strategic Study Group Recommendations - 2002-2003
Honors Award Process

Improvement Statement: Improve the award process so that the Honors award amount to each student participating in the program is consistent
annually, and the program is merit-based with specific criteria.

Implementation Status

Recommendations

Responsibility

1 Guarantee a consistent amount over four years to each freshman entering the University Honors
Program, based on merit, as long as eligibility is maintained.

Honors Chair / Honors
Committee

2. Develop an ongoing plan to identify additional funding sources for Honors awards.

Honors Chair / Honors
Committee
Honors Chair / Honors
Committee

3. Eliminate the annual reapplication requirement for Honors scholarship awards and use a
computer data check to verify continued eligibility, as is done to verify continued eligibility for
participation in the program itself

Master Schedule

Improvement Statement: To examine current practices for the development of the Master Schedule at the department and Dean level, for best
practices to minimize student, faculty and departmental conflicts and to better match faculty to teaching technologies.

Recommendations

Implementation Status

1. A model of “best practices” should be generated that includes recommendations for starting the
process well in advace and for assessing technology needs in departments.
2. Departments should have specific rooms for which they will receive priority scheduling.

3. Inclusion of 4-year planners for ALL programs in the University Catalog, and distribution of
planners to every department connected to a particular major or program. In addition we would
iike to see 4-year planners used as a “check” in the scheduling process as a way to avoid conflicts
between required courses.
4. A list of all the technologies available in each classroom should be maintained on the Web and
available to all.
5. “Other” courses offered at Edinboro University - including GECAC, PREP, NTEL, Project
Echo and off campus courses - should be part of the mainstream scheduling process. A database
of those in charge of each of these programs should be maintained and accessible to all schedule
creators on campus.

Sharon Miller in the scheduling
office has already begun work on
this task.

Responsibility
Ad hoc, campus wide committee
convened by the Scheduling
Office
Scheduling Office. Ad hoc
committee to help Sharon Miller
assess the needs of individual
departments.
Tim Pilewski and the Offices of
records & Registration. Deans
to be in charge of checking all
conflicts between required
courses.
Technology and
Communications.
Deans, working in conjunction
with each other.

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6. A “working” schedule or “pre-schedule” should be posted on the web, perhaps in Blackboard,
well in advance of the deadline so that those involved in the Master Schedule creation process can
look for scheduling conflicts prior to the printing of the Maser Schedule.

Scheduling Office in conjunction
with Technology &
Communications.

Monitorin2 Student Prosress
Improvement Statement: Define the process by which the progress of General Studies students is monitored in order to increase retention of General
Studies students.

Recommendations
1. Establishment of a Study Progress Advisory Task Force to be coordinated by the Associate
Provost for Student-Centered Initiatives. This task force should consist of representatives from:
Academic Support Services
Enrollment Management and Retention
Each of the Schools: Liberal Arts, Education and Science, Management and
Technology
Freshman Year Experience
Orientation
Student Financial Support Services
Student Representatives
The charges of this task force should include:
A. Thorough examination of University offices and services directly involved in
student success and retention. The primary goal of the task force should be to
develop indicators of student success. Some of the methods to achieve that goal
may include:
i.

ii.

An increased communication among student offices and services
directly involved with student retention and success to make student
access to these services as seamless as possible.

Implementation of the plan for improvement of academic advising as
per the recommendation of the Strategic Study Group on Academic
Advising convened in 2001. Some specific tasks might be
a.
making QPA calculation software accessible through the EUP
website (SCOTS and in Records and Registration) in
consultation with Technology and Communications
b.
developing opportunities for advisor training, including
workshops and on-line tutorials
c.
developing additional criteria for recognizing faculty advising
responsibilities
__________________ iii. Review CSl (College Student Inventory) and SSI (Student Satisfaction

Iniplcmcnlalion Status

Rcsponsibilit\
Associate Provost for StudentCentered Initiatives

Index) data for trends in order to improve retention outcomes.
B. Exploration of the establishment of a Retention Advisement Committee for each
of the three schools.
Initially the SSG envisioned a committee compromised of the dean of the school
(or a designated representative), and one representative from each of the
following areas:
Academic departments in the school
Enrollment Management and Retention
Student Financial and Support Services
Residence Life
The committee might meet twice a semester ~ once grades have been submitted,
to review all students who are eligible for probation or supension.
All students eligible for probation or suspension will;
a.
b.
c.

receive a letter from the Registrar’s office (this is currently in place)
the student’s advisor will be copied (this is also currently in place)
the academic record of each student on academic probation or
suspension will be reviewed (this is also currently in place)
d. students eligible for suspension will be suspended (this is also currently
in place)
e. students on suspension will be eligible for a meeting with the
committee. Those students may seek reinstatement, at the committee’s
discretion, pending the development of an Individual Success Program
(ISP). The ISP, which will be developed by the committee and the
student, will identify specific actions, activity and criteria for
reinstatement and retention.
f. Each semester, the progress of all students with ISPs will be reviewed.
The committee s discretion will dictate whether the student’s record
indicates compliance and progress toward retention. If student’s
progress is not deemed satisfactory toward success as per the ISP
agreement, the student will be terminated.
g. Exploration of the reassignment of General Studies students from a
centralized department of one of the three colleges. (For example:
General Studies - Education, General Studies - Liberal Arts, General
Studies - SMT — OR - Undeclared - Education, Undeclared - Liberal
Arts, Undeclared - SMT.)
2. Implementation of a hreshman Year Experience program. We support the course “University
101” currently under deliberation by the Curriculum Committee

Associate Vice President for
Student Centered Initiatives

3. Revise (via UPIRCI) the “Department Enrollment Planning Matrices” to include a section for
departmental reflection on retention with the following questions (Appendix 4A and 4B):

UPIRCI

a. “What # and % of students transferred to another major within Edinboro
University?”
b. What # and % of students transferred to a different institution?”

4. Revise (via collaboration between Records and Registration and Technology and
Communications) the “Change Major” form to include a section on why a student is changing their
major. (Appendix 5). Secondarily, a location will need to be identified within Banner to
accommodate the data for report purposes.

Records and
Registration/Technology and
Communications

5. Implementation of a cyclical major change/department retention report for department chairs
and program heads to catalogue the reasons why students are leaving a particular major. This will
also improve communication among departments and retention committees. Once the University is
able to capture this data to understand why students are changing particular majors in favor of
others, appropriate decision-making/strategy development can occur. This infonnation should be
compiled and shared with the campus retention committees shown previously in the report.

Records and
Registration/Technology and
Communications

Recosnition of Retirees
Improvement Statement: Create equitable standards to recognize University employees upon retirement in order to enhance a continuing positive
relationship wit the University as measured by a follow-up survey to the individuals who have retired within the last three years.

I^cconimcndalions
1. Develop a policy identifying the specific recognitions, honors and communications each retiree
is entitled to receive and governing the use of University funds in doing so.
2. Develop a brochure listing the specific recognitions, honors and communication every retiree is
to receive.
3. Consider establishing an annual retirement luncheon even with the President to honor new
retirees, possibly following the Spring Convocation.
4. Establish an honor similar to Emeritus status for non faculty/administrative retirees
5. Review the current policy and procedure for Emeritus status to detennine if the policy and the
procedure still reflect the University’s concept of Emeritus.
6. Consider presenting emeritus recognition annually at a public session of the Council of Trustees
meeting - possibly in the spring.
7. Send a follow-up survey every three years to those individuals who have retired since the last
survey.
9/16/03 -edl

Implcmcnlalioii Slaliis

Rcsponsibilil\
Personnel, Space and Policy
Committee
Human Resources/Faculty
Relations w/Publications Office.
President’s Office
President’s Office w/PEC.
Provost’s Office
President’s Office
UPIRCI