Request for Reaffirmation of Accreditation

CSU participated in a survey of its facilities during 2010.  The survey, conducted by Sightlines, analyzed the use of CSU facilities as compared with other institutions.  The findings are included in Sightlines Presentation. The IUC schools were also required to provide detailed information regarding operations for a Shared Services Study.  The University was required to supply information regarding headcount resources in order to compare CSU’s utilization to the other IUC schools, and against world class standards.  Evaluative data for the institution is generated by the Office of Assessment and published in the University’s Fact Book.  Along with the University Fact Book, the Budget Office compiles an annual budget book each fiscal year.  The Fact Book and the Annual Budget are on the University website and available for all constituent review.  Relative to operational efficiencies, the University identifies areas of potential efficiency savings and is required to report efficiencies to the IUC annually. See the 2011 IUC Efficiency Report.  As part of the budget process, divisions are required to achieve a specified percentage of expense savings, which is also required by the state of Ohio.

 5. D.2. The institution learns from its operational experience and applies that learning to improve its institutional effectiveness, capabilities, and sustainability, overall and in its component parts.

Each of the planning documents discussed earlier positions the institution to respond to innovation and change, and to improve its effectiveness, capabilities, and sustainability.

CSU has learned from its financial ratios that it needs to improve cash reserves.  Based on information from various student surveys and the metrics contained in the University Fact Book, the institution has responded by implementing various programs and/or changing existing ones, such as the creation of the following:

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  University College
  
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  The College of Science and Engineering
  
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  The Information Technology Plan
  
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  Freshmen Programming
  
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  Health and Wellness Initiatives
  

Central State University meets Core Component 5A: The institution’s resource base supports its current educational programs and its plans for maintaining and strengthening their quality in the future.

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  There is an increased allocation of unrestricted funds to instruction.
  
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  The reorganization of the Colleges allows for emphasis and growth in the STEM disciplines.
  
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  Growth at the Dayton campus allows us to serve specific groups targeted in our mission statement.
  
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  In the last ten years, CSU has been very successful in increasing the percentage of faculty with terminal degrees.
  
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  CSU encourages and supports professional development of faculty and staff through various programs described above.
  
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  The University provides exceptional academic resources and supports, as well as a wide variety of environments, for enhancing student learning.
  
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  CSU is mission-focused, and has developed programs designed to enhance the learning of the population it serves.
  
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  CSU continues to adjust its structure in order to meet the needs of our unique population. The University’s colleges were realigned to separate the STEM program from the College of Arts and Sciences.
  
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  An International Scholar in Residence position was created to facilitate the growth of the international studies program.
  
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  A University College was developed in order to address the specific needs of incoming freshmen. The First Year Seminar, Early Start Program, academic advising, and tutoring are described in detail above. These initiatives are primarily funded by Title III.
  

In addition, the University has written policies and procedures to guide its governance and various processes. Policies and procedures are accessible to all members of the campus community, the public and other external constituencies. The Ohio Board of Regents provides oversight and facilitates review and approval of new academic programs based on statewide strategic goals. The Board of Trustees is comprised of a diverse membership with extensive experience in law, education, leadership, business, government, and community engagement, and is responsible for the legal conduct of the University and sets policy for all aspects of the institution. The President’s Cabinet consists of the Vice Presidents of each division, all of whom possess extensive experience in their respective areas.

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  CSU has maintained a good working relationship with unions.
  
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  The process for selection of the Board of Trustees is robust; they are selected by the Governor.
  

As reflected throughout this component, the University engages in extensive planning, as led by its senior management. The strategic initiatives developed by the Cabinet are funded based on priority. The annual budget development processes is linked to long-range planning goals. Ongoing strategic planning at the divisional and institutional levels allows for reprioritization of goals and reallocation of resources when necessary or desirable, such as when the University experiences unanticipated reductions in state support. This planning also determines which additional initiatives will be funded in cases where higher than anticipated enrollment creates higher than budgeted revenue.

Through this process we are able to link processes and support systems across campus to make changes and improvements in our operations.  In the area of student learning funds were appropriated through the budget to fund Early Start, University College, and the College of Science and Engineering.  Key metrics such as retention, course completion and graduation point to needed investment in support services to improve these areas.  This information is provided regularly in board meetings and Cabinet, thus elevating our attention to these areas.  The assessment is also important to the institution because it is incorporated into our state funding allocation.  As a result, the budget office and the assessment office in Academic Affairs meet regularly to analyze and review the data.

Central State University meets HLC accreditation criteria Core Component 5D which states: The institution works systematically to improve its performance.

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  Believing that the health of our population directly affects performance, CSU has made concerted efforts to increase employee satisfaction and to improve the holistic health of the campus as a whole. The Health and Wellness committee promotes physical, spiritual, emotional and financial health.
  
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  CSU seeks to improve its operations by comparing itself to peer organizations.
  
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  CSU participates in surveys than analyze our performance.
  

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  As previously stated, the University has had to increase its reliance on adjunct faculty. We are challenged with attracting/retaining qualified faculty due to our smaller size and lower tuition, as compared to other IUC institutions.
  
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  Unpredictable enrollment, budget challenges, and uncertainty in state funding combine to complicate the University’s allocation of fiscal resources to its educational mission.  Although the total number of faculty has increased in recent years, the size of the faculty is still not at the level that it should be.  There are several programs where only one faculty in a discipline is teaching that subject.  Moreover, the percentage of credit hours taught by full-time faculty has decreased over the past five years.  The University is making a concerted effort to increase the number of tenure track faculty.
  
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  Budgetary constraints affect the growth and services offered by all University organizations that support student learning and faculty development.  One particularly noticeable and significant example is the Hallie Q. Brown Memorial Library.  The increasing costs of subscriptions to journals and other scholarly publications have led to several reductions in the serial collection of the library.  In response, CSU has participated in the development of the Electronic Journal Center of OhioLINK, which added over one thousand full-text journal and periodical titles online to faculty and students.
  
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  The University recognizes the need for increased student involvement in the governance of the University and is addressing this accordingly by appointing students to serve on various committees.
  
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  Helping campus constituencies understand the budget development process continues to be a challenge. There has been a distrust of the budgeting process, due to the lack of understanding, especially among faculty and staff, whose view is that the University does not devote enough of its resources to core academic and staffing needs. The faculty and staff need to better understand the various sources of revenue and the allocation methodologies. In order to address this issue, the Budget Office is expanding the amount of information available to the University, via the website, through information shared during Town Hall Meetings, and the creation of the Budget Advisory Board, which includes representation from all of the divisions.
  

As demonstrated in the Self-Study report and the evidence files and documents provided in the Self-Study Resource Room, CSU continues to meet Higher Learning Commission’s Criteria for Accreditation as the University continues to grow in student enrollment, improve its retention and graduation rates and become transformed into a 21^st Century institution of Higher Education.

As demonstrated by the evidence provided in Criterion One, CSU continues to publicly articulate its mission to make it clear to the public, its prospective and continuing students and parents and campus constituencies s through various means, including the University website, CSU catalog, the Student’s Right to Know website link and the CSU Portrait of the Voluntary System of Accountability.

CSU Acts with integrity and with ethical and responsible conduct in all its operations. The University operates with integrity in financial, academic, personnel and auxiliary functions as demonstrated in the Self-Study report. Members of the governing board, administrative leadership team, faculty, staff and students are guided by policies and procedures approved through shared governance.

CSU supports teaching and learning by maintaining high quality in the programs offered, recruiting qualified faculty and staff to provide instruction and serve as academic support staff. It also provides adequate financial and technological resources to support learning. Faculty and staff are regularly evaluated for performance and are supported through training and professional workshops. Every student on the CSU campus is assigned a faculty advisor and faculty and instructional staff make themselves available to students when needed.

CSU continues to demonstrate responsibility for the quality of its educational programs, learning environment, and support services. It evaluates the effectiveness their effectiveness through regular evaluation of the faculty by students. Students are also surveyed about the quality of services they receive. Data from these assessments and evaluations are used for improvement.

CSU recognizes the areas in which it has challenges and is making improvements to improve those areas. The University has provided a plethora of evidence in this Self-Study report and in the Self-Study Resource Room to demonstrate that “as Ohio’s only public Historically Black University, it continues to demonstrate that it is able to fulfill its Mission to “academically prepares students with diverse backgrounds for leadership and service in an increasingly complex and rapidly changing world. The University fosters academic excellence through a strong liberal arts foundation and majors in selected professional fields. (Adopted by Board of Trustees in October 1996).