Academic Quality Improvement Program - Graduate Studies Division Governance and Oversight
September , 2006
AQIP Annual Action Project Update
Describe the past year's accomplishments and the current status of this Action Project.
Meetings of the Graduate Council and Graduate Academic Affairs Committee (GAAC) are now scheduled prior to the start of each academic year by the Dean’s Office. The membership of the Graduate Council includes the Dean of Adult Programs and all graduate program directors. Members of the GAAC are now nominated by the Faculty Senate and approved by a vote of the full faculty; they are chosen for their interest and expertise in graduate curricula and programming.
A strategic plan for graduate programs (included within Augsburg’s Adult Programs subdivision) has been reviewed and approved by the Board of Regents. The plan was refined with the assistance of the Academic Affairs Committee of the Board and was discussed in 2005-06 by the Academic Leadership Team, which consists of deans and directors from across the Academic Affairs division.
Each graduate program has now developed its own assessment plan for measuring and tracking student learning and programmatic effectiveness.
Describe how the institution involved people in work on this Action Project.
The Graduate Council has discussed this action project, defined the means by which it will be accomplished, and articulated its appraisal of unique programmatic needs and of graduate education within the College at large. Strategic Plans have been discussed with the Board of Regents, the Task Force for Strategic Planning, and the Academic Leadership Team (a group that consisted of deans and directors from Academic Affairs and convened weekly during the 2005-06 academic year).
GAAC had a busy agenda this past year and communicated its policies to appropriate stakeholders throughout the College. This committee has expanded its membership both among graduate faculty and relevant staff offices across campus, (library, IT, Registrar, and admissions) as a way of more effectively disseminating curricular and policy issues relating to graduate study at Augsburg.
Other groups that have been included in this project include external advisory boards. Each graduate program has its own advisory board consisting of alumni, local employers, business people, professionals in related fields, and other friends of the College. These bodies are charged with review and consultation regarding admissions issues, student retention, clinical and field study site development, service to the local community, compliance with relevant accreditation requirements, and occasional issues of policy. The overall purpose of these boards is to include opinions and access knowledge held beyond the walls of the College.
Describe your planned next steps for this Action Project.
At the end of this coming year we will produce our first combined graduate programs academic catalog, the last large-scale step in codifying graduate programs policies. This catalog will help to establish uniform policies for graduate education at Augsburg and to regularize policies in ways that will foster greater consistency in decision-making across programs.
At the end of the 2006-2007 academic year, this action project will be complete. Necessary processes and plans are largely in place. With a new president of the college and vice president for academic affairs, several relationships and processes will be refined during this coming year. These matters of policy primarily include reporting lines and budget responsibilities. The Graduate and Adult Programs strategic plan will be reviewed yet again under new leadership in both of these offices as well as in the Academic Affairs Committee of the Board of Regents to ensure that it is in line with new administrative emphases and initiatives.
Describe any "effective practice(s)" that resulted from your work on this Action Project.
Both of the major deliberative bodies for graduate education at Augsburg (Graduate Council and GAAC) have attempted to put into place uniform policies and processes for admissions, acceptance of non-legacy English speakers, transfer credit and residency policies, and other criteria necessary to promote success among Augsburg’s graduate students.
What challenges, if any, are you still facing in regards to this Action Project?
This action project appears to be largely on target for completion at the end of the 2006-07 academic year. Graduate programs do not appear to be facing significant challenges during the next academic year. Still, issues of program capacity and speed of growth need to be addressed, especially in the MBA and Master of Arts in Education programs. Possibilities for locating some cohorts within these programs off-campus need to be analyzed and evaluated as well. Possibilities for expanding and diversifying graduate programs (for example, through concentrations, certificates, and other specialized credentials and curricular foci) will continue to require our continuing attention.