Graduate Program Prioritization Criteria and Questions/Elements
1. History, Development and Expectations of the Program
a. Provide, to the best of your ability, a brief description of the program’s history including the evolution of the program over the years. Describe specific changes that have been made to the program curriculum, changes to student demographics and the impact of these changes on the program, and efforts to recruit students to the program. If this is a new program, describe efforts to build the program and the progress of these efforts to date. (550 words)
(i.) In the 1960s the college established a Master of Science degree in the social sciences and a Master of Arts in history. The mission, then, as now, was to serve students seeking a master’s level education in history and secondary education certification in the social sciences; to serve certified secondary school teachers in achieving mastery level in the discipline of history; and to serve those students wishing to further their studies in the discourse of history in order to pursue a doctoral degree elsewhere. (ii.)The curriculum (also see 4b) has evolved over the years to include coursework in the non-Western field (i.e., Asia, Southeast Asia, Middle East, Africa, and Latin America) as well as coursework in the American and European fields added according to the strengths of the members of the program faculty and the needs of the students (e.g., American Indian history, Women’s history, Cultural history, Labor history, and broad seminars in European history). (iii.) Most recently because of economic tensions and the luke-warm job market in history/social sciences at the secondary school level, program enrollments have dropped (see 2a.ii.) about 30% over a five-year span. (iv.) More detrimental to the recruitment (in particular for the MS program, also see 2c) is the competition from more intensive programs (i.e., teaching internships offered). For example, we must compete against the University of New Haven, the University of Bridgeport, and Quinnipiac University. In the Master of Arts program we continue to draw from a pool of CT teachers seeking master’s level coursework, but given the jobs and the necessity for more in-depth knowledge in Special Education and Reading, some secondary school teachers are seeking a master’s degree in Special Education or Reading rather than in their content area of history/social sciences. In an effort to recruit new and former students the program has designed 9-credit certificates in non-Western, European, or American history to serve international students from other programs seeking further knowledge in American history and former students requiring a more global awareness for teaching non-Western history. We continue to have students (10% to 15%) pursuing a Master of Arts degree with the intention of moving on to doctoral work or another master’s degree.
b. Is there anything else you would like us to know? (Issues you might choose to discuss could include visibility of the program, relationships the program has external to the university, changes in the economic support for the program, staffing, etc.) (150 words)
Since most of our majors are CT secondary school teachers (about 30% from our BS program) or hope to become teachers, the visibility of both programs is built into the undergraduate and graduate programs. The graduates from both levels are found in CT public and private school systems. We are fortunate to have our own
ambassadors in the school systems.
The cancellation of our search for an Africanist in Fall 2012 has meant that our program fails to cover most of an entire continent. Finally, the lack of a Graduate Assistant position means we are unable to support one of our outstanding graduate students seeking teaching and research experiences for preparation for a
competitive doctoral application.
2. External Demand for the Program
a. Using the data provided, review and explain the relationship between the program and external factors that impact the:
i. number of applicants and percentage of applicants accepted ii. 5-year enrollment trends (450 words)
(i.)As described above applications have decreased over a five-year span. The
graduate coordinator of the program intervenes early in the application (even prior to the application) process to advise prospective students as to the potential success of their applications. Often, however, for those applicants who meet the SGS
minimum grade point average (3.0) and have a strong subject grade point average (3.0 or greater), admissions is supported by the program. The reporting of a higher number of applications (compared to the program records) is due to an inaccurate definition of “complete” file between the program and SGS. In sum, the acceptance rate varies as often applicants do not complete their admissions files. The percent acceptance rate is at best a pleasant fairytale and cannot be relied to tell us anything except that our data is flawed.
(ii.)While enrollment numbers do reveal the decline in applications and a move to more part-time students, they do not accurately reflect the number of students in the program (e.g., the number of students completing comprehensive exams, completing thesis proposals, or theses are not included as enrolled). The exams require one to two years to complete the research, the writing and the revising. The thesis requires two to three years to complete the research, the writing, and the revising. For the history program, therefore, this enrollment data is highly flawed.
(i.) Master of Arts & Master of Science: Applications & % Accepted Acad. Year Applications Accepted Acceptance %
08/09 MA: 28 22 79%
MS: 27 12 44%
09/10 MA: 29 21 72%
MS: 29 13 44%
10/11 MA: 23 12 52%
MS: 22 9 41%
11/12 MA: 9 8 89%
MS: 11 4 36%
12/13 MA: 18 11 61%
MS: 17 8 47%
(ii.)Enrolled Students
MA '08 F '09 Sp '09 F Sp '10 '10 F '11 Sp '11 F Sp '12 '12 F Sp '13 Avg F Avg Sp
Female 12 11 13 14 14 20 13 11 16 14 14 14 Male 21 18 18 19 14 13 17 13 13 13 17 15 Total 33 29 31 33 28 33 30 24 29 27 30 29
Full-Time 8 3 5 9 8 7 5 4 5 5 6 6
Part-Time 25 26 26 24 20 26 25 20 24 22 24 24
MS '08 F '09 Sp '09 F Sp '10 '10 F '11 Sp '11 F Sp '12 '12 F Sp '13 Avg F Avg Sp
Female 8 11 13 11 10 13 8 3 6 5 9 9
Male 16 19 17 21 18 13 11 8 5 7 13 14
Total 24 30 30 32 28 26 19 11 11 12 22 22 Full-Time 15 16 18 18 18 17 10 6 5 6 13 13
Part-Time 9 14 12 14 10 9 9 5 6 6 9 10
b. Which employers, institutions and/or communities benefit from this program? Describe how the program meets the needs of the state (e.g., economic, cultural, civic, etc.)? (150 words)
CT public (and private) middle and high schools benefit from our MA and MS programs. The program meets an employment need for the state; CT public and private schools will continue to have a need for teachers with advanced degrees. While demographically the number of students is slated to decrease, there will still
be a need to have teachers with advanced degrees. Our non-certification candidates find internships and positions in publishing companies, historical societies and museums throughout Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York.
c. Is there anything else you would like us to know? (Issues you might choose to discuss could include competition from local, regional, and other institutions.) (100 words)
We serve primarily a local CT population. There is no MS (with certification) at WCSU or CCSU. We have lost a few MA students to Central’s public history program but have also gained a couple of students from Central’s MA program which requires a thesis and purportedly foreign language skill. Our main
competitors for the MS program are the intensive teacher education programs at UNH, UB, and QU (none of which have graduate programs in history). In addition, WCSU and CCSU have post-bac programs similar to our certification only program, but we require that candidates hold a master’s degree (3e).
3. Internal Demand for the Program
a. Using the data provided, please describe how courses in your program serve students in other programs. What percentage of students in your courses come from other programs? Please provide enrollment data for graduate courses offered by your department that are required for other graduate programs. (Some of your discussion in this section may be repetitive, but is important in understanding the internal demand for the program.) (100 words)
Students in other programs (e.g., PSC, SOC, ENG, WMS, etc.) may take graduate history courses as electives in their home programs. In particular, we serve
students in the International Politics concentration of the Political Science program. Over the five-year span the percentage of students from other programs taking history courses has ranged from 10% to nearly 25% (see table 6a). There are no courses offered by the department of history that are required by other programs. b. How is enrollment for your graduate program influenced by enrollment in your undergraduate program? Is there potential for a formal pathway between the two programs? (100 words)
Undergraduates from our BS (certification) program (~ 30%) often move to our MA program. Far fewer (< 10%) undergraduates from our BA program move to our MS program or our MA program. We have been working on a Four plus One program for well over a year, but that plan is on hold as we await decisions regarding certification coursework in the School of Education.
c. How reliant are you on non-program students taking your courses? (100 words) While we appreciate the diversity of students from other disciplines in our courses, the program is not reliant on enrollment by non-program students in our classes. d. Does the program produce services needed by other parts of the campus (e.g. clinics, testing services)? (100 words)
No
e. Is there anything else you would like us to know? (100 words)
Post-bac programs churn out certified teachers in non-shortage areas. We have contemplated opening up ‘certification only’ to those holding just a bachelor’s degree (see 2c), but the SOE is already overburdened with certification students, and the market is not in need of certification students that would compete with our own BS and MS students. While we might draw these students into our master’s program, most of the strong students that initially seek ‘certification only’ end up entering our MS program because the State requires that teachers earn a master’s degree and many choose to stay within their teaching discipline.
4. Quality of Program Inputs and Processes
a. Please provide a narrative of how the qualifications and assignments of your full- and part-time faculty align with and support the program. Please include a
discussion of the challenges and successes the department faces in providing qualified faculty to meet the needs of the program. In those programs where it is appropriate, please discuss the integration of adjuncts into the program’s
curriculum. (450 words)
(i.)The history department currently has 17 well-qualified, full-time, tenured or tenure-track members, all of whom have their doctoral degrees and are members of the graduate faculty. Ten members are full professors, four are associate professors, and three are at the assistant professor level. Fifteen of these full-time members have taught graduate courses in the last five years, and the remaining two faculty members, new to Southern, are expected to participate in teaching graduate courses according to the department rotation in their second or third year. Faculty members teach courses in their fields of expertise. All faculty (according to their field) act as thesis advisors, members of exam committees, or special project advisors. They devote 10% to 20% of their time to the graduate programs. Only the graduate coordinator of the program receives six credits per year in addition and therefore devotes 25% to 30% of her time to the program. Faculty teaches on average one graduate course out of every 16 to 20 courses or approximately 5% for teaching and approximately 5% to 10% for theses, exams, and special projects. We are fortunate
that there are no part-time members of the faculty teaching in the department’s graduate programs.
(ii.)Within the past five years we have been very fortunate to hire three dynamic assistant professors and active scholars, two in the field of American history and one in the field of Latin American history. All fields in the discipline of history, however, have more than qualified potential faculty who are desperately hoping that a tenure-track job opportunity opens up. While Southern is sometimes at a disadvantage because of its heavy teaching load, those applicants who value
teaching seek such positions. We hope to fill our Africanist position (also see 1b) in the very near future.
b. Briefly describe the merits and logic of your curriculum. (250 words)
Our students complete courses in the three fields of history: American, European, and non-Western, and in order to ensure that program students—the majority of whom are secondary education teachers—encounter some breadth each student chooses a major and minor field and must enroll in at least one course in the
remaining field. The depth, level, and coherence for the discipline is provided by the types of course activities and assignments that include student participation in class discussions, weekly précis, book reviews, curriculum projects, and/or historiographical essays. These activities are the hallmark of the profession of history. Again, because of the nature of our student population, we provide students with a choice of three capstone opportunities: thesis, special project, and
comprehensive exams. In consultation with the Graduate Coordinator, graduate students at the capstone stage of their degree program, make a final decision regarding which of the three choices serves their intellectual, academic, and
professional goals. For those students hoping to move on to a doctoral program or a further advanced degree, we strongly advise them to complete a thesis. To date, all of these graduate students have chosen the thesis capstone. For our ‘old’ (MA students) teachers and our ‘new’ (MS students) teachers we offer a choice between exams and a curricular project. The project is a recent addition, but our students asked us to create this option and seem very eager to embrace it.
c. How dynamic is your program? Please identify and describe what procedures are in place to provide continued, regular evaluation and review (include formal and informal activities). Describe the impact of the review on the program and
curriculum (e.g., FAAR data may be used as evidence, as well as other documentation of changes to the curriculum). (300 words)
The graduate committee of the department meets once a month to address specific curricular or student needs, and reports at monthly department meetings proposals for changes or revisions to the program as well as the results of actions taken. The program has not only implemented changes to the structure of the planned
programs and comprehensive exams, but also added, for example, a handbook for the MA students, a 9-credit certificate program, and the special project as a capstone experience. In November 2012, the department received a Curriculum Related Grant to invite 20 former students who are currently CT secondary school social studies teachers. Their input prompted the program to add the curricular special project as a capstone option. We hope to repeat this successful event in November 2014. Finally, the program surveys our current students every three years (due Spring 2014) in addition to the end-of-semester evaluation forms. Of the thirty-five graduate courses offered (some ran more than once) over 80% were new or revised. It is common practice in teaching history at the university level that faculty introduce new readings and new assignments to keep the courses up-dated and the students well-versed in the types of writing (and research) that historians accomplish. These are, after all, graduate students seeking a mastery-level education in history. The faculty members keep the program dynamic not only by staying active in their respective fields (see 6d), but also by bringing into the classroom, assignments, readings, and topics of discussion based on the latest scholarship in the field. In an effort to address the concerns of some of our students regarding course availability, we have offered online (and hybrid) courses. While these courses serve some of our students, others report that they prefer the weekly knowledge community created in our face-to-face seminar-style classes.
d. Is there anything else you would like us to know? (Issues you might discuss could include the quality of your incoming students, or a comparison of your curriculum, courses, assessments, experiences to similar programs. How does your program better serve students than similar programs offered elsewhere?) (200 words) The average incoming GPA for our applicants is above a 3.0. In Fall 2009, the department decided to stop QPR waivers (GPAs below 2.7 or 2.5). While we
entertain a few conditional admits for grade-point reasons (i.e., beteewn 2.7 & 3.0), these applicants are required to complete 6 to 9 credits of non-matriculated work at a B or higher prior to consideration for admissions.
Yale and UConn provide students with the traditional master’s/doctoral-track education. As a consequence the expense, the tenor, and the goals of their master’s program do not conform well to the aspirations of CT teachers (and future teachers) that we mostly serve. Our program curriculum compares quite well in terms of coverage for our nearest competitor, our sister institution, CCSU. (see 2c) We give our students a choice for the capstone experience, and while we are very strong advocates for foreign language study, we do not require all of our students to prove proficiency. For those moving on to doctoral programs, we advise them to take more language courses before applying. All other nearby competitors do not have MA or MS programs in history.
5. Quality of Program Outcomes
a. How does your program use assessment data to ensure quality of student outcomes? Describe the quality of your program outcomes. (e.g., G.P.A., Student Opinion Surveys, course evaluations, alumni surveys, professional
assessment/evaluation, other assessments, participation in groups or organizations that focus on pedagogy or andragogy. Insert a table listing your program outcomes. Note that the table does not count in the word limit). (900 words)
There is no accrediting body for graduate (or undergraduate) history programs (The certification portion of the MS program is certified by NCATE, but that process does not address graduate history coursework.) (i.) The GPAs (see table) of the program students consistently shows that they are working at the “expected performance” according to the graduate catalog (page 43). (ii.) Overall, Student Opinion Survey results (see table) are consistently above 80% for agree and strongly agree and approximately 90% of the questions yield a 90% response for agree and strongly agree. From our Program survey from Spring 2011, alumni responses for the use of a variety of assessments and the rigor of the program were below 80%. The program has made an effort to include more options for curricular projects for the secondary school teachers in our program (see 4c). As to the rigor from the comment section, there seemed to be some confusion between the master-level coursework and the undergraduate certification coursework which should not be overly challenging to graduate students. From the same survey, current students and alumni reporting on the programs’ learning outcomes noted an increased confidence in their skills (i.e., program outcomes). While we understand that students are likely to self-report that they “do better,” department faculty (all of whom
participate in the capstone activities) have the opportunity to witness the academic and professional growth in students nearing completion and completing the
program. And yes of course, we have made decisions based on student outcome data. For example, graduate students have struggled with an understanding of
historiography, so courses and all capstone activities must now include some portion addressing historiography. Some students asked for more feedback so many faculty use weekly précis to monitor student comprehension and to strengthen class
discussions. (iii.) Program outcomes: As mentioned above (see 4b and 4c), the depth, level, and coherence for the discipline is provided by the types of course activities and assignments that include student participation in class discussions, weekly précis, book reviews, curriculum projects, and/or historiographical essays. These activities are the hallmark of the profession of history. Students are required to conduct historical research in all graduate courses and to demonstrate an
understanding of historiography and its relevance to the study of history both in the discussion of the weekly course readings, book reviews, research papers, and
historiographical essays. The outcome of a student’s historical research is the short or long thesis-driven essay in which the student must develop a historical argument and address the debates in the field. Within class discussions, book reviews, and all
capstone experiences students must address the debates within the field. All
writing in the program must adhere to the formatting of the Chicago Style Manual. In short, (though perhaps differing in other programs) history graduate students are required to address all program outcomes (with the exception of original historical argument which corresponds to the thesis capstone) both in their coursework and in their capstone experiences. Please see corresponding tables below.
(i.) Overall GPA for enrolled students
F ’08 Spr ’09 F ’09 Spr ’10 F ’10 Spr ’11 F ’11 Spr ’12 F ’12 Spr ’13 Ave
Total 57 59 61 65 56 59 49 35 40 39 52
GPA 3.60 3.66 3.71 3.56 3.48 3.72 3.35 3.41 3.45 3.76 3.57 (ii.) Student Opinion Survey Results (survey questions changed in AY
10/11 but there was correspondence for the first three questions below)
AY 08/09
AY 09/10
AY 10/11
AY 11/12
AY 12/13 Survey Statement SA/A SA/A SA/A SA/A SA/A Methods of instruction have helped
me understand the subject matter.
94% 92% 98% 91% 98% Reading the assigned material has
helped me understand this subject 96% 94% 91% 98% 95% Exams and out-of-class assignments
have helped me understand subject.sm about subject matter
86% 90% 90% 93% 96%
Number of exams & other graded assignments has been sufficient to evaluate my progress.
85% 80%
My experiences in this class make me want to learn more about this subject.
95% 86% I would rate the quality of instruction
in this course as high. 94% 91%
I would rate the overall quality of this
This course helped me meet the
learning goals. 90% 97% 98%
This course evaluated how well I met those learning goals.
79% 92% 93% My experience in this course helped
me appreciate this subject.
92% 98% 98% The instructor provided regular
feedback on my performance in this course.
86% 91% 92%
The instructor had high standards for student achievement.
91% 96% 89% The instructor encouraged me to take
responsibility for my own learning. 91% 97% 95%
(iii.) Program outcomes Student Outcomes
Conduct historical research
Demonstrate an understanding of historiography and its relevance to the study of history
Develop historical arguments and debates
Effectively present orally and in written format historical
information, arguments, and debates in the form of presentations, book reviews, bibliographic essays, research papers, prospectuses, and theses
Present original historical arguments using both primary and secondary sources
Demonstrate critical thinking skills as utilized in the above 5 items Effectively utilize Chicago style
b. Is there anything else you would like us to know? (Issues you may choose to discuss could include preparing your students for employment or further scholarly pursuits. Where possible provide data driven examples, e.g., number of students who pass the licensing exam). (300 words)
The demonstrable effectiveness of the program in preparing students for the future is that they are keeping their teaching jobs (MAs) and finding teaching jobs (MSs). Of the small number of MA students (10%) who are not secondary school teachers, approximately 75% have moved on (or are in the process of applying) to another master’s level degree, to a doctoral degree, to a fellowship at a foreign institution, or employment at museums and publishing companies. We have, therefore, prepared students for employment and for further scholarly pursuits.
6) Size, scope and productivity of the program
a. How many credit hours does the program generate? (table generated by OMIR) AY 08/09 AY 09/10 AY 10/11 AY 11/12 AY 12/13
Total Acad. Cr. 525 549 462 435 405
Major Cr. 435 495 420 372 309
Total Students 175 183 154 145 135
b. What degrees or certificates are awarded? (This is a simple list of degrees and will list only one degree or certificate unless you are one of the programs approved to report your data in combination)(in table form with item c)
c. How many degrees or certificates have been awarded (five year data)?
AY 08/09 AY 09/10 AY 10/11 AY 11/12 AY 12/13
MA degree 4 5 11 8 10
MS degree 4 8 8 11 5
Total 8 13 19 19 15
d. Using the data provided, present and discuss the record of the graduate faculty in research/creative activity. (200 words)
From 2009-2013, (regardless of FAAR data) faculty produced 4 monographs; 3 edited volumes; 27 peer-reviewed journal articles; 25 peer-reviewed book chapters; 26 entries; 39 book reviews; 109 conference presentations; 33 invited talks; and 22
grants. Several faculty members are completing manuscripts and/or are seeking publishers, have completed several textbook chapters or co-edited a textbook. Several members serve as professional reviewers for articles, book manuscripts, textbooks, and grants. Some members have participated in creating museum
exhibits and have been interviewed both domestically and abroad. Several members have received NEH fellowships and other fellowships. Members have guest edited journals in their respective fields. Also, two members of the faculty have been awarded the CSU Trustees Research Award (2009 and 2010), and two other
members the Faculty Scholar Award (2011 and 2013). In short, the history faculty members committed to teaching students in the MA and MS programs are active researchers and scholars in their fields. Aside from complaints about the user-friendly nature of Digital Measures or flaws in the system, as noted several times by many faculty members across the University, the FAAR is not a professional tool in our respective fields. Our professional organizations request CVs, which we keep updated.
Publications
Type of Publication 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13
Book Review 1 2 2 2
Book, Chapter in
Scholarly Book-New 1 1 4 3
Book, Scholarly-New 0 1 0 0
Conference
Proceeding 0 0 1 0
Edited Book 0 0 2 0
Journal Article, Acad. Journal
0 1 1 1
Monograph 0 1 0 0
Other 1 0 0 2
Professional Presentations
Presentation Type 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13
Lecture 0 1 2 0
Oral Presentation 0 1 1 3
Other 1 2 0 0
Paper 5 8 8 5
Professional Conference Participation
Role 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13
Attendee 0 4 4 9
Other 9 2 2 3
Contracts, Grants and Sponsored Research
Type 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13
Grant 1 1 1 2
Sponsored Research 0 0 0 1
e. What types of student or student/faculty research or creative activity have been developed and or produced (e.g., include theses, dissertations, special projects)? (100 words)
Over the five-year period 32 master’s theses have been produced (six or seven per year). A few graduate students have presented their research at local conferences, the New England Historical Association and the annual Women’s Studies
Conference at Southern. Completed theses cover topics such as, nineteenth-century mining in Cheshire, CT, twentieth-century Greeks in New York City, Radical Brits in the era of the French Revolution, the Puritan politics of Jonathan Trumball, Sr., the liberal politics of Chester Bowles, the civil rights act of 1866, and the village of Stony Creek, CT.
f. In your narrative discuss how all these data impact or have impacted the size, scope or productivity of your program. (200 words)
While the total academic credits generated by the programs appear to have declined, the number of non-program students in courses has increased and the number of theses completed remains steady. The data for ‘credits generated’, however, are
deceiving as a thesis in history requires well more than a year of research and writing, but beyond one year students disappear as generators of academic credit. Worse yet, the comprehensive exams are associated with no academic credit, but often require students to devote more than a year to the research and writing of the exams.(see 2a.ii.) There is a flaw in Southern’s record keeping. Nonetheless, the program must adjust its course offerings (but maintain the three-field scope) so that no courses are cancelled to the detriment of student intellectual development, but also so students are able to progress through the coursework in two to three years. In an effort to better serve our population of students and to more accurately track them in the program, the department will begin utilizing a one-semester special project as a capstone experience. Over the five-year period, the impressive
productivity of program students and faculty attests to a high commitment to the intellectual pursuit of knowledge.
g. Is there anything else you would like us to know (this might include a discussion of equipment purchased solely for the purposes of the graduate program). (100 words)
The cancellation of our search for an Africanist in Fall 2012 has meant that our undergraduate and graduate programs fail to cover most of an entire continent. Also, the drop in enrollments has required that the program reduce the number of graduate offerings from five courses in 2008 (two American, two European, and one Western) to three courses in 2014 (one American, one European, and one non-Western). Even with the drop in enrollments we have been able to run 85% of our graduate courses with an average class size of 16 over the course of five years. 7) Revenue and other resources generated by the program
a. What are the sources and how much revenue does the program generate through student enrollments?
Fiscal Year Tuition&Fees Other Rev. Total Revenue
2010 455,277 179,581 634,858
2011 435,160 179,602 614,762
b. What are the sources and how much additional revenue does the program generate through fees such as laboratory or special user fees? (50 words) There is no additional revenue from laboratory fees of special user fees.
c. What are the sources and how much revenue does the program generate by services (e.g., external or to other programs)? (50 words)
No.
d. In the narrative on this section discuss how the revenues and other resources impact the size, scope and productivity of your program? (100 words)
With revenue for the program generated only by student enrollment, the program must adapt its size as described above by reducing the number of graduate courses offered per semester. The scope of the program remains the same with all three fields covered. Despite the decline in enrollment and adjustments to the course offerings requiring faculty to teach more undergraduate courses, the production of student theses remain stable and faculty productivity remains quite impressive. e. Is there anything else you need us to know? (You may wish to discuss grant activity, gifts to the University, etc.) (100 words)
A US State Department Grant ($99,900) for study abroad to Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City) was orchestrated by Marianne Kennedy, Michele Thompson, and Ilene
Crawford. While in place several students, including graduate students from the history program were able to study in Vietnam.
8) Costs and other expenses
a. What are the total costs of the program? (table) b. What is the ratio of costs to revenues? (table)
Fiscal Year
Emp.
Comp. Op. Exp.
Indr. Cost
Totl
Cost Cst/Rev 2010 131,683 1,068 176,492 309,243 .49/1.00 2011 127,812 1,358 168,557 297,727 .48/1.00 2012 125,524 1,214 131,113 257,851 .54/1.00
c. What investment in new resources does the program require? (200 words)
The MS program requires resources to initiate internship arrangements with area middle and secondary schools and grant opportunities for these students who often must leave their current jobs to pursue the degree for a vocation in secondary school teaching. The MA program requires more grant opportunities (both teaching and research) for those students hoping to move on to doctoral programs.
d. What demonstrable efficiencies exist in the way the program is operated (e.g., summer courses; cross-listed courses, etc.)? (100 words)
We offer at least two summer courses each year to allow graduate students to progress more quickly through the program if they wish. We allow MA students to take 6 credits at the 300- or 400-level to allow them greater scheduling flexibility and course offerings. We offer some courses online and in a hybrid style to provide students with more scheduling flexibility.
9) Impact, justification, and overall essentiality of the program
a. How does this program connect to the University’s mission statement and/or the Graduate School’s mission statement? (100 words)
The programs embody the SGS’s Mission statement. It empowers “students with the knowledge, values, and skills to be continuous learners and practitioners who can, in turn, provide visionary leadership in addressing current and future
challenges.” They impart master’s level knowledge and an appreciation for the historian’s profession and their role as mentors. As teachers and mentors themselves, the programs’ students, in turn, take leadership positions in CT classrooms in order to prepare the next generation for challenges that lay ahead. The programs assist students in achieving their professional goals. In the field of teaching there is no more frontline force.
b. How does this program respond to societal needs that the institution values? (e.g., producing a critical thinking, educated citizenry; improving the state’s workforce; meeting health care needs of the community, etc.)? (100 words)
As suggested in 9a there is a societal need for accomplished and socially- and intellectually-engaged secondary school teachers who lay the foundations of
knowledge for the students we encounter at the undergraduate level. Southern CT State University was founded on the principles of educating teachers. While its mission has grown, it would be a monumental blunder for this institution to allow this historical mission to fall by the wayside. We are equally proud of our non-certification students who have gone on to careers in publishing and public history.
c. To what extent does this program help the institution differentiate itself from similar programs at peer institutions? (100 words)
Many of our nearby colleges and universities either do not have a MA program in history or have only a post-baccalaureate for secondary school certification. Our program is not only committed to providing a mastery level program in the study of history for already certified teachers, but with our MS program produces certified teachers with master-level coursework in history.
d. Is there anything else you would like us to know? (100 words) No.
10) Opportunity analysis of the program
a. Describe the external opportunities for strengthening your program. (300 words) The program already has internship connections (and some informal relationships) with several of the local historical societies across the state, the Peabody Museum, the Pequot Museum, and even, more recently, with the Botanical Gardens of New York City. It is the goal of the program to further develop these relationships for all of our program students.
With the creation of the nine-credit certificate program, we have begun to situate ourselves to collaborate with universities in Vietnam, China, and Eastern Europe. With university support a relationship with the Ho Chi Minh University of
Pedagogy has been developed and to serve future students coming from the University, the department created a nine-credit certificate in American history. With the support of our institution, we look forward to developing these
relationships further.
b. Describe the internal opportunities for strengthening your program. (300 words) The program wrote and received a Curriculum Grant to invite 20 former students who are currently CT secondary school teachers.(see 4c) All of them expressed gratitude to Southern for being interested in their thoughts as alumni of the program. More events such as this supported by the university will promote and strengthen the program. Engaging in cooperative conversations between graduate certification programs, the School of Education, alumni, and those secondary and middle school teachers that serve as adjunct, coaches, supervisors, etc. will not only demonstrate that we value their expertise but also create strong bonds with the school systems such as New Haven, but also beyond New Haven! Collaboration once existed between the history graduate program and the ILS program. Perhaps when
the ILS program achieves its accreditation again, these two programs can entertain collaboration. The program has already explored hybrid and online graduate
courses, and while many of our students report that they prefer the on-ground style class, the program may certainly entertain more hybrid type courses.
