and the outstanding efforts of the program director.
CHSS had no program reviews scheduled for 2014-2015.
CHSS is scheduled to complete three such program reviews for academic 2015-2016: POLS MPA; POLS MA; COMS MA
Action
New Graduate Program Reviews
For the academic year 2015-2016, CHSS will conduct the graduate program reviews for the following degrees: POLS MA; POLS MPA; COMS MA.
Objective
Promote Centers Of Scholarly Excellence
The CHSS will develop centers for focused scholarly activity within the departments
KPI
Centers Of Scholarly Excellence
Each department will present to the dean of the college at least one area of focused scholarly excellence for that department. The college will support the establishment of at least two interdisciplinary research centers recommended by CHSS faculty.
Result
Centers Of Scholarly Excellence: Progress
After many months of prepartion reaching back into 2013, CHSS secured University approval to launch the Cneter for the Study of Disasters and Emergency Management (CDEM) to begin operations in November 2014.
Highlights of CDEM activity for 2014-2015 include:
1) Submission of two major grant applications totalling over $900,000 in projected funding. The first won inclusion in a overall University of North Carolina bid to become the Center for Coastal Resilience for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). UNC was not awarded that center. The second has been selected as part of a University of Houston proposal to DHS to become a Coastal Reslilience Center of Excellence. That proposal is still under DHS review.
2) In September 2014, the CDEM Director Dr. Jason Enia participated in the PH+SocialGood Summit in the Philippines (Manila), giving two talks on the political economy of natural disasters. Dr. Enia also traveled to Tacloban and conducted research on the region’s recovery from Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in fall 2013.
3) In November 2014, CDEM faculty member Dr. Ashley Ross was named a one of 20 fellows in the prestigious, NSF-funded Next Generation of Hazards and Disasters Researchers Program.
4) In April 2015, Drs. Clayton Wukich, Ashley Ross, and Jason Enia were invited participants at a North Dakota State University (NDSU) Department of Emergency Management workshop to explore a variety of collaborative research opportunities and to discuss best practices for emergency management education
Action
Continued Center Development
In light of the successful inauguration of the CDEM, CHSS will begin planning for a proposed Sam Houston Center for Applied Ethics and Critical Thinking. The Sam Houston Center for Applied Ethics and Critical Thinking will be an academic center dedicated to the support of teaching, research, and other scholarly initiatives in higher education focused on promoting learning outcomes and skills acquisition critical to the well-being of the American participatory governmental system. Through disciplines in the humanities and social sciences, the Center will cultivate educational excellence focused on critical thinking; communication; teamwork; personal responsibility; and social responsibility.
Goal
Faculty Research Development
The CHSS will identify and promote best practices for faculty research development.
Objective
Faculty Research Publications
The CHSS will increase the number of faculty involved in peer-reviewed publications.
KPI
Peer-Reviewed Publications
Universities must produce new knowledge and understanding. The college will collect data on the number of peer-reviewed publications and compare this with the previous year. Because these are peer-reviewed publications, the quality of the research also is measured. The college will increase the per capita number of peer-reviewed publications by 2%.
Result
Faculty Publication Performance
In 2013, 117 CHSS faculty produced 186 peer-reviewed publications. In 2014, 115 faculty produced 155 such works.
During 2013 CHSS average 1.32 articles per faculty member. In 2013, per capita book production was .12, while book chapter production was .15. In 2014, faculty article production was 1.10 per member. Per capita book production was .16 and book chapter production was .09.
It should be noted that this production was achieved in spite of the loss of the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, whose scholarly products are not counted here.
Action
Faculty Research Support
Faculty research activity in CHSS continues to meet all expectations. The college will therefore maintain its commitment to promote and reward scholarship and principally to assist departments with research support money whenever appropriate.
Objective
Faculty Grant Activity
The CHSS will increase the number of grants submitted by college faculty and funded.
KPI
Increased Grant Submissions And Grant Funding
One measure of the productivity of faculty is the number of outside grants funded. Outside funding shows that the research of the faculty is of high quality. The amount of funding varies by the discipline as do the funding opportunities. The College will collect data on the number and amounts of outside funding received by our faculty, as well as the number of grants submitted. These numbers will be compared to last year's numbers. The College will increase by 2% the per capita number of grants externally submitted and the percentage of submitted external grants that are funded. Measurements of per capita grant activity and grant success rates also will be analyzed.
Result
Faculty Grant Activity Results
In 2014, 115 CHSS faculty submitted 62 total grant applications (27 internal and 35 external) for a per capita submission rate of .54. Of these submissions 27 (11 internal and 16 external) were funded for a per capita success rate of .23. The submission success rate was 44%.
In 2013, 117 CHSS faculty submitted a total of 55 grant applications (26 internal and 29 external for a per capita submission rate of .47 (.22 internal only and .25 external only). Of these submissions, 27 (15 internal and 12 external) were funded for a per capita success rate of .23 (.13 internal only and .10 external only). The submission success rate was 57%.
Action
Grant Writing Support
The dean of CHSS has detailed one Associate Dean to offer ongoing support and informational workshops for faculty seeking grants. We will review and assess the impact of this support in the following years.
Objective
Faculty Conference Participation
The CHSS will increase faculty activity at scholarly conferences.
KPI
Faculty Presentations At Scholarly Conferences
Universities must not only produce new knowledge, but they must also disseminate this knowledge. Conference presentations are one method of disseminating knowledge. The college will collect data on the number of presentations at professional, peer-reviewed conferences and compare this with the previous year. Because these are peer-reviewed presentations, the quality of the research is also measured. The College will increase by 2% the number of per capita professional conference presentations by faculty in the college.
Result
Conference Presentation Performance
In 2014, 115 college faculty made 278 conference presentations for a per capita rate of 2.42. In 2013, the college faculty of 117 made 329 conference publications for a per capita rate of 2.81.
Action
Faculty Conference Support
The office of the Dean of CHSS will continue to offer travel support to faculty in the various programs where appropriate. More strategically, the college will begin a review of the system of merit rewards, to ensure that scholarly and pedagogical activities not immediately resulting in peer-reviewed publication nonetheless win the participating faculty rewards for their efforts.
Goal
Student Research Development
The CHSS will promote the whole experience of students taking courses in the college: classroom activities, research opportunities, and presentation opportunities. The college will also monitor student graduation outcomes.
Objective
Student Research Objectives
The CHSS will increase the quality and quantity of both undergraduate and graduate student research publication activities.
KPI
Number Of Students Presenting And Publishing
As research and scholarly activity increases with faculty, the college would like to see more students involved in the research process. The process of creating knowledge is essential to each discipline, and exposing students to this process provides quality instruction. The College will collect data concerning the number of peer-reviewed presentations and publications by undergraduate students and by graduate students and compare this to last year's data. The College will increase by 2% the number of undergraduate student and graduate students who are involved in research that result in publication or presentation at professional conferences.
Result
Student Presentation And Publication Performance
In 2014-2015, 20 undergraduate students made 27 presentations and 4 published for a total of 31 undergraduate research activities. In 2013-2014, 52 undergraduate students presented papers and 7 published for a total of 59 undergraduate research activities. In 2012-2013, 64 undergraduate students presented papers, while 15 published for a total of 79 undergraduate research activities. The totals were 75 for 2010 and 81 for 2011-2012.
The 2014-2015 results thus represent a continuation in the overall decline in undergraduate research accomplishments since 2010.
In 2014-2015, at least 100 CHSS graduate students made 195 conference presentations 23 publications for a total of 218 research activities. The exact number of participating graduate students was difficult to ascertain because of multiple authorship and because of changes in reporting methods. In 2013-2014 93 graduate students presented papers and 52 published for a total of 145 research activities. In 2012-2013, 107 graduate students presented papers while 42 published for a total of 149 graduate student research activities. The totals were 89 in 2010 and 119 in 2011-2012. Graduate student research activities increased 25% over 2011 and by 39% in the last two years.
CHSS has achieved a multi-year trend of increasing graduate student research activity, with the department of PSYC especially successful in this regard.
Action
Support Student Research Endeavor
Graduate student research activity continues to flourish in CHSS. The college therefore proposes to maintain the system of incentives and support that have promoted these results.
Effective programs of undergraduate research are difficult to build and maintain. For the academic year 2015-2016, CHSS will review the possibility of establishing an undergraduate research journal as an outlet for the best efforts of students in the junior and senior-level writing courses (and for independent efforts as well). Additionally, the Office of the Dean will work with the SHSU center for undergradute research (EURECA) to increase undergraduate research participation. Initial ideas to be implemented in 2015-2016 include: introductory workshops each for students in humanities and social sciences disciplines; canvassing of departmental clubs for likely candidates; canvassing of honor socities for likely candidates; creation of a proposal for increased CHSS internal grants, for consideration by the dean.
Goal
CHSS Staff Development
The CHSS will promote the intellectual and professional development of staff members serving departments and programs in the college.
Objective
Staff Professional Development
The CHSS will identify and increase the number of college staff members obtaining outside professional and intellectual development experiences.
KPI
Off-Site Conferences And Professional Development
Staff professional development will exceed the minimally mandated hours provided by the university. CHSS will fund staff attendance at at least one regional or national conference dedicated to developing university staff professionals.
Result
Off-Site Professional Development Results
Seven college staff members attended the Natioinal Association of Graduate Admissions Professionals 28th Annual Conference. Development instruction received emphasized graduate enrollment management.
One additional staff member from the Dean's Office attended "Strengthening Alumni Boards" hosted by Academic Impressions.
Action
Continued Support For Staff Professional Development
Direct feedback from staff about professional development support was overwhelmingly positive. Consequently, CHSS will renew this effort in 2016. The goal will be to increase staff participation beyond the 2015 level.