UNK Self Study Chapter 1, Contours of the Post-KSC Leadership Challenge

College of Business & Technology

Strategic Plan: 1995-2005 Date: August, 1995

Long-Range Objectives (Rationales with reference to the 1994 NCA Self Study (SS) and Final Report (FR)) [Status]

Business Division

To obtain accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). (Rationale: SS p. 33, FR p. 11) To enhance competitiveness for students with other accredited institutions serving Nebraska and the region. [The division programs are in the fifth year of candidacy for AACSB accreditation. During Fall 2003, faculty committees are writing the required Self-Study Report in preparation for an AACSB review team campus visit.]

Technology Division

To maintain current national accreditation in Kitchen and Bath Design and in Dietetics. (Rationale: SS p. 33, FR p. 11) [The Department of Family Studies and Interior Design (previously named the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences) has maintained the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) accreditation. In 2003, the Dietetics program was discontinued; therefore, accreditation is no longer relevant.]
To achieve additional accreditation that enhances the curriculum, resources, and classroom instruction in the Industrial Technology Department. (Rationale: SS p. 33, FR p. 11) To improve the credibility of the program locally and nationally, possible enhancement for recruitment in the future. [Accreditation from the National Association of Industrial Technology (NAIT) was granted to the department in 2002].
To improve technology resources/laboratories that increase students' knowledge and strengthen their professional preparation and qualifications. (Rationale: SS p. 37, FR pp. 11,28,32) [Labs were upgraded with full computerization in 1995, 2001 and 2003 - Equipment additions were made in 1996, 1997 and 2002.]

Centers

To provide instruction in appropriate disciplines (Rationale: SS p. 34, FR p. 19) Nebraska Safety Center (NSC): Offers the Supplemental Teaching Endorsement in Drivers Education. Center for Economic Education (CEE): Offers short classes/workshops on economic issues/education for a wide range of elementary to secondary students and teachers; Conducts Virtual Economics CD-ROM workshops; Makes presentations for business education methods classes.
To provide non-traditional educational resources (Rationale: SS p. 34, FR p. 19) NSC: Offers Adult Spanish Driver Education program; Mine Safety Training program taught in English and Spanish. CEE: Conducts various workshops, e.g., Stock Market Game; Economics on the GO! Nebraska Business Development Center (NBDC): Provides free one-on-one professional business consulting/ evaluation/for entrepreneurs, and proposed business ventures with emphasis on educating and training in business management serving approximately 300 clients per year; Rotating series of workshops twice per year, e.g., topics include New Business Start-up, Tax and Record-Keeping, in a twenty-county area; Coordinates activities and Outreach with other area service providers, including Nebraska Department of Economic Development, SCORE, and local chambers of commerce and economic development councils.
To engage in research activities (Rationale: SS p. 35) Center for Rural Research and Development (CRRD): Community Needs Assessment Surveys of 22 small towns (in partnership with Central Nebraska Community Services and Mid-Nebraska Community Action agencies); Labor Availability Assessment for a six county area in south central NE; Blue Valley Community Action Housing Needs survey of nine counties in southeast NE; Comprehensive Assessment Surveys of CBT graduating seniors, alumni, and advisory board/employers.
To provide service in support of the overall mission of the College (Rationale: SS p. 35) In addition to the service activities described above the NSC offers a Hearing Conservation program operated by a Certified Occupational Hearing Conservationist with a self-contained mobile health vehicle used for screening; Driver Mobility Program (evaluation of physically and mentally challenged individuals).

Outcomes in the College of Business & Technology Since 1994:

College Wide:

Faculty Release Time for Scholarship involves over 40% of the faculty receiving reductions in teaching load of one class section per semester (Basis: To meet accreditation agency expectations and to comply with the UNK model of scholarly teaching.)
Faculty diversity has increased through judicious search/hiring practices. The 2002 faculty (tenured/tenure-track) roster includes 6% minority and 32% women (Basis: SS p. 35, FR p. 31, UNK Affirmative Action Plan.)
All departments have written and implemented plans for various methods of outcomes-based assessment of their students (SS p. 33, FR p. 32)
Faculty Annual Awards for Intellectual Contributions, Teaching, and Scholarship and Departmental Merit Pay have been implemented. (Basis: FR p. 10, Faculty Development Committee Plan for encouraging excellence; NU Board of Regents Policy re Merit Pay.)
Appointment of new Dean and Associate Dean (PT) in Summer 2001. (Basis: Resignation of former dean and associate dean.)
Enhancements to degree programs (Basis: Various national accreditations earned/in progress by both the Business Division and the Technology Division, program reviews, advisory group recommendations, and college-wide student assessment methods.)
Appointment of Internship Directors to enhance and monitor student learning off-campus (Basis: SS p. 34, 35.)
Student-Faculty Research projects are encouraged and rewarded. (Basis: UNK Mission Statement.)

Business Division

Increased emphasis on faculty scholarly productivity in refereed publications resulting in 80% of faculty on release time, i.e., with 9 cr. hr. teaching loads/one course reduction. (Basis: To meet AACSB accreditation standards and to enhance the quality of scholarly teaching.)
Reorganization of the Business Division departments by merging the Department of Business Administration/Education with the Department of Economics (Basis: To more effectively manage resources in response to budget cuts.)
Revisions of the business curriculum to emphasize communication skills, e.g., 9 cr. hrs. of core courses are now Writing Intensive and other advanced courses require more student presentations. (Basis: Surveys of employers, graduates and alumni.)
Elimination of Emphasis areas in the Business Administration Comprehensive Major, i.e., Real Estate, Human Resource Management, Office Management, and Business Administration. (Basis: To comply with AACSB standards.)
Completion of $8.6M West Center remodeling project (Basis: AACSB accreditation expectation regarding facilities and equipment. See Successes below.).
Accelerated off-campus degree programs (Bus.Adm.Comp. with Management Emphasis and MBA) (Basis: Student demand)
Increased number of Distance Education courses delivered by web or by satellite. (Basis: Service to students in distant locations.)

Technology Division

Reorganization and renaming of the former Department of Family and Consumer Sciences to the Department of Family Studies & Interior Design. (Basis: Focus offerings based on student demand.)
Elimination of Family Consumer Sciences program, the Dietetics Program, and the Nutrition minor. (Basis: Low student demand.)

Centers

Creation of the Center for Rural Research & Development to respond to regional demand for research studies. (Basis: UNK Mission Statement.)
Elimination of the Small Business Institute offering faculty-student consulting services to the region. (Basis: Loss of Small Business Administration funding and lack of faculty time due to accreditation emphasis.)

Successes and Concerns Since 1994

Successes

College Wide:

In 2002, college faculty produced 129 refereed articles and 323 other peer-reviewed scholarly works/activities. (Basis: FR p. 11, SS pp.33, 34.)
Personal attention/concern for student success through low student-faculty ratio (19 to1), reasonable class sizes (average 25 students), and faculty serving as individual academic advisors. (Basis: Surveys of employers, graduates and alumni.)
Accreditation earned or in progress for all programs.
Host of 2003 UNK World Affairs Conference, which brought to campus more business and technology practitioners with international job responsibilities than any other event at UNK. (Basis: UNK/CBT Mission Statements.)
CBT Assessment Plan/Survey of Graduating Seniors (each semester), Alumni, and Advisory Council/Employers has been implemented and the results are favorable. (NCA and accreditation agency requirements for assessment plans.)

Business Division

Inclusion of all business/economics degree programs among the UNK Priority Programs resulting in additional funding to enhance student learning. (Basis:NU Board of Regents initiative to identify special programs in the NU system for enhancement.)
Maintenance of common core course requirements for business/economics majors, thereby allowing students to easily change majors within the Division.
Continued success in recruiting high-quality faculty who meet AACSB criteria for Academically Qualified status. (Basis: AACSB accreditation standards.)
AACSB Consultant's Report (March 2000) was positive. (Basis: AACSB Consultants Report, March 2000.)
Completion of an $8.6M West Center Building remodeling project with state-of-the-art classrooms (14 for business/economics with an average size of 36 seats), department/faculty/staff offices, and two computer labs (70 stations) for students.

Technology Division

Inclusion of the Interior Design and Industrial Technology degree programs among the UNK Priority Programs. (NU Board of Regents initiative.)
Accreditation of programs in both departments: Family Studies & Interior Design- NKBA; and, Industrial Technology - NAIT.
FSID program and faculty development have been enhanced by responses to the 2000 Department Program Review and standards of the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA), as well as by consideration of Foundation for Interior Design Education and Research Accreditation Association and the National Council of Family Relations standards.
Growth in class enrollment and declared majors, and continued high placement rates for graduates of the Department of Industrial Technology.

Concerns

College Wide:

Since 2001, UNK/CBT has had 4 budget reductions, reducing the CBT budget by a total of $385,600. This overarching financial concern, with suggestions of future budget reductions, has taken an excessive amount of college administrative time in planning how to accommodate these losses under various scenarios while minimizing the impact on serving students with the college's traditional academic programs. (State budget cuts 2001-2003)
Although it appears that enrollment may be stabilizing in Fall 2003, enrollment declines/stagnation in the past remain a concern. (Basis: UNK enrollment trends.)
Competition for students with other regional institutions.
Loss of uniqueness of UNK student experience in order to become more like competing larger institutions
Loss of faculty time/expertise for service activities on campus and in the community/state because of scholarly productivity pressures, thereby diminishing visibility of UNK/CBT among Nebraska taxpayers and prospective students and parents. (Basis: Demands of accreditation agencies for increased scholarly productivity.)
Lack of significant financial support from alumni.

Business Division

Obtaining AACSB accreditation is the major focus. (Basis: FR.)
Reduction in Student Credit Hour production to meet AACSB requirement that business/economics majors must take at least 50% of their undergraduate degree courses (i.e., General Studies and free electives) outside of business/economics courses in order to have a broader educational experience. (Basis: AACSB accreditation standards.)
Maintenance of the MBA program because of low enrollments.

Technology Division

Maintenance of improvements in technology in era of reduced resources.
Remodel of building now delayed due to reduced resources.
Reductions in pool of potential students for technology based programs.

Future Plans

College Wide:

Accreditation of all college degree programs. (Basis: FR.)
To hire replacement faculty, as needed, who meet the standards of accreditation associations and, when possible, who bring diversity to the college. (Basis: Accreditation agency standards.)
To better utilize the College Advisory Council. (Basis: Departmental reviews.)
To maintain the UNK Priority Program status of those departments that now have that designation. (Basis: NU Board of Regents initiative on priority programs.)
To finalize the revision of the College Guidelines for Annual Evaluation, Promotion, and Continuous Improvement (originally adopted in 1996).
Implement the Developmental Advising program for majors.
To implement improvements in programs as indicated in the department assessment reports.
To update the Strategic Planning process.

Business Division

To complete the AACSB Self-Study Report documenting compliance with AACSB standards by January 2004. (Basis: FR.)
To host an AACSB Review Team in Spring 2004 to review the Self-Study Report and determine if accreditation standards have been met at this time. (Basis: FR.)
To enhance the Management Information Systems requirement in the business administration/economics core by replacing the current MIS course with a more advanced course. (Basis: CBT Mission Statement.)
Consider development of threads of study through the business core. Consider specific entrance requirements for students seeking business/economics majors.

Technology Division

To continue remodeling of the Otto Olsen Building which houses the Departments of Family Studies & Interior Design and Industrial Technology.

Centers

To continue offering appropriate service activities demanded by the region. (UNK/CBT Mission Statement.)
NBDC: To add a full-time person to increase the number of clients served through Procurement Technical Assistance (technical assistance to obtain government contracts. (Basis: Demand for services.)

Analysis

An analysis of the outcomes, strengths, and concerns indicates that the College of Business and Technology continuously evaluates its progress toward meeting its goals. It indicates that adjustments are needed in future planning to maintain program rigor, relevancy, and quality. The strategic planning process relies on the evaluative information provided from the earlier (1994) NCA recommendations in combination with input from APR's from individual departments, and suggestions related to ongoing accreditation efforts.

Each department engages in strategic planning and development to continually maintain and improve the student's learning experience. Examples of outcomes resulting from departmental strategic planning since 1994 are listed below. A more inclusive description of their planning and accomplishments is included in departmental reports filed in July-September of 2003 which are presented in the archives.

Departmental Outcomes

Department of Accounting/Finance

Elimination of the Real Estate Emphasis in order to better concentrate on the Department's strengths of Accounting and Finance as per AACSB accreditation suggestions.
Coordination with the MBA Program to facilitate students completing both an undergraduate degree and an MBA and meeting the requirement of 150 credit hours to sit for the CPA examination.

Department of Economics and Business Administration/Education

Made major revisions to the B.S. in Economics (1998) to create a Comprehensive Business Economics degree. The new degree shares the common business core with other College degrees. This was a recommendation in the 1996 program review.
Redesigned the Agribusiness major in 2001 to increase flexibility in the technical component of the degree, and to make the business component match the business core in other college degree programs.

Department of Family Studies and Interior Design

Continually monitor and reshape the undergraduate curriculum in order to be responsive to student needs, changes in the job market, and requirements of program area accrediting bodies. Rationale: Program Review and Self Study and Recommendations, 2000; Foundation for Interior Design Education and Research Accreditation Standards; National Kitchen and Bath Association Endorsement Requirements; National Council on Family Relations.
2002 - The Dietetics Comprehensive - Bachelor of Science program moved to a 2 + 2 program (2 years at UNK and 2 years at UNL) in 2002 and was then discontinued spring/summer 2003 in response to low enrollments. The Nutrition minor is slated to be discontinued fall 2003 in response to low enrollments and loss of companion major program.

Department of Industrial Technology

Developed Advisory Councils for all degree programs as per advice from NAIT Accreditation process.
Seven programs were condensed into four so as to focus on the strongest ones as per the advice of Advisory Councils and focus group feedback.

Department of Management

The emphases of Business Administration, Human Resource Management and Management were consolidated into the Management Emphasis as per AACSB accreditation suggestions. Additionally, as a result of an Alumni Survey performed by the CRRD, the Management Faculty is working to integrate material across the courses which are taught in the Management Emphasis so as to reinforce the concepts integral to management.
Management Emphasis offered via distance education was introduced during the 2002-2003 academic year. The program offers two satellite courses during the Fall and Spring Semesters and is broadcast to two cohorts (West Cohort - North Platte, McCook, and Ogallala and East Cohort - Grand Island, Hastings, and Columbus). One satellite class is broadcast to each cohort. The satellite technology allows a faculty member to teach a course on campus and offer off campus at the same time via television. One web-based course is also taught during the Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters which are available to both cohorts simultaneously.

Department of Marketing and Management of Information Systems Marketing

The marketing program has increased the number of opportunities for students to work with area organizations through the completion of "live cases" in several classes. These classes include BMKT 435/835 Marketing Research, 440/840 Advertising Management and BMKT 456/856 Marketing Management.
Several web-based marketing courses have been developed. BMKT 300 Principles of Marketing and BMKT 430/830 International Marketing have been taught via the web while BMKT 438/838 is being developed for web-delivery in the near future.

Management of Information Systems

Development and approval of a new introductory course in MIS, Principles of Management Information Systems 302. This course is intended to eventually replace BMIS 181/182 and will provide students with an introduction and overview to the field of MIS. This course will also expose students to many of the technological issues they will encounter in their careers.
The Management Information Systems Emphasis in the Business Administration Comprehensive Major was changed to reflect a more modern approach by replacing COBOL with JAVA and to offer more flexibility in electives.

Other sections in this appendix: