Updates to the 2005 Self-Study Report

Since the Self-Study report was drafted and submitted to the Higher Learning Commission, Missouri State University has begun or continued several initiatives that the Steering Committee consider worthy of attention of the HLC Site Team who will be visiting campus November 7-9, 2005.  Many of these are listed on the University’s calendar.

Initiatives Associated with the New President and University Administration

• New state-wide composition of Board of Governors
• 3-page summaries of strengths from academic and other units, requested by incoming President Nietzel in June 2005 (These reports are available from each unit upon request).
• Friday Focus monthly newsletter (three issues to date)
• State of the University Address, October 3, 2005

New Task Forces & Committees  

• Compensation Committee - solicits input in writing and through several forums for faculty and staff.
• President’s Commission for Diversity
• Intercollegiate Athletics Priorities Committee
• Mountain Grove Campus Task Force
• Provost Search Committee
• Public Health Task Force
• Task Force on Missouri State University Futures

Public Affairs Events

• Public Affairs Lecture & Panel, “Behind the Scenes in the Supreme Court,” with Dr. Peter Irons, November 7, 2005
• Summit on Higher Education and the Public Good, November 8, 2005

Initiatives Associated with New Provost Model of Administration

• Provost Model adopted by Board of Governors, news release, September 16, 2005
• Provost Search Committee has been established and search is underway to hire for the position.
• Provost Research Forum, an interdisciplinary series in which faculty share research interests and current projects, began October 27, 2005 and continues November 10, 2005.

Collaborative Ventures & Events

• Community and Social Issues Institute established September 16, 2005
• “Studio Live: Call-in” show on KSMU with President Nietzel, began September 30, 2005
• Teaming agreement signed with New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, October 26, 2005
• Transfer help desk at Ozarks Technical Community College staffed by Missouri State University and Drury University
• Fundraising event for the Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity, sponsored by the College of Arts and Letters, “Remembering Katrina and Rita: Restoring Hope,” October 27, 2005

Curricular Items

• Alumni Information Task Force, created fall 2004, began soliciting input from colleges and departments, July-September 2005. Improved tracking should contribute to assessing and improving student learning. Task Force report of current tracking is available in the Resource Room.
• Teacher Education program in Visual Impairment received national approval by the Association for the Education and Rehabilitation for the Blind and Visually Impaired
• Department of Defense and Strategic Studies relocated to Virginia

• Fall 2005 entering freshman class holds all-time high ACT score average.
• Enrollment Data Fall 2005 made available (with University ID and pin)
• 100% pass rate on the NCLEX-RN exam (required for becoming registered with the State Boards of Nursing) achieved by the first class of 23 BSN students in July and August 2005. (comparative results)
• Site visit by the American Council for Construction Education for accreditation of the new undergraduate degree program in Construction Management, October 8-10.

Graduate College Improvements

• Provost Einhellig’s Fall 2005 address to the Graduate Council reports increase in full time students, especially in health care programs.
• Missouri Outreach Graduate Opportunity Scholarship established for out-of-state students, October 28, 2005
• Day-long workshop, “Research by Clinical Doctorate Students,” for new Doctorate in Physical Therapy program featured external consultants Dr. Alice Holmes (U of Florida) and Dr. James Carey (U of Minnesota), October 21, 2005
• Workshops on research conducted for graduate students

Faculty Development

Faculty Conversation on Service-Learning Research, November 3, 2005,sponsored by Citizenship and Service Learning (CASL)

• Research and Development Seminars on Integrative Learning
  • September 13, “Learning and Motivation”
  • October 11, “Learning, Prior Knowledge, and Other Student Differences”

• Professional Development Seminars
  • Time Management for Faculty, August 29 and 30, 2005
  • Documenting Your Accomplishments for Tenure and Promotion, October 18 & 19, 2005
  • Diversity in the Classroom – Inclusive Teaching and Learning in a Multicultural Environment, November 3 and 4, 2005

Diversity Initiatives

• Missouri State University’s Hispanic Initiative selected as the first case study to be featured by the Postsecondary Access for Latino Middle-grades Students (PALMS) Case Study Series describing postsecondary access programs that are demonstrating success in reaching Latino families
• Mid-America Alliance for African Studies Conference, hosted by the Department of Anthropology included numerous events open to the public, September 2005.
• Research and display of Native American art, through January 2006
• Native American Heritage Month celebrations, November 2005
• Hispanic Heritage Month events, September-October 2005 International Banquet honors cultures from around the world, November 12, 2005
• Office of Equal Opportunity has become the Office for Equity and Diversity

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