New Academic Programs Task Force Update

1. New Academic Programs Task Force Update April, 2013

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. SupportStaff • 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

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

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

14. 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

15. 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

16. Comments? • Share now or • Send later to http://go.uis.edu/NAPTFCampusComments

17. Want even more information? • Check out the Frequently Asked Questions link on the Academic Affairs webpages at http://www.uis.edu/academicaffairs/planning/naptf/