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Savannah
State University
Self-Study
& Strategic Planning Model for Academic Departments & Colleges
College of
Business Administration
IRP;
Working Draft as of May 5, 2000
(Note: The"Self-Study & Strategic
Planning Model" is a comprehensive "default" model including exercises
useful to develop a comprehensive yet practical strategic plan and yet prepare summary
template sheets for University review. A systematic, wide grass-roots process should be
used to develop an integrated departmental self-study and strategic plan: all members of
the department must have an opportunity to be involved in its construction. The department
head/chair is accountable for delivering copies of the completed draft plan to her or his
Dean and to the SACS steering committee by the specified deadline. The SACS steering
committee will place draft plans on its web site for review by appropriate SACS
sub-committees, the Deans Council, the Academic Vice President, and the President's
Cabinet. Recommendations by reviewers will be returned to departments for consideration in
preparing a revised plan. Throughout this document, the term "department" is
intended to signify any single academic and budget unit, including all the various majors
and/or services provided or performed by that department.)
Guiding Values, Beliefs, Assumptions & Attitudes: List 6-12 most important guiding principles subscribed to by professionals in your department. These are the academic and educational values, beliefs, assumptions, & attitudes held in common by the faculty for whom you are designing a strategic plan. These statements should be about things that matter collectively and specifically for the disciplines and/or knowledge domains represented in your department-ideas that typically influence how practitioners in the disciplines undertake problem identification, problem-solving, and judgement-forming. Often, these principles underlie and define professional organizations to which members of the department may belong and may be found published in relevant by-laws or ethics codes. (Eg.: American Historical Association; American Management Association, etc.) Alternatively, they may be developed through brain-storming sessions with department employees. It is critical that any important hidden assumptions or beliefs should surface and not remain covert. Guiding
Values – COBA Strategic Planning Committee Draft –
April 3, 2000 1.
Student academic performance rises with high faculty expectations. 2. All COBA
students have the ability to learn and master the required material. 3.
Applied experiences enhance student learning. 4.
Mastery of
basic business, communication, and interpersonal skills is critical to our student's
success. 5.
Faculty access and small class size are two key advantages COBA provides to enhance
the student learning experience. 6.
COBA's multicultural learning environment is beneficial to the future of our
students. 7.
Integration
and reinforcement of ethical values are essential throughout the students' COBA
experience. 2. Vision Statement: Specify how in five years the
learning experience at SSU will have become better and different as a result of your
department's work. Craft a single sentence in the future-perfect tense ("...{noun}
will have {verb} {object}...") that describes how, in an ideal world, the community
will have become better off as a result of your department doing a highly effective job
with truly outstanding results. How will the university and its students have been
advantaged by your department's successful performance? Create a more positive future by
first imagining and visualizing it before planning and acting.
College of
Business Administration Vision Statement Building on the rich history of Savannah State University, the College of Business Administration will be a premier, student-centered college in the region, where all students can maximize their options and fulfill their potential in an environment that embraces diversity. The College will create an efficient, service-oriented culture that is responsive to the needs of students and prospective employers as well as faculty, staff, alumni and the community.3. Clients, Students, Beneficiaries Identified:
Specify explicitly who are the primary intended recipients or beneficiaries of the
services or functions of your department. Who exactly are the learning arrangements in
your department intended to support and whose goals are they intended to fulfill? (Eg.:
all entering students; students seeking graduate schools; students interested in
cutting-edge science; students desiring leadership roles in government; etc.) What
attributes ("predictors") of these beneficiaries can be identified in advance to
assist in recruiting and attracting more appropriate students?
This summary
is divided into two main groups, (1) the Primary Intended Recipients (of services or
functions of COBA), and (2) Attributes & Predictors identified as useful in
recruiting, etc. appropriate students for COBA. Primary
Intended Recipients
1. Students
themselves are recipients of education and training. These
include, but are not limited to incoming students who identify themselves as interested in
one of COBA’s four principal majors (ACC, CIS, MGNT, MKTG), or incoming unclassified
students who have not specified a major. 2. The
employer community is a group of beneficiaries as they are the “hirers” of COBA
graduates. These fall into various
sub-groups: a) manufacturing
area b) service
industries c) retail/wholesale/distribution d) construction e) finance/insurance/real
estate f) hospitality
industry g) information
technologies industry h) public
sector (government, military, etc.) i) non-profits j) others not
included above Attributes & Predictors (identified as useful in recruiting, etc) A variety of
attributes (good interpersonal skills, communication skills, and critical thinking skills)
have been identified by employers as desirable qualities in potential employees. These qualities are in addition to essential
business training. These can be used to facilitate recruiting and other methods of
attracting appropriate students to COBA. a) high GPA
preferable b) good
communication skills c) good
basic math/quantitative skills d) acceptable
standardized test scores e) evidence of
outside activities (leadership roles preferred) f) expressed
interest in business as a career 4. Comprehensive Learning Plan Developed: Specify
the learning arrangements (curriculum & pedagogy) provided by your department for its
clients at the present time. Does a comprehensive plan integrate curriculum, pedagogy,
technology, testing, outcome measures, and student success goals for each learning plan in
the department? Do learning plans incorporate relevant skills in active learning,
communication, group processes, diversity, research, writing, etc. If not, when will it be
available? (Note: comprehensive learning plans should address system wide,
university-wide, college-wide, and departmental learning goals.)
COBA offers BBA
with concentrations in n
Accounting n
Computer
Information Systems n
Management n
Marketing n
International
Business (To become a track within Management under current proposal. COBA faculty recently recommended the elimination
of international business due to the lack of support.) Standing
committees on assessment and curriculum continuously review curriculum and use the
assessment results to enhance programs. 5. Competitors Identified: Identify what other
institutions and departments (either inside or outside the university), might provide
(nearly) the same learning arrangements for your students if your department were unable
to do so.
Internal:
Some of our classes in Computer Information Systems can be staffed by College of
Sciences and Technology (COST) faculty and
vice versa if needs arise. External:
Some small colleges such as South College offer a BBA that may be perceived as
competition by area residents. However, we
believe that we offer a much higher quality program.
See table in Section 8. 6. Comparative Advantage: Describe how and in what
way the learning arrangements provided by your department are better for students than
they would be if provided by competitors identified above. What unique competencies or
skills important to your students do employees in your department foster that may be
lacking in the work of other departments or institutions? How are our students better off
than they would be if one of the possible competitors provided the same service? How do
you know?
SWOT Analysis for COBA Strengths &
weaknesses are those factors that are generated or controlled from within. Strengths of
COBA
Involving students in community projects
Popular faculty who are involved in campus activities
Faculty involved in the business community
Strong or steady demand for graduates of some majors
Favorable student/faculty ratios
Programs made available to non-traditional students Weaknesses of
COBA
Faculty spread too thin and/or require faculty with other credentials
Few scholarships and/or internships
Fifth year account curriculum not offered
Insufficient computer/learning labs/time
All program curriculum need enhancement/specialization
Faculty salaries not competitive
Equipment needs
Need AACSB accreditation
Adequate funding for travel/advancement/programs etc. Opportunities
& Threats: those factors that are from outside, over which we have not direct control,
but that we can prepare for, react to, or work to influence. Opportunities for COBA: Program and
curriculum needs that are not addressed by other area institutions
Liberty county and other off-campus sites
Potential relationships with area industries, i.e. tourism, port
Specific certifications, i.e. microsoft, SAP
Internships & relationship w/ city through the Entrepreneurship Center Threats for
COBA:
Programs offered by other area institutions
Negative public perception degree value
Enrollment decline
Negative perception of COBA across campus
7. Mission or Purpose Statement*: Drawing on the
above exercises, identify in no more than a single paragraph (a sentence would be better)
what specific learning is to be fostered by the department; for whom the learning is
intended; and in what way(s) is the learning unique, different, and distinctive-in terms
that are important to the students attending SSU. Answer the question "Exactly what
learning do we provide here?" Paste it on the wall or over the entrance like a
slogan. [As you develop your department's mission statement, check to see what students
and other institutional stakeholders-including your Dean and colleagues from other
departments- think your mission should be; do not rely solely on perspectives from inside
the department and compile documentary evidence of your investigation.]
MISSION
STATEMENT The College of Business Administration at Savannah State University is dedicated to delivering quality undergraduate business education programs to a diverse student population. Through innovative instruction, applied research, and community involvement, the College will fully develop business graduates who can compete effectively in academic, civic, business, global, governmental and not-for-profit arenas. 8. Department Positioning Statement: How exactly
will SSU's stakeholders come to believe that this department is the single most effective
and efficient supplier of these learning arrangements available to them anywhere? That is,
what observable behavior by faculty and staff in your department will lead students to
believe in the basic effectiveness and efficiency of the department? Remember: SSU no
longer has a "lock" on the market like it once did; students now easily can vote
with their feet and go to the institution that they think is best positioned to help them
achieve their own goals. [Idea: You might, either through creative role-playing or open
inquiry among peers, investigate how similar learning arrangements are provided by SSU's
closest competitors.
Committee's work in process below:
9. Department
Cost (Budget), Staff Competencies, & Production (Output):
A.
Resources: How has the total budget available for this department changed over the last
decade? [Breakdown by major category: personnel, equipment, supplies, etc.]
While data for the entire decade are not available, over the last three years, our budget has suffered significant reduction especially in faculty positions. In the meantime, our operating budget remained static despite of the increasing responsibility (i.e., Liberty Center, Savannah High, …etc). B.
Staffing: How many faculty and staff have
been employed in the department each year over the past decade? Who is employed there now?
List what unique skills, competencies, or training each current employee has that makes
him/her particularly valuable for the department's function. Are current employees the
best available for the assignment? If not, what staff development plans are underway to
make them so? Are current job descriptions available and accurate?
Similarly, data requested are not available. Currently, COBA employees a dean, an associate dean, six staff members, and 20 faculty (detailed lists follows).
Savannah
State University College of Business Administration
COBA
FACULTY GRADUATE EDUCATION
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