Office of the Provost: 2000-2001 Annual Report
The Provosts office has seen changes in 2000-01. Provost Kermit L. Hall resigned December 31, 2000, accepting the Presidency at Utah State University. Charles G. Moreland was named Interim Provost effective January 1, 2001. A national search for Provost was conducted and Stuart L. Cooper was hired as Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs effective August 1, 2001.
This summary describes the activities and achievements of the Office of the Provost for 2000-2001. A Compact Plan Summary was signed by each Vice Provost and College Dean and approved by the Provost. An internal search was successfully conducted for the Vice Provost for African-American and Diversity Affairs, and national searches were also successfully conducted for the Dean of the College of Natural Resources, and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. A search for the Director of International Programs is underway.
Academic Affairs
This year marked the second full year of operation under an improved organizational structure. The services of the office can now be directed toward faculty development, governance, and facilitating projects and processes within the provost’s unit.
The Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning (FCTL) experienced substantial growth in the scale and significance of its faculty instructional development programming. New workshops offered this year included: Foundations in Teaching, Teaching Summer Session Classes, and Getting Started in Online Education. Work also began at the Departmental level with the Hewlett Campus Challenge and Curriculum Diversity. FCTL grants/contracts activities brought in approximately $130,000 in external funding. The FCTL’s largest compact plan initiative related to Inquiry-Guided Learning expanded to include forty-one faculty and twenty departments completing the Hewlett Continuation Program. Significant progress was made in achieving six major compact plan initiatives in the office of academic affairs: refinement of the reappointment, promotion, and tenure criteria and process; revision and update of the Faculty Handbook; completion of a pilot study of the university-wide evaluation of teaching instrument (UEI); creation of a new faculty orientation; assistance to academic departments spousal and programmatic strength appointment and counter-offers; and revision and maintenance of Leadership Education for Academic Departments Series. The effort to improve utility of web resources is continuing by updating current web resources such as promotion and tenure, faculty governance, and teaching awards sites. Additional web resources are being developed including a faculty resource page entitled, “Faculty Focus.” In the reappointment, tenure, and promotion process, implemented in 1999-2000, 122 cases were reviewed, and each case included written assessments by colleagues at the department and college level. University-level teaching awards, including the identification of the recipient of the Board of Governors’ Award for Excellence in Teaching, six new alumni distinguished undergraduate professors, and 19 members of the Academy of Outstanding Teachers were selected through processes beginning at the department level. The Departmental Award for Teaching and Learning Excellence was presented to the departments of Accounting and Foreign Language and Literatures. Each received a one-time award of $5,000 and a continuing increase of $15,000 in their base budgets. The Leadership Education for Academic Departments Series steering committee refined the workshop topic selection by identifying four primary responsibilities of department heads: faculty development, leadership, management, and personal development. Workshop topics are now selected from these four categories on a rotating basis. The involvement of faculty in governance of the university is a key area in which the office supports the work of the Faculty Senate and the operation of the University Standing Committee system (26 committees). The development of a revised university committee and participatory governance system and creation of a sustainable committee management and support system will be reviewed and considered for further activity during the fall of 2001.
Service-Learning (SL) was identified by the FCTL as the area most in need of support. SL is an extremely effective form of inquiry-guided learning. It taps into strong student motivations for service and connects those motivations to academic content areas, and it binds campus to community in strong and positive ways. The university must build on the work of the Faculty Senate Special Select Reappointment, Promotion, and Tenure Committee to create a positive climate for teaching and learning. A related major consideration for the future will be supporting and implementing the university-wide evaluation of teaching instrument. The pilot study results were positive, but there was narrow support by the faculty senate. Three areas of faculty development will require additional attention in the coming year: peer review of teaching, mentoring models, and comprehensive review of tenured faculty. In an effort to provide greater support, the office will implement an orientation program for New Department Heads beginning in August 2001.
Academic Administration, Budget & Personnel
The good news in EPA personnel was the first year implementation of the Board of Trustees deregulation of EPA personnel processes reduced the number of actions forwarded to the Academic Affairs and Personnel Committee from 843 to 259 and the number of "late" actions decreased from 530 to 19. Fiscal affairs created training sessions on quarterly lapsed salary reporting and the carryover/lapsed salary plans, and was able through two staff changes to conduct more extensive fiscal research.
The Compact Plan process provided an excellent opportunity to focus our staff and resources. Among these were revision of the faculty recall-return process, development of a test web site for the codification of BOG/BOT/campus personnel policies and procedures, establishment of Personnel Connections meetings and a listserv, development of standard language for EPA appointment and reappointment offer letters and distribution of model text to campus via the web, successful advocacy through HRAB-EPA for a 24 day standard annual leave entitlement for all EPA, and the creation of a multi-office personnel data work group to improve personnel data integrity.
Continuing Studies
The Division of Continuing Studies experienced an outstanding year, broadening the range of services offered and positively impacting the lives of more of North Carolinas citizens. The Office of Continuing and Professional Education expanded its range of offerings by incorporating on-line learning experiences into the Computer Training Units portfolio and by partnering with the CanTrain Development Corporation. Encore membership grew by 3% and placed a special emphasis upon reaching out to seniors in the community through outreach presentations and videotaped courses. Adult Credit Programs & Summer Sessions assumed the responsibility to provide front-end student services to ALL Distance Education students; 530 DE sections were offered to 5,946 registrants. Headcount enrollment in the 2000 Summer Sessions totaled 14,637. The Center for Urban Affairs and Community Services generated over $3.8 million in project dollars while working with a variety of agencies and organizations.
Distance Education and Learning Technology Applications
Distance Education and Learning Technology Applications (DELTA) was established as a division of the Provost’s office in July 2000. The overarching mission of DELTA is to foster the integration and support of learning technologies in NC State’s academic programs, both distance- and campus-based. DELTA manages the university’s learning technology and coordinates the funding and production of all distance-based credit programs and courses for the university. Dr. Tom Miller served as interim Vice Provost for DELTA from July to December of 2000, and was appointed to the permanent position of Vice Provost effective January 1, 2001, after a national search.
Substantial progress was made during DELTA’s first year: (1) Wolfware and WebCT were established as supported web course management systems for the university. In the Spring 2001 semester, 55% of enrolled students took at least one course utilizing Wolfware. (2) For the first time in the university’s history, DELTA has published a comprehensive guide to distance education credit programs, courses, and services. (3) The LTS summer institute training program was expanded to double the number of faculty who could be accommodated. (4) DELTA awarded $504K to academic units through an RFP process to develop new distance courses and programs. The awards included projects to develop seven new distance education programs, twenty new courses, and three new program planning grants. (5) An Office of Marketing and Communications was jointly established with Continuing Studies.
Diversity and African-American Affairs
The Diversity and African-American Affairs Office was created last year, and Professor Rupert W. Nacoste was hired in October 2000 as the Vice Provost. In an effort to engage the colleges in the new diversity movement, the College-Level Diversity Proposal Competition was instituted by the new Office for Diversity and African American Affairs. Eight of 10 colleges submitted proposals focusing on creating and improving the college’s efforts to become more diverse and inclusive competing to win $5,000.00 to $30,000.00. Tied to the academic mission, this diversity competition was to motivate the colleges to look closely at their efforts across departments and develop new partnerships within the college to enhance diversity. Colleges successful in the competition were Design, Education, Engineering, and Physical and Mathematical Sciences, with $96,632.00 encumbered for distribution.
The Office of Diversity and African-American Affairs began training students to be “Diversity Facilitators” for their peers. A call was made for student volunteers to conduct diversity forums and discussions on the campus. The training required students to address their own biases. The call was a great success and the first 35 students completed their training in April 2001.
An external review of the African American Cultural Center was conducted. Four individuals with expertise related to the state of African-America reviewed our Cultural Center. The external review was to ensure the Cultural Center worked consistently with the university’s academic mission, and to enhance the Center as an academic unit where multidimensional cultural issues are approached in a sophisticated way that is attractive to the whole university community. The completed review has been culminated in a proposed plan of action to be in motion in the Summer, 2001.
Enrollment Management and Services
The Division of Enrollment Management and Services, which includes Undergraduate Admissions, Financial Aid, Registration and Records and Lifelong Education, plays a critical role in the success of the University. The Division aspires to contribute in a significant way to NC State’s recognition among the top 25% of our designated benchmark peer institutions in measures of student quality, diversity, retention and graduation.
Admissions will exceed enrollment targets for fall 2001 projecting a new freshman class of 3780 (goal 3650), the largest in University history. Transfer student enrollment is projected to be 1100 (goal 1100). Freshman quality continues to be high with SAT and GPA averages among the highest in University history (3.86 GPA, 1179 SAT and 37% in top 10% of their high school class). African American and other under-represented new student numbers for fall 2001 will show a continued growth in the diversity of our class, with a projection of 20% for under-represented freshmen enrollment including 11.5-12% African American. Admissions successfully awarded sufficient Chancellor’s Leadership Awards to yield the desired number of 100 new recipients with an exceptionally diverse group of students (26% white, 66% African American and 8% other). A new classroom space utilization software package is being used to provide greater detailed information on our space utilization to facilitate decisions on space as we prepare for the projected enrollment growth over the next ten years as well as the pending bond funded building plan.
Financial Aid continues to experience significant increases in the demand for aid, awarding almost $100 million annually; a 290% increase in just eight years. Lifelong Education served over 5600 students during the fall and spring semesters. Over 750 Lifelong Education students were admitted to undergraduate and graduate degree programs in 2000-01, having a significant impact on the Universitys overall enrollment.
Equal Opportunity, Equity, and Diversity
OEO relinquished oversight for diversity programs and gender affairs activities due to the creation of the Office of Diversity and African American Affairs in September 2000. Specifically, African-American Affairs, diversity programs, and gender affairs moved administratively to become its own unit under a new vice provost. Major initiatives from the OEO compact plan dealt with improvements to the search process, continuation of the faculty retention study, and more efficient operation of Disability Services for Students. OEOs enhanced web site provides a wealth of information regarding equal opportunity and equity to its internal and external customers.
OEO concentrated on enhancing search activities at NC State with increased search committee orientations being conducted and the production of a video, "Hire the Best," to facilitate the orientation of search committees for academic personnel. The University has had a record number of tenure track faculty vacancies this past year and some 138 searches are in varying stages of completion. With nearly 80% of the searches completed, resulting hires will provide additional ethnic and gender diversity among the faculty. The SPA Equal Opportunity Plan was submitted to the Office of State Personnel and approved in March 2001.
Notable among OEO’s continuing efforts to promote diversity at NC State were the following activities. OEO established a campus affiliate chapter of the National Coalition Building Institute in April 2001. A race awareness seminar was conducted in June 2001 with 21 faculty and staff in attendance. OEOs Resolution Officers network was nominated for a Progress in Equity Award given by the American Association for University Women. Four faculty focus groups were conducted during the academic year to discern reasons why some faculty leave the university while others stay. OEO staff conducted workshops in several academic and administrative departments on providing accommodations to students and staff with disabilities. OEO continued its "gender equity" programming by maintaining a gender equity web site; providing administrative support for the Council on the Status of Women, the Coalition for Women in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering, the Sloan Pre-Tenure Leave Fellowship Program, and the Bridges Program; and sponsoring "Take Our Daughters to Work Day" on April 26, 2001. OEO worked with University Planning & Analysis and Dr. Lois Haignere (an external consultant) to revise the existing "Faculty Salary Equity Study." Scheduled for completion in late summer 2001, the revised salary equity study will provide the second piece of a "faculty compensation plan." The first piece of this compensation plan was instituted in July 2000 when "promotional increases" were awarded to faculty who were promoted from assistant to associate professor (5% increase) and from associate to full professor (7% increase).
Information Technology Division (ITD)
In the year 2000-2001, NC State’s Information Technology Division (ITD) has worked with partners on and off campus to increase the scope, efficiency, reliability and diversity of the information technology systems and services it provides NC State. Three major achievements in the past year exemplify these efforts. 1) ITD and Finance and Business worked in partnership to create a new department, Communications Technology, which combined data networking with telecommunications under one director. 2) Responding to the diversity of computing needs on campus, ITD Systems created a new Microsystems unit to provide central support for a strong, scalable and flexible infrastructure for mainstream Windows computing in addition to the support and infrastructure provided for Unix and open-source systems. 3) The North Carolina Networking Initiative (NCNI) received a $2.3 million grant from the Triangle Universities Center for Advanced Study, Inc. and was named Top Government/Not-for-Profit Technology for 2000 by the NC Electronic Information Technologies Association. ITD staff are leading participants in the NCNI, and the university will continue to benefit from NCNI next-generation networking research, development and infrastructure.
Two ITD Compact Plan initiatives were fulfilled this year with the formation of Communications Technology and the restructuring and expansion of the Learning Technologies Service, which became part of the university’s new DELTA organization in April 2001. Funding for three new staff positions has advanced ITD initiatives to 1) improve technology access for students with disabilities, 2) implement new support and help desk models, 3) offer commodity database services to university clients. The ITD initiative to create a secondary disaster recovery site has become part of the university-wide disaster recovery planning mandated this spring by the State Auditor. Activities related to the open source computing initiative include research and development partnerships with IBM and Red Hat Linux and participation with MIT and Stanford in the national Open Knowledge Initiative. Intense engagement in New Student Orientation and the production and distribution of more than 4000 Computing Essentials at NC State—2001 CDs furthered the goals of the basic information technology (BIT) competency initiative. Other notable events of the past year include the 5th annual IT Expo, which had over 700 participants; the change in ResNet from a subscription to universal access service for students in campus housing; the challenging but successful installation of an enterprise-level uninterruptible power supply to protect both academic and administrative computing systems and data.
International Affairs
The Office of International Programs (OIP) was reorganized during the summer of 2000, placing it under the Provost and giving it oversight for the Office of International Scholar & Student Services (OISSS) and the Study Abroad Office (SAO). This created an efficient concentration of offices managing international programs and services, facilitating shared expertise and resources. OISSS has seen a 43% increase in international enrollments during the past five years. SAO has seen increases in the number of programs managed and in student participation (up 23% year-on-year with 13% of undergraduates now participating).
In addition to expanding basic services, several new programs were initiated. SAO organized an emergency information network covering students abroad, promoted development of new short term programs to meet student demand by providing a handbook and training session for faculty interested in developing such programs, and improved support services such as insurance coverage. To facilitate credit transfer SAO initiated an on-line credit transfer record. OISSS began a culture-sharing initiative, supported in part by a grant, setting up programs through which international students and scholars shared their cultural backgrounds with the NC State community and with over 2,000 students and teachers in Wake County schools. OIP reorganized the schedule for Internationalization Seed Grants to a more constructive cycle, making funds available for a full fiscal year. OIP conducted a first NSF International Programs Information Session (March 2001), organized a similar session in Fall 2001 for Fulbright programs, and began planning a first NC State International Careers Day.
Undergraduate Affairs
The reorganization of Undergraduate Affairs (UGA) has led to incorporation of numerous tasks related to undergraduate education, learning, and assessment. In addition to overseeing policies and procedures, UGA is taking a larger role in University and undergraduate education initiatives, focusing on (a) undergraduate research, (b) solicitation of external funding to support undergraduate initiatives, (c) assessment at the program level, (d) expanding the range and justification and assessment of all UGA programs. The established Committee on Undergraduate Program Review (CUPR) is taking the lead in promoting and supporting undergraduate program review with an approved document describing the process, a portfolio model for assessment, and an annual schedule of training and program review in place. External reviews of Honors and New Student Orientation resulted in both programs being pronounced exemplary and national models of excellence.
UGA’s major initiatives included establishing the Honors Program for 100 students in the first year; expanding the offerings of FYC seminars to 43 sections per year (from 30); and offering 33 undergraduate research awards to promote undergraduate research and faculty mentoring relationships.
All the Provost’s units have a diversity component in their assessment plans to determine what impact their service has on a diverse population, how they can encourage more diverse participation, and other crucial concerns to program effectiveness and quality service.