(SLIDE 1) Welcome back to the 2006-2007 academic year! This year we have 78 new faculty who have joined us from all over the country. Steve Warren, who is Chair of Western's Board of Trustees, is also with us this morning. In addition I would like to introduce Bob McMahan, who currently serves as State Science and Technology Advisor.
I hope that you have on your seat belts because it's going to be a heck of a ride! There is a new engine in the University that is called “Erskine” and it has increased both the horsepower and speed of the ship that is the University. In fact, not only has he increased the speed, he is setting a specific course that more closely links the actions of the University of North Carolina to the needs of the people of the state. The course Erskine is setting is very close to the direction we have been taking for the last ten years. From a local standpoint, what is most exciting is that Western has a clear role to play in the state and we are receiving huge support to implement the types of approaches we have been considering for the last couple of years.
At the end of last academic year, I summarized a few of the most critical elements of our next steps and I told you I would elaborate on them more at the beginning of the year. That will be the primary focus of this talk. But first; a bit of housekeeping.
I would like to start by thanking our legislature and the people of North Carolina for their continuing support of their university. In addition to funding enrollment growth, the legislature approved the largest raises for faculty and staff in more than a decade. This will begin to make us more competitive with other states and it should have a very significant impact on morale. Second, the legislature approved the planning money for our new health and gerontological sciences building. This is very important and it will be a major step in developing Western's emerging role in the region's health care system. We already have strong programs, but this building will allow us both to expand enrollment and increase program quality. It also will be the centerpiece of the first neighborhood to be developed as a part of the Millennium Campus.
Additionally, since the Board of Governors approved our campus-initiated tuition request, there also will be additional funds for salaries for faculty and EPA non-faculty. This will allow us to address specific competitiveness questions. Once these funds are distributed, Western should have a much more nationally competitive salary structure.
Now, I know that everyone is concerned with enrollment. It appears that we have made some strides in that our gross headcount should approach 9,000 students this year. The freshman class will be about the same size as last year's and our retention rates for freshman and sophomores could be somewhat better. Of particular note in retention is the work that the advising center has done in contacting students who had dropped out or stopped out to determine what might keep them from re-enrolling. As a result of this work, the number of readmitted students is currently more than double what it was last year. We also are seeing growth in distance education. Dean Pat Brown has provided excellent leadership in this arena and so many faculty members are taking part that we are becoming a state-wide player. We are seeing very significant growth in this form of education and we should anticipate that this growth will continue. That will have implications for much of what we do this year.
I think that you all should be aware that Western is in a very different position than it was a few years ago. So much is happening that is pushing us into the national spotlight. I just want to mention a few of the most significant:
• Our education programs were named “Best in the Nation” by the Association for Teacher Education;
• Our entrepreneurship program was ranked best in the country by the U.S. Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
• Our marching band was selected as one of four finalists for the Sudluf Trophy which is given to the top collegiate marching band in the nation. To be selected as a finalist is to be recognized by professional band directors as one of the top bands in the nation. In fact I like to call them the TBDBA—the best darned band anywhere.
• Our own Smoky Mountain Brass Quintet, composed primarily of faculty members from the Department of Music, has completed two trips to Europe and they now have been booked to play Carnegie Hall. Obviously the old joke still holds: How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice! Congratulations to all of you for this fine accomplishment!
• We have been able to attract some of the most accomplished people in the nation to join our faculty and staff:
• James Smith, the internationally renowned economist is now with Western. He is seen by many as the most accurate economic forecaster in the country and he is widely sought after as a consultant both nationally and internationally.
• Orin Pilkey has joined us from Duke University and is working with us to create a partnership with Duke in research on coastal hazards and development. Orin is arguably the most highly regarded expert in the nation in this field and he came here to work with our own Rob Young. Rob's work took him to Congress where he testified and he also appeared in news media all over the nation;
• Arnie Packer, a world-renowned expert in workforce development, has just agreed to a joint appointment in our Institute for the Economy and the Future in addition to his current appointment at Johns Hopkins. Arnie was assistant secretary of labor under President Reagan; he has just returned to the U.S. from a year-long consulting program with Ghana on developing their national workforce policies.
• Our Legal Counsel, Rich Kucharski, has been developing our program in technology transfer and Rich has established a strong partnership with Wake Forest — which could have the best technology transfer operation in the United States.
• Our Millennium Campus was approved by the Board of Governors and it already is getting attention. This campus is based on the notion of integrating engagement into the very fabric of the university and it is a development that will be watched closely both in the state and nationally;
• Because of the work that the Kimmel School has undertaken, Western has been asked by the Chancellor of UNC Chapel Hill to work with Chapel Hill on the possibility of developing an “innovation system” between the two institutions. The Kimmel School is evolving great strength in applied research and development. The goal of this collaboration will be to link our applied researchers and developers with UNC's basic researchers to see if we can move from research to innovation in a more timely manner;
• The work of John Williams and development of the second outdoor forensic research station in the U.S. has generated news interest all across the nation. It has been carried in LA, by ABC, USA Today and many other outlets. John also was interviewed on WUNC last week while the Board of Governors was meeting. Our forensics work represents a major and significant enterprise that is gaining national attention for Western;
• When I first came to Western I was told that no one would ever give us an endowed professorship—since all our graduates were teachers who couldn't afford this level of giving. That proved to be wrong. As of this week, Western has 21 eminent endowed professorships either fully funded or contracted. Of the sixteen campuses in the UNC system, only UNC-Chapel Hill, NC -State and UNC-Charlotte have more endowed professorships than Western.
• Our Honors College started with 73 students in 1996. This year it will have over 1250 students with an average entering SAT that has risen 40 points in two years. In fact, they now have exceeded both their original enrollment and admissions targets. We wanted an honors college that was larger than the smallest institution in our athletics conference and also with a higher admissions standard—both have been achieved and I want to again thank Dean Brian Railsback and the entire faculty who made this possible.
You have accomplished so much and you have so much to be proud of. But Western has not yet achieved its potential. And, the future of this university has never been brighter. Now; to the work of the year.
Last academic year I laid out a ten year vision for what Western should accomplish and how we should respond to changing international and global conditions. That talk is still on the Web so I will not repeat it here. If you were not present last year, I would encourage you to take a look at the slides that punctuated the talk. The core issues that we face were highlighted in last year's address, and those directions are still current.
One big thing has changed, however, and that is the direction and approach of the UNC system. I referred to this change in my opening paragraph, but I can tell you that this is my 33 rd year in higher education and I have never seen anything like this. There is a real effort—starting with Jim Phillips who is the new chair of the Board of Governors—through the Board, to Erskine Bowles, and to the Board of Trustees at Western to focus the University of North Carolina in general and Western specifically on the emerging needs of the people of the state. Western is receiving more support than it ever has in its history. At the same time, the expectations for Western are very, very high. In many ways, Western is positioned to be the “beta test site” for the UNC system in critical areas. I want to spend a few minutes elaborating on this topic because it must drive our priorities and expectations.
First, through Jim Phillips' leadership, the Board of Governors is engaged in a far-ranging analysis of the relationship between the needs of the people of the state and the actual focus and missions of the constituent institutions. It is absolutely my belief that this will result in a clarification of missions of the various institutions; modification of the funding formulae; and clear expectations with regard to outcomes. (SLIDE 2) On the screen behind me you see a copy of the letter that Erskine sent to all chancellors regarding this study with the key sentence highlighted.
Second, I see the system moving to a position where it controls fewer inputs and creates less bureaucracy while at the same time increasing significantly the expectations with regard to outcomes. There is currently a study underway of university efficiency that will result in some significant cost savings on the administrative side of the house. Erskine is reducing the system office's expenditures by 10 percent including elimination of senior administrative positions. On the campuses, I would anticipate that there will be some differences in how we do business. At the same time, I would also anticipate that this conversation will result in Western seeking to reduce its own bureaucracy.
Academic programs were specifically excluded from the analysis at this stage. However, given the emphasis on using the people's resources well, I would anticipate that all universities will be expected to examine their array of programming and to support programs that have both enrollment potential and strong impact on achieving the institution's specific mission.
(SLIDE 3) Third, there is a great deal of interest and concern both at the Board of Governors level and with the President with regard to undergraduate retention and graduation rates. Quite simply, they are dissatisfied with where the system is with regard to these two variables and they expect improvement. Given our retention and graduation rates, this is a very important local issue.
These are the three system-wide issues that will have most immediate impact on Western: (SLIDE 4)
1. The review of the needs of the people;
2. The efficiencies study;
3. Increasing retention and graduation rates.
There also are several local opportunities that have resulted from interactions with Erskine. First, when I arrived in Cullowhee in the summer of 1995, then President Dick Spangler gave me three goals: (SLIDE 5)
• Grow the University;
• Increase its Quality; and,
• “Do something for that region.”
Since no one had changed these instructions in the intervening years, I continued to work to implement Dick's instructions. Well, this year was my year to be evaluated by the Board of Trustees and the President. In response to my self-evaluation, I received a long letter from Erskine that was very kind regarding the work that Western had accomplished and he re-affirmed the three directions that Dick had identified more than 11 years ago: 1) grow the university; 2) improve its quality; and 3) focus on regional needs. He specifically highlighted the need for Western to: (SLIDE 6)
• Set aggressive enrollment and retention goals and to do everything possible to meet them;
• Continue to focus attention on the economic development of the Western region of the state since we will play such an important role in its future; and,
• Continue to improve the quality of our academic programs with particular emphasis on continuing to increase the quality of our faculty.
In addition to his letter of evaluation, Erskine also spent a day on campus early in the summer. This was a very important day for Western. In the morning, Paul Evans and I presented to Erskine the basic findings of the book manuscript that we had completed with regard to economic development and higher education. This work highlights approaches to teaching and to research and development that align with changing global conditions. At least half a dozen times during that presentation, Erskine commented by saying “well, what's stopping you?” Clearly, he is supportive of our implementing the types of plans that we have been developing at Western for the last several years. In the afternoon, Erskine heard presentations from Duane Dunlap with regard to Western's approaches to engineering education and from Pat Brown with regard to distance education. Again, he repeated the comment, “well, what's stopping you?” He followed up Duane's presentation by providing us funding for two years for 1.5 faculty members in engineering if we match that funding. He is very interested in us finding several senior engineering faculty members with strong interests in business development and intervention. Also, because of Pat Brown's presentation, Western is now clearly at the table with regard to the state's plans for distance education. This too is critical and will do nothing but help us.
Erskine's messages to Western are very clear: grow as a substantial, high quality regional university that focuses on development of the Western region. Set goals and standards, be aggressive, but achieve the goals you set. He clearly is supportive, and he has created an environment in which we can achieve and become a very different type of university. It is my belief that he is buying in to the re-positioning of Western with regard to changing global conditions. We can with this support truly become a national leader in creating a university for the 21 st century. The timing could not be better—both in terms of what is happening in the nation and in the state. But, it means that many of the key decisions we have to make this year will need to be made relatively quickly and that, in some instances, the approaches we will take will be very different from what has been traditional in universities since the 19 th century. I will go so far as to say that much of what we think of as the long-term nature of higher education is changing, will continue to change, and it will be very different from the ways in which business has been done for the last 150 years.
I now want to turn for just a minute to the nature of what is happening externally to the university. Last year I spent time discussing international trends and globalization. As I mentioned earlier, Paul and I have just completed a draft of a book manuscript on economic development and higher education. In preparing that book, what became increasingly clear (SLIDE 7) is that there are two simultaneous processes happening with regard to the global economy. Internationally, globalization of the economy will drive demand. That is well understood. Inside the United States, however, productivity and competitiveness will not be based on states or the nation, but on naturally occurring economic regions. These two processes are globalization and regionalization. They are Janus headed processes that represent two sides of the same pattern. Within the United States, then, regions will be the bases for economic competitiveness and they will be the geographic units around which increasingly other elements of society will organize.
This notion of regionalization is not new, but the data on the nature of regions is changing rapidly. (SLIDE 8) Behind me is a map that was developed by the Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech in conjunction with the Brookings Institution. What their research is showing is that the U.S. economy is evolving into ten “super regions.” It is expected that over the next forty to fifty years, these ten regions will represent the ten dominant economic engines of the nation.
While this trend has significant sociological, cultural, political, and economic implications, the local impact is even more significant. (SLIDE 9) I want to focus for a minute on one of these super regions, the Southern Piedmont Megalopolis. The patterns in this super region might be something of a surprise to you. For those of you who are not overly comfortable analyzing maps, Western Carolina University is highlighted by—what else—a purple star. As you can see, Western is very close to the geographic center of this megalopolis. Moreover, given the structure of the trade zone, Cullowhee and all of southwestern North Carolina occupy an “economic central place.” That is, just looking at the degree of urbanization you can see that the economic center of the megalopolis is Atlanta. In fact, there are more Fortune 500 companies headquartered in Atlanta than in the entire state of North Carolina . So, because of the location of the core economic engine of the super region, and because of trade patterns, this part of the state is quite economically central. According to traditional approaches to economic geography and sociological human ecology, one can expect the value of central places to increase and for the population to grow. In fact, the Metropolitan Institute projects that because of its centrality, this region will fill in.
Now, this should not be a surprise to anyone who has looked at land values. Last year I shared with you a couple of slides regarding changes in median land values between 1990 and 2000. (SLIDE 10) As you will see, in 1990, most of the area in this region had a value below national averages; (SLIDE 11) by 2000 that had changed. At the same time, (SLIDE 12) if you look at urban places in the region in 1990, most of the areas immediately surrounding Cullowhee were rural; (SLIDE 13) by 2003, when metropolitan and micropolitan areas were considered, one cannot drive very far without passing through an urbanized area. This has affected land values in the county as well as the population. I have been told, for example, in the Cashiers area, for example, the average selling price of a home is about $800 thousand and I was told by a realty agent last week that a lake front lot at Lake Glenville now costs about $750 thousand unimproved. (In fact, one colleague just informed me that a house that they purchased at Lake Glenville in 1991 for $135,000 just appraised for $970,000.) You also know about the developments at Bear Lake and Balsam Mountain Preserve. Word is that both of those developments are progressing well and I understand that there has been a portable concrete plant installed at Bear Lake to handle the volume of construction. Many of you may also be aware that another company just completed purchase of 5,000 acres starting near the Moody Bridge. For any of you who don't know where that is, the Moody Bridge is about ten minutes south of the University. The company announced last week that they are beginning development of a series of gated communities, a golf course, and a spa beginning in October. Clearly, and like it or not, the area around Western is changing and changing rapidly—much in line with expectations based on the Virginia Tech/Brookings analyses.
All of this is to say that Western is in a very different position than it was ten or eleven years ago when Dick Spangler gave me my goals. But, what the changes in the situation allow is for the University to leverage the growth in economic activity in this area to help it achieve its potential. The stars have truly aligned: we have a supportive Board of Governors, a supportive President, a Board of Trustees that wants us to get things done and a region that increasingly can support the types of enterprises that can provide a high quality of life for its residents. The time for Western is clearly now and our future can be very bright indeed. It will take some critical work on all of our parts. Now; it is time to turn to the work of the year.
First, we must focus on enrollment and retention. This is a very high priority for the system and we cannot fail to do our part. Enrollment is based on good marketing of the university but it is even more critically related to the quality and mix of academic programs. Generally, we have the right mix. Over the last several years we have improved our programming, but we have some additional work to accomplish: (SLIDE 14)
• We have made great strides in assuring that programs can be completed in four years. We need to keep working on this issue.
• We need to continue to develop distance education options. One key area that needs attention is how we offer general education for distance education. As we become bigger players in distance education we must make sure that we can offer all courses that a student will need.
These are two basics that we must continue to improve upon. We will increasingly be held accountable for our four-year graduation rates so our programs must fit within a four-year time frame. These are all local issues that we can handle and we must move forward on them. I am asking Kyle Carter and the deans to continue to work on these issues.
Second, increasingly traditional and non-traditional undergraduates can be expected to enroll in community colleges before attending universities. It is very important that our academic programs make it possible for students to graduate in four years even if they started at a community college. Dean Michael Dougherty and Fred Hinson have been working with one of our community college partners to create a specific transfer articulation agreement in elementary education. We need to complete this agreement and create a significant number of others. These specific agreements do not interfere with the general articulation agreement that allows students to transfer upon completion of an associate's degree. What they do is to help the student take exactly the right courses so that they can complete the major in a timely manner. Since the community colleges have a common course numbering system, making sure that there is a link between our curricula and that of a particular community college will provide models that can be used by all community colleges across the state.
Third, we need to engage in a detailed analysis of the linkage between programs and enrollment. This is not a new issue but it is increasingly important. A number of our traditional programs—English is the prime example—have been able to increase significantly their number of majors by focused recruitment and by helping students understand how they can use an English major to accomplish their broader goals involving their careers and lifestyles.
Fourth, we need to begin implementing the QEP. The theme of Western's QEP is “synthesis.” It specifically addresses the nature of synthetical education that is required if a region, and through the region the nation, is to be globally competitive. The work of the QEP committee was outstanding and my thanks go to Carol Burton and her SACS team for developing such an important and clear academic focus.
Through their work, the SACS committee is giving life to the type of education I discussed in my opening last year. Those of you who were here may recall that I discussed “career-based education.” The language of synthetical education is much, much better. There is often a confusion of career education with vocational education and nothing could be further from the truth.
(SLIDE 15) Last spring I presented a model of education derived from the emerging literature on 21st Century educational skills. This model was based on a stair-step metric that moved from vocational training to vocational education, subject-matter based education, analytical skill based education; and finally synthetical education.
Synthetical education involves linking subject matter mastery/methodology/and theory with practice and reflection. It is the basis of the QEP. It is not possible to expect students to synthesize knowledge and to be able to apply it without also providing them opportunities to work with that knowledge in real settings. Thus, having internships, semester-long co-op placements, and strong mentored research experiences integrated within their academic program are critical components. At the same time, integrating knowledge and linking that knowledge to strong values such as citizenship, and responsibility requires the student both to have a strong academic grounding and a sense of ethics. To develop these higher order skills requires structured meaningful reflection that causes the student to create linkages between academic expectations and their experiences. Thus real synthesis is composed of knowledge, structured experience, and reflection.
During the summer we were required to submit expansion budget requests for the next biennium. Implementation of the QEP, including developing a center for cooperative education, was the institution's number one priority.
Please understand, implementing the QEP will be difficult and it will cause us to re-think our entire approach to teaching and learning, and it could not come at a better time.
Nationally, there is a great deal of discussion about the effectiveness—actually ineffectiveness—of a college education. (SLIDE 16) The U.S. Department of Education has just issued a draft report that notes that: …there are also disturbing signs that many students who do earn degrees have not actually mastered the reading, writing, and thinking skills we expect of college graduates. Over the past decade, literacy among college graduates has actually declined. Unacceptable numbers of college graduates enter the workforce without the skills employers say they need in an economy where, as the truism correctly holds, knowledge matters more than ever (p.2).
At the same time, Derek Bok, the once and current President of Harvard, has recently published a book entitled Our Underperforming Colleges. (SLIDE 17) Bok notes that colleges do a very poor job of teaching core academic skills:
Without a compelling, unifying purpose, universities are charged with allowing their curricula to degenerate into a vast smorgasbord of elective courses. Knowledge itself has splintered into a kaleidoscope of separate academic specialties with far too little effort to integrate the fragments, let alone show students how they might connect. Hence, the education offered undergraduates has become incoherent and incapable of addressing the larger questions “of what we are and what we ought to be” (Bok, 2006: 2).
(SLIDE 18) Bok further argues that a strong college education has to include the following elements:
• The ability to communicate;
• Critical thinking;
• Moral reasoning;
• Preparing citizens;
• Living with diversity;
• Living in a more global society;
• (Developing) a breadth of interests; and,
• Preparing for work (2006: 67-81).
Unfortunately, Bok concludes that very little of this work is being accomplished. Likewise the American Association of Colleges and Universities, the largest association of institutions and faculty committed to the liberal arts concludes that: (SLIDE 19)
The data [in the AAC&U report] shows us how spotty the attention to liberal education outcomes remains in 2005. It also raises some warning signs, since the data that have been collected—in such areas as reading/critical thinking or mathematics—appear to contradict students' own rather positive perceptions of their learning gains from college (AAC&U, 2005: 5).
All of these reports speak to the issue that universities have generally ignored higher learning skills to focus on subject matter mastery. Because of the changing nature of knowledge, mastering the subject at an acceptable level can never occur. In fact, this approach to education is not unlike the story of 1001 Arabian Nights. So the story goes, the King Shahryar would marry a woman and after one night he would have her beheaded. Scheherazade kept herself alive by telling the king a new story every night. In the end, the King gained wisdom and children. But the stories were told so that Scheherazade might live. Education has become something like this tale: we stay alive by teaching our students more and more subject matter. Therefore, our degrees have to become longer and larger with more requirements.
The reason that this is something of a fool's errand is that to focus on subject matter is to concentrate on information. As Jim Appleberry, the former president of AASCU has noted, the rate of increase in the amount of information is, itself, increasing rapidly. (SLIDE 20) Currently, the total volume of information is doubling every three to five years; by 2025 it might double at the rate of five times a year. If Jim is right, Scheherazade would never run out of stories and the King would never be educated—that is, no degree could possibly contain all the information that a student needs.
What the QEP leads us to, and what the world at large is calling for, is an educated person who has enough subject matter mastery to understand the nature of questions being asked and to find the detailed information that is needed to solve a problem. But he/she must also have the ability to engage in team work and to demonstrate proficiency with the higher order skills that are being demanded of an educated person in the 21 st century. This is where the real future lies, and this is the nature of what implementing the QEP will mean.
(SLIDE 21) Now, I want to stop here and do a pop quiz. This week in the news there was a report of a survey sample of Americans to name two of the nine Supreme Court Justices and two of the Seven Dwarfs. 84% could name at least two Dwarfs, (SLIDE 22) but only 37% could name two Supreme Court Justices. I've thought about this survey quite a bit: If you can name nine Supreme Court Justices, that tells you nothing. I am much more concerned that Americans understand the functions of the Supreme Court that they can find the names of the nine Justices and more importantly in finding their names they can examine the voting records and values of those Justices. This question does not ask about reasoning; it does not ask about analytical skills it only asks for regurgitation of disembodied facts. Perhaps that is what is wrong with undergraduate education.
We can rethink how we integrate education; how we help students see connections; and how we encourage them to effectively use what they are taught within a strong ethical and cultural framework. The world is neither calling for specialists nor generalists—but people who are versatile; who have excellent communication skills; and who understand how to perform in a variety of settings. Very few of us were trained to educate in this way and making the transition will be challenging. But, I know that this excellent faculty can make this transition.
In addition to the QEP, it is going to be important for all departments to assure that their academic programs are of very high quality and that they are pushing their students to achieve at national and international levels. The QEP will provide an important metric through its required portfolio assessment model. At the same time, there are significant other indicators of generalized quality that we should examine. Last year, for example, we began giving graduating students a national questionnaire that examines their relative engagement. This questionnaire and similar measures may also suggest ways that we can continue to push our academic program quality.
Now, if we can effectively implement the QEP, and continue to focus on improving academic quality, we will be able to offer a collegiate education that will not be matched in North Carolina at any school public or private. That not only will cause Western to become a very high quality institution, it is the essence of what we need to do to meet our undergraduate enrollment targets.
(SLIDE 23) This then returns us to the nature of recruitment and retention. For any university today to effectively recruit students requires a joint effort on the part of all constituencies, and especially the faculty. One of the most important parts of the recruitment process is the meeting between the prospective student and a faculty member in the major area in which the student might wish to study. This important meeting can make or break any recruitment effort—especially for better students. So, I am asking the deans to work with departments to identify excellent faculty members in every major who will meet with a prospective student to answer questions about the major.
We also are making some significant changes in the recruitment process that should help. We will have new travelers who will be well trained thanks in large measure to Betty Farmer. We are improving our web presence and we are focusing our efforts with regard to advertising. But, recruitment is everybody's business and I am forming a senior management team whose job it is to assure that we minimize or eliminate any impediments to recruitment.
The same issues hold for retention. The Board of Governors passed a policy last week that empowers the president to create outcomes metrics for each campus with regard to student retention and graduation. Given Western's retention rates, there will need to be a great deal of attention paid to these issues by the entire campus. We will, for example, need to fully implement our advising model; assure that both student affairs and academic support systems are working closely together; and that faculty members are focusing attention on the nature of the experiences students are having in their first semester classes.
Graduation rates are a different issue. Here, making sure that students are keeping on track is a key issue, but so too is the structure of our curricula. I should like to thank David McCord, William Poindexter and Larry Hammer for their hard work on the new degree audit program. It will really help. I have mentioned before that we need to have very clear four-year graduation plans for all majors that allow students to actually complete a degree in eight semesters while taking fifteen or sixteen hours a semester. This is increasingly important as we focus on achieving the outcomes metrics that will be developed for our campus. And, while we will have every opportunity to discuss with the General Administration what appropriate improvements should be, we can expect the metrics to cause us to have to “stretch” and to cause us to re-examine what we teach and how we teach it.
When we look at the state and its needs, Western can, and should, play a critical role in some key areas. What is most interesting is that some of these areas will also produce a substantial number of students. (SLIDE 24) There are five specific areas that I am asking Kyle Carter to work with faculty to solve this academic year:
First, the state sorely needs science and math teachers. While there are general shortages of teachers, the needs in science and mathematics are critical. We have to double or even triple the number of teachers we graduate in these fields. Therefore, I am asking Kyle, Michael Dougherty, and Dean Robert Kehrberg to bring together all necessary faculty to solve issues that make it difficult for students to major in these fields at Western.
The issues with regard to math and science are not limited only to K-12. The community colleges are having a great deal of difficulty attracting and keeping qualified math and science faculty. We offer a master's degree in community college education and we need to provide an appropriate track for math and science teachers and teachers in several areas of technology. The demand is there and we have the programs; we simply must address the needs.
Second, we have to significantly increase the numbers of community college transfer students who both come to Western and who major with us through distance education. Currently, data suggest that it is not feasible for a student to transfer with an associates degree and graduate in a number of areas in two years. We need to have very specific articulation agreements between the community college system and Western that will promote student transfer and timely graduation.
Third, the potential for undergraduate distance education is growing and Western must be a more major player. It is critical, therefore, that courses that satisfy general education and the major both be offered. I am asking Kyle to work closely with Pat Brown and the appropriate deans to assure that the necessary courses are available to distance education students who need them.
Fourth, I am asking Kyle to work with Brian Railsback and a committee of interested faculty to consider developing a flexible degree program for honors students. We made a very important step in this direction with the interdisciplinary humanities degree, but top students have a variety of interests and we should make it easy for them to explore their varied interests while assuring that we continue to raise academic standards.
Fifth, one of the most important populations that we are not addressing well is the older adult student. Many universities, including some Ivy League universities, have degrees for older adults that account for the differences in life experiences, reasons for going to college, and expectations. One excellent example is the University of Pennsylvania which offers both bachelors and masters degrees for adult learners. These students enter through continuing education rather than through traditional entry programs so that access to these degrees can be controlled and so that these students can have advising appropriate to their phase of life. Generally, programs of this type limit enrollment to people over the age of 25. Given the under-education of the population of North Carolina and the increasing need for them to come back to school to gain advanced skills, degrees aimed specifically at adult learners can be of tremendous benefit.
Those are the core, immediate, curricular issues. The broader questions that I discussed last academic year are still with us and we need to keep them in our sights. The issues above are more specific yet they will have a tremendous impact on our enrollment and graduation rates.
Now, to questions regarding the region. Last year I introduced the idea that Western needs to focus a great deal more on engagement, applied research, and, though I did not use the term, development. (SLIDE 25) At the end of the academic year, I presented a model of the types of research that differentiated “purposive research” from “knowledge-driven” research. That is, purposive research focuses on a known problem the solution to which will reasonably directly impact the human condition. Knowledge-driven research is accomplished simply to satisfy the curiosity of the researcher in a way that extends knowledge that may or may not ever be related to improving the human condition. All these types of research are important; but, in my opinion, given our mission and direction, Western needs to focus a significant percentage of resources in what are called “Pasteur's” and “Edison's” Quadrants in the model. I know that in some parts of the campus this is a somewhat controversial position, but we need to be both clear and realistic about the future.
First, we need to recognize that in critical areas, such as many areas of science, major funding for cutting edge research is not available and will not likely be available to other than a relatively few institutions. (SLIDE 26) Behind me is a slide regarding the distribution of federal funding to universities for basic scientific and engineering research and development. Approximately 96 percent of these funds go to 200 universities with 20 universities controlling approximately 34 percent of these funds. (SLIDE 27) What is most interesting is that, according to NSF data, only 20 percent of federal funds for R&D are in basic research. (SLIDE 28) Yet, nearly 80 percent of university R&D is in basic research. Most federal funding goes for development or applied research with the bulk of it in development. Therefore, the likelihood of Western obtaining important funding for R&D is much more likely outside of basic research.
(SLIDE 29) If we look at the recent data from the just completed study of the system by the Pappas Group, you will see the implications of this distribution. In terms of funded research, the large research universities in the state dwarf the rest of the institutions. At the same time, it is clear that among similarly situated institutions in the state, Western has the lowest volume of funded research. Therefore, while we talk about research, it is not clear that we have policies in place that promote effective development of research funding or that our processes focus us on projects that also link to the University's mission.
Last year I set a goal to re-examine and modify our grants program. Dean Scott Higgins has taken the lead on this project and we have made very significant progress. There is a new grants director, Michelle Hargis, who is working on re-formulating our processes. She has over 20 years of grants management experience. One major change already implemented is that post-award management will now be located in the Grants Office. This will help encourage more faculty members to engage in funded scholarship.
Second, the state needs us to be heavily involved in R&D that can make a difference. At the Board of Governors the discussion is increasingly focusing on “economic transformation” rather than economic development. This is a very important shift in language that more accurately reflects the nature of what the system is being asked to accomplish. The State of North Carolina must transform its economy and the universities and community colleges that are funded by the state need to be at the heart of the transformation. Over the course of the next few years, I plan to work with Erskine to see how we can make it easier for faculty members to actively engage in off-campus partnerships with business, non-governmental organizations, and governmental bodies to improve the quality of life and economic future of this region.
When Erskine visited campus, I suggested to him that he look at creating a “third status and reward hierarchy.” That is, business pays its professionals and researchers at a level that has not been contemplated by higher education. Higher education tends to focus on prestige. One's status in the profession or discipline is a very significant reward—especially to faculty members. Erskine expressed interest in looking at other reward models for faculty members who will engage with the region to promote economic transformation. At the same time, I suggested to him that there is a strong need for recognition for faculty members who engage in a meaningful way with their regions. I look forward to working with him on this issue.
Because of the importance of economic transformation to the people of the state and the region, it is critical that we move on three key issues. (SLIDE 30) First, I am asking Richard Beam to expedite the new tenure policy review in the Senate to make a formal statement with regard to the institution's understanding of the importance of engaged teaching, engaged research, and engaged service. While the AFE process allows for significant differences in individual faculty assignments, it would be a very important statement on behalf of the university if the university tenure policy specifically articulated these core activities.
Second, the HB 1264 report was presented to the Board of Governors last week. This is a report on the relationship between economic development and higher education that was mandated by the legislature. One of its important recommendations is that the UNC system needs to find ways to simplify the new degree approval process so that the state can be responsive to changing global conditions and especially to the economic transformation of the state. We need likewise to examine how we can minimize the time it takes to modify existing, or approve new, curricula. Last year several of us visited James Madison University , arguably the best institution of our general type in the nation. Madison 's process for curriculum review is much simpler than ours. Generally, at Madison , curricula that affect only one college are reviewed only within that college. If a change affects other colleges, then there is a review at the University level. In any regard, the curriculum process is faculty-driven, but it does not involve anywhere near the number of reviews that we typically require. Because of the importance of this process to our ability to respond to changing conditions, I am asking Richard Beam to work with the Senate and with Kyle to see what can be done to simplify our own processes while assuring strong faculty governance of the curriculum issue.
Third, as you are aware, at the end of the academic year I approved most of the reorganization plan presented by the Steve Warren after broad consultation. I received a number of comments from faculty members and I tried to respond to the content of the comments. After that review, several relatively small issues remain, such as the specific name of the College of Education and Allied Professions, but there also is one major issue regarding the location of the programs in Entrepreneurship. I left this issue open because of comments that I received from faculty members in that program and because it is clear that entrepreneurship and innovation will drive the future of this region's economy. In this regard, two of our most entrepreneurial areas that are primarily focused on innovation are the Kimmel School and the Entrepreneurship program. Therefore, I am asking Kyle to work with the faculty members in these two areas to determine if they would be willing to come together to form a College of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. In searching the Web, I have not been able to find another college by that name, but it is not unusual for Entrepreneurship centers to exist within colleges of engineering. What this type of move would do would be to link our most entrepreneurial faculty members with regard to business innovation in one formal unit so that we can magnify their interactions and, hopefully, their effectiveness.
Obviously, other programs are involved in innovation and many of our faculty members are entrepreneurial. This approach, however, is a clear statement of the importance of economic transformation in the future of the state and of this university.
While this organizational structure would require additional conversation, it is important that we move forward with reorganization. Assuming that the proposed reorganization is approved by the Board of Trustees and the Board of Governors, we will begin searches for several deans of the reorganized colleges. In addition we would conduct a search for the dean of the College of Innovation and Entrepreneurship if it emerges. We also need to make final determination as to what steps we should take with regard to permanent leadership in the Graduate School and in the new College of Fine and Performing Arts.
Because of financial considerations, we will most likely stage the various deans' searches. Since we are replacing former Dean Noelle Kehrberg due to her retirement, that search will begin shortly. Also, as you may be aware, Leroy Kauffman announced his intent to leave the deanship in business when replaced. I want to publicly thank Leroy for his leadership and for his efforts to improve the internal communication and functioning of the college. Because of his efforts we now will be able to search for a dean who can actively link the College of Business to the broader business community. This will be an important search and we need to get an excellent candidate who understands the nature of the new economy and how to prepare very competitive business students.
The university's new structure should give us sufficient leadership at the college level to handle up to several thousand new student enrollments. There still are some significant questions regarding how to link the sciences to other key areas of technology and health, but this current reorganization is an important step for the university and I want to once again thank everyone who took part in the lengthy discussions last year.
(SLIDE 31) Finally, I would be remiss if I did not once again remind you that this is the year for our SACS review. SACS is critical to our future and now that I sit on the SACS Commission, I have a much more clear idea of what is required to receive reaffirmation. I can tell you that the work that Carol Burton and the members of the SACS team have accomplished is very well respected at SACS. They have done an excellent job of tying things together. However, this is not the time to let our guard down. I strongly urge you to be responsive when Carol or a member of the team calls your department needing information. Please treat their requests as top priorities.
Now, at this point I was originally planning to give you a report card on what we accomplished with regard to the 10 year vision I laid out in last year's speech. There is so much that we already began to address, that it would take much too long to give you a summary. Therefore, I will send you the material in a Chancellor's Update. I think that it is important that we keep these broader issues in mind as we move forward.
Well, that is the shape of the beginning of the year. Thank you so much for all your hard work. (SLIDE 32) Thank you also for making Western a leader in developing an education for the 21st century. Have a great year!
Thank you. |
