Initiative Six: Focus the Comenius Center As the Division of Moravian College with Primary

Initiative Six: Focus the Comenius Center as the division of Moravian College with primary emphasis on graduate education and post-baccalaureate professional programs (exclusive of the theologically-related programs) that have a foundation in the liberal arts Consistent with our heritage of life-long education, the Comenius Center will strengthen its focus on graduate and post-baccalaureate professional programs. Specifically, the Master of Education program will be expanded to include four new concentrations and three new certifications. Within the business and management program, the Comenius Center will add a master’s degree in human resource management and apply for external business accreditation. Within the health sciences, the Comenius Center will add a master’s degree in nursing with three tracks and a post-baccalaureate pre-medical preparation program. The Comenius Center will also work to engage its alumni more substantively to ensure that this important contingent has every opportunity to remain active members of our community.

Details of the four new or expanded academic programs are provided in Appendices A-D. Appendix A: Master of Education

Project description The Moravian College Comenius Center currently offers the Master of Education in Curriculum & Instruction (M.Ed.). Students may opt for either a general elective track or for specialized elective courses that lead to Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) certification in English as a Second Language (ESL) or as a Supervisor (for example, of curriculum).

The program will be expanded to offer three new PDE certifications (Reading Specialist, Principal, and Special Education) and elective concentration tracks in four subject areas (science, music, school nurse, and business & marketing).

Anticipated impact Institutional: We project a doubling in program enrollment and concommitant increase in revenue. These changes will also enhance the institution’s reputation within the Lehigh Valley educational community and beyond.

Community: The Moravian College M.Ed. program is designed to transform classroom education by engaging and equipping teachers to develop creative instructional strategies. Adding principal and educational specialist certifications and new elective concentration tracks will broaden the program’s impact on K-12 education.

Factors that favor success of project  The pool of prospective students (active teachers in the greater Lehigh Valley) is large and stable.  There is an ongoing need to replace retiring administrators and educational specialists.

Project start-ups 2008-2009: Develop program; obtain PDE approvals for new certifications; launch marketing and recruitment effort. Fall 2009: Admit first students to all new certifications and elective concentrations. 2009-2012: Build enrollment in each certification and elective concentration to planned capacity enrollment.

Other significant issues Certain courses in the M.Ed. program have been designed to integrate with graduate programs in both nursing and management. Appendix B: Master of Science in Human Resource Management

Project description The Moravian College Comenius Center currently offers the Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. We will add a second graduate degree in the area of business management, the Master of Science in Human Resource Management (MS-HRM).

Anticipated impact Institutional: Adding the MS-HRM will substantially increase the enrollment in graduate business management programs. Because of the close relationship between human resources and general business management, the two programs will be able to share some courses, thus affording students a larger selection of courses while reducing the overall program cost per student. Offering an MS-HRM will enhance the institution’s reputation within the greater Lehigh Valley business community and beyond. This, in turn, can foster beneficial relationships for Moravian College as a whole (such as increased internship and mentoring opportunities for undergraduates).

Community: In today’s corporate world and global marketplace, the senior Human Resource professional is increasingly called upon to participate in the organization’s top-level strategic decision-making. The Lehigh Valley is a large, economically robust region with a need for well trained Human Resource professionals who can take their places in senior corporate management. However, no school in this region offers a graduate program in Human Resource Management; the nearest programs are 60-70 miles away, out of reach for many potential students. Thus, offering an MS-HRM will respond to a regional need.

Factors that favor success of project There is a large pool of prospective students in the greater Lehigh Valley. Currently, there is no competing on-site program and little on-line competition.

Project start-ups 2008-2009: Develop program; obtain Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) approval to offer new program; launch marketing and recruitment effort. Fall 2009: Admit first students. 2009-2012: Build enrollment to planned capacity enrollment.

Other significant issues Certain courses that are part of the MBA and MS-HRM program will integrate with graduate programs in both nursing and education. Appendix C: Master of Science in Nursing

Project description Moravian College, in partnership with St. Luke’s Hospital and Health Network (St. Luke’s HHN), currently offers two baccalaureate level nursing programs. The College (day division) offers a generic nursing major licensure program, and the Comenius Center offers nursing major degree completion for nurses licensed through diploma or associates level programs. The Comenius Center will add a Master of Science in Nursing (MS-Nursing), with three tracks: Nurse Educator, Nurse Administrator, and Clinical Nurse Leader.

Anticipated impact Institutional: Adding the MS-Nursing will strengthen the institution’s relationship with St. Luke’s HHN. Offering the MS-Nursing will enhance institutional prestige within the greater Lehigh Valley community and beyond in addressing a national healthcare priority. Community: The MS-Nursing program will address critical healthcare workforce needs in the Lehigh Valley and beyond.  Nursing is the backbone of the healthcare industry. The key to alleviating the critical shortage of RNs is developing more master’s and doctorally qualified faculty to teach new nurses since more than 30,000 qualified applicants are turned away from nursing schools annually because of teacher shortage.  Effective and coordinated patient care, in an era of physician specialization and shortened hospital stays, requires more highly trained clinical nurse leaders and nurse administrators.

Factors that favor success of project With two large health and hospital networks (Lehigh Valley and St. Luke’s) plus a number of smaller hospitals and other patient care providers, there is a large pool of prospective students (active nurses) in the greater Lehigh Valley. Although two other Lehigh Valley schools offer graduate nursing education, only one offers a nurse administrator program and neither offers the clinical nurse leader track. Because of the partnership with St. Luke’s HHN, we anticipate that our program will be the program of choice for their nurses.

Project start-ups 2008-2009: Program development; obtain Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) approval to offer new program. Fall 2009: Admit first students. 2009-2012: Build enrollment in each track to planned capacity enrollment.

Other significant issues Certain courses that are part of the MS-Nursing program will integrate with graduate programs in both business and education. Appendix D: Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medical Preparation Program

Project description The Moravian College Comenius Center will offer a Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medical Preparation Program (P4 Program) which is designed to provide the core premedical curriculum, preparation for the MCAT, and extensive advising as an evening/weekend program for working adults who are college graduates and who now wish to prepare for careers in medicine, osteopathic medicine, dentistry, and podiatric medicine.

Anticipated impact In response to looming shortage of physicians, 6,000 additional seats in medical and osteopathic medical schools are expected, nationwide, by 2015. The new seats will be generated as a result of both the founding of new medical schools and the expansion of existing schools. In this region, new medical schools are under development in Scranton, PA and central NJ. Temple Medical School, in partnership with St. Luke’s Hospital, is developing a branch in the Lehigh Valley. Dentistry and podiatric medicine also predict practitioner shortages.

Institutional: The P4 program will enhance Moravian College’s reputation in the sciences. Because the program will address a national healthcare priority, it will enhance institutional prestige within the greater Lehigh Valley community and beyond. The program will strengthen the institution’s relationship with St. Luke’s HHN.

Community: The P4 program will provide an important option for career change for working adults in the greater Lehigh Valley. Since adults with strong ties to a community are likely to return to that community after completing physician (dental, podiatric medicine) training, the P4 program will help to ensure the strength of the healthcare workforce in the Lehigh Valley and beyond.

Factors that favor success of project There is no comparable program available for working adults within the Lehigh Valley or elsewhere in northeast PA or western NJ. The development of new medical schools and expansion of existing ones creates a clear need for such a program.

Project start-ups 2008-2009: Program development; obtain Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) approval to offer new program. Fall 2009: Admit first students. 2009-2012: Build enrollment in each track to planned capacity enrollment.

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