New Academic Programs Task Force Update April, 2013

Why was the New Academic Programs Task Force formed?  State funding continues to decline  Enrollment growth essential  UIS is at a competitive disadvantage in recruitment because it has so few undergraduate programs  Task Force formed to make informed collaborative recommendations for new program priorities

Task Force Structure  voting members and non-voting support staff  voting 4 faculty 3 deans 1 student affairs administrator 1 staff member 1 student  college representation  governance committee linkages

Members  Tim Barnett Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs  Beverly Bunch Professor of Public Administration, College of Public Affairs & Administration Chair of the Campus Planning & Budgeting Committee  Patty Byrnes Associate Professor of Economics, College of Business & Management Chair of the Committee on the Assessment of Student Learning  Jim Ermatinger Dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences  Rebekah Grosboll Online Coordinator Undergraduate General Education Advisor for the College of Public Affairs & Administration  Brian Kahn Assistant Professor of Teacher Education, College of Education & Human Services Member of Undergraduate Council  Linda McCown Associate Professor of Clinical Laboratory Science, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Member, Committee on Admissions, Recruitment, & Retention  Ron McNeil Dean of the College of Business & Management  Will Miller Interim Dean of the College of Public Affairs & Administration  Jinger Sanders UIS Student

SupportStaff Support Staff  Cecilia Cornell Faculty Associate, Provost’s Office  Tammy Craig Director of Career Services  Lori Giordano Interim Director of Admissions  Monica Kroft Administrative Assistant to the Provost  Stephen McMinn Clinical Assistant Professor, Brookens Library Director of Collections & Scholarly Communications for the Library  Karen Moranski Associate Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate Education  Ray Schroeder Associate Vice Chancellor for Online Learning Director of the Center for Online Learning, Research, & Service  Aaron Shures Associate Provost and Director of Budget & Financial Analysis

Background  Call to faculty and academic professionals for ideas  Focus on prioritizing new programs that require new resources  Does not replace governance process for curriculum approval  Task Force members encouraged to be innovative and open to new ideas  Process both creative and data-driven

Programs Considered  Close to 80 initial submissions  Additional suggestions received  Not all were academic majors  Some already under development  Some didn’t require new resources for start-up  Task Force members could add to list

Task Force Charge  Develop a prioritized list of viable new academic programs, at the undergraduate level, that will contribute to enrollment growth and academic excellence at the University of Illinois at Springfield  Ideal academic programs will: – provide preparation for occupations in demand at local, regional, and/or national levels for the foreseeable future – meet high demand from prospective undergraduate students – fit well with the UIS mission, vision, and location – contribute to UIS’ reputation as a premier regional university – generate enrollment growth

Task Force Process  Identified relevant factors & data needed  Organized suggested program list  Separated out program proposals not needing new resources  Reviewed relevant data  Considered program possibilities  Ranking of programs  No program ideas discarded

Ratings, Ratings, & More Ratings  Close to 80 suggestions were received from faculty, academic professionals, and others – not all suggestions were clear majors or degree programs  Task Force started with basic rating template – tool for assessing collective view – Evolved through five phases based on Task Force discussions and suggestions  Meetings involved review of aggregate ratings, data, discussion  No ideas discarded

Data Considered  Admissions data on majors requested (student demand)  State documents on higher education  Reports from Springfield Chamber of Commerce on economic development strategies  Chicago plan for economic growth & jobs  Linkages between majors and occupations  Occupational outlook at state and national levels  Salaries (by major, by entry-level positions)  Regional competitors  Preliminary cost/revenue considerations  Relation to existing academic departments/majors

Short List: Tier 1  Digital/New/Interactive Mass Media  Finance: BBA Concentration  Exercise Science/Athletic Training B.S.  Health Services Administration

Short List: Tier 2  Actuarial Science  Ag Business: BBA Concentration  Environmental Public Health  Nursing R.N.; R.N. to B.S.N.

Some Unanticipated Convergence  February 2011 Enrollment Expansion Retreat Suggestions* – Finance – Marketing – Blended MBA – Liberal Arts coupled with business curricula – Education (elementary ed/early childhood) – Media/journalism/digital media – Critical analysis (data analytics) – Environmental Studies – Public Health – Public Administration *Suggestions in color were either independently advanced by an academic department or also emerged from NAPTF’s work

What’s Next?  Continue consideration of programs in top tiers  Consider campus community input  Formulate recommendations for Year 1 program priorities for implementation  Review list, consider possibilities, and formulate recommendations for Year 2 and Year 3

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Want even more information?  Check out the Frequently Asked Questions link on the Academic Affairs webpages at ning/naptf/