NCA Self-Study

Chapter 10: General Institutional Requirements

Mission

1. It has a mission statement, formally adopted by the governing board and made public, declaring that it is an institution of higher education.
The mission of Indiana University South Bend and its commitments to students and alumni, to the community, and to faculty and staff are stated in the IUSB Bulletin. These statements were adopted by the IUSB Faculty Senate in 1997 and approved by the Indiana University Board of Trustees.

2.It is a degree-granting institution.
Indiana University South Bend confers associate’s, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees as an academic component of Indiana University.

Authorization

3. It has legal authorization to grant its degrees, and it meets all the legal requirements to operate as an institution of higher education wherever it conducts its activities.
Indiana University South Bend operates under the authority of Indiana University to confer degrees. The institution operates under the constitutional and statutory regulatory requirements applicable to all state universities in Indiana.

4. It has legal documents to confirm its status: not-for-profit, for-profit, or public.
Indiana University South Bend is a public institution and a component of the Indiana University system.

Governance

5. It has a governing board that possesses and exercises necessary legal power to establish and review basic policies that govern the institution.
The Indiana University Board of Trustees is responsible for policies and rules for administering Indiana University, reviewing and approving university budgets, and establishing the framework within which individual units operate. The administration of Indiana University South Bend is the responsibility of the Indiana University Board of Trustees.

6. Its governing board includes public members and is sufficiently autonomous from the administration and ownership to assure the integrity of the institution.
The Indiana University Board of Trustees is composed of nine people, with eight selected for a term of three years. Five of the eight are selected by the governor of the state of Indiana; three are elected by degree-holding alumni of Indiana University; one student is appointed for a two-year term by the governor following a search-and-screen procedure.

7. It has an executive officer designated by the governing board to provide administrative leadership for the institution.
The Indiana University Board of Trustees is empowered to appoint the president of Indiana University who is chief executive officer. The Indiana University Board of Trustees also approves the appointment of the chancellors of each of the eight campuses of Indiana University, including Indiana University South Bend.

8. Its governing board authorizes the institution’s affiliation with the Commission of Higher Education.
The Indiana University Board of Trustees authorizes Indiana University South Bend’s affiliation with the Commission of Higher Education.

Faculty

9. It employs a faculty that has earned from accredited institutions the degrees appropriate to the level of instruction offered by the institution.
Faculty employed by Indiana University South Bend are qualified by experience and education to develop, review, and provide instruction for the educational programs the school offers. Of the total population of full-time faculty and administrators, including lecturers and visiting and clinical positions, 81 percent hold terminal degrees (e.g., Ph.D., M.F.A., M.S.W.) All but 1 of the 185 (99.5 percent) tenured and tenure-probationary faculty hold terminal degrees. Faculty names and credentials are listed in the current IUSB Bulletin.

10. A sufficient number of the faculty are full-time employees of the institution.
Sixty-five percent of the faculty are full-time employees (tenured, tenure probationary and tenure ineligible lecturers). Thirty-five percent of the university’s faculty are part-time (associate) employees.

11. Its faculty has a significant role in developing and evaluating all of the institution’s educational programs.
New courses and programs, and revisions of them, must be approved by the appropriate divisional curriculum committee, the dean of the division, and the Curriculum Committee of the IUSB Academic Senate. New degree programs and revisions are also approved by the Indiana University Academic Officers Committee and the Indiana University Board of Trustees.

Educational Programs

12. It confers degrees.
Indiana University South Bend grants approximately 185 associate’s, 525 bachelor’s, and 200 master’s degrees annually.

13. It has degree programs in operation, with students enrolled in them.
Indiana University South Bend is authorized to offer associate degrees in 18 programs, bachelor’s degrees in 48 programs and master’s degrees in 6 programs. Approximately 7,500 students are enrolled in these programs.

14. Its degree programs are compatible with the institution’s mission and are based on recognized fields of study at the higher education level.
The majority of the degree programs at Indiana University South Bend are found at other comprehensive regional universities. More nontraditional pro grams (e.g., Bachelor of General Studies, Bachelor of Women’s Studies, Master of Liberal Studies) have been reviewed and approved for content and rigor both internally and externally. The programs are responsive to the needs of the regional constituency, social changes, and emerging tech nologies.

15. Its degrees are appropriately named, following practices common to institutions of higher education in terms of both length and content of the programs.
Degrees require study and attainment comparable to similar programs at other high quality, regional, comprehensive universities. Educational programs and degree titles follow the recognized taxonomy of disciplines.

16. Its undergraduate degree programs include a coherent general education requirement consistent with the institution’s mission and designed to ensure breadth of knowledge and to promote intellectual inquiry.
General education is an integral part of all undergraduate degree programs. There is no campuswide requirement. Underway at present is consideration of the desirability/feasibility of a general education program that would be common across all academic divisions. Facilitating this discussion and moving to campus consensus is a high priority of the newly arrived vice chancellor for academic affairs.

17. It has admission policies and practices that are consistent with the institution’s mission and appropriate to its educational programs.
Admissions officers assess the academic qualifications of prospective undergraduate students, using faculty developed standards and guidelines to determine admissibility. The Office of Enrollment Management Services develops and coordinates all activities related to student recruitment, including the formation of strategies to increase the enrollment of targeted populations. Indiana University South Bend has maintained a focus on minority recruitment for the past 10 years.

18. It provides its students access to those learning resources and support services requisite for its degree programs.
Advanced computer access enables Indiana University South Bend students to retrieve information from sources throughout the United States and around the world. In addition to its own extensive holdings, the Schurz Library is a part of the Indiana University library system, which is the seventh largest university library system in the country. Information Online is the computerized system that provides access to the Indiana University libraries catalog and other databases available for use by all Indiana University students. Well-equipped and maintained computer classrooms and laboratories, running the latest versions of software, ensure that Indiana University South Bend students are educated to meet the challenges of the information age. Support services are detailed in the self-study.

Finances

19. It has an external financial audit by a certified public accountant or a public audit agency at least every two years.
The Indiana State Board of Accounts conducts an annual audit of the Indiana University system.

20. Its financial documents demonstrate the appropriate allocation and use of resources to support its educational programs.
The financial documents of Indiana University South Bend are a matter of public record. The Indiana State Legislature makes state operating and fee replacement appropriations decisions every two years for Indiana University. Indiana University South Bend derives its financial resources from state allocations, student fees, and gifts. More than 90 percent of the income supports instructional efforts, student services, and improvements to the physical plant. The allocation of resources on the campus are the result of budget hearings among representative segments of the community. The chancellor, with advice from the vice chancellors, makes the final campus allocations.

21. Its financial practices, records, and reports demonstrate fiscal viability.
During the past 10 year period, both the state operating and fee replacement appropriation and student fee income has increased significantly. Gifts and state appropriations have supported the construction of a classroom/office building, a parking garage, building renovations and modernization, development of campus grounds, and planning for expansion across the St. Joseph river, on the southern border of the campus. Groundbreaking for a new student life and recreation building took place in fall 1999.

Public Information

22. Its catalog or other official documents include its mission statement along with accurate descriptions of its educational programs and degree requirements; its learning resources; its admissions policies and practices; its academic and nonacademic policies and procedures directly affecting students; its charges and refund policies; and the academic credentials of its faculty and administrators.
Indiana University South Bend publishes an up-to-date bulletin every two years that describes its mission, its policies, its programs, its faculty, administrative staff, and degree requirements. The Schedule of Classes is printed for each semester and summer session; these booklets contain course offerings, calendar, drop/add policies, and current information about tuition and fees. A student handbook provides students with information about campus policies, procedures, and resources. Various brochures and pamphlets are produced by the academic divisions and programs providing additional information directly affecting students.

23. It accurately discloses its standing with accrediting bodies with which it is affiliated.
The accreditation of Indiana University South Bend and its programs are disclosed in the IUSB Bulletin.

24. It makes available upon request information that accurately describes its financial condition.
The university’s budget and financial resources are a matter of public record and are available in Schurz Library, administrative offices, and other accessible public locations.