Chapter 6: SMSU as a Distinctive Organization

Being Self-Reflective

Missouri State University is a self-reflective institution engaged in continuous planning. As discussed in Chapter 3, “Missouri State as a Future-Oriented Organization,” the institution regularly and systematically evaluates the appropriateness of its mission to produce educated persons relative to the needs of its consistencies and its effectiveness in actual performance. Self-evaluation is an overlapping process carried out at multiple points using a variety of criteria—ranging from student evaluation of individual faculty and courses to University and community wide input in the creation of the long-range plans, such as Daring to Excel.

Systematic and continuous self-reflection at Missouri State provides an institutional capacity for evaluation and change. Revision of the mission, for example, is built into the planning process. The proposed addition, via Daring to Excel, of a sixth theme, “The Human Dimension,” reflects the wide-ranging and ongoing philosophical discussions regarding the general direction of the University and the built in capacity for change in the planning process.

The curricular process also is specifically designed to promote the coherence of programs. As part of the multi-layered approval process, changes to existing programs or proposals for new programs must be justified by both need and adherence to the university mission. Systematic review and revision of undergraduate and graduate programs takes place within departments, the Honors College, the General Education Program, the Professional Education Committee, and the Graduate Council, as well as through Faculty Senate. The Academic Program Review Committee conducts periodic reviews of undergraduate and graduate programs. Special planning committees study the future of graduate education, distance learning, international programs, diversity, facilities planning, and research at Missouri State.

The creation of new programs and the allocation of resources to existing programs are directly linked to the mission and five themes. New programs such as the Doctorate in Audiology, which began admitting students in the Fall 2002 term, and the Physical Therapy program, including its proposed doctorate, reflect the growing importance of the Springfield area as one of the major medical centers in the state. Two of the five largest hospital systems in Missouri are headquartered in Springfield, which enables these and other health-care programs to utilize the resources of these faculties.  

In addition to setting the University’s course, long-range plans serve as evaluation tools as they regularly measure progress toward the institution’s goals.

• As described in Chapter 3, “Missouri State as a Future-Oriented Organization,” the University Planning and Advisory Council (UPAC), a broadly representative body made up of faulty, staff, students, and administrators, coordinates the planning process. While drafting Daring to Excel, the UPAC Committee sought substantial input:
  • Internally, from 18 committees and units, most of which take a wide view of University operations. The Student Government Association and the Professional Education Committee are two examples.
  • Externally, from 57 committees/Advisory Boards, ranging from the Agricultural Advisory Committee to the Theatre and Dance Department Advisory Council and the Multicultural/Minority Student Recruitment Advisory Committee.
  • Publicly, from open forums for all consistencies and through the UPAC Web site. The Chair of the Committee frequently repeated his willingness to meet formally or informally with internal and external constituencies. Although the forums were well publicized and faculty, staff, students, and other constituents were encouraged to attend, attendance at the largest drew approximately 40 people.

As described in “Being Driven by the Mission” within Chapter 3 and in “Having an Unambiguous Mission” within this chapter, Missouri State has been enabled by the self-reflective processes described above to create and refine its institutional mission. Only with such self-reflection is the institution able to instill that mission and its accompanying values within its constituencies.

• The University mission and statement of values are both prominently linked from the University Web page, and literature that explains both is given to incoming freshmen and their parents during freshmen orientation and registration (SOAR) programs.
• All sections of IDS 110 (Introduction to University Life) use a standard policy statement exhibiting the same mission, goals, and objectives. Goal 1 of the Student Success program states, “Students will learn the University’s mission of Public Affairs.” The required portion of the core curriculum also incorporates the public affairs mission. To assist instructors, a public affairs tutorial has been added to the Student Success Web site.
• To maintain awareness of the mission and ensure that it remains part of the campus identity, the University offers Public Affairs Grants and hosts special events such as the recent Public Affairs Conference.
• The recent presidential search was collaborative, as transparent as the law allows, and mission driven. The Search Committee represented the interests of a variety of constituencies, and a proven record of commitment to the values that define the University’s mission was among the attributes required of candidates.
• Soon after his selection, Dr. Nietzel, the new president, asked each department to prepare a summary of the condition of the department, its place within the mission, and plans for the future.
• Nearly all departments hold annual retreats that provide the opportunity to evaluate past performance and plan for the coming academic year. All have annual performance reviews of faculty, staff, and administrators.

The institution’s mission begins with students, and Missouri State continuously monitors programs at a variety of levels to ensure that they continue to meet the needs of students and the broader society served by graduates. As described within the section “Assessing Student Learning” of Chapter 4, departments regularly evaluate the content and execution of courses and programs.

• Units on campus, particularly the Greenwood Laboratory School and the Fruit Experiment Station, focus on applied research.
• The Office of Sponsored Research provides assistance to faculty and students seeking outside funding for research.
• Despite budget cuts, Missouri State has maintained a high level of sabbatical and internal grant funding.
• College and University Awards recognize and promote exemplary teaching, service, and research among faculty.
• In part as a result of concerns raised during previous HLC visits, the University spent nearly two years debating and designing a new General Education Program that focuses more clearly and self-consciously on the mission.
• Syllabi for all courses in the General Education Program clearly state how each course relates to the General Education goals.
• Clear, concise, self-reflective mission statements exist for many programs and departments.
• The Center for Assessment and Instructional Support provides assistance to departments in developing methods for authentic assessment and learning improvement.
• Missouri State and its programs are accredited by 25 nationally recognized organizations, including the HLC. All focus in one way or another on student learning. These outside bodies contribute to a self-reflective approach essential to evaluating and improving teaching and student learning.
• Missouri State has clearly defined and periodically revisited policies and procedures for investigating and resolving disputes over course grades and academic integrity.
• Missouri State sponsors regular professional development opportunities for faculty and staff.
• Missouri State supports external professional development activities such as international seminars offered by the Council for International Educational Exchange.
• The University supports travel to professional conferences and related events.
• Through events such as the Showcase on Teaching, Missouri State demonstrates an openness to and support of innovative practices that enhance learning.
• Tenure and promotion guidelines require a thoughtful self-analysis of the extent to which faculty actively participate in the intellectual life of the disciplines in which they teach.
• The Academic Development Center provides interdisciplinary support for effective teaching through sponsorship of a variety of events.
• The University’s participation in the Carnegie Initiative in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning is an attempt to make both faculty and students more reflective practitioners in the process of life-long learning.
• Student research is demonstrated through the Graduate Interdisciplinary Forum and the College of Health and Human Services Research Symposium.  

As described in Chapter 5, “Missouri State as a Connected Organization,” the University serves its internal and external constituencies in a variety of ways. It discovers services they need by listening to them and then implementing those services.

• The University’s greatest service comes from the continued fulfillment of its mission to produce educated persons.

  Criteria and Core Components supported in this section include 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d.

  • Missouri State currently has more than 150 major areas of study and 43 graduate programs. Every year several thousand individuals graduate, well equipped to contribute to society in a wide variety of ways.
  • Missouri State provides more than job training. The general education program focuses on developing the breadth of knowledge and analytical skills necessary to promote life-long learning and flexibility in a rapidly changing world.
  • The public affairs mission encourages students to become informed about and engaged with the responsibilities of citizenship in the modern world.
• The College of Continuing Education and the Extended University provides a wide array of training and professional development opportunities for individuals and businesses in a variety of formats. The college quickly responds to the shifting needs of its various constituents with curricular changes.
• The Small Business Development Center provides information and advice to business owners and prospective entrepreneurs throughout the region.
• The Center for Conflict Resolution provides services and training to institutions and families.
• The University has several additional centers, ranging from archaeological research to policy planning, all of which provide expert advice and specialized resources to a variety of clients.
• Departments host a variety of community outreach activities such as History Day, History Bowl, Science Olympiad, Tent Theater, various athletic camps, model United Nations, Future Farmers of America events, music competitions, and speech and debate contests.
• In 1999, SMSU was recognized by the Templeton Foundation for its efforts to promote character development.

This Self-Study report exemplifies the types of activities that make apparent the institution’s challenges. In each of the previous three chapters, the Steering Committee has delineated these challenges and recommended ways of mitigating them. Some examples follow:

• During the last five years the most troublesome aspect of planning for the future has been declining state funding. The has had significant impact on
  • Students, in the form of rising fees. Student fees at Missouri State remain slightly below the mean for state universities in Missouri.
  • Faculty morale, which has suffered as a result of stagnating salaries and delays in capital improvements such as a new science building. This decline also has led to difficulties in hiring faculty in certain areas and the departure of some junior faculty who can obtain higher salaries elsewhere.
• The Process Improvement Committee initiated a “coordinated effort to examine, improve, and when appropriate, eliminate or radically change the university's fundamental processes.” The committee has been responsible for significant improvement in a variety of areas, ranging from student advising to employee payroll procedures
• Since 1997 the University has saved $7.3 million through an intensive effort to improve energy management. This change was driven partly by environmental concerns arising from the public affairs mission as well as out of necessity.
• Funding for the library and library resources remains well below desirable levels for a metropolitan university of this size.
• Some outreach activities, such as History Day and Science Olympiad, occur as a result of individual interest and effort rather than because of a department’s coherent plan or concern about consistency with the mission.