GOALS: 1997-2002

College of Business
Stephen F. Austin State University
December 1, 1997

Note: most goals have sub-goals as indicated. Each goal or sub-goal has one or more strategies (S), each of which has one or more outcome measures (M).

1. Promote teaching excellence.

a. Update physical classroom facilities to better accommodate instruction and learning.

S: Modify existing classroom space to better accommodate technology, group work, etc.

M: Document modifications.

b. Incorporate technology where appropriate in the curriculum.

S: Provide technological capability to classrooms and instructors who require it.

M: Document equipment acquisitions.

S: Encourage faculty to use computers more extensively for in-class demonstration and presentations and for out-of-class student assignments where appropriate.

M: Survey faculty needs for and uses of technology.

M: Note innovations listed in faculty annual reports.

c. Encourage team taught and cross-functional courses and other teaching innovations.

S: Review course content to identify courses that might benefit from team and/or cross-functional teaching and/or other innovations, identify faculty interested in these activities, and match up opportunities with interests.

M: Document number of courses using team or cross-functional teaching and degree of use in each.

M: Document number of teaching innovations listed in faculty annual reports.

d. Provide more useful feedback to the faculty for use in improving teaching.

S: Monitor the effectiveness of the student rating of teaching process.

M: Document the usefulness of the student rating of teaching process as perceived by college faculty and administration.

S: Identify and implement feedback mechanisms other than student ratings of teaching.

M: Document the mechanisms implemented or recommended.

M: Survey faculty to identify usefulness of the new mechanisms and course improvements made in response to them.

2. Revitalize faculty and staff.

a. Enhance faculty and staff support.

S: Expand funding opportunities in support of teaching excellence.

M: Document funding in support of teaching excellence.

S: Establish a College of Business research grant program.

M: Document establishment of the program, funds dispersed, and resulting research.

S: Establish an international travel grant to provide support for faculty to travel abroad, possibly in conjunction with the Faculty Development Leave or Fulbright Scholarship programs.

M: Document establishment of the program, funds dispersed, and resulting faculty development.

S: Encourage faculty mentoring.

M: Document the number of participants.

S: Establish a staff development program.

M: Document establishment of the program and number of participants.

S: Improve the faculty and staff orientation processes.

M: Document changes in the orientation processes.

b. Take steps to improve faculty and staff morale.

S: Increase the number of award/recognition mechanisms available to faculty and staff. Possible additions include a College of Business research award, department or discipline teaching awards, and employee of the year award.

M: Document establishment of the mechanisms and the number of faculty and staff receiving awards/recognition.

S: Simplify reporting requirements, such as by having reports generated from existing documents whenever possible.

M: Document procedural changes implemented.

c. Increase diversity in faculty and staff.

S: Intensify efforts to recruit faculty and staff in under-represented demographic groups.

M: Document recruiting efforts and results.

S: Intensify efforts to recruit faculty with degrees from institutions outside the State of Texas.

M: Document recruiting efforts and results.

S: Intensify efforts to recruit faculty with appropriate academic qualifications combined with non-academic professional experience relevant to the teaching assignment.

M: Document recruiting efforts and results.

3. Improve relations with students and other stakeholders.

a. Improve student recruitment.

S: Intensify efforts to recruit students in under-represented demographic groups.

M: Document recruiting efforts and results.

S: Intensify efforts to recruit students with high academic credentials.

M: Document recruiting efforts and results.

S: Increase the number and value of scholarships available to undergraduate and graduate business students (see also #4).

M: Document the numbers and values of scholarships available by category.

S: Create and advertise an evening/weekend BBA program for one or more majors and expand evening/weekend offerings in support of the program.

M: Document creation of the program and publicity.

M: Document enrollment in evening/weekend courses.

b. Improve student retention.

S: Improve communications concerning academic performance requirements with new students and with those having academic difficulties.

M: Document changes in advising and other communications processes for both new students and those on academic probation and suspension.

M: Document the percentages of students moving from (1) good standing to probation; (2) probation to suspension; (3) probation to good standing; and (4) suspension to good standing.

S: Increase business student participation in SFA 101 or an equivalent preparatory class, perhaps by offering special business-oriented sections.

M: Document any program changes along with number(s) of business students participating.

S: Survey students who change their major from business to something else or who discontinue their education to find out the reasons why.

M: Document survey results and actions taken in response to them.

c. Broaden opportunities for and recognition of student success.

S: Increase the number of business courses offered for honors credit and publicize them.

M: Document the number of courses offered for honors credit and the numbers of students participating.

S: Expand periodic means of recognizing student academic achievement, such as Dean's List, President's List, Beta Gamma Sigma, etc.

M: Document the nature and frequency of recognition events.

d. Expand career-related activities.

S: Work with Career Services to ensure that business students have employment opportunities, are informed of the opportunities, and take advantage of them.

M: Document the number of companies that recruit business students through Career Services (on or off campus).

M: Survey business students and alumni to identify (1) the number who are aware of the opportunities available through Career Services; (2) the number who make use of Career Services; (3) the number who receive job offers, and (4) the average salary of those offers.

S: Increase the delivery of recruitment and interviewing skills.

M: Document the coverage of relevant skills both in and outside classes along with the numbers of students participating.

S: Increase business student participation in internships by recruiting cooperation from appropriate companies and by making students aware of the opportunities.

M: Document the number of students participating in internships.

e. Improve communication with students.

S: Include students on advisory committees, focus groups, etc. as appropriate.

M: Document the numbers of students participating and actions taken in response to student suggestions.

S: Utilize media such as a College of Business Newsletter and improved College of Business World-Wide Web pages (same as in item h below).

M: Document efforts and results.

S: Modify degree plans to be more readable (and possibly more available via on-line posting).

M: Document changes to degree plans and how students access them.

S: Improve student academic advising procedures.

M: Document changes to the advising process.

M: Survey students to identify the effectiveness of academic advising.

f. Increase the ability and motivation of graduates to participate in life-long learning.

S: Identify courses in which skills applicable to life-long learning are most appropriately taught, and emphasize those skills in those courses.

M: Document course content relevant to life-long learning.

S: Encourage faculty, guest speakers, etc. to emphasize the importance of life-long learning to students.

M: Survey students and alumni to identify their attitudes and strides toward life-long learning.

g. Expand student opportunities to see and participate in real-world applications of material taught in the classroom.

S: Review course content to identify courses that might benefit from real-world applications; identify faculty interested in using real-world applications; and match up opportunities with interests.

M: Document number of courses using real-world applications and the degree of use in each.

h. Improve external stakeholder involvement.

S: Expand external stakeholder involvement in advisory councils, guest lectureships, faculty and student internships, etc.

M: Document participation in the various activities.

S: Utilize media such as a College of Business Newsletter and improved College of Business World-Wide Web pages (same as in item e above).

M: Document efforts and results.

S: Encourage financial support from external stakeholders.

M: Document contributions received.

4. Revitalize graduate education.

S: Review the MBA curriculum and implement changes to make it more responsive to stakeholder needs.

M: Document changes to the MBA curriculum.

S: Strengthen relationships with the other graduate programs on campus.

M: List other programs that require or encourage business coursework and document the numbers of students participating.

M: List courses outside the College of Business that could benefit MBA students.

S: Improve the promotion of graduate programs.

M: Document new promotional activities.

S: Improve financial support for graduate students (assistantships, scholarships, funding for research and presentations, etc.; see also #3a).

M: Document the number of students receiving support and the dollar value received.

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