REPORT TO THE FACULTY SENATE
ACADEMIC PROGRESS AT THE
February
2005
Since 2001, a dialogue has been initiated across the campus
about the academic progress of the
This process has been successful in affirming academic
priorities and measures of success for the
· excellent faculty
· successful students
· high quality, affordable programs
· superior research and service, and
· outstanding facilities
This statement has been broadly disseminated on campus and can be found at http://www.udel.edu/provost/Priorities.html.
The statement on academic priorities is a working document
that identifies specific action steps needed for improvement and that
stipulates achievable and measurable outcomes.
The path to academic progress that is outlined through the proposed
action steps is not self-confirming. As
an academic community, the University needs to hold itself accountable for
fulfilling the promise of the
v Excellent Faculty
Attract, retain, and reward faculty who are diverse in background and accomplishments and who excel in teaching, scholarship, and public service.
The UD faculty is larger and more accomplished than ever before, with
excellence demonstrated in all academic areas.
Faculty compensation at all ranks has been sustained above the median
for doctoral institutions in the mid-Atlantic region. This, combined with other factors such as
higher levels of start-up support, a research semester for junior faculty, and
greatly improved facilities, enables UD to consistently hire its first choice
to fill faculty positions. The UD faculty includes winners of Guggenheim and
Fulbright Fellowships, and NSF Career and Distinguished Service Awards, as well
as members of the
Over the next five years, the size of UD faculty will remain
essentially the same, but there will be substantial turnover. As those hired in the 1960s and early and mid
1970s retire, the University has the opportunity to fill hundreds of faculty
positions. The University will further raise the level of faculty excellence and
concentrate on building faculty strength in areas of instructional and research
priority. UD can also greatly enhance the diversity of the faculty. The effectiveness of this process will shape
the character and quality of the faculty for the next 30 to 40 years.
To attract the best,
UD needs to recruit aggressively and sustain the comparative advantages of the
University of Delaware: highly competitive compensation; growing investments in
faculty start-up support; mentoring and professional development support for tenure-track assistant professors; and
sustained investment in facilities and core resources, such as the library and
instructional and information technologies.
The overall strength of the University of Delaware
should enable the institution to be very successful in attracting faculty who
match the mold of UD because they see teaching, scholarship, and service as
interrelated and mutually reinforcing facets of their contributions rather than
as competing demands on their time. Most
faculty hiring will be at the junior level. Senior hires should be made when
there is a need for leadership not available among the current members of a
department or when added value may be obtained through the addition of an
individual who can help refocus and guide programs.
As faculty excellence grows, UD needs to do more to reward and retain
the very best faculty. Perhaps the most
profound and long-lasting impact of the Campaign for
The recent review of workload policies has helped to clarify the
faculty contributions expected in each department. In keeping with the increasing quality of the
faculty and the higher expectations that quality entails, promotion and tenure
criteria also need to be strengthened.
The
v Successful Students
Recruit academically talented and diverse undergraduate and graduate students and support their intellectual, cultural, and ethical development as citizens, scholars, and professionals.
UD students are succeeding at higher levels on all academic indicators
than ever before. The typical
undergraduate student today has academic qualifications similar to many
students who entered the UD Honors Program fifteen years ago. Undergraduate applications have increased to
22,000 annually, with more non-resident applications than any other public
university. UD students are now more
diverse ethnically, racially, and regionally.
UD students succeed above national standards for retention and
graduation at highly selective institutions and UD has among the highest
retention and graduation rates in the nation for minorities and for
athletes. At the graduate level,
full-time enrollment has increased by nearly
70% since 1990. With a graduate
admission rate of 36%, UD ranks among the most selective graduate institutions
in the nation, while also providing exceptional access to Delawareans seeking
graduate study in education, nursing, public administration, and other fields
of particular importance to the state.
Over the next five years, UD will maintain its current undergraduate
enrollment, focusing on continuing improvements in quality rather than
increases in size. With the expected
continued improvement in the qualifications of the applicant pool, UD will be
able to better “shape” incoming classes.
One result will be that more students will be admitted to programs with
the capacity to effectively support their success, and fewer will be admitted outside the major of their
choice. Another result will be that
incoming classes will become increasingly diverse – racially, culturally,
ethnically, regionally, and intellectually.
While the overall academic qualifications of both resident and
non-resident students will continue to improve, UD will need to address notable
deficiencies in the college-readiness of some resident applicants. Over the next few years, UD will work to help
more Delawareans become college-ready, and specifically, college-ready for
UD. Beginning with the entering class in
fall 2006, UD will increase the minimum number of required high school academic
classes, strengthening the requirements in mathematics, history, and
science. UD will also work with the
UD’s 3,400 graduate students now represent about 18% of the student
body. Over the next five years, graduate enrollment will grow to 4,000. There
will be growth in graduate enrollments in programs that serve special needs,
such as nursing, early childhood education, and teacher education, and in
programs driven by the growth of faculty research and
their increasing success in attracting external contracts and grants;
biotechnology and the life sciences are good examples. While a few new programs may be initiated,
the focus will be on enhancing the quality of existing graduate programs.
UD graduate students succeed at very high levels. At the same time, the time to degree
completion and the rates of completion vary significantly among graduate
programs. While some variation is
typical at all universities, specific UD programs with low completion rates and
long times to degree completion will be expected to make the changes needed to
improve these outcomes. All program
faculties will need to systematically evaluate the number of students they can
effectively support to degree completion.
At the university level, more investment will be made in graduate
student support services and in areas that strengthen graduate student identity
as members of the UD community. One step
planned is the development of a new and more visible location for the Office of
Graduate Studies that also would provide space for graduate student
organizations and programs.
v High Quality, Affordable Education
Provide broad access to a comprehensive array of educational programs that reflect high academic standards, exemplify best practices in teaching, and encourage discovery-based lifelong learning.
UD’s 125 undergraduate programs and 148 graduate programs meet the
highest standards of accreditation in their fields; many are ranked among the
best in the nation. In recognition of
the scope and range of its programs, UD is now classified by the Carnegie
Foundation as an Extensive Doctoral/Research University, a designation accorded
to less than 4% of colleges and universities.
UD has earned national recognition for undergraduate research, study
abroad, problem-based learning, instructional technology, and the Honors
Program.
A UD education remains affordable. No student pays the full cost of a
UD education and for
The
The continuing success of the
A UD education must remain affordable. Cost controls combined with increases
in financial aid have helped to keep access open to qualified students independent of their economic
means. To keep that distinction and to
attract and support more academically talented and diverse students, UD will
need to continue to be cost-effective and to increase financial aid. A parallel situation exists at the graduate
level. Graduate students in most
programs are supported as research and teaching assistants. Recruitment and support of the best graduate
students will require that the University maintain competitive stipends and
benefits, some of which have been, and will continue to be, generated from the
continuing growth of external contracts and grants.
v Superior Research and Service
Enhance research and service programs that build on our institutional and interdisciplinary strengths and extend our leadership as a state-assisted land-grant, sea-grant, urban-grant, and space-grant university.
Since 1990, funding generated from external contracts and grants has
increased from $31 million to $135 million.
UD faculty now attract major national research support, including
support for federally funded national centers of excellence. To an extent matched by few peer
institutions, UD fulfills the Kellogg Commission’s model of an “engaged university:”
an institution that makes a comprehensive and sustained contribution to the
improvement of the communities that it serves. The
The success of the
With increasing pressures on federal funding sources, the need to diversify
funding bases and partners will increase. The University has already had some
success in partnering as is evident with the Center for Composite Materials and
the Delaware Biotechnology Institute.
Moving forward, the number of similar opportunities is likely to
increase significantly, and it will be even more important to be selective in
supporting only those that fit with and reinforce other University priorities
and leverage our comparative advantages.
The growth of sponsored programs also requires that UD continues to
implement best practices in grants and contract administration
and continues to improve policies and procedures that address issues of
intellectual property, equity interest ventures, and commercialization of new
ideas and procedures.
New research programs will develop primarily in areas where the
University has a distinctive opportunity or advantage relative to other
universities, or where the University has a notable responsibility to the
community. Prime candidates are
interdisciplinary areas that draw upon faculty expertise from many departments
and colleges, such as biotechnology, life sciences, environmental sciences,
clean energy research, and research on early learning and early experience.
In many respects, the
UD’s public service role will grow through partnerships in areas of
University priority and responsibility, such as pre-K to 12 education;
professional development for business, education, and health professionals; and
improvement in agriculture, coastal management, and environmental
practices. In some cases, UD will need
to develop innovative models to support the new and expanding partnerships.
v Outstanding Facilities
Provide the infrastructure and tools required for sustained academic success, including state-of-the-art libraries, technology, classrooms, laboratories, equipment, and residence halls.
Since 1990, over $700 million has been invested in facilities,
including the construction of 34 new buildings and the completion of 1,400
renovation/renewal projects. UD will
soon complete the renovation or replacement of all laboratories, classrooms,
and residence halls. Beyond these visible improvements, UD is also nationally
recognized as a leader in electronic library resources and in instructional
technology. Investments in all of these
improvements have been greatly assisted by the success of the Campaign for
The
In the years ahead, the students attracted to the University of
Delaware will continue to be more academically qualified than their
predecessors; they also will have greater expectations about the environment
for learning and somewhat different needs in terms of the types and quality of
learning resources available. As UD
attracts more of these better students, the institution will need to increase
investments in the living-learning environment.
Two current projects reflect this need.
One is the replacement of the entire Pencader complex with new
residential facilities that are much better suited to the University’s
character and needs. An even more
compelling example is the new Center for the Arts. Over the last decade, the number of music and
theater majors has doubled and the number of music and theater minors has
tripled; in addition, a larger number of non-majors are now participating in
music-related activities. This trend is likely to intensify as
the University attracts students of increasing academic quality because better
students are more often interested in the arts and seek instruction in music or
perform in choral or theater groups. The
Center for the Arts is clearly an important investment in the success of the
students of the
Looking ahead, additional investments will be needed in facilities that
support the signature features of a UD education. One such facility is a dedicated
undergraduate laboratory building that would extend UD’s capacity to support
undergraduate research. While providing
state-of-the-art laboratories designed for instruction in the sciences and
engineering, such a facility also would relieve pressure on laboratories in a
half dozen current buildings.
A parallel situation exists in regard to the growth of research
programs. The growth of sponsored
programs generates the need for expanded modern research space and continuous
upgrades in equipment and core research facilities; it also increases the
opportunity for spin-off initiatives that require suitable facilities, such as
those now available at DBI and the Delaware Technology Park.
Maintaining the quality of library resources and instructional
technology requires continued investment.
While greater reliance on improved electronic library resources has
improved access and displaced some costs, overall library costs, particularly
for journal acquisitions, continue to grow much faster than the rate of
inflation.
UNDERGRADUATE
EDUCATION
GRADUATE
EDUCATION
RESEARCH
AND SCHOLARSHIP
PUBLIC,
COMMUNITY, AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
The narrative below evaluates progress in achieving the academic priorities adopted in 2003. Unless otherwise noted, the baseline for assessment is 2001. Additions or modifications to priorities made after 2003 are noted in green.
UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION
· Retain a freshman admissions target of 3,200-3,400, with an admissions profile for 2007 of 23,000 applications, a 40% admit rate, and a yield rate above 35%.
The fall 2004 entering
class of 3,456 freshmen was selected from 22,200 applicants. Overall, offers of admission were made to 42%
of non-resident applicants with an overall yield rate of 35%.
UD is first choice of
60% of non-resident enrollees and 71% of
·
Continue to increase both merit-based and need-based
financial aid.
Financial aid has
increased from $25 million in 1991 to over $98 million in 2004.
The provost office is
developing a plan to ensure the optimal use of financial aid over the next 5
years.
·
Help more
UD admission standards
will increase in fall 2006 to require 18 academic units including 4 years of
English, 4 years of history/social sciences, 3 years of science, 3 years of
mathematics, 2 years of foreign languages, and 2 years college
prep/honors/AP/IB electives.
· Improve the alignment of undergraduate enrollment distribution and instructional resource distribution, particularly faculty distribution.
Initiated annual
enrollment planning with deans and admissions office; included enrollment
planning in annual budget planning reviews.
Alignment is still incomplete.
Colleges have made
enrollment demand a priority in faculty position planning.
The admission office has
increased efforts to recruit qualified applicants for under-enrolled majors and
programs.
· Review and revise undeclared student status through improved matching of students and majors on admission, improved early advisement for new students, creation of “college” majors, and establishment of a university studies option.
A university studies
option was created for entering freshmen in 2003. The newly created university advisement
center improved the orientation process for incoming students, helping to match
students and majors upon initial enrollment.
A college major exists
in CHEP, an undeclared option is available in business and in engineering, and
CHNS has established a health education studies major. This is no longer a
priority of colleges because of the success of enhanced advisement initiatives.
· Maintain a freshman retention rate above the national average for highly selective institutions and seek to achieve a 90% rate.
The retention rate for
the fall 2003 cohort was 88.6%. The
national retention rate for highly selective universities was 85%.
The retention rate for
African American students was 89.2% compared with a national retention rate of
85.1% for highly selective universities. The retention rate for Hispanic
students was 84.8% compared with a national retention rate of 84.3% for highly
selective universities.
· Maintain a graduation rate above the national average for highly selective institutions and seek to achieve a 75% five-year rate.
The 5-year graduation
rate for the fall 1999 cohort is 74.5%.
The national rate for highly selective universities is 63.2%. The graduate rates for African American and
Hispanic students are far above the national average for highly selective institutions;
UD ranks sixth in the nation among all public universities in the graduation
rate of African American students.
· Increase minority and international enrollment, with retention and graduation rates consistent with university-wide averages.
Diversity has increased
with enrollment of African American students increasing to 5.6% in 2004 and
Hispanic enrollment increasing to 3.6%.
The fall 2004 entering
class is the most diverse in UD history with more than 500 students of color
comprising 15% of the entering class.
An assistant provost for
student diversity and success was appointed to work with a new university
council focused on strengthening diversity across campus.
Support has been
increased for college and university programs that support the success of
underrepresented, low income students. UD’s McNair scholars program is the only
one of 161 in the nation with a 100% student success rate; UD has provided
funding to supplement federal support for this program.
International undergraduate enrollment
remains low at less than 1%. The Center
for International Studies is working with the Office of Admissions to develop a
proposal to recruit international students.
The English Language Institute is working with the Admissions Office to
improve the processing of international student applications. The Office of the
Foreign Student and Scholar Services works with an immigration lawyer to assist
students and faculty on technical immigration matters.
· Fully implement all recommended general education reforms by 2005.
The Faculty Senate (May
2004) and Board of Trustees (November 2004) approved recommendations for
campus-wide implementation of general education reforms aligned to the 10 goals
for general education adopted by the Faculty Senate in 2001.
· Expedite entry into LIFE courses and similar opportunities for all students.
A freshmen experience such as LIFE is
required for all entering students effective fall 2005; there will be a
fourfold increase in the number of LIFE clusters in 2005 to serve 1,800
freshmen. The new Associate in Arts program also has a LIFE cluster built into
the curriculum for entering freshmen.
Some colleges and departments already offer
a freshmen seminar or other freshman experience, while others are planning to
introduce these options.
· Expand the Undergraduate Research program with extended college and program collaborations so that all students have the opportunity to participate.
New collaborations have
been facilitated by the Undergraduate Research Program with the Colleges of
Arts and Sciences, Engineering, Agriculture, Health and Nursing Sciences, and
Marine Studies. Undergraduate Research
Programs now operate at the
Some colleges provide
additional funding for students engaged in undergraduate research.
Some university centers
provide research opportunities to undergraduates.
To expand the models of
undergraduate research and to recognize registration for undergraduate research
credit in any field, a new “UNIV” course number sequence has been introduced and
approved.
UD is the site for a
National Science Foundation-supported Research Experiences for Undergraduate
site in bridge engineering.
· Make a study abroad experience available to every student and expand study abroad options.
In 2002, the University established the Center For International Studies (CFIS) to enhance the international
dimensions of teaching, research, and service at the University by encouraging
and supporting the active participation of University faculty and students in
the process of integrating international and global themes into their
individual and collaborative scholarship.
Since 2001, there have been 80 new faculty directors of 38 new study
abroad programs involving 14 formerly unrepresented academic disciplines. In 2001-2002, 923 students participated in
study abroad and by 2003-2004 the number increased to 1,300. The 2004-2005 number is expected to reach
1,400. During winter session 2005,
about 150 freshmen will participate in study abroad.
Approximately 775 students have been awarded study abroad scholarships
during the last three years. A Unidel
grant will double scholarship funding over the next three years, after which
the provost office will provide recurrent resources to maintain the increased
scholarship level.
·
Expand programs of international/intercultural
education, such as
Since 2002, CFIS has supported visiting scholars from Japan, Australia,
Greece, Bulgaria, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Qatar, Mexico,
Norway, Italy, Austria, Russia, Costa Rica, Nunavut, and Brazil.
A faculty fellows program has been established through which faculty
focus on internationalizing the curriculum.
The Global Agenda series annually brings to the campus at least seven
internationally prominent practitioners in global politics and media. The University expanded the scope of the
Global Agenda program in 2002 by adding major speaker events under the
Unidel-supported “
Undergraduate research exchange programs
and service learning abroad programs have been established. UD international awards and grants are
increasing as exemplified by UD hosting the State Department’s Fulbright
Institute and the USAID project in
·
Strengthen the
The
· Expand and integrate written and oral communications learning opportunities throughout the curriculum.
A Unidel grant has provided support for new initiatives that will
strengthen written and oral communications in ways that correspond to the goals
of general education reform.
An expanded oral and written communications center is being planned by
the
Some colleges and departments are providing specialized instruction in
written and oral communications.
The Honors Program encourages the inclusion of oral communication
components in Honors ENGL 110 sections and colloquia and the writing fellows
program has been expanded.
The 2004-2005 instructional grant program
targeted oral and written communication as a goal. Four grant proposals from
three different colleges were selected for funding in the area of written and
oral communication.
· Actively promote university-wide service learning programs, and make a service learning opportunity available to all students.
An Office of Service Learning (OSL) was
established in fall 2004. OSL maintains
an updated university-wide database of departments and courses incorporating
service learning in undergraduate course instruction. Mini-grants are being
awarded to faculty to assist with service learning course instruction. The 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 instructional
grant program targeted service learning as a goal. Study abroad service learning programs are
now underway. A Unidel grant has
provided funding for a service learning summer scholars program, starting in
2005.
Some colleges, departments and centers
sponsor service learning programs for undergraduates.
· Selectively expand support for interdisciplinary study options.
New interdisciplinary programs include new
majors jointly offered by the Math and Economics departments and the Computer
and Information Sciences and Accounting/Management Information Systems
departments, and a new minor in Disabilities Studies. New programs have been supported in Food Science,
Food and Resource Economics, Cognitive Science, and Marine Studies.
The
The feasibility of creating additional interdisciplinary
cross college programs will be explored in such fields as biotechnology and
environmental sciences.
· Provide a capstone experience for all students that may include internships and other practical field experiences as well as special courses and projects.
Capstone experiences are
now recommended by the faculty senate for all departments under approved
general education reforms. Capstone experiences exist in pre-professional
programs, such as Teacher Education, Nursing and Engineering, and through the
Honors Program.
· Strengthen the Honors Program; pursue a new model that exemplifies leadership in the development and adoption of best practices for UD undergraduate education and that signals a new partnership between the Honors Program and the contributing Departments.
The transition in the
model of the Honors Program has been accomplished.
In fall 2004, the Honors
Program enrolled 440 freshmen with average SATs of 1362, average high school
GPAs of 3.94 and high school ranks in the top 5.5%.
Four new honors degrees
were established for the 2004-05 academic year. The establishment of the two year General
Honors Award (GHA) and the establishment of the non-thesis honors degree option
have been successful. Since the fall of
2002, approximately 75% of the entering Honors Program classes have earned the
GHA. In 2005, approximately 184
students are slated to earn an enriched degree, which represents 42% of the
Honors Program senior class.
· Expand Winter Session options and enrollment; better incorporate Winter Session in departmental academic planning.
Since 2003, departments have been given
subvention payments and they have offered more winter session courses. Enrollment
in winter session 2004 was over 8,100, a level reached for only the second time
in 10 years.
· Review and improve the overall design and delivery of the Parallel Program; pursue expanded articulation agreements with Delaware Technical and Community College.
In fall 2004, the Associate in Arts (AA)
program replaced the Parallel Program.
In F04, there were 323 first-time AA students, 187 returning parallel
students, 13 transfer students, and 2 readmitted students. In addition to the Associate in Arts program,
11 connected degree options are now in place with
· Support services that improve employment and professional career opportunities for UD graduates.
A new course UNIV 364: experiential
internship is administered and taught by professional staff of the MBNA career
services center.
·
An academic council on
· Establish and institutionalize the Office of Undergraduate Studies as the focal point for continuous improvement in undergraduate education.
The Office of Undergraduate Studies was
established and consists of nine programs:
Associate in Arts program; Academic Enrichment Center; Center for
Teaching Effectiveness; General Education Initiative; Office of Service
Learning; McNair Scholars Program; Undergraduate Research Program; University
Advisement Center; and the University Honors Program.
· Extend UD international leadership in active/discovery learning (e.g., PBL).
The Institute for Transforming
Undergraduate Education (ITUE) continues to provide leadership in the use of
PBL both at UD and abroad. The institute
sponsors workshops every winter and summer session. In addition, ITUE faculty
has presented PBL workshops in
· Extend faculty and student utilization of new instructional technologies; establish WebCT course support sites for most courses by 2007.
The number of UD
academic courses using WebCT increased from 218 in 2000-2001 to 1,182 in
2003-2004.
· Implement continuing outcomes assessment of instructional innovation.
An outcomes assessment
program is in development in the office of the provost with the hiring of a
newly created outcomes assessment professional position and a faculty director
of educational assessment to be appointed.
Outcomes assessment is
well-established in some pre-professional programs such as teacher education
and nursing.
· Extend UD’s leadership roles for programs of undergraduate research, study abroad, and service learning.
Additional funding has
been provided for study abroad and service learning programs and scholarships.
A new Office of Service Learning has been established and study abroad and
undergraduate research programs have been expanded.
In spring 2004, the
· Continue to improve facilities that support excellence in undergraduate education, including library renovations to improve access and use, laboratories, classrooms, and performing arts studios that support discovery-based learning.
About $1 million per
year has been spent on library improvements since 2001. For example, the lower level of the Morris
Library was renovated and now provides one of the most up-to-date computing
sites on campus, a media research room for faculty instructional preparation
and multimedia creation capability for students. The lower level
renovation also merged service points to create a new large service area for
digital services including digital microform readers and digital
copier/scanners.
About $1.5 million per
year has been spent on upgrades of instructional laboratories. Classroom
improvements continue across campus including special facilities such as two
state-of-the-art computer aided classrooms for engineering education.
New and renovated
buildings since 2001 include: Art Studio Building, Center for the Arts, Early
Learning Center, Brown Lab, DuPont Hall, McKinly Lab, Wolf Hall, Sig Nu/Sig Ep
renovation for Foreign Languages and Literatures, and the new hotel.
A new undergraduate
laboratory building is planned.
GRADUATE EDUCATION
· Define explicitly the criteria for success in every graduate program, clarifying the different expectations for research-oriented and professional programs and applying those criteria consistently.
Criteria for success are
being established at the college level for each graduate program.
The Office of Graduate
Studies has provided detailed information on graduate student applications,
offers and acceptances along with graduation rates, time-to-degree completion,
and socio-demographic characteristics of students to assist academic units in
establishing benchmarks for success.
· Review the effectiveness of all graduate programs on a regularly scheduled basis through the Academic Program Review and Accreditation Review processes.
A full schedule of
academic program reviews and external accreditation reviews is being
implemented.
An average of eight to
ten academic units is reviewed annually, selected by the provost and deans.
· Invest selectively in interdisciplinary graduate programs in areas of demonstrated comparative advantage and community need.
New graduate programs
are in development in such fields as Preservation Studies and Disabilities
Studies.
The interdisciplinary
graduate program in Energy and Environmental Policy was granted permanent
status.
New specializations have
been added including MBA specializations in museum management, sports
management, and a non-thesis marine studies specialization in natural resource
management.
UD is the site for the
NSF-supported IGERT – Interdisciplinary Graduate Education, Research, and
Training in Biotechnology.
· Explore new graduate program options, including expanded undergraduate/graduate “4 plus 1” options, targeted distance education programs, a 5-year BA/MAT program, coordinated MA/MS-PhD options, and more extensive international collaborations.
CANR has initiated the
integrated training option for students in plant biology which enables students
to rotate in laboratories in CMS, at DuPont, and at the Institute for Genome
Research.
Some nursing
concentrations are being targeted for 4+1 distance options.
UD departments of
Biology Sciences and Chemistry and Biochemistry and other science units receive
NIH support for interdisciplinary programs of graduate training.
Distance education graduate
program options have been expanded in Nursing and HRIM.
· Define and meet qualitative and quantitative enrollment targets and student profile objectives for all graduate programs.
Admission, enrollment,
and graduation targets are now set for all programs and a planning template has
been established that may be updated annually.
· Sustain a stable university-wide graduate admissions profile with 6,000 annual applications, a 30% admit rate, and a yield rate over 50%.
For fall 2004, 5,325
applications were received with a 36% admit rate and a yield rate of 59%.
· Increase the diversity of the graduate student population by implementing program-based plans to enhance diversity.
A graduate council on
student diversity and success was appointed.
The council will work with programs to develop and implement diversity plans and receive assistance from a new
graduate coordinator position in the graduate office.
A majority of UD graduate
students are women, about 25% are international students and about 11% are
Some colleges and
departments have programs to strengthen diversity and support the success of a
more diverse graduate student population.
UD is the site for the
NSF ‘Bridges to the Doctorate’ Program.
· Improve graduation rates, time to degree completion, and job placement of graduates, with specific objectives defined by each program.
A template for regular
monitoring and review at the program level has been established and is being
used by deans in reviews of departmental performance.
A University
dissertation writing awards program has been established to facilitate doctoral
student completion. CHEP also provides dissertation writing awards.
Parallel to national
rates, less than half of UD doctoral students complete their degrees. About 75% of master’s students complete their
degrees.
· Maintain national best practices in electronic graduate admissions procedures.
UD remains a national
leader in electronic graduate admissions procedures.
· Improve graduate student recruitment strategies, including web-based recruitment and the identification of feeder schools, for each graduate program.
A new graduate coordinator position was
created in the Office of Graduate Studies to strengthen recruitment. Colleges
also have invested in strengthening marketing and recruitment.
· Assist graduate programs in providing improved support for the job placement of graduates.
This responsibility has been taken on by
the colleges and graduate programs.
· Increase graduate stipend rates and floors and then incrementally increase graduate stipends at the same rate as salaries, maintaining graduate stipends at nationally competitive levels.
Minimum graduate
stipends increased from $9,000 in 2001 to $12,200 in 2005, with funding
provided from the provost’s office for basic budget supported graduate
positions. Graduate stipends will increment
annually at least at the level of increases in faculty salaries.
Most colleges provide
additional funds to increase stipends above the minimum level.
The number and value of
university competitive graduate student awards has been increased, as has the
number of university graduate scholar awards.
Graduate student health
benefits have been increased with no additional costs to students.
Graduate student travel
awards have been established that enable students to participate in national
and international professional meetings.
· Improve recognition for faculty excellence in graduate supervision and instruction.
Faculty mentoring and
supervision awards have been established for both masters and doctoral
advisement.
· Improve campus-wide coordination of services for graduate students.
Coordination among the
Graduate Student Senate, the provost office and graduate coordinators has been
improved through regular meetings.
A need remains for a new
and visible graduate studies center.
RESEARCH AND SCHOLARSHIP
· Continue to increase the level of externally sponsored research, with a target increase of 50% over the FY01 level by 2007.
Sponsored activity
increased by 35% from FY2001 to FY2004, reaching $135mm.
Targeted federal
funding for UD programs increased to about $18mm in FY2005.
OVPR will offer
workshops and expanded services to assist faculty in proposal development and
in dealing with appropriate federal and state agencies as well as industry and
foundation partners.
· Improve productivity in departmentally sponsored research; strengthen assessment and support higher levels of performance.
New workload policies
confirm expected outcomes from investment in departmental research.
Departments are expected
to benchmark research and scholarly productivity to peer institutions. This focus must be on quality as well as
quantity.
·
· Strengthen start-up and pilot support for scholarship and research in selected areas of priority, such as the international research awards program.
The University spends
about $5.5 million each year on faculty start-up support and that amount is
increasing. Faculty in all colleges and
disciplines are now eligible for matching start-up support from the Provost’s
office.
Colleges provide
internal start-up and grants programs and provide matching funds for external
awards.
The number of UDRF
grants has increased from 13 to 25 through a new matching program with the
colleges and the Provost Office.
The University has
established a program of international research awards to support international
research by UD faculty and enhance opportunities for students, and to serve as
seed money for substantive research undertakings that will lead to applications
for larger, externally funded support.
Since 2002, faculty members have received awards to support research in
Possible
examples include the following:
· Biotechnology and the Life Sciences
· American Art, African American Art, and Material Culture
· Information Technology: Science, Technology and Management
· Early Learning/Early Experience Research
· Nano-science and Nano-technology
· Environmental and Marine Sciences and Policy
·
Ocean Observing:
Marine Studies, Engineering, Geography
· International and Cross-Cultural Research
· Corporate Governance
·
Clean Energy
Increased investment and notable progress has been made in
biotechnology and the life sciences, clean energy research, materials research,
environmental and marine research, international and cross-cultural research,
and corporate governance. New
initiatives are underway in the field of gerontology and early learning/early
experience research, and ocean observing.
· Increase the number of endowed named professorships to 90 by 2005 and to 100 by 2007.
UD has 104 named
professorships funded by endowments totaling nearly $60 million.
· Fully implement the research/scholarship semester for assistant professors.
The research/scholarship
semester is fully implemented.
· Better recognize and celebrate scholarly achievement through named professor inaugural lectures, University faculty forums, and student research conferences.
All three have been
accomplished.
· Continue to implement national best practices in the area of grants and contracts administration at the University, college, and departmental levels.
UD has invested in new
grants software and in professional development training for grants
administrators. A new assistant provost for research management was appointed
to work through PeopleSoft conversion issues and continue improvement in
adoption of best practices.
OVPR will support
programs on grants preparation.
· Improve policy and procedures to address issues of intellectual property, equity interest ventures, and commercialization of new ideas and procedures.
The University of
Delaware Technology Corporation (UDTC) was established. New policies and guidelines on equity interest
and intellectual property issues were established.
UDTC and the Delaware
Technology Park will help to strengthen the linkage among academic research,
the private sector, and commercial adaptations of the products.
· Sustain UD’s leadership role in the transition to the “electronic” library.
The
· Strengthen the development of the Delaware Biotechnology Institute (DBI) and improve the mutual support between DBI and participating colleges and departments.
Funding and governance
have been stabilized and the linkage to colleges and departments has been
strengthened with the exception of a still-weak link to Biological Sciences.
·
Create a
This has been
accomplished.
Paul R. Jones Collection
now housed at newly renovated Mechanical Hall.
· Better integrate computer and network services into the research and scholarship activities of the University.
New models of
collaboration are being explored. For example, a joint hire has been developed
to provide CNS support for ENGR cluster computing needs. More progress is
needed.
· Continue to improve facilities that support increasing research and scholarly productivity, focusing on areas of University-wide priority such as the life sciences, marine sciences, advanced materials science and engineering, and early experience/translational research.
High priority has been
placed on funding for research facilities in state budget requests, federal
funding requests, and Unidel requests; examples include Wolf Hall and Brown Lab
renovations, DuPont Hall, and Smith Lab (Lewes) additions, the new research
vessel, the CANR greenhouses, the Carvel Center, a new animal care facility,
and the Early Learning Center.
Headed by the Vice
Provost for Research, a committee of deans is reviewing how to support
infrastructure and services needed for continued productivity in research and
scholarship.
PUBLIC, COMMUNITY, AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
· Strengthen partnerships in areas of University priority and responsibility such as state and local economic development, pre-K to 16 education, effectiveness of governmental services, delivery of non-profit services, professional development for business, education, and health professionals, and improvement in agricultural and environmental practices.
New or expanded
partnerships have been established or are being established in pre-K to 20
education, governmental and non-profit services, health promotion and nursing,
business and management, and agricultural practices. Marine Studies is the coordinating office for
the mid-Atlantic coastal ocean observing regional association.
· Inventory and better coordinate service programs and partnerships on and off campus; improve inter-college collaboration and cooperation in the design and delivery of service programs.
The Academic Council on
Service Learning was created and conducted an inventory of UD service programs.
Recommendations were made for improvement in campus collaboration and
cooperation.
· Develop new institutional models for service that are responsive to the evolving needs of the constituencies we serve, such as the Early Learning Center, Center for Corporate Governance, new organization for Cooperative Extension, and the Center for Disabilities Studies.
New models are in
development through the programs noted.
The
·
More fully incorporate service learning in
undergraduate education; improve the use of service learning as an educational
method.
An Office of Service
Learning has been created and funded. A
new service learning summer scholars program has been established and funded.
Some colleges,
departments and centers provide service learning opportunities for
undergraduate and graduate students.
· Selectively extend life-long learning and distance learning programs in areas of comparative advantage and state, regional, and national need.
UD on-line has increased
enrollments each year since 2001. A financial incentive has been created to
enable departments and colleges offering credit and non-credit courses in the
evening and through off-campus and distance education to share in the revenue
generated. A new MBA degree program in
· Increase the number of service-oriented undergraduate and graduate assistantships and internships.
New service-learning
scholarships/assistantships have been created through the Office of Service
Learning. Additional support for service-oriented undergraduate and graduate
assistantships is being sought from the state.
Some colleges, departments and centers provide
service learning assistantships and internships for both undergraduate and
graduate students.
· Improve the availability and delivery of service-oriented instructional and professional development programs in such areas as education, nursing, human services, business, and agricultural sciences.
A new professional
development center for educators will open in 2005. Funding support for advanced nursing programs
has been increased. The new
· Establish endowed professorships that recognize excellence in public, community, and professional service and the integration of service with teaching and research.
Some named
professorships recognize service, such as the Phelps Director of the
· Establish University Excellence-in-Service Awards.
The Ratledge Award for
Public Service was established. The Faculty Senate is creating an award for
senate service. No on-going
university-wide award has yet been established.
· Regularly conduct program reviews of the performance and achievements of service programs.
A regular schedule of
academic program reviews for public service centers has been established; APRs
have been completed for the Institute for Public Administration, the Center for
Applied Demography and Survey Research and other centers.
· Continue to improve facilities that support increased service responsibilities.
New and improved facilities for service programs include a new teacher
professional development center, the Carvel Center, the Early Learning Center,
and newly renovated space planned for NCC Cooperative Extension, Center for
Disabilities Studies, and Early Head Start.
[1] Some portions of this report were adapted from the spring 2004 Report of Academic Progress presented to the UD Trustee Committee on Academic Affairs. Additional assessments were provided by college deans and other senior academic leaders at the end of fall semester, 2004.