The UW–Madison is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (HLC-NCA). The University, which was first accredited in 1913, has been a charter member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools since the Association's founding in 1895. UW–Madison was last accredited in 2009, and will go through a reaccreditation process again in 2018–19. The University posts a statement of affiliation status report on its website. A full list of the UW-Madison’s individual school and program affiliations is included in the appendices (Appendix 1).
The UW-Madison has consistently been ranked among the top public universities in the United States by US News & World Report; most recently in September 2013. The US Department of Education’s College Affordability and Transparency Center has developed a scorecard for the value of universities, documenting UW-Madison’s standing as a “good value” school among its peer institutions. In addition, the UW-Madison is also noted for its high research output and top production of Peace Corps volunteers.
The University is located in Madison, Wisconsin, the capital city of Wisconsin, with a population of approximately 225,000. The city is 80 miles west of Milwaukee and 130 miles northwest of
Chicago. Five lakes surround the city, and over 200 parks afford a variety of outdoor activities. In addition there are a number of cultural organizations such as the Madison Repertory Theater; the Madison Symphony; the Madison Opera; the Madison Ballet and a variety of museums.
Additional information about the city of Madison can be found at: http://www.citytowninfo.com/places/wisconsin/madison.
The Master of Public Health program is administratively housed in the School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) within the Department of Population Health Sciences. The SMPH is accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) and was last reviewed in 2009-2010. The SMPH’s next review is scheduled for 2019-2020.
An organizational chart of the UW-Madison appears immediately below (Figure 1). Following that chart is one showing the reporting lines within the School of Medicine and Public Health (Figure 2). Finally, a third schematic shows the MPH Program’s relationship to the Department of Population Health Sciences, its academic home, and other entities (Figure 3).
1.3.a. A brief description of the institution in which the program is located, and the names of accrediting bodies (other than CEPH) to which the institution responds.
1.3.b. One or more organizational charts of the University indicating the program’s relationship to the other components of the institution, including reporting lines and clearly depicting how the program reports to or is supervised by other components of the institution.
Figure 1
Description of budgetary process:
Approximately 20% of the University’s funding is allocated through the legislative process on a biennial basis. The State’s biennial budget process can be seen as a continuous cycle, moving from preparation of agency budget requests to submission of the Governor’s budget to legislative authorization of appropriations, to agency expenditure of those appropriations, to review of agency expenditures and then, beginning again, with subsequent agency budget requests. The biennial budget itself is a two-year budget. It begins July 1 of each odd numbered year and concludes on June 30 of the next odd numbered year. Each agency, including the UW System, develops a biennial budget request in the spring and summer of the even numbered year which precedes the start of the next biennial budget period.
The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System reviews budget initiatives as it prepares its biennial budget request. During the fall of each even numbered year, the Board submits this budget request to the State of Wisconsin Department of Administration. This department analyzes agency budget requests, makes modifications, and then, makes
recommendations to the Governor for possible inclusion in the Governor’s budget request. When this review is completed, sometime in January or February, the Governor presents the budget to the Legislature. From February through June, the Legislative Joint Committee on Finance and both houses of the Wisconsin State Legislature act on the biennial budget. At this point, the biennial budget is treated much the same as any other piece of legislation. Typically, by July 1 of the odd numbered year, the budget is enacted.
The University System’s Office of Financial Administration has the primary responsibility for the fiscal integrity of the University of Wisconsin System. It is expected to provide a financial environment that is secure, encourages the accomplishment of academic missions, provides timely and accurate information, and assists all levels of management in making prudent financial decisions.
Each school in the University System is allocated funding based on the school’s requested budget. The Dean and his or her administrative office then works with the departments and centers within the School to allocate funding for each department or program. The budgeting and resource allocation process within the schools and their departments begins in February of each year and is typically concluded as the new fiscal year begins on July 1.
The budget for the MPH program is a product created by the MPH Faculty Director and Deputy Director with assistance from the Department of Population Health Sciences Departmental
Administrator. The budget is presented to the Senior Associate Dean for Finance of the School of Medicine and Public Health who makes the final allocation for the MPH budget. Budgetary information is shared with the MPH Steering Committee for its input and guidance when appropriate.
1.3.c. Description of the program’s involvement and role in the following: budgeting and resource allocation, including budget negotiations, indirect cost recoveries, distribution of tuition and fees and support for fund-raising; personnel recruitment, selection and advancement, including faculty and staff; academic standards and policies, including establishment and oversight of curricula.
A unique characteristic of the University of Wisconsin System is that tuition for the various schools and programs typically does not directly come back into the specific programs’ budget; rather, the funding goes into the General Purpose Revenue fund and is allocated as described above. Personnel recruitment, selection and advancement, including faculty and staff:
There are two types of employment categories at the UW-Madison: classified and unclassified positions. Examples of classified positions include clerical, blue collar, trades, information processing, technical, and administrative support. Current classified vacancies and employment policies can be found on the Classified Human Resources webpage
(http://www.ohr.wisc.edu/cpo/). Unclassified positions include professional positions that are primarily associated with higher education and student employment. Examples at UW-Madison are professors, lecturers, advisors, information processing professionals supporting research or instruction, deans, clinicians, researchers, student service professionals, and higher level
administrative positions. Current unclassified positions and employment policies are found at the Academic Personnel Office webpage (http://www.ohr.wisc.edu/apo/).
Recruitment of tenure-earning faculty members requires a national search and approval by the School’s Office of Human Resources for advertisements in The Chronicle of Higher Education and discipline-specific journals. All bids for tenure are approved by the Dean of the School and the appropriate Divisional Committee of the Secretary of the Faculty’s Office. All Department Chair positions are also approved by the Board of Regents.
Personnel advance as their positions change to include more responsibilities, or in the case of faculty, a successful promotion to tenure or a full professorship based on outstanding fulfillment of teaching, scholarship, and service obligations as evaluated by the Department, Dean of the School, and the appropriate Divisional Committee. Faculty policies and procedures can be found on the Secretary of the Faculty webpage
(http://www.secfac.wisc.edu/governance/fpp/table_of_contents.htm).
As part of the Department of Population Health Sciences in the School of Medicine and Public Health, the MPH program’s faculty and staff recruitment, selection and advancement is
coordinated through the Department. The Director and Deputy Director confer with the Departmental Administrator and Chair to request a new staff position or to provide staff
advancement. Upon Departmental approval, the request is sent to the School of Medicine and Public Health’s HR Department for further approval and the School forwards it on the campus for final approval before the recruitment or advancement takes place.
For faculty recruitment and advancement, the Department’s Executive Committee, consisting of tenured faculty members, approves the request to recruit or advance faculty positions. Upon approval by the Executive Committee, the same lines of authority are followed for approvals. Academic standards and policies, including establishment and oversight of curricula:
University academic standards and policies are published in the Undergraduate and Graduate online catalogs. Professional Graduate Programs, such as the MPH tend to mirror expectations of the Graduate School; however, they remain independent of the Graduate School. Academic standards and policies for admission are published on the MPH Program website
(http://www.pophealth.wisc.edu/Prospective-Students/Apply/MPH-Degree). Academic standards and polices are published in the Student Handbook.
Standards for admission include the requirement of a 3.0 grade point average on the final 60 credits of undergraduate work; public health experience; a personal statement in which they express reasons for choosing public health; 3 recommendation letters; and personal contributions to diversity in work or life experiences. Those applicants who do not hold advanced degrees, or are not currently enrolled in one, must also submit standardized test scores, such as the GRE, DAT, LSAT, or others, directly to the institution. International applicants whose previous
instruction was not in English must submit TOEFL scores. The Admissions Committee reviews all applicants and the most academically and experientially qualified ones are offered a position in the incoming summer or fall class.
Academic standards and policies for the MPH program require students to maintain a cumulative grade-point average (GPA) of 3.00 (on a 4.00 scale) for courses used to meet MPH degree requirements to receive a MPH degree. Courses taken for audit, credit/no credit, or pass/fail do not affect the GPA.
A semester GPA below 3.0 results in the student being placed on academic probation. If a
semester GPA of 3.0 is not attained during the subsequent semester of full time enrollment (or 12 credits of enrollment if enrolled part-time) the student will be dismissed from the program. A cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required to graduate.
In addition, students must receive a B or higher in all MPH core courses, or approved substitutes, which are designed to meet the MPH program’s public health competencies. In the case of a required course in which the student earns a grade below a B, the course must be repeated. Required courses may only be repeated once. Failure to receive a B or higher in the repeated course will result in dismissal from the program. Students must do all the work in the repeated course, by attending regularly; participating in class discussions; taking examinations; and writing papers.
Students will earn a final grade in the course. Both grades will be used in calculating the student's graduate grade-point average; however, the course will count only once toward meeting degree credit requirements for the program.
Students who have been dismissed from the MPH program for academic reasons may petition the Promotions Committee in writing for re-admission after a minimum of one semester of separation from the program. The Promotions Committee may require a student to meet certain conditions before re-admittance to the program.
The MPH Steering Committee approves changes in policy. The MPH program also seeks advice from its Community Advisory Committee.
Oversight of the curriculum begins at the program level. New courses or course changes are initially approved by the MPH program’s Curriculum Committee, followed by the Department’s Curriculum Committee. Forms describing the courses are sent to School Curriculum Committees, and, if approved, sent to the appropriate Divisional Committee in the Secretary of the Faculty’s Office. They are then sent to the Office of Timetable and Classroom Scheduling for entry into the database used for University Timetable entries.
The UW-Madison MPH program is considered a professional graduate program, and therefore, operates independently of the Graduate School. As a professional graduate program, MPH degrees are conferred by the School of Medicine and Public Health.
Indirect cost recovery:
It is the policy of UW-Madison to charge the maximum allowable federally negotiated Facilities and Administration (F&A) or indirect cost rate on all sponsored projects regardless of funding source unless a not-for-profit sponsoring agency's written policy will not allow full recovery of F&A costs. For-profit entities are always charged full F&A costs. For a list of UW-Madison’s current F&A rates, please see the website https://www.rsp.wisc.edu/rates/index.html.
The UW-Madison MPH Program adheres to the University’s policies for indirect cost recovery. The rates are set at the University level.
Support for fundraising:
The University of Wisconsin Foundation is the official fundraising and gift-receiving organization for the University of Wisconsin-Madison and other donor-designated units of the UW System. The Foundation is an independent, not-for-profit, tax-exempt organization, which raises funds and receives gifts for the UW-Madison. An elected board of directors oversees its assets and
activities. The Foundation works closely with the University to determine and support fundraising priorities. Presently, the MPH program has not worked with the University of Wisconsin
Foundation; however, there are plans to engage the Foundation for assistance in fundraising for the MPH program (see Criterion 1.1.d, Goal #4, Objective 3).
N/A
N/A
The criterion is met.
Strengths: The UW-Madison MPH program is based in an accredited, nationally renowned university and medical school. The institutional environment affords the students with a wealth of resources and opportunities for an exceptional educational experience. Governance of the MPH program guarantees a high degree of performance expectations and accountability.
Weaknesses: Independent mechanisms for fundraising for the MPH program through the
1.3.d. If a collaborative program, descriptions of all participating institutions and delineation of their relationships to the program.
1.3.e. If a collaborative program, a copy of the formal written agreement that
establishes the rights and obligations of the participating universities in regard to the program’s operation.
1.3.f. Assessment of the extent to which this criterion is met and an analysis of the program’s strengths, weaknesses and plans relating to this criterion.
University of Wisconsin Foundation are not in place. A strategic process for estimation of
monetary and other resources to grow and improve the MPH program is still in the development phase.
Plans: A closer relationship with the University of Wisconsin Foundation will be developed. A strategic process or logic model for optimal utilization of monetary and other program resources will be developed.
1.4 Organization and Administration. The program shall provide an organizational