Bay State College Boston, Massachusetts Self‐Study for Reaccreditation
Prepared for
Commission on Institutions of Higher education
of the
New England Association of Schools and Colleges
Spring 2013
Table of Contents
INSTITUTIONAL CHARACTERISTICS FORM ...... I
PRESIDENT’S DIVISION ...... V ACADEMIC AFFAIRS DIVISION ...... VI ADMINISTRATION & FINANCE DIVISION ...... VII ENROLLMENT & MARKETING DIVISION ...... VIII STUDENT SERVICES & FACILITIES MANAGEMENT DIVISION ...... IX CHIEF INSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS ...... XI INTRODUCTION...... XIV NEASC SELF‐STUDY STEERING COMMITTEE ...... XVI
STANDARD WRITING TEAM CHAIRS ...... XVI WRITING TEAMS ...... XVI INSTITUTIONAL OVERVIEW ...... XVII STANDARD ONE—MISSION AND PURPOSES ...... 1
DESCRIPTION ...... 1 Institutional Effectiveness ...... 3 APPRAISAL ...... 4 PROJECTION ...... 6 STANDARD TWO—PLANNING AND EVALUATION ...... 8
DESCRIPTION ...... 8 APPRAISAL ...... 9 Planning ...... 9 Service ...... 10 Compliance and SMART Growth ...... 10 Student Experience ...... 10 Evaluation ...... 11 Institutional Effectiveness ...... 17 PROJECTION ...... 17 STANDARD THREE—ORGANIZATION & GOVERNANCE ...... 20
DESCRIPTION ...... 20 Board of Trustees ...... 20 The Faculty ...... 22 Students ...... 23 Staff ...... 24 Academic Administration ...... 24 Off Campus and Online Personnel ...... 24 Management Team ...... 24 Employees ...... 24 Student Services ...... 25 Dean of Students ...... 25
Administration & Finance ...... 25 Enrollment & Marketing ...... 25 The Corporation ...... 26 Institutional Effectiveness ...... 26 APPRAISAL ...... 26 Board of Trustees ...... 27 CEO ...... 28 Shared Governance ...... 28 Staff ...... 28 Branch Campus ...... 29 Institutional Effectiveness ...... 29 PROJECTION ...... 30 STANDARD FOUR—THE ACADEMIC PROGRAM ...... 33
DESCRIPTION ...... 33 Evening and Distance Education ...... 33 General Education ...... 36 Integrity in the Award of Academic Credit ...... 38 Assessment of Student Learning ...... 39 Institutional Effectiveness ...... 40 APPRAISAL ...... 40 Undergraduate Degree Programs ...... 41 General Education ...... 42 The Major or Concentration ...... 44 Integrity in the Award of Academic Credit ...... 45 Assessment of Student Learning ...... 47 PROJECTION ...... 51 STANDARD FIVE—FACULTY ...... 56
DESCRIPTION ...... 56 Teaching and Advising ...... 57 Scholarship, Research, and Creative Activity ...... 59 Institutional Effectiveness ...... 60 APPRAISAL ...... 60 Teaching and Advising ...... 65 Scholarship, Research, and Creative Activity ...... 67 PROJECTION ...... 68 STANDARD SIX—STUDENTS ...... 74
DESCRIPTION ...... 74 Student Population Overview ...... 74 Day Division ...... 74 Evening Division ...... 74 Online Division ...... 74 Admissions ...... 75 Retention and Graduation ...... 76 Student Services ...... 78
Day Division ...... 80 Evening and Online Divisions ...... 84 Institutional Effectiveness ...... 85 APPRAISAL ...... 85 PROJECTION ...... 88 STANDARD SEVEN—LIBRARY AND OTHER INFORMATION RESOURCES ...... 94
DESCRIPTION ...... 94 Resources and Access ...... 94 APPRAISAL ...... 94 Resources and Access ...... 94 Boston Campus ...... 94 Middleborough Campus ...... 95 Online Division ...... 95 Information and Technological Literacy ...... 96 Institutional Effectiveness ...... 96 PROJECTION ...... 97 STANDARD EIGHT—PHYSICAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL RESOURCES ...... 100
DESCRIPTION ...... 100 APPRAISAL ...... 100 Boston Campus and Facilities ...... 100 Classrooms/Administration ...... 100 The Residences ...... 101 Middleborough Campus ...... 102 Technology ...... 102 ItsLearning Learning Management System (LMS) ...... 102 Institutional Effectiveness ...... 103 PROJECTION ...... 104 STANDARD 9 – FINANCIAL RESOURCES ...... 107
DESCRIPTION ...... 107 Institutional Effectiveness ...... 110 APPRAISAL ...... 110 PROJECTIONS ...... 113 STANDARD TEN – PUBLIC DISCLOSURE ...... 119
DESCRIPTION ...... 119 APPRAISAL ...... 119 The College Catalog ...... 119 The Bay State College Website ...... 120 The Student Handbook and Planning Calendar ...... 120 Outcomes 2015 ...... 120 Student Right to Know ...... 120 Pledge of Public Accountability ...... 121 The Digital ViewBook and responsive “one pager” ...... 121 Program Summary Sheets ...... 121
The Admissions Application ...... 121 The Bay State College Beat ...... 122 Institutional Effectiveness ...... 122 PROJECTION ...... 122 STANDARD 11 ‐ INTEGRITY ...... 126
DESCRIPTION ...... 126 APPRAISAL ...... 127 Institutional Effectiveness ...... 129 PROJECTION ...... 131 THE E SERIES ...... 133 APPENDIX A: ANNUAL MISSION STATEMENT REVIEW ...... 142 APPENDIX B: CAREER SERVICES REPORTS ...... 144 REPORT ON GRADUATES PLACEMENT AND TRANSFERS ...... 145 OUTCOMES 2015 ...... 168 SCHOOL OF CONTINUING AND PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION STRATEGIC PLAN ...... 169 SCHOLARLY ACTIVITIES SUMMARY ...... 178 BAY STATE COLLEGE, SCHOLARLY ACTIVITY COMMITTEE INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD GUIDELINES ...... 179 ADMISSIONS STANDARDS ...... 180 INTERVIEW QUESTIONS ...... 185 LIBRARY BUDGET BREAKDOWN ...... 187 FACILITIES ...... 188
TABLE 1 ...... 188 TABLE 2 ...... 189 IT IMPROVEMENT SUMMARY ...... 190 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DISASTER RECOVERY PLAN ...... 193 ITSLEARNING SUMMARY ...... 202 BAY STATE COLLEGE ...... 203 SUMMARY OF LEASE FACILITIES ...... 203
BAY STATE COLLEGE
Institutional Characteristics Form
Date: February 8, 2013
1. Corporate name of institution: Bay State College 2. Date institution was chartered or authorized:1975 3. Date institution enrolled first students in degree programs: 1974 4. Date institution awarded first degrees: 1975 5. Type of control: Public Private State Independent, not‐for‐profit City Religious Group Other (Name of Church) ______(Specify) ______Proprietary Other: (Specify) ______
6. By what agency is the institution legally authorized to provide a program of education beyond high school, and what degrees is it authorized to grant? The Commonwealth of Massachusetts—Board of Higher Education AAS; AS; BS.
7. Level of postsecondary offering (check all that apply)
Less than one year of work First professional degree
At least one but less than two years Master’s and/or work beyond the first professional degree Diploma or certificate programs of at Work beyond the master’s level but not at the doctoral level (e.g., least two but less than four years Specialist in Education) Associate degree granting program of at A doctor of philosophy or equivalent least two years degree
Four‐ or five‐year baccalaureate degree Other doctoral programs granting program Other (Specify)
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8. Type of undergraduate programs (check all that apply)
Occupational training at the crafts/clerical Liberal arts and general level (certificate or diploma) Occupational training at the technical or Teacher preparatory semi‐professional level (degree) Two‐year programs designed for full transfer Professional to a baccalaureate degree Other
9. The calendar system at the institution is: Semester Quarter Trimester Other ______
10. What constitutes the credit hour load for a full‐time equivalent (FTE) student each semester?
a) Undergraduate 12 credit hours
b) Graduate ______credit hours
c) Professional ______credit hours
11. Student population: a) Degree‐seeking students:
Undergraduate Graduate Total Full‐time student headcount 742 742 Part‐time student headcount 405 405 1,002.1 1,002.1 FTE
b) Number of students (headcount) in non‐credit, short‐term courses: 0
12. List all programs accredited by a nationally recognized, specialized accrediting agency.
Program Agency Accredited since Last Reviewed Next Review
Nursing NLNAC July 2012 July 12‐13 2012 Spring 2017
Medical Assisting ABHES 1979 April 1‐2, 2010 Spring 2018
Physical Therapist CAPTE 5/1996 Onsite review: 10/2008 Fall 2018 Assistant Last AAR submitted 11/2012 13. Off‐campus Locations. List all instructional locations other than the main campus. For each site, indicate whether the location offers full‐degree programs or 50% or more of one or more degree programs. Record the full‐time equivalent enrollment (FTE) for the most recent year.
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Full degree 50%‐99% FTE A. In‐state Locations Middleborough, MA Yes 96.9
14. International Locations: For each overseas instructional location, indicate the name of the program, the location, and the headcount of students enrolled for the most recent year. An overseas instructional location is defined as “any overseas location of an institution, other than the main campus, at which the institution matriculates students to whom it offers any portion of a degree program or offers on‐site instruction or instructional support for students enrolled in a predominantly or totally on‐line program.” Do not include study abroad locations.
Name of program(s) Location Headcount N/A
15. Degrees and certificates offered 50% or more electronically: For each degree or Title IV‐eligible certificate, indicate the level (certificate, associate’s, baccalaureate, master’s, professional, doctoral), the percentage of credits that may be completed on‐line, and the FTE of matriculated students for the most recent year. Enter more rows as needed.
Name of program Degree level % on‐line FTE Criminal Justice Associate’s 100% 5 Criminal Justice Bachelor’s 100% 6 Business Administration Associate’s 100% 11 Business Management Bachelor’s 100% 21
16. Instruction offered through contractual relationships: For each contractual relationship through which instruction is offered for a Title IV‐eligible degree or certificate, indicate the name of the contractor, the location of instruction, the program name, and degree or certificate, and the number of credits that may be completed through the contractual relationship. Enter more rows as needed.
Name of contractor Location Name of program Degree or # of certificate credits N/A
17. List by name and title the chief administrative officers of the institution. See page xv.
18. Supply a table of organization for the institution. While the organization of any institution will depend on its purpose, size and scope of operation, institutional organization usually includes four
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areas. Although every institution may not have a major administrative division for these areas, the following outline may be helpful in charting and describing the overall administrative organization:
Pages 10‐14 include organizational charts for all major College divisions.
a) Organization of academic affairs, showing a line of responsibility to president for each department, school division, library, admissions office, and other units assigned to this area;
See pages ix and x
b) Organization of student affairs, including health services, student government, intercollegiate activities, and other units assigned to this area; See page xiii
c) Organization of finances and business management, including plant operations and maintenance, non‐academic personnel administration, IT, auxiliary enterprises, and other units assigned to this area;
See page xi
d) Organization of institutional advancement, including fund development, public relations, alumni office and other units assigned to this area.
N/A
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President’s Division
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Academic Affairs Division
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Administration & Finance Division
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Enrollment & Marketing Division
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Student Services & Facilities Management Division
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19. Record briefly the central elements in the history of the institution:
Founded first as a travel academy in 1946, Bay State College recognized the need for education that focused on specific career fields such as business, fashion, and allied health and over time has developed its current two and four‐year program offerings.
In its 67 year history, Bay State College has seen change and growth in its efforts to best serve its students and the community. Notable changes are outlined in the timeline below: 1946—Aviation Training School Started by George Brennan, Jr. and Lou Musco, two World War II fighter pilots at 70 State Street, Boston, MA. Later renamed Bay State Academy. 1961‐‐ Bay State School of Business moved to its current location in Boston’s Back Bay. 1968—Bay State School of Business receives collegiate status by the Accrediting Commission for Business Schools; Becomes Bay State Junior College of Business 1975‐‐the College is authorized to grant Associate degrees by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 1989‐‐the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) accredited Bay State College, Commission on Technical & Career Institutions 1990‐‐Name change authorized from Bay State Junior College to Bay State College 1991‐‐Early Childhood Education Program added 1994‐‐Middleborough Continuing Education Campus opened 1995‐‐Physical Therapist Assistant Program added 1999‐‐Fashion Design Program added 2000‐‐Entertainment Management Program added 2002‐‐Gloucester Continuing Education Campus opened 2004‐‐Criminal Justice Program added 2004‐‐Bay State College was authorized by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Board of Higher Education and NEASC to grant Bachelor of Science degrees in Management, Fashion Merchandising, and Entertainment Management 2006‐‐President Pfannenstiehl is appointed 2007—Gloucester campus is closed 2008‐‐College receives accreditation from the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education, New England Association of Schools & Colleges 2011‐‐Receive final approval from NEASC to offer fully online programs 2012‐‐NEASC grants general baccalaureate authority 2012‐‐College’s Associate degree nursing program receives NLNAC accreditation 2012—College is approved to offer Bachelor of Science in Nursing
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Chief Institutional Officers
Function or Office Name Exact Title Year of Appointment
Chair Board of Trustees Florence Tate Reappointed 2012
President/CEO Craig Pfannenstiehl President 2006
Executive Vice President N/A
Chief Academic Officer William Carroll, PhD Vice President of Academic 2006 Affairs
Deans of Schools and William Koehler, PhD Dean of the School of 2010 Colleges Management
Kathi Tracy Dean of Nursing 2010
Chief Financial Officer Meg Trant Vice President of 2008 Administration and Finance
Chief Student Services Sylvia Reifler Vice President of Student 2006 Officer Services
Planning Craig Pfannenstiehl President 2007
Institutional Research Cidhinnia M. Torres Director of Accreditation & 2012 Campos, PhD Assessment
Assessment Cidhinnia M. Torres Director of Accreditation & 2012 Campos, PhD Assessment
Development N/A
Library Jessica Neave Librarian 2004
Chief Information Officer Jim Cotton Director of Information 2009 Technology
Continuing Education Charlie Orosz Director of Evening and 2009 Distance Education
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Function or Office Name Exact Title Year of Appointment
Grants/Research N/A
Admissions Chip Bergstrom Vice President of Enrollment 2011 & Marketing
Registrar Mary Ann D'Entremont Registrar 2012
Financial Aid Jeani Stella‐Devani Director of Student Financial 2008 Services & Compliance
Public Relations Chip Bergstrom Vice President of Enrollment 2011 & Marketing
Alumni Association Sylvia Reifler Vice President of Student 2005 Services
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"DATA FIRST" FORMS
GENERAL INFORMATION
Institution Name: Bay State College, Inc.
OPE ID: ? 396500
0 Annual Audit ? 0 Certified: Qualified Financial Results for Year Ending: ? 06/30/2012 Yes/No Unqualified Most Recent Year ? 2012 Yes Unqualified 1 Year Prior 2011 Yes Unqualified 2 Years Prior 2010 Yes Unqualified
Fiscal Year Ends on: 30-Jun (month/day)
Budget / Plans Current Year 2013 Next Year 2014
Contact Person: ? Dr. Cidhinnia M. Torres Campos Title: Director of Accreditation & Assessment Telephone No: 617-217-9730
E-mail address [email protected]
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Introduction
Bay State College began the preliminary planning for the self‐study process in fall 2011, shortly after its NEASC CIHE focused visit. President Pfannenstiehl and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. William Carroll met to discuss building on previous self‐study experiences to ensure engagement and representation of all constituents of the College, and the preparation of a schedule for undertaking what would culminate in the NEASC site‐team visit in spring 2013. In February 2012, Dr. William Carroll, called the first organizational meeting for the 2013 NEASC Institutional Self‐Study. At this meeting he introduced all full‐time faculty members and many staff members to the main elements of the self‐study process and extended an open invitation to all members of the college community to take part as Steering Committee or Standard Committee task‐force members. President Pfannenstiehl and Vice President Carroll made it clear in meetings through the spring that the self‐study should be an opportunity for members of the College community to conduct a candid assessment of the institution’s operations, an opportunity to provide recognition to areas in which the College has achieved notable success, and to address those areas in which the College shows room for improvement.
A subcommittee was convened for each NEASC standard chaired by a variety of administrators and faculty. The subcommittees were comprised of students, faculty, librarian, administrators, and staff, and include the input of the Board of Trustees. The subcommittee members were charged with engaging their respective networks on campus in the data collection and comment process. In this way engagement of the entire College community could be ensured. Dr. Carroll developed writing guidelines for the narrative and a shared folder on the College’s computer network to house supporting documents and drafts as they were developed by the subcommittees. These writing guidelines emphasized the format for each standard and the need for supporting data and documentation to provide honest and open observations. Initial subcommittee meetings were held in late February and early March.
Shortly after the subcommittees began meeting, the Director of Accreditation & Assessment, Dr. Cidhinnia M. Torres Campos, was hired. At this time, responsibility for leading the self‐study process was transferred to Dr. Torres Campos with support from Dr. Carroll. The subcommittees worked through the spring 2012 semester to produce drafts including supporting data and documentation. Various members of the College community during this time were also involved in completing the Data First Forms and the E and S series forms. In July 2012 Dr. Torres Campos attended two NEASC workshops which helped to inform the writing and editing of the self‐study. Dr. Torres Campos made every effort to keep the College community informed of progress on the self‐study. At the monthly college‐wide staff meetings, Dr. Torres Campos reports on the work and fields questions. All members of the College are invited to these meetings to take part in the discussions.
Beginning in summer 2012 and throughout the drafting of the self‐study, Dr. Torres Campos reported regularly to the Vice President of Academic Affairs regarding the progress of the subcommittees. These updates included report of any dynamics identified as opportunities for improvement or early warning of issues that could develop into problems. In cases where the self‐study revealed weaknesses that
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BAY STATE COLLEGE could be addressed immediately, President Pfannenstiehl, Vice President Carroll, and the Executive Team prompted changes to address the identified area of need.
On July 11, 2012, Dr. Mim L. Runey, Chair of the site‐visit team, made a preliminary campus visit to help the College understand how the NEASC site‐visit team would operate and for her to gain an understanding of the College in order to plan how to best deploy the members of her team. Dr. Runey met with the President, the Executive Team, and the Director of Accreditation & Assessment. The Vice President and President briefed her on logistical plans for the site visit (March 24‐27, 2013). Dr. Runey had the opportunity to view the proposed site‐team workroom on campus and discuss her preferences for various other details including that an electronic document room would be appropriate for the March visit since all team members will have access to technology with printing capabilities.
All drafts were submitted to Dr. Torres Campos in fall 2012. Dr. Torres Campos began work immediately on standardizing the format and synthesizing the narrative into a single voice. Dr. Torres Campos also reviewed the narrative against the self‐study standards to ensure that all elements of each standard had been addressed and that the description, appraisal, and projection sections followed NEASC guidelines. Over the fall semester, Dr. Torres Campos worked with each of the subcommittees to address any gaps in the narrative and strengthen each standard. A more polished draft of the self‐study was submitted to Carol Anderson at NEASC for review and comment in December 2012. Carol Anderson’s feedback was utilized to further improve the self‐study. In fall 2012 a site was created on the College’s Learning Management System (LMS) to house NEASC visiting team work room documentation. Documents and data that had been gathered as part of the self‐study writing process were posted on the LMS along with additional supporting documentation. In an ongoing iterative process, the Vice President of Academic Affairs and the President reviewed and provided feedback on drafts of the self‐study throughout fall 2012 and early spring 2013.
Final polishing of the draft began in January 2013. At the same time team members and others across the College continued to update the Data First forms, E and S series, and refine projections. At this time Bay State College posted on their website and advertised in local media outlets to ensure external constituencies were made aware of the visit and understood their opportunity for public comment. After final changes were made, the draft was circulated broadly across the College to build awareness for the upcoming site visit and elicit final comments from the College community. The completed self‐ study and access to the digital workroom was dispersed to the site‐visit team the first week of February.
As the College continues to grow and offer a continually better experience for students, it welcomes the dialog brought about by the accreditation process. Each self‐study, progress report, and their concomitant visits, tend to move the College in new and positive directions. The Standards for Accreditation as a guide for serious self‐evaluation have proved to be a tool beneficial to all across the College.
A listing of all members of the writing for the self‐study follows.
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NEASC SELF‐STUDY STEERING COMMITTEE
Cidhinnia M. Torres Campos, PhD, Self‐Study Co‐Chair William Carroll, PhD, Self‐Study Co‐Chair
Standard Writing Team Chairs STANDARD FIVE: FACULTY Kate Ackerman, Standard 6 Jeff Mason (chair), Bill Koehler, Elena Swaim, Chip Bergstrom, Standard 10 & 11 Georgia Thoidis Jeff Mason, Standard 5 Jessica Neave, Standard 7 STANDARD SIX: STUDENTS Pat Nugent, Standard 4 Kate Ackerman (chair), Julia Croft, Leanne Craig Pfannenstiehl, Standard 1 & 3 DiLeo, Jennie Erdle Sylvia Reifler, Standard 8 STANDARD SEVEN: LIBRARY AND OTHER Cidhinnia M. Torres Campos, Standard 2 INFORMATION RESOURCES Meg Trant, Standard 9 Jessica Neave (chair), Jim Cotton, Pam Grill,
Jonathan Small Writing Teams STANDARD EIGHT: PHYSICAL AND STANDARD ONE: MISSION AND PURPOSES TECHNOLOGICAL RESOURCES Craig Pfannenstiehl (chair), Holly Andrews, Tori Sylvia Reifler (chair), Brian Butler, Jim Cotton, Potenza, Patrick Preston Charlie Orosz, Jonathan Small
STANDARD TWO: PLANNING AND STANDARD NINE: FINANCIAL RESOURCES Meg Trant (chair), Jeanie Devani, Aida EVALUATION Rodriguez Cidhinnia M. Torres Campos (chair), Kate Ackerman, Stephanie Pollard, Elena Swaim STANDARD TEN: PUBLIC DISCLOSURE STANDARD THREE: ORGANIZATION AND STANDARD ELEVEN: INTEGRITY Chip Bergstrom (chair), Caroline McGowan, Kim GOVERNANCE Olds Craig Pfannenstiehl (chair), Holly Andrews, Tori Potenza, Patrick Preston
STANDARD FOUR: THE ACADEMIC PROGRAM Pat Nugent (chair), Jessica Felizardo, Bill Morrissette, Stephanie Pollard
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Institutional Overview
Bay State College opened in 1946 to serve a single industry, the airlines, by providing students with hands‐on skills and paying particular attention to a strong educational foundation. Then as now, the College was known for its small classes, individual attention, and focus on specific careers. Over 65 years later, the College now offers a wide variety of Associate and Bachelor’s degrees in Business, Entertainment Management, Fashion Design, Fashion Merchandising, Retail Business Management, Hospitality Management, Early Childhood Education, and Criminal Justice. The Allied Health Department offers degrees in Nursing, Medical Assisting, Health Studies, and Physical Therapist Assistant. In the time since its founding, Bay State College has built a reputation for offering a unique, high‐quality curriculum for the serious student. Thanks to our small classes, individualized attention, and a faculty that often draws on industry professionals who bring their experience into the classroom, our students pursue career‐focused studies in fast‐growing industries.
Nearly 70 years after its founding, Bay State College still operates under the vision of its founders. The College is fully committed to engaging and deliberating about the many opportunities and challenges it faces, and over the past 5 years it has made significant strides in strengthening a culture of institutional effectiveness, long‐term planning and evaluation, and maintaining high levels of accountability and transparency. Moving into the College’s second major strategic plan, College leadership has reinforced the alignment of institutional energies and resources guided by an ongoing, comprehensive, long‐range strategic planning process. The College’s commitment to ongoing institutional effectiveness has included hiring of the Director of Accreditation & Assessment, a focus on continuing to improve the academic program review process, the comprehensive assessment of student learning outcomes, and increased data driven decision‐making across all areas of the College. Despite the ongoing threats associated with the significant volatility in the economy, Bay State College has continued to make progress on many fronts through the effectiveness of comprehensive and deliberate planning and the articulation of a long‐term vision. Bay State’s commitment to its mission is evident and unwavering and the College looks forward to continuing to invest in the faculty and the students who seek our College for its high level of support, seriousness of purpose, and quality academic experience.
Bay State College has all of the necessary organizational structures for an institution of its size, scope, and mission. Providing leadership, and ensuring Bay State College meets its mission and purposes, is the Board of Trustees. The Board consists of dedicated and engaged members who represent the diverse constituencies served by the College. The Board retains all authorities not otherwise delegated to the President who, as the chief executive, leads and manages all facets of the day‐to‐day operation of the College. The President is directly supported by an Executive Team of Vice Presidents and Dean of Student Affairs with divisional responsibility. Decision‐making throughout the College is as open and transparent as possible and goes above and beyond accordance with all state and federal laws governing the public’s ability to access information (see link to Pledge of Public Accountability on Standard 11 Data First Form). All constituencies have various forms of representation and opportunities to have their opinions and interests considered in policy‐making and planning.
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The academic program at Bay State College is supported by a rich array of well‐conceived and externally‐validated learning outcomes and standards that are readily communicated throughout the College. Also of note are the steps Bay State College continues to take to ensure intensive interactions between students and faculty, keep class sizes small, and afford students every opportunity to experience a variety of academic successes and maximize their learning potential. This is done through a variety of offices, support staff, faculty advising, and ready access to supports that students are encouraged to seek on their own. As a whole, the academic program is best characterized by its quality, rigor, and heavy emphasis on one‐to‐one connectivity between students and a variety of faculty, librarian and staff mentors.
Bay State College has long recognized that the heart and soul of its institution lies in its engaged and dedicated faculty focused principally on teaching and service. Over the past several years, the College has dedicated resources to furthering the professional development of full‐time and adjunct faculty members. The College is committed to investing in teaching quality. As a result, the College has expanded professional development opportunities, training on the use of classroom technology and LMS system, funds to support faculty development and scholarship, with additional resources in development. The College understands that supporting faculty in their work in teaching, challenging, and mentoring students is vital and the institution’s strategic plan ably reflects this ongoing commitment. Students gain immeasurably from small class sizes, frequent and intensive engagements with professors, deep exposure to faculty real‐world expertise, scholarship, and creative pursuits; and being part of a rich, diverse, and vibrant academic community energized by the passion, ingenuity, and forward‐looking spirit of an engaged faculty.
Bay State College in meeting its mission places heavy emphasis on the holistic development of students. Commitments to improve student learning and the provision of a rigorous academic environment are complemented by an institutional culture and a myriad of innovative programs that seek to foster every student’s civic, social, and ethical awareness. This comprehensive approach to education is exemplified by a significant collaboration between the Divisions of Academic Affairs and Student Affairs, beginning with the comprehensive orientation programs for first‐time students (FYE). Modeling the highest levels of integrity in their interaction with prospective students, current students and the community at large, institutional leaders, faculty and staff work together to continually improve student performance and increase the likelihood of student success. This particular focus and care is critical given the large percentage of Bay State College students from traditionally underserved populations. Understanding that the campus environment and quality of student life is integral to student success, the College uses student surveys and an array of tools to gauge student interest and needs, and strives to respond in ways that steadily improve support systems, living and learning conditions, and programmatic opportunities for broader student development. A wide range of publications, including the College Catalog and Student Handbook, detail the myriad of resources available to students. In addition, student accomplishments are widely lauded and publicized.
Coupled with the College’s commitment to the holistic development of students is the provision of information resources and technology to support student learning. This has included the expansion of INSTITUTIONAL OVERVIEW xviii
BAY STATE COLLEGE services and resources at the Boston and Middleborough libraries to keep pace with changing technologies, student needs, and evolving pedagogical considerations. Resources have been dedicated to ensure library staff is able to meet the academic and educational needs of students and faculty regardless of division. Ensuring students gain the information and technological literacy necessary for success in their chosen careers and higher education continues to be a focus for the College. The librarian works in collaboration with faculty to ensure these skills are assessed an integrated across students’ academic experiences. As new programs are added and the College continues to advance, Bay State College is committed to continuing collection development in electronic and print formats and providing support and resources to all students and faculty.
Bay State College continues to ensure students, faculty, and staff have access to physical and technological resources that support meeting the institution’s mission. The College has invested significant resources into modernizing all of its general purpose classrooms and outfitting them with front‐end technology platforms; expanding the ADA accessible spaces available to students; the development of the Learning Commons to house the Library and Academic Support Services; and a four year technology refresh program with 25% of computers being replaced annually among other initiatives. The College is focused on managing, maintaining, and enhancing these resources to sustain and improve the accomplishment of its mission.
Bay State College takes pride in its careful and transparent management of financial resources. Guided by its mission and strategic plans the College continues to reinvest operating surplus back into operations to meet the needs of this growing and dynamic institution. The College has maintained a level of profitability that has allowed the Board of Trustees to establish a fund reserve to continue to ensure financial stability. The College continuously evaluates its fiscal performance through monthly and annual budgeting; established financial benchmarks based on US Department of Education standards; independent audits; and meeting bank minimal financial performance markers.
Bay State College works intently to provide clear, transparent, and continually updated information about the College, its mission and purposes, and the variety of educational, academic, and service opportunities available. The College takes the initiative to ensure this information is readily available. The College’s website is the primary source of information for the public. It has been designed to make finding information as easy as possible and to be very user friendly. The College invested in a content management system that has improved the speed at which updates can be made to the site. As a result the College has won several awards for its redesigned website.
In all aspects of its decision‐making, policies, programs, activities, and work, Bay State College strives for the highest standards of integrity and ethics. The College takes deliberate steps to promote and support an academic and professional culture that exceeds the norms for integrity ensuring full compliance with all laws pertaining to conflict of interest disclosure, public records and information requests, protection of human subjects, and financial auditing by external reviewers. The College has gone above and beyond many of its competitors in exceeding adherence to the strictest standards, including participation in the Pledge of Public Accountability. INSTITUTIONAL OVERVIEW xix
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Table of CIHE Items of Special Attention
Letter Detailed actions, items of special attention Standard Page 10/27/10 ensuring a sufficiency of appropriately qualified faculty, given the 5.2 59‐62, enrollment growth and increasing emphasis on baccalaureate‐ 5.3 67 4/30/12 level education continuing to increase the number of doctorally qualified faculty
10/27/10 ensuring appropriate access to information resources and services 7.8 13, 28‐30, for students and faculty at the Middleboro campus 7.9 33, 46, 75, 4/30/12 ensuring the effective integration and coordination of programs 3.10 82‐83, 87‐ and services offered at its Middleboro campus 88, 93
10/27/10 assessing student learning and evaluating institutional 2.4 4‐6, 8‐17, effectiveness 2.6 36, 39‐40,
developing a more substantial model for assessing institutional 10/27/10 2.7 42, 46‐51 effectiveness of its academic programming and other elements 4.48 of the College’s operations and using the collected evidence to inform planning and subsequent adjustments
10/27/10 implementing the current program review process and assuring 4.48, 4.8 11, 35‐36 academic quality, while continuing to refine the process 4.9 10/27/10 increasing the number of upper division electives for baccalaureate 4.14 41 students 10/27/10 demonstrating that the strategic plan is a guiding document that 2.2 2‐3, 8‐9, integrates strategic planning with financial planning and budgeting, 9.8 108‐109 and that the College is clear in its projections and successful in charting its progress against the plan 10/27/10 assuring institutional capacity to meet planned growth, including 2.3 30, 107‐ achieving its goals for the employment of full‐time faculty, holding 113,, adequate financial reserves to meet unanticipated challenges, and developing physical facilities to accommodate growth 10/27/10 achieving the institution’s goals in improving its retention and 6.6 graduation rates 1/10/11 give emphasis to the institution’s success in implementing its online degree programs, including student success rates 1/10/11 provide an update on the implementation of its online programs, 50 including student success rates. 4/30/12 incorporating general education into its program review cycle 4.55
INSTITUTIONAL OVERVIEW xx
BAY STATE COLLEGE
Standard One—Mission And Purposes Description The Mission Statement of Bay State is the foundation through which the College identifies its core constituency, its obligations to the community, and its guiding principles as an institution of higher education. The Mission Statement brings together Bay State College students, faculty, staff, administration, and the Board of Trustees as a learning community focused on excellence in education and student services and developing ethical and social awareness to prepare students to meet the challenges of the twenty‐first century. The Mission Statement, which appears in all institutional publications and in every building, was last revised and adopted by the Board of Trustees in July 2005. The College’s Mission Statement reads as follows:
Bay State College is a private college whose mission is to provide students with a quality education that prepares them for professional careers and increasing levels of higher education. Bay State College accomplishes this mission by providing a learning environment where teaching excellence and student services are blended to support the uniqueness of individual students, preparing them to achieve their full potential as ethically and socially aware citizens.
At the inception of the strategic planning process in 2007, Bay State adopted a Vision Statement in support of the Mission Statement. The Vision Statement dynamically captures the forward momentum with which the College serves its students and area employers and it endures to this day:
Bay State College will be the college of choice in our region for career minded students and employers who seek well educated graduates in our disciplines.
The Vision Statement when tied to the Mission communicates to all constituents where the College’s efforts are leading the institution and its institutional priorities. The College also identified three core values that encapsulate how Bay State College differentiates itself as an institution. The core values, Quality, Respect, Support, express what underlines every decision and action and presents consistency of character.
As described in the Mission Statement, Bay State College provides a nurturing learning environment, one that encompasses both professional career education as well as a solid, flexible grounding in the general education coursework in the arts, humanities, and sciences. The Mission Statement commits STANDARD 1—MISSION AND PURPOSES 1 BAY STATE COLLEGE
College faculty and administration to offering a distinctive learning environment through its core values, the availability of and access to academic, personal and emotional support services, a preference for smaller class sizes, and an advising structure that recognizes the uniqueness of each individual. Through its academic, student support, and advising services and opportunities for students to engage in community service and service learning, the College prepares students to be socially and ethically aware citizens and career professionals poised for future success. Bay State College has sought to ensure all staff and faculty members understand the Mission and Vision through periodic review. Annually since their adoption, the Mission and Vision Statements and Core Values are presented at an All Staff/Faculty meeting usually in the context of reviewing particular commitments. The results of these reviews are shared, discussed, and reviewed annually by the Executive Committee and the Board of Trustees.
The Institutional Effectiveness (IE) Survey asks staff and faculty about their understanding of the connection of the Mission Statement to their jobs. Through the IE Survey, staff and faculty understanding and commitment to the Mission are measured each year. The Board of Trustees annually undergoes an evaluation of its understanding of the Mission in its self‐assessment to ensure their commitment firmly guides policy formation and the execution of their duties. Through the ongoing use of the IE Survey and Board Self‐Assessment, the College now has five years of data on how well the Mission Statement is communicated and understood by faculty, staff, and Trustees at the College.
The Mission threads through everything we do at Bay State College. Academic changes are driven by the mission’s goal of creating a nurturing learning environment that prepares students for increasingly higher levels of education. All members of the faculty are invited to participate in Curriculum Committee meetings in which new courses are proposed, discussed, revised, and approved. The Office of Student Services and the Student Government Association, build extra‐curricular programming to prepare students to be “socially and ethically aware” including community service opportunities and experiences, such as the annual Habitat for Humanity commitment, the student‐led community service club, and programming in support of educational goals. Across the College individual departments have developed their own mission statements, goals, and objectives in support of the College’s overall Mission and purposes.
The Mission Statement was the starting point for every discussion as Bay State College developed its current strategic plan, Outcomes 2015. The Mission Statement clearly provides the basis upon which the
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College’s priorities are identified, supported, and evaluated and for resource allocation. The strategic priorities are:
1. Enhance our reputation as an institution with an uncommon focus on service excellence 2. Commit to a plan for Smart Growth and financial stability furthering institutional capacity 3. Strengthen the student experience
Strategies numbers 1 and 3 of Outcomes 2015 were directly informed by the Mission Statement. For example, in goals such as 1.a. Provide a supportive environment for students and 3.a., Attain and maintain academic excellence in all programs as measured in part by learning outcomes assessment, the message is clear: the Mission Statement drives decision making and resource allocation. The Mission Statement calls for preparing students for “increasingly higher levels of education.” As part of the 2010 annual Mission Statement review, faculty researched this statement and presented to the college community how the College meets this objective. They provided their analysis in light of both a professional program (Business Administration) as well as general education (See Appendix A: Annual Mission Statement Review March 2010). Using this review and comments from third‐party visiting teams, the College included the goal of “attaining and maintaining academic excellence” in Outcomes 2015. Faculty also recommended and subsequently implemented the Common Reading Program to promote literacy education. This goal reflects the baccalaureate culture at the College that prepares students for increasingly higher levels of education.
Institutional Effectiveness The College last revised the Mission Statement in 2005 when it was formally adopted by the Board. Annual assessments of the Mission Statement and purposes are conducted. At times, the general relevance of the entire mission is scrutinized (2007, 2008) and in 2011, the College’s review included a broad examination of the strategic plan goals as they tied directly to the Mission Statement (See Annual Mission Statement Review March 2011). At other times (2009, 2010), components of the mission were evaluated. For example in 2009, the phrase “preparing them to achieve their full potential as ethically and socially aware citizens” was explored. As a result, a greater focus was placed on community service and the Service Learning Committee was created. All Mission Statement reviews, since 2005, have concluded the relevance of the Mission is intact as a guiding light for strategic planning and daily operations. However, component reviews have led to changes in operations as described above.
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Appraisal The College relies on data from the Institutional Effectiveness Survey (IE survey) and the Board of Trustees Self‐Assessment to assess the common understanding of the mission. The IE Survey and Board Self‐Assessment elicited broad commitments and understanding of the College’s unique mission. Staff and faculty overwhelmingly agree that the College’s day‐to‐day operations support the mission (95%) and that their jobs support the mission (98%). The Board survey showed that Trustees equally understood the mission (100%) and the uniqueness of the College (100%).
The College measures the “quality [of] education” through the learning outcomes assessments and program review processes. The E series highlights outcomes being assessed by each program and changes made as a result. Recent Outcomes Assessment presentations will be available in the team workroom. The College also tracks student perceptions using the Academic Quality Score, a composite score of academic quality data from the Student Satisfaction Survey: course content, challenge, preparation for chosen career, and quality of instruction. The results of the AQS have steadily improved from 78%, to 84%, to 85% positive response rate in the last three years.
2010 2011 2012 Academic Quality Score Course Content 83% 88% 87% Challenge 82% 82% 86% Preparation for chosen field 75% 77% 80% Quality of Instruction 73% 87% 87% 78.4% 83.5% 85.0%
Student satisfaction with “education that prepares them for professional careers,” an important objective of the mission, has increased from 75% to 77% to 80% in 2012. Educating students for professional careers is also measured by in‐field placements which have consistently been in the 80% to 95% range (See Appendix B: Career Services Reports) within 6 months of graduation. Lastly, preparation for chosen careers is measured on an individual basis. Students receive a “Professional Readiness Score” along with a letter grade for every class. This score is a measure of a student’s readiness to go on internships which are required for almost every program.
The Mission’s commitment to “prepare…[students] for…increasing levels of higher education” is measured in part by the College’s annual Student Satisfaction Survey. On the most recent survey, 86% of students rated the intellectual challenge offered by their program of study as “good” or “excellent.” The STANDARD 1—MISSION AND PURPOSES 4 BAY STATE COLLEGE
College was also recently evaluated by a visiting team and recommended and authorized for “general baccalaureate approval” within the scope of its mission. The visiting team’s review included an examination of the general education, upper –level electives, faculty credentials, and culture of the College for higher level learning. The visiting team found that baccalaureate students expressed high levels of satisfaction with their academic experience. This important review and validation by objective third‐parties was an important assessment of the College’s mission attainment. Another measure of the success in meeting this component of the mission is the successful transfer or continuation of studies after graduation. The Reports on Graduates Placement and Transfers has shown between 24%‐49% of graduating classes in the last three years have gone on to continue their education.
“Teaching excellence” is measured in a number of ways including faculty performance reviews which maintain a minimum weighting of 50% and maximum of 75% on teaching. Teaching is also evaluated by students in course evaluations which also have seen a steady, positive response rate with an average of 4.3 on a 5 point scale over the last few years. This is true for the evening division (4.4) and online (4.2) faculty as well.
To ensure that “student services are blended to support the uniqueness of individual students,” the College solicits feedback from students via the Student Satisfaction Survey and through individual departmental evaluations (See Standard 6 for additional details). Student use of the services provided by the Student Success Coordinators and/or Counselor increased from 31% to 34% this past year, while 93% of students were satisfied (“Excellent/Good”) with the quality of these resources. The Student Success and Disability Support Services team is utilizing monthly dashboards to track data as it relates to individual student concerns and trends on campus. This has enabled the team to tailor programming efforts and support services to students. Additionally, 84% of students surveyed were satisfied with the quality of the Financial Aid experience (a 6% increase), and 82% were satisfied with the Student Accounts experience (a 6% increase). Students are also satisfied with the academic support services on campus, with 87% of those surveyed stating the quality of the experience in the Center for Learning and Academic Success (CLAS) was “Excellent/Good.” Overall, 82% of students felt that the attitude of the non‐teaching staff toward students was “Excellent/Good.”
The College is gratified at outside reviewers’ assessment of our commitment to “preparing [students] to achieve their full potential as ethically and socially aware citizens.” Bay State has been the recipient of the President’s National Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll award each of the last four STANDARD 1—MISSION AND PURPOSES 5 BAY STATE COLLEGE
years including twice with distinction. Additionally, the College won the prestigious Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities Community Service award in 2011. These accolades provided direct assessment and affirmation of the College’s commitment to this portion of the mission.
Employers in the greater Boston area are constant collaborators with the College in improving curriculum and ensuring the success of our graduates as part of the College’s vision to be the career college of choice in the area. Several area employers sit on academic program advisory boards. In this capacity employers support curriculum review and development and new course creation. In this way they provide the College with guidance on the skills that students should be developing for future employment. Employers that serve on the advisory committee are carefully chosen as representatives organizations with which the College has additional relationships in the form of student internships, volunteer and work study opportunities, and graduate employment placement. A large percentage of students in the Physical Therapist Assistant, Medical Assisting and Early Childhood Education programs are hired by their internship sites upon graduation. On average, about 20% of College graduates are hired by their internship employers.
Projection As part of the College’s ongoing efforts to increase institutional effectiveness and continuous quality improvement, Bay State will be improving its measurement and assessment of the achievement of the Mission Statement. An electronic system for collecting students’ Professional Readiness scores is currently in development allowing for easier collection, analysis, review, and use of this information for Institutional Effectiveness and understanding how well the College is meeting its mission. The College also plans to expand its efforts in surveying employers with regards to level of satisfaction with graduates employed and comparisons of skill sets with other recent graduates. Based upon the core areas of the Mission and Vision Statements, the College is also developing Institutional Outcomes. These Institutional Outcomes assessed via a variety of data sources will be aggregated into a “Mission Attainment Dashboard” with each of the quantifiable factors. The College will also continue to utilize the Institutional Effectiveness Survey, the Board Self‐Assessment Survey, and the Student Satisfaction Survey to assess and evaluate to what degree it is meeting its mission and vision.
STANDARD 1—MISSION AND PURPOSES 6 BAY STATE COLLEGE
Board g Governin Date ApprovedDate the by July 12, 2005 ? Standard 1: Mission and Purposes Mission Standard 1: http://www.baystate.edu/about-baystate/history--mission/ http://www.baystate.edu/files/resources/student-handbook.pdf http://www.baystate.edu/about-baystate/history--mission/ ? ? ? Document URL Institutional Mission Statement Attach copy a of current the mission statement. 3.Catalog College 4 statements Related 1 2 3 http://www.baystate.edu/files/resources/course_catalog_2011web.pdf URL Publication Print Mission Statement published Statement Mission Handbook Student 1. URL Publication Print 2. Bay State website State 2. Bay ? ?
STANDARD 1—MISSION AND PURPOSES 7 BAY STATE COLLEGE
Standard Two—Planning and Evaluation Description Bay State College undertakes planning and evaluation to accomplish and improve the achievement of its mission and purposes. Planning and evaluation efforts have consistently been systematic, comprehensive, broad‐based, and integrated across the College. The College has focused its efforts on involving a greater number of constituents in planning and evaluation and strengthening and establishing processes to ensure a truly spiral system where results are acted upon and the cycle continues. Careful attention is paid to the timing of the different processes so that, for example, necessary data is available when the next budgeting cycle begins and continuous evaluation provides immediate feedback within many academic and non‐academic departments. Central to all of these efforts is Bay State College’s commitment to transparency and accountability to students, its faculty and staff, and the public.
Planning and evaluation efforts occur across all segments of the College. Several committees, consisting of individuals responsible for the achievement of institutional purposes and meeting the College’s mission, are involved in systematic and comprehensive planning and evaluation. These include the Institutional Effectiveness Committee, Executive Committee, the Faculty Senate, the Curriculum Committee, Management Team, Academic Management Team, Operations and Compliance Committee (OPSCOM), Academic Standing Committee, Student Affairs Team, First Year Experience Committee (FYE) and the Student Government Association (SGA). Additionally, planning efforts for large scale initiatives such as the residence halls handbook and student handbook revisions involve individuals from across the institution.
These committees and groups regularly collect and evaluate institutional data to inform planning. As further described in Standard 6, many groups across campus including the Academic Management Team, Management Team, and Executive Committee regularly review the results of retention, persistence, and graduation reports to inform both short‐term and long‐term planning efforts regarding course offerings, student support services, and budgeting and financial planning, among others. Results from surveys, evaluations, and assessments are regularly reviewed and incorporated into future planning efforts. In order to support the continued use of institutional research, in 2010 the College decided to participate in the spring 2011 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). In 2012 the College hired both the Director of Accreditation & Assessment (A&A), to lead the charge on Institutional
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Research and Effectiveness at the College, and a Programmer/Report Developer, allocating further resources for its planning and evaluation efforts.
Institutional research is a critical component of the continuous quality improvement process at Bay State College and planning and evaluation efforts in particular. The institution systematically and regularly collects and uses a variety of institutional data to support its strategic plan, ongoing planning efforts, and enhance institutional effectiveness. Data for internal reporting and external reporting, such as IPEDS and The National Student Clearinghouse, is collected to inform campus decision‐making and planning in areas such as admissions, financial aid, curriculum, enrollment management, staffing, student life, finance, and facilities.
Appraisal Bay State College enjoys a good record of adapting its planning and assessment processes to changing needs and circumstances. The strategic planning and evaluation process has seen continuous improvement. Current long‐range planning efforts are comprehensive and inclusive. The strategic planning process engaged representatives from across the College’s constituent populations and resulted in a bold document that guides Bay State College through 2015. The College has a number of effective communication systems that are utilized as part of the planning and evaluation process, including faculty and staff meetings, community forums, and formal and informal meetings with the President and Senior Staff.
Planning Developed in 2006‐07, Vision 2010 was Bay State College’s first long‐range strategic plan. Key strategic goals from this plan included increases in student outcomes (In‐field Placement rates, retention and graduation rates and a focus on quality), employee satisfaction (Workforce Climate Survey Results), financial stability (Profitability /EBITDA margin), and Enrollment Growth. Vision 2010 resulted in a 70 percent growth in student population, a near doubling of in‐field placement for graduates, a 30 percent increase in full‐time faculty, a 40 percent increase in retention, as well as major advances in student support services and graduation rates. Vision 2010 showed the College had a demonstrable record of success in long‐range planning and execution. By 2010, the College had exceeded its goals for in‐field graduate placements and enrollment growth and was on target to meeting its goals for Workforce Climate, reinvestment, and retention (see Appendix C: Strategic Plan Summary).
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As Vision 2010 was in its final stages the College undertook the process of developing its newest strategic plan, Outcomes 2015. From this foundation, the College undertook a strategic planning process that involved internal and external assessment and broad‐based participation. The strategic planning process was comprehensive and incorporated stakeholders within and outside of the College. The process itself was perhaps the most important outcome as it allowed all involved the opportunity to participate in defining the future of Bay State College.
Outcomes 2015 accounts for modern economic realities like competition and employer demand affecting students, employees, and institutions, and it thoughtfully aspires to enhance the outcomes of all who work and study within Bay State College’s walls. Outcomes 2015 focuses on continuing to enhance academic quality and rigor, investing in faculty and student engagement, ensuring the institutional capacity for growth, and improving student outcomes. Outcomes 2015 outlines three key strategies (see Appendix D: Outcomes 2015 for complete version):
Service Bay State College has a proud history of providing high‐touch customer service to all constituents including students and their families, faculty and staff, alumni and employers, and the community at large. This strategy is designed to ensure the College continues to place the power of its resources in the hands of its customers. The service strategy focuses the College on continuously improving its reputation as a great place to go to school, to work, and to seek graduates for employment. Beyond academics, the College is also committed to being a community service leader.
Compliance and SMART Growth For Bay State College, SMART means both intelligent and the often cited goal‐setting acronym for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time‐bound. The College knows that intelligent growth means ensuring a strong compliance and financial foundation and investing in technology. Upon that foundation, the College strives to deepen and broaden its reach and drive growth in online and adult education, international and military students, and in its traditional base.
Student Experience The “student experience” strategy is focused on ensuring that every student leaves Bay State College feeling he or she received a quality education and exceptional value. The College pledges to promote the outstanding achievements of its graduates and to be transparent and proud of our student outcomes including learning outcomes and retention, graduation, and placement rates. This strategy
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includes investment in faculty, ensuring the necessary resources are placed in the hands of those who provide the product we serve. It also ensures that academic rigor is closely nourished and students are engaged inside and outside the classroom.
Outcomes 2015 is updated at least annually as assessments and internal evaluations identify changes in institutional needs, environmental threats and opportunities, and internal strengths and weaknesses. Outcomes 2015 is supported by a long‐range financial plan that encompasses the financial assumptions and projections, personnel and deferred maintenance plans, and other assumptions as to the growth and student successes expected as a result of Outcomes 2015.
Beginning in AY 2010, the College began a more formalized and comprehensive process for evaluating and assessing risk. Potential risk factors are categorized into one of four areas: operational, physical, compliance, and reputation. Surveys are used to solicit feedback from management, staff, and faculty regarding risks that exist in each of the four areas. The College then recognizes the top response in each category as a key area of focus for that year and a Key Person Responsible (KPR) is tasked with creating and implementing an action plan to address and mitigate the risk. The KPR reports semi‐annually to the Management Team. For example, this year the College implemented a Buddy System to help address concerns about security on campus identified as a key risk area. This risk will then be re‐assessed in the winter of 2013.
Similarly, the program review process has been very successful in helping academic departments to think critically and strategically about existing strengths and weaknesses. This has led departments to identify specific resource needs that the academic administration has attempted to provide. For example, a digitizer for the CAD system for the Fashion Design program, new tables in the biology laboratory to support the Allied Health programs, and a lie detector for the Criminal Justice program. Formalized program review processes, including performance metrics and external review, are lacking for non‐academic programs. Under the leadership of the Director of A&A, formalized non‐academic program review procedures are being developed.
Evaluation Bay State College’s assessment philosophy views academic assessment as a means of continuous improvement. Each academic program has developed learning objectives, mapped these to their courses, and identified and developed methods and measures for their objectives. These may include embedded exam questions on course examinations, capstone course projects, clinical skills assessment
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(laboratory practicals), internship evaluations, and departmentally juried written and research assignments. The results of these assessments are analyzed to evaluate the effectiveness of courses. Programs use the results from these evaluations to make adjustments to curricula to improve learning and refine departmental objectives. Assessment of student learning is further described in Standard 4.
As part of the ongoing learning outcomes assessment process, academic programs continuously collect learning outcomes data, reflect on the results of the outcomes assessment, and improve and refine curriculum and the outcomes assessment process (see E series). Several programs, including Criminal Justice and Early Childhood Education have made improvements to their assessment measures (see Assessment Presentations in workroom documents). Programs are also analyzing trends over time, semester to semester and year over year, to further understand the progression of student learning and evaluate the impact of curriculum changes. Additionally, programs, including Criminal Justice and Management are coordinating the assessment of learning outcomes across divisions to begin comparing outcomes results across Day, Evening, and Online students.
Where appropriate, student learning outcomes assessment data is shared with areas beyond Academics to provide the best service and student experience to students. One recent example includes the close collaboration between the Director of Academic Development who teaches the Academic Achievement Course designed for students struggling academically and Student Affairs. Assessment of psychosocial risk factors along and other academic needs was undertaken at the beginning of the course. Data highlighting students’ needs regarding access to resources and services outside of academics such as counseling and emotional support was shared with the Student Success Coordinators and the Counselor so that they would be able to reach out in class to students as well as to inform Student Affairs planning.
As highlighted in the E and S series, a variety of information related to graduation, retention, licensure and placement rates, and loan repayment rates are used in addition to learning outcomes assessment data to understand what students have gained as a result of their education, the success of recent graduates, and the extent to which the College is meeting its mission. These include, but are not limited to, retention reports, transfer and placement data, internship evaluations, employer input, certification exam pass rates, and feedback obtained through meetings between the Student Government Association and the President and Vice President of Academic Affairs. This data is also publicly available on the Bay State College website most notably on the Student Right to Know page. Licensure and placement rates in particular have been used to inform curriculum and to understand students’ ongoing opportunities for gainful employment after graduation. The College regularly reviews the results of its STANDARD 2—PLANNING AND EVALUATION 12 BAY STATE COLLEGE
planning and evaluation efforts, shares the results broadly, and has a record of implementing changes based on these results. Every year, planning and assessment tools are used to feed the overall strategic and operating plans.
The College’s strategic plan guides all planning and evaluation efforts. A key component of evaluating the degree to which the College is meeting its mission and purposes is the tracking of completion of the goals and objectives in Outcomes 2015. Institutional evaluations and assessment feed the strategic plan on an ongoing basis. Overall College performance measures include the Student Satisfaction Survey administered to all students, alumni surveys, instructor/course evaluations, the Senior Survey given to graduating seniors, and the Institutional Effectiveness (IE) Survey. President’s Forums and other meetings with students, faculty, staff, advisory boards, and employers allow for the collection of qualitative data to support planning and evaluation efforts.
The Institutional Effectiveness (IE) Survey administered to all members of the faculty and staff, now in its sixth year of use, generates much of the data that forms the backbone of strategic planning and budget allocation at the College. The Institutional Effectiveness Survey includes items related to workplace climate, academics, support services, communication, governance, and budgeting, among others. Items from the IE Survey are linked directly to the strategic plan for evaluation purposes. The IE Survey is also used to gauge employee satisfaction and effectiveness of services. The Student Satisfaction Survey, now in its ninth year of use, generates data that also informs strategic and short‐term planning and budgeting. Like the IE Survey, the Student Satisfaction Survey gauges student satisfaction and the effectiveness of services. It is designed to clearly link to pertinent NEASC Accreditation Standards.
Every fall, President Pfannenstiehl holds President’s Forums to allow faculty, staff, and students from all divisions to share directly with him any concerns, suggestions, and recommendations. This qualitative data is then utilized to inform planning, improve services, and further research areas that can be enriched and strengthened as part of the College’s continuous quality improvement process. Several suggestions made in fall 2011 forums resulted in advances made within a year. Examples include the installation of a printing kiosk for students in 31 St. James to alleviate printer usage in the Library, the addition of web supported and hybrid classes for the Middleborough Division to better prepare students to take online courses, and improving the online book ordering process.
In March of 2012, the Student Government Association provided recommendations to the Management Team on ways to improve student satisfaction and retention. In order to provide concrete data to
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support their recommendations, the SGA surveyed the student body to collect feedback about topics, including the Student Activities Fee, programming on campus, and suggested areas of improvement. Over 170 students responded and this feedback was included in the recommendations provided to the Management Team. As a result, several improvements were made on campus, including: the creation of dedicated space for student organization offices, a Multicultural Club and a Dining Council, the relocation of a computer lab to 31 St James in order to increase access, and the implementation of credit card payment capabilities on vending machines across campus.
Historically, the planning and evaluation process has been based on a continuous improvement model, using the comparison of institutional data year‐over‐year to inform decision‐making and allocation of resources. Recently, the College has begun to integrate national data and benchmarks such as the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) into the process to allow for comparisons of Bay State College performance and student engagement with national data. Once the data are evaluated and synthesized, the Institutional Effectiveness Committee provides recommendations to the Executive Team to enhance the College’s ability to meet its mission. The Institutional Effectiveness Committee is chaired by the Director of A&A and its members represent a cross section of faculty and staff from across the college. These recommendations are incorporated by the Executive Team into the College’s short‐term operating plans (budgets) or long‐range strategic and financial plans as appropriate. The College has a formalized process to directly link college‐wide input into the budget and strategic planning in a systematic and democratic way.
Overseen by the Curriculum Committee, the Academic Program Review process is conducted on an ongoing and annual basis, operating on a 5 year rotating schedule, to determine a program’s effectiveness in meeting its educational mission. Within individual departments, Department/Program Chairs and faculty periodically review and make changes when necessary. Part of this evaluation is driven by student learning outcomes assessment and employment prospects, both current and projected. Information for this analysis is derived from outcomes assessment data, placement rates, and each academic department’s Program Advisory Committee, made up of industry professionals who meet to advise the various academic departments. It also includes a process for external review of each academic program. Changes are made in areas such as course content, new courses, prerequisite structure, course sequencing, equipment requests, and other resource allocations.
With the recent addition of the Director of Accreditation & Assessment, the College has committed additional resources towards institutional research, planning, evaluation, and assessment efforts STANDARD 2—PLANNING AND EVALUATION 14 BAY STATE COLLEGE
centered on improving overall institutional effectiveness. Several years ago non‐academic areas began a planning and evaluation process by writing a mission statement and a series of long‐term goals. Each department also identified performance indicators, timelines, and specific benchmarks. At that time, although some performance data was available for these departments, the goal‐setting process did not incorporate formal analysis of available data. In collaboration with the Director of A&A, non‐academic programs have begun reviewing their strategic plans, benchmarks, and evaluation data, and are developing evaluation and assessment plans to formalize their data collection and evaluation efforts.
While no formal program review process has historically existed for the Office of Student Affairs, this type of evaluation exists regularly in a less formalized way. The Student Affairs team has established annual goals as a team, as well as individual/department goals, which are used as a benchmark for success. These goals are in line with the College’s strategic plan and are reviewed regularly in team and department‐level meetings, as well as a part of the performance review process. The team also utilizes various data collection methods in existence across campus to indicate the effectiveness of the services provided, including the Student Satisfaction Survey, the Dining Services Survey, and the Quality of Life Survey in the residence halls. Additionally, department‐level assessment tools are used to measure satisfaction and ensure resources are allocated appropriately, including program/event evaluation forms and dashboards for the Student Success Coordinators. The team reviews its services and resources annually as a part of the budget review process to ensure that all necessary funding exists and is allocated appropriately. Additional information about this process can be found in Standard Six.
The Admissions department collects a variety of evaluation data to inform planning and ensure that admitted students demonstrate the interest and the capability to benefit from a quality education that will enable them to enter their chosen fields or further their education. All prospective students complete an online aptitude assessment, Wonderlic Cognitive Ability test (Wonderlic), in order to complete their application. A student’s score on the Wonderlic affects Admissions’ acceptance decision. The decision to include this test as part of the admissions criteria came after over a year of research. This research showed that students who received a 2.5 GPA or higher in their first semester at the College, received a 12 or higher on the Wonderlic assessment. Annual checks are made using Wonderlic data and GPAs to assure that it is still an appropriate metric. Data is also utilized to make updates to Admissions criteria when appropriate. For example, the Nursing department showed concerns with students who did not have strong science scores prior to starting at the College. Student results were compared to student profiles in application and it was found there was a trend that matched feedback
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from Academics. As a result, a minimum science requirement was added to the Nursing Admissions criteria. Data for continuous quality improvement is tracked weekly, including number of leads, interviews, applications, acceptances, deposits, and Financial Aid packaging completions. Additionally, surveys are given to students after their interviews and acceptance to evaluate the services provided by Admissions and Financial Aid representatives and student satisfaction.
The strategic use of campus‐based financial aid is an integral part of enrollment and retention strategies. Institutional aid is structured on a balance between need based and merit based aid and is aligned with the mission and objectives of the College, to remain competitive through affordable education while increasing retention and graduation rates. Throughout the academic year, the Vice President of Administration and Finance (VPAF) meets with Academic program chairs, the Director of Student Financial Services (SFS), and the Director of Admissions to ensure that financial aid systems are working and meeting compliance requirements. After the end of spring semester, several key members of management from the Academics, Enrollment, Admissions and SFS areas convene with the VPAF to review existing awarding strategies for effectiveness and offer recommendations for future financial aid strategies. In considering strategies, external indicators are also reviewed. Financial aid packages from peer institutions are considered to ensure the College remains competitive. Data, statistics, and trends are analyzed from various agencies such as the IPEDS, the National Center for Education Statistics, and the College Board.
In the last several years, systematic assessment efforts and the expansion of College's institutional research function have vastly increased the availability of data and analysis to all levels of the institution. The regular and centralized collection of assessment data has dramatically expanded the amount of information available to decision makers at all levels of the College. Verifiable information drives the development and implementation of outcomes measurement in academic programs. A purposeful, continuous improvement process includes regular assessment of student learning outcomes and related program goals that are used to improve programs. Learning outcomes include the skills, abilities, and knowledge that students gain as the result of enrolling in coursework prescribed by program requirements and are periodically reviewed. There is some variability, especially among divisions, in how regularly and thoroughly student assessment is conducted. The College has already begun to address this and implement standardized assessments across divisions.
Data‐driven decision making is a well‐established part of the Bay State College culture. To insure that planning and evaluation have the internal data they require, the College needs to develop a more STANDARD 2—PLANNING AND EVALUATION 16 BAY STATE COLLEGE
comprehensive process for data collection and organization. The College has a system of long‐term preservation of its records but has not yet developed a centralized location for the storage and retrieval of important planning and evaluation data. An area for improvement is to provide faculty and staff more opportunities to help understand and maximize the benefit to be achieved from using the rich data resources that are available to them. Training sessions would need to encompass how best to use all enrollment and student success data and not the survey data, alone. Additionally, data and the results of evaluations and assessments need to be more widely shared need to be more widely shared with constituencies and stakeholders within and outside of the College.
Institutional Effectiveness As part of the continuous quality improvement process, the College reviews the effectiveness of planning and evaluation activities on an ongoing basis, including revising surveys and other evaluation measures. Recent revisions include the Faculty Evaluation Process, the Management Team Survey, the First Year Experience Survey, the Quality of Life Survey, and the Board of Trustees self‐assessment.
Projection Under the leadership of the Director of Accreditation & Assessment, the college will continue to expand the scope and integration of its planning and evaluation systems. One component of this system of institutional effectiveness includes the development of Institutional outcomes and the assessment of these. Data from across all areas will be integrated to inform planning and evaluation by linking information from academic and non‐academic departments and data from CampusVue, the student information system. Included in this integrated system will be a formalized program review process in non‐academic departments including the expansion of assessment and evaluation efforts. The College will also continue to strengthen academic assessment and program review across all programs and divisions.
The Director of Accreditation & Assessment will continue working with the Institutional Effectiveness Committee and constituencies across the College to improve planning and evaluation efforts at all levels. This includes the development of an Institutional Effectiveness website where pertinent planning and evaluation information can be widely shared. Work on reviewing and revising existing surveys will continue along with the development of additional surveys for advisory groups, alumni, and employers. The Director of Accreditation & Assessment will also be holding training sessions and workshops on a variety of data, planning, evaluation, and assessment issues to support the professional development of faculty and staff. STANDARD 2—PLANNING AND EVALUATION 17 BAY STATE COLLEGE
Standard 2: Planning and Evaluation
Year of Effective PLANS Completion Dates URL or Folder Number Strategic Plans \\campus\administration\NEASC\Comprehensive Visit Spring 2013\2. Planning and Evaluation\Data First Forms\Standard 2 Immediately prior Strategic Plan ? 2007 ? 2007-2010 ? Data, Plans, Reports http://www.baystate.edu/files/resources/bay-state-college- Current Strategic Plan ? 2010 ? 2010-2015 outcomes-2015-final-2.pdf Next Strategic Plan ?? link to draft, if available
Other institution-wide plans ..\..\Master Doc folder\Workroom Documents\Standard 8\Master Master plan ? 2013 ? 2013-2016 ? Facility Plan Jan13.pdf Academic plan ? ..\..\Master Doc folder\Workroom Documents\Long Range Financial plan ? 2010 2010-2015 Financial Plan Jan13 pptx.pdf ..\..\Master Doc folder\Workroom Documents\Standard Technology plan ? 2012 2013-2016 2\Technology Plans 2013.pdf Enrollment plan ? Development plan ? (Add rows for additional institution-wide plans, as needed.)
Plans for major units (e.g.,departments, library) \\campus\administration\NEASC\Comprehensive Visit Spring ? Library ? 2010 ? 2010-2015 ? 2013\7. Library and Info Resources\LibraryWorkroomDocs New Programs Timelines 2012 2015 \\campus\administration\MgmtTeam Deferred Maintenance
Online 2013 2016 \\campus\administration\MgmtTeam\2012-2013\November 2012 (Add rows for additional plans, as needed.)
STANDARD 2‐PLANNING AND EVALUATION 18 BAY STATE COLLEGE
Standard 2: Planning and Evaluation EVALUATION URL or Folder Number Academic program review Program review system (colleges and departments). System last updated: 2009 ? \\campus\administration\Academics\Curriculum Committee Program review schedule (e.g., every 5 years) Every 5 years
Sample program review reports (name of unit or program) \\campus\administration\Academics\Curriculum Business Administration ? Committee\Program Reviews\BA Program Review Fashion Design \\campus\administration\Academics\Curriculum Early Childhood Education Committee\Program Reviews (Insert additional rows, as appropriate.)
System to review other functions and units Program review schedule (every X years or URL of schedule)
Sample program review reports (name of unit or program) 1 2 3 (Insert additional rows, as appropriate.)
Other significant evaluation reports (Name and URL or Location) Date Example: Advising: www.notrealcollege.edu/advising 1995 Institutional Effectiveness Reports \\campus\administration\InstitutionalE ffectiveness\IE Committee Reports 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 Library Satisfaction Survey Results \\campus\administration\InstitutionalE ffectiveness\Library Surveys 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 NSSE \\campus\administration\MgmtTeam 2012
(Insert additional rows, as appropriate.)
STANDARD 2—PLANNING AND EVALUATION 19 BAY STATE COLLEGE
Standard Three—Organization & Governance
Description Bay State College has a system of governance that includes the Board of Trustees, faculty, staff and students. These groups work together to facilitate the accomplishment of Bay State’s mission, long term goals, and to support institutional effectiveness.
Board of Trustees The Board of Trustees is an independent, legally constituted governing entity ultimately responsible for Bay State College meeting its mission. The Board consists of 10 members including the College President (who has a familial financial interest) and 9 independent members representing a cross‐section of skill sets and experiences to help lead the college. The Board President is an independent trustee chosen annually by a majority vote of all independent trustees. The Board consists of 3 women, 7 men, 2 ethnic/racial minorities, 3 alumni of the college from different eras, and a cross‐section of experiences including a Distinguished Professor from Northeastern University, a former college president, a Harvard finance professional, a commerce professional in state government, a real estate investor, a sole‐ proprietor, an entertainment industry television producer, a marketing expert, and a retired doctor. The Executive Committee of the Board consists of all independent members. The Board Chair serves a one year term and each independent member serves a three year term and may serve for three consecutive terms before needing to take one year off.
The Board is guided by a set of bylaws, governance guidelines, and a set of policies and procedures including a Code of Ethics and Conflicts of Interest. The Board adopted the Association of Governing Board’s (AGB) Statement on Board Accountability as a guideline for the Board’s operations and accountability to the mission and the public trust. The Board also adopted AGB’s Statement on Board Responsibility for Oversight of Academic Quality which states, “[A governing] board broadly defines the educational mission of the institution, determines generally the types of academic programs the institution shall offer to students, and is ultimately accountable for the quality of the learning experience.”
The Board divides its work into three committees including Nominating & Corporate Governance (NCG), Academic & Student Affairs (ASA), and Finance & Long‐Range Planning (FLP). Each committee consists solely of independent trustees, has its own charter, and meets at least twice per year reporting to the whole Board regularly. Members are assigned by the NCG Committee and reviewed annually as part of STANDARD 3—ORGANIZATION AND GOVERNANCE 20 BAY STATE COLLEGE the Board self‐assessment process. Each committee meets during the year with various constituents establishing regular channels of communication with staff and potential trustees (NCG), faculty and student leaders (ASA), and administrative staff and third‐party auditors (FLP). All staff and faculty are invited to attend the April meeting of the Board in order to keep an open process, further engage the Board with the Bay State community, and increase communication. Further, the Board receives and reviews all critical survey results assuring the college is assessing its success in meeting its mission.
The Board takes an active role in policy matters at the College. The Board is charged with approving all major initiatives including new academic program offerings, new campus sites, and policies affecting the college’s constituents. It monitors the college’s fiscal solvency through the FLP and has established a financial reserve policy designed to promote the long‐term well‐being of the college. The Board ensures academic freedom, a productive shared governance model with faculty and students through its ASA Committee, and oversees policies like faculty rank and promotion. The Board approved and was integrally involved throughout the creation of the College’s strategic plan, Outcomes 2015, whereby the Board monitors the capacity of the institution to meet its mission and purposes.
New Board members are welcomed to the College after the nominating process in a comprehensive, half‐day new Trustee orientation. Trustees are oriented by the College President and given a New Trustee Orientation Manual that includes all board policies and procedures and provides background on accreditation, the history of the college, finances, and the strategic plan. Each new Trustee then meets with all Vice Presidents and key employees. Often, new Trustees are added to the ASA committee so they have an opportunity to get to know faculty and student leaders. The College has also been able to provide Board education to new as well as seasoned trustees. Three members recently attended a multi‐part Board Development Seminar held by the Institute for Nonprofit Management and Leadership at Boston University.
The Board is responsible for the appointment of the CEO who is reviewed by the independent trustees annually. The CEO is charged by the Board with managing the institution and developing and executing the operational and strategic plans approved by the board. The Board has an adopted process that includes a CEO self‐assessment against identified criteria including strategic and operational goals, risk management, and compliance. This self‐assessment is required to incorporate objective, third‐party data and is provided to all trustees. Only independent trustees may participate in the final evaluation. As a result of the review, the President’s compensation is decided by the FLP. In the most recent CEO
STANDARD 3—ORGANIZATION AND GOVERNANCE 21 BAY STATE COLLEGE evaluation, the Board requested that the CEO provide certain data back to the Board regarding salary increases of staff and faculty and to consider such issues as the college’s continuing ability to develop its capacity as required in its strategic plan.
The Faculty The faculty participates in the governance of the college in many ways, most prominently through the Faculty Senate. All faculty members, full‐time and part‐time, on‐ground and online, are invited to participate. An appointed adjunct faculty representative attends each meeting. Faculty members determine and vote for the officers of the Senate each year. The Chair of the Faculty Senate reports to the ASA Committee of the Board at least annually according to their charters, and to the College President and Vice President of Academic Affairs at least once per semester on matters of importance to faculty such as scholarship, professional development, and benefits. The Faculty Senate keeps its own charter and minutes to all meetings and is fundamentally important to ensuring academic freedom and quality. Quality oversight is accomplished through the ASA Committee review of learning outcomes assessment data (See ASA meeting minutes) with a report to the whole Board. In addition, ASA Committee Trustees visit classes on an annual basis and report back to the whole Board.
The faculty also control and manage the Curriculum Committee, the Scholarly Activity and Institutional Review Board, and the Academic Standing Committee through separate charters and maintain their own recorded minutes of all meetings. In addition, faculty members participate on the Faculty Hiring Committee and various other committees across the college that deal with matters of importance that impact academic programs and faculty personnel.
In accordance with the AGB Statement on Board Oversight of Educational Quality, the Trustees understand that “while academic administrators and faculty members are responsible for setting learning goals, developing and offering academic courses and programs, and assessing the quality of those courses and programs … The Board’s responsibility in this area is to recognize and support faculty’s leadership in continuously improving academic programs and outcomes, while also holding them—through institutional administrators—accountable for educational quality.”
Full‐time faculty performance reviews take place at least annually in May each year based on criteria published in the faculty handbook. The primary components of faculty review include Teaching, Service, and Scholarly activity. There is a grievance procedure for faculty that is clearly explained in the handbook.
STANDARD 3—ORGANIZATION AND GOVERNANCE 22 BAY STATE COLLEGE
Students Bay State students are also actively engaged in the governance process. The principal and most formal inclusion in governance of the institution occurs through the Student Government Association (SGA), an elected body of students who represent the interests of all on ground and online students at all campuses. The SGA operates according to a Constitution and a set of Bylaws, reviewed annually in January by the Board ASA Committee and last approved by the whole Board in July 2012. These are readily available along with copies of the meeting minutes on the College’s website http://www.baystate.edu/student‐government‐association/.
The SGA president meets with the College President at least every semester and annually with the ASA Committee of the Board of Trustees to address matters of importance like student satisfaction, persistence, and to advocate for positive change. According to the SGA Constitution, “It is the object of SGA to represent, promote, and further the interests of the student body among the students, faculty, staff, administration, trustees, and any other parties concerned with the Bay State College community.” The SGA administers a budget of $43,000 from the student activities revenue to support clubs and activities open to all students.
The College President also provides students at all campuses with a President’s forum, an open session to report back to constituents about progress on past requests as well as to provide feedback on the strategic plan, and to collect current feedback on areas of success and for improvement in the opinion of the students. All students may voice their opinions in several surveys including the Student Satisfaction Survey which is incorporated into the Institutional Effectiveness Committee report and recommendations. These recommendations are then incorporated into the operational and strategic plans of the College. All students participate in course evaluations and may attend SGA meetings. There are dozens of clubs and various student representative bodies like the Campus Activities Board, the Residence Hall Association, and the Student Nurses Association (SNA). The SNA recently participated in the shared governance process by providing a request to nursing faculty about hanging bulletin boards more conveniently for access to information outside of the nursing facilities. The Dean and the faculty were able to convey the issue to the Buildings & Grounds department who fulfilled the request. Additionally, the student handbook publishes all administrative policies and procedures that impact students including a grievance procedure which ensures due process for students in matters that may impact them collectively or individually.
STANDARD 3—ORGANIZATION AND GOVERNANCE 23 BAY STATE COLLEGE
Staff The administration of the College includes four Vice Presidents (Academic Affairs, Student Services, Administration & Finance, and Enrollment & Marketing) and the Dean of Students reporting to the President as detailed on the College’s Organization Chart. All employees of the College report through these Vice Presidents usually under a Director level position. A chart depicting the organizational structure can be found in the introduction. All staff‐faculty meetings are held monthly during the academic year and all full time and part‐time faculty and staff are invited to attend and hear and discuss matters of organizational importance. Off‐campus employees are provided a teleconference line into the meeting. There is also a weekly town hall conference call open to all employees.
Academic Administration The faculty and all people with responsibility for the oversight of academic programs report to the Vice President of Academic Affairs (VPAA) including the Director of Continuing and Distance Education, the academic deans and department chairs, and the Director of Academic Development. In addition the Director of Accreditation and Assessment and the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs report to the VPAA. The Associate Dean oversees the library. The VPAA reports to the President, and reports twice per year to the Academic & Student Affairs Committee of the Board of Trustees.
Off Campus and Online Personnel The Director of Online Programs as well as the Campus Director for the Middleborough campus report to the Director of Continuing and Distance Education (DCDE) who reports to the VPAA. The DCDE sits on the curriculum committee and is in charge of ensuring that these campuses and personnel are incorporated into the policy formation, academic oversight, and evaluation system of the institution.
Management Team The Management Team consists of 18 Directors and Vice Presidents from all departments, and the President who meet monthly. The team represents the organizational mechanism responsible for managing most administrative personnel and budgets and resource allocation, the day‐to‐day non‐ academic operations and is responsible for identifying, assessing, and managing risk. Each year, the Enterprise Risk Management plan is submitted to the Board of Trustees. This team also meets regularly with the Board in its strategic planning exercises.
Employees Every employee goes through a thorough Human Resources orientation including their own job description and its importance to the mission, the personnel policy manual, benefits, vacation and
STANDARD 3—ORGANIZATION AND GOVERNANCE 24 BAY STATE COLLEGE employee rights and responsibilities, grievance procedures, and the strategic plan of the college. The grievance procedure is spelled out in the handbook providing a hotline to the independent chair of the Board. Each manager is trained to hire and review every employee annually and through a mid‐term review assessing each employee’s contribution to the mission, competencies, and attainment of professional goals. Every employee has a job description and a professional development plan which is reviewed together with his/her manager.
Student Services The Vice President of Student Services (VPSS) oversees several departments across the college. Buildings & Grounds, the Bookstore, and Career Services report to the VPSS. The VPSS reports to the President and reports on an ad hoc basis at least twice per year to the Academic & Student Affairs Committee of the Board of Trustees.
Dean of Students The Dean has primary oversight of the residence halls, the Student Success Coordinators, Student Activities personnel, the College Counselor, and the Department of Health & Wellness. This department acts as the primary non‐academic liaison with students regarding student life and policy.
Administration & Finance The Vice President of Administration & Finance (VPAF) oversees the Business Office, Accounting, Financial Aid Compliance, IT department, Student Accounts, and Human Resources. The Financial Aid department utilizes an industry‐leading, open and transparent model to strengthen the financial literacy of students.
The VPAF is the principal administrator responsible for compiling the budget and the annual financial operating plan from all departments and presenting to the President for approval. Once the President approves, he submits the proposed budget to the Board of Trustees for review and final approval. The VPAF reports to the President and reports on an ad hoc basis at least twice per year to the Finance & Long‐range Planning Committee of the Board of Trustees. She is also the lead contact with the College’s auditors.
Enrollment & Marketing The Vice President of Enrollment & Marketing (VPEM) oversees Admissions and Marketing. College‐wide admissions are managed by a Director who ensures consistency of process across all divisions and campuses and is in charge of analyzing data to inform decisions. The Director works with the VPEM and
STANDARD 3—ORGANIZATION AND GOVERNANCE 25 BAY STATE COLLEGE faculty to set admissions standards often involving academic program chairs in those decisions, in making acceptance decisions, and in interviewing potential students. The Admissions department works closely with Financial Aid.
The Corporation Bay State College, Inc. is a for‐profit educational institution that is a wholly‐owned subsidiary of Bay State Education Corporation, a Massachusetts corporation. The family of President Pfannenstiehl owns Bay State Education Corporation (BSEC) and President Pfannenstiehl is an officer of BSEC. A family member of President Pfannenstiehl is CEO of BSEC. BSEC retains certain rights in the governance structure. For instance,
1. The appointment of the CEO of Bay State College is made by a majority vote of the independent trustees. The appointment is subject to approval of the CEO of the parent corporation (BSEC). The Parent Company CEO approval is mandated by Mass. General Laws 610 CMR 2.07(4) governing proprietary institutions. 2. The Trustee selection process mandates review and nomination by the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee which is made up of independent Trustees. The nomination is submitted to the CEO of the parent corporation for approval.
Institutional Effectiveness Individual departments and governing bodies routinely assess their own effectiveness and use those results for continuous quality improvement. The Institutional Effectiveness Survey is the primary survey tool designed to solicit annual evaluation of how the college and its departments are meeting the mission in the eyes of the faculty and staff. Results are used to inform operational and strategic planning. The Institutional Effectiveness cycle can be seen most clearly in the Board of Trustees self‐ assessment that combines its own data with the Institutional Effectiveness Survey results to inform change. Learning Outcomes assessment and Academic Program Review are the primary mechanisms the College uses to insure continuous improvement of the quality and impact of the education provided. Additionally, course evaluations and the student satisfaction survey are primary tools for student input into the quality of academic programs and those matters that impact students across the college experience.
Appraisal
STANDARD 3—ORGANIZATION AND GOVERNANCE 26 BAY STATE COLLEGE
Links to all pertinent committee minutes, bylaws, and other documentation can be found on the Standard 3 Data First form.
Board of Trustees In 2008, during the transition to the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education, the Board of Bay State College went through a thorough reorganization. At the time, the goal was to develop a truly independent board with the appropriate skills, accountability and responsibility that is appropriately engaged in campus life. The College knew it would take time for the new board structure to take root and flourish as an independent body and both the Institutional Effectiveness Survey (IE) and Board Self‐ Assessment (BSA) survey data seem to support these goals. The IE survey has shown growth in employee perception of the Trustee involvement as 74% of full‐time employees agreed or strongly agreed that they could “see a concrete connection between the College’s Board of Trustees and the Bay State College community’s operations.” The BSA shows an awareness of skill gaps and a willingness and ability to execute on that data to improve as is evidenced by the last four additions to the board.
The Board of Trustees has a demonstrable record of policy involvement across all areas of the college. Each Board committee has policy oversight responsibility including the Academic & Student Affairs Committee oversight of policies like Rank & Promotion and Academic Freedom, and the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee oversight of the nominations of all new and returning trustees. An example is the Board adopted policy of creating a financial reserve to ensure the long‐term fiscal health of the college independent of the owner’s resources.
Annually, the Board administers a self‐assessment reviewing its success in fulfilling its mission, each individual’s contribution, and the Board’s own effectiveness. The survey is a modified version of the AGB recommended tool for Board evaluation. The NCG administers the assessment, results are compiled, actions are implemented, and evaluation follows. The Board also incorporates staff and faculty views on Board engagement by reviewing data from the Institutional Effectiveness Survey. Through its self‐ assessment, the Board recently identified a need for another alumni viewpoint. It prioritized its preference for a recent alumna with other qualities including a diverse female to more appropriately reflect the student population who graduated from the continuing education division and from one of the larger programs like Fashion or Entertainment Management. The College President sought faculty and staff input and Ms. Blackford was recommended by a faculty member. She was vetted through the independent trustees of the NCG, interviewed by the College President and nominated.
STANDARD 3—ORGANIZATION AND GOVERNANCE 27 BAY STATE COLLEGE
CEO The 2008 reorganization included a thorough policy and procedure on CEO review that is borne entirely of the independent members of the Board of Trustees. The Trustees have demonstrated a willingness to challenge the President (See Appendix E: 2011 review materials) and hold him accountable to quantitative and qualitative results. The process has been thorough and independent mandating regular contributions from objective, third party contributors to the President’s performance review like the 360 degree feedback that anonymously included 20 trustees and direct employees in 2011.
Shared Governance The primary mechanisms for shared governance come in the form of the Faculty Senate, the Curriculum Committee, and the Student Government. The shared governance model (see Appendix F: Shared Governance at Bay State College chart) is alive and thriving with staff, faculty and students. This includes Middleborough faculty representation on the Faculty Senate and Curriculum Committee and representation of Boston Evening, Middleborough Evening, and Online students on the Student Government Association. In the IE survey, 74% of all employees (part‐time/adjunct and full‐time) agreed or strongly agreed that their “opinion seems to count” and 82% agreed or strongly agreed that “the college values student and employee input in planning.” Seventy‐seven percent of students agreed or strongly agreed on the Student Satisfaction Survey with the statement, “My input counts in the creation of college policy.” Students would also agree that the college is very receptive to suggested changes and improvements.
Staff The staff and organization is set up to be effective and is a fairly traditional higher education model. The College has a demonstrable record of using data to make improvements to the organizational model like the additions of staff in Buildings & Grounds, the Bookstore, Student Success Coordinators, and in its recent reorganization of the enrollment tuition planning and financial aid staff. This reorganization was implemented to better serve students and provide more direct lines of responsibility while placing emphasis on compliance. Compliance results as illustrated by Title IV and GAAP audits support this conclusion. In 2011‐12, the Dean of Students and other student services staff are working collaboratively with the faculty to redesign the College’s First Year Experience. This has led to some exciting changes including a potential re‐organization and installment of a more comprehensive core curriculum for all divisions.
STANDARD 3—ORGANIZATION AND GOVERNANCE 28 BAY STATE COLLEGE
Branch Campus The key challenge for the organization is to continue to ensure an effective model of branch campus inclusion and oversight. Objective third parties, including a visiting team on behalf of NEASC in fall 2011, recognized the continuing need for improvement in this area. The College, while it maintains its assertion of consistency of educational outcomes, and integration of the branch campus into its system of evaluation, agreed at the time with the Team’s recommendations. The College recognizes that it needs a sustained effort in ensuring the “effective integration and coordination of programs and services” and that the campus is “incorporated into the policy formation.” The College also concurs with the need to focus its efforts on further strengthening academic oversight.
To this end there have been increased visits to Middleborough by the Vice President of Academic Affairs, the Dean, School of Management, and other department chairpersons. Additionally, all Continuing Education syllabi are based on syllabi developed by department chairs and full‐time faculty. Similarly, whenever possible the same text is used in all Divisions, including Middleborough. Increasingly faculty that teach during the day are also teaching course in Middleborough. The President’s visits have also increased from once a year to three times a year. The Medical Assisting, Criminal Justice, and Business programs have all begun student learning outcomes assessment in line with what is being done in the Day Division.
The Director of Continuing and Distance Education and the Campus Director for Middleborough have also worked with the Dean of Student Affairs to ensure compliance with policies and procedures Faculty and staff from the Continuing Education Division actively participate in improving processes, policies, and procedures for the betterment of not only the Evening and Online divisions, but the entire college. Members of the Continuing Education Division have played leading roles in key projects including: the campus wide adoption of the online course evaluations; the integration of the Campus Vue portal; and the adoption of web‐supported courses across the college. A Middleborough events calendar that all faculty and staff have access to was created, which includes all events and visits from Boston personnel. An online faculty development process was implemented to support adjunct faculty. A full plan to address this issue was developed in fall 2011, amended in summer 2012, and is in progress (see Appendix G: School of Continuing and Professional Education Strategic Plan).
Institutional Effectiveness The College’s process for measuring the effectiveness of the organization and governance of the college is through the Board Self‐Assessment, the Institutional Effectiveness Survey of staff and faculty, and the STANDARD 3—ORGANIZATION AND GOVERNANCE 29 BAY STATE COLLEGE
Student Satisfaction Survey. These models compare data year‐over‐year in a continuous improvement model. Recently, as a result of a regular review, all academic department chairs, in collaboration with the Vice President of Academic Affairs, the Director of Accreditation & Assessment, began the process of revising the faculty evaluation process so that it more accurately reflects the College’s increased focus on the assessment of institutional effectiveness and academic quality.
Projection The College will continue to support its existing Organizational and Governance structure, including regular reviews of both to ensure institutional effectiveness. The College recognized in its strategic plan, Outcomes 2015, the need to invest resources in the Middleborough campus to address areas for improvement and execute on its plan to strengthen integration into the College’s programs and services. The plans address integration into policy formation, the assessment mechanism, programs and services. The College is and will continue to execute on the developed plans to enhance the staff, faculty and curriculum oversight of the Middleborough campus by the main campus personnel, under the leadership of the Director of Continuing and Distance Education. The College is exploring the possibility of opening a full time campus in the Middleborough area. In early 2012 the College commissioned a Program and Site Feasibility research project to evaluate the potential for a full time campus in the area.
STANDARD 3—ORGANIZATION AND GOVERNANCE 30 BAY STATE COLLEGE
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Standard 3: Organization and Governance (Locations and Modalities)
Campuses, Branches, Locations, and Modalities Currently in Operation (See definitions, below) (Insert additional rows as appropriate.) ? City State or Country Date Initiated Enrollment* ? Main campusBoston MA 1946 967 ? Other principal campuses ? Branch campusesMiddleborough MA 6/16/1905 120 ? Other instructional locations
Distance Learning, e-learning Enrollment* Date Initiated 56 First on-line course 9/1/06 First program 50% or more on-line 9/1/11 First program 100% on-line 9/1/11
? Distance Learning, other Date Initiated Enrollment* Modality
? Correspondence Education Date Initiated Enrollment*
Low-Residency Programs Date Initiated Enrollment* Program Name
STANDARD 3—ORGANIZATION AND GOVERNANCE 32 BAY STATE COLLEGE
Standard Four—The Academic Program Description In accordance with Bay State College’s Mission, all academic programs at the College place a strong emphasis on career preparation and the application of practical skills. The College offers degree programs at the Associate and Baccalaureate level. The College requires that a minimum of 33% of all degree credits be in General Education ensuring that each student undergoes a broad range of educational experiences.
The College works to ensure that through the curriculum of its programs each student is exposed to profession‐relevant technology and/or concepts. This begins in the student’s first semester and progresses with increasing levels of difficulty and complexity throughout the student’s program. Moreover, the College encourages or requires the completion of an internship in several of its programs. Bay State College ensures that students use information resources and information technology as an integral part of their education. The training, orientation, instruction and support provided in order to accomplish this are further describe in Standard 7. Program learning objectives have been developed for each degree the College offers and are published on the College website by program. The College’s thirteen associate and ten baccalaureate degree programs fall under the umbrella of the College’s academic departments.
Evening and Distance Education Bay State College offers Baccalaureate and Associate degree programs at two campuses and online through its Evening Division. These professional programs help prepare students to succeed in the career of their choice while working full‐time. Both the Boston and Middleborough campus locations offer classes conveniently scheduled twice each week. Many Associate degree programs can be completed in just 20 months through eight‐week terms (two per semester) offered in three semesters (fall, spring, and summer) per academic year. The Middleborough campus is housed in the town’s public high school and is staffed by a Campus Coordinator and an Associate Director of Admissions.
STANDARD 4—THE ACADEMIC PROGRAM 33 BAY STATE COLLEGE
Boston Middleborough Online Baccalaureate Baccalaureate Baccalaureate Management Criminal Justice Management o Finance Concentration o Security o Finance Concentration o Marketing Concentration o Marketing Concentration Management Concentration o Hospitality o Finance Concentration o Healthcare Concentration o Marketing Management o Fashion Concentration Concentration Merchandising Criminal Justice Concentration o Security Concentration Entertainment Management Criminal Justice Security Concentration Associate Associate Associate Business Administration Business Administration Business Administration Criminal Justice Criminal Justice Criminal Justice Entertainment Medical Assisting Management Medical Assisting Retail Business Management Fashion Merchandising Hospitality Management
A majority of Bay State students work while going to College and, therefore, desire scheduling flexibility in the form of more course sections than the College could offer. Consistent with the College’s mission to educate career‐driven students, in the spring of 2007, the College launched its first fully online courses and over 125 students chose one of the fully online courses. From 2007 to the present, Bay State College has implemented two fully on‐line programs (Management and Criminal Justice), as well as additional general education and business classes. The college has also developed both hybrid and web‐ supported courses in a variety of subject areas. In the fall of 2012, the College offered 215 hybrid and web‐supported courses.
The Curriculum Committee is the forum charged with the development, planning and review of new and existing programs of study. The Curriculum Committee adheres closely to its mission, stated below:
The mission of the Bay State College Curriculum Committee is to preserve the integrity of its academic curriculum through an on‐going process of development, review, and evaluation. The Curriculum Committee, in accordance with and appliance to the mission of Bay State College, STANDARD 4—THE ACADEMIC PROGRAM 34 BAY STATE COLLEGE
works across all academic departments to ensure students a current and viable program of study that will lead them to employment immediately following graduation or transfer to a Baccalaureate program.(All Curriculum Committee bylaws are on the College shared drive)
The Curriculum Committee consists of faculty representatives, Program and Department Chairs, the Registrar, and the Vice President of Academic Affairs. Although all faculty members at the College are welcome and encouraged to participate, final approval of new courses rests with the Vice President of Academic Affairs (VPAA), in collaboration with the Executive Committee. The Board of Trustees must approve new programs. The VPAA, in conjunction with faculty and Program and Department Chairs, is responsible for the administration of all programs and modifications made to them.
As part of its overall planning and evaluation, the College develops, approves, administers, and reviews its degree programs. The College has developed a formalized Academic Program Review process that includes a set of guidelines that help to ensure that a thorough review is pursued. This includes regular examination of department goals, learning objectives, assessment data and input from students, faculty, graduates, program advisory boards, alumnae, and an outside academic evaluator (for additional details, see Appendix H: Program Review guidelines). Additional information regarding the Program Review process is found in Standard 2. Departmental meetings between Program Chairs and faculty also include regular and consistent review of course and program effectiveness.
Modifications to existing programs are initiated based on profession‐specific needs, trends in similar programs at other institutions, and learning outcomes data. An initial proposal is developed and modified in departmental meetings. Further research into proposed changes is conducted by the examination of other curricula and consulting with advisory board members or industry contacts. The proposal is then submitted to the Curriculum Committee for review. The Committee discusses the merits of the proposal and may ask for further clarification or more information. The Curriculum Committee decides whether to recommend the proposal for adoption. Proposals for new programs recommended for final approval are brought to the VPAA and the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee developed Criteria for New Programs to provide guidelines for program proposals and ensure sufficient consideration is given to appropriateness to the College’s mission, employment and salary opportunities for graduates, adequate numbers of potential enrollees, and resource requirements. Approval by the Curriculum Committee is contingent on these criteria.
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Substantial changes to any program at Bay State College require the approval of the Curriculum Committee. If a change is approved the College does everything possible to ensure students encounter minimal, if any disruption, in their program. Typically, substantial changes are not implemented until the start of the next academic year, allowing time for the College to adjust to the change and for all advisors to be made aware of the change for advising purposes. A Change of Program form may be used to allow the student to replace a retired course with another approved by the Department Chair. In this way, the College ensures it has options in place for students who may be affected by program or course changes.
Bay State College’s assessment philosophy is to view academic assessment as a means of continuous quality improvement. In collaboration with the Director of Accreditation & Assessment (A & A), the Academic Management Team continues to develop new methods of academic assessment and planning. The academic assessment process begins with an annual review of the mission statement for each academic program. Subsequently, in consultation with faculty in departmental meetings and advisory boards, the program measures the accomplishment of the existing learning outcomes. When necessary, programs design new methods of assessment. These methods can include embedded exam questions on core course examinations, capstone course projects, clinical skills assessment (laboratory practicals), internship evaluations, and departmentally juried written and research assignments. The results of these assessments are then analyzed to evaluate the effectiveness of courses and the overall program. Working with the Director of A & A, programs use the results from these evaluations to make adjustments to program curricula in order to improve learning outcomes and refine departmental objectives. This process provides easily collected, meaningful data regarding the level of success in meeting learning objectives. Assessment methods are continuously developed and improved.
General Education The mission of the General Education (GE) program at Bay State College is to provide students with an interdisciplinary core curriculum that focuses on skills in written and oral communication, critical thinking and analytical reasoning, and an understanding of historical and social concepts that can be applied in academic, professional and life situations. The GE curriculum at Bay State College demonstrates its compatibility with the institution’s mission in that it supports the mission’s goals of providing students “with a quality education that prepares them for professional careers and increasing levels of higher education” and “preparing them to achieve their full potential as ethically and socially aware citizens.” General Education provides students with an interdisciplinary core of studies that
STANDARD 4—THE ACADEMIC PROGRAM 36 BAY STATE COLLEGE complements the character and progression of the College’s programs, thereby enriching the students’ understanding of specific areas of study.
At the Associate level, GE offers core‐required courses in composition, public speaking, and mathematics that teach the written and oral communication skills and the quantitative reasoning skills vital to entering the workplace or upper division college work. At the Baccalaureate level, specific GE classes are required to enhance and augment more advanced program curricula. For instance, through the history of art sequence (AHI 101 and AHI 102) Baccalaureate students in Fashion Merchandising receive a broad and important introduction to many of the principles that have shaped western civilization’s sense of the aesthetic. Baccalaureate students in Management complete the American history sequence (HIS 101 and HIS 201) in order to gain a broader sense of the historical and economic trends and contexts that have influenced American society. Through its Computers and Information Literacy course, GE helps students to develop the practical information literacy skills necessary to enter and succeed in a fast‐paced and ever‐changing workplace.
The General Education program at Bay State College has identified the following seven primary learning objectives:
1. To develop students’ critical thinking/analytical skills so they can evaluate and synthesize information from multiple sources. 2. To develop students’ computer/research and information literacy skills so that they are proficient at using software and the Internet and thus are able to locate and convert information into practical/useful knowledge. 3. To develop students’ reading and writing skills at the college level. 4. To develop students’ mathematical literacy skills so that they are proficient with consumer and career applications of math. 5. To develop students’ appreciation for historical and contemporary human behavior. 6. To develop students’ listening/oral/computer‐based presentation skills. 7. To develop students’ sense of personal and civic ethics and help them to understand the basic ethical questions that confront all human beings.
The GE program comprises three major subject areas—Humanities, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences—which are sequenced according to the abilities and preparation of the students. Humanities, includes courses in Art History, English and Literature, and Philosophy. Natural Sciences, includes the Biological Sciences and Mathematics. Social Sciences, includes Anthropology, Economics, Geography, History, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology. A fourth area that falls under the heading of GE is a technology competency and information literacy component that includes a computer systems course. STANDARD 4—THE ACADEMIC PROGRAM 37 BAY STATE COLLEGE
Integrity in the Award of Academic Credit Bay State College strives to ensure that all degrees and other forms of academic recognition are appropriately named such that they are consistent with practices and standards common to American institutions of higher education. To accomplish this, prior to the naming of any program or course the Department Chair conducts research to determine the standards and common practices at similar institutions within the United States. Once this is completed, the Department Chair creates a proposal which is submitted for review to the Curriculum Committee. The Committee evaluates the proposed name relative to length, content and the degree to which it reflects the level of the program. Once the Ccommittee approves the proposal, a final review and approval is conducted by the VPAA. Bay State College by way of the same process ensures that all programs meet the degree requirements of 60 semester credits at the associates level and 120 semester credits at the baccalaureate level.
Bay State College’s Academic Integrity Policy is found in the Student Handbook. The College places a high value on the integrity of the curriculum and the grading system. To this end, several initiatives are in place:
1. Mandatory training is required of all new faculty on the academic integrity policies and the measures and options available to them in addressing any offenses; 2. Through each syllabus, students are made aware of the location of the academic integrity policy and the consequences for any infractions; 3. Should an academic infraction occur, faculty work in conjunction with the Dean of Students who then works with the Academic Standing and Integrity Committee on any repeat offenses.
The Academic Standing and Integrity Committee (ASIC) ensures Bay State College students make appropriate academic progress while adhering to the highest standards of academic integrity. ASIC has two primary responsibilities: First, to adjudicate appeals from students who have been suspended from the College; and second, to determine appropriate sanctions for students who have been referred by the Dean of Student Affairs for violations of the College’s academic integrity policy. The Committee is comprised of faculty representing each academic program, as well as relevant staff from the following departments: Registrar, Financial Services and Student Affairs. Policies and procedures of the Committee are reviewed annually at the start of the academic year and are published in the Student Handbook and Committee by‐laws.
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The Evening and Online Divisions offer classes year round over three semesters. Each semester is divided into two eight week terms. Boston evening classes meet on Monday and Wednesday in two sessions. Courses with labs also meet on Tuesdays or utilize the LMS to deliver the addition content/exercises. The first session goes from 5:40 to 8:00 and the second from 8:10 to 10:30. All classes must meet at least fifteen times and sometimes meet sixteen times depending on holidays and school closings. All evening classes are web supported. Middleborough classes are delivered on Tuesday and Thursday with labs on Wednesday. Students in the Evening and Online Division have access to and support in using appropriate learning resources as described in Standard 6.
The College establishes that the student who registers for a distance education, or online, course is the same student who participates and completes the program by the following methods:
1. Upon registration to an online course each Bay State College online student is issued a secure email account which is accessed with a unique login and password combination. 2. The Bay State College Online Learning Management System (LMS) is a private and secure area. Each online student entered into the LMS has a unique user ID and password to access their courses. As students complete their assignments and participate in class activities their user activity is recorded and can be reviewed by the faculty and administration of the College based on their unique user ID. 3. All Bay State College online courses require active student participation throughout the term in a combination of the following methods: asynchronous threaded discussions, written assignments, group activities and assignments, synchronous web meetings, quizzes, exams, projects. The sum total of these activities establishes a portfolio of student work which can help identify the efforts of a particular student. Assessment of Student Learning Expectations for student learning reflect the mission and character of Bay State College as well as the general expectations for the level of degree and field of study. All programs of study at the College have learning outcomes and learning objectives which are developed by the Department Chair and faculty, and informed by Program Advisory Boards. These learning outcomes and learning objectives echo the College’s Mission Statement and include statements regarding students’ readiness for professional careers as well as for increasingly higher levels of education. In addition, each course has its own set of anticipated outcomes that are reflective of the broader expectations. At the classroom level, rubrics are used to guide the assessment of the student’s demonstration of learning, and various courses integrate
STANDARD 4—THE ACADEMIC PROGRAM 39 BAY STATE COLLEGE their own assessment measures such as pre and post‐testing and analysis of final grades. Of note is the use of a professional readiness score in each course to support the development and assessment of readiness for internships and subsequent careers post‐graduation. In addition, the General Education department requires that each student complete an annotated bibliography. This common assignment allows instructors in all General Education courses outside math and Literature to explicitly teach, and assess for, three of the competencies in the General Education program learning objectives, specifically, writing and reading at the college level, critical thinking, and information literacy. Further assessment measures are specific to capstone courses and internships.
Institutional Effectiveness Bay State College has a rigorous process of institutional effectiveness focused on the quality, integrity, and effectiveness of its academic programs. As further described in Standard 2, evaluations, institutional surveys, and systematic assessment have been utilized to make improvements in academic offerings and student learning.
Appraisal Bay State College’s academic programs are consistent with and serve to fulfill its mission and purposes. Bay State College students surveyed rated three aspects of the academic experience at the College especially high. The quality of course content in the student’s major area of study, the quality of instruction in that area, and the attitude of the teaching staff toward students ranked among the College’s strongest attributes. On the 2011 BSC Student Satisfaction Surveys, 87% of students rated “Course content in your major area of study” as either “Good” or “Excellent.” The same students when asked about the “Quality of instruction in your major area of study,” 88% gave “Good” or “Excellent” ratings. Finally, in 2011 87% of students rated the “Attitude of teaching staff toward students” as “Good” or “Excellent.” On the 2012 Student Satisfaction survey, 94.7% of respondents agreed Bay State College provides quality education. Similarly, 83.6% of respondents rated the quality of their academic program as “Good” or “Excellent” in 2012.Furthermore, according to the spring 2011 IE Survey, 88% of respondents agreed with the statement “The College offers high quality instructional programs that meet the needs of the community.” 82% of respondents agreed with the statement “The College provides rigorous instructional programs of high quality that adequately prepare students for employment in their prospective fields.”
The College is committed to the success of the fully online degree students and tracks their progress via several methods. Term over term retention rates are measured every eight weeks to track which STANDARD 4—THE ACADEMIC PROGRAM 40 BAY STATE COLLEGE students have continued from the previous term. Additionally graduation and course completion rates are tracked via the Campus Vue student information system. The College needs to establish better tools to track year over year cohort retention of the online.
Feedback regarding the success of the program is elicited from the online division students via course satisfaction surveys, the institutional effectiveness survey, interaction with the Online Student Coordinator/Advisor, and student forums with the College President. The Online Student Coordinator works directly with each online student to make sure they are making progress with their degree and points them to the appropriate departments should they need additional support.
The first fully online students began with the College in the fall of 2011; however, data for that particular period is not included in the S Series form data because the student information system needed to be adjusted to clearly identify the online division students. The S Series data covers the span from January 2012 through December of 2012.
The College emphasizes working systematically and effectively to plan, provide, oversee, evaluate, improve, and assure the academic quality and integrity of its academic programs. The College has set appropriate standards of student achievement and systematically assesses how and what students are learning and uses that evidence to continuously improve programs. The College ensures the consistency and integrity of all programs, courses, and credit awarded across all divisions and modalities.
Undergraduate Degree Programs To fulfill the graduation requirements in any program of study offered at Bay State College a student must have a final cumulative grade point average of 2.00 or higher. The student must complete all required courses in the major, and have earned the number of credits prescribed for the program of study in which the student is enrolled. A minimum of 60 credits is required for the Associate Degree and a minimum of 120 credits is required for the Baccalaureate Degree. Students are made aware of college and program requirements through website publication, including the College’s Student Handbook and college catalog, and the student portal. Each student’s academic advisor reviews all course requirements as outlined on the student’s flow sheet of classes during pre‐registration sessions. Each program of study requires that at least one‐third of all classes come from the general education area. In addition, each Baccalaureate program affords students the opportunity to engage in areas outside their discipline through the use of elective courses. Department Chairs are currently working on increasing unrestrictive elective selections at both the Bachelor Degree and Associate Degree levels. At the Baccalaureate level,
STANDARD 4—THE ACADEMIC PROGRAM 41 BAY STATE COLLEGE curricula include requirements at the intermediate and advanced undergraduate level with appropriate pre‐requisites. Such requirements are under the supervision of the Department Chair and are reviewed by the Curriculum Committee. Additional details regarding degree requirements can be found on the Program Flow Sheets.
General Education In its part of the College’s Assessment Initiative, the program in General Education identifies those qualities that, in aggregate, a BSC graduate should possess. These are commonly agreed‐upon characteristics that an educated person possesses:
1. Effective written and oral communication skills. 2. A critical thinker, able to use analytical reasoning skills to gather, assess and synthesize information effectively. 3. Core life‐management skills in mathematics, reasoning, technology, information literacy, and research. 4. A lifelong learner, possessing an appreciation for learning and for self‐discovery. 5. A sense of normative ethical behavior and a sense of responsibility to society and to himself/herself. 6. Flexible of mind, open to new ideas, and able to question his/her own beliefs and values. 7. Appreciation of the arts, a sense of the aesthetic, and an appreciation for the value of art to society.
Helping students become educated people is a primary goal of General Education at BSC. To achieve this, the program has used the College’s evaluation and planning process to develop a curriculum that can effectively serve this larger educational purpose. The Program has begun developing course and program‐wide assessments of student learning outcomes. For example, the General Education is creating systems for juried readings of student writing portfolios and research assignments across the English I and II courses. Using the results of these portfolio readings, the department can evaluate its effectiveness in meeting its objectives of teaching students sound writing, reading, research skills, and information literacy. Furthermore, with support from the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and the Director of Accreditation & Assessment, the Math Department has developed tests to assess student learning in its math courses. In addition, the General Education Program is working with all Bachelor Degree programs to assess the value added in oral communication and presentation skills after the core public speaking course, COM 101, and all courses where oral presentation skills are emphasized.
COM101, Public Speaking, is a required course for all students at the College outside of the Nursing and PTA programs. To assess student learning in the context of General Education Objective #6 – “To STANDARD 4—THE ACADEMIC PROGRAM 42 BAY STATE COLLEGE develop students’ listening/oral/computer‐based presentation skills in a manner suitable to the workplace or advanced academic coursework” – the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs (AD) developed a three‐part strategy. AY2013‐14 is the first year in this process.
1. The AD determined where in the curriculum after COM101 students are required to demonstrate some of those skills first learned in Public Speaking. Four baccalaureate programs – Entertainment Management, Management, Fashion Merchandizing, and Criminal Justice – all incorporate capstone courses in which students make final and formal presentations. These courses are ENT495, MAN450, FAM495, and CRI495. 2. The AD then created a General Education Presentation Rubric based on a COM101 rubric that assessed for essential presentation skills. 3. The AD next culled COM101 grades for all of the students enrolled in the senior capstone courses and derived a mean score based on those grades. 4. The AD has arranged with the instructors from the four capstones for an hour of class time during the semester to be set aside so that the AD can visit the classes to review good speech principles from COM101 and the rubric he will use to assess the presentations. The AD will then attend the formal capstone presentations and assess the student performances based on those principles. This assessment will not be attached to any grade for the course assigned by the capstone instructor. 5. The AD will finally assess the results in light of students’ average COM101 and establish an appropriate benchmark by which student learning of these essential communication skills can be measured.
The Department of General Education at Bay State has sought in recent years – at a time coinciding with the development and growth of the College’s baccalaureate programs – to increase the number and breadth of General Education electives in the social sciences, humanities, sciences and mathematics. Soliciting input from faculty members in all disciplines represented at the College, the Department of General Education has tried to create courses that are both clearly relevant to students’ programs of study and progressively more challenging. Some of the courses offered in the social sciences in recent semesters include Sociology of Death and Dying (SOC304), Sociology of Pop Culture (SOC302), Psychology of Health and Stress (PSY302), Media Psychology (PSY301), and Race, Ethnicity and Criminal Justice (SOC312). Some recent humanities offerings include the honors course Literature and the Dynamics of Relationships (ENG201), Media Writing (WRI204), Disability in Literature (LIT234), and El STANDARD 4—THE ACADEMIC PROGRAM 43 BAY STATE COLLEGE
Boom: 20th Century Latin American Literature (LIT331). Fundamentals of Nutrition (BIO107), Introduction to Environmental Sciences (BIO108), and General Microbiology (BIO203) all attract substantial interest from baccalaureate students seeking to fulfill science elective requirements. Finally, Mathematics for Management (MAT211) runs each fall semester and is an increasingly strong draw for students out of the Business Department (see Appendix I: New BS Degree Electives).
While at the time of this writing the Fall 2013 BSC Master Schedule is not yet complete, faculty members and students have expressed interest in two other courses that have not yet run at the College: Society and the Mentally Ill (SOC301) and Fiction Writing (WRI201). The Department of General Education will continue to seek input from all College constituencies in its efforts to offer a set of electives providing breadth, depth, and interest.
The Major or Concentration Students enrolled at the college are afforded the opportunity to succeed in their chosen majors through a variety of methods:
1. All programs are under the jurisdiction of the Curriculum Committee that ensures courses are properly sequenced and have appropriate pre‐requisites. Special attention is paid to the depth and breadth of knowledge as it is enhanced through higher level courses. Each course has clearly articulated learning objectives reflective of the learning objectives of the program. Regular feedback from each program’s advisory board and the program review process ensure currency of the curriculum 2. Graduates demonstrate an in‐depth understanding of knowledge through two major avenues: a. Capstone courses allow students to demonstrate knowledge through a major final project such as a senior thesis and business plans. This project integrates material from all required program, general education classes, and related courses. Special attention is paid to preparing students to succeed at these projects and exams. For example, students who have to complete a senior thesis in Fashion Merchandising are required to devote time outside of the classroom to regularly meet with their thesis advisor. In the case of all medical‐related programs, licensure exams are required to practice in specific fields and time is set aside for exam preparation. b. The internship program evaluates students on their ability to succeed in their chosen profession. Regular communication exists between internship work site supervisors and internship instructors throughout the term. STANDARD 4—THE ACADEMIC PROGRAM 44 BAY STATE COLLEGE
Integrity in the Award of Academic Credit Bay State College works diligently to ensure that all evaluation of student learning or achievement and the award of credit are based upon clearly stated criteria that reflect learning objectives and that are effectively applied. To accomplish this, all programs of study have Learning Outcomes and Learning Objectives which are developed by the Department Chair in consultation with the VPAA. From these, specific academic courses are developed and aligned to ensure all educational objectives are met. The Department Chair develops course descriptions and learning objectives for each course and submits them for approval to the Curriculum Committee. Once a course is approved, the Department Chair will assign a course to an instructor with the requisite knowledge and skill to administer the course. Prior to the start of the course, the assigned instructor will submit a proposed syllabus to the Department Chair for approval to ensure the course design will satisfy the learning objectives and larger program learning outcomes. Department Chairs in collaboration with the Director of Accreditation & Assessment conducts evaluations to ensure the overall effectiveness of academic programs and courses.
The College preserves the integrity and consistency of awarded credit through the oversight of the Curriculum Committee and the Registrar’s Office. All new courses are presented to the Curriculum Committee with clear learning objectives, course description, a sample syllabus, and probable assignments, exams, and papers. The College maintains a consistent grading system which is published in each syllabus and adheres to NEASC’s policy on credits and degrees. Credit that is awarded outside of the traditional learning experience, such as internships, independent studies, and credit for prior learning, falls under the same guidelines as traditional courses. For example, students enrolled in an internship must complete a minimum of 120 hours of service in a work experience directly related to their major. In addition, clearly published guidelines state that all remedial courses are not awarded graduation credit.
Admissions criteria are clearly outlined in the Student Handbook. Policies surrounding termination from or continuation in academic programs can also be found in the Student Handbook. Attendance policies, incomplete grades, changes to division, etc. are all outlined in the Student Handbook along with specific academic standards that students must meet. Requirements for graduation are clearly stated in the Student Handbook. All required and elective courses described in the catalog are offered with sufficient availability to provide students the opportunity to graduate within the published program length. The College has established these policies and procedures to fulfill the requirements outlined in the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA) as revised for the 2011‐12 academic year. These
STANDARD 4—THE ACADEMIC PROGRAM 45 BAY STATE COLLEGE criteria are re‐evaluated by a representative committee every year, with the Student Handbook being updated regularly.
The Transfer of Credit policy was revised during summer 2012. It states that students entering the Associate Degree program may transfer no more than 30 credits, and students entering the Bachelor Degree program may transfer no more than 90 credits, from an accredited institution to Bay State College. The institution must be accredited by a recognized accrediting body, and the course(s) must be equivalent to one offered at Bay State College (excluding elective credit). Students already attending Bay State College may also transfer courses under the above conditions. However, a minimum of 9 of the last 15 credits toward a degree must be earned at Bay State College. Current students seeking to have courses considered for transfer into Bay State College must have a Pre‐Approval for Transfer Credit Form completed and signed by their Academic Advisor or Department/Program Chair before the course is undertaken. The entire Transfer of Credit policy is found in the Student Handbook, on the Bay State College website, and the Online Division microsite.
The College has developed several articulation agreements with local institutions. Currently articulation agreements are available for students in Criminal Justice, Management, Fashion Design, Early Childhood Education, among others. These articulation agreements provide students with the opportunity to have their transferrable credits earned at Bay State College accepted towards their completion of further degrees at these institutions. A listing of current articulation agreements and their details can be found on the College website. Additionally, Admissions representatives and advisors work with entering and current students to ensure they understand the requirements for transfer of credit and articulation.
Bay State College provides students the opportunity to earn credit when they demonstrate that they possess college‐level knowledge in a specific subject area. Credit for prior learning or non‐collegiate sponsored learning is awarded in the following ways: Students can earn credit by taking exams including the College Board’s Advance Placement (AP) tests and College‐Level Examination Program (CLEP), Excelsior College Exams, and DANTES DSST exams. For Prior Learning Assessment (PLA), students work with a Learning Counts course mentor who has expertise in the specific course subject. With the mentor’s guidance, students develop and submit a portfolio that articulates and proves they possess the subject matter knowledge that corresponds with the requirements noted in the PLA course description. Students with military experience may earn credit, depending on the military training documented in Army American Council on Education Transcript System (AARTS) and Sailor‐Marine American Council on
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Education Registry Transcript (SMART), transcripts from the Community College of the Air Force, or the Coast Guard Institute. Students may earn credit for professional training programs they have completed that have been evaluated by the American Council on Education's College Credit Recommendation Service or the National College Credit Recommendation Service.
Several mechanisms are in place to provide oversight over the creation and delivery of all courses to ensure that all students achieve the same learning outcomes regardless of location, modality of delivery, or length of time it takes to deliver a course. All courses are based on the same syllabi and text books for all Divisions. This ensures that the same content is covered and the learning objectives are met. In the Online Division, each course is developed in conjunction with a third‐party Instructional Designer who guides faculty in best practices for online course delivery. Department Chairs and the Director of Online Programs maintain the academic quality of the content while also working with the faculty on how to best translate their classroom based materials to the online teaching environment.
Each professor teaching in the Evening and Online Divisions is selected or approved by the Day Department Chair/Dean. In addition, many of the adjuncts and even some of the full time faculty that teach in the Day Divisions also teach in the Evening and Online. The Department Chairs visit each division and campus to observe and meet with faculty and students a minimum of twice per year. These visits are supplemented by the VP of Academic Affairs and the College President.
Assessment of Student Learning Academic Assessment at Bay State College is an integral part of the overall Institutional Effectiveness process. The assessment of learning outcomes was initiated by and has the ongoing support of the Vice President of Academic Affairs. Faculty members lead this process and are provided support by the Director of Accreditation & Assessment. The results of programs’ academic assessment efforts and the changes implemented as a result are presented at the Annual Assessment Forum. Results from academic assessment are also a key component of the Academic Program Review process. Learning objectives for each course are linked to assignments and rubrics to ensure students have systematic, substantial, and sequential opportunities to learn important skills and understandings and actively engage in important problems of their discipline and profession. Students are provided with regular and constructive feedback through the use of rubrics, mid‐semester progress reports, meeting with their advisors at least 3 times a semester, and for online courses, through online discussions combined with rapid turnaround for all graded assignments.
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The faculty uses a variety of quantitative and qualitative measures when assessing student learning. Various direct and indirect measures are used to understand the experiences and learning outcomes of its students. Students are assessed utilizing self‐report, exams, reflection assignments, project based assessment, by external internship supervisors, clinical skills assessment, and a variety of other assignments and methods (examples of rubrics, assignments, and measures will be available for the NEASC self‐study team to review during its visit). As part of the academic assessment and program review processes, the measures, assessments, rubrics, and other components of assessing student learning are evaluated, and revised to ensure that they are trustworthy and providing information useful in the continuing improvement of programs and services for students. These changes are often also presented and shared during the Annual Assessment Forum.
The most recent report on learning outcomes assessment in Early Childhood Education showed students made successful progress in most areas with a deficit found in the area of program specific acronyms, critical for student success in the workplace and part of the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care 8 Core Competencies. An increase use of this terminology is planned for all courses. Continued focus will remain in training students within the framework of Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care 8 Core Competencies.
The PTA program annually assesses graduation rate, licensure pass rate, and employment rate for students who finish the program. Graduation rate for 2011 was 64.7%, with a 3‐year average of 65.3%. This has increased from a 3‐year average of 47.1% in 2009. Licensure pass rate in 2011 was 90%, with a 3‐year average of 96.7%. Employment rate is 100% for 2011, with a 3‐year average of 100%. Both licensure pass rate and employment rate have been consistently strong for PTA students.
In the Fashion Merchandising program, specific thought was put into assessing the critical thinking skills exhibited at both the Associate and Baccalaureate levels. To accomplish this, 32 students were tracked from the introductory Fashion Merchandising course (FAM 101) through an Associate Degree capstone course (FAM 245). This was done primarily through the use of case study analysis required at a very simplistic level in FAM 101 to a more in‐depth level in FAM 245. Both Associate Degree students and Baccalaureate students are enrolled in FAM 245. Of the 32 students enrolled, 22 were in the fourth semester of the Bachelor’s program. The other 10 were enrolled in the Associate degree program. Of these students, 21(66%) showed an increase in critical thinking skills; 11students who had achieved high levels of critical thinking in FAM 101 remained at the same high levels. There was no difference
STANDARD 4—THE ACADEMIC PROGRAM 48 BAY STATE COLLEGE between associate degree and baccalaureate degree students, when evaluating whether or not their grades had improved. The Bachelor Degree students who are now in a senior capstone will be evaluated, thus completing the tracking circle.
In the Fashion Design program, assessment was centered around giving students the opportunity to participate in open laboratory hours in both computer design and tailoring (with out of class assignments) in order for them to become familiar with a professional design environment where students work closely with a mentor as opposed to being a student in a traditional design class. The lab work was completed in addition to the regular classroom session. In Tailoring 43% of the students were able to professionally produce more than the required number of garments by the end of the semester. In Computer Design, 56% of the students were able to achieve an A in pattern and dart manipulation exercises. This open lab work has resulted in Saturday morning workshops in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. Assessment is on‐going through the students’ final portfolio and design/construction assignments.
The most recent outcomes assessment for Criminal Justice sought to evaluate, “The student will be able to formulate cause and effect relationships within the continuum and how they impact, both positively and negatively, the outcomes desired by the community as a whole.” The assessment included evaluation of current and proposed changes to the course CRI 202 Corrections as well as the performance of day division students assigned to this class in 2011. The evaluation results indicated curriculum changes are correlating positively with student achievement of the learning objective.
Recent learning outcomes assessment in Health Studies that utilized course grades and Internship evaluations evidenced that specific learning outcomes were met. Comments from internship supervisors are very satisfactory. The program will include more career electives to provide students competencies and skills to allow them to do a job‐specific internship. The Medical Assisting program has many methods of assessing program outcomes. Because of its program accreditation, assessment tools are regularly reviewed and are across the board with course objectives carefully mapped against program outcomes and accreditation standards. Benchmarks in the recent program outcomes assessment report were very satisfactory.
The Department of English at Bay State has devised a tool for assessing two of the General Education Learning Objectives as they pertain to English I and II curricula. For this in‐class assessment, students
STANDARD 4—THE ACADEMIC PROGRAM 49 BAY STATE COLLEGE are asked read an op‐ed article from The New York Times or other news source. Then, students write two paragraphs of seven to ten (7 to 10) sentences each that include the following:
1. A summary of the article and its argument; 2. Your opinion on the matter in response to the article; 3. A quote from the article, integrated into the second paragraph using correct grammar in the attribution.
The results are then assessed by the instructor according to a rubric. The results from AY2011‐12 showed that students in English 101 on average scored 5.67 out of a possible 10 points. Students in English 102 scored on average 7.81 out of a possible 10. The effectiveness of this process is being reviewed, attempting to determine whether a blind jury reading would be more effective.
Pre‐ and post‐test assessment data from the MAT101 College Algebra course, collected from September 2009 – May 2012, was used to revise the algebra curriculum at Bay State College. Analysis of this data showed that student knowledge of the more remedial topics (signed numbers, order of order of operations) was already high at the start of each semester. Since many students already knew this material, these topics were removed from the College Algebra course and into the remedial mathematics course. The new College Algebra class, MAT103, was launched fall 2012 and a new assessment tool, a Common Final Exam, was created for that course. The exams are graded using a 5‐ point rubric and a random sample of results is taken from each class. At the end of the 2012 – 2013 Academic Year, this data will be analyzed to see if students are completing the course with proficient understanding of the material. The results from this Common Final will not only assess that students are learning the content in the course MAT103, but will also be mapped to some of the learning outcomes for the Mathematics Literacy objective for the General Education Department. The department is planning to develop an assessment for MAT200 Statistics next.
Student learning at the course and program level are assessed through such aforementioned measures as rubrics, capstone courses, licensure exams, and internships. At the institutional level learning is measured through graduation rates, career placement, and student employer surveys. The College gains valuable information on student learning through end of semester course evaluations and senior surveys that are required of all students before graduation. The College is in the process of developing Institutional Outcomes and measures. The Director of Accreditation & Assessment, with the Institutional
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Effectiveness Committee, is developing an integrated model of Institutional Effectiveness including the aggregation of data across areas and the identification of Key Performance Indicators.
Projection As part of Outcomes 2015, the College is committed to SMART growth. The College has developed a New Program Plan outlining academic programs to contribute to SMART growth. This includes programs such as the Associate’s and Bachelor’s in Information Technology, currently under State review. The College is also focused on growing and developing its School of Continuing and Professional Education. This includes the move scheduled for the Middleborough campus (see Standard 8 for additional details), developing corporate training partnerships, and enhancing and broadening academic offerings.
The College is committed to providing students with a variety of course options. There is an initiative currently underway that is serving to increase the amount of unrestricted electives available to students in all programs. Students with the necessary prerequisites are able to choose from an increasing number of courses in areas of interest outside of their programs. Additionally, the College is concentrating on providing students with additional online course options to increase the flexibility and availability of courses.
To better serve the College’s growing adult population, the Evening and Online Division is spearheading the adoption of Credit for Prior Learning and Prior Learning Assessments. The internal process is in Curriculum Committee and should be approved in early 2013. The College will continue working with LearningCounts.org for Prior Learning Assessments until internal processes and procedures are fully implemented. The College will be following CAEL PLA best practices and will have a staff member earn the PLA Certification through CAEL beginning in January 2013. Additionally, the Director of the Online Division is working with IT and the Director of Accreditation & Assessment to develop additional measures to track online student progress and the implementation of online programs.
To continue its systematic assessment of student learning, and ensure consistency and integrity across all divisions and modalities, the Evening and Online Divisions are working with the Director of Accreditation & Assessment and Department Chairs to expand learning outcomes assessment across all programs offered in the evening and online. The Medical Assisting program is already collecting learning outcomes assessment and the Criminal Justice and Management programs have begun the process. Entertainment Management and Fashion will begin the process in spring 2013. The learning outcomes assessment procedures for the Evening and Online Divisions are taking the same approach as the Day
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Division, with Department Chairs working collaboratively with Evening and Online Divisions staff and adjunct faculty. Additionally, the Curriculum Committee will continue its regular review of the Academic Program Review process to ensure consistency across all areas.
The Associate Dean of Academic Affairs (AD) in collaboration with the Director of Accreditation & Assessment will continue to expand the assessment of general education learning outcomes. The AD is in the process of determining what other possible touch‐points exist for assessing public speaking skills in the General Education and program specific courses. MKT110, Principles of Marketing, appears to be a good candidate as students from three of these BS programs are required to take this course. Additionally, recent faculty in‐service and monthly meetings have focused on expanding assessment, particularly as related to core curriculum outcomes.
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Standard 4: The Academic Program (Summary - Enrollment and Degrees)
Fall Enrollment* by location and modality, as of Census Date
Clinical Professional Degree Level/ doctorates (e.g., doctorates (e.g., M.D., J.D., Total Degree- Associate's Bachelor's Master's Ph.D. Location & Modality Pharm.D., DPT, Ed.D., Psy.D., DDS Seeking FTE DNP) D.B.A.)
Main Campus FTE 491 340 831
Other Campus FTE 65 31 96
Branches FTE 0 Other Locations FTE 0 Overseas Locations FTE 0 On-Line FTE 15 24 39 Correspondence FTE 0 Low-Residency Programs FTE 0 Total FTE 571 395 0 0 0 0 0 966 Unduplicated Headcount Total 0 Degrees Awarded, Most Recent Year 0
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Standard 4: The Academic Program (Headcount by UNDERGRADUATE Major)
3 Years 2 Years 1 Year Current Next Year Prior Prior Prior Year* Forward (goal) (FY2009-10) (FY2010-11) (FY2011-12) (FY 2012-13) (FY2013-14) Certificate ?
Total - - - - -
Associate ? Business Administration 257 236 180 127 105 Criminal Justice 196 189 149 91 90 Early Childhood Education 41 36 29 26 27 Entertainment Management 116 102 88 53 53 Entertainment Management Audio Production 36 33 28 22 22 Fashion Design 57 51 45 38 35 Fashion Merchandising 83 99 93 78 80 Health Studies 95 79 97 107 110 Hospitality Management 22 35 34 18 20 Medical Assisting 140 137 123 96 110 Nursing 0 32 62 65 65 Physical Therapist Assistant 52 60 52 63 63 Retail Management 43 2 2 2 Total 1,099 1,092 982 786 782
Baccalaureate ? Management 95 109 115 122 130 Management Finance 01 8 19 20 Management Healthcare 0- - 11 20 Marketing 410 24 31 35 Criminal Justice 043 114 106 115 Criminal Justice Security 02 14 21 25 Entertainment Management 77 89 76 65 70 Entertainment Management Audio Production 14 22 28 33 35 Fashion Merchandising 61 78 100 99 100 Hospitality Management 713 25 30 30 Total 258 367 504 537 580
Total Undergraduate 1,357 1,459 1,486 1,323 1,362
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Standard 4: The Academic Program (Credit Hours Generated By Department or Comparable Academic Unit) ? ?
3 Years 2 Years 1 Year Current Next Year Prior Prior Prior Year* Forward (goal) 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 Undergraduate ? Business/Management 4422 5,078 5,633 4,266 4,400 Criminal Justice 2381 2,343 2,907 2,358 2,500 Early Childhood Education 410 353 359 276 276 Entertainment Management 2114 1,811 1,725 1,362 1,370 Fashion 2129 2,331 2,064 1,886 1,894 General Education 10800 11,409 10,695 7,368 7,380 Medical Assisting 3084 1,916 2,966 2,495 2,550 Nursing 0623 1,253 984 984 Physical Therapist Assistant 1095 1,213 1,161 993 993 Remedial 612 502 574 450 450
Total 27,047 27,579 29,337 22,438 22,797
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Standard Five—Faculty
Description Bay State College’s primary strength consists of a dedicated faculty focused principally on teaching and service to the College’s students. Full‐time faculty members serve on one or more standing committees (e.g., Curriculum Committee, Academic Standing and Integrity Committee, Faculty Senate, and Institutional Effectiveness Committee) or ad hoc committees (e.g., self‐study committees, strategic planning committees) during the academic year. Moreover, faculty members participate at two weekend Open House functions at which they introduce the various academic programs to prospective students and their families.
In a career and teaching focused institution such as Bay State College, the responsibilities for individual full‐time faculty members may vary, depending upon departmental or college needs. For all faculty members, these responsibilities include teaching, service, and scholarship to some degree. The College has a published rank and promotion policy (see Appendix J: Faculty Handbook) that provides explicit guides and standards with regard to such service areas as committee work as well as standards for scholarship and creative work. In the 2011‐2012 academic year, full‐time faculty members, taught seven course equivalents per academic year (program directors and department chairs had a reduced teaching load of four and five courses per academic year, respectively). In addition, full‐time faculty members teach one section of the First Year Experience course which takes place primarily over two days immediately preceding the start of each semester (See Standard 6 for additional details). Full‐time faculty members hold two weekly office hours per course taught and are also available to students by appointment.
Bay State College utilizes adjunct faculty members to teach courses in every program and at every level. Currently, 58% of courses in the Day Division are taught by adjunct faculty members (this number has been decreasing steadily since a high of 70% in the spring of 2011). The reasons for the College’s use of these professionals are common to two‐ and four‐year institutions across the United States. In addition to being cost effective in terms of salary and benefits, adjunct faculty members provide greater flexibility in staffing academic programs and bring the most current and innovative professional experience to the classroom. For example, the Physical Therapist Assistant program has benefited from the clinical expertise of adjunct faculty members, and the Criminal Justice program frequently staffs courses with instructors who have active law enforcement experience. It should be noted that the
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College has a different relationship with its adjunct faculty than do most of its peer institutions. Adjunct faculty members receive college email addresses, phone extensions with individualized voicemail, desk space, one paid sick day per semester, paid holidays, and paid snow days. Before the beginning of the term of appointment, each adjunct faculty member receives a letter of appointment outlining terms of agreement, including the stipend for each course to be taught.
The President and the Vice President of Academic Affairs determine when a full‐time faculty commitment can be supported through planning and budgetary considerations (see Faculty Hiring Plan below). The Vice President of Academic Affairs and the Department Chair determine when a faculty position needs to be filled. Available full‐time positions are first advertised internally, then in local newspapers, as well as on on‐line recruitment sites such as higheredjobs.com and chronicle.com. All qualified applicants (including Bay State College personnel) who wish to be considered for faculty positions must provide the following: Official transcripts of highest degree earned, a résumé of all previous teaching and relevant work experience, and three professional and/or teaching references. After review of the candidate’s credentials and an informal phone or in‐person interview, Department Chairs (often with faculty members) conduct formal interviews with selected candidates. When appropriate, applicants may also be asked to present a short demonstration of teaching. Candidates often then have a final interview with the Vice President of Academic Affairs. When an adjunct faculty position opens in any department, the Department Chair uses the same resources to advertise the position internally and externally and frequently contact academic departments at Boston‐area universities, seeking to post job openings on the universities’ internal bulletin boards and email servers. Departments also utilize additional professional contacts in order to ensure the incorporation of the most current industry expertise. Candidates then go through a typical interview and hiring process
Teaching and Advising Faculty at Bay State College utilizes a variety of instructional techniques and delivery systems appropriate to the College mission and program academic learning objectives. This includes the use of interactive whiteboards, computers, labs, patient care mannequins, the Learning Management System (LMS), and other equipment and technology. An emphasis is made in each program for faculty to utilize methodology and systems that reflect those used in the professions for which the students are being educated. In order to ensure experience in different methods of instruction and exposure to different viewpoints, students are taught by a variety of full‐time and adjunct faculty. Whenever possible,
STANDARD 5—FACULTY 57 BAY STATE COLLEGE multiple sections of the same course are offered to allow students the opportunity to benefit from individual faculty members’ experience and teaching style.
An initiative is underway in Academic Affairs to ensure that all faculty – full‐time and adjunct – receive professional development opportunities around teaching excellence. In addition to workshops and faculty development opportunities, the College is creating a new Center for Teaching and Learning, to assist faculty members develop critical classroom skills. Moreover, the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs oversees the regular training sessions in the use of all classroom technology. As of fall 2012, this has become a part of all new faculty orientation programs.
Five years ago the VP of Academic Affairs began the annual Assessment Forum, a conference of all program chairs and full‐time faculty at the College where each department makes a presentation on the assessment of at least two of its program’s learning objectives. Faculty detail how the objectives were assessed, what the benchmarks were, how students demonstrated the competencies implicit in the objectives, semester‐over‐semester and year‐over‐year data, and what steps the department is taking to improve student learning based on this data. Finally, faculty members from several departments at the College attend regular NEANN and NEASC assessment forums.
Bay State College considers student advising an integral component of its faculty’s teaching. The College utilizes an aggressive advising model that is largely developmental in its approach. The College’s advising model embodies the seven principles outlined by Ender, et al. (Ender, S., Winston, R., and Miller, T. “Academic Advising Reconsidered,” in, Winston & Associates, Developmental Academic Advising, San Francisco, Jossey‐Bass, 1984).
1. Academic advising is a continuous process with an accumulation of personal contacts between advisor and student – these contacts have both direction and purpose. The relationship between the academic advisor and the student begins during FYE/Orientation or, in many cases, during the registration process which precedes FYE/Orientation. From the outset, the student and the advisor understand the institution’s objectives in the advising process and their respective responsibilities. 2. Advising concerns itself with quality‐of‐life issues and the advisor has a responsibility to attend to the quality of the student's experience in college. In accordance with the institution’s mission, the academic advisor seeks to recognize each student’s uniqueness and strives to bring the
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student into direct contact with those college resources that can best serve the student’s academic and personal needs. For additional details, see Standard 6. 3. Advising is goal related. The goals should be established and owned by the student and should encompass academic, career, and personal development areas. In collaboration with the advisor, each student develops at the beginning of his/her academic program an action plan, identifying short‐ and long‐term goals, personal strengths, and any perceived obstacles affecting those goals. Throughout each semester, the advisor and student review the action plan in light of the student’s progress and revise it accordingly. 4. Advising requires the establishment of a caring human relationship – one in which the advisor must take primary responsibility for its initial development. The advisor seeks to establish a human connection with the advisee at FYE/Orientation and then works to build on that initial relationship throughout the student’s career. 5. Advisors should be models for students to emulate, specifically demonstrating behaviors that lead to self‐responsibility and self‐directedness. Advisors provide an example to students in every facet of their workday life including time management, comportment, and adherence to the College’s dress code. 6. Advising should seek to integrate the services and expertise of both academic and student affairs professionals. The departments of Academic Affairs and Student Affairs collaborate closely on the design and implementation of the College’s advising model. See Standard 6 for details. 7. Advisors should seek to utilize as many campus and community resources as possible. The close relationship between Academic Affairs and Student Affairs facilitates the advisor’s use of all campus and community resources including student services, placement services, CLAS and the Office of the Student Counseling Services. See Standard 6 for additional details.
Scholarship, Research, and Creative Activity While scholarly activities on the part of faculty are not as central to the College Mission as are teaching and service, research efforts are encouraged and supported by the College. Such endeavors include publication in peer‐reviewed journals, presentations at national and regional conferences, and service‐ learning projects in the US and abroad. This is also true for adjunct faculty members who have undertaken such projects as the writing and staging of plays, directing of a choral group, and discipline‐ specific or pedagogical research. Additionally, faculty members pursue endeavors that are more narrowly focused on benefiting the institution internally, such as the creation of new courses, presentation of in‐service programs, and the development of pedagogical methodologies tailored to the STANDARD 5—FACULTY 59 BAY STATE COLLEGE
College’s unique student population. Faculty also engage in collaborative scholarship, research, and creative activities with students through coursework, independent study, service learning, and co‐ curricular activities.
Institutional Effectiveness The Department of Academic Affairs at Bay State College regularly evaluates the effectiveness of its faculty in teaching, advising, service and scholarship. Annually, the College conducts the Institutional Effectiveness and Student Satisfaction Surveys, which ask student, staff, and faculty respondents to assess the quality of teaching and advising. In 2012, the College began using NSSE, which provides an indirect assessment of faculty teaching and advising. Program chairs, in addition to completing formal performance reviews for all full‐time faculty members, observe full‐time faculty members’ teaching on an annual basis. Moreover, as of this writing, an ad hoc committee consisting of program chairs, the Vice President of Academic Affairs, and the Director of Accreditation & Assessment – is undertaking a thorough overhaul of the faculty review process. All faculty members receive formal online course evaluations from students each semester, and all new faculty members receive mid‐semester online course evaluations from students. The results of these evaluations are used to inform teaching and improve the effectiveness of the faculty in teaching, advising, service, and scholarship.
Appraisal Through more effective strategic planning, enrollment growth, and full‐time faculty hiring, the College has made significant strides in accomplishing its strategic goals over the past five years. While numerous aspects of Outcomes 2015 have already witnessed progress, goal 3(b), “Invest in teaching quality,” is an area in which tangible success is perhaps clearest, with regard to both adjunct and full‐time faculty. To further enhance the quality and retention of adjunct faculty, the College instituted across‐the‐board pay increases for its adjunct faculty, representing a 17% increase in starting per‐course compensation. The College has also moved to integrate adjunct faculty more effectively into the mainstream of faculty governance and curriculum development, enhancing what was already an area of strength. The position of Adjunct Faculty Coordinator, created in fall 2007, provides a consistent voice to represent the views and concerns of contingent faculty. Additionally, new adjunct office space was created with the expansion at the 31 St. James building in 2010, and each department now holds monthly all‐faculty meetings where adjuncts can participate more actively in strategic planning and curriculum decisions. Furthermore, the Professional Development series instituted by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs is open to both full‐time and adjunct faculty, and substantial numbers of adjuncts take part. The Faculty
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Senate has also begun to appropriate Professional Development and Research grants to adjunct faculty members, on a limited basis. Lastly, the Human Resources Department recently implemented a new benefits program for adjunct faculty. These measures all point to continuing improvement in the academic and professional qualifications, professional development, job satisfaction, and retention of contingent faculty at the College, enhancing the quality of both student learning and the workforce climate at BSC.
Results from the four most recent Student Satisfaction Surveys (2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012) indicate that students rank the quality of instruction high among priorities when assessing the effectiveness of the College’s academic offerings. In fact, students ranked the quality of teaching/advising (by a margin of more than 2 to 1) as the most significant aspect of their college experience from a list of fifteen such aspects. Annual Student Satisfaction Surveys continue to indicate that Bays State College students find the availability of and access to faculty members to be two of the institution’s primary strengths. The chart below highlights recent results regarding “Class size relative to the type of course,” “Out‐of‐class availability of your instructors,” and “Quality of academic advising.” Student Satisfaction Survey Year Student Responses 13. Class size relative to the type of course 2011 91% (n=271) 2010 92% (n=280) 2009 81% (n=263) 15. Out‐of‐class availability of your instructors 2011 84% (n=271) 2010 77% (n=280) 2009 81% (n=263) 19. Quality of academic advising at BSC 2012 84% (n=311) 2011 85% (n=271) 2010 76% (n=280) 2009 77% (n=263)
The chart below provides an indication of longevity of all faculty tenure at Bay State College:
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44% 45% 36% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% 2 years or less 3 to 8 years 9 or more years
44% 45% 36% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% 2 years or less 3 to 8 years 9 or more years
The faculty hiring plan incorporates several factors in determining where new full‐time faculty members are needed. Factors that influence these decisions include: strategic priorities as described in the College’s strategic plan; existing faculty resources in each academic department as compared to student enrollment and faculty advising loads (all full‐time faculty members serve as Academic Advisors); and faculty credentials with an eye toward terminal degrees and needed professional expertise. In 2010‐11, the College hired full‐time faculty members in the General Education, Hospitality, Health Studies, Criminal Justice, and Physical Therapist Assistant programs. In the fall of 2012, the College employed 22 full‐time and 85 adjunct faculty members. The majority (92%) of all full‐time faculty members as of fall 2011 hold at least a Master’s degree in their respective disciplines (see Data First table); 33% have either a doctorate or a terminal professional degree (M.D.). Faculty members who do not hold a Master’s degree possess a professional degree (e.g., PTA, RN) and/or possess expertise that they bring to their teaching. For instance, the Fashion Design Program staffs its faculty with several teachers who own and operate their own design businesses. Adjunct faculty members possess similar academic qualifications STANDARD 5—FACULTY 62 BAY STATE COLLEGE as full‐time faculty members (86% possess at least a Master’s degree, and 19% hold a doctorate or terminal professional degree). Moreover, the adjunct faculty brings exceptionally strong professional qualifications. Curriculum vitae and transcripts of all college‐level work for all faculty members are kept in the office of the Human Resource Manager.
The vast majority of courses taught by adjunct faculty members are taught by instructors who have been at the institution for a number of years, having honed their teaching skills and integrated themselves into the fabric of life at the College. Seventy‐one of the 139 courses taught by adjunct faculty in fall 2011 (51%) were taught by instructors who have been at the College for at least five years, while another 36 (26%) were taught by adjuncts with at least three years of continuous experience. Thus, overall, contingent faculty members with at least three years at the College taught 77% of the courses not taught by full‐time faculty. The nature of the full‐time faculty at the College also has an impact on the role of adjuncts, in three important ways. First, since the College does not have a system of tenure, full‐time faculty members, like adjuncts, are considered non‐contractual employees, so the differences in job security that characterize most of academia are less important. Second, the full‐time faculty of the College brings considerable field‐specific industry experience, so the professional backgrounds of the full‐time and contingent faculty are similar. Third, the culture at the College promotes close cooperation between the two groups, especially insofar as 25% of the current full‐time faculty began their Bay State College careers as adjuncts. The average tenure of full‐time faculty is 7.47 years with a median of 7 years at Bay State College.
Department and Program Chairs evaluate the overall performance of full‐time and adjunct faculty members on an annual basis. These evaluations are based on an in‐class observation(s), on‐line student evaluations, and other pertinent information. Student evaluations are completed anonymously in every course at the end of every semester. First‐year faculty members also receive on‐line mid‐semester student evaluations in every course in order to help them adjust pedagogical methods quickly and when appropriate. The evaluative criteria used by Bay State College reflect the purpose and mission of the institution. Each faculty member is informed of the evaluation criteria used by Bay State College as stated in the Faculty Handbook. The Department/Program Chair observation and the student evaluations provide qualitative and quantitative information on effective instructor performance. They measure the faculty member’s strengths as well as possible areas for improvement. Furthermore, Program/Department chairs assess faculty members’ effectiveness in delivering course content at the appropriate level while creating a classroom environment that is conducive to learning. The numerical STANDARD 5—FACULTY 63 BAY STATE COLLEGE results of the student evaluations are averaged individually. Each instructor has the opportunity to discuss these factors and the results of the course evaluations with his or her Department Chair. After this discussion, instructor evaluations are placed in the faculty member’s personnel file.
The College considers its greatest strength to be the experience and professional expertise of its faculty and it therefore supports the professional development of all of its faculty members. Internally, the College, through academic departments such as English and the Center for Learning and Academic Success (CLAS), has offered workshops of specific relevance for faculty. Recent topics have included holistic scoring of written work and electronic library resource training. To support its faculty, the College provides a monthly faculty development forum dedicated to some aspect of teaching or advising. These forums are attended by all full‐time faculty members, and all part‐time faculty members are strongly encouraged to attend. Every August and January, the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs arranges and conducts a New Faculty Orientation Program, a two‐to‐three hour program that includes an introduction to the College’s culture and policies from the President, the Vice President of Academic Affairs, members of the Department of Academic Development, as well as classroom technology training. Additionally, the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs organizes faculty development workshops that take place three times a year, in August, January, and May. Recent workshop topics have included best practices for test construction, using writing to teach and assess critical thinking, diversity in the classroom, and service learning. Finally, the faculty at the College receives the unqualified support of the administration in all matters of academic freedom with regard to teaching and research. The policies concerning academic freedom, as well as the Code of Rights and Responsibilities for faculty members, are explicitly outlined in the Faculty Handbook and approved by the Board of Trustees.
Externally, the College supports faculty members’ participation in professional societies such as the American Library Association, the American Physiological Society, The Music and Entertainment Industry Educators Association, the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, and the National Council of Teachers of English. Each year, faculty members have the opportunity to attend and participate in conferences (e.g., the Teaching Professor Conference, The American Physical Therapist Association Conference, International Textile and Apparel Association) related to their professions. The College also provides any full‐time faculty member with tuition reimbursement for any course for which the faculty member has earned a grade of “C” or better, up to a maximum of $5250 a year. The full‐time faculty member must take courses in his/her field of expertise or be enrolled in a degree program. The Department/Program Chair and the Vice President of STANDARD 5—FACULTY 64 BAY STATE COLLEGE
Academic Affairs must approve any courses. In the fall of 2005, the College introduced a flextime policy for all of its full‐time faculty members. Under this policy, faculty members are granted release time in order to pursue individualized professional development plans or scholarship. Faculty members have used this time to design new courses or design new strategies for learning outcomes assessment.
Teaching and Advising All academic advisors at Bay State receive training in the College’s advising model through two paths. First, all program chairs mentor new advisors within their departments in the College’s set of best practices. Second, all advisors attend faculty development programs on advising arranged by the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs. The most recent faculty development program on this topic was held in January 2013, when the Associate Dean introduced the new Academic Advising Manual, an online searchable document that allows advisors to find relevant information and policies with which to help advisees.
The College seeks to measure the effectiveness of the advising process through a number of ways. Two primary means include the following: The first of these is the Student Satisfaction Survey, administered each year online to students. The second method of assessment is the Institutional Effectiveness Survey, administered to all college employees each year. Other indicators of the success of the academic advising model include the College’s retention and graduation rates, as well as the Senior Survey, completed by all graduating students.
The College is staunchly committed to providing its students with excellent academic advising. Advisors work to get to know their students and their concerns. The student response to the College’s advising model has been overwhelmingly positive. When asked on the College’s Student Satisfaction Survey in each of the last four years about the “Quality of Academic Advising at BSC,” 80%, 78%, 76%, and 83% of students, rated it as “Good” or “Excellent.” On the Institutional Effectiveness Survey, 86% of faculty and staff agreed “The academic advising process effectively assists students in making appropriate decisions for graduation and transfer” (See following table).
Percent 2011‐2012 Institutional Effectiveness Survey n agree The academic advising process effectively assists students in making 56 82% appropriate decisions for graduation and transfer
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Percent 2011‐2012 Institutional Effectiveness Survey n agree The College provides sufficient orientation to new faculty members, enabling them quickly to assimilate and become productive members of the Academic 53 78% Affairs Department I have the opportunity to participate in professional development opportunities to enhance my job performance (e.g., flex‐time, tuition 51 75% reimbursement) Adjunct faculty members receive sufficient mentoring and support services 48 70% to enable them to provide high quality classroom instruction
According to the College’s annual Student Satisfaction Surveys, the advisor‐advisee relationship represents a compelling strength of the College’s efforts to enhance students’ personal, professional, and academic success. The main challenge facing this advising model is one of human resources. In order to meet this challenge, the College has utilized and compensated adjunct faculty members on an as‐needed basis to take on advising duties which further allows adjunct faculty to become integrated into the College.
In the staffing of its adjunct faculty positions, the College has been able to exploit a job market in Boston in which the number of applicants far exceeds the number of places available. This has allowed the College to employ a highly qualified and competent adjunct faculty. To address concerns regarding the professional development of adjunct faculty, the College has provided in‐house training on an as‐ needed basis on such important day‐to‐day functions as CampusVue (the College’s student enterprise software), advising, and the College’s Learning Management System. Faculty members new to teaching online classes are also required to complete the seventeen day online workshop “Getting Started: The First Steps in Online Teaching” provided by the Sloan Consortium. Additionally faculty can request to attend other professional development workshops from the Sloan Consortium in a variety of areas covering pedagogy and the use of technology in teaching. Adjunct faculty members are also encouraged to attend all faculty meetings, all staff‐faculty meetings, faculty senate meetings, and College events.
Furthermore, reliance on adjunct faculty may impact both the quantity and quality of student‐faculty interaction. Adjunct faculty members, who often have to cobble together teaching positions at as many as four or five different institutions, are less frequently available to students seeking help. All adjunct faculty members at the College are required to hold at least one office hour per week per course taught. Anecdotal evidence suggests that students are sometimes not available to meet during limited adjunct
STANDARD 5—FACULTY 66 BAY STATE COLLEGE office hours and, moreover, frequently have trouble understanding the more limited roles that adjunct faculty members play. However, the College monitors these potential challenges through by data described earlier where over the past three years an average of 79% of students reported that the “Out‐ of‐class availability” of instructors was good to excellent. More quantifiable evidence with regard to student perceptions would more effectively assist the College in understanding and addressing these issues. Finally, the College has worked to ensure that adjunct faculty members have adequate support to complete the administrative work that pertains to their job performance and that is necessary to the smooth running of the institution. To achieve this, the College has employed work‐study students in every department to handle all non‐confidential administrative work.
With regard to faculty makeup, the College has made some progress in ensuring that it staffs a more racially and ethnically diverse faculty. While the College has only two full‐time faculty members of color (8.3%), 17% of its adjunct faculty members come from traditionally under‐represented populations. Finally, 67% of full‐time faculty members in 2011 were women, as were over 50% of adjunct faculty members. The limited ethnic and racial diversity of full‐time faculty members at the College does not reflect the diversity of the student population the College serves, nor does it reflect the diversity of the greater Boston area from which it attracts so much of its student body. Outcomes 2015 includes a commitment to increase the diversity of full‐time faculty members. The second strategy of the Outcomes 2015 calls for the College to develop the core elements needed to attract and keep the most talented employees.
On the Institutional Effectiveness Survey, in response to “I have the opportunity to participate in professional development opportunities to enhance my job performance (e.g., flex‐time, tuition reimbursement),” 75% of respondents agreed. Moreover and related, 85% of respondents somewhat or strongly agreed with the statement “The College provides professional development to ensure my effective use of technology.”
Scholarship, Research, and Creative Activity The College has instituted two separate funds, the Professional Development Fund and the Scholarship Fund, to enable faculty members to conduct research, present at and attend conferences, and pursue educational opportunities in their fields. Additionally, the Faculty Senate has established the Scholarly Activities Committee, which consists of five full‐time faculty members, to promote research and facilitate scholarly production. In May, 2012, the Committee held the College’s first annual Day of
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Scholarship, which showcased faculty research projects through multimedia presentations and provided guidance for those faculty members who are beginning new scholarly endeavors. The Scholarly Activities Appendix (Appendix K) highlights some of the recent scholarly activities faculty members have undertaken in the last year. The Scholarly Activities Committee also serves as the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for the College, reviewing all research proposals that involve human subjects. The IRB also works with faculty members to enable them not only to design informed consent documentation, protocols, and research designs that not only safeguard participants, but also to carry out research that contributes more effectively to pedagogical and discipline‐specific scholarly discourse. The guidelines of the IRB are attached in the Institutional Review Board Guidelines Appendix (Appendix L).
Projection The College continues to make strides in fielding the best‐possible full‐time faculty. Over the past three years, Bay State has hired six doctorally qualified full‐time faculty members, and one additional faculty member has earned his doctorate. The College has tasked the VPAA of with accomplishing the furtherance of these goals within the Outcomes 2015 timeframe. The College is committed, in Outcomes 2015, to hiring doctorally qualified faculty across all disciplines, with an emphasis on attracting women and faculty of color, and to supporting the current faculty in furthering graduate study; two members of the full‐time faculty are currently enrolled in terminal degree programs. Moreover, the College has begun to place a greater emphasis on faculty scholarly output and professional development, through increased institutional funding, the establishment of the Scholarly Activities Committee of the Faculty Senate, and stronger priority to scholarship in annual performance reviews. These factors will enable full‐time faculty at the College to continue to improve in academic qualification, job satisfaction, retention, and diversity.
The College has assigned the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs to the creation and maintenance of important on‐ground and virtual resources to assist all faculty from all divisions at the College in furthering the institution’s excellence in teaching and advising. These include a Center for Teaching Excellence, a new, on‐ground and virtual resource for faculty members, increased access to the LMS for teaching and community building, and a Bay State College Advisor’s Resource Center, an online resource. These faculty supports will support the College’s growing faculty in achieving the Outcomes 2015 goal of strengthening the student experience. The College has established policies and strategic priorities designed to increase both the quality of the overall student experience and student learning outcomes through judicious yet substantial investment in its faculty at all levels and across all of its STANDARD 5—FACULTY 68 BAY STATE COLLEGE programs. These goals, the responsibility of the VPAA, are embedded in the College’s strategic plan and timeframe and reflected in its actions over the past five years.
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Standard 5: Faculty (Rank, Gender, and Salary, Fall Term) ?
3 Years 2 Years 1 Year Current Year* Next Year Prior Prior Prior Forward (goal) (FY 2010) (FY 2011) (FY 2012) (FY 2013) (FY 2014) ? FT PT FT PT FT PT FT PT FT PT Number of Faculty ? Professor Male 0 0 ------Female 0 0 ------Associate Male 3 0 4 - 4 - 4 - 4 - Female 6 0 4 - 4 - 3 - 3 - Assistant Male 0 0 1 - 2 - 3 - 3 - Female 9 0 12 - 13 - 12 - 12 - Instructor Male 0 41 - 37 - 44 - 35 - 40 Female 0 43 - 43 - 48 - 36 - 40 Other Male Female Total Male 3 41 5 37 6 44 7 35 7 40 Female 15 43 16 43 17 48 15 36 15 40
Total Faculty Professor ------Associate 9 - 8 - 8 - 7 - 7 - Assistant 9 - 13 - 15 - 15 - 15 - Instructor - 84 - 80 - 92 - 71 - 80 Other ------Total 18 84 21 80 23 92 22 71 22 80
Salary for Academic Year FT PT FT PT FT PT FT PT FT PT Professor Minimum Mean Associate Minimum 52,890 54,477 56,111 57,795 59,529 Mean 68,542 73,150 78,511 78,290 80,639 Assistant Minimum 46,350 46,400 49,172 50,648 52,167 Mean 48,891 54,564 54,090 58,138 59,882 Instructor Minimum 1,800 2,000 40,000 2,000 41,200 2,000 42,436 2,100 Mean 2,300 2,500 40,000 2,700 41,200 2,800 42,436 2,900 Other Minimum Mean
*"Current Year" refers to the year in which the team visit occurs, or, if these forms are being completed in conjunction with an interim or progress report, the year in which the report is submitted to the Commission.
PT salaries are per 3 credit hour course
PT minimum salaries reflect evening division 8 week terms
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Standard 5: Faculty (Highest Degrees and Teaching Assignments, Fall Term)
3 Years2 Years 1 Year Current Year* Next Year Prior Prior Prior Forward (goal) (FY 2010) (FY 2011) (FY 2012) (FY 2013) (FY 2014) ? FT PT FT PT FT PT FT PT FT PT Highest Degree Earned: Doctorate Professor Associate 5 5 5 4 4 Assistant 1 2 3 3 3 Instructor 12 9 10 8 10 Other Total 6 12 7 9 8 10 7 8 7 10 Highest Degree Earned: Master's Professor Associate 4 4 3 3 3 Assistant 7 9 10 11 11 Instructor 63 61 69 53 60 Other Total 11 63 13 61 13 69 14 53 14 60
Highest Degree Earned: Bachelor's Professor Associate Assistant Instructor 4 5 8 7 7 Other Total - 4 - 5 - 8 - 7 - 7
Highest Degree Earned: Professional License Professor Associate Assistant 1 1 2 1 1 Instructor 2 5 4 3 3 Other Total 1 2 1 5 2 4 1 3 1 3 ? Fall Teaching Load, in credit hours Professor Maximum Median Associate Maximum 13 16 25 31 25 Median 7 7 9 10 9 Assistant Maximum 13 13 22 23 22 Median 10 10 10 10 10 Instructor Maximum 22 21 24 24 24 Median 6 8 6 6 6 Other Maximum Median
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Standard 5: Faculty (Appointments, Tenure, Departures, and Retirements, Full Academic Year)
3 Years2 Years 1 Year Current Year* Next Year Prior Prior Prior Forward (goal) (FY 2010) (FY 2011) (FY 2012) (FY 2013) (FY 2014) FT PT FT PT FT PT FT PT FT PT # of Faculty Appointed ? Professor Associate 1 1 1 Assistant 1 4 2 3 1 Instructor 65 35 41 12 21 Other Total 2 65 5 35 2 41 3 12 2 21 ? # of Faculty in Tenured Positions Professor 0 0 ------Associate 0 0 ------Assistant 0 0 ------Instructor 0 0 ------Other - - - Total ------
# of Faculty Departing ? Professor Associate 1 1 1 1 Assistant 2 2 3 2 Instructor 50 41 20 30 30 Other Total 1 50 2 41 3 20 4 30 3 30
# of Faculty Retiring ? Professor Associate Assistant Instructor Other Total ------
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Standard 5: Faculty (Number of Faculty by Department or Comparable Unit, Fall Term)
3 Years2 Years 1 Year Current Year* Next Year Prior Prior Prior Forward (goal) (FY 2010) (FY 2011) (FY 2012) (FY 2013) (FY 2014) FT PT FT PT FT PT FT PT FT PT Number of Faculty by Department (or comparable academic unit) ? General Education 5 27 5 24 6 22 5 17 5 20 Bus/Mgmt/Hosp 2 22 3 18 3 28 3 25 3 26 Health Stud/Med Assisting 1 11 1 11 1 9 2 5 2 7 Entertainment Management 3 6 3 8 3 8 3 8 3 8 Criminal Justice 1 6 1 6 2 10 2 7 2 8 Fashion Merch/Design 3 4 3 6 3 6 3 5 3 6 Physical Therapist Assistant 2 5 2 5 2 4 2 2 2 2 Early Childhood Education 1 3 1 1 1 2 1 - 1 1 Nursing - - 2 1 2 3 2 2 2 2 Total 18 84 21 80 23 92 23 71 23 80
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Standard Six—Students
Description Consistent with its mission, Bay State College defines the characteristics of the students it seeks to serve and provides and environment that fosters the intellectual and personal development of its students. The student services provided in each division at Bay State College cater to the needs and characteristics of each student population.
Student Population Overview Day Division As of the end of the fall 2012 semester, there were 756 active day students enrolled in the College. These students are 70% female and 30% male and predominately in the 18 – 24 year‐old age bracket at 77%, with 20% aged 25 to 34 and 3% 35 to 50 years of age. 64% of students are enrolled in an associate degree program, with 36% in a bachelors program. 19 different states and multiple countries are represented, but the majority of students are from Massachusetts at 81%. Bay State College is a primarily commuter‐based institution, with only 19% of students residing on campus. The College includes a diverse population, with 20% of students identifying as Black or African‐American, 11% as Hispanic, and 7% as two or more races. 69% of day students are enrolled full‐time, with a total of 84% enrolled on at least a ¾‐time status.
Evening Division At the end of fall term 2 2012, 211 active Boston evening students were enrolled in the College. These students are 68% female and 32% male, all are adult learners, 86% of the students aged 25 to 34 and 14% are 35 to 56 years old. 23% of students have some previous college experience and 77% are first time students. 51% of students are enrolled in bachelor degrees and 49% associate degrees.
In Middleborough, 120 active evening students were enrolled in the College fall 2012. These students are 89% female and 11% male, 36% are 17 to 24, 35% are 25 to 34, and 29% are 35 to 54 years old. 16% of students have some previous college experience and 84% are first time students. 31% of the students are enrolled in bachelor degrees and 69% associate degrees.
Online Division As of fall 2012, there were 56 active online students enrolled in the College. The students come to the College from seven different states with 82% of the students residing in Massachusetts. The online students are 74% female and 26% male, and most are adult learners with 71% over the age of 25. Nearly
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28% of the students enrolled transferred in credits from another college, and many of the remaining students have credits from Bay State College and are returning after previously attending.
Admissions In accordance with its mission of providing students with a quality education that will enable them to enter their chosen fields or further their education, Bay State College recruits and admits students who demonstrate the interest and the capability to fulfill these goals. To this end, there has been a shift in the type of student recruited and admitted to Bay State College towards more non‐traditional students. In order to ensure a diverse student population, the Admissions representatives at Bay State College who work on the “outside team” visit a variety of high schools and college fairs across the Northeast. They encourage a broad representation of students to visit the campus and begin the admissions process. In support of the stated goals in Outcomes 2015, the Vice President of Enrollment and Marketing along with Admissions have targeted increasing enrollment from specific populations including International and Veteran students. These students work with specific Admission Representatives trained on alternative acceptance and enrollment criteria that meet the needs of these students. These sets of students also have additional orientations during First Year Experience (FYE).
The College is committed to transparency and ethics in all its dealings with students. In compliance with the Department of Education’s Student Right to Know Act, Bay State College offers a website directory featuring links to important performance results, policies, and resources where students, staff and faculty can find the answers to important questions. Also on the College website is the “Pledge of Public Accountability,” which provides relevant information to all prospective students and their parents, including employment data, accreditation and approvals, faculty credentials, Financial Aid, and for‐profit status. Requirements for Admissions, including International students and Veteran students and GI Bill accountability, are listed online under the Admissions tab on the College website. As further described in Standard 11, the College in its commitment to transparency and integrity has instituted measures such as admissions standards that are on par or even more stringent than its competitors, a separate Codes of Ethics for the Admissions and Financial Aid staffs, and training on obstacles for success for Admissions staff. To further insure integrity and compliance, the College also employs mystery shoppers, proactively reaches out to high borrowing students while they are still attending the College, and commits to a policy so students are not charged any tuition until after one week of classes allowing students time to be comfortable with the student experience before incurring any liability.
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All prospective students complete an online aptitude assessment, Wonderlic Cognitive Ability test, (Wonderlic) in order to complete their application. A student’s score on the Wonderlic affects Admissions’ acceptance decision (See Appendix M: Admissions Standards for data regarding cut off development). The decision to include this test as part of the admissions criteria came after over a year of research. This research showed that students who received a 2.5 GPA or higher in their first semester at the College, received a 12 or higher on the Wonderlic assessment. Ensuring students will be successful at Bay State College begins with placing students in courses appropriate to their skill levels. The Accuplacer Assessment tests in English and Math are administered to all students regardless of division. Admissions representatives also counsel potential students out of the admissions process if it is determined through the interview that the prospective student will not be academically successful at Bay State, is not a good fit for the programs offered or if the student lacks emotional and/or financial support. Through a series of standardized questions (See Appendix N: Interview Questions), Admissions works to identify students who are academically and emotionally prepared for college‐level work.
Retention and Graduation President Pfannenstiehl has reiterated retention as a top priority for the College as it relates to improving graduation rates and has defined retention goals as a part of Outcomes 2015. The overall retention goal is to reduce day attrition by 25% by 2015, with annual retention goals as follows: 2012‐ 64%, 2013‐65%, 2014‐66%, 2015‐71%. The College also has defined graduation goals as a part of Outcomes 2015. Specifically, the overall goal is to be at 100% of the national average for bachelor’s programs and 150% of the national average for associate’s programs by 2015. The strategy is to focus on retention as a means to improve graduation rates.
Prior to the start of the school year, Admissions staff meets with the Academic Program Chairs and Student Services staff to review “red flags.” During this process, any students identified during the Admissions process as having obstacles that may impede academic success are discussed and a handoff of these students from Admissions to the Academic and Student Services staff is made. This process allows for a systematic and aggressive approach to intervening early and often with these students to ensure they receive the accessible and effective programs and services designed to provide opportunities to be successful in achieving their academic goals.
The process of supporting student retention and graduation continues during First Year Experience (FYE), the 3 day long Day Division orientation. The Counselor and the student success coordinators have tables set up during FYE. Students are also allowed to self‐identify as nontraditional students to attend STANDARD 6—STUDENTS 76 BAY STATE COLLEGE designated sessions for those cohorts, including veterans, transfer students, adult learners, and international students. During the second academic sessions of FYE, the Counselor and Student Success Coordinators go to each session to re‐introduce themselves to all of the students and remind them of available services. The Director of Academic Development has a table at the FYE activities fair highlighting the resources and services available through the Center for Learning and Academic Success (CLAS), such as one‐on‐one faculty and peer tutoring, group tutoring and study‐sessions, and workshops.
Evening Division students have a live orientation prior to their first semester. During the orientation, students meet with the Director of Evening Division and Online Programs, the Evening Division Coordinator, Campus Coordinator and Associate Campus Coordinator for Middleborough Campus, the Student Success Coordinator, the Online Student Coordinator, the Director of Online Programs, and faculty representatives from their program of study, as applicable. Students are brought to a computer lab where they are given a live tutorial on using the College email system, student portal, LMS, and other electronic tools. Policies and procedures of the division are outlined. Additionally, the students are assisted in registering for their first terms’ courses during the orientation.
Online Division students complete a required Online Student Orientation course (OSO101) prior to beginning their online education. Students receive instruction in three areas: navigating the LMS, skills for success as an online student, and an introduction to all available student services for online students. Skills for success covered in the orientation include: self‐assessment of suitability for online study, faculty and student expectations, time management, information literacy and research, academic honesty and plagiarism prevention. By requiring this orientation, fully online students gain the skills necessary for navigating the LMS with comfort and familiarity and understand how to utilize the various student support services, such as library services, at the start of their program.
The Early Alert System was developed several years ago and refined during fall 2011 and re‐ implemented for spring 2012 to increase the efficiency and effectiveness in identifying at‐risk students. Faculty and staff are asked to use this online referral system to identify a student that may need any type of additional support, including academic. The referral is sent to the appropriate member of the Student Success and Wellness team, who then works with the student to connect him or her with the appropriate resources. This system is described in greater detail in the Student Services section.
Measures of student success and progress, including registration reports as a measure of persistence, placement reports, and retention and graduation rates are reviewed regularly by the Executive STANDARD 6—STUDENTS 77 BAY STATE COLLEGE
Committee as well as the Management Team. These measures of student success are broken down by appropriate groups, such as academic program and division.
Student Services The Financial Aid Department consists of four Counselors and a Director of Compliance and Student Financial Services. The Director oversees the Financial Aid process and ensures that methods used are efficient and compliant. Counselors proactively reach out to students to verify their Financial Aid package is completed in a timely manner and meet one‐on‐one with students to ensure their entire Financial Aid experience is positive and efficient. When counseling students and parents, Counselors explain the benefits of lower interest rate loans, no‐interest payment plans, and grants/gift aid. If a large credit exists on a student’s account due to loans, students are counseled on borrowing less and the consequences of high debt. During their earliest inquiries, prospective students and parents receive an estimate of the cost from an Admissions Representative and meet with a Financial Aid Counselor to receive an overview of Financial Aid available and financing options. A Net Price Calculator, available to the public, provides an estimate of the true cost of attendance of Bay State College and can be found at http://www.baystate.edu/financial‐aid/tuition‐‐fees/net‐price‐calculator/. Scholarships, awards, grants, loans, and other forms of aid are detailed on the College’s website at http://www.baystate.edu/financial‐aid/scholarships‐‐grants/. Financial Aid policies are detailed in the Student Handbook and on the College’s website at http://www.baystate.edu/gateways/current‐ students/. Bay State College promotes financial literacy and transparent practices. A requirement of graduation is to attend the Graduate Year Experience during which extensive one‐on‐one exit loan counseling is provided utilizing actual aggregate debt for each student. Once a student separates from the College, they are provided with continued personalized support and debt counseling through our own Default Prevention Coordinator and through Champion College Solutions, a third party default preventions servicer.
The mission of the Office of Student Affairs, in support of Bay State College’s mission, is to ensure that students of all ages and backgrounds are engaged in the process of growth and change. The Office of Student Affairs supports student involvement in order to encourage a campus environment that will be formative and instrumental in achieving academic success and personal fulfillment. The objectives of the Student Affairs team are to offer support services, facilitate student success, foster a campus community, and develop ethically‐ and socially‐aware citizens. A member of the Student Affairs professional staff is on‐call 24‐hours‐a‐day, 7‐days‐a‐week to respond to any medical emergency on
STANDARD 6—STUDENTS 78 BAY STATE COLLEGE campus. This number is posted in a variety of locations, including the Resident Student Handbook, the Student Handbook and the Office of Student Affairs voicemail message. It is also distributed to incoming students each year at First Year Experience/Orientation, as well as to new staff and faculty members at their orientation sessions. It is reviewed annually at the college‐wide all‐faculty and staff meeting as a part of Crisis Response Training. Due to its size and location, Bay State College does not have an on‐ campus health center. However, students are provided access to several major hospitals in the downtown area, as well as local doctors’ offices and clinics. The names, locations, and phone numbers of hospitals, offices, and clinics are listed in the Resident Student Handbook and the Student Handbook, as well as the College website. Students, particularly residents, can also find important information about health insurance and medical care on the website.
The Office of Career Services sponsors several events each year that are geared toward students’ career development and eventual career placement post‐graduation. Examples include, annual Career Fair, How to Start Your Own Business, annual Volunteer Fair, and various program‐specific panels and speakers. The Office of Career Services also provides career advising and placement services to Day, Evening, and Online students. All new students receive basic information about the Career Services department during the application and admissions process. Online students are introduced to Career Services in the Online Student Orientation course (OSO101). Evening students are introduced to Career Services through the Evening Orientation and are also given the opportunity to meet with Career Services representatives in person at specified times during each semester at both Boston and Middleborough campuses. Career Advisors assist students in finding part‐time and full‐time jobs, internships, and volunteer opportunities while enrolled, as well as job placement after graduation and lifetime support post‐graduation. The Office also provides individual career counseling and a variety of workshops, including résumé writing skills, interviewing techniques, communication skills, and job search strategies. Career Advisors also assist in the instruction of the mandatory seminar class that students take prior to beginning an internship. Online, Evening, and Day students can work with their designated Career Services advisor in person, via email, by telephone, or other electronic means of communication. Career Services also has specified Facebook sites for each campus. Each student, prior to graduation, is required to complete the Senior Survey which serves as an exit interview for Career Services and helps identify career search needs upon graduation.
In matters of student confidentiality, Bay State College adheres to the regulations established by The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) for the maintenance, storage, disclosure, and disposal STANDARD 6—STUDENTS 79 BAY STATE COLLEGE of student records. Full‐time staff members are trained annually on FERPA guidelines as are all new hires during orientation. Each office that maintains records has developed policies regarding what information is included in the records, who is responsible for maintaining the records, and how and what in the records can be disclosed within FERPA guidelines. The College’s Financial Aid Office maintains current records for Title IV recipients, including all Financial Aid that each student receives at the College. The Office of Student Affairs maintains confidential records of disciplinary and counseling or personal concerns that are stored in this department separate from the student’s academic record. Additionally, the Dean of Student Affairs is the primary Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) officer for the institution and maintains all files according to stated guidelines. Access rights through CampusVue are also given to staff members based on the information needed to do their jobs, while balancing student privacy rights. The College has a Statement of Nondiscrimination that is published in the Student Handbook and on the College’s website, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, religion, national or ethnic origin, veteran status, or non‐disqualifying ability.
Day Division The position of Student Success Coordinator was developed to provide a key point person to assist students in their academic success and first filled in the 2008‐2009 academic year. This position was expanded to 2 full‐time, 12 month positions the following year. These positions have responsibilities for Outreach, Student Development, Disability Support Services, Reporting & Assessment, and Programming. The Outreach component includes focusing on students who may be at‐risk for problems with retention and graduation, collaboration with and education of faculty and staff regarding supporting at‐risk students, and maintaining and developing relationships with outside entities and organizations in order to provide additional resources for students. Student Development involves proactively serving as the front‐line resource for students in solving academic, social, financial and other concerns. An action plan is developed to identify and track key goals and objectives towards resolving identified issues. Disability Support Services involves coordinating accommodations for students and advocating for students with disabilities as well as training and education around these issues. Reporting & Assessment involves tracking students, reporting on students, monitoring trends on campus and nationally in order to identify developments and what resources are necessary to support student success. Programming is working collaboratively to provide events to further supplement the resources and services provided, such as participating in FYE and other campus‐wide events and developing own programming efforts for student groups such as family programming and advising the Ladies’ Group. STANDARD 6—STUDENTS 80 BAY STATE COLLEGE
In fall 2008, the Counselor position was elevated from a part‐time position to a full‐time, nine‐month position. This has enabled the Counselor to support more students overall and to focus more attention on retention efforts. The Counselor’s responsibilities fall under five broad categories: Student Development, Crisis Management, Outreach, Disability Support Services, and Assessment. While there are some similarities between the stated goals and responsibilities of the Counselor and the Student Success Coordinators, the approaches are very different. The Student Development component is the primary area of focus for the Counselor and involves a combination of in‐house short‐term counseling and connecting students with other resources and services on‐ and off‐campus. Crisis Management is another key role and refers to the Counselor’s position as a member of the College’s Behavioral Assessment Team, a multidisciplinary group that assesses any student that exhibits signs of distress and develops a plan to alleviate any potential threat or harm to the individual or the campus community. The Outreach, Disability Support Services, and Assessment responsibilities for the Counselor are similar to those of the Student Success Coordinators and often they work together to accomplish these efforts.
Academic support services are offered through the Center for Learning and Academic Success (CLAS). These services include one‐on‐one faculty and peer tutoring, group tutoring and study‐sessions, and various workshops. These services are available free‐of‐charge to all students and are easily accessible as a part of The Learning Commons, which also includes the Library. CLAS is housed within the division of Academic Affairs and is led by a full‐time Director of Academic Development, who is also a faculty member. The Director of Academic Development works closely with the Student Success Coordinators and the Counselor to refer at‐risk students to academic and other student support and to provide academic accommodations. The Director of Academic Development also teaches the Academic Achievement Course (AAC), which students are directed to take if they haven’t made satisfactory academic progress per the College’s published policy and/or if they are suspended and readmitted through appeal. As part of the AAC students define academic and life goals, and create an action plan, identify sources of internal motivation, evaluate the benefit of accessing support services, identify academic strengths and weaknesses, determine personal control over academic success, find solutions to potential obstacles, and develop various study skills strategies to master course material.
The Office of Student Affairs has revisited its programming model to ensure that opportunities for engagement exist for all students, including those with families, adult learners, international students, and veterans (See Appendix D: Outcomes 2015). Educational, social, and wellness programming takes place within the residence halls and campus‐wide. All programming initiatives seek to foster the STANDARD 6—STUDENTS 81 BAY STATE COLLEGE educational, psychological, social, spiritual, and physical development of students. Events are sponsored by the Office of Student Affairs, and by student organizations such as the Campus Activities Board and the Student Government Association. Examples of recent programs include: Multicultural Fair, Storytime Family Program, Take Back the Night, Enough is Enough Campaign, Hip Hop Shows, Comedy Night, Alcohol Awareness Week, Honors & Leadership Reception, Halloween Dance, and Health and Wellness Fair.
Community Service is a large part of the institution’s mission; therefore, the Office of Student Affairs strives to provide as many service opportunities as possible. A Graduate Assistant for Community Service works with the student organization, the Community O’s, to facilitate programs throughout the academic year. Each year, the organization chooses a cause toward which most efforts are focused. In addition to several smaller service projects, the Office of Student Affairs also sponsors an annual Day of Service for students, faculty, and staff. For the last 3 years, Bay State College has sponsored a Habitat for Humanity Trip for ten students and two staff members over the spring break.
A variety of programs, activities, and organizations are co‐sponsored through the Office of Academic Affairs and the Office of Student Affairs. Events are often specific to a particular academic discipline, which provide an opportunity for enhanced faculty and student interaction with a concrete application of techniques and skills learned in the classroom. For example, each year the Fashion Department sponsors a Fashion Show, in which students showcase their work and have the opportunity to produce the show. The Entertainment Management Department manages The Spot, an on‐campus venue for musical and entertainment acts. Students are responsible for the entire management of the venue. Students also sponsor Entertainment Management Week. The Allied Health programs offer an annual Health Fair that is coordinated by students. Several discipline‐specific student organizations exist in which Faculty members serve as the advisor, including Collegiate DECA, Justice Society, MEISA, AES, Early Childhood Education Club, Fashion Council, Physical Therapist Assistant Club, and Nursing Society.
There are 19 registered student organizations which encourage student involvement and engagement on campus. Student clubs and organizations receive funding through a pool of money financed by the Student Activities Fee, a $50 annual fee paid by all Day Division students. There is a registration process for all clubs and organizations to be officially recognized and eligible to receive funding. Students may also choose to be engaged through a variety of other leadership positions, including Resident Assistants, Summer Conference Assistants, Peer Tutors, and Work‐Study Placements. While Bay State College does
STANDARD 6—STUDENTS 82 BAY STATE COLLEGE not offer a formal athletic program on‐campus for its students, there are two club/recreational teams, a co‐ed soccer team and a co‐ed basketball team. The College partners with Suffolk University and Syracuse University to provide a Study Abroad program to its students. Students work with the Student Services Coordinator to customize their experiences based on academic, career, and travel interests.
Bay State College’s Student Government Association (SGA) is comprised of an Executive Board, including a representative for the Evening and Online Divisions, and Senators that represent each recognized club or organization. Its primary purpose is to represent, promote, and further the interests of the student body among the students, faculty, staff, administration, and trustees. SGA also oversees the allocation of all funds collected through the Student Activities Fee. The SGA president meets with the College President at least once per semester as well as with the Board of Trustees at least annually. Given the engaged nature of the college, there is plenty of opportunity for ad hoc communication.
The College’s Peer Mentor program has been in place since 2009 and was recently restructured to better suit the needs of a more diverse student body. Students self‐select into a cohort based on their particular needs, such as academic support, emotional support, getting connected, veteran students, and students with children. Mentors are assigned a cohort based on their own experiences and combine one‐on‐one sessions with group activities to provide the highest level of support possible.
The Office of Student Affairs requires all full‐time employees possess a Master’s degree in College Student Development, Higher Education Administration, Counseling, Social Work, or another related field. The Office also hires three Graduate Assistants (in the same classification of Master’s degree program) to work in a part‐time capacity for the Departments of Residence Life and Student Activities. Bay State College has several institutional or individual memberships with professional organizations, including: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, Northeast Association of College and University Housing Officers, Association of Student Conduct Administrators, Association of International Educators, American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, National Association of Campus Activities, and Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities. Staff members take advantage of professional development opportunities, such as conferences, webinars, journal articles and research studies. Funding is allocated annually through the budget process, with special consideration given to strategic initiatives the College is pursuing. Student leaders such as Resident Assistants and Peer Mentors participate in an intensive, multi‐day training session prior to the start of
STANDARD 6—STUDENTS 83 BAY STATE COLLEGE the academic year. They are educated in areas such as crisis response, referrals, conflict resolution, and programming. This training continues in the form of monthly meetings and in‐service sessions.
Evening and Online Divisions Students in the Evening and Online Divisions of the College have access to the same student support services as the Day Division students; however, these services may be delivered in a different manner to accommodate the level of access to campus for these groups. Highlighted below are the major differences of how this group accesses student support services.
A part‐time Student Success Coordinator (SSC) is responsible for working with the Evening and Online student population. The Evening and Online SSC tracks and communicates with at‐risk students and serves as a point person for obstacles a student may encounter. The SSC is also responsible for ensuring that any student in need of accommodations receives those services. Students can also receive counseling services in the strictest confidentiality, through the College Counselor.
Financial aid procedures are clearly stated on the College’s website for Evening and Online students. The Financial Aid model employed by the College provides Evening and Online students with a single advisor who specializes in guiding students through the Financial Aid process. The dedicated Financial Aid Counselor works closely with the Admissions Department to provide a seamless enrollment experience for all Continuing Education students. This counselor visits the Middleborough campus every two weeks.
The College has chosen to supplement the services offered by the Department of Academic Advising and CLAS with SMARTHINKING to ensure that tutoring services are available to Evening and Online students that may not be able to access the CLAS during normal operating hours. SMARTHINKING is a web‐based tutorial service that offers students 24‐hour access to live tutors in the following subject areas: Basic Math, Algebra, Pre‐Calculus, Calculus, Statistics, Writing, Biology, Introduction to Anatomy & Physiology, Macro and Micro Economics, Accounting, and Introduction to Finance. Tutors who work with SMARTHINKING have upper‐level degrees in the disciplines they support. Many are retired or adjunct college professors from other institutions. Students can access instant live support as they would on the Bay State campus, schedule study sessions with a particular tutor based in any subject, or submit writing samples for advice based on principle‐centered writing pedagogy. Each term all active Bay State College students receive secure access to the SMARTHIKING website. Training sessions are held online and on campus to familiarize both students and faculty to the service. In addition to SMARTHINKING, Boston
STANDARD 6—STUDENTS 84 BAY STATE COLLEGE
Evening students have access to the CLAS center on an appointment basis. Middleborough students are provided tutoring support on an as needed basis. There is no additional cost to students for this service.
Institutional Effectiveness The College utilizes a number of surveys to solicit student feedback regarding co‐curricular activities and student services. The annual Student Satisfaction Survey is conducted online and sent to all active students. The timing of the survey was moved to the fall semester (versus the spring semester) so that the data would be available to take immediate action on feedback so students can see concrete changes in the same academic year; it also ensures that the feedback can be better integrated into the budgeting process for the following academic year. Several other surveys and assessment tools are used to gain student feedback, including the Residence Hall Quality of Life Survey, the Career Services Senior Survey, the annual Dining Services Survey, and the First Year Experience Evaluation.
Bi‐annually, the Student Government Association facilitates a Retention Meeting with the College’s Management Team. The SGA conducts a survey in advance of the meeting to solicit feedback from the student body and then presents data and recommendations to improve the student experience and increase retention. This information is synthesized and is used by the Executive Committee and Management Team in the budgeting process and to inform the Strategic Plan.
The President also hosts student forums on a regular basis with different cohorts of students, including Day students, Evening students on the Boston Campus, and Evening students on the Middleboro Campus. This feedback is combined with the feedback from the SGA and is utilized in the budget and strategic planning process. Faculty and staff are also asked to provide feedback regarding student services via the annual Institutional Effectiveness Survey and forums with the President.
At the department level, the Office of Student Affairs utilizes informal feedback from students and colleagues, information from the Early Alert System, and regular review of student reports including classes missed, percentage of classes missed, last date of attendance, and mid‐semester progress reports to assess the success of its programs and services. This feedback is used at weekly staff meetings to inform decisions about offerings, programs and events, referral services, and policy changes.
Appraisal Bay State College, driven by its mission statement, strives to provide an environment that fosters the intellectual and personal development of its students. To this end, the college has put in place a wide variety of supports, programs, and services aimed at ensuring the academic success of students. STANDARD 6—STUDENTS 85 BAY STATE COLLEGE
In the fall of 2011, the Student Success Coordinators worked with a total of 315 students who were identified as at‐risk. Through their work and intervention, a total of 41 of these students persisted to graduation by the fall of 2012. Additionally, 68% of non‐graduating students who worked with a Student Success Coordinator were retained and still identified as active students in the fall of 2012, compared to an overall retention rate of nearly 60% for the Day Division. Only 4% of the students with whom they worked failed to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress and were suspended. In the fall of 2011, a total of 46 students sought Counseling Services on‐campus, with 10 of these students persisting to graduation by the fall of 2012. Additionally, 78% of non‐graduating students who worked with the Counselor were retained and still identified as active students in the fall of 2012, compared to an overall retention rate of nearly 60% for the Day Division. Less than 6% of these students failed to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress and were suspended.
While use of the Wonderlic and implementing Admissions standards that are higher than many peer colleges did reduce the pool of applicants admitted to the College, the Admissions department has worked diligently over the last several years to increase starts for well qualified students. This includes conducting multiple market studies to evaluate student expectations and integrating additional quality checks during the admissions process, including interview shadowing and quality calls to students by the Director of Admissions. The Admissions department utilizes a variety of data sources to promote SMART growth per Outcomes 2015. This includes regularly tracking GPAs, Assessment test scores, Wonderlic scores, and student performance over time and working collaboratively with Academic Affairs to establish appropriate admissions criteria for each program. Admissions staff has also been trained to conduct a Financial Aid overview at the time of interview to address cost concerns up front and assure students are aware of costs and available plans. Students are tracked through the admissions process and Admissions representatives and Financial Aid counselors meet weekly to review students in the cycle to evaluate the best ways to assist students through the Financial Aid process. As the Online programming expands, changes have also been made to support these students more appropriately. Specifically, the College hired an experienced Admissions representative to work specifically with online students, created a student timeline to assure students move through the Admissions process appropriately, and added a full‐time Online Student Coordinator who provides advising and support to online students and coordinates regularly with the Online Admissions representative. This process for recruiting and admitting online students has seen positive results with the most recent retention rates for online students in fall 2012 term 1 at 91.7% and the overall online retention since fall 2011 at 98%.
STANDARD 6—STUDENTS 86 BAY STATE COLLEGE
The College has made great strides toward improving support services for students with disabilities. The distinction of “Disability Support Services Coordinator” has been added to the titles of four staff members so that students can more clearly identify these resources on campus. A new section has been added to the Student Handbook to clearly identify these individuals and support services. Over the last two years, the entire Accommodations policy and procedures have been revised to provide a more streamlined system for students, as well as for staff and faculty. The College now considers documentation within the last three years to be valid, thus lessening the burden for students to register for accommodations. Additional resources have also been added in the Center for Learning and Academic Success to better serve students with disabilities, including professional tutors and note‐ takers. As a result of these changes, the number of students registering for accommodations has increased year‐over‐year and, with a fall‐to‐fall retention rate of 63% this past year, these students are being retained at a level that is higher than the Day Division’s overall year‐to‐year retention rate.
With the hiring of a Director of Accreditation & Assessment (A & A), the College has renewed its focus on institutional effectiveness and the collection and use of data for continuous quality improvement. The Director of A &A in collaboration with the management and staff of Student Services have begun refining and improving data collection efforts and usage. Utilizing the Strategic Plan and the Student Affairs mission statement, programs and offices are engaged in actively collecting data to evaluate services and inform future programming. For example, the Student Services Coordinators are utilizing a dashboard system where they track trends across student needs and are sharing these with the Student Affairs team in order to inform programming and make on the fly adjustments as needed. FYE has a newly revised evaluation survey and Residence Life similarly has revised its Quality of Life Survey. Student Affairs as a whole is moving from a more qualitative and anecdotal data collection system to a proactive, quantitative approach that can better inform programming, activities, and outreach.
With an enrollment that is shifting toward a more non‐traditional student, the Student Affairs team has spent the last year refocusing efforts in co‐curricular programming and support services. As a part of the strategic plan, the team has examined several cohorts of students (veterans, international students, fully‐online students, non‐traditional students) to design a more appropriate combination of services and programs. The result has been a more organic and customized approach that focuses on the needs of each particular cohort and aims to engage students who typically would not otherwise be involved. For example, in 2011 a Family Programming Series was introduced to provide events for students with children in order to connect them to the campus community. Retention at these events has been close STANDARD 6—STUDENTS 87 BAY STATE COLLEGE to 100% each time and the group has started to serve as a de facto support group. The Peer Mentor program was also revisited in fall of 2012 to provide a more individualized level of support to those who either self‐select a mentor or are identified as students who could benefit from such a relationship.
The number of students residing on‐campus has declined, with only 153 resident students in the fall of 2012 (an 18% decline from the previous year). This has been an unintended consequence of the shift in enrollment strategy toward a more non‐traditional student. The residential facilities are not equipped for older students or students who have families. However, the 2011 Quality of Life Survey found 75% of resident students would recommend living in on‐campus housing to new students and 73% were satisfied with their overall on‐campus experience. Additionally, retention rates of students returning to housing for a second year were 65% and 64% respectively over the last two years, suggesting that those students who choose to live in on‐campus housing are satisfied.
Career Services has been working diligently to increase student access to in‐field experience. To this end, many new relationships have been developed with local non‐profit organizations to increase the number of work study student placements outside of the College in areas related to student majors. Additionally, Career Services is working with students to increase their networking skills, develop professional LinkedIn profiles, and encourage self‐sufficiency. The December 2011 graduate in‐field placement rates was 81% and the in‐field and related fields was 92%. One area that Career Services would like to focus on is providing additional alumni services in the near future per Outcomes 2015.
Bay State College takes pride in its commitment to service the community and has taken many steps to ensure this mission is evident across the institution. In Outcomes 2015, an entire section has been devoted to increasing all elements of service, particularly in relation to staff and faculty involvement. In 2010, the College implemented an annual Day of Service for students, faculty, and staff and in the fall of 2010 a second Day of Service was added for all first‐year resident students. The number of community service hours provided by members of the College community has increased each year, with a total of 11,622 hours in 2010‐2011 and 14,036 in the 2011‐2012 academic year. The College has been recognized for these efforts, earning a place on the President’s National Honor Roll for Community Service each year since 2008, and With Distinction in 2009 and 2011. Additionally, the College was awarded the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities Community Service Award in 2010.
Projection
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As stated in Outcomes 2015, the College will develop and assess learning objectives for all co‐curricular activities. All administrative support services will be working with the Director of A & A to develop outcomes evaluation plans to assess the effectiveness of the services provided and to identify gaps in services. To ensure the effectiveness of the support provided through the Academic Achievement Course, the Director of Academic Development will begin analyzing success, retention, and persistence measures for participants. Additionally, the course has been restructured to focus more on individual student needs and allow students to provide support to one another. Assessment measures have been put into place to track students’ development of competencies and skills as a result of their participation in the course.
In a collaborative effort between Academic Affairs and Financial Aid to increase students’ financial literacy as early in their educational careers as possible, beginning in fall 2012, a series of Financial Literacy Workshops will be conducted as part of Computer and Information Literacy (CIS 102) classes. CIS 102 is a required course for the majority of students (excluding Physical Therapist Assistant and Nursing) that is normally taken during a student’s first semester. The Workshops will consist of lectures coupled with class discussions, a survey, and a series of out‐of‐class exercises. Topics to be covered include, Personal Budgeting, Financial Responsibility, Credit and Debt, Careers and Financial Independence, and Saving and Investing. The Buttonwood Financial Literacy Tool is available through the College’s website for Online students.
The Service Learning Committee is currently working on expanding faculty development. This includes a survey of what service learning is being done and recent service learning training conducted by the Massachusetts Campus Compact. The Committee in concert with the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs will continue providing support and professional development for faculty, including the development of a “tool kit” to aid those interested in participating in service learning.
In an effort to ensure that the best and more effective services are being provided given changing student demographics, the Dean of Students is in the process of reviewing resources including staffing to address these changing needs. In the coming academic year, veteran students will be a primary focus of the Dean’s effort. As the international student population grows, and in accordance with the strategic plan, the College is planning an investment in the provision of the appropriate types and amount of services to these students. In an effort to address the growing number of requests and severity of accommodations for students, additional resources such as professional tutors will be added to CLAS in
STANDARD 6—STUDENTS 89 BAY STATE COLLEGE the 2013‐2014 budget. Ensuring consistency of support services provided across divisions and maintaining high levels of student satisfaction with services is critical to continuous quality improvement. To this end, the Office of Student Affairs and the Evening and Online division staff will be working closely together to establish best practices and share resources. The Director of Career Services, per Outcomes 2015, will work over the next few years to develop a more robust alumni network including identifying appropriate personnel such as an alumni relations coordinator.
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Standard 6: Students (Admissions, Fall Term) ? Credit Seeking Students Only - Including Continuing Education 3 Years 2 Years 1 Year Current Next Year Prior Prior Prior Year* Forward (goal) (FY 2010) (FY 2011) (FY 2012) (FY 2013) (FY 2014) Freshmen - Undergraduate ? Completed Applications ? 1,057 1,171 1,316 1,312 1,312 Applications Accepted ? 896 700 804 801 801 Applicants Enrolled ? 365 299 233 192 192 % Accepted of Applied 84.8% 59.8% 61.1% 61.1% 61.1% % Enrolled of Accepted 40.7% 42.7% 29.0% 24.0% 24.0%
Percent Change Year over Year Completed Applications - 10.8% 12.4% -0.3% 0.0% Applications Accepted - -21.9% 14.9% -0.4% 0.0% Applicants Enrolled - -18.1% -22.1% -17.6% 0.0%
Average of Statistical Indicator of Aptitude of Enrollees: (Define Below) ? Average Wonderlic (aptittude test) Score NA 19.25 20.22 20.07 20
Transfers - Undergraduate ? Completed Applications 454 502 522 415 415 Applications Accepted 156 299 282 271 271 Applications Enrolled 124 129 153 147 147 % Accepted of Applied 34.4% 59.6% 54.0% 65.3% 65.3% % Enrolled of Accepted 79.5% 43.1% 54.3% 54.2% 54.2%
STANDARD 6—STUDENTS 91 BAY STATE COLLEGE
Standard 6: Students (Enrollment, Fall Census Date) ? Credit-Seeking Students Only - Including Continuing Education 3 Years 2 Years 1 Year Current Next Year Prior Prior Prior Year* Forward (goal) (FY 2010) (FY 2011) (FY 2012) (FY 2013) (FY 2014) UNDERGRADUATE ? First Year Full-Time Headcount ? 439 340 286 242 254 Part-Time Headcount ? 122 102 124 106 111 Total Headcount 561 442 410 348 365 Total FTE ? 521.2 409.5 363.8 309.7 325
Second Year Full-Time Headcount 239 315 256 243 255 Part-Time Headcount 97 132 103 110 116 Total Headcount 336 447 359 353 371 Total FTE 301.6 403.0 327.0 318.3 334
Third Year Full-Time Headcount 63 114 137 123 129 Part-Time Headcount 34 75 124 76 80 Total Headcount 97 189 261 199 209 Total FTE 83.5 160.3 220.8 172.5 181
Fourth Year Full-Time Headcount 73 58 109 134 141 Part-Time Headcount 90 81 89 113 119 Total Headcount 163 139 198 247 259 Total FTE 126.9 106.3 163.3 201.6 212
Unclassified Full-Time Headcount ? Part-Time Headcount Total Headcount - - - - - Total FTE
Total Undergraduate Students Full-Time Headcount 814 827 788 742 779 Part-Time Headcount 343 390 440 405 425 Total Headcount 1,157 1,217 1,228 1,147 1,204 Total FTE 1,033.2 1,079.1 1,074.9 1,002.1 1,052.2 % Change FTE Undergraduate na 4.4% -0.4% -6.8% 5.0%
GRADUATE ? Full-Time Headcount ? Part-Time Headcount ? Total Headcount - - - - - Total FTE ? % Change FTE Graduate na - - - -
GRAND TOTAL Grand Total Headcount 1,157 1,217 1,228 1,147 1,204 Grand Total FTE 1,033.2 1,079.1 1,074.9 1,002.1 1,052.2 % Change Grand Total FTE na 4.4% -0.4% -6.8% 5.0% STANDARD 6—STUDENTS 92 BAY STATE COLLEGE
Standard 6: Students (Financial Aid, Debt, and Developmental Courses)
? Where does the institution describe the students it seeks to serve? http://www.baystate.edu/admissions/acceptance-criteria/
3 Years 2 Years Most Current Next Year Prior Prior Recently Budget*** Forward Completed (goal) Year (FY 2010) (FY 2011 ) (FY 2012) (FY 2013) (FY 2014)
? Student Financial Aid Total Federal Aid $10,336,149 $11,714,838 $12,263,452 $12,160,000 $12,765,000 Grants $2,922,200 $3,467,706 $3,099,036 $3,000,000 $3,150,000 Loans $7,321,671 $8,147,833 $9,104,142 $9,100,000 $9,555,000 Work Study $92,278 $99,299 $60,274 $60,000 $60,000 Total State Aid $146,800 $165,700 $138,175 $120,000 $126,000 Total Institutional Aid $2,684,843 $2,909,895 $3,168,084 $3,200,000 $3,360,000 Grants $2,684,843 $2,909,895 $3,168,084 $3,200,000 $3,360,000 Loans $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 Total Private Aid $673,755 $1,023,296 $1,432,608 $1,335,000 $1,401,750 Grants $65,109 $55,376 $46,094 $35,000 $36,750 Loans $608,646 $967,920 $1,386,514 $1,300,000 $1,365,000
Student Debt Percent of students graduating with debt* Undergraduates 92% 91% 89% 87% 85% Graduates For students with debt: Average amount of debt for students leaving the institution with a degree Undergraduates $22,997 $23,279 $26,372 $26,000 $26,000 Graduates Average amount of debt for students leaving the institution without a degree Undergraduates $8,574 $10,027 $11,011 $11,000 $11,000 Graduate Students
Cohort Default Rate 11.8 7.8
Percent of First-year students in Developmental Courses** English as a Second/Other Language English (reading, writing, 16 26 15 20 20 communication skills) Math 118 150 135 140 140 Other
* All students who graduated should be included in this calculation. **Courses for which no credit toward a degree is granted.
STANDARD 6—STUDENTS 93 BAY STATE COLLEGE
Standard Seven—Library and Other Information Resources
Description
Resources and Access The Bay State College Library’s mission is to “provide resources, services and instruction in support of teaching, learning, and scholarship at Bay State College.” The Library’s vision is “to serve as the intellectual center of Bay State College by providing learning spaces, cutting‐edge technology, comprehensive information resources, and research assistance that significantly contribute to student information literacy and satisfaction as well as faculty scholarship and teaching.” The Library’s goals and objectives (as outlined in the Bay State College Library Strategic Plan 2010‐2015) guide library activity in the areas of resource acquisition, instruction, and assessment.
The Librarian is guided by a Collection Development policy for selecting and de‐selecting items, and works closely with faculty to develop the collection in their respective programs. Each fall at the faculty meeting, the Librarian urges all faculty members to suggest items for the collection, and throughout the year, the Librarian is sent faculty requests. The website and a “Suggest an Item for the Library” clipboard in the Library also solicit suggestions from the College community. New course offerings and new programs, as presented to the curriculum committee (of which the Librarian is a member), also impact purchasing decisions. Student research questions, student requests, and standard bibliographies and collection development tools for each program are also used to develop the collection. Items not available for purchase (or beyond the scope of the library’s collection development policy) can also be obtained through interlibrary loan through the Library’s membership in the Massachusetts Library System consortium. A breakdown of the Library’s operating budget can be found in the Library Budget Appendix (Appendix O). Users are able to get remote assistance from library staff via phone, email, or IM chat, in addition to in‐person at the Library.
Appraisal Resources and Access Boston Campus In 2009, the Library was moved to a larger, ADA‐accessible space at 31 St. James Avenue, and library budget increases allowed for a doubling of the size of the print collection, additional electronic resource subscriptions, and extended hours. The Library is adjacent to the Center for Learning and Academic Success, and collectively the two spaces are known as “The Learning Commons.” The Library is open 80 hours per week during the academic year: 8am‐10pm Monday through Thursday, 8am‐4:30pm Friday, STANDARD 7—LIBRARY AND OTHER INFORMATION RESOURCES 94 BAY STATE COLLEGE
10am‐6pm Saturday, and 12noon‐8pm Sunday. The Library is approximately 4,200 square feet, and seats 36 studying students and 20 PC users. Twenty laptops are circulated and students with their own laptops can make use of the College’s wireless access. On average, 150 students visit the Library each weekday. The library is staffed by one full‐time librarian, an evening library assistant, and a weekend library assistant. The Librarian reports to the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs. Approximately five work‐study students assist the librarian. As of spring 2012, the library has approximately 10,000 volumes, 7 database subscriptions, 95 print periodical subscriptions, 346 DVDs, and provides access to most of the course textbooks each semester. If a student or faculty member needs an item not available at the College Library immediately, the Boston campus is also fortunate to be only blocks away from the central research branch of the Boston Public Library.
Middleborough Campus The Middleborough campus Library is housed within the Middleborough High School library and is open the same hours of operation as the college, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm. A portion of the Library space is dedicated solely for Bay State College students and faculty. In addition to the resources of the high school library, 300 new titles are added to the Bay State section of the Library each year for a total of 900 by 2013. On average, 40 students visit the Library each Tuesday and Thursday. The Middleborough campus Library is staffed by a part‐time Bay State College librarian. Additionally, the Boston campus Librarian visits the Middleborough campus in conjunction with the offering of English I to train students in the use of online Library resources. Students at the Middleborough campus have access to the main campus library as well as the same database subscriptions as all other Bay State College students. A screencast was created to support orienting Middleborough students to the use of these databases and other electronic resources. In 2008, an agreement was established with the Maxwell Library at Bridgewater State University giving BSC students access to its resources.
Online Division The College’s Online division is also supported by the Bay State College Library. Students and faculty who are not physically on campus can still make use of the library’s electronic resources via proxy server. An online chat capability was added to the Library section of the College’s website to offer faculty and students another way to reach the Library for assistance. For students taking courses online, the Library has a presence in every course with an embedded link to the Library’s resources and contact information for research assistance. The Online Student Orientation Course (OSO101) introduces online students to the library resources. A library overview presentation is used in OSO101 and is available to
STANDARD 7—LIBRARY AND OTHER INFORMATION RESOURCES 95 BAY STATE COLLEGE instructors to embed in their own online courses. The presentation illustrates what resources are available in the Library, how to undertake scholarly research, and proper citation. The online Literature LIT200 course utilizes this video to guide students with their assigned research. In addition to the electronic print resources, Online Division faculty members also have access to the Films On Demand website where they can access film and video clips to embed in their online classes.
Information and Technological Literacy All English I classes in the Day and Boston and Middleborough Evening Divisions are given a library orientation, where students are taught how to use the library catalog, locate books on the shelf, basic database searching techniques, and avoiding plagiarism. The Librarian administers a pre‐ and post‐test to assess students’ knowledge of the library concepts. As part of their orientation, all online students are required to view a virtual introduction to the library. English II students are given a “refresher” overview of the Library’s resources, and generally use the session to work on research for a class paper.
All general education courses also visit the library to work on their Annotated Bibliography assignment. The Annotated Bibliography, developed by the Librarian and the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, was implemented in 2007 to assess three of the seven General Education objectives including “to develop students’ information literacy skills so that they are proficient at finding and evaluating information in a variety of formats.” A team, including the Librarian, juries a sample of the Annotated Bibliographies and the findings are presented at the Annual Assessment meeting.
In addition to library visits with their English classes and general education courses, many instructors request annual subject‐specific research sessions, which affords students an opportunity to see the more discipline‐specific resources available in their particular majors. The library promotes faculty scholarship with a permanent library display highlighting the scholarly publications produced by our faculty. A small but growing collection of faculty resources, including books and periodicals on pedagogy and higher education, are also available to all instructors teaching at the College.
Institutional Effectiveness Information from the Student Satisfaction Survey, The Institutional Effectiveness Survey, and the Library Satisfaction survey regarding the adequacy, utilization, and satisfaction with library resources is collected annually. The results of these surveys as well as usage statistics are reviewed to inform ongoing planning, resource allocation, and to improve and increase the effectiveness of these services.
STANDARD 7—LIBRARY AND OTHER INFORMATION RESOURCES 96 BAY STATE COLLEGE
Overall, the Library is adequately providing resources and access at the Boston campus for both day and evening students. Providing appropriate levels of resources and access for Middleborough has been more of a challenge. Assessing the information literacy of our students throughout the college curriculum is crucial to meeting both Standard 7 (7.9) and Standard 4 (4.7). To address this lack of assessment of information literacy at levels appropriate to a student’s degree, a rubric was designed for use in assessing information literacy competency using senior seminar or capstone projects. Also, the Annotated Bibliography Project had not been consistently assigned in the Evening Division, Online Division, or on the Middleborough campus.
Projection Plans are in motion to add a professional full‐time Librarian for the new Middleborough campus (see Standard 8 for more details), which will allow for more consistent and robust library services for this campus and increased assessment.
With sustained financial support from the College, the Library will continue collection development in electronic and print formats. The Library Strategic Plan forecasts continued growth at both the Boston (1,000 titles per year) and Middleborough (300 titles per year) campuses, as well as additional databases to support new programs (such as the proposed Information Technology degree). While the demand for e‐books at Bay State thus far has been non‐existent, the library will begin adding e‐books within two years to better support online students who do not have access to our physical library stacks, as well as in any other subject areas where students or faculty express an interest.
Although the annotated bibliography project serves to measure information literacy skill development throughout the General Education curriculum, at present, there is no standardized assessment of information literacy within the academic programs at the College. Assessing information literacy of students throughout the college curriculum is crucial to meeting both Standard 7 (7.9) and Standard 4 (4.7). To address this lack of assessment at levels appropriate to a student’s degree, a rubric has been designed for use in assessing information literacy competency in senior seminar or capstone projects. This culminating project provides the opportunity to assess a student’s overall mastery of information literacy competencies, as outlined by the Association of College and Research Libraries. Beginning in fall 2012 the Annotated Bibliography Project was implemented for the evening division. As of summer 2012, the online version of English 101 also includes the Annotated Bibliography project.
STANDARD 7—LIBRARY AND OTHER INFORMATION RESOURCES 97 BAY STATE COLLEGE
Standard 7: Library and Other Information Resources (Library) ? 3 Years Prior 2 Years Prior Most Recently Current Year* Next Year Completed Year (actual or Forward (goal) projection)
FY 2008-09 FY 2009-10 FY 2010-11 FY 2011-12 FY 2013-14 Expenditures/FTE student Materials$ 54,000 $ 54,000 $ 73,500 $ 95,150 $ 95,150 Salaries & Wages and benefits$ 63,305 $ 65,090 $ 73,291 $ 84,321 $ 84,881 Other operating$ 1,200 $ 12,640 $ 12,640 $ 12,640 $ 12,040
Collections Total print volumes ~7,000 ~8,000 ~9,000 ~10,000 ~11,000 Electronic books none none none none none Print/microform serial subscriptions 102 91 89 88 82 Full text electronic journals 0 0 3 7 14 Microforms none none none none none Total media materials (DVDs) 170 238 270 346 422
Personnel (FTE) Librarians -- main campus 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 Librarians -- branch campuses 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 Other library personnel -- main campus 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 Other library personnel -- branch campus 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Library Instruction ? Total sessions -- main campus not available 33 32 34 36 Total attendance - main campus not available 394 375 421 450 Total sessions -- branch campuses 1 1 1 1 1 Total attendance -- branch campuses not avilable not available not available 20 25
Reference and Reserves ? In-person reference questions no data no data no data no data no data ? Virtual reference questions no data no data no data no data no data Traditional Reserves: courses supported no data no data no data 199 200 items on reserve no data no data no data 246 300 E-Reserves: ? courses supported do not have do not have do not have do not have do not have ? items on e-reserve do not have do not have do not have do not have do not have
Circulation (do not include reserves) ? Total/FTE student 337 575 503 639 491 (fall) ? Total full-text article requests not available not available 11644 21862 project 22,000 Number of hits to library website not available not available not available 9,402 unique views project 9,500 All borrowing through consortia or contracts 27 24 15 22 6 (11/30/12)
Availability/attendance ? Hours of operation/week main campus 64 80 80 80 80 Hours of operation/week branch campuses ? ? ? ? 8 Gate counts/year -- main campus not available 131 158 150 150 ? Gate counts/year -- average branch campuses ? ? ? ? 40
URL of most recent library annual report: none \\campus\administration\NEASC\Comprehensive Visit Spring 2013\7. Library URL of Information Literacy Reports: and Info Resources\Data Summaries STANDARD 7—LIBRARY AND OTHER INFORMATION RESOURCES 98 BAY STATE COLLEGE
Standard 7: Library and Other Information Resources (Information Technology) ? 3 Years 2 Years Prior Most Recently Current Year* Next Year Prior Completed (actual or Forward Year projection) (goal) (FY 2010) (FY 2011) (FY 2012) (FY 2013) (FY 2014)
Number (percent) of students with own computers Not Tracked
? Course management system Itslearning Number of classes using the system Classes on the main campus 11 1 99 318 350 Classes offered off-campus 0 1 50 110 125 Distance education courses 16 47 53 67 80
Bandwidth On-campus network 1.5Mb 50Mb 50Mb 50Mb 50Mb Off-cam p u s access ? commodity internet (Mbps) 20Mb 100Mb + 20Mb 100Mb + 20Mb 100Mb + 20Mb 100Mb + 20Mb ? high-performance networks (Mbps) ? Wireless protocol(s)
Network Percent of residence halls connected to network wired wireless 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% Percent of classrooms connected to network wired 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% wireless 0% 45% 68% 77% 100% Public wireless ports 0 0 0 0 0
Multimedia classrooms (percent) Main campus 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% Branches and locations 80% 80% 80% 80% 100%
IT Personnel (FTE) Main campus 4 4 55.0 6 Branch campuses Supported by Main Campus Dedicated to distance learning Contract with ItsLearning
Software systems and versions Students Campus Managements, CampusVue V13, ItsLearning LMS (contract) Finances Great Plains 2010 Human Resources Paylocity Payroll & HR 10.1.84.120 Advancement Library Libraryworld version 3.0 Website Management Contracted with Fast Spot Portfolio Management Interactive Video Conferencing Digital Object Management
STANDARD 7—LIBRARY AND OTHER INFORMATION RESOURCES 99 BAY STATE COLLEGE
Standard Eight—Physical and Technological Resources
Description Bay State College utilizes a Master Facilities Plan that incorporates a Deferred Maintenance Plan, annual Capital Expenditures Strategic Initiatives, a Strategic Plan, and an Information Technology Plan among other plans to guide planning and evaluation of physical and technological resources. A focused approach to Risk Management, has led to key improvements, including but not limited to: a comprehensive Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan, a Crisis Communication Plan, updated fire alarm panels and security alarms in the academic buildings, annual fire safety training for faculty and staff, installation of cameras across campus, implementation of the Buddy System, and a data protection and security plan. The College ensures the safety and health aspects of its physical resources through annual inspections by outside agencies, including the City of Boston, and ongoing surveillance by the Director of Facilities and staff. Required inspections are supervised by the Director of Facilities or the Dean of Students in all buildings. The management staffs at 31 St. James and 437 Boylston are responsible for meeting all safety and compliance inspections. Certificates of all annual inspections of buildings, boilers, alarms, etc., are posted in the building, attached to the apparatus, or on file in the Business Office or the Student Affairs Office.
Appraisal
Boston Campus and Facilities Bay State College is located in the heart of Boston’s historical Back Bay neighborhood. The main campus is composed of four administrative and classroom buildings and six residences that occupy entire brownstones. The combined total area of these facilities is approximately 119,645 square feet. All of these spaces are on long‐term leases (see Appendix P: Facilities Table 1).
Classrooms/Administration 122 Commonwealth Avenue The College’s main administration building, the brownstone at 122 Commonwealth houses the offices of the President, Vice President of Administration and Finance, Vice President of Enrollment and Marketing, Director of College‐Wide Admissions, Admissions Department, Student Business Center, Financial Aid Office, Registrar’s Office, Student Accounts Department, Human Resource Department, two classrooms, and a dedicated conference room.
35 Commonwealth Avenue STANDARD 8—PHYSICAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL RESOURCES 100 BAY STATE COLLEGE
The brownstone at 35 Commonwealth Avenue houses the Office of Student Affairs, Residence Life Office, Student Activities Office, Student Success Coordinators, Counseling Office, a student lounge consisting of an area to socialize, an area to study, three computer stations, and offices for student organizations, Office of the Vice President of Student Services, Office of the Dean of Student Affairs, Career Services Office, Facilities Office, and five classrooms.
31 St. James Street (The Park Square Building) The College occupies approximately 40,938 square feet on the 2nd floor of 31 St. James Avenue. This floor houses the Office of the Vice President of Academic Affairs, Office of the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Office of Accreditation & Assessment, Academic Affairs Department, Office of Evening and Continuing Education, Office of Online Programs, the Departments of Allied Health, including Medical Assisting, Health Studies, Nursing, Physical Therapist’s Assistant, the Fashion Merchandising and Fashion Design programs, the General Education Department, full‐time and adjunct faculty offices, IT Department and Server Room, the College Library including 24 PC workstations, the Center for Learning and Academic Success (CLAS),and a conference room, a student lounge, a faculty lounge/kitchen, four small meeting rooms in the main east wing hall, two computer labs holding 28 and 30 PC workstations respectively, a kiosk print station consisting of 5 student workstations with printing capabilities, three general classrooms, one classroom/fashion design lab, one biology lab/classroom, two nursing labs/classrooms, a simulation lab, and a debriefing room, and two PTA lab/classrooms.
The College’s bookstore is housed on the first floor of 31 St. James. Opened in December 2011 in response to student needs as documented in student surveys and forums, it is approximately 1,100 square feet and caters to students’ needs, including textbooks, supplies, college merchandise, and other assorted items; it is also open to the general public.
437 Boylston Street The suite on the third floor at 437 Boylston in Boston is approximately 5,000 square feet. This facility houses the Departments of Business Administration, the programs in Entertainment Management and Early Childhood Education, faculty offices, a student lounge, and two classrooms and a Macintosh MIDI Lab (Musical Instrument Digital Interface lab) consisting of 10 terminals, each of which has its own keyboard and Mbox . A smaller suite on the Fourth Floor of 437 Boylston houses the Criminal Justice Program and full‐time and adjunct faculty offices.
The Residences
STANDARD 8—PHYSICAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL RESOURCES 101 BAY STATE COLLEGE
Six residence buildings are leased by the College from Commonwealth Management Associates and Commonwealth Realty Associates. Total capacity is approximately 200 students (see Appendix P: Facilities Table 2 for current occupancy rates). The residence halls are refurbished brownstones built in the late 1800’s and are located at 260‐262 Commonwealth Avenue, 125‐127 Commonwealth Avenue, 181 Commonwealth Avenue, and Crowninshield Hall at 164 Marlborough Street, is listed on the National Register of Historic Landmarks. All buildings are co‐ed with the exception of 125 Commonwealth Avenue, which is all female. Access to the residence hall buildings is restricted by a monitored swipe card security system. Each building contains single, double, triple, and quad rooms, a student lounge, a computer lab/study room, a laundry room, wireless internet access, and cable television in individual rooms. The dining hall is at 125 Commonwealth Avenue and is operated by ARAMARK.
Middleborough Campus Bay State College’s Division of Continuing Education Middleborough campus is located in Middleborough High School at 71 E. Grove Street, Middleborough, MA. The College uses this facility Tuesday and Thursday nights to offer Medical Assisting, Business, and Criminal Justice programs. The high school is a public building and is well maintained by the custodial staff. The lease includes the right to use computer labs, science labs, and a portion of the library. In 2011, the high school underwent a complete upgrade to its computer systems and networks. The College occupies a large office on the first floor of the high school on a full time basis. The office was fully renovated in the summer of 2011.
Technology The College administrative and classroom locations are connected with dedicated broadband fiber and backup wireless point‐to‐point capabilities. Significant improvements to the IT infrastructure made since the 2007 NEASC visit are summarized in the IT Improvement Summary Appendix (Appendix Q). IT proactively uses policies and technology to monitor illegal or inappropriate use of electronic systems and resources on campus. Website blocking is implemented with Barracuda’s Web Filter device, blocking content such as peer‐to‐peer, phishing sites, gambling, games, explicit adult entertainment, viruses, etc.
ItsLearning Learning Management System (LMS) To accommodate the growth of fully online degrees and to support on campus academic programs, Bay State College uses ItsLearning, a third‐party Learning Management System (LMS). ItsLearning provides a high‐quality LMS which will allows programs to grow in a cost effective and secure manner. A summary highlighting major components is included in the ItsLearning Summary Appendix (Appendix R). Another
STANDARD 8—PHYSICAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL RESOURCES 102 BAY STATE COLLEGE benefit of outsourcing the LMS are continuous upgrades and improvements. Bay State College receives updates and new versions with minor operational impact at no additional cost. There is no need for local hardware, operating system, or application software, so direct costs are scalable and indirect costs are eliminated. As a result, the College can focus on the pedagogical and technological implementation of the curriculum without distraction. The LMS is used for three distinct academic purposes at Bay State College: online classes, hybrid classes, and web supported classes.
Institutional Effectiveness Bay State College utilizes information from faculty, staff, and student surveys and capacity utilization and scheduling reports to evaluate its physical and technological resources in light of its mission, current needs and plans for the future. As further described in Standard 2, this information is then utilized for strategic planning, annual planning, and resource allocation.
Overall, Bay State College‘s physical environments provide an atmosphere conducive to study and research. By increasing academic and administrative space at 31 St. James Ave., the College has decreased the need for students to access non‐ADA compliant buildings, all of which are “grand‐ fathered” in by local laws and which zoning variances would not be permitted by the City. Technology including facilities ticket requests has improved the quality and effectiveness of services. Additionally, having a dedicated Director of Facilities and in‐house maintenance staff has improved quality of service, timeliness, and efficiency. In 2012, 82% of Day students agreed “Campus facilities provide an atmosphere that supports studying and learning.” On the 2011‐12 Institutional Effectiveness Survey, 68% of staff and faculty members agree “There is sufficient non‐classroom space for students to study together and socialize between classes.” Moreover, 67% of respondents agree “The College provides adequate physical facilities to serve the needs of the institution’s educational programs and support services.” When asked whether “The College provides a healthy, safe and secure environment for all members of the college community,” 90% agreed. Similarly, the 2011 Quality of Life Survey found 70% of students living on‐campus are satisfied with the residence hall facilities and services. A summary of the College’s lease facilities is found in Appendix S.
Surveys also indicate that students, staff, and faculty are satisfied with the recent IT updates and numerous improvements. In fall 2011, 78% of students agreed “Technology is sufficient to my needs.” In 2012, 79.7% of students who had utilized the LMS agreed the system is effective at helping them learn. On the 2011‐2012 Institutional Effectiveness Survey, 78% of faculty and staff agreed, The college provides adequate technology to advance student learning in instructional programs.” Moreover, 84% STANDARD 8—PHYSICAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL RESOURCES 103 BAY STATE COLLEGE of staff and faculty agreed, ”The College provides adequate software programs for me to complete my job effectively.” Similarly, 81% of faculty and staff responded that they agree “The College provides adequate training to ensure my effective use of technology.” When asked whether “The process by which IT problems are identified and corrected is timely and efficient,” 84% of staff and faculty agreed.
Results from the last two Student Satisfaction Surveys show that facilities and technology at the Middleborough campus continue to pose a challenge. In 2011, only 65% of Middleborough students rated the quality of the overall campus facilities as “good” or “excellent.” In 2012 when students were asked whether facilities were appropriately equipped and adequate in capacity, 58% agreed classrooms were and 69% agreed laboratories were. Sixty‐five percent of Middleborough students agreed, “campus facilities provide an atmosphere that supports studying and learning.” A reflection of improvements made to IT by Middleborough High School, in 2011 78% of students agreed technology was sufficient to meet their needs. However, after additional changes by the high school, in 2012 only 58% of students agreed the technology on campus meets the needs of the student body.
Projection Annually between 3‐ 8% of the budget is set aside for capital investments. Integrated with the long‐term strategic plan is a Master Facilities Plan (Appendix T) that incorporates a deferred maintenance plan which has been put in place to handle both urgent and ongoing facilities improvements (Appendix U). Requests targeted to improve safety and the student experience receive priority status. The residence halls pose ADA compliance issues given the strict zoning regulations in the Back Bay area. Although these buildings, as well as 35 and 122 Commonwealth Avenue, still pose a challenge, the College has made every effort to ensure all vital services like the library and learning center are provided to students in accessible facilities like the Park Square building.
To ensure that the College continues to stay current with available technology the IT Department has a focused effort to continue the technology refresh cycle. The IT department also regularly reviews the status of technology throughout campus and prioritizes areas that would benefit from updates to their hardware, services and applications.
The College’s Master Facilities Plan includes finding and developing a new facility to replace the 437 Boylston site by July 2014. To address various concerns including facilities and technology in Middleborough, the College has been searching for a site for a full‐time campus within 10‐15 miles of its current location. Potential sites have been identified, a draft budget has been created, and negotiations
STANDARD 8—PHYSICAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL RESOURCES 104 BAY STATE COLLEGE are underway. The goal is to occupy the new facility as early as September 2013 and not later than July 2014. This new facility will be between 10,000‐11,000 square feet, have 8 classrooms/labs, a library, a student lounge, faculty offices, and administrative offices to support the campus. Outcomes 2015 also calls for an additional satellite campus potentially for the fall of 2015.
STANDARD 8—PHYSICAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL RESOURCES 105 BAY STATE COLLEGE
Standard 8: Physical and Technological Resources
Assignable Square Campus location Serviceable Buildings Feet (000) Main campus 10 106,722 Other U.S. locations 1 6,000 International locations
3 Years 2 Years 1 Year Current Next Year Prior Prior Prior Year* Forward (goal) (FY 2 ) (FY 2 ) (FY 2 ) (FY 2 ) (FY 2 ) Revenue ($000) Capital appropriations (public institutions) Operating budget Gifts and grants Debt TOTAL $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 Expenditures ($000) New Construction Renovations, maintenance and equipment Technology TOTAL $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Assignable square feet (000) Main cam p u s Off-cam p u s Total Classroom 9,024 5,400 14,424 Laboratory 7,027 7,027 Office 14,071 600 14,671 Study 4,424 4,424 Special 0 General 0 Support--CLAS 945 945 Residential 45,987 45,987 Other--Library 3,150 3,150 Other--Bookstore 1,050 1,050
Major new buildings, past 10 years (add rows as needed) Building namePurpose(s) Assignable Square Feet (000) Cost (000) Year Sloane Building Offices/Classrooms/Lab 5,000 2004 Park Square BuildingLibrary/Learning Center 4,095 2009 Park Square BuildingOffices/Classrooms/Lab/Study Areas 17,126 2010 Park Square Building Bookstore 1,050 2011
New buildings, planned for next 5 years (add rows as needed) Building namePurpose(s) Assignable Square Feet Cost (000) Year Move Middleborough Campus to new Taunton facilities. 10,900 $750,000 2013 Replace exisiting space with new expanded facilities for the Entertainment Management, Criminial Justice, and Replace 437 Management Programs. 8,000 $550,000 2014
Major Renovations, past 10 years (add rows as needed) The list below includes renovations costing $250,000 Building namePurpose(s) Assignable Square Feet Cost (000) Year Park Square BuildingLibrary/Learning Center 4,095 2009 Park Square BuildingOffices/Classrooms/Lab/Study Areas 17,126 2010 Park Square Building Expand IT Server Room 250 $250,000 2009-12 122 Comm. Ave. Offices/Classrooms/Business Center 1,800 2010 STANDARD 8—PHYSICAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL RESOURCES 106 BAY STATE COLLEGE
Standard 9 – Financial Resources
Description The financial management of Bay State College is driven by the College’s mission and strategic plan. As a proprietary college, Bay State relies solely on tuition, room & board, and fee revenue to meet its financial objectives. Over the past several years, the College has successfully accomplished the institution’s goals as defined by its prior strategic plan, Vision 2010, which encompassed fiscal years 2008 through 2011. A key outcome of the Plan was to achieve a level of profitability that would provide sufficient funds for reinvestment to grow the college. The College met its benchmark profitability levels and reinvested every dollar of operating surplus back into operations, exclusive of taxes which were distributed to shareholders to pay their tax obligations as a result of the Company’s performance.
In February 2010, the Board of Trustees adopted a Financial Reserves Policy requiring the College to fund a reserve equal to one percent of net tuition revenues annually. The college’s current strategic plan, Outcomes 2015, expands on this policy and was conceived on the notion that the College’s success and ultimately positive student outcomes will be built on a strong foundation of compliance and financial security. One strategy, Commit to SMART Growth and Financial Stability to Further Institutional Capacity, speaks directly to the reinvestment of operating surpluses into the educational quality of the institution including operations, student and faculty support.
The Board of Trustees retains autonomy in its oversight of the financial management of the College. The Finance & Long Range Planning Committee (FLRP) consists solely of independent members of the Board and is led by the Chair of the Board. Per the bylaws, the Board must approve the independent auditors, all budgets, significant contracts, and borrowings. The detailed work of the Board for approval recommendations for the budgets, new revenue sources, audit and auditor recommendations, tuition and institutional aid practices, and long‐range financial planning occur through the FLRP.
The FLRP is also responsible to the greater Board to report on certain ethics of management practices including compliance with disclosure of insider and related party transactions. By policy, the FLRP meets individually with the auditor and management in the absence of insiders (the CEO) and again independently with the auditors in the absence of any management in order to ensure unfettered access to the independent, third‐party reviewer. There are Codes of Ethics applicable to management, the Trustees, and employees as well as a direct hotline to the Chair of the Board provided to any employee who has a concern about the College’s accounting, internal controls or auditing matters. STANDARD 9—FINANCIAL RESOURCES 107 BAY STATE COLLEGE
With the Board’s approval, the institution has quadrupled the amount of institutional aid given to students in the last four years. After reviewing the effectiveness of the College’s financial aid strategy, the College strategically altered its policy to attract and retain the students who can best benefit from Bay State’s education aspiring to increase student outcomes like retention and graduation rates. The aid policy provides for merit scholarships, need‐blind grants, and aid that targets bachelors students, middle‐class students who are ineligible for federal grants, and students with demonstrated commitment to community service. Although evaluated every year in the budget process, the latest major revision to the aid policy was implemented for 2012‐13 and coincided with an increase in first year retention of five percentage points.
Budgeting is a formalized process that begins with high level goals that are crafted from the strategic benchmarks of the college and expected enrollment. Projected enrollment is based upon faculty input, current market conditions, comparisons to historical and other data such as retention, graduation and attrition rates. The budget is then guided by the College’s stated long‐range goal to have a 6% pre‐tax income to maximize the Department of Education financial responsibility score for net income strength.
Individual departments utilize the strategic plan to develop budget priorities which are incorporated into the operating budget. Using a zero based budget format, each expense line item is determined based on review and assessment of prior year actual results and planned future strategic resource needs. Initial budget drafts including budget assumptions are submitted to the President and Vice President of Administration & Finance (VPAF) for review. Overall expenses are reviewed in the context of operational goals and the process repeats itself until a budget is provided to the Board’s FLRP for approval and Board recommendation.
Capital planning is incorporated as part of the annual budgetary process and is a collaborative effort between executive and operational management. Capital requests are submitted through a formal process that includes estimated vendor quotes, expected timeframe, and prioritization of capital need. The President and VPAF review the requests based on prioritization, the strategic planned resource needs and availability of funds. The goal is to provide a capital budget equal to or greater than depreciation. A purchase order system is monitored by finance staff to ensure final purchases are reconciled with approved budgeted funding. Final approval of the budgets is retained by the Board upon recommendation of the FLRP.
STANDARD 9—FINANCIAL RESOURCES 108 BAY STATE COLLEGE
As the strategic plan is a “living” plan constantly going through updates and revision, the long range financial plan (LRFP) of the college changes accordingly. The long‐range plan was first approved by the Board in the strategic planning process and is reviewed by the FLRP annually. The long range plan starts with a framework that aligns operational and strategic priorities with the mission and vision of the College. The framework details the assumptions in the forecasts at a going‐concern level then layers on strategic initiatives tied to Outcomes 2015. Basic assumptions are applied to historical enrollment, revenue and financial aid, expense, retention and staffing data to make an operating forecast. The financial plan then incorporates strategic priorities and is updated with actual results from each year as well as changes in assumptions. The long‐range plan incorporates personnel, information technology and deferred maintenance plans which are updated each year. Projections now go through 2017 providing clarity on the college’s financial capacity to graduate the entering class. [See Appendix V: Long‐range financial plan & process]. This plan is reviewed and approved by the LRFP.
On an annual basis the College undergoes a comprehensive review of insurance limits and risk assessment in conjunction with independent insurance agents and outside risk consultants to ensure adequate business insurance coverage. Risk management is also conducted internally through formalized policies and procedures (See Appendix W: Risk Management Plan). Since 2010, the Management Team, and sometimes broader constituencies, are included in the identification and classification of risk in four main areas: Operational, Compliance, Physical and Reputation. Each year high priority risks are identified and plans for mitigation are created and tracked, then re‐assessed each year. In 2012, the College hired a risk consultant to work with the Management Team on this task. The primary risks that were identified for focus in 2012‐13 were: Operational‐ Pay & Benefits; Compliance‐ Data Security; Physical‐ Security; and Reputation‐ For‐profit status. Mitigation plans are all included in the Risk Management Plan. The Risk Management Plan is presented to the Board annually.
Written financial policies exist for the financial areas within the college. The policies and procedures are regularly reviewed with senior management and staff and are also reviewed on an annual basis by the college’s independent accounting firm and updated as necessary. The college established a policy and procedure review committee, known as OPSCOM, comprised of key personnel across the college whose mission is to ensure more effective communication and compliance between departments leading to a more accountable and effective operation in support of the mission.
STANDARD 9—FINANCIAL RESOURCES 109 BAY STATE COLLEGE
College finances are led by the Vice President of Administration and Finance (VPAF) with 20 years of various industry experiences and 5 years of higher education experience who reports directly to the President. She oversees the Student Financial Service (SFS) area which is managed by the Senior Director of Student Financial Services who has over 20 years of higher education, financial aid, and compliance experience. A staff of 8 individuals provides finance, accounting, and financial aid management services.
An independent CPA firm conducts annual financial audits in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and reporting of financial aid audits in accordance with government auditing standards. Monthly internal financial reporting is reviewed at the Executive committee level and with departmental managers. On a quarterly basis, the President reviews results with individual departments and the Finance Committee of the Board of Trustees is provided with financial reports.
Institutional Effectiveness Bay State evaluates its fiscal condition and financial management in four principal ways. First, it budgets on a monthly and annual basis. Second, the College has established financial benchmarks for each year of its strategic plan in the areas of Net Income Strength and Cash Reserves. These are two of the three components identified by the US Department of Education in its Financial Responsibility Score. The College’s financial performance is measured on these two factors annually and budgets and financial management are informed based on the analysis. Third, the College uses its independent auditors to assess the fiscal management and compliance with federal regulations. Fourth, the College works with its bank’s requirements for lending including meeting minimum financial performance markers.
Appraisal Since fiscal year 2007, the College has exceeded its budget goals as tuition and fee revenue increased 100% from $8M to $16M as of fiscal year 2012. Other income from residence halls and book sales remained primarily unchanged. In addition to modest increase to tuition rates, the growth of tuition revenue is attributed to gradual increases in overall enrollment from 650 students to 1,154 students, fall to fall day student retention growth to nearly 60%, and a combination of expansion to baccalaureate degrees and new program offerings.
In 2010‐11, the College grew headcount 5%, revenue 10%, and maintained EBITDA at 10% of revenue. Cash on the balance sheet increased 54% to 14% of revenue. Net equity grew 45%. In 2011‐12, the college continued to grow headcount (4% to an average 1,154), revenue 11%, and maintained EBITDA at
STANDARD 9—FINANCIAL RESOURCES 110 BAY STATE COLLEGE
9% of revenue before adjustments. Cash on the balance sheet increased 27% and is now over 17% of revenue. Net equity was stable and long term debt was up only marginally.
Overall, the College has done well to meet its enrollment projections while managing tuition discounts. The College has strategically increased institutional aid from $791K in 2007 to $3.1M in 2012, while increasing the average student award amount and number of recipients from $1.8K for 350 students in 2007 to $3.5K for 875 students in 2012. A difficult economic credit environment and lack of private lending in the proprietary educational market played a significant role in planning of the strategic awarding process.
The College remains committed and focused on providing financial transparency, decreasing student debt, and improving repayment rates. Through focused efforts of dedicated default prevention personnel and initiatives designed to provide financial literacy and debt management in conjunction with strategic financial aid policies, the College has effectively reduced the CDR 2yr default rate for 2007 from 12.5% to 7.8% as of 2010. The Perkins default rate improved from a high of 45% in 2009 to 10% as of 2011.
Tuition rates have increased on average 5% per academic year combined with modest increases to fees and no increase to on‐campus housing rates over the last 3 fiscal years. Bay State ranks in the lowest of four quartiles when compared with 28 other similar colleges in the area for tuition and fees. The College’s commitment to providing an affordable, quality, career education led the College in 2009 to institute a per credit hour tuition model. In 2011, the College amended this model in the Day Division to charge different tuition rates by program based on program delivery cost and on graduate earnings potential in line with Gainful Employment regulations. This strategy provided students with maximum flexibility based on individual financial and academic needs and expected return on investment.
Bay State has met its stated strategic financial goals in all areas. The College identified two key strategic financial goals for Outcomes 2015. Net income strength and cash reserves are identified by the US Department of Education as the two primary strength factors for measuring financial mission attainment for proprietary colleges. In 2010 and 2011, the College met or exceeded the maximum benchmark set by the DOE which is 6% pre‐tax income. The College would have exceeded this benchmark again in 2012 if it had not chosen to take an extraordinary write‐off of old fixed assets. In terms of reserves, the DOE identifies a 15% ratio as maximum targeted benchmark. The College has continued to successfully build its financial reserve by a minimum of 1% of net tuition revenues each year, achieving its strategic STANDARD 9—FINANCIAL RESOURCES 111 BAY STATE COLLEGE benchmark level of 3% of operating expenses in 2012. The goal of Outcomes 2015 is to reach 6% by 2015 and eventually 15% in the long‐run.
The cash reserve is available for contingencies along with a $1,000,000 line of credit established through Bank of America and secured by the personal guarantee of the owners of Bay State College. The College consistently meets or exceeds the required federal financial responsibility composite ratio benchmark of 1.5 partially due to its strategic focus on certain financial strength factors, and exceeds the bank’s required minimum debt service coverage ratio of 1.1 to 1.0. Lastly, the College’s financial support could rely on outside capital invested by existing or new shareholders if necessary.
Although the institution is financially stable, it continues to be highly dependent on Day Division enrollment and corresponding tuition revenue. The key business model risk is the heavy reliance on the “Day,” more traditional student. This population is declining nationally and competition locally is rising. As a tuition‐dependent college, Bay State knows it cannot compete as a traditional college in the facilities arms‐race investing in non‐core operations like sports teams. In 2012‐13, the College experienced its first decline in enrollment in half a decade due to a larger than usual graduating class and a lower than expected fall, Day recruitment. Projected enrollment for 2012‐13 is expected to decline 3% percent with revenue down 4%. The College was able to adjust its budget through cuts in variable expenses without materially impacting the quality of its education or strategic goals.
As a result of the risk inherent with the heavy reliance on the fall Day start, the College plans to continue to grow this traditional base but, in its strategic plan, has identified the non‐traditional revenue streams including international students and fully online programs as an area of investment. As a result of this strategic initiative identified in Outcomes 2015, in 2012‐13 the college’s revenue growth in its non‐ traditional Continuing Education and Online Divisions softened the decrease in the Day Division revenue. Increasing non‐traditional revenue to 50% of total revenue, from 20% budgeted in 2013, is a strategic goal of Outcomes 2015 that balances risk and provides for more efficient use of fixed costs like facilities.
The College has secured long‐term leases with extension terms on most academic facilities out as far as 2029. Leases on the residence halls expire in 2019 which will be the 37th year of the leases. The College is working with the landlords on new lease or acquisition terms for the future beyond 2019. Despite the recent downturn in demand for student on‐campus housing as described in Standard 6, the College forecasts future need based on College growth with international students and is working to be
STANDARD 9—FINANCIAL RESOURCES 112 BAY STATE COLLEGE prepared. Historically, the College has supplemented low student housing demand with subleases to area schools or international groups.
Approximately 80% of operational expenditures are dedicated to providing support to instructional and student services. As of 2012, faculty salaries and benefits represent 50% of total compensation expenses. Between fiscal year 2009 and 2012, investments in excess of $4M in college‐wide improvements were made to enhance the College’s infrastructure and delivery of programs. The investments include a new Library, on‐site bookstore, campus‐wide wireless communications and classroom technology such as interactive “smart boards”, web‐based student portal, improved security for residence halls and campus‐wide facilities through secured card access, and implementation of an integrated enhanced emergency notification system.
Projections Through prudent financial planning and strategic execution, the College, under the direction of the Board of Trustees, will continue to adhere to its policy on building its financial reserves, strengthening the strategic foundation and ensuring its financial capacity for the long run. From a risk and prudent management perspective, the College will continue to focus investments on the student experience, compliance and risk management protocols, and service to all our constituents.
Outcomes 2015 calls for investments in non‐traditional learners and growing the Continuing Education and Online divisions to help balance business risk and provide for a more efficient use of facilities and fixed assets. The College is also planning to continue to expand the year‐round provision of educational services.
A key priority for the College is to continue to invest in facilities including securing long‐term leases and providing new, modern, high technology campuses to replace the current Middleborough and 437 Boylston St., Boston sites that will better serve students and provide a platform for college growth.
The College has a robust new program development model that will further the College’s strategies in Management, Health and other related disciplines.
Lastly, the College continues to analyze its tuition and financial aid strategies to maximize enrollment and lead to better student outcomes. The College’s commitment to its core values and to providing affordable, flexible, career‐oriented education that provides good value will drive decision‐making.
STANDARD 9—FINANCIAL RESOURCES 113 BAY STATE COLLEGE
Standard 9: Financial Resources (Statement of Financial Position/Statement of Net Assets)
2 Years Prior 1 Year Prior Project Most Percent Change FISCAL YEAR ENDS month &day: (06/30) (FY 2010 ) (FY 2011 ) Recent Year 2 yrs-1 yr prior 1 yr-most recent
ASSETS
? CASH AND SHORT TERM INVESTMENTS $1,610,812 $2,484,625 $2,898,811 54.2% 16.7%
? CASH HELD BY STATE TREASURER $0 $0 $0 - -
? DEPOSITS HELD BY STATE TREASURER $0 $0 $0 - -
? ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE, NET $592,901 $1,015,126 $563,852 71.2% -44.5%
? CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVABLE, NET $0 $0 $0 - -
? INVENTORY AND PREPAID EXPENSES $334,678 $358,785 $494,565 7.2% 37.8%
? LONG-TERM INVESTMENTS $0 $0 $0 - -
? LOANS TO STUDENTS $0 $0 $0 - -
? FUNDS HELD UNDER BOND AGREEMENT $0 $0 $0 - -
? PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT, NET $2,602,036 $3,318,809 $3,304,121 27.5% -0.4%
? OTHER ASSETS $12,632 $26,500 $26,500 109.8% 0.0%
TOTAL ASSETS $5,153,059 $7,203,845 $7,287,849 39.8% 1.2%
LIABILITIES
? ACCOUNTS PAYABLE AND ACCRUED LIABILITIES $1,399,582 $913,621 $1,166,133 -34.7% 27.6%
? DEFERRED REVENUE & REFUNDABLE ADVANCES $1,281,436 $1,531,140 $1,440,311 19.5% -5.9%
? DUE TO STATE $0 $0 $0 - -
? DUE TO AFFILIATES $0 $0 $0 - -
? ANNUITY AND LIFE INCOME OBLIGATIONS $0 $0 $0 - -
? AMOUNTS HELD ON BEHALF OF OTHERS $0 $0 $0 - -
? LONG TERM DEBT $64,852 $525,534 $662,089 710.4% 26.0%
? REFUNDABLE GOVERNMENT ADVANCES $0 $0 $0 - -
? OTHER LONG-TERM LIABILITIES $587,314 $1,593,580 $1,545,375 171.3% -3.0%
TOTAL LIABILITIES $3,333,184 $4,563,875 $4,813,908 36.9% 5.5%
NET ASSETS
UNRESTRICTED NET ASSETS
INSTITUTIONAL $1,819,875 $2,639,970 $2,473,941 45.1% -6.3%
? FOUNDATION --
TOTAL $1,819,875 $2,639,970 $2,473,941 45.1% -6.3%
TEMPORARILY RESTRICTED NET ASSETS
INSTITUTIONAL --
? FOUNDATION --
TOTAL $0 $0 $0 --
PERMANENTLY RESTRICTED NET ASSETS
INSTITUTIONAL --
? FOUNDATION --
TOTAL $0 $0 $0 --
? TOTAL NET ASSETS $1,819,875 $2,639,970 $2,473,941 45.1% -6.3%
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS $5,153,059 $7,203,845 $7,287,849 39.8% 1.2% STANDARD 9—FINANCIAL RESOURCES 114 BAY STATE COLLEGE
Standard 9: Financial Resources (Statement of Revenues and Expenses) Most Recently Next Year 2 Years Prior 1 Years Prior Completed Year Current Budget* Forward FISCAL YEAR ENDS month &day: (06 /30) (FY2010 ) (FY2011 ) (FY 2012 ) (FY 2013 ) (FY 2014 ) OPERATING REVENUES ? TUITIO N & FEES $15,459,108 $17,424,579 $19,176,745 $18,963,297 $19,600,000 ? ROOM AND BOARD $2,773,027 $2,509,011 $2,694,186 $2,027,432 $2,275,000 ? LESS: FINANCIAL AID ($2,622,932) ($2,808,109) ($3,147,821) ($3,281,660) ($3,620,160) NET STUDENT FEES $15,609,203 $17,125,481 $18,723,110 $17,709,069 $18,254,840 ? GOVERNMENT GRANTS & CONTRACTS $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 ? PRIVATE GIFTS, GRANTS & CONTRACTS $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 ? OTHER AUXILIARY ENTERPRISES $0 $0 $255,004 $676,450 $700,000 ENDOWMENT INCOME USED IN OPERATIONS ? OTHER REVENUE (specify): Recover Bad Debt, vendor comm $74,803 $84,361 $165,839 $70,750 $70,000 OTHER REVENUE (specify): NET ASSETS RELEASED FROM RESTRICTIONS TOTAL OPERATING REVENUES $15,684,006 $17,209,842 $19,143,953 $18,456,269 $19,024,840 OPERATING EXPENSES ? INSTRUCTION $3,558,143 $4,397,519 $5,331,812 $5,299,371 $5,458,352 ? RESEARCH $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 ? PUBLIC SERVICE $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 ? ACADEMIC SUPPORT $856,059 $983,639 $971,832 $1,130,419 $1,164,332 ? STUDENT SERVICES $4,869,363 $5,403,593 $5,541,678 $5,337,247 $5,497,364 ? INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT $3,286,813 $2,538,468 $3,291,730 $2,555,465 $2,632,129 FUNDRAISING AND ALUMNI RELATIONS $0 $0 $0 ? OPERATION, MAINTENANCE OF PLANT (if not allocated) $1,813,545 $2,145,966 $2,181,426 $2,189,791 $2,597,721 SCHOLARSHIPS & FELLOWSHIPS (Cash refunded by public ? institutions) $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 ? AUXILIARY ENTERPRISES $0 $0 $278,718 $769,458 $650,000 ? DEPRECIATION (if not allocated) $391,672 $525,058 $637,913 $500,000 $550,000 ? OTHER EXPENSES (specify): $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 OTHER EXPENSES (specify): $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 TOTAL OPERATING EXPENDITURES $14,775,595 $15,994,243 $18,235,109 $17,781,751 $18,549,898 CHANGE IN NET ASSETS FROM OPERATIONS $908,411 $1,215,599 $908,844 $674,518 $474,942
NON OPERATING REVENUES ? STATE APPROPRIATIONS (NET) $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 ? INVESTMENT RETURN $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 ? INTEREST EXPENSE (public institutions) ($21,995) ($44,034) ($32,934) ($42,776) ($35,577) GIFTS, BEQUESTS & CONTRIBUTIONS NOT USED IN OPERATIONS ? OTHER (specify): Interest Income $15,135 $12,373 $8,439 $7,500 $7,500 OTHER (specify): OTHER (specify): NET NON OPERATING REVENUES ($6,860) ($31,661) ($24,495) ($35,276) ($28,077) INCOME BEFORE OTHER REVENUES EXPENSES, GAINS, OR LOSSES $901,551 $1,183,938 $884,349 $639,242 $446,865 ? CAPITAL APPROPRIATIONS (public institutions) $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
? OTHER ($77,174) ($40,402) ($213,553) ($31,560) ($25,570) TOTAL INCREASE/DECREASE IN NET ASSETS $824,377 $1,143,536 $670,796 $607,682 $421,295
STANDARD 9—FINANCIAL RESOURCES 115 BAY STATE COLLEGE
STANDARD 9—FINANCIAL RESOURCES 116 BAY STATE COLLEGE
Standard 9: Financial Resources (Statement of Debt) Most Recently Completed Current Next Year 3 Years Prior 2 Years Prior Year Budget* Forward FISCAL YEAR ENDS month & day ( / ) (FY2010) (FY2011 ) (FY 2012 ) (FY 2013 ) (FY 2014 )
DEBT
BEGINNING BALANCE $528,433 $273,161 $760,692 $927,137 $1,091,557
ADDITIONS $0 $834,997 $420,000 $500,000 $0
? REDUCTIONS ($255,272) ($347,466) ($253,555) ($335,580) ($341,086)
ENDING BALANCE $273,161 $760,692 $927,137 $1,091,557 $750,471 INTEREST PAID DURING FISCAL YEAR $21,995 $44,034 $32,934 $42,776 $35,577
CURRENT PORTION $208,309 $235,158 $265,048 $341,086 $244,946
BOND RATING DEBT COVENANTS (PLEASE DESCRIBE):
Debt and line of credit are subject to maximum debt to worth ratio of 2.0. In addition, the College must meet a Debt Service Coverage Ratio of 1.1 to 1.
STANDARD 9—FINANCIAL RESOURCES 117 BAY STATE COLLEGE
Standard 9: Financial Resources (Supplemental Data) Most Recently Completed Next Year 3 Years Prior 2 Years Prior Year Current Budget* Forward FISCAL YEAR ENDS month & day ( / ) (FY 2010 ) (FY 2011 ) (FY 2012 ) (FY 2013 ) (FY 2014 )
NET ASSETS
NET ASSETS BEGINNING OF YEAR $1,472,083 $1,819,875 $2,639,970 $2,516,366 $3,124,048 TOTAL INCREASE/DECREASE IN NET ASSETS $347,792 $820,095 ($123,604) $607,682 $834,423
NET ASSETS END OF YEAR $1,819,875 $2,639,970 $2,516,366 $3,124,048 $3,958,471
FINANCIAL AID
SOURCE OF FUNDS
UNRESTRICTED INSTITUTIONAL $1,479,287 $2,639,538 $3,137,694 $3,180,000 $3,400,000 FEDERAL, STATE & PRIVATE GRANTS $1,874,844 $3,170,347 $3,343,216 $3,510,376 $3,685,894
RESTRICTED FUNDS $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
? TOTAL $3,354,131 $5,809,885 $6,480,910 $6,690,376 $7,085,894
% DISCOUNT OF TUITION & FEES
? % UNRESTRICTED DISCOUNT
PLEASE INDICATE YOUR INSTITUTION'S ENDOWMENT SPENDING POLICY:
NA
STANDARD 9—FINANCIAL RESOURCES 118 BAY STATE COLLEGE
Standard Ten – Public Disclosure
Description Bay State College (BSC) provides prospective students and other members of the interested public with complete, detailed, and accurate information about the College in reader‐friendly formats that include the College Catalog, the College’s website, the College Digital ViewBook, Program Summary Sheets, the Student Handbook, Semester Schedule Packets (via the BSC student portal), and all advertisements.
The Vice President of Enrollment & Marketing and Vice President of Student Services, with input from various stakeholders reviews and revises the College Catalog and Student Handbook, ensuring that all information is accurate and up‐to‐date. Based on the revisions, all other appropriate publications are updated. Throughout the process, members of the Academic Management Team and Admissions and Student Affairs assist in checking and double‐checking of all information pertaining to the College and its offerings. The College’s website, maintained by the Vice President of Enrollment & Marketing, is located at www.baystate.edu. The College has been diligent in its effort to provide students, both prospective and enrolled, with accurate and timely information. Examples of this type of transparency include tuition pricing, repayment policies, median debt, and job placement rates. BSC has effectively complied with all requests for all of its publications and all information pertinent thereto. The Standard 10 Data First form highlights all pertinent documents, their locations, and contents. What follows are brief descriptions of important documents that depict the College to its constituents.
Appraisal The College Catalog This digital publication, provides the institution’s Mission Statement; a description of the campus setting; information on Admissions; all academic programs, Day, Evening, and Online Divisions at all campuses; student services; tuition and fees; refund policies; financial aid; rules, regulations and procedures governing student life, as well as academic conduct; graduation and degree requirements; academic support services; contact information for administrators and faculty members, along with adjunct or full‐time status designations; and academic calendars for Day and Evening Divisions. Included in the Catalog are also the names of members of the Board of Trustees and their affiliations. Archival editions of previous year’s Catalogs are also available.
STANDARD 10—PUBLIC DISCLOSURE 119 BAY STATE COLLEGE
The Bay State College Website This is the College’s primary Internet presence. Redesigned in June 2011, the website provides visitors with all of the information available in the Catalog all information related to accreditation; required disclosures; a downloadable College application form; student and faculty profiles; recent Bay State news items; student services‐related information; library resources; directions and maps; and more. The website also includes access to our learning management system (LMS), student, staff and faculty portals, and webmail. Learning objectives for each program are listed on the individual program pages on the BSC website.
The BSC web site was redesigned in 2011 to improve the navigation and volume of relevant information available to visitors. This redesign was in direct response to feedback from the Institutional Effectiveness Survey, specifically only 67% in 2010‐2011 agreed “The College’s web site is user friendly and useful in serving the student and larger college community.” The latest survey, reflects a marked improvement, with 82% agreeing to that same statement. The web site’s new content management system has been instrumental in improving the speed at which updates can be made to the site itself.
The Student Handbook and Planning Calendar This is the guide to day‐to‐day operations of the College for all members of its community. The Handbook provides students, staff and faculty members with information on the institution’s mission and accreditation; its facilities; the academic programs; academic support services; the names, contact information for members of the administration, Admissions and Student Services departments; rules, regulations and procedures governing student conduct and academic conduct; course and college withdrawal policies; requirements for insurance and immunization; the student business center; the refund policy; financial aid; and graduation requirements.
Outcomes 2015 Outcomes 2015 is the College’s most current and ambitious strategic plan. It is published in hard copy and available on the BSC website.
Student Right to Know In compliance with the Department of Education’s Student Right to Know Act, the College offers a web site directory featuring linkages to important performance results, policies and resources where students, staff and faculty can find the answers to some important questions. This resource was created in an effort to provide the utmost transparency of the College’s institutional efforts and includes information related to graduation, retention, licensure and placement rates, Title IV repayment policies, STANDARD 10—PUBLIC DISCLOSURE 120 BAY STATE COLLEGE
FERPA guidelines, program‐specific information, tuition cost and financial aid information, to name just a few of the data points.
Pledge of Public Accountability Bay State College is one of 20 for‐profit institutions that in July 2011 signed a “Pledge of Public Accountability,” which provide a one page statement with links to pertinent decision‐making data for prospective students, to ensure high standards of conduct and transparency. The Pledge provides relevant information to all prospective students and their parents, including employment data, accreditation and approvals, faculty credentials, financial aid, and for‐profit status.
The Digital ViewBook and responsive “one pager” The Digital ViewBook is a web‐based viewbook that engages and interests prospective students in a way that traditional print media just can't. A responsive “one pager” print piece is distributed to prospective students at college fairs, during high school presentations, at Open Houses, Accepted Student Days, and through the Admissions Office. The viewbook's theme is "driven" — it explores what drives Bay State students to succeed academically. Current students and alumni are profiled, sharing in their own words how their Bay State education has helped them achieve their goals. The URL is driven.baystate.edu.
Program Summary Sheets These glossy single‐sheets, contain brief program descriptions and are distributed by the Admissions Department at open houses, college fairs, and transfer fairs.
The Admissions Application Available via our student portal on the College’s website and through the Department of Admissions, this print and digital document asks applicants to provide the essential information necessary for processing student admission. myBayState Portal The College’s student portal, of particular importance during the pre‐registration period every semester, enables students to view a master schedule with all courses, books, sections, credit allocations, rooms and times, instructors names; elective descriptions and requirements; and Continuing Education offerings.
STANDARD 10—PUBLIC DISCLOSURE 121 BAY STATE COLLEGE
The Bay State College Beat A newsletter published semi‐annually by the Department of Student Services containing information on resources and activities available to students and the larger college community, The Bay State Beat is distributed in PDF via email to all students and members of the staff and faculty.
Institutional Effectiveness The College has in place a process by which both paper and electronic publications are created, reviewed and updated annually. The BSC College Catalog has a review process by which the annual selection, inclusion, and revision of all content is conducted through which the Catalog remains current and accurate. An annual review of content on the website is conducted by the Vice President of Enrollment & Marketing and the Marketing Assistant and key stakeholders (Program Chairs, Student Services, Admissions, Financial Aid) and any new content is added and/or revised in real‐time as needed. The Student Handbook and Planning Calendar are reviewed annually by stakeholders across the College to ensure content is up to date an accurate. If policy changes are made through the academic year, and addendum to the Student Handbook is produced and distributed to all students.
The College has been responsive to reasonable requests for information about itself. While the Catalog is current and accurate, this has been largely the result of individual efforts on the part of the Vice President of Enrollment & Marketing. With the addition of a marketing department, there now exists an institution‐wide process by which information to be published is collected and stored in a centralized manner. Annually, all changes go through the Vice President of Enrollment & Marketing. The growth of the College’s web site has more than kept pace with the latest widespread innovations in web technology. The College’s content management system (CMS) is a good example, enabling timely and accurate updates to the site.
The Bay State College website has also received several awards since its re‐design in 2011. The 2012 eduStyle Higher‐ed Web Awards, which celebrate the best work in college and university websites, honored the new site with Best Re‐Design and Best Visual Design. In January of 2012, the site was presented with a Silver W3 Award and Silver Davey Award. These awards honor creative excellence on the web, and recognize the creative and marketing professionals behind award winning sites, videos and marketing programs.
Projection
STANDARD 10—PUBLIC DISCLOSURE 122 BAY STATE COLLEGE
The College under the direction of the VP of Enrollment & Marketing will continue to maintain its web site via the content management system, making edits in a timely manner and providing up‐to‐date information regarding programs and costs. The College will continue to provide prospective students and other members of the interested public with complete, detailed and accurate information about the College in reader‐friendly formats. The College will also continue to look for ways to increase this level of transparency for all students. This focus on increased transparency remains essential for the College, as outlined in Outcomes 2015: “The ‘student experience’ strategy is focused on ensuring that every student leaves Bay State College feeling he or she received a quality education and exceptional value for tuition dollars spent. The College pledges to promote the outstanding achievements of its graduates and to be transparent and proud of our student outcomes including learning outcomes and retention, graduation and placement rates.”
STANDARD 10—PUBLIC DISCLOSURE 123 BAY STATE COLLEGE
Standard 10: Public Disclosure
Information Web Addresses Print Publications How can inquiries be made about the institution? Where can
questions be addressed? https://my.baystate.edu/Applicant/InfoRequest.aspx Web Site, Catalog Notice of availability of publications and of audited financial statement or fair summary Not required of private entities. NA http://www.baystate.edu/files/resources/course_catalo
Institutional catalog g_2011web-2.pdf Catalog Obligations and responsibilities http://www.baystate.edu/files/resources/course_catalo
of students and the institution g_2011web-2.pdf Catalog, Handbook Information on admission and http://www.baystate.edu/files/resources/course_catalo
attendance g_2011web-2.pdf#page=11 Catalog, Web Site Institutional mission and http://www.baystate.edu/about-baystate/history-- Catalog, Handbook, Web
objectives mission/ Site
Expected educational outcomes http://www.baystate.edu/ by program Status as public or independent institution; status as not-for- profit or for-profit; religious
affiliation http://www.baystate.edu/about-baystate/accreditation/ Catalog, Web Site Requirements, procedures and
policies re: admissions http://www.baystate.edu/admissions/ Catalog, Web Site Requirements, procedures and http://www.baystate.edu/files/resources/transfer-of-
policies re: transfer credit credit.pdf Catalog, Handbook A list of institutions with which the institution has an articulation agreement BSC Common Shared Drive Shared Drive Folder Student fees, charges and refund Catalog, Handbook, Web
policies http://www.baystate.edu/financial-aid/tuition--fees/ Site Rules and regulations for http://www.baystate.edu/files/resources/student-
student conduct handbook.pdf#page=62 Catalog, Handbook Procedures for student appeals
and complaints https://my.baystate.edu/ Handbook Other information re: attending or withdrawing from the http://www.baystate.edu/files/resources/course_catalo
institution g_2011web.pdf#page=23 Catalog, Handbook
Academic programs http://www.baystate.edu/programs/ Catalog, Web Site BSC Student Portal, Web
Courses currently offered https://my.baystate.edu/ Site Other available educational opportunities http://www.baystate.edu/campus-life/study-abroad/ Other academic policies and
procedures https://my.baystate.edu/ BSC Student Portal Requirements for degrees and other forms of academic
recognition https://my.baystate.edu/ BSC Student Portal List of current faculty, indicating department or program affiliation, distinguishing between full- and part-time, showing degrees held and
institutions granting them http://www.baystate.edu/about-baystate/faculty--staff/ Web Site, Catalog Names and positions of http://www.baystate.edu/files/resources/course_catalo
administrative officers g_2011web.pdf#page=28 Catalog, Web Site
STANDARD 10—PUBLIC DISCLOSURE 124 BAY STATE COLLEGE
Information Web Addresses Print Publications Names, principal affiliations of http://www.baystate.edu/files/resources/course_catalo
governing board members g_2011web.pdf#page=28 Catalog, Web Site Locations and programs available at branch campuses, other instructional locations, and overseas operations at which students can enroll for a degree, along with a description of Web Site (home page - programs and services available "I'm interested in taking:",
at each location http://www.baystate.edu/ Catalog Programs, courses, services, and personnel not available in any
given academic year. https://my.baystate.edu/ BSC Student Portal Size and characteristics of the
student body http://www.baystate.edu/about-baystate/ Web Site, Catalog Description of the campus
setting http://www.baystate.edu/about-baystate/ Web Site, Catalog Availability of academic and Web Site, Catalog,
other support services http://www.baystate.edu/campus-life/support-services/ Handbook Range of co-curricular and non- academic opportunities available
to students http://www.baystate.edu/campus-life/clubs--activities/ Web Site, Handbook Institutional learning and physical resources from which a student can reasonably be expected to benefit http://www.baystate.edu/campus-life/ Institutional goals for students'
education http://www.baystate.edu/ by program Success of students in achieving institutional goals including rates of retention and graduation and other measure of student success Web Site (individual appropriate to institutional program pages - "Student mission. Passage rates for Consumer Information"
licensure exams, as appropriate http://www.baystate.edu links Total cost of education, including availability of financial
aid and typical length of study http://www.baystate.edu/financial-aid/tuition--fees/ Catalog, Web Site Expected amount of student http://www.baystate.edu/files/resources/program-
debt upon graduation matrix_11_11v2.pdf Web Site
Statement about accreditation http://www.baystate.edu/about-baystate/accreditation/ Web Site, Catalog
STANDARD 10—PUBLIC DISCLOSURE 125 BAY STATE COLLEGE
Standard 11 ‐ Integrity
Description The mission that guides the institution gives the College the ability to promote and foster personal, professional and academic integrity at all levels, through internal and external constituencies. The College adheres to strict practices that factor into the integrity of openness with regards to policies and procedures that support well informed and ethical leadership. Bay State College (BSC) accomplishes this in the following ways: 1. It is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer, committed to a policy of non‐discrimination for all persons regardless of race, sex, color, religion, creed, national origin or ancestry, age, marital status, sexual orientation, disability or veteran status. The College is committed to compliance with all applicable laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The Human Resources function is housed distinctively in a full‐time role for employee relations and compliance. The Department is now staffed with one full‐time and one part‐time (soon to be full‐time) position. 2. It fairly and consistently applies admission requirements to all prospective students. Standards for admission to BSC are clearly stated on the College’s website and in the catalog. 3. It acts responsibly and with integrity at all levels of the community. Rights and responsibilities of all members of the community may be found in many of the College’s publications, including the new Faculty Handbook which was re‐written and distributed in October 2012, the Staff Handbook, and the Student Handbook. 4. It interacts with all internal and external constituencies in a manner that is characterized by truthfulness, clarity and fairness. 5. It observes the spirit as well as the letter of applicable legal requirements. The College complies with all federal, state and local laws and regulations (e.g., regarding sexual harassment, substance abuse, OSHA standards, ADA guidelines) as they apply to faculty, staff and students. 6. It has established policies and procedures for the fair resolution of grievances brought by faculty, staff or students. The College has in place grievance procedures that are clearly outlined in the Personnel Manual and the Student Handbook. 7. It demonstrates honesty and integrity in its relationships with the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education, and it complies with the Commission’s Standards, policies, Requirements of Affiliation, and requests.
STANDARD 11—INTEGRITY 126 BAY STATE COLLEGE
8. The College is transparent with regards to its proprietary status. The College’s specific accreditation is explicit. Links to documents supporting the College’s adherence to these practices can be found on the Standard 11 Data First form.
BSC adheres closely to standards outlined in The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), as outlined in the BSC Student Handbook, affording students certain rights with regard to their educational records: 1. The right to inspect and review the student’s educational record(s) within 45 days of the day BSC receives a request for access. 2. The right to request an amendment to the student’s educational record(s) that the student believes is inaccurate or misleading 3. The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s educational record(s), except to the extent that FERPA authorizes the disclosure without consent. 4. The right to block the release of directory information. 5. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by BSC to comply with the requirements of FERPA. In accordance with the requirements of FERPA, BSC provides annual notice to students regarding these rights. The College complies with the spirit and letter of all relevant governmental requirements and accrediting‐body standards.
Appraisal While BSC adheres to all FERPA requirements, the institution ensures, through new faculty orientation each semester, that all new and adjunct faculty members have access to important and relevant guidelines and information regarding students’ status with regard to parental and family disclosure. Additionally, annual FERPA training for all faculty and staff is conducted prior to the start of the academic year. The Adjunct Faculty Coordinator distributes FERPA documents to new/returning adjuncts every year. Moreover, all confidential student information is password protected, with only authorized personnel having access to such information through CampusVue.
The College protects the integrity and privacy of internal communication and student data through the close and careful management of its email and database systems. This includes, a documented password policy using an automated tool for compliance (Nfront Security’s Password Filter and Web Password
STANDARD 11—INTEGRITY 127 BAY STATE COLLEGE
Change products); Windows 2003 Active Directory (management and control system); A separate firewall with centralized network management for each building; Individualized installation of virus and spyware protection on each server and desktop is protected by TrendMicro’s OfficeScan product; Nightly backup of applications and databases with offsite storage; Restricted password access to student and sensitive internal data; A separate antivirus and anti‐spam engine for the College’s email server, Barracuda’s Spam and Virus Firewall along with Ipswich iMail’s Commtouch Antivirus; Documented backup policies and procedures for frequency, dates and data retention (see Appendix X: IT Disaster Recovery Plan).
The College supports the principle of academic freedom to protect the faculty’s freedom to teach and the student’s freedom to learn. The College’s policy, as stated in the Faculty Handbook, is to maintain and encourage full freedom of inquiry, teaching, and research. Moreover, the Code of Rights and Responsibilities for faculty members is outlined in the Faculty Handbook.
The College emphasizes the importance of academic honesty through published policies and ongoing discussion amongst faculty and students. The BSC Student Handbook and all BSC course syllabi directly address the issue of plagiarism as well as the consequences of academic dishonesty. Moreover, in every English I and II course, faculty members provide instruction to students on ways to avoid both intentional and unintentional plagiarism. This project is discussed more specifically in Standard 7.
During 2010, the Student Financial Services (SFS) area established a “One‐Stop” business center model to provide students the best possible customer service and to ensure SFS staff maintain cross‐training to enhance overall knowledge and support. In addition, a Default Prevention Specialist position was created to focus efforts on student financial literacy, identification of high risk students borrowing, and to work with students to meet their financial obligations.
Bay State College is one of 20 for‐profit institutions that in July 2011 signed a “Pledge of Public Accountability,” which provide a one page statement with links to pertinent decision‐making data for prospective students, to ensure high standards of conduct and transparency. The Pledge provides relevant information to all prospective students and their parents, including employment data, accreditation and approvals, faculty credentials, financial aid, and for‐profit status.
A major emphasis of the strategic plan is adhering to compliance and regulatory programs. Compliance objectives include continuous development of processes and controls, as identified in the Strategic Plan,
STANDARD 11—INTEGRITY 128 BAY STATE COLLEGE to ensure compliance with applicable rules, standards and regulatory guidelines. Key to continued success in the areas of compliance is departmental and individual responsibility for compliance. The College utilizes technology in conjunction with recruitment of qualified technical personnel to develop and provide tools which enables the College to proactively monitor areas of compliance. In addition, the college proactively incorporated “mini‐audits” of the SFS area through an independent accounting firm to ensure controls and policy and procedures meet or exceed Government Audit Standards. As of the 2012 audit, the College had no material SFS findings and continued to receive unqualified opinion on audited financial results.
Bay State College manages its resources and maintains financial integrity though shared governance, transparency, collaborative budgeting policies, and internal and external controls. The financial area is evolving from being primarily compliance and reporting operation to a proactive partner within the College and will continue to strive to excel and improve in all financial aspects.
The College has experienced significant changes in its revenue structure and its institutional financial aid strategy to meet the demands of the marketplace and to remain competitive in a highly regulated for‐ profit environment. During this period and for future planning purposes, the institution has emphasized the need for sound fiscal management as exemplified through its conservative financial planning.
The College also monitors external factors, in the area of compliance such as gainful employment and economic indicators that may affect resources, especially in the areas of private lending. The Vice President of Administration and Finance continues to work closely with all levels of management to strengthen the financial position of College and to review and scrutinize policies and procedures to ensure best practices, controls and compliance are followed in the area of financial management to assure fiscal integrity. The College manages its resources with integrity and verifies through external and internal reporting that its financial resources are sufficient to assure quality of educational programs and to support institutional investments. Development of key metrics as indicators and effective reporting to navigate with, will allow the College, Board members, and Committees to manage the economic risk and maintain financial stability within the current uncertain economy and to steer the college in a direction of smart and sustainable growth.
Institutional Effectiveness The College regularly reviews policies that ensure fairness, honesty, and integrity in all interactions with students, staff, and faculty. The Operations and Compliance Committee (OPSCOM) is responsible for the
STANDARD 11—INTEGRITY 129 BAY STATE COLLEGE review, vetting, and communication of all new College policies. Through this committee the College ensures that all aspects of compliance and impacts across the college are considered before implementing new policy. Annually, and more frequently if needed, the College utilizes the latest standards and recommendations to come from such organizations as the US Department of Education, including the Office of Civil Rights, and the US Department of Justice, among others, to review and revise its policies and procedures. Recent examples of this process include revisions made to the Grievance Policy, Student Code of Conduct, Accommodations Policy, and the Health and Welfare Policy. Similarly, the Academic Standing and Integrity Committee regularly reviews their bylaws regarding student academic standing as well as the Academic Integrity Policy. The Faculty Handbook and the Staff Handbook which include policies and procedures related to discrimination, hiring status, harassment policy, lactation policy, among others, is reviewed and revised annually. Finally, the Student Government Association annually reviews its constitution and bylaws, including procedures for the allocation of the student activities fee.
Bay State College recently appointed one employee a full‐time Director of Compliance. The College has an intrusion prevention system in place based on password maintenance. The College has a filtering system on classroom computers to restrict access to inappropriate Internet sites. There has been and always will be much discussion among members of the college community and, especially, among members of the Faculty Senate, about the need to provide students with uniform and consistent guidance regarding ways to avoid academic misconduct. Without such guidance, the College runs the risk of not making the importance of such matters completely clear. The College continues to work to ensure that such matters are clear to students.
The College consistently operates with the students’ best interests in mind. For example, much work has been done to ensure students are taking on and managing an appropriate level of student loan debt. The SFS business center remains the epicenter of this initiative, ensuring that financial aid conversations are open, honest and truly transparent. The College has reduced default rates through focused efforts of dedicated default prevention personal and initiatives designed to provide financial literacy and debt management in conjunction with strategic financial aid policies. For additional details see Standard 9.
Admitting students that we believe will be successful at Bay State College continues to be a focus of the College’s admissions office. Several tools have been used in recent years to predict student success,
STANDARD 11—INTEGRITY 130 BAY STATE COLLEGE including English and math placement tests and the Wonderlic assessment. It is also important to note that our denial rate has increased from 10 percent in fall 2008 to 21 percent in fall 2012.
Projection The College will continue to meet the highest ethical standards in its interactions with all internal and external constituencies. The College will accomplish this by continually reviewing and implementing institutional policies that uphold the values put forth in its mission.
The College will continue to utilize strategic planning and its annual budgeting and forecast process to ensure financial resources are utilized in a manner that reflects the College’s mission and purpose. The Coordinator of Adjunct Faculty, a new position as of fall 2007, will continue to oversee the College’s efforts to improve the internal communication processes by which new and adjunct faculty members receive information about FERPA requirements and all federal guidelines regarding student privacy issues.
Beginning in fall 2007, the Department of Academic Affairs requires from each student as part of FYE a signed acknowledgement of the College’s stated policy on Academic Conduct, as contained in the College’s Student Handbook. There is discussion that students, through the MyBayState Portal will be required to confirm (by digitally checking a box) that they have read and understand their rights and responsibilities as stated in the Student Handbook as well. The Department of English has developed and will continue to implement a uniform and formal process by which students are introduced to generally accepted standards of academic integrity.
Through Outcomes 2015, the College has clearly outlined what it believes are key strategies that will continue to allow for the pursuit of institutional integrity. Specifically, enhancing the reputation of Bay State College as an institution with an uncommon focus on service excellence and strengthening the student experience. Among the variety of strategies that will be undertaken, OPSCOM will be formalizing the process of developing, documenting, and communicating College‐wide policies and procedures.
STANDARD 11—INTEGRITY 131 BAY STATE COLLEGE
Standard 11: Integrity
Responsible Office or URL Where Policy is Posted ? Policies Last Updated ? Committee Academy honesty 10/2012 Shared folders/BSCCommon/HR Faculty Handbook, Syllabi Intellectual property rights Staff and Facutly Handbooks - Conflict of interest 7/2010 https://my.baystate.edu/ HR/Academics
Privacy rights 8/2011 Student Handbook - https://my.baystate.edu/ Student Affairs
Fairness for students 8/2011 Student Handbook - https://my.baystate.edu/ Student Affairs Shared folders/BSCCommon/HRDocs/Employee Fairness for faculty 9/2012 Handbooks - p.7 HR Shared folders/BSCCommon/HRDocs/Employee Fairness for staff 5/2012 Handbooks - p.7 HR Academic freedom 10/2012 Shared folders/BSCCommon/HR Faculty Handbook Other ______Other ______
Non-discrimination policies
Recruitment and admissions 9/2012 Student Handbook - https://my.baystate.edu/ Student Affairs Shared folders/BSCCommon/HR docs/Employee Employment 7/2010 handboods HR Shared folders/BSCCommon/HR docs/Employee Employee & Staff Evaluation 5/2012 & 9/2012 handboods Handbook Shared folders/BSCCommon/HR docs/Employee Disciplinary action 7/2010 handboods HR Advancement Other ______
Resolution of grievances
Students 8/2011 Student Handbook - https://my.baystate.edu/ Student Affairs Faculty 2/2009 Shared folders/BSCCommon/HR docs/Employee Academics Staff 7/2010 Shared folders/BSCCommon/HR docs/Employee HR Other ______
Responsible Office or Last Updated Relevant URL or Publication ? Other Committee 1/27/12 (links are 1 Pledge of Public updated as Accountability necessary) http://www.baystate.edu/files/resources/ppa-2.pdf Enrollment & Marketing
STANDARD 11—INTEGRITY 132 BAY STATE COLLEGE
THE E SERIES OPTION E1: PART A. INVENTORY OF EDUCATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS INDICATORS
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) Have Where are these learning Other than GPA, what Who interprets the What changes have been Date of most CATEGORY formal outcomes published? (please data/evidence is used to evidence? What is the made as a result of using recent program learning specify) determine that graduates have process? the data/evidence? review (for outcomes Include URLs where achieved the stated outcomes for (e.g. annually by the general been appropriate. the degree? (e.g., capstone curriculum committee) education and developed? course, portfolio review, each degree licensure examination) program) At the In institutional process level:
For general Yes College website Gen Ed Research Project Juried reading Increased training First education if an for instructors. upcoming in undergraduate Course Syllabi English Assessment Instructor/Jury Currently, the rubric AY2014-15 institution: and reading process Math Assessment Instructor are under review. Revision upward of Public Speaking Director of Gen Ed MAT101/3 material. Assessment Increased review for capstone students with Dir. of Gen Ed of speech principles.
THE E SERIES 133 BAY STATE COLLEGE
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) Have Where are these learning Other than GPA, what Who interprets the What changes have been Date of most CATEGORY formal outcomes published? (please data/evidence is used to evidence? What is the made as a result of using recent program learning specify) determine that graduates have process? the data/evidence? review (for outcomes Include URLs where achieved the stated outcomes for (e.g. annually by the general been appropriate. the degree? (e.g., capstone curriculum committee) education and developed? course, portfolio review, each degree licensure examination) program) List each degree Yes Nursing Student ATI Test Results Nursing Faculty Improved NLNAC program: Handbook (p.7) Portfolio Annually/and as Admission Criteria Accreditatio 1. Nursing NCLEX Results indicated Added TEAS Test to n 7/12 (ADN) Each Syllabus Employment Survey Admission Process Purchased and Each Clinical Implemented Evaluation Tool System for Test Evaluation, Validity, and Reliability (Remark) Received NLNAC Accreditation Increased numbers of MSN Prepared Adjuncts Purchased/ Implemented Electronic Medical Records (EMR) to improve Simulation Lab
THE E SERIES 134 BAY STATE COLLEGE
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) Have Where are these learning Other than GPA, what Who interprets the What changes have been Date of most CATEGORY formal outcomes published? (please data/evidence is used to evidence? What is the made as a result of using recent program learning specify) determine that graduates have process? the data/evidence? review (for outcomes Include URLs where achieved the stated outcomes for (e.g. annually by the general been appropriate. the degree? (e.g., capstone curriculum committee) education and developed? course, portfolio review, each degree licensure examination) program) 2. Physical Yes Syllabi Internships PTA Faculty and In recent years, the 2009- Therapist Clinicals CAPTE Program PTA program has CAPTE Assistant Each Clinical Licensure examination Reviewers diligently worked on Accreditatio Evaluation Tool graduation rate. n review Admissions criteria were reviewed and ultimately revised, resulting in improved graduation rates as noted above.
THE E SERIES 135 BAY STATE COLLEGE
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) Have Where are these learning Other than GPA, what Who interprets the What changes have been Date of most CATEGORY formal outcomes published? (please data/evidence is used to evidence? What is the made as a result of using recent program learning specify) determine that graduates have process? the data/evidence? review (for outcomes Include URLs where achieved the stated outcomes for (e.g. annually by the general been appropriate. the degree? (e.g., capstone curriculum committee) education and developed? course, portfolio review, each degree licensure examination) program) 3. Medical Yes Internship Annually during Program Curriculum April 1st, Assisting Program Bulletin Seminar(Capstone Course) Program Outcomes is reviewed and 2nd, 2010 Board Comprehensive Assessment improved Examination and Meeting continually. Key Allied Health Internship Evaluation Tool courses are Community Page on Employer surveys Advisory Board: evaluated with LMS Program chair and outcomes tied up to Career Services program outcomes. presents data to the Course Syllabi board Program improvements include community service requirement prior to internship. Communication and interactions with employers and patient population will identify job preparedness of hired graduates, workplace needs, and anticipate future job requirements Alumni and employer survey data were utilized to update and improve the program’s curriculum, objectives, and offerings THE E SERIES 136 BAY STATE COLLEGE
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) Have Where are these learning Other than GPA, what Who interprets the What changes have been Date of most CATEGORY formal outcomes published? (please data/evidence is used to evidence? What is the made as a result of using recent program learning specify) determine that graduates have process? the data/evidence? review (for outcomes Include URLs where achieved the stated outcomes for (e.g. annually by the general been appropriate. the degree? (e.g., capstone curriculum committee) education and developed? course, portfolio review, each degree licensure examination) program) 4. Health Yes Program Bulletin Employer surveys Annually during Program Curriculum Scheduled Studies Board Internship Program Outcomes is reviewed and for 2015 Seminar(Capstone Course) Assessment improved Allied Health Internship Evaluation Tool Meeting continually. Key Community Page on courses are LMS Advisory Board: evaluated with Program chair and outcomes tied up to Course Syllabi Career Services program outcomes. presents data to the board 5. Criminal Yes Course Syllabi Internship Department Chair The CRI 202 2010 Justice AS Seminar(Capstone Course) conducts initial corrections course interpretation in was altered to focus collaboration with more on systems Director of theory relative to Accreditation and offender movement Assessment and through the criminal then presents to justice system. The other faculty during CRI 210 annual outcomes communications assessments course was adjusted presentations to provide more instructor support for the more technically challenging areas, specifically, forensic interviewing
THE E SERIES 137 BAY STATE COLLEGE
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) Have Where are these learning Other than GPA, what Who interprets the What changes have been Date of most CATEGORY formal outcomes published? (please data/evidence is used to evidence? What is the made as a result of using recent program learning specify) determine that graduates have process? the data/evidence? review (for outcomes Include URLs where achieved the stated outcomes for (e.g. annually by the general been appropriate. the degree? (e.g., capstone curriculum committee) education and developed? course, portfolio review, each degree licensure examination) program) 6. Criminal Yes Course Syllabi Internship Department Chair The Capstone 2014 Justice BS Capstone Course instructs Capstone Course data analysis Course for all indicated a need to divisions, collects place more emphasis data and assesses on qualitative data evidence of analysis and the learning. integration of Department Chair science and the conducts initial humanities. In interpretation in addition, the collaboration with sequence of the two Director of research courses, Accreditation and CRI 400 and CRI Assessment and 401 were reversed to then presented to better facilitate other faculty during student acquisition annual outcomes of knowledge in this assessments subject area. presentations 7. Yes Bay State College Embedded Questions Relevant Faculty & Changes in 08/22/2012 Entertainment Program Outcomes Targeted Assignments Department Chair pedagogical Management - Assessment Report: Capstone Course in data gathering; approaches, changes AS 2011-2021 Curriculum in course time Committee through allocation; changes Program in assignment Assessment structuring Review
THE E SERIES 138 BAY STATE COLLEGE
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) Have Where are these learning Other than GPA, what Who interprets the What changes have been Date of most CATEGORY formal outcomes published? (please data/evidence is used to evidence? What is the made as a result of using recent program learning specify) determine that graduates have process? the data/evidence? review (for outcomes Include URLs where achieved the stated outcomes for (e.g. annually by the general been appropriate. the degree? (e.g., capstone curriculum committee) education and developed? course, portfolio review, each degree licensure examination) program) 8. Yes Bay State College Embedded Questions Relevant Faculty & Changes in 08/22/2012 Entertainment Program Outcomes Targeted Assignments Department Chair pedagogical Management - Assessment Report: Capstone Course in data gathering; approaches, changes BS 2011-2021 Curriculum in course time Committee through allocation; changes Program in assignment Assessment structuring Review 9. Business Yes http://www.baystate.ed Embedded course Annually by the Modified curriculum 9/2009- Administration u/programs/on- assignments, externally Department Chair; ordering, revamped 5/2010 (BAA) campus/associates/busi normed business reviewed by the Learning Objectives, ness-administration/ simulations, final project full faculty increased focus on reviews teamwork and critical thinking 10.Hospitality Yes http://www.baystate.ed Embedded course Annually by the Standardized N/A Management u/programs/on- assignments, externally Department Chair; curriculum, revised (HMA) campus/associates/hosp normed business reviewed by the flow sheets, added itality-management/ simulations, final project full faculty new electives reviews 11. Yes http://www.baystate.ed Embedded course Annually by the Revised program 1/2012- Management u/programs/on- assignments, externally Department Chair; requirements, added present (MGB) campus/bachelors/man normed business reviewed by the two new (ongoing) agement/ simulations, final project full faculty concentrations, reviews, capstone external added four new reviewers electives
THE E SERIES 139 BAY STATE COLLEGE
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) Have Where are these learning Other than GPA, what Who interprets the What changes have been Date of most CATEGORY formal outcomes published? (please data/evidence is used to evidence? What is the made as a result of using recent program learning specify) determine that graduates have process? the data/evidence? review (for outcomes Include URLs where achieved the stated outcomes for (e.g. annually by the general been appropriate. the degree? (e.g., capstone curriculum committee) education and developed? course, portfolio review, each degree licensure examination) program) 12. Fashion Yes Syllabi, web Capstone FAM 495 Program faculty, Changes in testing 2014 Merchandising- curriculum strategies BS committee, Assessment meeting by faculty 13. Fashion Yes Syllabi, web Capstone FAM 245 Program faculty, Changes in testing 2014 Merchandising- curriculum strategies AS committee, Assessment meeting by faculty 14. Fashion Yes Syllabi, web Portfolio, fashion show Program faculty, Addition of Summer Design collection cc, Assessment weekend workshops 2012 FAD 210, FAD 202 meeting faculty 15. Early Childhood Yes Syllabi, web Portfolio review ECE Program Chair Changes in 2012 Education Internship evaluations Syllabi/course Job offers assignments
Institutions selecting E1a should also include E1b.
THE E SERIES 140 BAY STATE COLLEGE
OPTION E1: PART B. INVENTORY OF SPECIALIZED AND PROGRAM ACCREDITATION
(1) (2) (3) (4) (6) Professional, specialized, Date of most List key issues for continuing accreditation identified in Key performance indicators as required by Date and nature of next State, or programmatic recent accreditation action letter or report. agency or selected by program (licensure, scheduled review. accreditations currently held accreditation board, or bar pass rates; employment rates, by the institution (by action by each etc.). * agency or program name). listed agency.
Commission on Graduation Rate (Per 2011 report, CAPTE License exam pass rate 2019-Accreditation Accreditation of April 2009 suggests continued focus on admissions Graduation rate review Physical Therapy process and retention.) Compliance with assessment criteria Education The college was commended for “zero Accrediting Bureau of August 13, standard violations” and was granted the Graduation and Retention Rate 2018 Health Education 2010 Outstanding Achievement Award in the Placement Rate Schools February 2011 ABHES Conference. National League for July 2012 Improve Systematic Evaluation Plan Student and Faculty Retention rate Spring 2017 Nursing Accrediting Increase MSN Adjuncts Program Completion rate Accreditation review Commission Trend Data Licensure pass rate Implement Graduate and Employer RN Employment Surveys Employer Satisfaction with Graduates
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