Members Present: Duane C. Anderson, Pamla Armstrong, Ed Brackett, Nick Cheper, Bob Feighner, Kurt Jackson, Linda Mitchusson, Kenneth Moore, Jack Paschall, Chuck Perry, Shirley Talley, Nancy Thomason, Alvin Turner, Bruce Weems

Others Present: Bill S. Cole, Marilyn Cole, Tim Green, Harrell Kennedy, Rebecca Kennedy, Mickey Thompson, Tom Volturo, Gerald Williamson

Recorder: Sue Milner

JOINT SESSION:     PRESIDENT'S CABINET AND ACADEMIC AFFAIRS COUNCIL

PART I       INTRODUCTORY REMARKS

Dr. Cole called the meeting to order at 9:25 a.m., Tuesday, August 11, 1998. He opened the meeting by introducing new regent, Mickey Thompson, and welcoming Council members.

Dr. Anderson gave an overview of the concerns, strengths, and suggestions of the North Central Association (NCA) outlined during their last visit in 1991-92.

Suggestions:

1. Distance Learning: ECU is leading the state in this area. ECU has more than five times the computers as in its previous self-study. This fall, 17 student labs and three interactive television classrooms are in operation.

2. Diversity: In the student population, 20 percent are minority students.

3. Competitive Salary Levels: Current salary levels challenge ECU to explore ways to attract the caliber employee needed in the areas of computer science, accounting, and business administration.

4. Improve Communication: A major step in this area was including the Faculty Senate chair as an ongoing member of the Academic Affairs Council.

5. Function of Personnel and Payroll Offices: Records management is improving this area.

6. Career Placement Services: There is a decline in popularity for Career Fairs. Schools and departments are handling much of the placement. Development of a web page was suggested for students who look up openings in a particular field. Another alternative is the development of the Oklahoma Marketplace. Ms. Kennedy explained the operation of the marketplace and distributed a flyer and a handout with a web site listed (www.pljogjered/org) for the Oklahoma Marketplace. This web page will be available to Oklahoma students and anyone who has an academic record in the state. See the web site above for more information.

7. Disabled Students: ECU continues to be an institution that serves a large number of impaired students. This is becoming a problem because funds are being reduced at the state level; however, this continues to be an important component of ECU's mission.

8. Handbooks: The revision of the faculty handbook is completed.

9. Travel Funds and Sabbatical Leaves: ECU exceeds its peer institutions in its support of faculty travel. Its goal is to support faculty members who are making contributions at professional meetings and those who are making the greatest impact. Professors Harjo, Benya, Joyce, Lockmiller, and Schutter have been on sabbatical leave or leave of absence in past years. Mark Hall is on sabbatical for the 1998-99 academic year.

10. General Education. Completed.

11. Curriculum. Completed and continues.

12. Foundation Support: The ECU Foundation is supporting 85 freshman students this fall with 25+ ACT scores and 400 students are being served. ECU has support for endowed chairs, and lectureships are underway.

Concerns:

1. Assessment Plan: A plan is now in place and functioning.

2. Strategic Plan: A plan is now in place and functioning.

3. Faculty Governance: A Faculty Senate was formed from a Faculty Council. The Senate has a constitution and bylaws.

4. Computer Technology Integration: ECU has invested a vast amount of equipment in technology and expanded library automation, which will be upgraded annually. The computer count of PCs in Academic Affairs last December was 1034.

5. Graduate Faculty: Bylaws for graduate faculty is completed.

6. Academic Organization: ECU made tremendous progress in this area by reorganizing the structure of academic schools.

7. New Programs: ECU has not added new programs but has reactivated certificates and is looking at new options. One option up for proposal is the Human Resources Vocational Rehabilitation Work Adjustment grant.

8. Teaching Load of Deans and Chairs: Teaching loads have been adjusted.

9. Physical Plant: The Campus is beautiful with new construction.

10. Library Faculty and Holdings: Automation is in place and a new building constructed.

11. Instructional Facilities: Will be replaced and remodeled.

Recommendations:

Reports requested were submitted on time and ECU is going into 2001-02 with a clean slate. The next need is to name a Steering Committee and identify a chair and co-chair.

Dr. Cole announced that capital improvement monies will be distributed in October. Capital improvement priorities are the second phases of the old Science Hall Building and remodeling the old Linscheid Library. Telecommunications for the Administration Building are completed. A new project under consideration is a new Fine Arts Building and ten or twelve more projects. Dr. Cole believes ECU can solicit enough monies to complete these projects.

Capital improvements include parking lot overlays and plans for two additional parking lots. Improvement continues in parking accessibility.

Funds are being sought by Dr. Anderson and Ms. Thomason for renovation of Fentem Hall.

In February 1999, the Legislature authorizes a distribution of $160,000,000 in capital monies for various state projects. None have been designated for higher education.

Mr. Feighner gave an overview of applications used on the HP administrative computer. Offices and services included are registry, financial aid, student payroll, student accounts payable, student housing, and recruiting. Programs include public services, building/room inventory, institutional finance, and faculty/staff payrolls. Data residing on other systems are ID, alumni/Foundation, library, student loans (Perkins), and campus network files for display purposes. Mr. Feighner is the director of Computer Services. Additional key personnel are Jim Waller, Jim Benham, and Tom Shannon.

Dr. Anderson distributed a document titled "Institutional Effectiveness Planning Calendars." He pointed out the relationship between the Schools' Five Year Plan, the ECU Academic Plan, and the ECU Strategic Plan. Data flows from one to the other, thus, producing data for an ongoing self-study in preparation for the ten year visit by the accrediting agency (NCA).

Program Review is on a five-year cycle. ECU is in its third cycle of program review. The nursing program's self-study and education's NCATE self-study process will be used in lieu of a program review which will relieve faculty members in those programs from duplication of effort. Legal Studies is the next program to use the accreditation process as replacement for program review. Dr. Anderson believes the program will be accredited.

Dr. Cole reports that competition for state funding grows stronger every day and the focus of federal monies is changing. Federal grants and other external monies have enabled ECU to go forward with its programs and physical plant improvements. Continued effort in capturing external funding is necessary for ECU's growth and maintenance.

Mr. Thompson stated that regional university presidents are doing well in representing universities to the Governor and Legislature. However, he encourages all to be active politically and that Dr. Cole cannot do all that is required by himself. It must be a university community effort. He reminded the Council that Ada has a lot of inherent advantages.

PART I     OPENING COMMENTS/OVERVIEW

Dr. Anderson commented on various topics and reviewed the agenda for the day:

Ms. Thomason announced that Gay Miller is the academic advisor at the Eastern Oklahoma State College branch at McAlester. Four interactive rooms are ready for course delivery.

Gary Diehm, HPER, and David Pike, Mathematics, resigned in the past two weeks. Five faculty positions are unfilled for the fall semester: cartography, criminal justice, rehab counseling, accounting, and family and consumer sciences.

Tables, showing summer school enrollment trends of past five years, indicate a decline in enrollment. Offering a four-week schedule for some lecture courses would allow a more flexible time frame for students. Also, the high cost of summer school must be dealt with.

Dr. Anderson reviewed a ten-year trend in the undergraduate and graduate program major's list. Communication, legal studies, history, social work, and sociology all show increases in the number of majors.

Dr. Anderson referred to various topics in the Academic Plan:

1. The relative percent of Student credit hours produced show an increase in the Schools of Business, Education and Psychology, and Humanities and Social Sciences.

2. The new policy for declaring a major reduced the number of undecided students.

3. Degrees granted in the School of Mathematics and Sciences dropped dramatically.

4. There are revisions in the list of priorities of ECU's institutional goals.

5. Retention plans are in place. Departments are to develop a reporting system.

6. A handout of a draft degree check sheet was distributed for review.

Dr. Anderson discussed the Annual Report:

The Annual Report identifies major policy changes in place. Also a high priority is identifying programs offering the Four Year Degree Plan, and the faculty member that will serve as advisor for those programs. Deans are to send Dr. Anderson a statement on how each degree plan at the undergraduate level will meet the computer proficiency requirement.

Dr. Anderson announced that 65 percent of the ECU teaching faculty holds doctorates. He believes the percentage is the highest among its peer institutions in the Oklahoma system.
 

Enrollment Management

Last spring, Dr. Williamson began designing an enrollment management system. Many components in the management process will touch most schools and faculty. It starts with recruiting students, advising, financial aid, and setting up working groups. Faculty members will be asked to help in various ways.

Teacher Certification Status/NCATE Site Visit

Dr. Anderson stressed that the upcoming NCATE visit is probably the most important visit the School of Education and Psychology will have. Dr. Anderson will request from the OSRHE that the NCATE review be used in lieu of the Program Review process for education programs.

Dr. Moore pointed out the education program has gone through many changes. The Commission has adopted the NCATE standards as Oklahoma standards and added a few others. However, if NCATE standards are met there should be no concern in meeting Commission standards.

Dr. Moore explained the process for review:

1. The standard procedure is program accreditation and unit accreditation.

2. An article will be published in newspapers this fall at least 60 days prior to the review to notify the public that the School is scheduled for review March 27-31. The chair of the review team will review the Education Department and will meet with the President and the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The team will look at standards of the Commission and NCATE.

3. In January, NCATE will request a list of students in each of the teacher education programs from which a random selection of names will be drawn from each program. They will review the portfolios of the selected students beginning and ending the program.

4. Competencies/Programs: Dr. Moore discussed some of the programs and how students would be identified in library media.

5. The team consists of four persons from NCATE, the Oklahoma State Department, Regents' office, and a member from OCTP. This is a full partnership arrangement.

6. In preparation for the visit, certain things must be accomplished: upgrade the student handbook; develop an adjunct handbook; write a minority recruitment plan; development of a new faculty handbook; upgrade policy and procedure handbooks; and develop a PRIME model brochure.

7. Address weaknesses identified in the last visit which include:

a. Adjunct do not meet requirements of full time faculty;
b. Annual report does not provide enough information to respond;
c. Number of minority faculty;
d. Faculty carrying teaching overloads;
e. Excessive work loads;
f. Insufficient number of faculty for courses offered;
g. Library limited in holdings for advanced degrees; and
h. Lack of a knowledge base.

A second area the NCATE team will be reviewing is teaching faculty:

a. do qualifications coincide with what they are teaching;
b. syllabi;
c. scholarly activity;
d. faculty evaluation and how it is used in salary increases and promotion;
e. faculty load;
f. advising;
g. adequate time for scholarly activities; and
h. ratios of total university faculty and teacher education faculty.

Student concerns to be reviewed are the following:

a. diversity;
b. admission criteria to teacher education;
c. graduates;
d. will ask current students in a program about teaching techniques.

Resources to be examined:

a. 20 percent of total budget must go to education;
b. kind of library technology and how funding is determined for different areas;
c. adequate classrooms;
d. office space of faculty;
e. secretarial service.

Ms. Kennedy gave a brief report of an upcoming publication of an in-house newsletter. It will be a pictorial publication giving information on persons in the university community. Topics planned are: faculty accomplishments, new faculty, grants awarded, and changes are a few. The semester publication will go to press in two weeks.

The session was adjourned at 5:00 p.m.

PART III     ASSESSMENT UPDATE

Dr. Jackson distributed several documents for the Council's review: The Assessment Committee's responsibilities and structure; an Assessment Plan/Report Status for each of the degree programs; and An "Institutional Portfolio" Approach to Assessment of General Education. The model is on the web.

Mr. Jackson sees this model as a positive step in improving the assessment process. It removes class interruption for testing; does not depend on student motivation; and replaces the student portfolio with an institutional portfolio. The entire process is transparent to the student and non-intrusive for faculty.

Dr. Jackson reviewed the progress made in the assessment process. Follow up is one problem area in the collection for student outcomes. The person in charge of follow up should know what items are to be in the survey.

Dr. Jackson distributed a handout showing summaries of the four schools' assessment report status. The summaries may be shared with department chairs. The goal is to continually make improvements in the assessment process even though departments may be doing well.

Dr. Anderson reviewed the status of the 1997-98 Goals and Objectives:

1. Retention: A survey of 38 people withdrawing from the university and completing the exit interview through the Academic Advising Center, indicates that ways should be explored to help students. Of the 38 students, 29 said they had jobs while attending the university. Greater attention at the department and school level is needed. Some suggestions were: web tutoring, communicate the accessibility of computers in public libraries, team up student assistants with instructors of freshman seminar classes, offer midterm grades, help students find on campus work, etc.

2. Improve Graduation Rates: This goal is an ongoing process.

3. Academic Advising Center: This will be deleted from the list since an academic advising center will be established as of October 1, 1998.

4. Articulation: ECU will continue improving policies and procedures relative to course articulation with Oklahoma public colleges and universities.

5. 2 + 2 Agreements: There has been no progress in the establishment of formal 2 + 2 articulation agreements. Dr. Anderson has asked Mr. Feighner to give the five deans access to all student transcripts.

6. Evaluating Assessment Program: Substantial progress is needed to maintain assessment plans, integrate assessment data into program reviews, and utilize the Standing Committee to evaluate the assessment program.

7. Professional Development Plans: Departments have developed those plans in their Strategic Plans. The next step is to insure a connection between the plans and resources.

8. Revision of Evaluation Policy: Work will begin this fall on the revision of the faculty evaluation and then submission to the Faculty Senate. The plans and resources will be implemented by 1999-2000 and link to tenure and promotion decisions and the three-year tenure review. The Graduate Committee should review the graduate faculty and coordinate with the three-year tenure review process.

9. Course Delivery: There has been a lot of progress in the delivery of courses.

10. North Central Preparation: Preparation is on schedule for the North Central visit.

11. Technology Plan: Other parts of the institution will be included in the plan.

12. Handbooks: The Faculty Handbook will be distributed early in the fall semester.

Dr. Talley reviewed the new or revised 1998-99 Goals and Objectives:

1-12. These items are unchanged or discussed previously by Dr. Anderson.

13. New Programs, Options, and Minors: Dr. Cole will be sending a letter to the Chancellor that ECU plans to ask for a fifth option in the MS in Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling and Work Adjustment. The option is funded with external monies from a grant containing the start up money for the option. Also being considered is the reactivation of the administration option, MIS in Business. A letter of intent in a forensics program is in development. Dr. Anderson wants to proceed with an Oklahoma studies minor or a Chickasaw studies minor. Also, he wants to explore the development of a M.Ed. in Athletic Administration.

14. Sponsored Programs (Grants): There is a need to seek grant productivity in all schools. The two schools that need to generate grant activity are the School of Education and Psychology, and the School of Business.

Dr. Anderson reminded the council of the start up dates for the fall semester:

(1) Friday, August 14, new faculty workshop;
(2) Monday, August 17, general faculty meeting and dinner in the evening; (3) Tuesday, August 18, regular enrollment from 8:00 to 5:00. The Conference Room 101, Administration Building, will be open from 5:00 to 6:30. Rosters will be run at 5:00. Telephone number 554 is now disconnected and will not be available for class status. There will be no printed list of closed classes. Class enrollment information is on the web and is updated in 15 minutes intervals. The Freshman Rally begins at 6:30 on Tuesday.
(4) Wednesday, August 19, classes begin.
(5) Decision on small classes is scheduled for Thursday morning. Deans should call the Academic Affairs office and make an appointment to see Dr. Anderson.

Other general topics discussed were as follows:

(1) Several departmental web pages are not updated. Faculty or staff need to make some effort in keeping these pages updated.
(2) Deans and department chairs should plan to attend the Advising and Regents' Policy workshop set for 1:00-3:30, October 23 in the Estep Multimedia Center. A new faculty Policy and Advising workshop is scheduled at 1:00, November 6 in the Oklahoma Room.
(3) A committee of deans will be named to develop an adjunct faculty handbook for East Central. Current adjuncts should be well informed on existing policies and procedures.
(4) The computer services staff are overwhelmed with the number of computers to be upgraded. Purchasing was asked to submit a bid with seven days turn around. The first purchase will be for the English Teaching Lab and the School of Business. Orders have been held but are now being released. It will take the majority of the semester to get all installed. A multimedia projector bid will be put out and will do a bulk purchase.
 

Dr. Anderson is pleased with planning efforts. Council members reported the highlights of their Strategic Plans.

Dr. Moore--School of Education and Psychology

Dr. Moore discussed NCATE. The first priority is getting ready for the NCATE visit. He will be calling faculty for information, syllabi, etc.

Decrease of majors in the elementary program must be addressed. There is an expectation of a 40 percent retirement rate of teachers in the next years in Oklahoma and demand for new teachers should increase.

Getting faculty to submit grants has been a problem.

Increased technology requires more staff and administrative help in the dean's office.

Dr. Chuck Perry--Library

The new library was dedicated October 18, 1997. Things have gone well in all areas: increase in materials budget; improved collection development; more is available on line; and full text title is available now.

Kathy Lehman has resigned to take a teaching position in Sulphur Public Schools. The library is planning to get the capability to broadcast video tapes throughout the campus rather than pushing carts up and down hills.

Dr. Perry believes we should be more thoughtful as we go to an all electronic environment. The library is receiving a new revenue of 50 cents per credit hour for a library technology fee. The fee will be budgeted separately and will be used to upgrade library services and technology.

Mr. Ed Brackett--Title III and Grants/Research Information

Title III will be over October 1. Mr. Brackett will be full time as director of the grant's office. Although the year was successful, it was successful in relatively limited areas. It is important to diversify the basis of ECU's funding. Our primary source of information is through subscriptions and a variety of reports. As many as 16 different agencies provide information electronically. On request, Mr. Brackett will provide detailed information relating to grants that he collects from various sources. We joined the ASSCU service, office of Federal Programs, which has a staff in Washington that will do topical searches. There is a real emphasis to have an identifiable connection to economic development and use the approach of the business community of seeking funding in terms of investment.

Mr. Volturo is interested assuring that all money from grants is expended and spent appropriately. He will start looking at costs and purchasing. He believes in the documentation of time and effort reports. He is determined that we comply with requirements that come along with grants.

Dr. Linda Mitchusson--School of Business

The School will continue improving the quality of their programs and maintaining ACBSP accreditation. The School fell short in the percentage needed for faculty with doctorates due to Dr. Harjo being on sabbatical. Dr. Mitchusson believes an MBA would help in maintaining a doctoral faculty. There are now two accreditation options: one is the current approach of measuring input standards; the other is the Baldridge model of focusing upon outcomes. The Governor signed a bill requiring students to earn 150 credit hours to sit for the CPA exam. This involves making sure programs continue to meet requirements for professional accreditation for students.

Other needs include: integrate computer usage into courses; increase availability and use of technology to faculty and students; train faculty to use available technology; and upgrade labs.

Dr. Alvin Turner--School of Humanities and Social Sciences

The School is planning several activities such as: increase departmental and school efforts in contacting area schools; bring students into labs to show them what is available; write every student who wins an award; expand advisement/social meetings across the school; make major efforts to increase on campus exhibits, institutes, etc., and to improve marketing concepts; organize a jazz choir performing group; and increase outside funding through other external sources (not through grants).

Dr. Kurt Jackson--Assessment and Institutional Research

His goal is to fully implement a North Central Associations' assessment plan with general education. This fall will be the next part of general education to be implemented.

Dr. Bruce Weems--School of Mathematics and Sciences

School plans include the following: develop a plan to establish 2 + 2 articulation; improve enrollment situation; and develop the Kerr Chair into a nationally recognized position.

Health Information Management received accreditation in 1996 for seven years. Emphasis will be to review the classroom space and update computer labs.

Cartography accomplished an external curriculum review. The team was from education institutions, industry, and the federal government to design the curriculum to help students as we go into the future. It enabled our own faculty to develop close association with chairs in other institutions.

The introduction of electronic technologies has been a real force for the school. Computer applications will be used in curriculum and programs. Also, will look closely in providing teaching labs for programs that don't have good access to that kind of facility. Other goals are: improve retention and recruitment; provide lab equipment and electronic technology for programs; and link the network to computer science or campus network.

Ms. Pamla Armstrong--Registry

The Registry office is driven by the needs of students and faculty as a support group. Personnel keeps updated on policies by BOROC and OSRHE. It tries to provide quality assistance. It uses professional development to train staff members in Excel programs, etc. Transfer equivalency has been a major undertaking but is in good shape. Hope to include more information on the web that is helpful to students. Other goals are: to improve the physical climate of the office; keep computers updated to serve students; and keep attitudes and efficiency good.

Ms. Nancy Thomason--Continuing Education and Community Services

Continuing education has a different mission. It provides life long learning opportunities; undergirds the resources of the university; provides education opportunities for 19,000 people; has first Learning In Retirement program; provides continuing professional education; updates professional certificates; can provide CPE for anyone; trains individuals for industry; and offers programs for professional areas. Also, it offers training in residential, assisted living, EMT, and administrator training for home health career agencies. The Center does a lot of conferences and will help in writing and submitting proposals and grants.

The Child Development Center is in its tenth year and currently provides quality child care for 82 children. Also, it can serve children with disabilities.

The Center helps with outreach classes. A person has been hired in McAlester to serve our students at the site, help with the OneNet process, and conduct workshops.

The Wellness Center offers an internship for exercise science students. February was its biggest month with a usage count of 6,072. This includes students, faculty and staff, and the community.

Dr. Nick Cheper--Faculty Senate

The Faculty Senate expects to bring concerns from faculty and address issues brought from administration. At the suggestion of the Senate an Advisement Center was established and a direct dialing phone system is being considered. The Senate will continue to work with administration and make sure faculty concerns are brought forward.

Mr. Bob Feighner--Computer Services

Ongoing activities include: installation of wiring, and installation of software and hardware; SPEEDE will be installed by April 1; transfer equivalency is computerized; little progress for degree check; and, finishing the software installation in the Business Office. Mr. Feighner has little concern about the effects of the year 2000. The Hope Scholarship reporting is a big task. Two items to consider are that some network software is showing its age and GroupWise needs some scrutiny.

Dr. Jack Paschall--School of Graduate Studies

The Graduate School has five major goals. (1) maintain graduate enrollment (2) maintain post graduate work with addition of school superintendent, school psychologist, and school psychometrist certificates; (3) develop alternative delivery system; (4) expand offerings at Ardmore; (5) be more proactive in meeting certification and licensure and expand LPC requirement for 2000. In the fall, will do an extensive expansion in masters of education.

Dr. Shirley Talley--Academic Affairs Dr. Talley is calling for professional development activities. She needs the title, brief description, place, time, and presenter.

Dr. Anderson thanked all for their participation and adjourned the meeting at 12:40 p.m.

Duane C. Anderson
Vice President for Academic Affairs .