A. Long-Term Goal 1: Engaged Students and Capable Graduates. Attract a diverse student body, including traditional, non-traditional, commuter, and residential scholars, and nurture, educate and graduate students who achieve the objectives for baccalaureate, graduate, and professional degrees.
1. Data Sources for Measuring Achievement of Long-Term Goal 1
SIUE participates in two annual surveys that yield data on student engagement. The first, the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), surveys freshmen and seniors about their academic behavior and their perceptions of SIUE. Over the long term, however, the NSSE study should provide excellent data to monitor student engagement.
The second survey covers SIUE alumni one, five, and nine years after completing their degrees. The survey of alumni also covers their perceptions of the quality of their experiences at SIUE and how those experiences compare with those of graduates of other institutions. Accordingly, the alumni survey yields alumni perceptions of the quality of their experiences at SIUE. The alumni survey has existed sufficiently long to provide a longitudinal analysis.
SIUE also has extensive data on student persistence—a measure of student engagement. The most important of these measures are the second year return rate and the six-year graduation rate.
SIUE has limited data that directly measure the extent to which graduates are “capable” at an all-university level. Individual programs, particularly those in professional fields like nursing, dental medicine, accounting, and engineering, do have data on how their students compare to those from other programs on a state and national level.
In addition to speaking to “engaged students and capable graduates,” Long-Term Goal 1 also speaks to attracting a diverse student body. Accordingly, it is appropriate to monitor various components of the SIUE student body to identify trends that might be emerging. Factors to monitor include race, ethnicity, gender, geographical origin, and academic preparation.
Appendix 1 contains data from NSSE, data from the baccalaureate follow-up studies, and data about various measures of enrollment and diversity. Where available, data are also displayed for peer institutions. In the case of NSSE data, SIUE can be compared with data from a coalition of urban universities (the number of institutions in this coalition is growing, and will continue to grow, as NSSE comes into wider use).
2. Status in Achieving Long-Term Goal 1
What is the appropriate level of accomplishment on student engagement and achievement for a premier Metropolitan University? “Premier” suggests that SIUE should aspire to be significantly above the mean on appropriate measures of student engagement and accomplishments.
Are SIUE students “engaged”? The data from NSSE suggest that SIUE undergraduate students, both freshmen and seniors, are at least as engaged as those at other urban institutions participating in the NSSE project, and in terms of participating in co-curricular activities, SIUE seniors are more engaged (50% for SIUE vs. 36% for peers).
Another area in which SIUE seniors stand out above their counterparts is in the percent reporting having a culminating senior experience—a clear reflection of SIUE’s senior assignment requirement (87% for SIUE vs. 63% for peers). For the fourth consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named SIUE among America’s Best Colleges for our Senior Assignment Program, an integrative learning experience required of all seniors prior to graduation. SIUE again joins the ranks of 17 elite universities on the list—including Yale, Harvard, MIT and Princeton.
In terms of persistence as a measure of engagement, about 72% of new freshmen in Fall 2005 returned for Fall 2006. As shown in Appendix 1, that percentage fell 3% from last year. SIUE’s six-year graduation rate has been fairly stable with a low of 43% in Fall 98 and a high of 46% in Fall 2000 with the most current year’s data (Fall 2001) at 45%. SIUE’s rates compare favorably to IPEDs peers, which historically have had an average six-year graduation rate of 39%. However, it is well below the 59% average of the other nine Top 10 Public Midwest Masters Universities. The comparative persistence index for all undergraduates increased from .98 for Fall 2005 to .99 for Fall 2006. A Comparative Progression Index (CPI) of 1.00 indicates an institution is exactly at the persistence rate of the national sample.
SIUE has made positive progress in achieving its goal to attract a diverse student body by increasing the percentage of African American (Black, Non-Hispanic) new first time freshmen by 4% (from 8% to 12%) and the percentage of African American graduate students by 1% (from 6% to 7).
Are SIUE graduates “capable”? While SIUE has little university-wide data on student achievement, the baccalaureate follow-up studies provide data about graduates’ perceptions of their capabilities. The data in Appendix 1 show that high percentages of graduates believe that their SIUE education has significantly improved their skills and knowledge in areas fundamental to a baccalaureate education, and the strength of that belief has held steady in recent years. For example, 94% of the year 2006 graduates said that SIUE significantly strengthened their critical thinking skills.
3. Highlights from FY08 in Pursuit of Long-Term Goal 1.
Highlights of FY08 in pursuit of long-term goal 1 include:
Highlights of FY08 in pursuit of long-term goal 1 include:
4. Short-Term Goals and Plans
Fiscal Year 2009
During FY 09 SIUE will focus on the following short-term goals and plans relative to Long-Term Goal 1.
a. Continue integration process for relevant Academic Affairs and Student Affairs units into the Student Success Center in preparation for Fall 09 opening.
Responsibility: Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Student Success Center Steering Committee
Source of Funds: Existing staff time and budget
Rationale: To enhance student retention and success.
b. Implement the University-wide Advising Plan (Phase I).
Responsibility: Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Associate Provost for Academic Planning and Program Development
Source of Funds: Internal Reallocation: $280,780
Rationale: To enhance student retention and success.
c. Through close collaboration with academic units implement the Lincoln Plan for General Education and continue coordination between General Education, Freshman Seminar and University 112 programs.
Responsibility: Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Associate Provost for Academic Planning and Program Development
Source of Funds: Existing staff time and budget
Rationale: A coherent, well-developed, and effectively delivered general education program with an integrated freshman seminar component will better meet students’ educational needs.
d. Complete the revised University Enrollment Management Plan.
Responsibility: Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management
Source of Funds: Existing staff time and budget
Rationale: Current Plan extended through 2008. The strategic enrollment management plan will include undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in all programs to effectively respond to enrollment initiatives and demands.
e. Develop processes for improving graduate student admission including new graduate student recruitment strategies.
Responsibility: Associate Provost for Research and Dean of the Graduate School
Source of Funds: Existing staff time and budget
Rationale: To effectively recruit and admit highly qualified graduate students.
f. Develop an Online Learning Disability Community for students with learning disabilities.
Responsibility: Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
Source of Funds: Existing staff time and budget
Rationale: This group can benefit greatly from networking and serving as a support group for one another.
g. Implement Students Improving Society (SIS) in collaboration with Academic Affairs.
Responsibility: Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
Sources of Funds: Existing staff time and budget
Rationale: A living-learning community for students who want to experiment with “green lifestyles” and group initiatives to promote sustainability at SIUE.
h. Develop and implement a Greek officer training program.
Responsibility: Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
Source of Funds: Existing staff time and budget
Rationale: To strengthen leadership abilities of students and orient them to policies and procedures to make them more organized and effective.
i. Increase number of graduate and undergraduate international students at SIUE.
Responsibility: Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
Source of Funds: Existing staff time and budget
Rationale: To enhance the presence of the international dimension in students’ experiences, while at the same time increasing the visibility of SIUE in the world community.
j. Increase the number of students participating in semester long study abroad and faculty led travel study.
Responsibility: Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
Source of Funds: Existing staff time and budget
Rationale: Increasingly, students need to develop an understanding and appreciation of other cultures.
k. Continue to increase Alumni Association membership.
Responsibility: Vice Chancellor for University Relations, Director of Alumni Affairs
Source of Funds: Existing staff time
Rationale: To continue to increase the number and quality of alumni connections to SIUE.