Request for Reaffirmation of Accreditation

In the 2010-2011 academic year, the Office of the Provost in the Division of Academic Affairs provided an opportunity for faculty in all four colleges to prepare proposals for Title III funding. The selection of faculty was based on the quality of their proposals. Table 3.C.1.lists the faculty members selected and provided funds in the amount of one thousand dollars ($1,000) to improve effective teaching and student learning in the courses they taught. Funds were used to purchase unique materials of instruction (MOI) that were generally not provided through the academic department or College. 

At CSU, every faculty member advises students a minimum of ten hours per week, in addition to teaching 24-credit hours per year. The University provides a welcoming, family atmosphere with study tables readily available, and it invites students to evaluate services provided to them in and outside the classroom through surveys given by the Office of Assessment and Institutional Research. 

Faculty are also accessible to students during and outside standard class times; through mandatory office hours;, social networks; mail; cell phone; and, sign-in sheets to reach students who may need instructors outside of standard office hours. Faculty also volunteer to teach the First Year Seminar (FYS) which are readily accessible to first year students.

3 C.6. Staff members providing student support services, such as tutoring, financial aid advising, academic advising, and co-curricular activities, are appropriately qualified, trained, and supported in their professional development. 

CSU staff, who provide student support services, such as tutoring, financial aid advising, academic advising, and co-curricular activities, are appropriately qualified. Support staff that serve as tutors or provide supplemental instruction for New First Time (NFT) students and freshmen in the University College hold a minimum of a Master’s degree in the areas where they provide tutoring.
The Director of the Writing Center is a full-time faculty with a Ph.D. in English. Other professional support staff are supported in their professional development. In recent years, Divisions of Academic Affairs and Student Affairs have worked collaboratively to support students through the newly formed University College. Funding Support for travel for support and instructional staff has been provided through the SAEM initiative. Detailed description of the SAEM is provided in Criterion One and Criterion Five.

3.D. The institution provides support for student learning and effective teaching.

As described in detail below, CSU provides a comprehensive and wide variety of support services that contribute to the learning and well-being of its students.

3.D.1. The institution provides student support services suited to the needs of its student populations.

As stated in the University's mission, CSU serves students "with diverse backgrounds and educational needs," though it makes a special effort to reach out to "underserved populations." Consequently, CSU students are often from a lower socio-economic backgrounds, than students matriculating at other public universities. In addition, many of them are first generation college students. Given this population, the University must provide robust support services to meet students' academic, financial, health, and career needs. 

Central State offers extensive academic support to students throughout their college years, but places special emphasis on support programs for incoming freshmen since the transition to college is difficult and these students are most at risk of leaving the University. To strengthen the University’s support for these students, the Board of Trustees approved the establishment of Central State's University College in 2010-2011 to provide comprehensive academic support programs for freshmen and for transfer students with fewer than 30 credit hours of college. 

The purpose of University College is to improve the University's course completion, graduation, and retention rates by improving academic services and cultivating a culture of academic success among incoming students. The College provides first-time freshmen and transfer students with the structure and support necessary to transition first into Central State, and then into the college of their declared major. It helps students to learn the skills, habits, and dispositions needed to achieve academic success. In its first year, the College served about 1,000 students, providing support via the following University College units and/or programs:  

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  The Office of Academic Advising and Assistance: Assigns professional advisors to work with students in each of the four colleges, and provides two additional advisors to work with students throughout the University. Six full time academic advisors are thus available to students through the University College.
  
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  The Learning Skills Center: Provides tutoring services in both group and individual sessions. Staff in the Learning Skills Center include four full-time learning skills specialists for reading, math, and writing.
  
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  TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) - Provides leadership skills development, workshops, graduate school visits, scholarships, honor society membership, and cultural events. Staff include one tutoring coordinator and five student support services staff. TRIO SSS provides eligible students with an environment of support and encouragement from entry to exit as students matriculate toward graduation. TRIO SSS serves selected students, from their freshmen to senior year, through its program.
  

Once a student has left University College and begun his/her second year of college, the student begins taking courses within his/her major. At that point, the student is assigned to a faculty advisor within the appropriate academic department. Faculty members assist students in scheduling classes, and they monitor students' academic progress. Every faculty member is required under the University's agreement with the American Association of University Professors to be present in his or her office 10 hours a week to facilitate student advising. Every faculty member receives a Faculty Advising Guide to assist in their advising responsibilities. 

Faculty members readily identify and refer students for tutoring assistance. Faculty members may make the referral online or by submitting a referral form to the Center for Academic Success. Both processes are explained in the Faculty Advising Guide. Tutoring services are available in the Learning Skills Center in the University College from 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday. The Center is located in the basement of the library. Walk-in appointments are welcome. Students may get help in specific courses or on specific assignments. These services are available to all students, but especially students who are experiencing difficulty with general education courses or who may need additional help developing their reading, writing, or mathematical skills. 

CSU also has a Center for Student Opportunities in Jenkins Hall which offers tutoring services to students pursuing majors in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Tutoring services are offered to students by academic departments through regularly scheduled “study tables.” CSU students have access to tutoring services through the state's on-line tutoring service, the Ohio Collaborative for E-Tutoring, through which tutors from across the state offer support in accounting, biology, calculus, chemistry, mathematics, statistics, and writing across the curriculum.

CSU students who are high performers receive academic support through the Honors Program, which provides enhanced educational opportunities. Honor Program participants must have a combined SAT Score of 990 or above (ACT Composite Score of 21) and a minimum high school grade point average of 3.0 upon entering the program as freshmen. Students who do not enter the program as freshmen may be invited to join the program at the end of the first year. Honor students are challenged by a rigorous curriculum and are nurtured by faculty mentors. The honor curriculum includes two colloquium courses, and students are also required to write an honors thesis or complete an honors project within the major.  Honor students receive honors credit for other courses by contracting for honors assignments and projects over and above the regular course requirements   CSU students publish results of their research in the Undergraduate Research Journal, which was established in the Fall of 2010 to provide young scholars with a forum to promote their work. The journal includes work from the various academic disciplines offered at the University. 

Since the 2003 HLC visit, student enrollment has increased partly due to the University’s athletic programs. A review of CSU’s athletic programs by the Department revealed that, just like at other HBCUs, CSU has experienced 100% retention and graduation rate among student athletics in recent years due to a number of reasons.

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  Emphasis on good academic standing in order to participate in athletic programs encourages student athletics to seek academic support and tutoring help more than non-athletics.
  
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  Financial support to student athletes has increased in recent years as a result of:
  
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    Increased scholarship for student athletes, which allows students to graduate in less than 6 years.
    
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    Increase in the number of academic scholarships and scholar-athlete awards.
    
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    An increasing number of CSU alumni contribute to the CSU athletic program as they return every year for Homecoming.
    
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  To support academic excellence among student athletes, the Athletics Department has academic advisors who provide one-on-one tutoring program is available to student athletes.
  
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  Student athletics must attend at least 50 hours of study hall per week in a designated computer lab for use by athletes.
  
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  Student athletes who maintain a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 and above are designated Scholar-Marauders and receive a gift when they achieve this academic standing. CCSU student athletes are graduating at or above national average compared to other students.
  
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  CSU’s Office of Institutional Advancement and Athletics department work together to raise funds to support athletic programs as well as student athletes.
  

Many CSU students are first-generation students who are too often affected by the social and economic constraints that emerge from being members of low income households. Their average Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) is $1,089; for 71% of the CSU student body, the EFC is zero. The average amount borrowed by CSU students is $8,245, with 79% of students eligible for Pell Grants, and about 94% of the students receiving financial assistance through state and federal programs. The University acknowledges the challenges these first-generation, low-income students bring with them and does everything it can to assist these students to be able to afford higher education.  For example, CSU keeps its tuition and fees lower than the state average at other Ohio public institutions of higher education, as shown in the table below.

Table 3.D.1: Ohio’s Public 4-year Universities: Undergraduate Resident Tuition and Fee Rates

University	Tuition and Fees 2011-2012
Miami University	$13,081
University of Cincinnati	$10,419
Bowling Green State University	$10,028
Ohio University	$9,871
Ohio State University, Columbus Campus	$9,735
University of Akron	$9,545
Kent State University	$9,346
Cleveland State University	$8,952
University of Toledo	$8,788
Wright State University	$8,070
Youngstown State University	$7,451
Shawnee State University	$6,762
CSU	$5,672
Average Tuition at Ohio Public Universities	$9,055

*Source: CSU’s Office of Assessment and Institutional Research

CSU provides about $2 million dollars in scholarships and need-based aid for students every year including through external grants provided for this purpose.

Student Health Care Services

CSU provides health care services to ensure that students are physically well and ready to learn. The Health Center Director estimates that less than 25 percent of CSU students have private health care insurance. Providing health care for these students, then, is essential. The CSU Health Center is located in the Lackey-Lee building. It is open throughout the year Monday-Friday and is staffed by a full-time physician, a full-time nurse practitioner, and medical support staff. The Center provides a variety of services with no co-pay for students, including the treatment of illnesses and injuries, health care screenings, and health education. It does not provide routine physicals (other than those required by the University), daily diabetes tests, or asthma maintenance medications. Students are referred to off-campus doctors and hospitals as needed. Xenia Township operates an emergency medical technician unit, and CSU students who need ambulatory care receive it promptly. The Health Clinic, in a typical year, manages about 3,000 student appointments.

All full-time students at Central State are automatically enrolled in the Student Health Insurance plan. Part-time students may purchase the plan at their discretion. The plan covers all medical treatments students receive at the Student Health Center as well as off-campus care, including emergency room visits, when approved by a provider at the Student Health Center. CSU asks students to provide information about existing insurance coverage when they seek treatment at the Health Center, so that treatment may be coordinated with the student's other insurance carriers. The graph below shows the number of CSU students who received treatment or counseling through CSU’s Student Health Services in Spring 2011 and Spring 2012 (January–May 2011 and 2012).

Figure 3.D.1: Student Health Center

Central State recognizes that emotional and physical wellness is an important aspect of every student's success or lack of success. The University constituted a Wellness Team in 2011 consisting of representatives from units that provide health-related services and/or education or are engaged in health-related research. These units include the Student Health Center and Counseling Services, the Health, Physical Education and Recreation (HPER) Department, the Athletic and Student Wellness Department, the Center for Allaying Health Disparities through Research and Education (CADRE), and the CSU Dining Service.  In its first, the Wellness Team sponsored the University's first ever “Biggest Loser” competition to encourage students, faculty, and staff to lose weight. The competition occurred as researchers working in the University's physiology lab began a study of obesity on campus using state of the art bod pod technology. The focus on obesity is just one example of the University's focus on wellness.  

CSU also provides Counseling Services to its students through the Student Health Center. Counselors who serve students through the CSU Health Center are full-time employees who are licensed mental health counselors. The graph below provides a breakdown of the number of CSU students served by the CSU Counseling Services in Spring 2012 (January - May 2012).

Figure 3.D.2: Counseling Services

During Fiscal Year 2011, counselors met with over 700 students. Counselors offer a variety of services including academic and life skills coaching, individual counseling, group counseling, couples counseling, crisis intervention, alcohol and drug counseling/intervention, post hospitalization follow-up care, assessments, and referral services. Counselors also present workshops in the residence halls on making the transition to college life. Over the last year, Counseling Services has created a special therapy room with therapeutic tapes and visual graphics designed to create an environment in which students can alleviate stress, meditate, and take “time outs." Counseling Services staff work collaboratively with staff in Residence Life to provide students with services needed. CSU also has an Interfaith Ministry which provides students with additional counseling services, especially for students who may be more comfortable seeking counsel from a spiritual mentor than a mental health counselor.

To serve students with disabilities, the University has an office of Disability Services with a full-time coordinator. The University is committed to including students with disabilities as full participants in its programs, services, and activities through compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. The mission of Disability Services is to ensure that qualified students with disabilities have equal access to educational opportunities at CSU so they can participate in all aspects of University life. Students with documented disabilities meet with the coordinator of disability services and/or a counselor from Counseling Services each semester as a part of their transition plan to determine and facilitate the academic adjustments for the classes in which they are enrolled. 

Residence Halls

Central State operates eight residence halls for approximately 1500 students. Each residence hall is managed by a coordinator who is assisted by residence hall counselors who live on each floor of the halls. Residence Life provides quality living and learning experiences in a safe, comfortable environment. Its goal is to foster both academic and personal growth. Residence Life counselors are often the first people to notice when a student is struggling with emotional problems. Counselors, who are upperclassmen of high standing, are trained to make referrals to Counseling Services.