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February 1998
by Dr. John W. Bardo -- jbardo@wcu.edu
I hope that the spring semester has started off well for you. Already, there has been a great deal of progress this year on a number of fronts. I would like to review some of these with you. At the same time, we need, together, to make some significant decisions about next steps. One of the major purposes of this update is to encourage you to express your opinion to your Faculty Senate representative or dean on each of these issues. I have sought and will seek advice from the Senate as we progress. Before beginning that discussion, however, I would like to update you on some data from General Administration and from the College Board.
Competitor Institutions and Student Interests. Each year Western receives a listing of the results of survey data collected from SAT takers. This year's data present some interesting changes. First, with regard to competitor institutions, the data show that high school students who send their SAT scores to Western most frequently also send them to Appalachian, East Carolina, N.C. State, and UNC Chapel Hill. Wake Forest is now one of our "top ten" competitors. Second, in terms of potential areas in which students might major there also are some significant shifts. The most popular area noted by SAT test takers was "business" followed by the "fine and performing arts." "Biological sciences" (including health professions) was the next category on the list. There were also a number of responses from students interested in environmental studies.
Average Class Sizes. Administration has conducted a study of average class sizes by institution. This analysis provides some very useful information. Western's commitment to teaching is highly visible in these data. Among competitor institutions from the UNC system, Western has the lowest average undergraduate class size. In fact, our undergraduate class size is among the lowest in the system. Because of these data, we now can document our commitment to teaching.
It needs to be noted that average class sizes do not take account of differences in class size by discipline. We know that some faculty have very large classes while others have small classes. I suspect that this contributes to the faculty perception that classes are too large. (On average, the data do not support the notion that classes are "too large.") Some differences in average class size by discipline can be expected because of the distinctive nature of the disciplines. However, some differences also result from shifts in student interests over time. It can be expected, therefore, that Rick Collings will continue to work closely with the deans to reallocate positions that become vacant where trends in enrollment justify the reallocation. This is the only way that we as a University can continue to respond to changing educational needs when the University as a whole is not growing in enrollment.
Policy Decisions
We face a number of significant policy decisions regarding the University. Through the planning processes, the direction of Western has been set. However, even within this general direction, there are critical decisions to be made.
Program Review. Recently, Bob Shirley returned to campus to assess our Level I strategic plan. At the Spring Leadership Retreat, he was generally complimentary of the work that was done, but he highlighted the fact that a critical component had not been completed: program review. It also was his sense that Western was attempting to support too many programs, given the size of the student body. Without a thorough review we would not have the resources to respond to the changing opportunities presented to Western. He, therefore, recommended that the Strategic Planning Committee work closely with Rick Collings to create an appropriate model for program review that takes into consideration enrollment, University mission, and other factors.
Following Shirley's presentation to the campus leadership, the Council of Deans voted to support a strategic program review. I have asked the Strategic Planning Committee to work through a tentative process and to share its suggestions with you. Rick Collings then will seek input from the deans (representing the colleges) and the Faculty Senate regarding the appropriateness of the process. This process then will be used as the basis for strategic program review.
I doubt that the need for a clear review of programs is a surprise to many faculty members. Indeed, even during my interview in the spring of 1995, I was asked in open session by a faculty member about the number of programs. Many of you have been working on developing new programs that have potential to enroll significant numbers of new students. You are aware, also, of the need to find resources to support these programs. This is a crucial step in developing the University's future.
None go into this process with the belief that it will progress smoothly without dissent or anxiety. Therefore, it is critical that any process we use be objective, fair, and clear. This is why it is so important that you take the time to review the process and provide feedback to your dean or Faculty Senate member.
Academically Suspended Students. Over the last eighteen months, faculty members across campus have been working to raise academic standards and expectations. I hear regularly from students that they perceive that this is happening. The percentage of students who have been academically suspended has risen over the last two years, so it is clear that you are increasingly willing to make the hard decisions. Despite the fact that we continue to raise admissions standards, between one in ten and one in eleven freshmen were academically suspended this fall. Upper-class students also were suspended at a higher rate than usual. You are raising standards and expectations. This is absolutely critical to our future and you should be commended for your hard work. Stay the course.
As we look at the suspended students, there seem to be some patterns that emerge. Some of these students simply are not ready for college work. Others have had problems adjusting to campus life; this has affected their grades. Still others seem to have specific skill deficiencies, but they are able to do reasonably well in some courses. We have data that show that students who have been academically suspended once tend to be suspended a second time. Therefore, our current policy of "go away and mature" does not seem to be very effective.
In addition to Western's long tradition of excellence, we have a great tradition of caring about our students. It would seem, therefore, that we should review our current suspension policies with regard to what we require of a suspended student for readmission. I am not talking about changing the standard for suspension, but the standard for full readmission.
One option that might be appropriate to explore is to develop a specific learning plan for a student who is suspended so that he or she might qualify for readmission. Such plans could include testing and remediation, joint programs between Western and the community colleges oriented to the specific student's needs, learning contracts, and the like. Instead of simply "cutting students free," we may wish, in some cases, to work with alternatives. I am, therefore, asking the Faculty Senate to begin a review of alternatives and to develop recommendations on how we should manage this issue. Again, I would encourage you to express your opinion to your senator on this important issue.
Admissions Standards. Soon, we will set the final cut-off scores for general student admissions. Western is committed to continuing to raise admissions standards, and standards will increase again for next fall. The question involves how high we should set the standard. Generally, interest in Western by high school students continues to grow. We are seeing more inquiries. At the same time, the gross numbers of applications have declined somewhat, but the number is improving. Nevertheless, the percentage of students who meet our tentative admissions standards has risen. For fall of 1998, we are considering setting a minimum SAT that is 30 points higher than last year and a minimum high school GPA that is between .15 and .30 quality points higher than last year. If we increase the GPA requirement by .15 and the SAT by 30 points, the number of students that we would admit would be approximately the same as last year. The higher the GPA, the fewer students we would admit. However, these students would be better academically prepared than if we used the lower GPA standard.
This is a very complex issue about which I briefed the Senate at its last meeting. To have a freshman class of approximately the same size as last year, we generally should admit the same number of students. However, since these students are better qualified, they will have options. Therefore, paying attention to accepted students will be critical. This will require some help from faculty. The higher the standard is set, the more options students will have and the more attention they will need if we are to help them enroll at Western. At the same time, Western's academic reputation has begun to improve. We do not yet know how significant this will be in converting accepted students into enrolled students.
We know that there is a reasonable correlation between high school performance and college performance. Raising admission standards should reduce freshman suspension rates to the extent that those rates reflect academic preparation. It should improve the average performance of students in your classes.
The fundamental question has to do with how rapidly we increase admissions standards, not if we will increase them. Since these standards can be expected to have some impact on enrollment, setting them is a critical decision. This is why I took this question to the Senate for advice and consultation. Please advise your senator as to how you stand on this issue.
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