Request for Reaffirmation of Accreditation

Central State University promotes an environment of continuous learning for faculty and students. Faculty and students are actively engaged in research and/or creative expression. Faculty promotion is based on demonstration of excellence in teaching, scholarship and service, for example. In the past five years, CSU faculty members have published numerous articles in peer reviewed journals. A detailed list of publications by CSU faculty is included in the Self-Study evidence file. CSU faculty have also been very successful in securing research funding.  In the past, for example, Central State has ranked 6th out of 16 HBCUs that do not have a master’s program or land grant status. The University has experienced a significant increase in research funding since 2008.

CSU students contribute to scholarship, creative work, and the discovery of knowledge via capstone courses required of various majors, internships, performance in the arts, etc. For example, students majoring in biology, chemistry, computer science, communications, criminal justice, education, English, entrepreneurship, environmental engineering, geography, industrial technology, manufacturing engineering, music, political science, psychology, social work, sociology, and water resources management are required to complete a capstone course during their final year of study. The capstone courses require students to work under the mentorship of a faculty member to design, implement and present a study or performance demonstrating proficiency in their field of study. More specific examples are below.

 College of Science and Engineering

The College of Science and Engineering holds a Fall Internship/Research Review every year to enable students to showcase and share the experience and knowledge they gained through research internships and job training internships. This event is sponsored by the Center for Student Opportunities (CSO) under the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Upgrade and Outreach (STEM UP-OUT) Program funded by the National Nuclear Security Administration and other external funding agencies. One of the main activities of the CSO is to seek, arrange, award and monitor summer research internships and job training internships that give students valuable experience and set the stage for smooth transition to graduate school and/or a professional career.

CSU’s annual Research and Scholarly Activities Day celebrates research and scholarly activities that occurred on and off campus during the previous calendar year. The occasion features oral and poster presentations by CSU students, faculty, and staff, and awards prizes in recognition of exceptional work and accomplishments.

Through the College of Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences’ Scholarship & Pedagogy Symposium, various academic, research, and scholarly events are held by CSU students and faculty each year featuring projects resulting from various academic activities.  The symposium includes musical performances by faculty and students, followed by poster presentations of research and displays of other academic works such as books, articles, and art works. Faculty Exhibits are held to share recent works of art with students, the CSU community, and surrounding area, and to provide students with an opportunity to engage with the faculty in discussing their inspiration and creative arts.

In addition, Fine and Performing Arts faculty often perform in Faculty Recitals, sometimes with guest artists, to demonstrate the level of professionalism in musicality and deportment expected for students to emulate. Performance ensembles such as the Choir, Concert Band, Jazz Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble and others perform each semester in concerts that showcase the repertoire and skills that have been developed during the term. Ensembles are often called upon to perform at University functions such as convocations, Honor’s Day, Charter Day, and alumni conferences throughout the academic year. The Central State Chorus performs regularly with such stellar groups as the Chicago Symphony, The Cincinnati Symphony, the Dayton Symphony and Dayton Opera. The Jazz Ensemble is a regular performer at the Elmhurst College Jazz Festival in Elmhurst, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. The Visual Arts component of the Department of Fine and Performing Arts presents at least two art exhibits each academic year; the Art Faculty Exhibit and the Senior Thesis Exhibition. In addition, there have been numerous special presentations by guest artists held in the University gallery.

During their senior year, Fine Arts students produce a Senior Exhibition, based on an artistic theme of their choice, with themes ranging from formal to ritualistic. The emphasis of the senior art exhibit is to have a final project based on a cohesive body of work. Prominent artists also come to CSU to exhibit their works. Examples of prominent artists have included Jon “Onye” Lockard, Willis “Bing” Davis, James Pate, Curtis Barnes, Sr., and Ed Hamilton.

In addition to the college and discipline-specific research and scholarly activities, there are several interdisciplinary activities that involve faculty, staff, and students from two or more CSU academic colleges and departments. Examples of CSU’s interdisciplinary research activities, with funding sources identified, are described below:

CADRE is a multidisciplinary effort to build CSU’s research capacity that will ultimately contribute to the elimination of disparities between the health of the minority and majority populations in the United States. CSU is addressing the issue by increasing CSU’s capacity to conduct biomedical and behavioral research. To date, CSU has accomplished the following:

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  Developed a Human Exercise and Performance Laboratory
  
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  Developed a first class Animal Facility
  
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  Developed a Geospatial Database Center for Minority Health Disparities
  
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  Developed a Cell Culture Laboratory
  
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  Developed a Psychology Testing Laboratory 
  

The goal of the CSU-STEM-X-ED is to increase the number of undergraduate students from underrepresented groups who earn degrees in STEM and STEM Education, and to improve institutional capabilities to provide quality education in STEM disciplines that support the Department of Defense mission. This goal will be achieved by: 1) focused recruiting and retention of STEM majors; 2) enhancement of existing programs, particularly those related to materials development and the Manufacturing Engineering program; 3) establishing and fostering an academic environment conducive to multidisciplinary studies through incorporation of Computational Science into all CSU STEM programs. Through University partnerships, CSU-STEM-X-ED will produce the diverse STEM graduates needed for the future. Anticipated outcomes related to the DOD Mission include: 1) students  trained in STEM disciplines that are important to the DOD Mission; 2) students with DOD-related job experiences through internships and co-op assignments; and 3) students with  formal training in modeling and simulation, an area of growing importance in a wide range of DOD design and research applications. The development of increased capacity and capabilities will result in an enriched student learning environment that will immerse all STEM and STEM Education students in state-of-the-art experiential learning that prepares them with the knowledge, skills, and experience needed for successful careers in STEM fields. These graduates will be well-grounded in STEM academics and will also have had practical experience with DOD-related research gained from involvement in internships at DOD laboratories or with DOD contractors. 

 

The Center for Cyber Sensors Networks for Human and Environmental Applications (2012-14, $600, 000, National Science Foundation (NSF)

The Center aims to increase the research capacity of Central State with the goal of developing a focused research center in two years. The proposed work will strengthen the research credentials of the University's faculty as well as the resources and facilities of STEM departments, thereby creating the foundation for CSU to become a competitive research institution. Together, the above will help CSU develop the proper research infrastructure to establish a Center for Research Excellence in Science and Technology or similar research center.

The Center for Emerging Technologies is an Ohio Board of Regents (OBR) and state-designated Center of Excellence. Its mission is to support CSU to graduate a diverse workforce that is highly skilled and prepared for future jobs in emerging technologies in the Miami Valley and throughout Ohio. The Center integrates CSU’s core competencies in manufacturing engineering, environmental engineering, mathematics and computer sciences, natural sciences, and technology transfer and commercialization through the National Environmental Technology Incubator. The Center offers expertise in the integration of renewable and alternative energy supporting manufacturing and environmental protection areas.

The first edition of the CSU Undergraduate Research Journal highlighted the research done by students in the Departments of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Mathematics and Computer Science, Manufacturing Engineering, and Natural Sciences.  In addition, students from Humanities, Fine Arts and Music were also represented. The peer-reviewed journal is dedicated to the highest standards of scholastic integrity by encouraging a cross-disciplinary approach.  With assistance from faculty members who served as mentors, plus financial assistance from the University, students were given the opportunity to conduct research.

3.C. The institution has the faculty and staff needed for effective, high-quality programs and student services.

3.C.1. The institution has sufficient numbers and continuity of faculty members to carry out both the classroom and the non-classroom roles of faculty, including oversight of the curriculum and expectations for student performance; establishment of academic credentials for instructional staff; involvement in assessment of student learning.

Based on 2011 institutional data, CSU has over 109 full-time faculty members. Of these 75 (69%) hold terminal degrees and conduct research in the disciplinary areas they teach, and 50 (46%) are tenured. The University also has 90 faculty members who serve on non-tenure track or as term faculty or adjuncts to complement the instructional efforts of the full-time tenured faculty. The tenured, non-tenured, and adjunct faculty members provide instruction to students through use of traditional face-to-face lectures and blended web-based instruction on its main and Dayton campuses. Professional counselors and staff in the University College and faculty in academic departments work with students to provide tutoring in mathematics, reading and writing.

Central State has a student faculty ratio of 25:1, which provides a challenge for one-on-one interaction with students. This challenge has been addressed to some extent by the University, and, of course, is not unique to CSU during these times of economic downturn. While the University has depended heavily on adjunct faculty in recent years, it has also increased the number of full time faculty needed for classroom teaching and non-classroom responsibilities such as student advising. Several factors have contributed to the challenge, including inability to fill positions due to the low salary rates offered by a public institution, inability to attract qualified faculty in certain disciplines, and high turnover in the Office of the Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs.  

As already stated in detail earlier, CSU faculty provide oversight of the curriculum and set expectations for student performance. They also establish academic credentials for instructional staff and are involved in assessment of student learning. Further discussion in these areas appears in 3.C.2. below and later in this Self-Study report.

3. C.2. All instructors are appropriately credentialed, including those in dual credit, contractual, and consortial programs.

 CSU hires instructors with appropriate credentials in the areas they teach. As stated above, of the 109 full-time faculty at the University in 2011, 75 (69%) had the terminal degree in their respective discipline. Required credentials are stipulated by the faculty in the department, are consistent with HLC guidelines, and are included in the faculty position descriptions. Official transcripts of each faculty from regionally accredited universities are submitted to the institution. These transcripts are reviewed as a part of the hiring process and are stored in the official files within Academic Affairs. In the summer of 2011, all faculty transcripts were reviewed and vetted by the chairs and deans within the colleges. This process will be continued as part of the program review process. 

Instructors at CSU participate in consortial programs through the Southwestern Ohio Council for Higher Education (SOCHE), and are appropriately credentialed to do so. CSU participates in Ohio’s Post-secondary Enrollment Program (PSEO) which permits high school students to take college courses for college credit or for both high school and college credit. Such students enroll in regular CSU courses taught by appropriately credentialed CSU faculty.

3. C.3. Instructors are evaluated regularly in accordance with established institutional policies and procedures.

Probationary evaluations of all CSU faculty and staff are conducted 90 days after the hire of each faculty and staff, and annual evaluations are conducted every year thereafter, consistent with University policies and procedures. All records of these evaluations are kept in the Office of Human Resources. Full-time and part-time faculty are also evaluated by the students enrolled in their courses. Results of these evaluations are kept in the Office of Assessment and Institutional Research.

Faculty Evaluations

3. C.4. The institution has processes and resources for assuring that instructors are current in their disciplines and adept in their teaching roles; it supports their professional development.

For the University to achieve its mission, faculty must remain current in their disciplines and in pedagogical strategies. Helping faculty remain current occurs in many ways, including by self-engagement, scholarly work, and/or University-funded support. Regardless of the process, it is essential that faculty be engaged in relevant professional development activities which are critical for educating and graduating the best and brightest students who will successfully compete globally for careers and jobs in their fields of interest.

One of the roles of faculty is to be aware of new and developing research in their  fields and emerging theories and practice. Through performance assessment by students, faculty peers, and the department chairs, in collaboration with faculty led committees, faculty are able to identify faculty development needs.  The University has policies, practices and opportunities that encourage all faculty to be continuous learners.

In some departments, senior or experienced faculty mentor new faculty by providing encouragement and support for developing scholarly work around teaching, research and service. The Office of the Provost provides financial incentives to faculty willing to engage in new best practice strategies to support student retention. Through such modeling of good teaching and coaching, several new faculty have been able to develop teaching strategies to help students learn.

Through other professional development opportunities, funded through Title III, more faculty are becoming engaged in their work with a focus on student learning. In the College of Education, for example, faculty know and understand the professional, state, and institutional standards identified in the Conceptual Framework for programs and are demonstrating their mastery of these standards.  Other institutional incentives include offering workshops that are essential for new faculty who are unfamiliar with new technology available for student learning and assessment, teaching and learning styles. As stated earlier, the University has also converted its Office of Faculty Development into a Center of Teaching and Learning to enhance professional development opportunities for faculty.

Additional external funding through Title III has provided substantial funding support for faculty involvement and attendance at professional conferences, workshops and training, thereby permitting faculty to maintain active participation in their professional organizations. For adjunct and new faculty, the Offices of the President and Provost collaborate to provide a breakfast meeting that provides a welcome and overview of University policies, procedures and expectations.

Opportunities to recognize faculty are also important. The University accordingly takes time every spring semester to recognize faculty during a faculty retreat for Teaching, Research and Service.  In past years, these recognitions were made at commencement ceremonies.  Faculty and student mentees may also be asked to appear at Board Meetings to be recognized publicly for their achievements. In addition, the University provides faculty with opportunities to travel to conferences to promote currency in their disciplines. 

Table 3.C.4. The chart below shows the various professional development opportunities in the form of workshops, conferences, and webinars provided to faculty to improve teaching and learning and student retention.

Table 3. C.4. Faculty Development Activities from January 2010- July, 2010