1 / 41

AUBURN UNIVERSITY STRATEGIC PLANNING SITUATION ASSESSMENT SUPPLEMENT May 2007

DRAFT FOR DISCUSSION. AUBURN UNIVERSITY STRATEGIC PLANNING SITUATION ASSESSMENT SUPPLEMENT May 2007. Messina & Graham. Introduction.

peony
Télécharger la présentation

AUBURN UNIVERSITY STRATEGIC PLANNING SITUATION ASSESSMENT SUPPLEMENT May 2007

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. DRAFT FOR DISCUSSION AUBURN UNIVERSITYSTRATEGIC PLANNINGSITUATION ASSESSMENTSUPPLEMENTMay 2007 Messina & Graham

  2. Introduction • This draft document is a supplement to the Situation Assessment produced in October 2006. It contains two chapters that extend the information base for strategic planning. • The first chapter, Overview of Graduate Education,profiles graduate programs at Auburn and illustrates the interrelationships among graduate studies, undergraduate instruction, and the funded-research enterprise. • The second chapter, Faculty Profile, summarizes basic information about Auburn’s approximately 1,200 faculty members. • Both these information sets also contain comparisons of Auburn data with corresponding measures at selected peer institutions.

  3. DRAFT FOR DISCUSSION OVERVIEW OF GRADUATE EDUCATION May 2007 Messina & Graham George Flowers, Interim Dean, Graduate School Joe Pittman, Interim Dean, Graduate School Sharon Gaber, Associate Provost, Academic Administration

  4. Contents • Graduate Students at Auburn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 • Situation Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 • Assessment of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, • and Threats (“SWOT” Assessment) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 • Strategic Implications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 • Appendices • Sources of Greater Number of Masters Degrees at • University of Alabama than at Auburn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 • Sources of Greater Number of Masters Degrees at Auburn • than at Clemson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 • Glossary of Selected Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Note: This profile does not encompass the First Professional programs in Pharmacy, Audiology, Speech Pathology, and Veterinary Medicine that are administered by their respective colleges, not by the Graduate School 2

  5. Roles of Graduate Students at Auburn • Contribute to undergraduate instruction and research by undergraduates INSTRUCTION • Essential participants in performing faculty-led • research, both funded and unfunded, which has significant economic impact in the state RESEARCH • Significant contributors to faculty-led • scholarship and service in community settings OUTREACH AND EXTENSION • Important in attracting and retaining quality faculty FACULTY • Upon graduation, key factor in building the reputation of the University REPUTATION 3

  6. Masters and Ph.D. degrees predominate Distribution of Auburn Graduate Students by Degree Offering – Fall 2006 Chart 1 100% = 3,245 Students Other* 5.9% Masters 54.9% Ph.D. 34.7% Ed.D. 3.8% Ed.S. 0.7% 4 * Includes graduate provisional and graduate non-degree students, most of whom will soon enroll in a graduate degree program

  7. The vocationally-oriented Education and Business Masters programs account for 38 percent of AU’s graduate students Distribution of Auburn Graduate Students by School – Fall 2006 Chart 2 100% = 3,245 Students Human Sciences 3% Architecture 3% Agriculture 7% Education 22% Other 7% Science/Math 9% Business 16% Liberal Arts 13% Engineering 20% 5

  8. Almost two-thirds of Auburn graduate students come from out-of-state Enrollment of Graduate Students by Source 2006 Chart 3 100% = 3,245 Students Foreign 21.9% Alabama 39.2% Other U.S. 38.9% 6

  9. Almost one-half of Auburn graduate students are graduate assistants Distribution of Graduate Students by Graduate Assistant Role – Fall 2005 Chart 4 100% = 3,169 Students Combined Assistantships 2.5% Graduate Research Assistants 22.8% Students Without Assistantships 51.2% Graduate Teaching Assistants 23.5% 7

  10. Contributions to Mission Elements by Graduate Students at Auburn • INSTRUCTION • •High-quality graduate students are models of academic seriousness for undergraduates • •Graduate teaching assistants interact in small groups and one-on-one with undergraduates • •Graduate assistants act as mentors for undergraduate students doing project and research activities 8

  11. Contributions to Mission Elements by Graduate Students at Auburn • RESEARCH • •Graduate students are essential for serious research programs • •Graduate student involvement in research provides an apprenticeship for future researchers • •Graduate students conduct experimental and field research; do data analysis, modeling and simulation; and contribute through team activity to the training of new graduate students • OUTREACH AND EXTENSION • •Graduate students are on the front lines of delivery and evaluation through “service learning,” practicum experiences, internships, and/or assistantships • •Graduate students amplify the faculty’s outreach effort, with accompanying economic benefits 9

  12. Science and Engineering Graduate Students INSTRUCTION RESEARCH EXAMPLE • Teach primarily labs and recitation sections • Tutoring and homework grading, project supervision and mentoring • Role models for undergraduate students • Guide undergraduate research • Perform funded and unfunded research • Co-author publications • Prepare and give presentations at conferences and technical meetings • 16 graduate students in Dr. David Bevly’s GPS and Vehicle Dynamics Laboratory (GAVLAB) • Work on navigation and control of autonomous ground vehicles • $500K in annual research, funded by government and industry Undergraduate student and Graduate Student working together on DARPA Grand Challenge vehicle Doctoral student Rob Daily working in GAVLAB 10

  13. Agriculture, Forestry, and Human Sciences Students INSTRUCTION (class and community) RESEARCH (basic and applied) EXAMPLE • Assist faculty in classes • Teach classes with faculty supervision • Help develop and implement extension curricula and materials • Participate in faculty-led community outreach activities • Help supervise interns and service learning students • Help design experimental and field research • Help guide student research • Evaluate outreach and extension efforts • Co-author reports and publications • 10 graduate students on Dr. Francesca Adler-Baeder’s Community Capacity Projects • Work with community groups across Alabama to enhance and evaluate educational services in support of marriage and families • $1.3M in annual outreach service, research, and evaluation funded by Federal and State government (through the Healthy Marriage Initiative) Drs. Adler-Baeder and Ketring (at ends) with four graduate students and Governor Riley at the Governor’s Mansion for the “Marriage Celebration” event on 2/18/07 11

  14. Department of History INSTRUCTION RESEARCH EXAMPLE • Assist faculty in core curriculum classes: World History and Technology & Civilization • Teach independent classes • Assist faculty in outreach, most notably Alabama Review and Encyclopedia of Alabama • Conduct original research • Prepare and give presentations at professional conferences • Publish single-author articles under the guidance of faculty • Upon graduation, publish dissertations as books • Assist in major projects, such as documentary history of NASA or Slavery Interpretation Project at Westville, GA • 7 students enrolled in Dr. Joseph Turrini’s Fundamentals and Theory of Archives Class • 5 archival internships across the state during the last calendar year • Under Dr. Jeff Jakeman’s direction, program graduates include Director of the Clinton Presidential Library, Assistant Director of Alabama State Archives, and archivists at institutions throughout the United States • Department has placed 15 of 15 graduates in last three years in professional positions Doctoral student Mark Wilson presents his research at a statewide conference 12

  15. Research is the primary assistantship role in agriculture and forestry, while core-curriculum teaching is emphasized in science/math and liberal arts Percentage of Graduate Students With a Research or Teaching Assistantship 2005-06 Chart 5 Emphasis on Research Students Involved in Teaching and Research Emphasis on Teaching Core % Research Assistants % Teaching Assistants Agriculture Forestry Human Sciences Engineering Science/ Math Liberal Arts 13

  16. Situation Assessment • AU’s graduate programs are small relative to SREB peers. Chart 6. Some schools award more graduate degrees because they have large Social Work, Communications, and Public Health programs that AU does not offer. Charts 7 and 8. The somewhat erratic growth trend in graduate degrees awarded may reflect the priorities of different Presidents and the impact of strategy reviews. Chart 9. In general, however, AU’s graduate program growth lags behind both Alabama and SREB schools overall. Chart 10 • AU faculty have fewer graduate students and graduate assistants to leverage their instruction and research than do faculty at peer institutions. Charts 11 and 12 • AU is significantly less selective in its admissions than are many leading competitors, and GPA, GRE, and GMAT scores of entering graduate students are somewhat lower than at many peer institutions.Charts 13 and 14 • AU does have some stand-out programs according to external rankings. Chart 15. Nevertheless, many AU programs – such as Mathematics and Engineering – are in the middle of the pack relative to regional competitors. Chart 16. Others – such as Education and Business – rank lower relative to regional competitors. Chart 17 • The financial package offered to graduate assistants is uncompetitive compared to regional peers. Charts 18, 19, and 20 14

  17. AU’s graduate programs are small relative to SREB peers Degrees Awarded (Per 100 Bachelors Degrees) 2002-05 Chart 6 Masters Degrees Doctoral Degrees 55.3 54.5 43 11.9 39.2 34.6 29.9 27.5 7.9 7.9 25.2 7.1 6.9 24.6 6.4 22.6 6.3 5.6 19.9 4.2 4.0 3.8 USC GA Tech UTN UAL UFL VA Tech Clemson UGA UMS Texas A&M AU GA Tech UFL USC UGA UTN VA Tech Texas A&M UAL AU Clemson UMS Rank of 24 SREB Schools: 1 2 7 8 10 16 18 19 21 23 24 1 5 7 9 10 12 13 15 21 22 23 Source: SREB Fact Book 15

  18. University of South Carolina’s higher number of Masters degrees are mostly in the Communications, Social Work, Interdepartmental, and Public Health programs Sources of Greater Number of Masters Degrees at University of South Carolina than at Auburn – 2005-06 Chart 7 24 Negative numbers where Auburn’s program has more graduate students than University of South Carolina’s 58 88 -51 737 -45 124 -40 164 200 215 Comm. & Inf. Sciences Social Work Inter- depart. Public Health Bus. Arts & Sciences Other Arch. Agric. Eng. Net Difference Source: University of South Carolina Fact Book 16

  19. University of Tennessee’s Masters degree awards exceed AU’s across the board, but Education and Social Work account for half of the difference* Sources of Greater Number of Masters Degrees at University of Tennessee than at Auburn – 2004-05 Chart 8 83 776 56 -40 58 96 98 196 229 Ed., Health & Human Dev. Social Work Comm. & Info. Studies Health Science Business Arts & Sciences Other Arch. Net Difference * Please see similar charts for Alabama and Clemson in the Appendix 17 Source: University of Tennessee Fact Book

  20. 1200 1100 1000 900 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 1980-81 1985-86 1990-91 1995-96 1970-71 1975-76 2000-01 2005-06 The somewhat erratic growth trend in graduate degrees awarded may reflect the priorities of different Presidents and the impact of strategy reviews Graduate Degrees Awarded Annually Since 1970 Chart 9 F u n d e r b u r k 21st Century Commission R i c h a r d s o n Martin Philpott Walker Muse Visions of Excellence Bailey Report* * President Bailey 1983 to 1984 18

  21. However, AU’s graduate program growth has not kept pace with the state’s or with SREB schools’ growth Percentage Increase in Graduate Degrees Conferred Between 1987-88 and 2003-04 Chart 10 100% 80.5% 69.2% 65.7% 55.1% 42.5% Masters/Doctorate Alabama Masters/Doctorate SREB States Masters/Doctorate Auburn Source: SREB Fact Book 19

  22. AU has the fewest graduate students per tenured and tenure-track faculty member of its peers, and of all SREB schools Number of Graduate Students Per Full-Time Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty Member (Students/Faculty) – Fall 2005 Chart 11 6.8 6.4 5.1 4.6 4.4 4.3 4.2 4.1 4.0 3.3 2.8 USC GA Tech Texas A&M UAL UFL VA Tech UTN UGA UMS Clemson AU 20

  23. AU faculty have fewer graduate assistants to leverage their instruction and research than do faculty at peer institutions Number of Graduate Assistants per Full-Time Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty Member (Assistants/Faculty) – Fall 2005 Chart 12 4.5 2.0 1.9 1.9 1.9 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.5 1.2 1.2 GA Tech Clemson VA Tech UGA UMS UTN UAL UFL AU Texas A&M USC 21

  24. AU is significantly less selective in its admissions than are many leading competitors Average Graduate Student Acceptance Rates for the Colleges of Engineering, Education, and Business* – 2006 Admissions Chart 13 71.3% 56.7% 56.8% 56.2% 52.7% 45.0% 44.0% 42.1% 41.8% UGA Texas A&M VA Tech UFL UAL Clemson AU USC UTN * Only includes Universities with all three programs. Average acceptance rates are weighted by number of new students enrolled 22 Source: USNWR

  25. GPA, GRE, and GMAT scores of entering graduate students are somewhat lower than at many peer institutions Colleges of Engineering, Education and Business Graduate Students Average Undergraduate GPA and GRE/GMAT Scores* – 2006 Admissions Chart 14 GPA GRE Quantitative/GMATScores 3.81 715 3.70 697 3.58 655 3.38 3.31 3.28 604 603 577 541 UGA UFL VA Tech AU UTN UAL UFL Texas A&M Clemson AU UTN UGA UAL * Only includes Universities with all three programs. Average scores are weighted by number of new students enrolled 23 Source: USNWR

  26. AU does have some stand-out programs according to external rankings Recent External National Rankings of Selected Auburn Graduate Programs Chart 15 PROGRAM RANKING* Fisheries 1 Industrial Design 3 Physicians Executive MBA Program 4 Landscape Architecture 14 Industrial and Systems Engineering 27 Health and Human Performance 28 MBA Program (Public) 39 Civil Engineering 49 Electrical Engineering 49 Chemical Engineering 52 Computer Engineering 53 Mechanical Engineering 65 * Rankings include public and private programs/schools unless otherwise indicated Source: American Academy of Kinesiology & Physical Education 2007; Auburn Office of Communications & Marketing; DesignIntelligence 2005 & 2006; Forbes 2005; Modern Physician 2006;U.S. Dept. of Agriculture 2006; USNWR 2004, 2006 & 2007 24

  27. Nevertheless, many AU programs – such as Mathematics and Engineering – are in the middle of the pack relative to regional competitors AU Competitor Rankings in USNWR* – Public and Private Programs/Schools Chart 16 BEST MATHEMATICS PROGRAMS (Ph.D.) BEST ENGINEERING SCHOOLS 2006 2006 2007 1 MIT 2 Harvard 35 Georgia Tech 47 Univ. of Georgia 47 Texas A&M 56 Univ. of Florida 56 Virginia Tech 67 Florida State 73 Univ. of Tennessee 80 Auburn 89 Clemson 89 Univ. of S. Carolina 94 Univ. of Alabama NR Univ. of Mississippi 1 1 MIT 2 2 Stanford 4 4 Georgia Tech 14 14 Texas A&M 26 26 Univ. of Florida 30 33 Virginia Tech 71 66 Univ. of Tennessee 74 74 Auburn 68 77 Clemson NR NR Florida State NR NR Univ. of Alabama NR NR Univ. of S. Carolina * Rankings based on varying combinations of (1) opinions about program quality gathered from deans and recruiters and (2) quantitative measures of faculty resources, research activity, and student caliber  25

  28. AU’s Education and Business programs rank lower relative to regional competitors AU Competitor Rankings in USNWR – Public and Private Programs/Schools Chart 17 BEST EDUCATION PROGRAMS BEST BUSINESS SCHOOLS 2006 2007 2006 2007 2 1 Teachers College, Columbia Univ. 1 3 Harvard 21 26 Univ. of Georgia 45 34 Texas A&M 35 41 Univ. of Tennessee 35 44 Univ. of Florida 53 53 Florida State 70 NR Auburn 74 NR Clemson NR NR Univ. of Alabama NR NR Univ. of S. Carolina 1 1 Harvard 2 2 Stanford 34 25 Georgia Tech 31 29 Texas A&M 41 37 Univ. of Florida 46 46 Univ. of Georgia 59 55 Univ. of S. Carolina 66 NR Univ. of Tennessee 69 NR Auburn 73 NR University of Alabama NR NR Clemson NR NR Florida State * Rankings based on varying combinations of (1) opinions about program quality gathered from deans and recruiters and (2) quantitative measures of faculty resources, research activity, and student caliber  26

  29. AU’s stipends for graduate teaching assistants are not competitive with those at regional peers in Mechanical Engineering . . . GTA Stipends in Mechanical Engineering 2006 Chart 18 $22,800 $15,600 $15,300 $13,200 $12,000 $9,500 $8,040 $7,932 Georgia Tech Univ. of KY Univ. of MS Univ. of TN Texas Tech Univ. of Florida Clemson Auburn Source: American Society for Engineering Education University Profile 27

  30. . . . or in Human Development/Family Studies GTA Stipends in Human Development and Family Studies 2006 Chart 19 $18,660 $17,328 $17,220 $16,656 $15,996 $15,192 $9,804 Florida State Univ. of GA Virginia Tech Arizona State Texas Tech Univ. of NC Auburn Source: Survey by Virginia Tech 28

  31. The benefit package offered to AU graduate assistants is also below that of many peer institutions Health Insurance Benefit for Graduate Students 2006 Chart 20 Source: Survey by AU Graduate Student Council 29

  32. Assessment of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (“SWOT” Assessment) Auburn University Graduate Programs STRENGTHS • AU offers a wide array of graduate programs, both vocational and academic • AU’s graduate programs in Fisheries, Industrial Design, and Landscape Architecture, as well as the Physicians Executive MBA program, rank very highly at a national level • Several other AU graduate programs – including Engineering, Business, and Kinesiology – rank well among public universities 30

  33. WEAKNESSES • The size of the graduate programs at Auburn does not reflect a deliberate strategic decision by the University. Overall, based on comparisons with other institutions, the number of graduate students may be too small to effectively support Auburn’s research and instruction missions • The average caliber of students in AU’s graduate programs is lower than that at many national institutions and regional peers • The three large programs that US News & World Report ranks do not fare as well as those at leading national institutions and regional competitors 31

  34. OPPORTUNITIES • Grow overall graduate program size by selectively supporting programs that have most potential to contribute to the research mission and to undergraduate instruction • Rationalize programs by rigorously assessing the viability, competitiveness, growth prospects, and graduate student quality of each •Build on strengths to attract additional research-oriented faculty who tend to recruit high- quality graduate students • Fund competitive graduate assistant stipends and benefit packages while setting a high standard for students to receive financial support 32

  35. THREATS • A lack of strategic direction for – and resources behind – the graduate programs may inhibit AU from reaching its potential in both research and undergraduate education •Uncompetitive stipends and benefits may lead to erosion of the size and quality of the graduate student body in the research-oriented programs, and may demoralize faculty and undermine the University’s research mission 33

  36. Strategic Implications • Overall, graduate education at Auburn University is not in a strong position • Many of AU’s graduate programs are not highly selective, lack clear distinctiveness, and the faculty are under-leveraged with regard to graduate student support • The small size of AU’s graduate-education enterprise relative to SREB peers increases the challenge of attracting and retaining exceptional research-oriented faculty • Slower relative growth in Masters and Doctorate degrees conferred over the past decade and a half (compared to SREB overall and within the State of Alabama) means that AU is losing market share in graduate education among SREB states and, to an even greater extent, in Alabama • AU needs to determine the appropriate overall size of its graduate-education enterprise to most effectively support its mission elements of research, instruction, and outreach / extension • AU’s graduate programs should be reviewed by discipline and rigorously assessed along significant dimensions – including viability, competitiveness, growth prospects, and graduate student quality 34

  37. Strategic Implications (continued) • Should Auburn decide to continue to increase the size of its research enterprise, then the University may well need to expand the number of graduate assistantships to better leverage faculty in both research and teaching • Financial packages for graduate assistants need to be upgraded to achieve parity with competitors and thus help maintain the quality of graduate applicants • AU needs to review the organization structure of the graduate school and its Dean, and the graduate school’s relationship with the Office of the Provost and with the Vice President for Research, to help ensure strategic alignment 35

  38. Appendices • Sources of Greater Number of Masters Degrees at University of Alabama than at Auburn • Sources of Greater Number of Masters Degrees at Auburn than at Clemson • Glossary of Selected Terms 36

  39. University of Alabama’s higher number of Masters degrees are mostly in the Social Work, Communication & Information Science, and Human & Environment Science programs Sources of Greater Number of Masters Degrees at University of Alabama than at Auburn – 2005-06 Chart 21 43 91 -38 -51 111 266 -45 156 Social Work* Comm. & Inf. Science* Human & Environ. Science Arts & Sciences Eng. Arch.** Agric.** Net Difference * AU does not have College ** U of A does not have College 37 Source: University of Alabama Fact Book

  40. While Clemson and Auburn award about the same number of Masters degrees, Clemson awards many more Engineering and Forestry Degrees – Auburn many more in Business and Liberal Arts Sources of Greater Number of Masters Degrees at Auburn than at Clemson – 2005-06 Chart 22 19 15 29 55 88 -107 -46 34 -19 Business Liberal Arts Agric. Education Other Eng. & Science Forestry Arch. Net Difference Source: Clemson University Fact Book 38

  41. Glossary of Selected Terms • Graduate assistant (GA) – a graduate student who is awarded a fellowship that provides financial aid in exchange for providing teaching, research, and/or outreach-related duties • • Graduate research assistant (GRA) – a graduate assistant who works on • academic research projects with one or more full faculty members • • Graduate teaching assistant (GTA) – a graduate assistant who works under the supervision of a professor to teach labs, recitation sessions, and • introductory classes • Recitation session – a class held to expand upon and discuss a lecture given by a senior faculty member 39

More Related