Task Force for Program Advancement
NASULGC 2003 Panel Presentation
Human Sciences Programs: Challenges and Opportunities
Presented to the Members of the Board on Human Sciences
By Carol Kellett
Kansas State University
November 16, 2003
During a time of global transformation, higher education leaders
must address rapid and significant changes as they lead institutions,
units, or programs. Administrators in colleges and universities
have the opportunity to advance the institution if they anticipate
and respond effectively to the changes that impact higher education.
At the same time, administrators at all levels are challenged by
fiscal constraints, expectations for accountability, changing demographics,
expectations of the public, and transitions in workforce needs.
How do the societal and higher education transformations influence
the work of Human Sciences administrators? The presenter proposes
ten strategies that are essential for survival and success in the
current environment.
1. Mission - Human Sciences administrators must examine
our strengths and assets as well as issues, opportunities and
threats. To be effective, every faculty member should understand
and support the mission, vision and strategic directions of an
academic unit. This is especially important in the Human Sciences
where some units are unclear about characteristics that distinguish
their programs from those in other units.
2. Organizational Structure - institutions are restructuring
by default rather than by design, and by convenience rather than
by purpose or mission. As we deal with restructuring, administrators
can benefit by assuring that the organizational structure is the
best way to achieve the mission and goals of the unit. In some
cases, collaborations on campus and partnerships with private
and community colleges will enhance programs and reduce the cost
of delivering programs and services. On campuses where a mandated
reorganization is inevitable, the Human Sciences administrator
and faculty will benefit if they can recommend alternative organizational
structures that will serve their needs.
3. Federal & State Funding (constrained resources)
- Budget appropriations from Congress and state legislatures are
decreasing or being redirected. Therefore, Human Sciences administrators
are often asked to increase enrollments, enhance programs, or
engage in research and outreach with less funding than previously
supported the unit. Also, administrators are often expected to
generate grants and philanthropic gifts to sustain units/programs.
Limited base funding often increases faculty loads and forces
choices about the mission of a unit. For example, an increased
teaching load may diminish productivity in scholarship and research.
4. Infrastructure - Human Sciences units often require
state-of-the-art laboratories and studio classrooms for teaching
and research. Moreover, it is important for Human Sciences units
to keep pace with technological advances in both hardware and
software to prepare students for their careers and support faculty
in their scholarship and research. Most public universities and
colleges cannot obtain new facilities or renovate existing buildings
with public funds, and depend on private gifts to support needed
repairs and updates. Since deferred maintenance has often been
used as a strategy to resolve budget reductions, many campuses
are unable to provide the infrastructure that is important to
academic excellence.
5. Graduate Education and Faculty Development - Are we
preparing faculty to be scholars beyond their discipline? Are
we preparing them to be leaders? Where are our graduate students
and faculty members learning about the Human Sciences and issues
that face faculty in all of its specializations? Decreased funding
has significantly impacted ability to support faculty development
activities launched on individual campuses. Also, there are a
limited number of Human Sciences graduate students in the 'pipeline',
pursuing doctoral programs or other terminal degrees. The areas
of greatest need are nutrition, apparel marketing, Family and
Consumer Sciences education, financial planning, and hospitality
management.
6. Faculty roles & rewards -What are the rewards for
being successful? On many campuses, teaching loads have increased
as units implement new programs and offer additional courses without
additional resources. Relief is most often found when new grants
are awarded that provides release time and/or funding to hire
a replacement. Changing faculty loads require adjustment in faculty
assignments, but may not result in parallel changes to the requirements
for tenure and promotion. Human Sciences administrators must assure
that incentives and rewards reflect the faculty roles and responsibilities.
7. Faculty appointments - As higher education institutions
respond to declining budget appropriations, there are fewer tenured
and tenure-track faculty. Throughout the sectors of higher education,
there is an increase in non- tenure track (temporary) faculty
appointments and in part-time faculty appointments. Competition
for faculty in some of the Human Sciences specializations makes
it very difficult to recruit and retain qualified and productive
faculty members.
8. Accountability, Assessment, Accreditation - Legislators,
Boards of Trustees, students, and the public are placing higher
expectations for assessment and accountability on institutions.
In response, there are higher standards for assessment of student
outcomes in academic units as well as expectations fro program
evaluation and accreditation.
Many Human Sciences units have multiple accreditations, and are
well positioned to provide a model of best practices in assessment
and accountability. However, achieving and sustaining standards
of excellence requires significant time and demands other resources
to be most effective.
9. Enrollment management - Human Sciences administrators
are expected to support increased enrollments, often without available
resources. Some institutions and academic units have responded
by increasing the criteria for admission to specific programs.
At the same time, competition for the best and brightest students
is a continuing challenge.
10. Access and Affordability - As states and institutions
respond to budget constraints, there have been record-breaking
increases in tuition costs. Many students are denied access to
higher education unless they qualify for scholarships, fellowships,
tuition waivers, or other forms of financial aid. Others complete
baccalaureate, professional, and graduate degrees with large student
loans to repay. Human Sciences administrators are challenged to
assure that students who wish to enroll in and complete their
programs have access to be admitted and have financial support.
Although the ten challenges I described face many Human Sciences
administrators, each institution and each unit presents different
opportunities and constraints. In the presentations during the next
session, administrators who provide leadership in diverse units
will share their experiences in coping with transformation and change.
Summarized comments from NASULGC Board on Human Sciences panel
presentation given by Dr. Carol Kellett, November 16, 2003
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