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Chapter 8: Trends and Planning
Criterion Four: The institution can continue to accomplish its purposes and strengthen its educational effectiveness.
ABSTRACT: This chapter describes how Indiana University South Bend meets or exceeds criterion four by utilizing processes of review and evaluation to recognize trends and implement change. The university community is working together to plan for the future of the institution. The planning is broadly participatory with goals set for accomplishing continuous improvement in the areas that affect students, faculty, staff, and the community.
The trends described below occurred through informed planning and prudent management to assure that university resources are used effectively according to and in fulfillment of university mission and goals.
Formalized long range planning began in July 1990 when then Chancellor H. Daniel Cohen issued a planning report, IUSB–Toward the 21st Century. This report framed Indiana University South Bend's plans to increase enrollment, add buildings, and enlarge the campus. This blueprint laid out a sequential process to reach these goals.
The goals of the campus master plan were further detailed in the October 1990 IUSB Campus Plan: Setting the Standards for the Future. This version of the plan cited three interdependent goals:
1. Serving 12,000 students
2. Remapping the campus geography
3. Enhancing educational resources for faculty, students, and community
The 1990 long range master plan was projected to cost $110 million. Funding was expected primarily from state sources over 10 to 12 years to expand facilities, including a parking garage which was completed in 1997, a 57,000 square foot student activities center which is under construction, a river front development to support sports fields and student residences, and a health sciences building. Additional sources for financing included projected support from a private developer and from rental and parking fees.
THE STRATEGIC PLAN: CAMPUS DIRECTIONS
In 1994, Indiana University President Myles Brand initiated a strategic plan for Indiana University. He charged each campus to chart and to develop its own strategic directions. Indiana University South Bend responded to this challenge by creating a Strategic Directions Committee. Composed of faculty, staff, and administrators, its charge was "to assess annually the campus mission, direction, priorities, and progress."
The committee devised a plan to identify and articulate institutional philosophy and values as well as to define the campus community's future, its mission, and priorities. Following widespread campus involvement and consultation, the committee drafted a new mission statement for the campus and a list of four campus priorities:
1. Enhance the student-centered focus of Indiana University South Bend
2. Develop and support excellence in programming
3. Expand community partnerships
4. Increase community awareness of Indiana University South Bend
These priorities were adopted by the IUSB Academic Senate in December 1997 and corresponding strategic initiatives were approved in April 1998. See the report Plotting a Course for Indiana University South Bend located in the NCA Resource Room.
The creation of the Community College Initiative of Indiana (CCI) has led to an extended discussion about how the Indiana University and Purdue University regional campuses might develop in light of the potential major structural change to Indiana's system of public higher education. This discussion started immediately following the announcements in January 1999 of the partnership between IVY Tech State College and Vincennes University to form a community college system in Indiana. In April 1999, the Indiana Commission for Higher Education (ICHE) discussed a "Framework for Refining Indiana's System of Postsecondary Education." On October 8, 1999, Indiana University South Bend sponsored a national colloquium, "Higher Education at the Crossroads: The Indiana Community College Initiative." During these meetings, the future of the regional campuses was discussed. The IUSB Academic Senate also drafted a response to the community college initiative. There is concern about the high cost of a new collegiate system in a region already well served by Indiana University South Bend and IVY Tech State College. (See Appendix C.)
COMMUNITY COLLEGE IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE
Prior to July 1, 2002, by state law, the community college initiative can only be implemented in one community in which a regional campus of Indiana University or Purdue University is located. Beginning in the fall 2002 semester, the CCI can be implemented at any site having a regional campus. A community college is proposed for the South Bend, Elkhart, Warsaw area in 2003. Indiana University South Bend believes it is poor public policy and a waste of Indiana taxpayer dollars to establish a community college in our region, as IVY Tech State College, Purdue University, The University of Notre Dame, Bethel College, Goshen College, Holy Cross College, and Indiana University South Bend are already functioning in the South Bend area.
The short and long term plans of Indiana University South Bend will be influenced by the development of the community college initiative.
Using the campus priorities, Indiana University South Bend has recently defined a new set of initiatives to better respond to the challenges and opportunities not just of the community colleges but of the new millennium. Some of these include, but are not limited to, strengthening our relationship with IVY Tech State College, expanding the number of degrees offered, developing a limited number of residential facilities, and improving the delivery of student services.
Indiana University South Bend already has working articulation agreements with IVY Tech State College, Southwestern Michigan College, Ancilla College, and Davenport College. These articulation agreements can be found in the NCA Resource Room. Representatives from Indiana University South Bend and Lake Michigan Community College are working on an articulation agreement between these two institutions.
With these articulation agreements there are also opportunities for sharing resources, particularly between the local IVY Tech State College and Indiana University South Bend. Indiana University South Bend also has developed a transitions program for those students who attend IVY Tech State College. This program is to facilitate the transfer of IVY Tech students to Indiana University South Bend. Transitions is a unique partnership between IVY Tech State College and Indiana University South Bend that will provide a seamless educational experience for students. These initiatives will also contribute positively to increasing the number of students who complete their bachelors degrees. These agreements and programs also will improve college persistence and retention rates. Transitions brochures are available in the NCA Resource Room.
A large number of students transfer between the campuses of Indiana University. (See the Official Undergraduate Retention Report of Indiana University.) The University Faculty Council (UFC) is at work on transfer of credit between the various Indiana University campuses. This work should be complete by fall 2001.
BACHELORS AND MASTERS PROGRAMS
Demands to expand bachelors and masters programs at Indiana University South Bend will continue to occur. In fact, six new proposals listed in rank order–Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Science, an Integrated Media Program which will introduce the Master of Fine Arts degree, a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences, a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology with Indiana University Northwest, a Master of Science in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, and a Master of Arts in English/M.A.T. in Teaching English–have been forwarded from Indiana University South Bend for consideration in the 2001-2003 budget cycle. Indiana University South Bend also has two strategic directions funding proposals:
- A marketing plan for the restructured student services area and a redesign of Indiana University South Bend's web page
- A proposal for library acquisitions
These proposals can be found in the NCA Resource Room.
Each of these initiatives represents an evolutionary next step in program development at Indiana University South Bend. The proposals build on existing strengths. They reflect the needs of the local community and surrounding area. The proposals also produce new collaborative efforts for interdisciplinary offerings between Indiana University South Bend and other Indiana University campuses.
STUDENT SERVICES: ENROLLMENT, RETENTION, AND PERSISTENCE
The demographic characteristics of the student body at Indiana University South Bend have changed in the last decade. More traditional age students (24 years of age or under) are enrolling as full time students.
Although postsecondary enrollment in the nation's colleges and universities is expected to increase overall during the next decade, the size and pace of that increase will vary among the 50 states, according to data from American Demographics. In Indiana there was no growth in birth rates in the 1980s. Consequently, Indiana University South Bend cannot expect increased enrollment among traditional age students until approximately 2006.
Indiana University South Bend is directing its efforts, partly through the restructuring and reorganization of student services, to more effectively recruit students and to more efficiently serve both traditional and nontraditional age students who are admitted to the university. The changes are to address some of the extant concerns in student services, including an advising system that is poorly integrated with academic units. A smoother transition into degree programs than now exists may have a positive impact on retention and student progress to degree completion.
Among the Indiana University regional campuses, Indiana University South Bend has one of the highest first-to-second year retention. Refer to the Official Undergraduate Retention Report available in the NCA Resource Room. Since 1997, 78 to 79 percent of Indiana University South Bend's beginning students have persisted to the second semester. The composite profile of full-time beginning students who fall below this persistence rate centers on those with SAT scores between 400-799, GPA's below a 2.0 (on a 4.0 scale), and who graduated in the bottom half of their high school class.
Current research on college retention has identified a number of features which Indiana University South Bend has moved to implement:
1. Early identification of students' academic majors and career goals
2. Connecting the social and academic aspects of college experience
3. Increased intervention for at risk students
4. Integration of student services and academic programs
5. Maximizing one-on-one contacts for beginning students
Indiana University South Bend will begin admitting students directly to their major areas of academic interest in 2001. The student activities building will be open in the academic year 2001-2002. This building will be a place where students at a commuter university will be able to meet outside of the classroom. It will provide a home for the men's and women's basketball teams and for student government offices. It will contain state of the art exercise equipment, food service facilities, lounges, and meeting rooms.
The student activities building is part of the Indiana University South Bend plan to increase student persistence by providing for student needs. The building will provide another connection for Indiana University South Bend and its students, faculty, staff, and the local community. The longer range hopes and plans for on-campus housing is another way to connect students to the university.
The Fall 1998 Student Satisfaction Survey is a comprehensive survey to assess the student experience at Indiana University South Bend. The purpose of the survey was to provide student input into future planning at Indiana University South Bend. According to survey results, students are generally satisfied with programs and services that Indiana University South Bend offers. Students find their academic experiences, the quality of the Indiana University South Bend faculty, quality of academic programs, and the physical environment very satisfactory. However, students expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of recreational programs and the cost of parking. The survey instrument and results are in the NCA Resource Room. Students also expressed a desire for affordable housing on campus.
Housing and Recreational Fields
Indiana University's regional campuses have been commuter campuses. While the essential character of the regional campuses will remain that of a commuting campus, there are discussions for regional campuses to arrange affordable student housing under certain conditions and circumstances:
- The campus must demonstrate fiscal soundness of its residence project;
- The financing of the residences must be structured in such a manner that creates no liability for the regional campus, Indiana University, or the state of Indiana;
- The campus must show sufficient student demand for the number of housing units for a project to be approved; and
- The number of students housed must constitute a proportion of the student body that is significantly smaller than the proportion of the student body housed by traditional residential campuses. These proportions are under study by the Board of Trustees and the Commission for Higher Education.
Phase one of land acquisition of the South Bend campus will take place over the next 10 years and calls for the purchase of 47 houses in the land bounded by Mishawaka Avenue, Esther Street, Bellvue Avenue, and Hildreth Street. In phase two an additional 13 houses will be purchased. These houses will be renovated and rented to Indiana University South Bend students.
The long range campus plan also includes a pedestrian bridge connecting the main Indiana University South Bend campus with the 26 acres of river front property south of the St. Joseph River. Development of the bridge project and the river front property is being advanced with the cooperation of the United States Army Corps of Engineers and has the potential to bring significant external funding to Indiana University South Bend. The phase plan for this area includes development of recreational fields and associated parking. This area will connect with an existing river walkway developed by the city of South Bend. Additionally, in phase two, this area will be developed for residential housing.
Other Projects: Academic Facilities
The highest priority facilities project for Indiana University South Bend is the renovation of the Associates Building. Refer to the campus map available in the NCA Resource Room. The renovations will occur in two phases: Phase one will create a fine arts gallery, fine arts classrooms and studios, general classroom and seminar space. Phase two will create space for the Division of Education (to be renamed School of Education), the Learning Resource Center, and general classrooms.
The campus also expects the existing Purdue programs to grow and soon exceed space in the Purdue Technology Building which presently contains all facilities management offices, shop, and support areas. To provide for this growth, the campus plans to construct a building for facilities management and for the security office, allowing Purdue programs to occupy the technology building. The longer term campus facilities plan includes rehabilitation of Northside Hall, the construction of a larger academic facility, and a multipurpose conference center and additional parking facilities.
Academic Programs and Academic Affairs
The vision of Indiana University South Bend is to be an exemplary comprehensive public university which serves and advances the educational interests of the region and beyond. Indiana University South Bend is linking its vision to its strategic priorities: a focus on students, on academic excellence, on expanding community partnerships, and on enhancing the Indiana University South Bend image. Academic programs are also guided and affected by the requirements of external accrediting bodies.
As noted earlier, since the last NCA visit, all academic programs in the Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences (to be renamed the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences) have been reviewed and evaluated by external reviewers. (See Chapter 5.) The Division of Education, Nursing and Health Professions, including Dental Hygiene and Radiography, and Business and Economics have undergone a self-study and an accreditation process. The reports of each of these units are available in the NCA Resource Room as are the self-study and external reviews of General Studies and the School of Public and Environmental Affairs.
The long range planning of each academic unit is both centralized and decentralized. Each unit is framing program development for the future in terms of the strategic directions and mission of the university. The strategic priorities of Indiana University South Bend were linked to the budget construction process of each academic unit in spring 2000. This strategic process will guide the use of fiscal resources through the budget construction cycle for the coming decade. In this way, Indiana University South Bend will begin to bridge the gap between vision and resource availability.
As part of the plan to assess the broader issues of general education campus wide, the Campus Assessment Committee has conducted a variety of surveys which date from 1994-1995. To date the focus has been on implementing assessment plans in each academic unit. Assessment Surveys and Reports 1995-2000 is located in the NCA Resource Room.
The Assessment Plan at Indiana University South Bend requires annual reports as well as formal program reviews every three years. The three-year reviews feature in-depth analysis of curricular strength and weakness that help the units determine the direction and focus of each academic program. Methods used in the assessment process include opinion surveys, focus groups, portfolios, and capstone courses. As one reads the qualitative comments of the students who have been surveyed, it is evident that the assessment process is beginning to drive decisions about curricular change and plans for curricular improvements. Clearly, however, campus assessment plans still need some refinement and evaluation of student learning and should be more tightly linked to program development. These goals will be a challenge in the next 10 years.
In April 1999, the Office of Information Technologies (OIT), in order to assess its performance, surveyed the faculty regarding support for teaching and research, communication, and instructional media services. The quantitative and qualitative results of this survey show that two-thirds of the faculty surveyed were generally satisfied with support services, with communication about changes in technology, with software support, and with teaching and research. There are technical and communication problems which need to be improved. As a first step to improve communications between faculty and OIT, beginning in the academic year 2000-2001 the associate vice chancellor for information technologies will meet monthly with the vice chancellor for academic affairs and will be an ex officio member of the academic cabinet which meets bi-weekly. The OIT survey and results are available in the NCA Resource Room.
The 1999 faculty survey was sent to all full-time faculty. One-hundred fourteen faculty (45 percent of the full-time faculty) responded to questions in nine areas: demographic information, workload, Indiana University South Bend objectives, objectives for students, support services, environment, accomplishments, leadership, and activities. The survey identified those areas which were of high importance and high satisfaction and those areas which were of high importance and low satisfaction. The six items which the faculty viewed as most important and that they were most satisfied about included the chancellor's external communication and campus promotion, Indiana University South Bend's objective to "welcome all qualified students regardless of nationality, race, gender, or religion," their effectiveness in teaching undergraduates, the Schurz Library, and faculty colleagues. The areas of greatest concern to faculty included their ability to help students develop the ability to think independently and to help students develop a desire to learn. Faculty were also concerned about leadership at the level of deans and about services from the OIT staff. OIT was slow in responding to queries, but the faculty also felt that OIT might be understaffed.
Other surveys, including a 1998 telephone survey of Michiana area residents, have dealt with the image of Indiana University South Bend in the community. This survey is also available in the NCA Resource Room. The results of this survey and similar surveys are guiding media and marketing campaigns of Indiana University South Bend. Indiana University South Bend needs to reallocate resources toward marketing its image. Indiana University South Bend is also in the process of commissioning a needs assessment survey which will provide data for decision making in the next years. With the exception of the needs assessment survey which is being developed, the surveys are located in the NCA Resource Room.
The self-study process suggests the following trends that must be accounted for as Indiana University South Bend plans for the future:
- The projected declines in enrollment in postsecondary schools will lead to a greater emphasis on enrollment management.
- The community college initiative will affect education in Indiana and the resources for public higher education in Indiana.
- The reorganization of student services to more closely link student services and academic programs will need review to monitor its effectiveness in terms of student retention.
- The new student activities facility will offer commuter students a wider array of extra curricular activities which will have a positive impact on campus life and concomitantly on student persistence and retention.
- Continual changes in computers and computer technology will require major investments in the years ahead.
- Many senior faculty are beginning to retire, a trend that will increase.
- As a growing number of tenure track faculty are promoted, there will be challenges to maintain faculty productivity.
- Indiana University South Bend will continue to reduce its reliance on associate faculty members.
- Indiana University South Bend has taken a Grade Market Reference Approach to determine the pay grades of professional staff. This process will need diligent review.
- The collections of the Franklin D. Schurz Library will continue to grow. Space to house these collections will be a challenge in the future. Making journals and other library resources available on the web will also demand more resources.
- The growing need for continuous education in the workplace, a changing economy that often requires people to change careers, and the aging of the population will create demands for higher education for nontraditional students.
- Distance education and policies and procedures for distance education will change the face of higher education in the next decade.
- Alumni outreach activities will continue to heighten the campus profile as will the many and varied arts and other programs at Indiana University South Bend.
- The university's commitment to diversity will continue to extend beyond race and ethnic groups to include those with disabilities, to men as well as women, to traditional and nontraditional students, and to international students and faculty.
- There has been criticism of the cafeteria approach to general education at Indiana University South Bend. The committee which is reviewing general education may lead to more focus in the general education requirements.
- The Indiana University Board of Trustees has been reviewing class size, programs with few graduates, misconduct policies, and post tenure review policies. These types of reviews will continue to lead Indiana University South Bend toward an ongoing assessment of its procedures and policies.
- The relationship between the system schools of Indiana University (i.e., the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, School of Social Work, etc.) and the local campus needs to be better defined.