Submitted by:
Academic Innovations Task Force: Darrell Deas, Jr., Eric DiLaura, Ashley Fico, Crystal Hallenbeck, Kathy Peterson (Co-chair), Darson Rhodes (Co-chair), Jocelyn Schimpf, Rachel Schultz, Millie Sefranek, Joon Yong Seo
Executive Summary
In accordance with its charge, the Academic Innovation Task Force completed the following over the 20-21 academic year:
- Review and recommendations for compression programs on campus.
- Development of a priority area tool to identify new program opportunities with an emphasis on high-impact enrollment and revenue generation.
- Development of three forms: proposal for new program, program expansion – request for new resources to grow/increase enrollments, and program descriptive statistics. These forms were shared with College Senate Executive Committee to be used for the revision of theCollege Senate proposal process.
- Review of one program expansion proposal and support of efforts to examine the possible development of an online human resources master’s program.
- Identification of undergraduate programs to be considered for development at SUNY Brockport. These programs include computer science with a game design emphasis, online criminal justice/safety studies, expansion of marketing for the coaching minor and/or a major with a coaching track, online health care administration and management, and online accounting.
- Identification of graduate programs to be considered for development at SUNY Brockport.These programs include online health care administration and management, online human resources management, occupational therapy, physician assistant, and speech language pathologist.
The AITF has completed its work in accordance with its charge. The three proposal forms that were created were shared with College Senate Executive Committee and should be used in the upcoming academic year to help inform the revision of the proposal process. It is recommended that identified undergraduate and graduate programs to be considered for development be shared with appropriate academic departments for further consideration and possible development of program proposals.
Charge
Using trend data (local, state and national) identify areas where SUNY Brockport could create new or expand existing programs at both the undergraduate and graduate level with an emphasis on high-impact enrollment and revenue generation. The task force shall also track and report progress on new programs as they are developed, act as a resource to departments on the creation of new programs and work with College Senate and Dr. Eileen Daniel to streamline the proposal submission process.
Summary of Accomplishments
Compression Program Review
The proposal to develop a marketing campaign, “Eagle Speed,” that promotes an accelerated three-year pathway to undergraduate degree completion at SUNY Brockport sits with College Cabinet.
In a climate in which the value of a four-year degree was already being challenged and student loan debt is rising, the pandemic has served to further decrease the perceived benefit of a four-year degree. As such, institutions of higher education must implement strategies to increase the perceived value of the college degree. The proposed Eagle Speed pathway seeks to reduce the cost of a four-year undergraduate degree by decreasing the time to degree completion to three-years resulting in cost savings through lower room and board expenses. Specifically, Eagle Speed requires students to take courses year-round including summer and winter terms allowing them to finish degree requirements at a faster pace. Eagle Speed is not a program; rather, it is a pathway to three-year degree completion. With the Eagle Speed pathway, students take approximately 30 credits during winter and summer months. Summer and winter tuition dollars remain with SUNY Brockport as opposed to going to SUNY. This pathway is believed to be a logistically feasible option for a significant number of students at Brockport without any changes to current program offerings. It is a matter of appropriately marketing the pathway as an option for select majors. Implementation of Eagle Speed does not require development of any new programs, and costs for implementation are largely limited to marketing. Marketing of the Eagle Speed pathway has the potential to save students money while generating additional revenue for SUNY Brockport. The option may also draw new students to campus that would not otherwise come to Brockport. Initial implementation costs would be largely for marketing, as there are already several majors in place that seemingly align with this pathway.
Priority Area Tool
To systematically review data and subsequently make recommendations for new programs, the Academic Innovations Task Force (AITF) developed a priority program identification tool. This tool was comprised of six variables. The first five variables each had score ranges and weighted multipliers used to create a variable score. Variable scores from these five variables were summed to create a total variable score. A sixth variable was a multiplier and was multiplied by the total variable score to create a final value score. Variables selected aligned with the charge of the committee to examine trend data with an emphasis on high impact enrollment and revenue generation. Variables and scores included:
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) job growth: Occupation data from BLS were reviewed and programs that would prepare students for occupations categorized with job growth rates projected from 2019-2029 to be as much faster than average = 3, faster than average = 2, as fast as average = 1, slower than average = 0, little or decline in growth = 0. This variable was a measure of speed of job growth. Variable weight = 15% of total variable score.
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) new jobs: Occupation data from BLS were reviewed and programs were scored based upon the number of anticipated new jobs from 2019-2029, 50,000 or more = 3, 10,000 – 49,999 = 2, 1,000 – 9,999 = 1, Less than 1,000 = 0. This variable was a measure of total jobs available rather than speed of job growth as measured by the previous variable. Variable weight = 15% of total variable score.
*NRCCUA value: NY state data gathered by NRCCUA indicating high school students’ interests in specific college programs were reviewed. These data were gathered predominately from juniors and seniors in high school. These data included the percent of NY state respondents that indicated their interest in major groups such as “history & social sciences,” as well as the percentage of respondents within each major group who indicated their interest in a specific major such as “sociology”. Data on student interest in college programs were relativized to represent the percentage of all student responses that indicated interest in a particular major for each year 2018-2022 (year here indicates the year the student would be starting college). We then assessed the change in major interest using these percentages from 2018 to 2022 to create a change score. Positive scores indicate an increase in student interest based on the percentage of student responses for a particular major from 2018 to2022. Scores of 2 or higher were assigned a variable score of 3; scores of 1-1.9 were assigned a variable score of 2, scores of 0.5 to 0.9 were assigned a variable score of 1, and scores of 0 to 0.4were assigned a variable score of 0. Variable weight = 35% of total variable score. This variable was only used for undergraduate programs.
Program uniqueness: A comprehensive list of SUNY undergraduate and graduate degree program offerings was reviewed. If a program was offered at other SUNY schools but not at regional SUNYs (UB, Geneseo, Fredonia, Potsdam, Oswego) or University of Rochester, Rochester Institute of Technology, St. John Fisher, Nazareth, and Roberts Wesleyan a score of 3 was assigned. If a program was offered at private regional schools but not at regional SUNYs a score of 2 was assigned. If a program was offered at 1-4 regional schools with at least one being a regional SUNY school a score of 1 was assigned. If a program was offered at most regional institutions a score of 0 was assigned. Variable weight = 15% of total variable score.
Program type: The format of programs was considered with regard to it being online, a 12-month or summer start program, and/or a plus program (i.e. 3+2 or 4+1). Any program with at least one of these characteristics was assigned a score of 3, and any programs without any of these characteristics were assigned a score of 0. Variable weight = 20% of total variable score.
Resource requirements: Programs that required no new resources were assigned a score of 2. Programs that could justify based upon projected enrollment, tuition revenue, new faculty/staff salaries, and other required expenses that the program would be revenue generating within the first three years of implementation received a score of 1. Programs that could not justify based upon projected enrollment, tuition revenue, new faculty/staff salaries, and other required expenses that the program would be revenue generating within the first three years of implementation were assigned a score of 0. This variable was the multiplier variable and was multiplied by the total variable score to compute the final value score.
*The NRCCUA variable was only used for undergraduate program reviews. For graduate programreviews, weighted values were adjusted approximately as follows BLS job growth = 24%, BLS newjobs = 24%, Program uniqueness = 24%, and Program type = 28%.
Academic Innovations Task Force Forms
AITF created three new forms to be used for proposals for new programs and expansion of programs. Each of these forms was submitted to College Senate Executive Committee for review and to the SUNY Brockport community for feedback. Subsequently, the forms and campus feedback were submitted to College Senate Executive Committee with the intention of incorporating the forms into a revised Senate proposal process.
- Proposal for New Program – includes program level, program modality, description of program, market justification, student interest, current student retention, innovation, needed resources, recruitment efforts needed. See Appendix A.
- Expansion: Request for new resources to grow/Increase Enrollments – includes justification for increased enrollment, current retention, resource needs, recruitment efforts needed, historical data. See Appendix B.
- Program – Descriptive Statistics – includes estimated completed credits by new students in year 1 and 2, new faculty needed in year 1 and 2, data from IR, newly proposedSCH/FTE for year 1 and 2, new credit hours for winter and summer sessions. See Appendix C.
Additional Activities
One proposal to expand a current program, MSEd in School Health Education, was sent to AITF from the Provost for review. This proposal was supported by AITF and this support was shared with the Provost and the larger Academic Master Planning Guiding Committee. Additionally, the Provost specifically requested AITF to communicate with the Dean of the School of Business to discuss the possibility of a master’s degree in Human Resources. AITF co-chairs and the Dean of the School Business met, and subsequently, a committee to explore this possibility was created by the Dean. AITF shared data resources with this committee to support their efforts.
Program Recommendations
Undergraduate Programs
Exploration for undergraduate program recommendations began by cross referencing three variables: NRCCUA scores, BLS job growth pace, and BLS new jobs. Any program that met two or more of the following criteria was considered for recommendation:
- Prepares students for jobs that according to BLS data are projected to grow at a pace much faster than average from 2019-2029.
- Prepares students for jobs that according to BLS data are projected to have 50,000 or more jobs available from 2019-2029.
- Addresses an area of student interest as indicated by a NRCCUA variable score of two or higher
A comprehensive list of programs meeting two or more of the criteria was created. This list was then cross-referenced with existing programs at SUNY Brockport, and all existing programs were removed from the list. The remaining programs were scored using five variables from the Priority Area Tool: BLS job growth, BLS new jobs, NRCCUA value, Program uniqueness, and Program Type. The Resource Requirement variable (the multiplier variable) was not determined, as projections on resource requirements are best determined within the department that would implement the program. It is recommended that the next step in prioritizing the recommended programs to be launched is to determine the resources needed.
Additionally, a recent article from the Educational Advisory Board (EAB), an educational consulting group, noting the top five undergraduate programs to launch online was reviewed. All programs noted within this article were considered for recommendation, specifically as online programs, and included: Health Care Administration and Management, Accounting, Criminal Justice/Safety Studies, Business/Commerce, Registered Nursing (Milder & Paulson, 2020). Finally, a committee was established by the Joint Planning and Budget committee to review revenue generating ideas from EAB. Some of these ideas were passed onto the Academic Innovation Task Force and considered as well.
Identified undergraduate program areas are presented below. Maximum score possible after weighting is 3.
Computer Science – Game Design emphasis
Priority Area Tool Total Variable Score: 2.25 in person program, 2.85 hybrid or online program
Additional Notes: This program aligned with BLS data based upon a more general occupation description of software developer but was directly aligned with NRCCUA data as Game Design.
Criminal Justice/Safety Studies – online
Priority Area Tool Total Variable Score: 2.25 online program
Additional Notes: Presently, SUNY Brockport has the program, but it is not fully online. Criminal Justice/Safety Studies was identified by EAB as one of the top five opportunities for undergraduate online programs and scored favorably on student interest. This program aligned with BLS data based upon occupations of police officer or detective. Given that the program is already offered, it is anticipated a transition to, or an addition of, a fully online option would require fewer resources to launch, furthering the support to consider expansion of this program.
Coaching
Priority Area Tool Total Variable Score: 2.1 in person program, 2.7 hybrid or online program
Additional Notes: This occupation scored favorably both with BLS data and student interest. SUNY Brockport currently has a coaching minor but not a major. BLS information notes the requirement of a Bachelor’s degree to be a coach but does not specify a particular program. It may be best to consider strategies to maximize promotion of the coaching minor or to consider if an existing major could add a coaching track to appeal to more students. A stand-alone coaching major is not necessarily recommended.
Health Care Administration and Management – online
Priority Area Tool Total Variable Score: 1.5 online program
Additional Notes: Presently, SUNY Brockport has the program, but it is not fully online. This program was identified by EAB as a top undergraduate program to launch online. Given that the program is already offered, it is anticipated a transition to or addition of a fully online option would require fewer resources to launch, furthering the support to consider expansion of this program.
Accounting – online
Priority Area Tool Total Variable Score: 1.2 online program
Additional Notes: Presently, SUNY Brockport has the program, but it is not fully online. This program was identified by EAB as a top undergraduate program to launch online. Given that the program is already offered, it is anticipated a transition to, or an addition of, a fully online option
would require fewer resources to launch, furthering the support to consider expansion of this program.
Graduate Programs
Exploration for graduate program recommendations began by cross referencing two variables, BLS job growth pace and BLS new jobs. Any program that met both of the following criteria was considered for recommendation:
- Prepares students for jobs that according to BLS data are projected to grow at a pace much faster than average from 2019-2029.
- Prepares students for jobs that according to BLS data are projected to have 10,000 or more jobs available from 2019-2029.
A comprehensive list of programs meeting the two above was created. This list was then cross-referenced with existing programs at SUNY Brockport, and all existing programs were removed from the list. The remaining programs were scored using four variables from the Priority Area Tool: BLS job growth, BLS new jobs, Program uniqueness, and Program Type. The Resource Requirement variable (the multiplier variable) was not determined, as projections on resources requirements are best determined within the department that would implement the program. It is recommended that the next step in prioritizing the recommended programs to be launched is to determine the resources needed.
Additionally, a recent article from EAB noting the top five online graduate programs to launch online was reviewed. All programs noted within this article were considered for recommendation as well and included: Health Care Administration and Management, Public Administration, Educational/Instructional Technology, Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, Public Health (Paulson, 2021). Finally, a committee established by the Joint Planning and Budget committee provided AITF with a list of revenue generating ideas from EAB for review. Some of these ideas were considered.
Identified graduate program areas are presented below. Maximum score possible after weighting is 3.
Health Care Administration and Management – online
Priority Area Tool Total Variable Score: 2.52
Additional Notes: BLS occupation statistics note the entry-level education requirement is a Bachelor’s degree in this field. Thus, the variable score utilized Bachelor’s level data. This program was identified by EAB as a top graduate program to launch online. SUNY Brockport currently has an undergraduate program in this area, although not fully online. Given that an undergraduate program is already offered, it is anticipated the addition of a fully online, graduate option would require fewer resources to launch as compared to some other programs that would be new to the college.
Human Resources Management – online
Priority Area Tool Total Variable Score: 2.52
Additional Notes: BLS occupation statistics note the entry-level education requirement is a Bachelor’s degree in this field. Thus, the variable score utilized Bachelor’s level data. This program was identified by EAB as a top graduate program to launch online. AITF co-chairs have been in communication with the Dean of the School of Business about this type of program and there is a committee within the School currently examining its viability.
Occupational Therapy, Physician Assistant, and Speech Language Pathologist
Priority Area Tool Total Variable Score: 1.44 in-person, 2.28 hybrid
Additional Notes: Each of these programs scored favorably with BLS data. Additionally, while NRCCUA data were not used in examining graduate programs it should be noted that “medical provider, other” scored high and may include these areas. Further exploration of student interest is recommended for these areas. Specifically, if considered, examination of hybrid offerings is recommended. Online options are likely not possible due to clinical requirements, but hybrid offerings may be possible. Also of note, a previously approved Senate proposal (2014) for an occupational therapy program was found and should be considered if an occupational therapy program is pursued.
Conclusion
While not under the purview of AITF, it is important to note that proposals come to College Senate regarding new courses that meet general education requirements that ask for new resources in the form of adjuncts. This is not sustainable in today’s fiscal environment.
The members of the AITF have completed the work asked of us by the charge given to this task force and as such, it is recommended that the task force conclude. The three newly developed forms were sent to the college community for feedback through both the Associate Deans and the Daily Eagle. Six responses were submitted, and the feedback was reviewed and incorporated as needed. The College Senate Executive Committee is in support of incorporating the new forms with the College Senate proposal process for new and expanding programming. This will provide important information regarding market trends and resource needs in order to make informed decisions for the support of new programs or expansion of existing programs. Finally, AITF recommends that the undergraduate and graduate programs proposed for development in this report be sent to appropriate departments for further analysis and possible development of program proposals.
References
Milder, M. & Paulson, C. (2020). The top five undergraduate program to launch online. EAB.
Paulson, C. (2021). The top 5 graduate program to launch online. EAB.