Academic Program Review Self-Study 2015
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Wayne State University Academic Program Review Self-Study Department of History 2014 Marc W. Kruman, Department Chair Elizabeth Dorn Lublin and Hans Hummer, Directors of Undergraduate Studies Elizabeth V. Faue, Director of Graduate Studies Marsha Richmond, Chair, Executive Committee http://clasweb.wayne.edu/history Table of Contents Executive Summary 4 Section 1: Departmental Overview and Mission 5 Section 2: Faculty 26 Part 1: Overview 26 Part 2: Individual Faculty Supporting Data 36 Section 3: Doctoral Program 59 Part 1: Comparable and Aspirational Programs 59 Part 2: Policies and Procedures 64 Part 3: Student Profile 73 Part 4: Student Recruitment 86 Part 5: Teaching 88 Part 6: Student Support 89 Part 7: Student Mentoring 90 Part 8: Employment 91 Section 4: Master’s Program 93 Part 1: Comparable and Aspirational Programs 93 Part 2: Policies and Procedures 98 Part 3: Student Profile 106 Part 4: Student Recruitment 119 Part 5: Teaching 121 Part 6: Student Support 122 Part 7: Student Mentoring 122 Part 8: Employment 124 Section 5: Undergraduate Program 125 Part 1: Background 125 Part 2: Policies and Procedures 129 Part 3: Student Profile 139 Part 4: Student Recruitment 142 Part 5: Student Mentoring 143 Part 6: Employment 144 2 Section 6: Certificate Program 145 Part 1: Mission 145 Part 2: Student Profile 147 Section 7: Resources 152 Section 8: Summary 156 Appendices 159 A. Unit by-laws 160 B. Unit tenure and promotion guidelines 176 C. Assessment plans 179 D. Strategic plan 200 E. Faculty Vitae 207 F. Doctoral Student Annual Review Template 524 G. Master’s Student Annual Review Template 527 3 Executive Summary This self-study reveals an outstanding History Department—deeply committed to excellence in research and teaching and composed of a faculty of committed academic citizens. The University and College have given teaching awards to more than two-thirds of the Department faculty; and a similar number have earned major research awards. As scholars, the faculty has excelled nationally. In the research category of the National Research Council’s 2010 rankings of doctoral programs, the Department was ranked in the second tier (one of only three departments in the University to receive that high a ranking). Since the last review in 2007, the Department of History has enjoyed both great success and suffered significant setbacks. The faculty revisited, revised and updated the strategic plan of 2001 that had guided the department for a decade. It added a crucial appointment in U.S. urban history that seemed to meet the department’s most important need. It also democratized governance by establishing an Executive Committee and by further diffusing authority to the graduate and undergraduate committees. Moreover, the department has been responsive to the demands for greater accountability in higher education. It has been a leader in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in establishing learning outcomes and assessment. It also has established a strong record of undergraduate retention and developed effective progress reports for doctoral students (annual M.A. reports have been developed). The department also has benefited from the presence of a full-time adviser and active participation in undergraduate student recruitment, through its leadership of AP Day (for high school students enrolled in Advance Placement courses). Finally, it has established a longer-term planning of course offerings so that both undergraduate and graduate students are better able to chart their Plans of Work. All of these developments have helped the department achieve its mission and strengthened its reputation as a leading unit within the university. Nevertheless, just at the time when the appointment of an urban historian seemed to complete the crucial core needs of the department, it suffered several important losses from faculty departures and the inability to gain permission to hire replacements in those fields owing to significant reductions in the University’s and College’s budgets. This has been most acutely felt in the loss of historians of U.S. foreign relations, modern China, and the modern Middle East. Shrinking enrollments have exacerbated budgetary cuts; both undergraduate and graduate enrollments dropped significantly—the former a reflection of declines throughout the College and the latter a reflection of national trends in graduate history education. The Department is responding to these challenges. The work of the new academic adviser is beginning to have an effect. The department anticipates that in the near future we will see an increase in History majors and improvement upon its already strong retention and graduation rates. Further, at the graduate level, the introduction of the master’s degree in public history and the annual reviews of doctoral and master’s students should accelerate student completion rates. Moreover, the department has successfully intensified its fund raising efforts, especially to support both undergraduate and graduate students. Finally, the faculty continues to flourish as scholars and as teachers. 4 Section 1: Departmental Overview and Mission 1. State the department’s mission, goals and objectives. How does the mission guide the unit’s academic activities, strategic planning and budgeting? How does the mission align with the University’s mission and strategic plan? Department of History Mission Statement The mission of the Department of History is: • To maintain and develop a national and international reputation for excellence in labor and urban history and in the history of governance and citizenship. • To train graduate students as professional historians, equipped with the skills to produce original, publishable research in their field of specialization. • To provide training or continuing education to graduate students pursuing professions in education, public history, public policy, law, journalism or archival administration. • To teach our undergraduate students the fundamental research, analytical, and writing skills necessary not only in the study of history, but in virtually any profession. • To engage in service that enables the department to fulfill its research and teaching missions and contributes to the intellectual life of the academic and metropolitan communities. The Department revised its mission statement in March 2012 after an extended deliberative process initiated by a departmental retreat in Fall 2010. As part of this process, the Executive Committee spearheaded the drafting of a new Strategic Plan, also finalized in 2012. The Strategic Plan was updated in Fall 2014 to reflect departmental changes in the interim (see Appendix D). a. How does the mission guide the unit’s academic activities, strategic planning and budgeting? The mission statement anchors the department’s academic programs and activities, strategic planning, and budgeting in a number of ways. Curriculum: Both the Undergraduate Committee and the Graduate Committee have been guided by the department’s mission. In 2013-2014 the Undergraduate Committee developed curricular learning goals and objectives based on the department’s mission statement. The Graduate Committee revised its mission statement and developed its program learning outcomes in March 2012 and is currently collecting course learning outcomes in Fall 2014. The mission statement also 5 assists the department in planning for curricular changes, including new offerings, and establishing activities that promote student learning of historical methodology. With respect to the graduate program, the mission statement has led the department to pursue a career diversity initiative, expanding our curriculum through the development of a master’s program in public history. We anticipate that, with another career pathway we shall thus be able to enhance graduate recruitment and placement. Academic Activities: The mission statement has been the backbone of several of the department’s academic activities. For example, the department is remarkable for the number of awards it offers students that aim to promote their intellectual development and research skills. Our mission of promoting an actively engaged citizenry is well demonstrated by our close collaboration with other units on campus, particularly the Center for the Study of Citizenship. The department also supports teaching through the establishment of the world history learning community, which not only provides the opportunity for undergraduate students to engage in study groups but also increases student engagement on campus. Strategic Planning: As mentioned, the department has been directly guided in its future planning by the goals reflected in the mission statement. For example, we have planned new faculty hires in order to fill gaps in our ability to offer undergraduate majors a broad exposure to critical geographical areas and chronological periods and to augment areas of strength in our graduate program. The Graduate Committee has similarly relied on the department’s mission in evaluating applicants for the graduate program to assure that their areas of study well match the department’s particular curricular strengths. Budgeting: The department has budgeted its resources in accordance with its mission statement. We have been able to supplement our general funds by giving up office phones, largely to support research activities. To promote the department’s national and international reputation for excellence (not simply in our core areas but also more broadly), we have increased faculty funding for travel