1. PROPOSED PROGRAM TITLE: Master of Business Administration 2. CIP CODE REQUESTED: 52.0201; Degree Code 5580
3. CONTACT PERSON: Bill Roe, Director of Graduate Business Programs Arkansas State University
P.O. Box 970
State University, AR 72467
870.972.3035 4. PROPOSED STARTING DATE: January 2005
5. PROPOSED LOCATION: Arkansas Tech University – Russellville
6. PROGRAM SUMMARY:
This proposed program is a Master of Business Administration degree to be offered at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville and will be patterned after the current MBA degree program at Arkansas State University-Jonesboro. The target starting date is January, 2005, pending approval to offer the program.
7. NEED FOR THE PROGRAM:
Arkansas State University-Jonesboro is proposing to offer the Master of Business Administration degree at Arkansas Tech University. This MBA will be the same as presently offered on the ASU-J campus. The purpose of the program is to extend accessibility of the degree to persons living in the area served by Arkansas Tech.
Arkansas Tech grants in excess of 700 baccalaureate degrees per year, all of whom are candidates for the MBA degree.
Since the early 1940s, the number of adult learners in higher education has continued to grow. As technology and the knowledge explosion have
increasingly invaded all aspects of work, adults, in growing numbers, have felt the need to increase their education. By 1991, the number of adult learners in
American colleges and universities virtually equaled the number of learners in the traditional college student age group.
By 1994, adult learners outnumbered those in the traditional college student age group, and this trend has continued as occupational advancement is increasingly dependent upon knowledge and education. More than half of all new jobs created this year will require some post-secondary education or training, and the need for more business employees in management positions who have earned an MBA continues to grow. The MBA has been projected to become the degree of choice
among employers seeking to fill managerial and professional positions. Without question, career growth, competitive wages, and lifelong education will be permanently linked in the years to come. And, for the adult learner, the traditional practice of expecting the student to relocate and to live on or near campus while the university provides education and service within rigid parameters is not practical.
Arkansas Tech University does not offer an MBA program. According to Dr. Robert Brown, President of Arkansas Tech, there is a great need for an MBA program to meet the needs of adult learners throughout the region served by the University. Having such a program at Arkansas Tech will allow students wishing to pursue an MBA to do so without having to travel to other sites offering MBA programs--many of whom cannot do so due to career and /or family
responsibilities.
The ASU-J MBA will be delivered on site by faculty members will replace the compressed video MBA previously available at Arkansas Tech.
Role and Scope of the Institution
The proposed Masters of Business Administration degree program is within the official role and scope of Arkansas State University-Jonesboro, a comprehensive university, as defined by the Arkansas Higher Education Plan. The
implementation of this degree program is also consistent with the Arkansas State University mission as a multi-purpose institution of higher education that seeks to provide the citizens of Arkansas with accessible and affordable quality graduate education.
Economic and Social Context
The Monthly Labor Review data on the level of education, earnings, and job growth indicate that many of the occupations projected to grow most rapidly between 2000 and 2010 are those with higher levels of education and earnings. Students completing MBA degrees should have a distinct employment advantage in the labor market of the 21st century, as advanced professional degrees are increasingly becoming the degree of choice among companies hiring. This in turn helps fuel economic growth in communities.
8. FACULTY:
This program will be staffed by both full-time ASU-J faculty and adjunct faculty with appropriate degrees. Appropriate proportions of the faculty will possess the terminal degree thereby being consistent with the standards of the American Association of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), our accrediting agency. The following faculty are listed as graduate faculty:
Bevill, Sandra Brown, Christopher Assoc. Prof., Bus. Systems Prof., Economics
Ph.D., Univ. of Mississippi Ph.D., Univ. of Arkansas Crawford, Jerry Dancer, Terry
Prof., Economics Assoc. Prof., Accounting Ph.D., Univ. of Arkansas Ph.D., Univ. of Mississippi Jan W. Duggar Fish, Kelly
Prof., Finance Asst. Prof., Computer Inf. & Tech Ph.D., Florida State Ph.D., University of Memphis Ford, Charles Frey, Len, Dept. Chair Prof., Marketing Assoc. Prof., Management DBA, Mississippi State Univ. Univ. of Memphis
Guha, Gauri-Shankar Hester, Kim
Asst. Prof., Economics Assoc. Prof., Management Ph.D., Penn State Ph.D., Univ. of Alabama Hudson, Gail Jones, Russell
Prof., Marketing Assoc. Prof., Decision Sciences Ph.D., Univ. of Alabama Ph.D., Univ. of Texas-Arlington Kern, David Kesselring, Randall Asst. Prof., Finance Prof., Economics Ph.D., Mississippi State University Ph.D., Univ. of Oklahoma Lester, Don Marburger, Daniel Asst. Prof., Management Prof., Economics
Ph.D., University of Memphis Ph.D., Arizona State Univ. Moeeni, Farhad Moore, Louella Assoc. Prof., Decision Sciences Prof., Accounting
Ph.D., Univ. of Arizona Ph.D., Univ. of Arkansas Nonis, Sarath Pittman, Jeffrey Prof.., Marketing Assoc. Prof., Law Ph.D., Univ. of North Texas JD, Univ. of Iowa Quinn, Tina Ratliff, Paulette Asst. Prof., Accounting Asst. Prof., Accounting
Roe, C. William Segall, Richard
Prof., Management Asst. Prof., Decision Sciences DBA, Mississippi State Univ. Ph.D., Univ. of Mass.-Armherst Seydel, John, Dept. Chair Syamil, Ahmad
Assoc. Prof., Decision Sciences Asst. Prof., Computer Info. Tech Ph.D., Texas A & M Univ. Ph.D.,
Taylor, Richard Zhang, Qingyu
Prof., Finance Assoc. Prof., Computer Info. Tech Ph.D., Louisiana Tech Univ. Ph.D.,
9. DESCRIPTION OF RESOURCES:
The Ross Pendergraft Library and Technology Center houses more than
1,050,000 items for use. Included in this number are: 140,000 volumes, 800,000 microforms; 80,000 government documents; 40,000 ANO/NRC materials; and 1,240 newspapers. Photocopiers and microform reader-printers are available using the Vend-a-card system. The library is a member of AMIGOS/OCLC, a regional broker of international bibliographic data and information services. Librarian-mediated online searches are provided through OCLC’s FirstSearch, the Internet, and DIALOG. Over eighty electronic databases covering most subjects are accessible from the library and over the Internet and through the Tech
homepage at http://library.atu.edu. Seven professional librarians, six
paraprofessional staff, and a number of part-time employees provide assistance in the retrieval and use of materials. Materials not available in the Library may be requested through our interlibrary loan system, normally at no charge.
Pendergraft Library is open 89.5 hours per week during fall and spring semesters. The state-of-the-art facility includes: two open computer labs, two instructional computer labs, one special purpose lab, two distance learning classrooms, a large conference room, five breakout/meeting rooms, twelve group study rooms, satellite downlink, cable TV connections, 109 publicly accessible computers, 58 lab computers, and about 400 data drops for laptop computers. The library also operates a wireless environment allowing any student, faculty or staff member with a wireless Ethernet card to work on a laptop at any point in the library. The library recently added a proxy server that allows all enrolled students, as well as current faculty and staff, to access all electronic journals and databases from off-campus locations, providing distance students with the same level of access to electronic journals and databases as those students residing on campus.
Instructional Resources
Sufficient instructional resources, including computers, are available through the combined resources of both institutions to initially support the program. Distance learning equipment is available on the Arkansas Tech University campus.
Physical Resources
Arkansas Tech University will provide classroom space for the MBA classes that will be taught on site and any that might be delivered via compressed video. 10. PROGRAM COSTS:
Administrative Support
The MBA program will be integrated into the current academic administrative structure of Arkansas State University-Jonesboro. Academic guidance for this program will be provided by the ASU-J College of Business. Administrative support costs are reflective of expenses departments will incur as a result of offering a graduate degree at a remote site. Costs include telephone expenses, copying consumable supplies, and materials. Administrative support costs are estimated at $7,000.
When full-time ASU faculty teach either on-site or through distance learning at Arkansas Tech University, their normal offerings at ASU-J or at one of its degree centers may need to be covered by adjunct faculty who meet the qualifications for graduate faculty status at ASU-J. These costs are estimated to be $12,000.
Total ASU-J costs associated with offering this MBA degree at Arkansas Tech University are approximately $35,000 for instruction and instructional support costs. Instructional expenses include travel, and extra compensation for faculty who travel to Russellville, and adjunct faculty costs.
Faculty Support
The MBA courses taught at Arkansas Tech University will be taught by ASU-J full-time faculty who are assigned to teach at the University, full-time faculty teaching via distance learning technology, and adjunct faculty approved by the Graduate School, the College of Business Director of Graduate Business
Programs, and the Dean of the College of Business. When full-time faculty teach on-site at Arkansas Tech University they will do so as part of their regular
instructional load. Currently, faculty are available to meet the program extension to Arkansas Tech. It is anticipated that as enrollment develops, additional faculty may be needed.
Resource determinations will be made at a later date based upon student need, program integrity, and ASU-J staffing guidelines. Arkansas State University-Jonesboro costs associated with the MBA degree offered at Arkansas Tech University include $30,000-$35000 for instruction and instructional support. Instructional expenses include travel, extra compensation for faculty who travel to the site, and adjunct faculty salaries.
11. SOURCES OF FUNDING:
The primary source of funding for the program is student tuition and fees. 12. BOARD OF TRUSTEES APPROVAL:
This proposal was approved by ASU President, Dr. Les Wyatt, and the ASU-J Board of Trustees on August 2, 2004.
13. SIMILAR PROGRAMS IN ARKANSAS AND IN STATE (BACCALAUREATE AND ABOVE):
Although UAF, UALR, and UCA offer the MBA program, no formal
arrangements exist to offer the MBA degree at Arkansas Tech. A large number of potential students live in Arkansas Tech’s service area that are currently unable to earn an MBA degree due to employment, family responsibility, financial
limitations, and the lack of an available MBA program. 14. DESEGREGATION:
The Arkansas State University-Jonesboro Board of Trustees adopted an
Affirmative Action Policy in January of 1994. The policy states that ASU does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, handicap, or other unlawful factors in employment practices or admission and treatment of students. This policy extends to off-campus programs. Consequently, the adopted policy will govern the role of Arkansas State University-Jonesboro at Arkansas Tech. ASU-J is dedicated to increasing the minority student enrollment in each of its masters programs, both on and off campus. ASU-J will participate in all minority recruitment and retention activities currently in place at Arkansas Tech.
15. INSTITUTIONAL/CORPORATE AGREEMENTS:
A formal agreement between Arkansas State University-Jonesboro and Arkansas Tech University is under development at this time.
