Missouri State University

Skip to content Skip to navigation
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Presidential Updates

  • Office of the President
  • Follow Clif on Twitter

Missouri State completes academic program review for productivity

October 29, 2010 by admin

Meyer Library

Meyer LibraryCross-posted from Missouri State News

As part of a statewide plan to ensure higher education resources are being used to their maximum, the Missouri Department of Higher Education (MDHE), under the direction of the Coordinating Board for Higher Education (CBHE), has conducted a statewide review of academic programs at the four-year public institutions. A review of programs at two-year public institutions is expected to begin soon.

The purpose of the review is to identify those programs that do not meet three-year graduation minimums: an average of 10 per year for undergraduate, an average of five per year for master’s level and an average of three per year for doctoral level. Academic programs are identified by a Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code. The programs being reviewed are at the 4-digit classification code.

Based on this, all public universities were provided a list of “low-completer” programs and asked to complete an “information and justification” form for each. The required form included a number of options, ranging from voluntary elimination to challenging the data cited by MDHE.

Missouri State response

There were 18 Missouri State University programs identified on the low-completer list. That list is below with the action for each identified.

Under the direction of Provost Belinda McCarthy, the college deans worked with their department heads and faculty to determine the best course of action in each case. That review has concluded and the report is ready to submit to MDHE by the deadline of Friday, October 29.

In some cases, programs will be deleted after all students currently in the programs complete their degrees. In some of those cases, students will have the opportunity in the future to take a minor or concentration in the area of study that formed the basis of the former degree. In some cases, collaborations have been or will be established with other universities so that Missouri State can share resources in the offering of degrees. In some areas, the deans have recommended putting the program on a watch list, requiring the program to boost enrollments and graduates within a specified period of time; if the program is not successful, it will be voluntarily terminated by the college.

Should you have questions about Missouri State’s low-completer list and the actions recommended for each, contact Dr. Belinda McCarthy, provost, at (417) 836-5519.

Degree type Low-completer program provided to MSU by MDHE MSU response by option number
Baccalaureate Emerging Technologies Mgmt. (Comprehensive) 1
Baccalaureate Antiquities 1
Baccalaureate Philosophy 4, 5, 12 (Development Plan)
Baccalaureate Geology 5, 12 (Development Plan)
Baccalaureate Physics 5, 12 (Development Plan)
Baccalaureate Engineering Physics* 1
Baccalaureate Public Administration 1
Baccalaureate Musical Theatre 6, 7, 10, 12 (Development Plan)
Baccalaureate Dance** 1
Baccalaureate Clinical Laboratory Sciences – Medical Tech 7, 8, 12 (Development Plan)
Masters Plant Science 6, 8, 10, 12 (Development Plan)
Masters Engineering Mgmt (offered by UMR) 1
Masters Project Management 3
Masters Cell and Molecular Biology 8, 10, 12 (Development Plan)
Masters Mathematics 12 (Development Plan)
Masters Chemistry 8, 10, 12 (Development Plan)
Masters Geospatial Sciences in Geography & Geology 8, 10, 12 (Development Plan)
Masters Materials Science 8, 10, 12 (Development Plan)
Masters Theatre 10, 12 (Development Plan)

Footnotes

*The department plans to delete engineering physics (the stand alone degree) and create a new engineering and bio-physics option in what is now the physics major.

**The department plans to delete the BFA Dance (the stand alone degree) and create a new Dance option in what is now the BFA in Theatre.

MDHE key

  1. Program has been or will be voluntarily terminated
  2. MDHE data are inaccurate; program meets criteria/standards for productivity
  3. New program approved within the past five years and is exempt from program review process
  4. Program is critical to mission and will be retained
  5. Program contains courses that support general education and/or other programs
  6. Interdisciplinary program
  7. Program shares a substantial number of courses and faculty with other similar programs
  8. Student or employer demand, or demand for intellectual property is high and external funding will be jeopardized by program closure
  9. Program provides unique access to an underserved population or geographical area
  10. Program meets a unique need in the region, state, or nation
  11. Joint/consortium program in which combined number of graduates meets productivity standards
  12. Other (Developmental Plan to increase completion rate with specific date for results)

Filed Under: Cofer, Financial Outlook Tagged With: CBHE, low-completer programs, MDHE, Provost

Dear Colleague Vol. 1, No. 2

October 6, 2010 by admin

Students walking

Thank you to those who took time to come to the State of the University address yesterday (Tuesday, October 5). For those who weren’t able to attend, I invite you to hear the audio of the address on the website. Within a few days, a video version also will be available online.

I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the expressions of support and sympathy we received following the passing of Deborah’s mother, Doris Jones. Both Deborah and I are touched and overwhelmed by your thoughtfulness. It made us feel very much at home, and demonstrated once again that Missouri State University truly is a big school with a big heart.

Nine goals for 2010-11

My address yesterday centered on the nine goals for this year. These goals have been discussed, revised and now affirmed by the Board of Governors. We will be taking the necessary steps to achieve these goals. Again, I refer you to the speech itself for details.

Long-range plan

Carrington HallThe first of the nine goals is to complete the long-range plan. We have now posted the strategic directions for the long-range plan (2011-16) on the website. This document is the synthesis of the good work that has been done by the more than 100 members of the seven work groups.

I need to emphasize again that this is the current draft. It is a work in progress. In the coming weeks, our intent is to reduce and further focus these so that we have a select number of meaningful strategic directions. We want your help in that process.

So, I invite you to review that document and provide feedback how best to further refine this list. We also will seek your feedback on the first full draft of the plan and throughout the process.

Our target timeline calls for us to present a first draft to the Board of Governors at its December meeting and then get final Board approval in February 2011, but we are prepared to adjust the timeline so we have the time it takes to complete this process. We will seek input from the campus community, our alumni, the community, and others throughout this process in order to develop the best plan possible.

Again, it is crucial that we look beyond the horizon as we develop our long-range plan. The goal is to describe the University we will develop for the students who are in grade school and middle school today. It is simultaneously an exciting and daunting responsibility.

Budget process

Students walking

Finally, also as promised, I am providing the details of the budget process we will follow every year.

For fiscal year 2012, we do not have specific numbers, but we do know our state appropriations will be reduced. We will launch the process, lay the knowledge foundation, and then address the specific numbers as soon as we have the specifics. I know the process will be hard and slow and messy and, at times, frustrating. But in the end, we will have a better budget than we would without this process. We need to take full advantage of the intellect and concern for Missouri State that exists on this campus as we face the budget challenges that confront us over the next 2-3 years.

The progress of the budget committees will be documented and posted on a website that we will develop. I expect that the members of these committees will be named no later than October 15 and begin their work soon thereafter.

Low-completer programs

Srong hallAs I indicated to you in my speech, the state’s leadership in Jefferson City has initiated a process to look at “low-completer programs,” defined by the Department of Higher Education (DHE) and the Coordinating Board for Higher Education (CBHE) as those undergraduate programs that average fewer than 10 graduates over three years and those graduate programs that average fewer than 5 graduates over three years. The key question that has yet to be answered is: At what program level are these to be evaluated?

Provost McCarthy, with the other chief academic officers in the state, is working with the Department of Higher Education to clarify the criteria, the process, and the timeline for reporting on low-completer programs. The Department of Higher Education will develop the list of low-completer programs. Then, Dr. McCarthy and her staff will work with the Deans to develop responses with their department heads and faculty. We will make changes where it makes sense, but we also will defend our programs and the work you do here.

We will keep you informed as this process moves forward.

Transparency and inclusiveness

Student and staff interactionI promised you transparency and inclusiveness. You will get both. I can promise you that this style will be messy and frustrating at times. There will be suggestions we accept, there will be suggestions that we reject, and there will be suggestions we improve. We will discuss and debate all suggestions; no suggestion is a fait accompli. In the end, I also can promise you that the long-range plan and budget decisions we come up with will be better because of the process. It will be “our budget,” not “my budget.”

I am reminded of an observation by Ronald Heifetz in his book “Leadership without Easy Answers:”

“In a crisis we tend to look for the wrong kind of leadership. We call for someone with answers, decision, strength, and a map of the future, in short someone who can make hard problems simple.

“Instead of looking for saviors, we should be calling for leadership that will challenge us to face problems for which there are no simple painless solutions – problems that require us to learn in new ways.”

I am anxious to work with you on these important initiatives to help move Missouri State University forward.

 Sincerely,

James E. Cofer, Sr.

President

Filed Under: Cofer, Dear Colleague Letters Tagged With: budget, goals, inclusiveness, long-range plan, low-completer programs

2010 State of the University Address

October 5, 2010 by admin

Dr. James E. Cofer, Sr., presented his first State of the University address:

Proceeding confidently in uncertain times

Tuesday, October 5, 2010, Noon

[youTubeVideo url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ek5RSlSh4_E” width=”640″ height=”386″]
 
[audioUrl url=”http://deimos3.apple.com/WebObjects/Core.woa/FeedEnclosure/missouristate.edu.4898035589.04898035592.4891454310/enclosure.mp3″ desc=”2010 State of the University address”]

Supplemental materials

  • Download the slides that accompanied the speech*
  • Read the speech

Broadcast information

For those who could attend in person, the speech was recorded for replay at 7 p.m. on Oct. 5 on KSMU 91.1, 88.7 in Mountain Grove, 90.3 in West Plains, 98.9 in Joplin, 103.7 in Neosho, and KSMS 90.5 in Branson.

The speech will be televised on Ozarks Public Television at 9:00 p.m. on Oct. 7. Ozarks Public Television is seen in Springfield on Mediacom channel 13. Viewers with over-the-air antennas receive OPT on channel 21.


* You need Adobe Reader to access this file.

Filed Under: 2010, Cofer, Presentations Tagged With: budget, capital campaign, Cofer, diversity, facilities, FY12, IDEA Commons, long-range plan, low-completer programs, State of the University Address

Archives

Categories

Tags

academic affairs action plan athletics benefits Board of Governors bronze bear budget Cofer commencement compensation Coronavirus diversity Einhellig enrollment Executive Budget Committee facilities funding FY12 FY13 FY14 fy15 goals governor homecoming IDEA Commons legislative priorities long-range plan Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame Missouri State Foundation open enrollment Provost public affairs Public Affairs Conference realignment safety salaries Smart staff awards State of the University Address students tent theatre tuition united way Wall of Fame West Plains
Make your Missouri statementMake your Missouri statement
  • Last Modified: June 30, 2011
  • Accessibility
  • Disclaimer
  • Disclosures
  • EO/AA/M/F/Veterans/Disability/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity
  • © Board of Governors, Missouri State University
  • Contact Information
  • Healthcare MRFs