F. Standard 6: Unit Governance and Resources

Unit Leadership, Authority, and Personnel

The College of Education and Human Services (CEHS) provides leadership and coordination for all programs preparing professional educators and for professional development programs at the University. The College is organized into four academic departments: Educational Leadership (EDL), Teacher Education (TED), Health, Physical Education and Recreation (HPR), and Human Services (HS) with support units in the Offices of Student Services, Professional Field Experiences, Graduate Programs, the Educational Resource Center, and the Division of Professional Practice and Research (DPPR). (Organizational Chart). A study is currently underway to rename the DPPR to more accurately depict its mission within the Unit. Department Chairpersons report to the Dean of the College and all matters related to teacher licensure rest solely with the Dean.

The CEHS Dean’s Cabinet meets monthly to advise and collaborate regarding College issues. The Cabinet is made up of: Dean, Associate Dean, Assistant Dean for Administration, Assistant Dean for Finance, Department Chairpersons, Director of Professional Practice and Research, Director of Student Services, Director of Graduate Studies, Director of Professional Field Experiences, Chair of the CEHS Faculty Senate, and the CEHS Student Government Representative. Cabinet meetings are open to all faculty and staff. Invited guests are asked to join the meetings as issues related to the continuous improvement of the College are considered.

There are a number of collaborative bodies designed to advise and share oversight for the preparation of educators. These include the Teacher Education Council and the School Partnerships Committee. The Teacher Education Council brings together Partnership School Partners, University administrators and faculty, and candidates from the College of Education and Human Services. The Deans of the Colleges of Liberal Arts (COLA), College of Science and Math (COSM), and CEHS collaboratively chair the council.

The quarterly Teacher Education Council meetings provide a forum for discussion of the integration of content and pedagogy to actualize the shared vision for what candidates need to know and be able to do to teach all learners. Facilitating the accomplishment of this shared vision are six joint faculty appointments: five shared by CEHS and COSM, and one shared by CEHS and COLA. These joint faculty appointments aid in the Unit’s collaboration with other University faculty and Partnership School professionals in program design, delivery, and evaluation. The School Partnerships Committee oversees the formation and direction of College partnerships with P-12 schools.

CEHS faculty govern themselves through a Faculty Senate, which meets once a month during the academic calendar year. The CEHS Senate is composed of five faculty, one elected by each of the four departments and one at-large representative elected by the entire faculty. The Senate has the authority to formulate, propose and review policies subject to the approval of the faculty or dean as appropriate. The CEHS Faculty Senate has five standing committees (Faculty Affairs, College Curriculum and Academic Policies, Undergraduate Student Affairs, Graduate Studies, Committees and Elections) that handle the curricular governance and welfare for students and faculty. The entire CEHS faculty meet quarterly to consider issues raised by the CEHS Faculty Senate or by the faculty or Dean (CEHS Faculty Meetings: Fall 2000–Fall 2001).

Workload policies encourage faculty to engage in teaching, scholarship, advising, and partnership work in area schools. Special contracts for developing and overseeing distance-learning courses are provided to faculty to encourage innovation and creativity in course offerings. Average faculty loads include teaching 30 quarter-hour credits per year; the supervision of six students in field/practica/internship experiences is equivalent to one 3 credit hour course. Additional supervision responsibilities are voluntary for overload pay or load credit (Faculty Workload/Average Class Size: 1990–2000).

The College employs adequate support staff to meet program demands. Faculty support personnel typically provide administrative support for no more than ten faculty; student workers and graduate assistants ordinarily provide support four or fewer faculty. The CEHS currently budgets for 22 graduate assistants annually.

Resources, Facilities, and Support

The College values the development of a comprehensive assessment system and has allocated $10,000 and the necessary human resources to support the development and implementation of the new Unit Assessment Plan. In focusing on the NCATE 2000 Standards, the Unit Self-study moved the College from an emphasis on input to an emphasis on candidate performance—what our students know and can do to help all students learn. This shift in focus represents a process of change that will take time and resources to achieve.

The College receives budgetary allocations proportional to other University units and sufficient to provide teaching, scholarship and service in partnership schools. Priority has been given to providing faculty with resources and opportunities for professional development and technology expertise.

CEHS Operating Budget - 1990, 1995–2001

In August 2000, the College moved into a completely renovated Allyn Hall, outfitted with state-of-the-art technology equipment and support, at a project cost of $9.2 million. Between 1996 and 2001, the College allocated an average of $215,000 per year to technology, or $1.07 million over the five-year period. Included in this amount are House Bill funds of slightly more than $100,000 per year for capital equipment. The new facility has multiple classrooms wired for distance learning or computer-based teaching applications, two computer labs, and an extensive Educational Resource Center (ERC), which received $70,000 in new resources in 2000.

Appropriate technology is also available for students and faculty in the Department of Human Services and the Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation (located in the Creative Arts Center and the Nutter Center, respectively). The Department of Human Services is equipped with an adapted lab for its classes and students in the Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation have their own computer lab. Reflecting the impact of technology on higher education, the College employs two full-time technology support personnel to assist faculty, and guide decision-making and planning in the College.

The Paul Laurence Dunbar Library is Wright State University’s general academic library and houses education and human services monograph, serial, and media collections (Library Facilities and Staffing). Seating capacity is 1,180 in the Dunbar Library and 363 in the Fordam Health Sciences Library, which houses holdings in clinical psychology, athletic training, and human services-related materials.

LIBNET, the University Libraries’ computer network, provides students and faculty with full access to the Wright State online catalog, Wright State and OhioLINK electronic resources, and the Internet. LIBNET is accessible within the libraries from 49 public workstations and three library classrooms, and outside the libraries from campus computer labs, faculty offices, and residence halls. Off-campus access is also available 24 hours a day to authenticated users (students, faculty, and staff). Additional services provided by the University Libraries include a distance learning support page, with instructions and links connecting to LIBNET and accessing library resources from home, and a monthly “What’s New?” list of books, government documents, and media that have added to the many collections maintained by the Libraries.