Vol. 2, No. 3

Missouri State and the Spellings Report

The report of the U.S. Secretary of Education's Commission on the Future of Higher Education was published late in 2006. Commonly referred to as the "Spellings Report," after the convener of the Commission, Secretary Margaret Spellings, the report is titled A Test of Leadership: Charting the Future of U.S. Higher Education. It is available at http://www.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/hiedfuture/

The report has already generated considerable discussion and reaction, and well it should because it offers a curious combination of analyses, conclusions, and recommendations. There is much to dislike or dispute in the report, but there also is a substantial number of important ideas for reform. Among its several and not insignificant shortcomings, the report says surprisingly little about the diverse roles of university faculty members, particularly with respect to the importance of research and scholarship. It focuses almost exclusively on undergraduate education, with scant attention given to graduate or professional training. It is critical of accrediting agencies, but seems uninformed about the changes that have taken place in regional and specialty accreditation over the past decade. It urges innovation in the use of technology and in the containment of costs without appearing to recognize how much experimentation and effort in both realms are already taking place. Its conceptions about the assessment of student learning appear simplistic, and its enthusiasm for comparing very different institutions in terms of student performance could prove problematic if it leads to another faulty system for the national ranking of institutions.

Despite these shortcomings, the report contains six broadly framed recommendations that deserve all of higher education's attention. It would be foolish to dismiss the report or to ignore its call for change in American higher education simply because it sounds a number of sour notes on various matters. Let's consider each recommendation in light of what Missouri State University has already accomplished, is planning to achieve, or should consider implementing.

1. To improve access to college, the commission recommends: better alignment between K-12 preparation and collegiate curricula, expansion of advanced placement and dual enrollment programs, the removal of barriers to transfer of credit, and better marketing of the importance and the possibilities for a college education.

   At Missouri State, we continue to work collaboratively with K-12 school systems and we accept Advanced Placement (AP) and dual-enrollment programs, as well as other forms of "nontraditional" credit-bearing coursework. I am convinced, however, that we can do more to promote efficient, effective, and high-quality alternatives to traditional classroom instruction. In fact, I think we need to consider a set of new academic policies in this regard that would promote rigor, encourage high expectations for students, conserve faculty time and effort, and improve student retention and graduation rates, which must remain targets for our attention. Specifically, I am asking the Provost and the Faculty Senate to evaluate and make recommendations concerning the possible implementation of the following policies:

   1. Should we cap the number of credit hours required for a degree at 120 (with exceptions as required by accrediting agencies)?
   2. Should we require all students to complete at least 9-12 hours of credit through any combination of the following methods: Advanced Placement, Dual Enrollment, Study Away, and/or a course relying on distance learning technology as its primary form of delivery?
   3. Might we encourage students to fulfill more of their course requirements through "test-out" options?
   4. Is it time to re-invent IDS 110 by changing content, making it optional, connecting it to majors, etc.? From a larger perspective, how satisfied are we with other elements of the curriculum, such as the Capstone requirement and our coverage of "life skills" areas like financial and cross-cultural competence?

   I think we also need to take stock of our overall marketing efforts. Are we identifying and promoting in the most effective manner those academic programs, campus features, and institutional qualities that would give Missouri State a higher profile and image, and a unique edge in the recruitment of students, both those who are graduating from high school as well as those who are transfers or adults ready to pursue college? Are our materials delivered in the right media? Do they emphasize the advantages of this University in as compelling a way as possible? In order to be sure that we are marketing the institution to prospective students as strongly as we can, I am asking Acting Vice President for Student Affairs Earle Doman, to conduct a thorough review of our student recruitment and marketing tools and present his findings and recommendations to me by March 1.

   A well-conceived marketing plan is one component of an effective enrollment management strategy, but other elements need consideration as well. As the population of high school students in Missouri drops a bit during a portion of the next decade, the University will need to be certain that its marketing and enrollment management strategies are integrated well with its academic priorities and programs. I intend to give personal attention over the next semester to the development of maximally effective enrollment management tactics and strategies.

2. To address the increasing cost of college education, the commission recommends: an increase in federal, state, and institutional aid for needy students; a simplification of the application process for financial aid; reduction in institutional costs through better efficiency and greater productivity; streamlining of federal and state regulatory burdens; and an enhancement of the Pell Grant program.

   At Missouri State, our new, flexible approach to tuition (CAP-IT) continues to draw favorable attention from students, parents, and policy makers. It allows our tuition to still be a very good value compared to other public and private institutions. I believe we should continue the CAP-IT alternatives, but market and promote them even more aggressively. We have committed to increase our institutional, need-based financial aid by $1 million over a three-year period. We are on course to meet that commitment and have recently secured a number of scholarship endowments that will help perpetuate that aid. For three consecutive years, we have re-allocated 1 percent of our annual operating budget to institutional priorities, and we have eliminated or reduced several nonacademic expenses as part of a larger effort to contain costs.

3. To make colleges more accountable for actual student learning and performance, the commission recommends: the collection of student-level data for the purpose of assessing how well institutions are serving students; better public information on college costs, requirements, outcomes, and expenditures; objective assessment of student learning outcomes through standardized testing or other nationally normed measures; and more use of third-party evaluations of institutions and state systems of higher education.

   At Missouri State, we have just approved a long-range plan that emphasizes performance measures and a comprehensive demonstration of accountability. Our Public Scorecard will track – on an annual basis – 25 objective measures in the areas of student achievement, research and creative activity, access and diversity, community impact, and institutional support. We also have publicly published and annually reported progress on 70+ performance measures as part of our previous long-range plans. In addition, we have selected a group of 11 aspirational/benchmark institutions against which we will compare our progress on a number of important dimensions. Missouri State is now a "pioneer member" of the HLC Academy for Assessment of Student Learning. Our participation in this academy will allow us to strengthen our assessment program for student success. These methodologies place the University in the forefront of institutions on this dimension and should serve us well as the State of Missouri considers various accountability requirements for its public universities.

   I believe there are two domains where we still need to be more systematic and strategic in our use of assessment data: 1) with respect to retention and student experiences at the University, I intend for the University to participate in the National Study of Student Engagement (NSSE) every two years and use the results of that assessment to improve the academic climate and student engagement at the institution; and 2) with respect to learning outcomes, I would like the institution to assess student learning through a reliable, nationally normed instrument such as the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) or the National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS). After deciding which instrument(s) to employ and committing to its regular administration, the University will be better able to assess what value it is adding to student learning and achievement.

4. To increase higher education's continuous improvement, the commission recommends: revitalization and increased funding of FIPSE (Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education) for the purpose of stimulating and funding innovation, greater use of distance learning and information technology, and the sharing of educational resources among institutions.

   At Missouri State, we remain committed to obtaining the one-time and recurring funding necessary to launch our cooperative engineering programs with the University of Missouri-Rolla. In addition, we will continue to explore opportunities to expand our accelerated master's programs to other colleges in the region (based on the successful model established with Evangel University).

   In order to increase access, Missouri State will need to be sure that its use of information technology and resources for distance learning are up to par. I am asking the Provost and the Deans to review all aspects of this enterprise – fees charged, class sizes, support infrastructure, and the evaluation of learning outcomes – in order to develop and deliver the right mix of high quality distance learning courses and degree programs.

5. To ensure that citizens have educational opportunities across their lives, the commission recommends: the expansion of university curricula to more adult learners through distance and workplace learning.

   I believe we can improve our record of encouraging and enrolling both transfer students (originating primarily from OTC and West Plains) and adult students from the local community. Therefore, I am asking the Provost and Acting Vice President for Student Affairs to strengthen our enrollment, curricular options, and support services for transfer and adult students. Specifically, I want them to determine how Missouri State can be the state's leader in 2+2 programs and programs with our community college colleagues.

6. To be sure the nation remains globally competitive, the commission recommends: increased funding for areas such as math, engineering, science, nursing, and biomedicine; increased multidisciplinary research and curricula; an emphasis on foreign language training, international education, and study abroad; and revision of visa policies to encourage the import of crucial intellectual capital.

   At Missouri State, we have agreements and policies in place to offer degrees in civil and electrical engineering in cooperation with the University of Missouri-Rolla. All we need now is the crucial funding from the state. This summer we will pilot the Missouri Innovation Academy, which is designed to promote the study of, and careers in math, engineering, technology, and science by low-income students from rural and urban areas. Our Futures Initiative concentrated on selecting and developing high-impact, multidisciplinary research and scholarship of greatest opportunity for the University. Our international program efforts continue to grow, especially in Asia, and we have now obtained $100,000 in endowment commitments to support scholarships for study abroad by Missouri State students. Obviously our University is faring well when it comes to promoting global competence and competitiveness.

I urge you to read the Spellings Report and communicate your thoughts to me about it. More importantly, I want to hear your ideas about how Missouri State University can and should respond to the report's legitimate recommendations for improvement and reform. During this semester, I want to give special priority to items under 1, 3, and 5 above. Each one addresses matters of fundamental academic importance, and I look forward to discussing them with you.

My best wishes for the New Year and another productive semester for Missouri State University.

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