NCA Self-Study

Chapter 5: Academic Programs

Criterion Three: The institution is accomplishing its educational and other purposes

ABSTRACT: This chapter documents that the programs offered by the academic units provide the foundation for fulfilling the institution's teaching, research, and service missions.

For each of the academic units discussed in this chapter, a pattern of evidence is presented to demonstrate that extant degree programs are appropriate to the mission of the institution; that academic programs are intellectually challenging and personally enlightening; that academic programs stimulate the examination and understanding of personal, social, and civic values; that major programs of study provide breadth and depth in the discipline; that programs require intellectual interaction between students and faculty and encourage it among students; and that assessment programs exist that require proficiency in skills and competencies essential for college educated students.

The chapter begins with a discussion of the four academic units that exist independently on the Indiana University South Bend campus, each of which is administered by a dean: the Division of the Arts, the Division of Business and Economics, the Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the Division of Education. The chapter continues with a discussion of academic units that provide programs that operate through schools of Indiana University, which span several or all of the campuses: the School of Continuing Studies, the School of Nursing, the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, and the School of Social Work.

Division of the Arts

The Division of the Arts consists of four academic areas: communication arts, fine arts, music, and theatre. The division generates approximately 10 percent of the campus total credit hours and has demonstrated a consistent pattern of growth in recent years. The division has 26 full-time faculty and 11 full- or part-time staff.

The division offers a total of 15 bachelor’s degrees (6 of these are in music) including 2 bachelor of fine arts degrees with multiple tracks in fine arts and theatre, 4 associate degrees, 3 certificates, and a Master of Music degree. It also offers an interdisciplinary bachelor of science and complementary majors associated with the Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications. Minors are offered in each area. A proposal for a Bachelor of Arts in Music passed the campus curriculum committee in 1999 and is moving toward eventual approval by the Indiana Commission of Higher Education. Within the last two years, the division has created a general education core which is shared by all of the nonprofessional four-year degrees.

The one graduate program leading to a Master of Music degree is small and not difficult to manage. Without a commitment to push this program, it isn't likely to change significantly in the near future. Although there has been conversation in the past about pursuing Master of Fine Arts degrees in theatre and fine arts, there currently are not sufficient facilities or faculty to consider that move.

The Division of the Arts was formally created on July 1, 1990 and therefore was not included in Indiana University South Bend's last accreditation self-study, although its advent was mentioned. The new organization signaled institutional commitment to the following:

Programmatic development in areas not as fully developed as the then Division of Music
Multiple new degree programs are now in place or being proposed, establishing parallel bachelor of arts degrees in all areas and providing at least one professional degree in all areas.

Creating adequate gallery space for fine arts
The construction of a new art gallery to be housed in the Associates Building is underway and should be completed in the 2000-2001 academic year.

Creating additional full-time faculty positions in mass communication and theatre
Mass communication now has three faculty lines, and theatre has grown from three to five faculty lines and has added one professional staff position.

Improving the ratio between full-time and associate faculty instruction in the basic public speaking course
The public speaking course has been significantly restructured, increasing uniformity and oversight; however, the ratio of associate faculty to full-time instruction has changed for the worse.

Moving toward regional recruiting for music rather than the local level only
The music program now includes students from a much broader geographic range and has a large complement of international students, primarily in the piano and string programs.

Four principles—discipline, collaboration, outreach, and analysis—stimulate an examination and understanding of personal, social, and civic values.
All arts programs are based upon discipline. In both performance-related activity and classroom study, students are expected to be capable of working on their own initiative.

Students in the arts are regularly required to work in teams, be it an ensemble, a play cast, or a research/project team. The give and take of assuming various roles in collaborative efforts and the appreciation of specificity and precision as well as individual freedom is extremely useful in encouraging collaboration. Moreover, collaboration builds an understanding of the value of cultural and individual differences.

Through outreach activities, the student gains familiarity with different audiences based on age, economic background, religion, or culture and gains some understanding of the obligations of membership in a community. Outreach activities include internships, course work that utilizes service-learning, and practicum assignments that involve work in the community.

Analysis runs throughout a student's course work across all disciplines in the division and helps to stimulate critical thinking. In all of the arts, students are encouraged to make connections between their work and the larger social world.

The mission of the Division of the Arts recognizes the primacy of teaching but also acknowledges the critical importance of the professional lives of the faculty, who are expected to remain consistently active outside the university in the creative activity/research demanded in their particular field of expertise. The artists receive significant commissions, exhibit regionally and nationally, and have their work featured in collections around the country. The scholars publish their work in formats ranging from traditional books to electronic media and regularly present at regional and national conferences and colloquia. The music and theatre faculty appear in performance nationally and, in some cases, internationally, including some of the world's most prestigious venues and in collaboration with colleagues who are at the very top of their profession.

Students are engaged in the activity of presenting and making public their creative work or research. Typically each student presents his/her work for a faculty or public audience several times a year. In almost all circumstances, some form of feedback, evaluation, or critical response is involved, obviously including some from external sources, so a student's progress is consistently being measured. The division also encourages student creative work/research through collaboration with faculty. Students participate in undergraduate research with a faculty advisor, produce original work through the Honors Program, or serve as assistants to faculty engaged in professional work, frequently involving travel and occasionally involving income for the student. Students have presented papers or research projects at conferences regionally and nationally, including one winner of a prestigious national prize for an original composition.

Scholarship and creativity are recognized in the Division of the Arts with the presentation of annual awards to outstanding students and alumni. For example, a program of Performer Certificates recognizes genuinely outstanding accomplishments on the part of individual students, who must be nominated by the faculty and receive a virtually unanimous vote in their favor. These certificates are awarded infrequently to maintain their special quality. The division honors one alumnus in each of the four areas every year as well as one student, who is usually, but not always, a graduating senior.

There are a number of significant scholarship opportunities available to students in the arts. The Broadway Theatre League Scholarship and the Harold Langland Scholarship are endowed and provide sufficient income to support full tuition for one theatre student and one fine arts student, although the income may be divided among several students as appropriate. Several Martin Fellows from the Toradze Piano Studio are supported each year by an endowment that is devoted to graduate students. Theatre awards the Kappa Kappa Kappa scholarships, which are funded each year from the proceeds of the children's production and support approximately a dozen students on partial scholarships. In addition, the music program has a substantial number of tuition waivers each year that support approximately 25 students with partial or full tuition relief.

The evidence for effective teaching and learning is in the success of students and alumni. Student outcomes are measured in a variety of ways and the following are examples that indicate the breadth of quality instruction in the division:
In the last three years, 80 percent of theatre graduates have received full assistantships for graduate study at Big Ten and prestigious eastern universities.
Members of the Toradze Piano Studio regularly win prizes in international competitions including grand prizes in competitions as prestigious as the Arthur Rubenstein in Israel.

Recent fine arts graduates have exhibited in New York as well other key art centers and also are gaining admission to first-rate graduate programs.
A theatre graduate recently won a design competition at the Kennedy Center in Washington as part of the American College Theatre Festival.
Early graduates from the mass communication program have scored successes in local and regional media.

Alumni of the composition program in music have had new works debuted by major American orchestras in the last year.

Two graduates of the theatre program have appeared on network TV series in the last few months.

The Division of the Arts is fulfilling its mission in teaching, scholarship, and service. Students have the opportunity to study with a strong faculty in the performing and studio arts, including some world-class professionals. Through educational outreach and performances there is a history of service to the community. It has enhanced Indiana University South Bend's image in the community as evidenced by a pattern of substantial fund raising and the existence of multiple community partnerships. It uses multiple and frequent assessments to ensure program quality. At the same time, however, there are a number of concerns that need to be addressed in the coming years. The base budget for classroom needs is inadequate, especially in the fine arts. The over-reliance on associate faculty continues, particularly in the communications program, where turnover of full-time faculty has created instability. Similarly, there is little racial diversity among the faculty and, to a lesser extent, among the student body. There is a need for strategic planning to address space utilization and computer hardware/software needs. Finally, the division must be mindful of striking a careful balance between curriculum and performance.

Division of Business and Economics

The Division of Business and Economics offers graduate and undergraduate course work leading to the following degrees: Associate of Science in Business, Associate of Science in Banking and Finance, Bachelor of Science in Business, Master of Business Administration, Master of Science in Accounting, and the recently approved Master of Science in Management of Information Systems. (The economics bachelor’s degrees, bachelor of arts and bachelor of science, are granted through the Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences although the economics faculty are located in the Division of Business and Economics.) Graduate programs are peer reviewed by the American Association of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) every 10 years and every 5 years by NCA. In addition, an outside consultant recommended by AACSB has been regularly employed. Internally, there is a system of voluntary course peer reviews for the total division, and the economics area requires a regular peer review of the economics classes instructed in the graduate curricula. In 1999, the Division of Business and Economics received the AACSB reaccreditation. The self-study and accreditation report are available in the NCA Resource Room.

The graduate programs are tailored to provide a practical, high quality, advanced education in business and accounting primarily to those who have already embarked upon a career. Typical students in the Indiana University South Bend master's programs are in their early 30s, holding positions with substantial responsibilities.

Changes Since Last NCA Visit

Following a national search during the 1994-1995 academic year, a new dean was named in summer 1995. Subsequently, five tenure-track positions were added, thus enabling the division to meet the AACSB full-time/part-time standards. This dean retires summer 2000. His position will be filled on an interim basis and a search for a new dean will begin in the 2000-2001 academic year.

The division has added the master of accounting and the master of information systems degrees and terminated the associate degree in banking and finance due to low enrollment. Articulation arrangements with the local IVY Tech campus and several community colleges in the area have been developed. Moreover, the division developed an organizational infrastructure for managing its disciplinary subdivisions. A host of planning processes was implemented, all of which are in concert with AACSB accreditation standards.

The Division of Business and Economics takes seriously its mission to educate its students for the 21st century. That commitment is addressed by the discussion of a number of perspectives throughout the curriculum:

High quality educational programs require a faculty that has the ability and incentive to effectively communicate complex material to students with a wide variety of talents and backgrounds. Furthermore, the division has instituted formal performance standards delineating its expectations of the accomplishments necessary for satisfactory, good, and excellent teaching. All faculty, tenured and nontenured, are evaluated against these standards on an annual basis. Finally, incentives for high quality teaching are also provided by the relatively large weight given to teaching performance in making merit salary decisions.

Over the past several years, the division has undertaken an intensive evaluation of its curriculum. Recognizing the importance of computer technology in today's business world, the faculty have worked to integrate computer technology and specialized software throughout the curriculum. Statistics classes are now taught in computer laboratories so that the marriage between application and technology can take place more naturally. Similarly, the competitive labor environment places a premium on a person's ability to understand the workings of the global market place. Thus, curriculum changes have been instituted to enhance the global dimension. Finally, the division has made several major programmatic changes with respect to its graduate offerings. The Master of Business Administration program has been restructured to make the program more compatible with other programs and two new master's degree programs have been approved for implementation: Master of Science in Accounting and Master of Science in Management of Information Sciences.

All divisional faculty are expected to participate in service activities. In addition to participation on one or more divisional and/or university committees, faculty serve the institution, community, and their professions in many valuable ways. For example, at present a divisional faculty member directs the university's Honors Program. Two divisional faculty direct the Center for Economic Education that provides credit and noncredit education to local primary and secondary teachers. The division's Bureau of Business and Economic Research publishes Michiana Business Trends, a monthly publication that provides analysis of the local regional economy and is read by 1,200 business persons. Faculty hold quarterly economic briefings. In addition to these institutional and community service activities, the division's faculty actively participate in various international, national, and regional professional organizations. Many faculty members act as reviewers and/or editors for scholarly publications. Divisional faculty currently hold or have held major leadership positions in professional organizations, acting as program chairs, vice presidents, and presidents.

The Division of Business and Economics has a mission of providing high quality education and service to students and communities of north central Indiana and southwestern Michigan region. The knowledge that is most valued by these constituencies concerns the pragmatics of business and economics—What facts, ideas, and methods from business and economics can be applied to their lives, their careers, their interests? By engaging in applied research, faculty not only increase the stock of practical knowledge in their disciplines, but increase their mastery of this stock of knowledge. This improves the faculty's ability to transfer such knowledge to students and communities. The applied research done by the faculty makes the teaching and service they can offer more valuable than what is available from academic competitors.

The Division of Business and Economics is fulfilling its mission in teaching, scholarship and service. Among its strengths is its continuing, full membership in AACSB. Its highly productive faculty take pride in their commitment to students and to the variety of strong undergraduate and graduate degree programs offered. Administrative stability under the leadership of recent deans has led to well developed planning procedures for managing resources and to assessment procedures that ensure the maintenance of faculty and program quality. The division maintains a strong community advisory board and enjoys the support of the local business community. Despite these strengths, the division recognizes a number of concerns, such as an underdeveloped student placement service and limited office/conference room space. In addition, the division seeks capital as well as technological improvements that might be met by vigorous fund raising efforts. Finally, in the face of falling enrollments, the division must be modest in its plans for program expansion at the graduate and undergraduate levels and vigorous in its recruitment of students into its present programs.

Division of Education

The Division of Education includes 29 full-time and nearly 120 associate faculty members. These faculty offer courses designed specifically for approximately 1,375 majors and/or certification (i.e., teacher, counselor, administrator licensure) students. Students enrolled in the division seek the Associate of Science in Early Childhood Education, the Bachelor of Science in Education (elementary, senior high-junior high, middle school, special education), and the Master of Science in Education (elementary education, secondary education, special education, counseling and human services). Teacher education programs are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). During the 1998-1999 academic year, 256 education students received one of the three degrees noted above.

The conceptual framework that informs program design is drawn from recent research on teaching and teacher education. First, the program assumes that the teacher education curriculum should be composed of three areas of study: general education, subject matter specialization, and professional education. Second, the program acknowledges seven components of the knowledge base of teaching: knowledge of subject matter, knowledge of other content, knowledge of curriculum, knowledge of learners, knowledge of educational outcomes, general pedagogical knowledge, and pedagogical content knowledge.
Along with developing a professional knowledge base, prospective teachers need to develop interpersonal communication skills and strategies for classroom decision making. The thinking and decision-making processes teachers use constitute a large part of the context of teaching. It is within this context that curriculum is interpreted and acted upon and where teachers teach and students learn.

Changes Since Last NCA Visit

Although the division remains very similar in mission, both its size and its complexity have changed significantly since the last NCA visit. Addition of a new graduate program in educational administration was made possible with funds from the Lilly Endowment and has been touted nationally as a model for a problems-of-practice approach to knowledge and skills acquisition. Furthermore, there is increased recognition of the importance of scholarship in the division and, during the 1998 NCATE visit, 75 pieces of scholarly work were displayed in order to demonstrate the intellectual vitality of the division. The self-study and NCATE reports are available in the NCA Resource Room.

The recent NCATE accreditation visit concluded with regard to the degree of intellectual vitality exhibited by the Division of Education: "In keeping with the new administration, the dean of the Division of Education has strengthened the planning and review process for the unit. This continuous planning process is broad-based and inclusive, and has given the faculty a renewed sense of involvement and commitment to high standards for students of education. Moreover, it has motivated the faculty to pursue a higher level of intellectual activity, including basic research, artistic creation, the integration of knowledge and the application of scholarship to practical problems."

Undergraduate students interact with faculty through research projects, attendance at brown bag luncheons, participation in sponsored seminars (e.g., teacher of the year presentations and year-end awards lectures), and involvement in divisional activities. Graduate students collaborate with faculty on research projects.

Instruction is continuously evaluated and the resulting information used to improve teaching within the unit. The commitment by the campus to North Central Association accreditation standards on continuous evaluation has helped to place an institutional focus on the use of classroom evaluation techniques. Workshops have been sponsored in cooperation with the Division of Education to provide both division and campuswide professional development opportunities for faculty. Each teacher education program has a specific assessment plan and systematically prepared annual reports summarizing assessment activities.

A variety of instructional strategies such as cooperative learning, learning styles, and strategies related to constructivist philosophies have become common place in the division. An increasing number of faculty are using instructional technologies, ranging from e-mail to Web sites, to on-line instruction. A review of course syllabi indicates that many faculty are evolving towards the use of complex, integrated models involving whole group, small group, individualized, and mediated learning activities.

Most undergraduate field experiences, including student teaching, take place in South Bend community schools to ensure that candidates have experiences with diverse student populations. Within the graduate counseling and human services and educational leadership programs, clinical experiences and internships are designed so that graduate students also have direct interactions with clients/students of diverse racial and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Field experiences, practica, and internships are designed to allow the student (both undergraduate and graduate) the opportunity to view the daily interactions that take place in the school or agency to which they are assigned. Because of the intense nature of community service that surrounds all that teachers, counselors, and administrators do, these clinical experiences are the most powerful means for demonstrating this commitment to service and community for our student population.

Three Education Indiana Preservice Grants have been obtained in collaboration with the South Bend Community Schools Corporation. Each of the sub-grants emphasize improvement of collaborative field experiences at elementary, middle school, and senior high school levels. Another community related project is the development of the Hamilton Alternative High School, which was specifically established in order to develop a middle/secondary school for at-risk urban youth in the city of South Bend and to which Indiana University South Bend faculty have contributed by implementing specialized reading programs, developing technology centers, offering classroom instruction in art, and providing general administrative direction for the principal and staff of the school. The Early Childhood Conference at Indiana University South Bend brings 600-750 early childhood educators to campus each spring and contributes to ongoing professional development for early childhood teachers, administrators, and support personnel.

The undergraduate and graduate students of the Division of Education routinely log thousands of hours working with various community projects. Students volunteer for projects such as the Lincoln School Renovation Project, serving lunches and dinners at the South Bend Center for the Homeless, developing shadowing experiences for job skill development at the Hamilton Alternative School, participating in Big Brothers and Big Sisters, raising dollars for various Madison Center projects, and assisting with similar fund raising activities for Logan Industries. Indiana University South Bend students who qualify for the federal work-study program participate in improving the reading skills of preschool and elementary school children through the American Reads Challenge, for which the division provides a mandatory orientation and training session.

The Division of Education is fulfilling its mission in teaching, scholarship, and service. It maintains excellent relationships with area schools and not-for-profit agencies through field experience and student teaching activities with children of varied racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. The division maintains a significant focus on international and global education; e.g., it has hosted two Fulbright Scholars during the past two years. Its award winning teaching faculty (FACET, TERA, Indiana University South Bend and Indiana University awardees) manifest a commitment to community service at the local, regional, and national levels. At the same time, however, the division is hampered by an over-dependence on associate faculty to teach undergraduate and graduate courses. In some cases, these faculty do not have the appropriate terminal degree, while others cannot find time to provide structured office hours in order to allow for appropriate amounts of student interaction. In recent years, the division has experienced difficulty attracting and retaining qualified faculty and attributes this to inadequate salaries. The level of scholarship in the division has historically been lower than that in other divisions and there is the perception that academic standards and expectations of students, particularly those in elementary education, are lower than what they should be. Addressing these concerns has been a priority of the dean of education since his arrival at Indiana University South Bend in 1997, and the evaluation rendered by the recent NCATE accreditation indicates that improvement in this area is occurring.

Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences

The Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences consists of 13 academic units, each with a department chair or program director. The 11 departments include biological sciences, chemistry, English, foreign languages, history, mathematics/computer science, philosophy, physics/astronomy, political science, psychology, and sociology/anthropology. The two programs are women’s studies and Master of Liberal Studies. The division also houses the Advance College Project, a dual-credit program of Indiana University whereby high school students are taught college-level courses by specially trained high school teachers and earn credit at both the high school and university levels.

In fall 1999 the Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences had 101 full-time budgeted faculty positions, including 9 tenure ineligible lecturers. Departments range in size from 4 to 17. The unit typically hires about 120 associate faculty each year, at an annual budget of about $600,000. The unit regularly delivers more than half of the campus credit hours, reflecting the fact that liberal arts and sciences provides service courses for all other academic programs, enrolls about 650 majors, and graduates about 100 students each year.

The Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers 18 associate degrees (15 Associate of Arts and 3 Associate of Science), 21 bachelor’s degrees (14 Bachelor of Arts and 6 Bachelor of Science), 3 certificates, and 2 master's degrees. The Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science in Economics are offered through liberal arts and sciences although the economics faculty are located in the Division of Business and Economics and are considered part of that division for governance and personnel purposes. Four of the Associate of Arts degrees, the Bachelor of Arts in Women’s Studies, and the Master in Liberal Studies are interdisciplinary, drawing course offerings from different departments. Minors are offered in each department and in the interdisciplinary areas of American studies, cognitive science, film studies, gerontology, Latin American studies, religious studies, anthropology, and women’s studies. The Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry is certified by the American Chemical Society.

The Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers course work leading to the Master of Liberal Studies and to the Master of Arts in Applied Psychology. The Master of Liberal Studies program is interdisciplinary and provides an opportunity for students to study the liberal arts and sciences beyond the bachelor's degree. It is intended primarily for those who regard the liberal arts as subjects for lifelong learning and for those who, because their undergraduate curriculum was primarily professional, wish to broaden their general education. The Master of Arts in Applied Psychology provides a foundation in the science and trains students to function competently in one of two major areas of applied behavioral science: social/community psychology or life span developmental psychology.

A number of significant changes in organization, personnel, program offerings, and facilities have taken place since the NCA visit in 1989. The departments of communication and fine arts were moved from the Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences to join music and theatre in forming the Division of the Arts in fall 1990. A new dean for liberal arts and sciences was recruited externally and began serving in summer 1991. In 1991-1992 the Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences had 58 tenured faculty and 18 tenure-track faculty in place and conducted searches for seven new positions added that year (five tenure-track and two lecturers) for a total of 83 budgeted positions. In 1999-2000 the Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences had 101 budgeted faculty positions including 60 tenured, 32 tenure-track, and 9 lecturers. A significant result of new hires during the 1990s is that all departments now have at least one tenured or tenure-track woman, whereas in 1989 five departments (history, mathematics/computer science, philosophy, physics, and political science) had no women in their faculty ranks. The computer science program has expanded and with the addition of new positions has been able to hire faculty who are doctorally trained in that field. Geology, however, (taught in the physics/astronomy department) is still staffed only by associate faculty. There are needs in other departments as well.

All departments have undergone a detailed program review since 1994. These reviews can be found in the Office of Academic Affairs. Departments are acting on recommendations made by consultant-reviewers for such things as curriculum revision. In other cases the recommendations are more difficult to implement without additional resources. It is also acknowledged that the process of review needs some revision in order to better serve the departments and programs. (The self-studies and program reviews are available in the Office of the Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.)

Degree programs added during the 1990s include the major in women’s studies, approved in spring 1999; the Master's in Applied Psychology, which produced its first graduate in 1999; the two certificate programs in computer science and the Bachelor of Science in Physics, also approved in 1999; and the full range of associate degrees.

A disturbing programmatic trend in the division has been the growing number of students requiring remedial courses in writing and mathematics. This is disturbing partially because of the difficulty encountered in providing adequate staffing. Locating and training instructors for these classes have put a great strain on the departments offering them. The mathematics faculty have revised the developmental curricula to address the needs of under-prepared students and the English faculty are aware of the need to do so, and have tried to create English/rhetoric and composition courses to assist unprepared students.

Another disturbing programmatic development was the strong threat issued by the Indiana Commission of Higher Education to discontinue programs at all Indiana University campuses with few graduates, defined as fewer than 10 graduates in 5 years. Included on their delete list at Indiana University South Bend were the liberal arts and sciences majors in philosophy, physics, French, German, and mathematics. This assault began in earnest during the 1998-1999 academic year and continued into 1999-2000. Our response to the commission demonstrated that the targeted majors contribute to divisional and campus programs in many fruitful ways and are essential to the integrity of our mission in the liberal arts and sciences.

Significant changes have occurred also in facilities and equipment. Renovation of four floors in Northside Hall provided much improved space for science laboratories and faculty offices. One large and two smaller problems remain: The computer science laboratories, those that support degree programs in computer science, are still in need of renovation, and biology and chemistry also require renovation of some laboratory space. With the movement of humanities and social sciences into the new Wiekamp building, faculty (including associate faculty) and departmental personnel in those disciplines have more spacious and more attractive offices. That move also made it possible to open a Foreign Language Resource Center that employs up-to-date technology to support foreign language instruction and is served by a half-time director. Equipment allocation for instruction and research remains a serious concern, especially for computer science and chemistry, departments that are dependent on expensive instrumentation but have no base budget for acquisition or replacement. The vice chancellor for academic affairs is working to change this situation.

Several programs offer or require internships, fieldwork, practica, or service-learning projects. Through these various programs, students share their knowledge and time to assist employers and community organizations, while at the same time developing their sense and appreciation of how they can use their education and skills to benefit society. Several liberal arts and sciences programs focus on how contemporary society came to be what it is and how it differs from others, thereby engendering an appreciation of cultural diversity and pluralism. Ethics is a central concern and is emphasized in most programs in the division.

Attention to those values considered inherent in liberal education is being well carried out by mainstreaming rather than by a focused emphasis. A faculty committee has started to review the general education requirements at Indiana University South Bend. This discussion will be ongoing in the next years. That discussion may include a recommendation to strengthen the personal, social, and civic values of the curriculum.

The breadth and extent of scholarship in the Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences is impressive, as would be expected from an academic unit that encompasses the liberal disciplines and places high value on scholarly accomplishments. From studies of the origins of the universe, to empirical studies in the sciences, to basic and applied research in modern mathematics and computer science, to philosophical explorations in ethics and aesthetics, to the creative products of essayists, novelists and poets, the range of scholarship produced by faculty in liberal arts and sciences spans the entire human enterprise. Documentation of this scholarship can be found in liberal arts and sciences annual reports, which were first produced in 1994. Evidence of scholarly work there includes published books, monographs, and papers as well as research grants, presentations at scholarly meetings, invited addresses, and prestigious research awards. These annual reports are available in the NCA Resource Room.

Also documented in the annual reports are the research awards received by liberal arts and sciences students, sponsored by the Student/Mentor Academic Research Teams (SMART) program. It is noteworthy that most of the SMART awards go to liberal arts and sciences students, indicating the extensive involvement of liberal arts and sciences faculty in student research. Student/faculty collaboration on research projects is common in liberal arts and sciences. Faculty with external grants often employ students as assistants during the summer. Students have been supported for presenting papers at university, state, regional, and national conferences. Original research is encouraged in several of the departments in liberal arts and sciences. Several departments also have chapters of their national student honorary society (history, psychology, sociology).

Scholarship is supported by released time for faculty (typically one course/semester) and travel funds distributed at the division level for research presentations. To establish laboratories and research programs start-up funding, up to $70,000 as needed, is available to new faculty in the sciences. Those faculty requiring more extensive computing capabilities than that available to all faculty are provided these through various means.

Because of the restriction of travel funds and the inequity across academic units on campus (with those units that have grown in terms of faculty numbers suffering per capita decreases in travel money), it is now necessary in the Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences to provide only partial travel support and that only for those faculty who document a named participation at a scholarly meeting. A more realistic distribution of the total travel budget might make it possible for use of those funds to stimulate scholarship for a larger portion of the faculty.

Student learning is at the center of the emphasis on teaching in the Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Small class size for most courses allows for a great deal of in-class interaction between faculty and students as well as among students, with many courses taught as seminars or using collaborative learning pedagogy. Other activities that encourage such interaction include required outside-of-class activities, portfolio review for majors (e.g. English and sociology), capstone senior course project (e.g. chemistry), student clubs (e.g. mathematics, computer science, physics, psychology, sociology), student-faculty collaborative research projects (SMART program, Women's Studies Undergraduate Research Conference, Indiana University Undergraduate Research Conference, Midwest Student Sociology Conference, Women’s Studies Conference, students as assistants on faculty research projects in the sciences), and student publications (art and literary magazine in English and interdisciplinary journal on gender studies in women’s studies). Intellectual interaction between faculty and students is a definite strength of liberal arts and sciences programs, from which both faculty and students gain significant benefits.

A high proportion of the liberal arts and sciences faculty hold teaching awards at both the university and campus levels (FACET, TERA, IUSB Distinguished Teaching Award, and President's Awards), as listed in the latest annual report. And conversely, a high proportion of the teaching awards held by Indiana University South Bend faculty have been won by liberal arts and sciences faculty. Most recently a member of the English department was named 1999 Indiana Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching/Council for Advancement and Support of Education.

Other measures of the faculty's commitment to teaching can be seen in the regularity with which liberal arts and sciences faculty seek and receive Curriculum Development Grants that support teaching innovation. Faculty have published in their disciplinary journals dedicated to teaching (e.g. in chemistry, psychology, mathematics, sociology, and philosophy). Others have presented papers at conferences on teaching. Several have been granted travel funds to attend conferences or institutes on teaching.

The Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences does a good job of emphasizing, supporting, and evaluating teaching—the institution's primary mission. Commitment to teaching is a major consideration at the time of hiring. Teaching effectiveness is scrutinized carefully during the pretenure reappointment reviews; reappointments have been denied on the basis of poor teaching. This item also plays a major role during the tenure and promotion review process. Teaching effectiveness is monitored and evaluated by department chairs each year. When problems come to light, attention is given immediately to determining the basis for concern and addressing issues with the faculty member involved. This often involves both the department chair and the dean, working together with students and faculty according to the needs of the situation. However, more attention needs to be given to developing sound and comprehensive evaluations. Several departments are moving to include peer review and have either recently revised or are in the process of revising their student evaluation forms. The liberal arts and sciences faculty recently passed the requirement that all faculty should provide opportunities for in-class student evaluations to be administered. Still to be achieved is acceptance of a form that will provide a better basis for summative judgments and for some uniformity across departments and across time. The Teaching Excellence Report: Indiana University South Bend is available in the NCA Resource Room. This report summarizes all teaching efforts at Indiana University South Bend.

Faculty are active in research, public service, and work with local community employers. Thus, they constantly receive feedback on areas that need to be considered in order to provide the most current curriculum. This sometimes calls for faculty retraining or redirection, i.e. professional development. In order that they might attend their annual disciplinary association meetings, chairs and directors are provided an administrative travel package that is more generous than funds made available to faculty for conference presentations. Additional divisional travel money has been used to send chairs to national workshops on academic administration. The annual Chairs Retreat is used as a special way of providing professional development for academic leadership.

Associate faculty are encouraged to participate in the now annual on-campus conference that focuses on their needs. Where possible, special arrangements are made for them to be included in campus programs, e.g. the IUSB Summer Math Institute. They may also participate in divisional and departmental faculty meetings. Associate faculty are also eligible for teaching resource grants and they hold their own annual teaching conference.

Ongoing discussion groups and course development committee work, especially in composition and developmental mathematics, have provided professional development for full-time and associate faculty in those areas. Similarly several departments (e.g. mathematics and physics, sociology, women’s studies) regularly hold departmental colloquia, often with invited speakers, which benefit both faculty and students. A recently instituted program, the Pedagogy Series, supports bringing to campus a leading scholar in a given field to lead discussions on pedagogy in that area. Faculty submit proposals for this once-a-year activity.

Professional development is encouraged in other ways as well. Work with departmental chairs at regular Council of Chairs meetings and at the annual retreat has been effective in emphasizing the role of chairs as key academic leaders and supporting the professional development of chairs while also encouraging chairs to actively support the development of faculty.

Departments present Excellence Awards to outstanding students on an annual basis. The division also presents Dean's Scholarships to three students each year, one each in the areas of humanities, social sciences, and sciences/mathematics. In addition, several departments offer other scholarships and awards as a way of promoting and recognizing student achievements. Students are recognized for their academic excellence by induction into professional honors societies. Several departments (chemistry, history, philosophy, physics, psychology, sociology, women’s studies) maintain student study/resource rooms that provide textbooks and journals for student use. Those rooms also provide a place where students engage in interchange with each other and work together in study groups. A newly established sociology research laboratory includes computers, network access, data analysis software, transcribers for qualitative research, and phone hook-ups for survey research. The anthropology resource room includes computers, specialized software including simulations, and a skull collection.

With the opening of Wiekamp Hall in fall 1997 a state-of-the-art resource center to support instruction in foreign languages was established. In fall 1998 a half-time laboratory director position was created to oversee the operation of the Foreign Language Resource Center. In addition to the technology available, native Spanish speakers who are available for several hours each week to assist with out-of-class work or give conversation practice are providing student support. The director provides this service in her language, German, and plans are underway to introduce the same enhancement for French students.

Student advising has been an ongoing concern. In spring 1999 the dean convened a Student Advising Task Force. Several changes were recommended as a result of the effort that continued into the 1999-2000 academic year. Most departments now assign permanent advisors for continuity in contact between faculty and student and some departments devote significant time to conferences with individual students. Some departments (mathematics/computer science, physics, psychology) offer direct tutoring services in addition to recommending student instructors to the Academic Resource Center. The psychology laboratory conducts a film series that supplements the introductory course lectures and reading. Departments sponsoring student clubs include foreign languages, mathematics/computer science, physics, psychology, sociology, and women’s studies.

Departments could do more in the area of career counseling and placement, an especially important issue for humanities and social science majors. The campuswide programs include the liberal arts fields, but departments might be more effective in reaching a larger number of their own majors directly.

The Advance College Project (ACP) serves self-selected high schools by offering college-level courses taught by the regular high school teachers, who are specially trained by the program and visited once each semester by designated divisional faculty. Nineteen schools will be participating in the project by fall 2000. For fall 1999 there were 224 students enrolled in ACP courses for a total of 1,118 credit hours. In addition, a small number of current high school students have been enrolled in introductory courses on campus (chemistry, sociology, and foreign languages).

Faculty cooperate with local schools in a number of formal and informal programs. For example, the English department's Writer's Workshop includes a session designed for high school students, who have been selected by their own schools to participate in the weekend's activities as guests. Two departments (history and mathematics) regularly sponsor a day on campus that involves a competition in the subject area for high school students. The Science Day program that attracted about 300 middle school students for the first session in fall 1998 was a huge success and involved faculty in the five science departments; it has become an annual event. And science faculty regularly participate as judges at science fairs held in the schools. The mathematics department sponsors a Summer Math Institute for high school teachers as well as an annual Teachers Teaching with Technology conference and a project-based interdisciplinary mathematics course that provides direct contact between campus and seven organizations in the region as well as working relationships for students at these organizations.

Informally, several departments have been asked to provide tutors for middle and high school students and have provided students to meet this need. Students have led a successful outreach program directed at high school and college students—poetry slams that bring young people to campus for several hours of poetry and music in an open-mike setting that includes 150-200 participants.

Humanities faculty make their professional expertise available to community groups (e.g. historical societies, libraries, the South Bend Civic Theatre, etc.) both on long-term projects as well as in response to one-time invitations. These activities are numerous and varied, as listed in the division's annual reports by faculty name. Again as might be expected for a highly qualified and energetic faculty, many hold leadership positions in scholarly organizations at the national level and many serve in the role of editing professional journals.

The Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences is fulfilling its mission in teaching, scholarship and service. The faculty is notable for its research productivity and award winning teaching. There is a high degree of faculty/student collaboration in research and new facilities in Wiekamp Hall contribute to both the teaching and research mission. Newly hired faculty are exceptionally well-qualified and many have begun to make their presence felt through community service on- and off-campus. Yet, development of the division is threatened by the burden of providing remediation in English and mathematics. Although some proportion of students in all divisions and programs at Indiana University South Bend need remediation, the burden of providing that remediation has fallen increasingly upon the Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Thus, resources of liberal arts and sciences are being used to support remediation efforts that benefit the entire campus, while resources to develop other programs in the Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences are given short shrift. The division is also concerned about the small number of majors in many programs and low enrollments in upper-level courses. The concern is that the Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences will be identified as a service provider to other divisions and lose its core function in liberal arts and science education. Finally, additional resources are needed: most urgently to renovate science laboratories, to upgrade instructional equipment, especially in computer science, and to support professional travel.

Indiana University Systemwide Academic Schools and Programs

Indiana University sponsors a number of systemwide academic programs that operate across Indiana University campuses. The following academic units have school related affiliations: General Studies and Labor Studies degree programs through the School of Continuing Studies; Nursing and Health Professions programs through the School of Nursing, the School of Dentistry, and the School of Allied Health; the School of Public and Environmental Affairs; and the School of Social Work. Each of these academic programs has a dual reporting system, both to the designated university dean of the Indiana University systemwide school and to the academic vice chancellor of Indiana University South Bend. Great variation exists in the control and autonomy of each campus unit of a school. Consequently, the deans/directors of these programs at Indiana University South Bend report either through a dotted line or direct line to an additional administrative entity elsewhere as well as to Indiana University South Bend administration, with the exception of Labor Studies whose director reports only to the university-level dean. The following narrative describes the school operations at Indiana University South Bend and each one's unique relationship with its Indiana University dean.

School of Continuing Studies
General Studies

The Indiana University South Bend General Studies degree program is a division of the Indiana University School of Continuing Studies and grants the associate and bachelor's degrees of general studies. The administrator of this program at Indiana University South Bend holds the position of director, which is a tenure track faculty position. The director reports to the Indiana University South Bend vice chancellor for academic affairs and also to the Indiana University continuing studies dean. Other than the director there are no Indiana University South Bend faculty members assigned to the unit as courses are drawn from other academic units, mainly from the Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Indiana University South Bend. Faculty oversight comes by way of the interdisciplinary General Studies Degree Committee, a standing committee of the IUSB Academic Senate that is responsible for administering the Indiana University South Bend General Studies degree in conjunction with the Indiana University School of Continuing Studies.

Since 1995, the program has generated in the fall semester an average of 2,125 credit hours, with an average of 295 students. The 1999 fall semester profile of students indicates that 68 percent are female, 15 percent minority, 23 percent age 30-39, and 40 percent are 40 years of age or older. Average credit hour enrollment is 6.8 credits per student per semester. Since 1995, the General Studies degree program has graduated 123 associate degree and 306 bachelor's degree students with an average of 108 graduates per year. Twenty-five percent of general studies graduates continue in graduate school in such fields as business, counseling, education, law, medicine, public affairs, or social work.

Changes Since Last NCA Visit

General studies students are now required to demonstrate competence not only in writing and speech communication, but also in quantitative reasoning and computer literacy. For the bachelor's degree, students must also complete a world culture course, the 1 credit hour Introduction to General Studies course, and the Senior Capstone Seminar. Program effectiveness is in part measured by the employment of graduates; more than 100 alumni have sent in business cards to demonstrate their employment in a wide variety of fields in private businesses and agencies.

General studies students in the Introduction to General Studies course are encouraged to develop their degree programs in terms of traditional academic values. Later students make an assessment of their degree programs in the Senior Capstone Seminar. Students are recognized annually for outstanding scholarship, based on overall grade point average, both in a public forum and through a monetary stipend. The structure of the General Studies degree encourages students to develop a coherent, individualized, interdisciplinary curriculum for either the associate or bachelor’s degree.

General studies staff work closely with admissions staff for accurate and appropriate transcription of transfer credit and the meeting of any remedial standards in writing, mathematics, and reading. Student academic performance is carefully monitored each semester. Advising is a central concern of the general studies faculty. There is regular opportunity for contact with students and advisement in person or via telephone, e-mail, or fax. Each graduating student meets individually with an advisor to review his/her academic program prior to the semester of graduation.

A review of the General Studies degree was conducted in 1992 and 2000. Copies of the recent self-study of general studies, including copies of the two external reviews, are available in the NCA Resource Room. The general studies unit is fulfilling its academic mission. The principal strength of the program is the close and persistent advising of students in the development of their individualized degree programs. There are concerns, however, and these include the need to strengthen the role of the General Studies Degree Committee and the development of a cadre of faculty to teach specific general studies courses. In addition, there is a need to develop articulation agreements with other colleges and programs in the region and to include marketing of the General Studies degree as a part of the total Indiana University South Bend publicity plan.

School of Continuing Studies
Labor Studies

The Division of Labor Studies has a long history of working with unions to develop and deliver educational programs. The South Bend campus serves as a site for instruction and the conferral of degrees in labor studies, but the Indiana University School of Continuing Studies has more direct control for the labor studies program than is true for the other schools having units at Indiana University South Bend (e.g., the director reports only to the school dean at Indiana University). The division offers a minor and a certificate, as well as the Associate of Science and Bachelor of Science in Labor Studies. It also offers two noncredit union leadership programs. It is administered by a coordinator who holds a tenured faculty position and is staffed by two full-time instructors. Courses are taught also by part-time instructors.

Labor studies deals with work, the workplace, and workers and their organizations. An important goal of the program is to enable participants to make socially useful choices in carrying out the many responsibilities of union membership, union leadership, and community citizenship. Graduates are expected to be able to promote democracy in the workplace, apply problem solving techniques to a variety of problems such as employment loss, demonstrate leadership skills in complex organizations such as labor unions and other nongovernmental organizations, prepare for and participate in conflict resolution processes such as contract negotiation and grievance representation, and explain work, workers, and worker organizations in the context of the political economy including the influences of class, ethnicity, gender, and race. Labor studies students and alumni consistently demonstrate their ethical behavior in a variety of community organizations and activities. They often play important leadership roles in fulfilling the expectations described above.

The Labor Studies Students and Alumni Association engage directly in community activities such as toy drives for the children, raising funds to underwrite speakers at public events, and co-sponsoring visits by workers and unionists from other countries. Division faculty and professional staff regularly participate in these and other community and public service activities. In all these ways the division reinforces the values espoused by the program.

Three Area Labor Education Advisory Committees (ALEAC)—LaPorte, Michiana, and Warsaw—are composed of area labor organization representatives (some of whom are also active students or alumni), students, alumni, and community organization representatives. These committees regularly discuss student and alumni outcomes including, but not limited to, successfully negotiated grievances or contracts, arbitration hearings or other legal proceedings, election or appointment to public office, appointment to nongovernmental boards, community activities (e.g. food drives, construction of wheel chair ramps, United Way involvement), and legislative initiatives.

The use of collaborative learning methodologies throughout both the credit and noncredit curriculum encourages extensive interaction. In addition, there is student and faculty interaction on self-directed projects and several courses require group projects. There is significant coaching by instructors with groups involved in preparing for simulated contract negotiations, grievance representation, or grievance arbitration. As described above, there is ongoing interaction through the regular meetings with the three ALEACS and the Labor Studies Students and Alumni Association. Also, the Division of Labor Studies, with significant assistance from the three ALEACS and the Labor Studies Students and Alumni Association, solicits funds from area labor organizations to support semi-annual public presentations. These events provide for intellectual interaction between the presenter(s) and the attendees.

The Division of Labor Studies is fulfilling its educational mission. The uniqueness of its programs and its concern for student welfare are major strengths. It is hampered by its small size (number of faculty and students) and by its lack of autonomy from the School of Continuing Studies of Indiana University.

Division of Nursing and Health Professions

The Division of Nursing and Health Professions was created for Indiana University South Bend in July 1998 when the existing School of Nursing, the Department of Dental Education, and the Department of Radiography/Allied Health were placed in one administrative unit. Each school/department is also related to a university-wide school based in Indianapolis. The Department of Dental Education has a loose affiliation with the School of Dentistry located at Indiana University—Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI); the Department of Radiography/Allied Health reports to the School of Allied Health at IUPUI on curriculum matters; and the IUSB School of Nursing reports to the Indiana University School of Nursing, IUPUI, on curriculum, professional development, and student affairs, i.e., transferability of credit. The units within the Division of Nursing and Health Professions are separate cost/revenue centers with the dean of the division overseeing the fiscal management of each unit.

The School of Nursing offers Associate of Science in Nursing and Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees as well as the R.N. to Bachelor of Science in Nursing completion program and has a collaborative agreement with Indiana University—Purdue University Indianapolis to offer masters' courses for the family nurse practitioner program. (In fall 1999 Indiana University South Bend worked out an arrangement with IVY Tech State College in South Bend whereby that institution will grant Associate of Science in Nursing degrees in cooperation with Indiana University South Bend faculty for the teaching of some courses and automatic transfer of those students into the IUSB Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. Indiana University South Bend will stop admitting students to the Associate of Science in Nursing in fall 2000.) Degree confirmation of the Master of Science in Nursing is awarded through the Indiana University School of Nursing. The Department of Dental Education offers the Associate of Science in Dental Hygiene and a certificate in Dental Assisting. The Department of Radiography offers the Associate of Science in Radiography, advises Pre-Allied Health students who then transfer to other Indiana University campuses, and provides courses for re-registration of registered radiographers. The School of Nursing has 14 full-time faculty and 5 to 8 associate faculty; Dental Education has 5 full-time faculty and averages 10 associate faculty; Radiography/Allied Health has 2 full-time and 1 associate faculty.

The IUSB School of Nursing is accredited by the National League of Nursing and the Indiana State Board of Nursing and was evaluated for reaccreditation in April 2000. Dental hygiene and dental assisting are accredited by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation. The radiography program is accredited by the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology and is up for reaccreditation in January/February 2000. Copies of the self-studies of the IUSB School of Nursing, the Radiography Program, and the Dental Hygiene Program are available for review in the NCA Resource Room.

Changes Since Last NCA Visit

Because the focus of each program in the Division of Nursing and Health Professions is preparation of students for health care professions, major emphasis is placed on ethics, moral decision making, and critical thinking. In addition, students are required to take general education courses taught by the departments of sociology, psychology, and philosophy, thus broadening their understanding of society and enhancing their personal lives.

The Division of Nursing and Health Professions works with liberal arts and sciences faculty to ensure that content taught in prerequisite courses includes elements of critical thinking and moral decision making. For example, the philosophy department worked with the School of Nursing to offer a 300-level course in medical bio-ethics. Because of the importance of critical thinking to nursing, the School of Nursing began a longitudinal study three years ago on the impact of the curriculum on critical-thinking outcomes for Associate of Science in Nursing and Bachelor of Science in Nursing students.

Dental education and nursing faculty have received internal monies for research projects, curriculum development grants, Assessment Committee awards, and UCET/TERA conference travel awards. In addition, faculty have received external grants from the National Institute of Nursing Research, Sigma Theta Tau International, and Nursing Research Consortium of north central Indiana. Each year faculty compete for internal research monies administered by the division for activities related to teaching effectiveness. Faculty have published in refereed journals of their expertise and have presented papers at local, state, regional, national, and international conferences.

Small class sizes allow a great deal of in-class interaction between the faculty and students as well as among students. Student evaluations stress this benefit and clearly state a major strength of the division is the student's ability to easily contact and interact with the faculty.

One-hundred percent of graduates from the Division of Nursing and Health Professions who seek employment in health care delivery obtain employment, whether full- or part-time, with the majority of them remaining in this community. Another measure of effectiveness for the health professions is the percentage of students who pass national licensing or certification examinations. Pass rates on these examinations for students in the division are consistently above the national norm for Associate of Science in Nursing and Bachelor of Science in Nursing students, radiography, and dental students.

The evolving faculty governance structure for the Division of Nursing and Health Professions has begun to address faculty development by including programs geared toward teaching effectiveness in the twice a year division retreats. Similarly, each unit works on teaching effectiveness as it relates to discipline specific content.

Because the School of Nursing, Department of Radiography/Allied Health, and Department of Dental Education are systemwide schools, faculty take advantage of meeting opportunities with colleagues from other Indiana University campuses. These activities, such as faculty development retreats and curriculum meetings, enhance the scholarship of the faculty and their teaching effectiveness. There are financial resources within each department to cover the expenses incurred for attending these retreats and meetings.

Changes in technology, health care administration, health care advancements, and medical, nursing and dental research necessitate attending local, regional, state, national, and international conferences/workshops. Reappointment requires meeting both standards set by Indiana University South Bend and, in some instances, those set by the university school. Consequently, particular attention is paid to continual clinical expertise and service commitments. Faculty are evaluated on activities that reflect ongoing clinical practice, updates of clinical skills, and advanced certification that is appropriate for their profession. Within the School of Nursing, those who sit for initial certification for advanced clinical practice can receive reimbursement for fees upon successful completion of the examination. Continued certification is the responsibility of the faculty member.

Because of market demand for doctorally prepared nurses, the School of Nursing uses a grow- your-own-faculty strategy. Nursing faculty at the lecturer level who are enrolled in doctoral education can apply for reduced teaching loads, internal research grants, stipends for conferences, and leave with pay. Several with the Master of Science in Nursing have received financial support for post-master's nurse practitioner education. Similarly, the director of the radiography program has a reduced teaching load while working on an advanced degree.

Students are recognized for their clinical excellence through awards and nomination to professional honor societies, such as Sigma Theta Tau International, Inc. The School of Nursing offers scholarship monies for students interested in expanding their knowledge of health care on a global, international level.

Students frequently are taken to professional meetings, are reimbursed for attendance at state meetings, and are recipients of reduced conference fees for local research programs. Students and faculty jointly attend local and state professional meetings and participate in honors research projects. For example, students enrolled in an honors class on International Health Care attended with faculty a Health Care Diversity Forum held during 1998-1999, which was co-sponsored by Indiana University South Bend and a local area medical center. The academic units in the division maintain clinical laboratories, computer rooms, multimedia room/resource center, and bulletin boards. Radiography shares with nursing a designated health discipline classroom with discipline specific equipment. In addition, computer programs for the division are also placed on the campus system for access from terminals on campus. The division has a multimedia room with computers and video equipment that are used jointly by nursing and radiography.

A unique feature of the School of Nursing is its international exchange option with the University of Ulster, Northern Ireland. Two to three students from Indiana University South Bend travel to Northern Ireland for six weeks each summer for clinical experiences and three to four students from University of Ulster come to Indiana University South Bend for a similar period of time and experiences.

Because of the service nature of the health care disciplines, community service is crucial to the mission of the division. Below are just a few of the activities within the Division of Nursing and Health Professions.

The Division of Nursing and Health Professions is fulfilling its mission in teaching, professional and pre-professional training, research, and service. For the past several years, pass rates on national licensing examinations and employment prospects for graduates have been outstanding. The William and Kathryn Shields Endowed Chair in Nursing demonstrate the commitment of the institution to the programs in nursing. The division excels in community service, in scholarship support for students, and in student/faculty collaboration on community service projects. Similarly, the division is a campus leader in its longitudinal studies of student performance and critical thinking. At the same time, however, the division faces a number of challenges that will have to be confronted if progress is to be made. For example, the division is concerned about the ratio of associate to full-time faculty and the difficulty converting associate to full-time positions. Similarly, the division has experienced difficulty recruiting qualified faculty to hold tenure track positions and acknowledges the limited supply of terminally prepared faculty. Another concern is for the campus to adequately acknowledge the contribution of lecturers to teaching and scholarship. Administratively, the division is challenged by the existence of three university-wide schools with varying degrees of control over curriculum, faculty promotion and tenure, and the development of new programs.

School of Public and Environmental Affairs

Indiana University South Bend is one of six of Indiana University’s campuses to house a unit of the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA). All public and environmental affairs faculty receive joint appointment by the Indiana University school and the campus. Although promotion and tenure are campus specific, all promotion and tenure decisions are reviewed and approved by the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs. All public and environmental affairs faculty, regardless of discipline, carry the same title: (assistant/associate) professor of public and environmental affairs.

The School of Public and Environmental Affairs unit at Indiana University South Bend has 11 tenure-track and 1 full-time clinical faculty positions. The Indiana University South Bend School of Public and Environmental Affairs employs between 12 and 15 associate faculty each semester. During the fall 1999 semester, public and environmental affairs had a total of 249 graduate and undergraduate majors and generated about 2,400 credit hours. The Indiana University South Bend School of Public and Environmental Affairs graduates about 40 students each academic year.

Although curriculum requirements vary from campus to campus, all curriculum matters are reviewed and approved at the Indiana University school level by undergraduate and graduate policy committees and by the SPEA Academic Council. At Indiana University South Bend the School of Public and Environmental Affairs offers associate's and bachelor's degrees in criminal justice, and public affairs. It also offers the bachelor's degree in health service administration, the master's degree in public affairs, seven undergraduate certificates, and graduate certificates in public management, health administration, and urban affairs.

At the graduate level, the Master of Public Affairs program is an integrated course of study that provides knowledge and experience that can be used by managers and professionals in public and quasi-public organizations. It is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration through a peer review process and reviewed regularly by the all-school faculty. The School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University South Bend also has an active Graduate Student Advisory Committee, and the Community Advisory Council further reviews the program.

Changes Since Last NCA Visit

Since the last NCA accreditation, public and environmental affairs at Indiana University South Bend have added four faculty positions and new programs: Bachelor of Science in Health Service Management and new certificates in corrections management, public safety, nonprofit management, and health administration. The School of Public and Environmental Affairs relocated from the Indiana University South Bend Administration Building to Wiekamp Hall.

Values

At Indiana University South Bend, the School of Public and Environmental Affairs is a multi-disciplined, multi-dimensional public affairs program. One of the dimensions is citizenship. Hence, all of the degree programs, many individual courses, and a large portion of the research and service activities of the faculty focus on personal, social, and civic values. All of the degrees offered in public and environmental affairs have a public service orientation, and all emphasize public and private ethics. The School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University South Bend has a very strong public service internship/practicum program, and the faculty is heavily engaged in community service.

The School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University South Bend also administers the Center for Institutional and Community Research Services (CAIRS), the Institute for Applied Community Research (IACR), and the Center for Population Health Management (CPH). These research/service units provide opportunities for both students and faculty to engage in relevant community service. All three have external constituencies and are designed to work with various community agencies and organizations.

The Indiana University South Bend School of Public and Environmental Affairs manages a well-developed internship/practicum program that involves between 30 and 40 internships for students in various agencies and organizations. The program is available to both graduate and undergraduate students. In addition to being a learning experience for students, this program also influences the functioning of many public and nonprofit organizations in the area.

Scholarship

The School of Public and Environmental Affairs encourages scholarship in a number of ways. The service/research centers and institutes (CAIRS, IACR, and CPH) undertake or sponsor various research projects that use both faculty and students. The IACR publishes research in the form of proceedings, reports, and findings. At least two sponsored seminars or symposia a year stimulate faculty and student research. A spring Criminal Justice Symposium has been held every year since 1992.

As a university-wide school, the School of Public and Environmental Affairs organized its statewide faculty into faculty groups that communicate on a regular basis. One reason for these “faculties” is to encourage faculty collaboration on research projects. The School of Public and Environmental Affairs also holds one school-sponsored faculty seminar each year at which research is given prominent attention. The school maintains a sponsored research office in Bloomington to assist faculty in grant writing and, from time to time, provides funds directly to individual faculty for research projects. The Indiana University South Bend public and environmental affairs faculty believe that the available resources are used as well as can be expected. If additional research is to be encouraged, it will be necessary to find additional resources.

Teaching

The annual all school faculty seminar always includes sessions dealing with teaching effectiveness, and two or three Indiana University South Bend campus faculty meetings are similarly focused. The School of Public and Environmental Affairs regularly holds teaching seminars specifically designed for associate faculty. The School of Public and Environmental Affairs faculty have pioneered distance learning and Internet instruction, and they have earned recognition for teaching effectiveness by their nomination to FACET. The School of Public and Environmental Affairs periodically surveys current students and alumni to determine their views on the quality of instruction they received.

Annual faculty evaluations consider the extent to which faculty keep up with their field, avail themselves of development opportunities, and attempt to improve their teaching. The School of Public and Environmental Affairs pays for at least one membership for each faculty member in a professional association or organization, and each faculty member is given the opportunity to attend at least one professional conference each year. To the extent possible, public and environmental affairs will also support the purchase of specialized technology for individual faculty members as the need arises.

The School of Public and Environmental Affairs encourages intellectual interaction between students and faculty and among students. The School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University South Bend sponsors a student Criminal Justice Association at the undergraduate level, Pi Alpha Alpha, a national honorary society in public affairs and administration, and a Graduate Student Advisory Committee. Students work on the projects sponsored by CAIRS, IACR and CPH. Students are encouraged to attend and participate in divisional sponsored programs, including the annual alumni/community dinner and other social events. Because public and environmental affairs needs to increase its involvement with students, it plans to establish an undergraduate advisory committee and to sponsor student colloquiums on various topics. The School of Public and Environmental Affairs faculty provide advising to students and work with students on job placement opportunities when appropriate. The School of Public and Environmental Affairs maintains a graduate student resource room for use by Master of Public Affairs and other students.

The School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University South Bend is fulfilling its mission in teaching, research, and service. Its multi-disciplinary academic programs and its unconditionally accredited Master of Public Affairs program are among strengths that also include outstanding community service and strong external financial support from alumni and friends. At the same time, however, its presence on campus has lacked focus, in part due to inconsistent leadership, faculty turnover, and, with a few exceptions, minimal involvement of the division in campus activities. Traditional scholarship has been compromised by the efforts of the division in the area of community service.

School of Social Work

The IUSB School of Social Work is a graduate program that is part of the Indiana University School of Social Work located on the Indianapolis campus. The Indiana University South Bend program began in fall 1992 as a three-year master's degree for part-time students with the third year of study being offered only in Indianapolis. Since fall 1998, however, the entire Master of Social Work degree program has been offered in South Bend. Faculty include a director and a field coordinator, both of whom are in 12-month tenure-track positions, and a budgeted position to be filled by a full-time tenure-track person beginning in the 2000-2001 academic year. These faculty are supplemented by associate faculty.

The current 72 students take an average 20 credits per year, which then generates 1,440 graduate credit hours per year. The first full cohort of 21 students on the Indiana University South Bend campus graduated in May 1999. Prior to 1999, IUSB Master of Social Work students participated in the IUPUI graduation ceremony. Approximately 20 Indiana University South Bend students graduated on that campus during each of the previous two years.

Values
The social work profession is deeply rooted in the humanitarian value system, thereby promoting personal, social, and civic values through both content and practice. Content on values and ethics is integrated throughout the curriculum in order to meet accreditation standards established by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Field experiences, when integrated with graduate-level academic content, provide students with opportunities to develop intervention skills within the broader context of social, personal, and civic values. It is the professional responsibility of the faculty to perform a gatekeeper function in order to ensure that all IUSB Master of Social Work graduates are capable of ethical practice. Violation of the principles established by the profession within the context of values and ethics, if severe enough, can warrant removal from the program.

Innovative forms of scholarship on social needs and social problems are encouraged to develop knowledge for use in practice, education, and service. The division is able to provide some support for travel to professional conferences. As most faculty are new to both this university and to social work education, they are early in their careers as developing scholars. The director of the program has the responsibility to encourage faculty scholarship by assisting faculty development for promotion and tenure decisions.

Students are encouraged to give papers and publish where possible. During 1998-1999, a Master of Social Work student presented at a statewide conference and another student published an article. Student and faculty scholarly accomplishments are announced in class and published in the IUSB Update to encourage continuing efforts.

Both small size and interactive teaching methodologies tend to facilitate intellectual collaboration. Moreover, close professional faculty/student relationships foster intellectual discussions. Most Master of Social Work students are nontraditional age, in their 30s and 40s, and are working in social work agencies in the Michiana region. An atmosphere of collegiality is thus engendered that promotes dialogue between faculty and students and that supports values of respect and self-worth. Many class assignments require individual and/or group presentations, which encourage intellectual interaction. The principal goal of the program is to enhance student skills in critical thinking, which is an accreditation standard in social work education.

The teaching mission of the Master of Social Work program is to educate students to become professional social workers equipped for a lifetime of learning, scholarship, and service. In addition to peer review of the teaching performance of all full-time and associate faculty and written student evaluations of all courses, the director also receives feedback on faculty performance through informal channels. The quality of teaching in this division is one of its strengths. Feedback from students and community agencies on performance is an important source of information in decisions on hiring associate faculty.

Students of the school maintain the Master of Social Work Student Association, which sponsors program meetings and provides information about campus and local/regional professional workshops, conferences, and speakers. The association serves as an important channel of communication between students and faculty. Students are encouraged to join and participate in the activities of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the National Association of Black Social Workers (NABSW). Professional advising on sequencing of classes and the curriculum is available to students when necessary. The current small size of the program helps facilitate the provision of student service.

Each student in the program is required to have field instruction in two different agency settings. Placements are made both in South Bend and in various locations throughout the state. Field practicum is construed as a continuing process. Students in placement agencies are expected to meet professional service responsibilities. Integration with the community is inherent in the process of providing social work education. A part-time Master of Social Work program, which draws the great majority of students from regional agencies, relies on close working relations with the community.

The School of Social Work is fulfilling its educational mission. It enjoys a high degree of support both from the community and from Indiana University South Bend with excellent visibility in the community. The Indiana University South Bend program is the most competitive of the statewide schools and has a highly qualified faculty with an ethnically diverse student body. However, there are a number of challenges ahead. For example, turnover of faculty and staff has been high although some stability has been achieved recently with a cadre of junior faculty. The absence of tenured, senior faculty continues to be a concern. Programmatically, there is a concern that fiscal constraints will limit future growth and will limit the resources that enable faculty to develop as scholars and teachers.

Indiana University Systemwide Academic Schools and Programs

Summary and Conclusions