WASC Self-study Review Plan for California State University, San Bernardino

Timing: The Preparatory Review would occur in March of 2003 and be followed by Educational Effectiveness Review in October 2003) 

1. A Statement of Institutional Context

The University has grown since its founding in 1965 from a small liberal arts college to a large and comprehensive university that serves the large, growing, and diverse San Bernardino/Riverside County region of inland Southern California. Enrollment in Fall 2000 was 14,900 students for 11,700 full-time equivalent students (FTES). The campus is master planned by the CSU system to grow to 20,000 FTES in the next 10-15 years with a steady growth of 400-600 FTES per year being allocated to the campus by the CSU system.

The university’s main campus is located in a suburban area seven miles from downtown San Bernardino and borders on national forest property with a backdrop of soaring mountains. The campus is very attractive and well-equipped. The past 15 years have seen the construction of nine major new buildings and expansion and/or renovation of several more. A large new Social Sciences building is under construction and scheduled for opening in 2002. Capital construction plans call for: 1) a new Education Building, 2) a Natural Sciences annex and major renovation of the Biology and Physical Sciences buildings, 3) a 500-600 seat auditorium along with expansion of the performing arts teaching facilities, 4) expansion of the Yasuda Center for Extended Learning, 5) renovation of the original library building, 6) removal of the many temporary modular buildings, 7) doubling the residence halls capacity, and renovation of Chaparral Hall for Distributed Learning--all within the next five years. Availability of parking is not a major issue here as on other CSU campuses, but remains a high priority for our students. Development of additional access roads to the north side of the campus and establishing more major entrances to the campus are increasing in importance and will require cooperation of the City of San Bernardino and the State Department of Transportation.

The lean budget years of the early 1990s are past and the CSU system has allowed the campus to increase enrollment, plan for new facilities, and develop new degree programs, including encouragement of joint doctoral programs with the University of California and nearby private institutions. Tuition has been reduced by 10% in the past three years because of increased State subsidy. Faculty salaries have increased substantially in the past three years, although faculty teaching load remains high. The campus will be funded for a state-supported summer session, probably beginning in 2002, which will further reduce student fees and encourage retention and early graduation.

Despite these changes and improvements the campus still has a number of challenges and issues to address:

• Generally building a broader sense of campus community, encouraging faculty and student involvement in co-curricular development by establishing more activities, hosting campus events, increasing the number of students living on-campus and nearby, and developing means of involving commuter students in departmental and university programs.
• Serving the needs of growing numbers of students in the region who cannot come to the campus and are requesting off-campus sites and centers. The Coachella Valley Center, located in Palm Desert, is expanding and will be moving in 2002 to a new permanent facility funded by 9 million dollars in private money. The campus also plans to provide a limited set of upper-division programs at most of the ten community colleges in the region. Likewise, effective planning and utilization of on-campus facilities will continue to be emphasized. Although, the campus already has a high proportion of its enrollment in late afternoon and evening, the State will be expecting more weekend courses, time compressed terms, and distance learning to meet student needs. The University plans to establish partnerships with the community colleges for articulation purposes as well as establishing regional centers.
• Ensuring projected enrollment growth and faculty hires are reflective of the changing demographics of the region. High school graduations from minority groups are increasing substantially.
• Establishing partnerships with K-12, continuing to serve California’s need for K-12 teachers, and working cooperatively with elementary and secondary schools to improve both the academic skills of entering college students and increasing the low college-going rate. Improving the community college transfer rate is also important for the campus because many minority students are first-generation college-goers who start their college study at other higher education institutions.
• Keeping up with technological changes, including upgrading computer labs, infusing use of technology in programs and classes, training faculty on appropriate use of technology for the classroom, developing and offering web-based and televised courses to ensure the on-going technological competence of our graduates.
• On the positive side, there are a number of notable features of the campus:
• CSUSB has an outstanding faculty, which is hardworking, task oriented and committed to teaching, scholarship and interaction with students. The University is developing more opportunities for student involvement in research and community services as well as social and cultural activities by providing more events and more physical locations to cluster, share and celebrate.
• The CSUSB main campus has a beautiful setting with modern buildings and a campus and physical plant that is well maintained (the best maintenance record in the CSU according to recent a audit) and accessible to individuals with disabilities. 
• The University is genuinely committed to service to our students and the surrounding area. Many linkages and relationships have been formed between faculty/staff and community and region. We are poised to expanded our partnerships and to take on more leadership roles in educational, social, and economic development,
• CSUSB has some notable academic and programmatic strengths, such as our extensive Teacher Education, Business, Psychology, and Criminal Justice programs, our MA in English Composition, the MA in National Security Studies, our highly successful Model United Nations program, the Institute for Applied Research and Policy Analysis, and our nine nationally-accredited programs in Art, Business, Computer Science, Foods and Nutrition, Public Administration, Nursing, Social Work, Rehabilitation Counseling, and Social Work. Still, the campus has not developed a distinctive personality/character or identified areas of excellence and emphasis. 
• CSUSB is a largely minority institution with no ethnic group predominating. The curriculum attempts to infuse multi-cultural and gender perspectives throughout the curriculum. The campus strives to prepare our students to assimilate into various academic and employment opportunities. For example, we have recently been designated a Hispanic-serving institution, a status which will permit the campus to further develop programs and services to this growing part of our population. We recently received a $2.1 million U.S. Dept. of Education Title V grant to assist these efforts. Our campus both reflects our region and models appropriate behaviors and interactions between cultural and ethnic groups. There is a growing emphasis on international and global affairs. 
• The 1999 Student Needs and Priorities Survey (SNAPS) showed remarkable improvement in student assessments of programs and services. We are above the CSU system average in almost all categories and have improved dramatically in comparison with student ratings done in 1994. 
• Finally, our efforts at improving opportunities for research and sponsored programs have led to the development of a number of Institutes and Centers in such areas as Applied Super Computing, Behavioral Health, Corrections Research and Education, Economics Education, Entrepreneurship, Integrated Learning and Teaching, International Education, Global Management, Science Education, Spirituality, and Water Resources. We have been increasingly successful in obtaining foundation, state, and federal grants and contracts to support these projects. 1999-2000 was our most successful year ever, with nearly $10,000,000 awarded to the campus; and in the first four months of the current year we already have been awarded $14,000,000 in additional grants and contracts. 

2. Description of the Expected Outcomes of the Accreditation Review Process

Outcomes Expected from Self-study:

A. Identification of key issues and that would enhance the campus community and development of a clearer definition of the off-campus “Community” to be served by the University.

B. Development of a process for systematic feedback from advisory groups from community and on-campus.

C. Development of better consensus on campus values and priorities; alignment of departmental and division objectives and initiatives with the Strategic Plan.

D. Increased commitment to and appreciation of activities and accomplishment of university community.

E. Follow up on previous WASC visit recommendations.

F. Use of data in a newly constructed Campus Capacity Portfolio.

G. Analysis of internal planning objectives in relation to Educational Outcomes.

H. Further development of a process of on-going evaluation and introspection.

I. Development and dissemination of a Strategic Plan for Technology.

J. Development and dissemination of a Strategic Plan for the Coachella Valley Center.

K. Evaluation and implementation of a plan for Distributed Learning, including follow-up on a regional Needs Assessment study and development of policies and processes to determine which programs and institutional resources are needed at locations off-campus.

L. Assessment of whether the campus is truly welcoming diversity and determination what else needs to be done to address issues of gender, race, and sexual orientation.

M. Ongoing Implementation and evaluation of a plan for Distributed Learning, including follow-up on a continuous evaluation of the campus strategic plan.

Three Themes are identified in the campus Strategic Plan and Vision Statement which relate to establishing a sense of Community. A fourth focus of the self-study will be responses to previous WASC visit recommendations.

Theme I. Becoming a Teaching and Learning Community

Issues/Focus

• Continued emphasis on being a teaching and learning community .
• Development of a plan for Year-round Operations and State-Supported 
• Summer Sessions in order to better serve our students and the community.
• Enhancement of support for faculty development and improvement of instruction.
• Encouragement of international programs and exchanges and internationalizing the curriculum.
• Gather evidence of student learning outcomes and program effectiveness.

Questions to ask and research:

• What do we know about student achievement in Basic Skills and General Education?
• What have we learned from Student Learning Outcomes Assessment in the majors and about our curricular efficiency?
• How satisfied are our graduates with their educational experiences? How do they rate themselves in key areas of competence?
• How do employers in our local area rate our graduates in comparison with graduates of other institutions?
• How well do we support Faculty Development, Research and Improvement of Instruction? What has been the effectiveness and results of our efforts?
• What encourages and supports student learning both in and outside of the classroom?
• How successful have we been in obtaining grants and federal fundraising initiatives?
• How well aligned to the Strategic Plan goals are administrative support structures and incentives? 

Theme II. Becoming a Safe, Supportive and Welcoming Campus Community and Physical 

Environment

Issues/Focus

• Support for diversity and improvement of campus climate for all students.
• Student Satisfaction with operations and services.
• Availability of technology to assist students and operations.
• Ensure physical safety of students, faculty, and staff.

Continued build out of physical master plan.

Need for more campus activities and more student, faculty and staff involvement in events and activities.

Making the campus more accessible and user friendly with parking, roads and signage.

Questions to Research and Answer:

• What have we done to improve student service?
• To what extent do various ethnic groups, women, students with disabilities, gay, lesbian, and bisexual students, faculty and staff feel welcome and comfortable at CSUSB?
• What is the long-range plan for technology as established by our Technology Plan and

how are we meeting established goals? 

• What is the level of student and staff satisfaction with operations and services of the university? What are their concerns and how is the institution addressing their needs?
• What is faculty level of satisfaction? What are their concerns and how is the institution addressing their needs?
• How safe is CSUSB relative to other institutions?
• How have we (as a largely commuter campus) encouraged students, faculty and community involvement by providing activities and services throughout the day and evening? How do we balance this with need for off-campus and distance learning programs?

Theme III. Engaging with the External Community and the Region

Issues/Focus:

Becoming better known as a primary provider of cultural activities, continuing education, services and leadership for the region.

Development of partnerships and cooperative programs.

“Transcending time and location in delivery of instruction” by providing courses and programs to underserved populations who are at a distance from the campus via off-campus centers, televised courses, and internet courses. Providing “learning on demand” as well as more accessible programs.

Enhancing the role of the College of Extended Education.

Broadening fund raising efforts.

Questions to Research and Answer:

To what extent is CSUSB known in the region and how positively perceived?

Are we providing the continuing education, non-credit courses and training needed in the region?

How can we identify and create and provide needed services?

Does the region look to us as a resource for intellectual and cultural programs?

Has CSUSB used its resources to improve community life? How successful have we been in engaging the community to participate in events on campus and in becoming more attractive as a place for community life?

How well are we serving the needs for off-campus and media-assisted degree programs? 

How successful have we been with the campus’ community outreach initiatives, such as those sponsored by the Community-University Partnership Office, the Title V grant project, and the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship?

What partnerships have been developed and what are some of their accomplishments?

Theme IV. Development of responses to the major recommendations of previous WASC visitation team report and Senior College Commission action letter in 1998 

• Implement and assess a Diversity Plan based on the CSUSB Statement of Commitment to Diversity.
• Reconsider current organizational structure in light of new strategic directions. Consider what structures best support cross-campus communication and cooperation and community partnerships. Embed assessment into the operational and academic cultures. 
• Develop a clear feedback loop for campus initiatives, integrating planning and assessment with budgeting.
• Review, revise and make more visible our policies and procedures for campus grievances in both academic and non-academic areas.

3. Description of how representatives of the institution’s constituencies were involved

The draft proposal was developed by the Strategic Planning Council. This proposal was reviewed by:

Administrative Council Academic Affairs Council 

Executive Committee of Faculty Senate Faculty Senate 

Student Affairs Directors Council Associated Students Board & Student Leaders

University Outcomes Assessment Committee Information Resources & Technology Directors

Open public Forum with staff Entire University via on-line discussion listserv

4. How the Preparatory and Educational Effectiveness Reviews will be staged and timed

A WASC Self-study Steering Committee will be established in Winter 2001 with representatives from faculty, staff and students. Additionally, there will be sub-committees for each of the four main themes above. The Steering Committee would report to Strategic Planning Council and Administrative Council.

The WASC Self-study Steering Committee will have three subcommittees—one for each of the three main themes (Teaching and Learning Community, Campus Community, External Community.) The Preparatory Review will be written by subgroups assigned to each section. Progress will be monitored by sub-committees with reports to the main Steering Committee. Draft sections will be written during spring and summer of 2002 following the surveys, reviews, research, and investigation that will take place from January 2001 through February of 2002. 

The first drafts would be distributed to campus organizations by November 1, 2002. Both the Preparatory Review (establishing institutional capacity, structure, and stability) and the Educational Effectiveness document, data portfolios, Self-study Website and written supporting documentation will be available for review by the visiting team by December of 2002. The Preparatory review would be sent to the visitation Team in January of 2003. 

The Educational Effectiveness Report will undergo further refinement, comment, revision, and scrutiny until early Spring of 2003 at which time the document would be finalized for use by the Preparatory Review visitation team while they are on-campus. The Preparatory Review by the WASC visitation team would be held in March or April 2003 with the Educational Effectiveness review to be held in mid-October of 2003.

5. For the Preparatory Review, a brief description how the institution intends to present evidence to demonstrate compliance with Commission.

The following types of items will be available on-line at the campus WASC website:

1. University Fact Book (Enrollment history, demographics, trend data, etc.)
2. Faculty-Administrative Manual, containing procedures and regulations developed by the Faculty Senate
3. University Policies manual (indexed web link and hardcopy)
4. Faculty data from Faculty Personnel Office: RPT tracking, ethnicity balance, demographics,
5. Campus Strategic Planning Accountability Reports (Annual)
6. CSU system Cornerstone Accountability Reports
7. Diversity Committee Website and Survey
8. Retention Database from Undergraduate Studies Office
9. Student Needs and Priority Survey data and report on campus response to issues raised
10. Benchmarking Studies activity/results and comparative data on operational effectiveness
11. Quality Assurance Program results and programs
12. Summaries of 5-year self-study reviews of degree programs, including findings and actions as a result of Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes.
13. Internal surveys on specific special projects: hardcopy and via “Forum” listserv
14. University Budget Book; past and projected budgets?
15. Information Resources and Technology (HEAT) reports and data
16. Staff database from Human Resources
17. Library Usage figures
18. Computer and technology usage reports
19. Computer inventory, BATS reports
20. Equipment inventory
21. Strategic Plan initiative reports on success and results of funded projects.
22. CMS (PeopleSoft) management information reports in areas implemented, such as HR and Finance)
23. Copies of Audit Reports by state and other outside auditors
24. Strategic Plan for the CSU Libraries by Council of Library Directors
25. Technology Master Plan
26. Off-campus programs “Distributed Learning” plan and reports on progress
27. Extended Education Reports on summer, extension and conference data, supplement fee programs
28. Report of Grants and Sponsored Projects.
29. Campus Safety Reports

6. For the Educational Effectiveness Review, a brief description of how the Educational Effectiveness Review will be undertaken

The three interrelated themes of Community will be the focus of all parts of the self-study, but the matter of student learning outcomes is paramount. The areas of inquiry for each of these themes are listed above under section 2, Expected outcomes of the self-study and visit.

Program Assessments. Each academic major and program will have developed a mission statement, goals and measurable objectives along with criteria and procedures for measuring and reporting whether program graduates are reaching these expectations. Each program will report annually on the findings of their outcomes assessment along with how the results are being used for program improvement. As each College’s programs undergo their scheduled five-year review these annual reports will be summarized and included in program self-studies included in reports examined by outside consultant/reviewers and a University Self-Study review committee made up of four faculty and dean from outside the college under review.

In the area of General Education, likewise, Goals and Objectives will be refined and focused during 2000-01 to make them more measurable. Pilot testing of measures of basic skills areas of reading, writing, quantitative analysis, critical thinking and oral communication will begin in Winter and Spring 2001. These will be supplemented by the use of nationally normed exams with a sample from the campus. Goals and objectives for breadth and content areas of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences and Life-long Learning categories of General Education will be developed during Winter 2001, pilot tested during Spring and full assessments carried out during Fall 2001 and Winter 2002. Each of the four above mentioned content areas of the General Education curriculum requirements is reviewed on a five year cycle with a overall review of the program occurring during the fifth year. The GE assessment will supplement the on-going programmatic analysis of the GE Curriculum Committee

Campus Planning Reports on Strategic Initiatives.

• annual reports from each division on how established goals were met and how they relate to the campus strategic plan.
• annual reports on projects receiving funding from the 20% initiative funding pool of new funds and how baseline funding is being used to meet strategic plan goals.
• reports from all managers on progress in meeting goals and accomplishments along with their relationship to strategic plan.

CSU Cornerstones Accountability Reports. 12 key performance areas will be tracked via annual reports to the CSU Board of Trustees. The performance indicator areas are:

1. Quality of Baccalaureate Education in General Education and the Majors
2. Access to the CSU for first-time freshman, upper- division community college transfers, priority teacher preparation applicants , and number of impacted (limited enrollment) programs
3. Progression to Degree
4. Student Persistence
5. Graduation Rates
6. Relations with K-12
7. Reduction in Need for Remediation in Math and English
8. Facilities Utilization
9. Advancement and private fundraising
10. Quality of Graduate and Post-baccalaureate Programs
11. Faculty Scholarly and Creative Productivity
12. Contributions to Community and Society

In addition, as part of the application for commencement and awarding of the degree, graduates of the class of 2001 and 2002 will answer a Graduating Student Survey questionnaire regarding their experience at CSUSB, their perceptions of academic quality, the university’s contribution to their growth and their achievement on a range of academic and personal development areas.

The campus has been involved in the pilot testing of the National Survey of Student Engagement since 1998. This survey will continue to be administered to incoming freshmen and transfers as well as to upper-division students. This survey will be carefully matched with parallel and complementary items from the CSU’s Student Needs and Priorities Survey and Web-based and phone surveys done as part of the registration process each term. 

The comprehensive Faculty Survey last administered in 1998 will be replicated in Spring 2001 using the HERI forms and comparisons made to similar institutions.

The University Diversity Committee will carry out in Fall 2001 a broad Survey of the Campus Climate for Diversity and attitudes regarding ethnic and individual differences in experience and perspectives to determine how successful our efforts at multi-cultural and gender perspectives and how comfortable various group are as members of this university community.

The campus will participate in a number of Benchmarking projects done across the CSU system for the Administration and Finance Division. These include:

• The Balanced Scorecard, a Quality Improvement Framework that focuses on goals in four areas: Financial Perspective, Customer Perspective, Internal Process Perspective and an Innovation and Learning Perspective. 
• Performance Measurement, the measuring of performance based on key indicators (benchmarks) for each specific functional area. The purpose of measuring is to give validity to current process(es), identify opportunities for improvement, and establish new measurement goals, as appropriate to the strategic goals of the campus
• Satisfaction Surveys, instruments designed to determine levels of satisfaction of customers (internal and external) and developed to provide qualitative data to support the quantitative data collection and analysis efforts of performance measurement (or benchmarking).
• Department Visits, used on campus by the division of Administration and Finance as a type of Satisfaction Survey. Administration and Finance (A&F) representatives are assigned to 2-3 departments on campus with whom they meet to gain input about how the division is perceived

The Instructional Quality Committee will carry out during 2001 a survey of faculty perceptions of the success and usefulness of the Teaching Resource Center’s activities and programs and whether additional program components are needed.

7. Basic Descriptive Data [See attached Appendices to Proposal]

--Attachment 1 - Enrollment History (Head count and FTES by level and ethnicity)

--Attachment 2 - Listing of Academic Programs

--Attachment 3 - Number of FT and PT Faculty

--Attachment 4 - Number of FT and PT Staff

--Attachment 5 - Budget History and Data

--Attachment 6 - Library Holdings and Budget

--Attachment 7 - Computer and Technology Data

--Attachment 8 - Facilities Capacity and Projections

8. Institutional Stipulation Statement [See Attachment 9, Letter from President Karnig]