Provost’s Address to the University Senate December 13, 2004

Necessity’s Sharp Pinch - King Lear

Necessity’s Sharp Pinch To wage against the enmity o' the air; To be a comrade with the wolf and owl,-- Necessity's sharp pinch! - King Lear (Act II)

Make A Virtue of Necessity - Robert Burton

Undergraduate Enrollment Growth A First Look at Possible Effects

Recent Trends: Fall 2001 to Fall 2004 Headcount: 17,284 to 18,492 7% increase Freshman Class: 3,037 to 3,961 30% increase

Student Experience: Average Class Size by Level

Student Experience: Small, Medium, Large Distribution Full-Time Freshmen (FTF) Comparison of student schedules based on size of classes  small = 30 or less  medium =  large = 100+ Fall 2001 and Fall 2004 schedules

Full-Time Freshmen Enrolled In at least 1 Class In at least 2 Classes In at least 3 Classes In 4 or more Classes With a Class Size of or less to or more Student Experience: Small, Medium, Large Distribution

Student Experience: Based on Class Size Little change in likelihood that FTF will have at least 1 small, 1 medium, and 1 large class 15 point increase in likelihood that FTF will have 2 or more large classes Over one-half have at least 3 small classes Only 15% of FTF have 3 or more large classes FTF are 9 times more likely to have 4 or more small classes than to have 4 or more large classes

Student Satisfaction: Advising My Advisor spent sufficient time with me was accessible when I needed help is someone I would recommend to other students NOTE: On a scale of 1 to 5 where 1=strongly disagree and 5=strongly agree.

Student Satisfaction: Engagement UK Fresh UK Fresh Pub. Doc. Fresh UK Senior 2001 UK Senior 2003 Pub. Doc. Senior 2003 Level of Academic Challenge Active/Collaborative Learning Student-Faculty Interactions Enriching Educational Experiences Supportive Campus Environment

Student Satisfaction: Quality of Instruction Items Overall quality of instruction – faculty Quality of instruction by TAs Individual attention from instructors Willingness of faculty to meet with students NOTE: On a scale of 1 to 4 where 1=poor and 4=excellent.

TCE Comparison: Strategy for Selecting Courses Level: fall 2001 total enrollment ≥ 200 Average class size increase ≥ 25% Level: fall 2001 total enrollment ≥ 15 Average class size increase ≥ 50%

TCE Comparison: Selected Growth Courses Level Results: BIO152, CHE104, COM101 & CS101 HIS104, PHI120 & MA213 PHY231 & PHY Level Results: 28 courses 5 colleges (AG, AS, BE, ED, EN)

TCE Results: Level Selected Growth Courses Items Fall 2001Fall 2002Fall 2003 Graded papers returned promptly 3.3 Helpful comments on graded papers 2.9 Course material presented effectively 3.2 Instructor available outside class Class participation encouraged Overall quality of teaching Overall value of course NOTE: On a scale of 1 to 4 where 1=poor and 4=excellent.

TCE Results: Level Selected Growth Courses Items Fall 2001Fall 2002Fall 2003 Graded papers returned promptly Helpful comments on graded papers Course material presented effectively Instructor available outside class Class participation encouraged 3.3 Overall quality of teaching Overall value of course NOTE: On a scale of 1 to 4 where 1=poor and 4=excellent.

Student Satisfaction: Learning Outcomes Student ratings of change in ability to.... Spring 2002 (N=1411) Spring 2003 (N=2060) Spring 2004 (N=2045) Write (effectively) Make effective oral presentations Use statistics and mathematical reasoning Appreciate the arts Understand methods in science NOTE: On a scale of 1 to 5 where 1=Much weaker and 5=Much stronger.

Grades: Level Selected Growth Courses Percent enrolled that received --Fall 2001Fall 2002Fall 2003 A 29.8%29.5%25.7% B 27.7%29.5%30.8% C, P 19.3%18.9%21.3% D, E, W 23.1%22.0%22.2%

Grades: Level Selected Growth Courses Percent enrolled that received --Fall 2001Fall 2002 Fall 2003 * A 35.4%36.6%37.1% B 38.7%37.0%34.7% C, P 14.9%16.5%16.4% D, E, W 10.8%9.8%10.7% * There were 16 Incompletes in fall 2003 – 1% of total grades assigned.

Entering Freshmen and Retention Rate

First Semester GPA of Entering Freshmen Percent enrolled that received -- Fall 2001Fall 2002Fall Year Change %23.7%26.1% %24.6%24.9% %17.8%17.2% %15.4%14.3% %8.2%6.6% < %10.2%10.8%

Necessity, the Mother of Invention - George Farquhar

New Academic Initiatives Reorganization of Enrollment Management Team Center For Undergraduate Excellence Expansion of the Honors Program Reform Undergraduate Studies Program (USP) Enhanced Teaching Resources for Undergraduate Education Committee on Academic Priorities Winter Intersession Provost Workgroup on International Affairs & Public Policy Provost Workgroup on Multimedia Studies The Commonwealth Collaboratives

Center Organization Discovery Seminar Program The Honors Program Living-Learning Communities Office of Undergraduate Research Office of Study Abroad The Gaines Center for the Humanities Office of External Scholarships The Intercollegiate Debate Program

Goals Center for Undergraduate Excellence Strengthen the individual programs within the Center Enhance the synergism among programs within the Center Improve the academic profile of the entering class Promote excellence in undergraduate education Prepare our best students for external scholarship competition Prepare our best students for admission to the most prestigious graduate and professional schools in the country

Faculty Issues Recommend Promotion Increments Promotion from Assistant to Associate Increase from $2,600 to $4,000 Promotion from Associate to Full Increase from $3,800 to $5,500

Sabbatical Leave

Sabbatical Leave Policy Encourage more full-year sabbaticals Increased compensation contingent on prior performance

Faculty Title Series Is it time to examine the 4 tenurable title series? Is it time to examine greater use of the differentiated DOE?

Lecturer Faculty Complete Some Unfinished Business Opportunity for advancement to Senior Lecturer Multi-year appointments

Opportunity for Accelerated Advancement Promotion from Assistant to Full Professor Elimination of Associate Professor rank

Commonwealth Collaboratives Institutionalize the connection between scholarship and service Senior faculty leadership for service activities tied to Strategic Plan priorities