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SJSU Capacity and Preparatory Review ReportEssay 3: SJSU Capacity with Respect to Developing and Applying Resources and Organizational Structures to Ensure SustainabilityIntroduction This essay explores the human, physical, fiscal and information resources available at San José State University (SJSU) to support a high quality environment for learning. Considering resources in the context of a quality environment is not only logical, but imperative. As the California State University (CSU) Presidents’ Commission on Secondary Education points out: "We believe California’s future will be determined in large part by the quality of the education it provides its citizens. Our social and economic prosperity is contingent upon a knowledgeable citizenry and a well-trained work force."
Descriptive Information Staff Paralleling the increase in the number of students from 1998 to 2002, the number of full-time staff overall has increased since 1998 (1103 to 1212) while the number of part-time staff have decreased slightly (115 to 105). The pattern of growth among full-time staff differs depending on the position type (data element 4.3). Most of the increase has been in the category of professional staff (391 to 544). There has been modest growth in the number of clerical/secretarial and service/maintenance staff, while over the same period of time (1998 to 2002) there has been a consistent decrease in the number of full-time managers and technical/ paraprofessional staff. Among both full and part-time staff there has been an increase in the proportion of women and an increase in the proportion of minority staff. For a closer look at changes in Administrative positions between 1994 and the present, a table is provided. Faculty SJSU continues to strive for a mix among faculty which mirrors the student body and the trend over time toward a more diverse faculty is encouraging. Among tenured/tenure track faculty over the last five years the proportion of males has decreased. Recent figures (2002) indicate that 60% of tenured/tenure track faculty at SJSU were male. With respect to ethnicity, 73% (compared to 76% in 1998) were white. Among lecturers, male and female proportions have remained stable over the past five years (53% male). A considerable shift however is apparent with respect to ethnicity among SJSU lecturers. In 2002, 67% of the lecturers were white compared to 76% in 1998. For greater detail, check data element 4.1. In comparison to the CSU overall, SJSU has been able to achieve a more diverse faculty. In 1999, 80% of the CSU faculty were white and in 2002, 76% were white. (source - CSU study) The comparable values for SJSU (all faculty) were 74% white in 1999 compared 70% to in 2002. Overall, in 2002, SJSU employed 806 tenured/tenure track and 969 (full-time and part-time) lecturers. Except for the College of Engineering, while overall numbers of faculty were up, the number of tenured faculty in each college was down compared to 1998 (data element 4.2). For the university as a whole, in 1998, 83% of tenured/tenure track faculty were tenured. The figure in 2002 was 72%. Likely related to expected retirements, SJSU is clearly seeing a shift in the proportion of tenured faculty on campus. In fact, the extent to which campuses are relying more on part-time faculty when positions become available is under scrutiny throughout the CSU. Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 73--Relative to the California State University At the time of SJSU's last WASC review, the visiting team’s report included encouragement for the campus to increase the percentage of full-time faculty employed at SJSU. With respect to the proportion of part-time faculty at San José State University (SJSU), in 1994, 860 of 1673 faculty (51%) were part-time. As of fall 2003, 50% of the faculty (809 of 1630) were part-time. The faculty and administrators, both here at SJSU and throughout the system, share the commission's concern, expressed in 1995; that this exacerbates the heavy workload for full-time faculty and affects morale issues, advising of students, and committee work. In fact, a concerted effort was made at the system level to examine and address the problem following legislation (ACR73) passed in 2001. This legislation called upon the CSU Trustees, the Academic Senate of the CSU, and the California Faculty Association to jointly develop a plan that would, among other things, raise the percentage of tenured and tenure-track faculty to at least 75 percent. The groups identified did in fact work together and in July of 2002 produced a report describing a plan to increase, system-wide, the proportion of permanent (tenured/tenure track) faculty to 75 percent, measured in terms of Full-Time Equivalent Faculty (FTEF), over an eight-year period. Given present fiscal constraints, the challenge is significant. The proposed plan creates the need for expanded state funding on an annual basis ranging from $4.8M to $35.6M per year. Given the level of collaboration apparent in developing this report, it is clear this issue is a high priority and all parties are committed to facilitating change in this area. Recruitment, retention, workload, evaluation, & recognition Extraordinary energy is being expended on the recruitment and retention of both faculty and staff. This is a necessity and must continue into the foreseeable future. In SJSU's favor as programs recruit interested faculty and staff, is the campus' location in the vibrant Silicon Valley, the climate and near access to year round recreational venues, and SJSU's history as a quality institution that values and nurtures its faculty, staff, and students. However, working against the campus at every turn is the high cost of living. To address this, the campus is incrementally making progress in providing housing and subsidies for housing to both faculty and staff. In addition, the CSU has developed a new recruitment site, CSU Careers, designed to be a comprehensive resource for job seekers and includes listings for faculty and staff positions at the 23 campuses and the Chancellor's Office. Tenure track faculty recruitment and retention in the CSU is regularly tracked and reports made available by the Chancellor’s office. The January 2004 (pertaining to Fall 03 recruitment) report, indicates that of 1285 tenure track Fall 2003 searches attempted in the CSU, 64% ( 817) were successful. This is a significant drop from the previous year when 74% were successful. At SJSU the success rate (33%) in Fall 03 was considerably lower than Fall 02 success rate (70%) which was comparable to bay area CSU counterparts (San Francisco and Hayward). The Fall 03 drop is considered an anomaly related to the convergence of the intent to improve the ratio of tenured/tenure track faculty to lecturers and the expected severe budget constraints (which in fact did materialize). This resulted in the institution following through on fewer new hires than hoped for. With respect to the diversity of new tenure track hires, SJSU was particularly effective in both Fall 02 and Fall 03 recruiting minority women. For Fall 02, the proportion appointed to tenure track positions that were minority women at SJSU was 21% compared to 12% overall in the CSU and for Fall 03, 40% of new tenure track hires were minority females compared to 14% overall in the CSU. For 2003 overall at SJSU, hiring of minorities at SJSU comprised 50% of total hires (10% male, 40% female) compared to 28.5% systemwide. For more details regarding recruitment there is a summary report to refer to. One of the ongoing challenges for the institution is faculty and staff workload. Funding constraints over time and the campus’s decision to absorb cuts in areas other than instruction have resulted in increasing demands and workload for staff. It is a campus wide concern, as evidenced by the fact that staff morale emerged in campus forums this past fall, as one of the primary strategic issues for SJSU to address as well as an issue of concern CSU wide. For faculty, a heavy workload takes its toll not only in the area of retention, but also poses a challenge in the recruitment of new faculty. A variety of measures ranging from re-assigned time for tenure track faculty (particularly new hires), to peer mentoring, and an Academic Innovation Model (yet to be fully implemented) are intended to address the workload issue, but a recent CSU workload report (pg 53.) indicates that faculty believe their workload relative to others’ (within and outside their discipline) is higher. In addition, Faculty responses to the Higher Education Research Institute survey show noticeably fewer SJSU faculty satisfied with their teaching load compared to faculty at other 4-year institutions. Concerns in the area of workload for department chairs, in particular, were brought to light through a CSU study (lead by an SJSU department chair). In response, the SJSU senate established a task force to examine the data and bring back recommendations. In the areas of evaluation and recognition, SJSU is systematic and committed to both for its faculty and staff. For administrators and staff, scheduled reviews are regularly conducted and they utilize input from multiple sources. For tenured/tenure track faculty, a sophisticated and regularly updated retention, tenure and promotion (RTP) policy guides evaluation. A separate policy is in place for the review of lecturers. Student evaluations are an integral part of the assessment of faculty and in the recent past a complete revision of the instrument used to collect student input on teaching effectiveness was completed and adopted. University recognition of faculty accomplishments (beyond promotion and tenure) parallel the RTP policy. That is, university level awards exist for each area addressed in the policy: teaching, scholarship, and service. Faculty development Investing in faculty development is one way to create and sustain a high quality academic environment where the very best in teaching and learning can flourish. The Center for Faculty Development and Support (CFDS) provides valuable assistance to help faculty achieve their professional goals. Established in August 2000 (formerly the Institute for Teaching and Learning), the CFDS provides a context for comprehensive professional development for faculty. The CFDS is home to the SJSU Institute for Teaching, Learning and Research (ITLR) and incorporates faculty technology training and support. The mission of the CFDS is to enrich the lives of students through their contact with faculty members who effectively combine teaching, scholarship, and service, and to help create a campus culture that values and supports excellence in teaching, learning, and research. The Center develops and maintains collaborative relationships with various internal and external departments and entities such as academic units, the university library, Academic Technology, International and Extended Studies, etc. The Center has demonstrated flexibility and responsiveness by developing programs to meet campus needs as they arise, e.g., Service Learning, Global Studies, Metropolitan University Scholar’s Experience (MUSE), and facilitating online instruction. The CFDS also contributes toward a much-needed sense of community on the campus. The range of programs, services, and workshops
available through the CFDS is remarkable. They include an internal grants
program, the faculty-in-residence program, teacher scholars program
(originating in 1991), peer partners program, new faculty orientation
program, new lecturer orientation and support program, and their annual
conference on the scholarship of college teaching and learning. In addition,
the center hosts numerous workshops
on a wide array of topics throughout each semester. Given the anticipated
budget cuts which resulted in the merger of this program with other
projects within the Academic Technology area, the challenge will be
to prioritize resources in a way that provides faculty with quality
support in areas of greatest need. Fiscal, Physical, and Information Resources (CFRs 3.5, 3.6, 3.7) SJSU has a long history of making sound investments in a responsible, ethical, and innovative manner. Data elements 5.1 through 5.7 chronicle details regarding information, physical, and fiscal resources. The campus has an excellent record of making the best possible use of available resources. In addition, SJSU carefully evaluates it's capacity (e.g. external reviewer's report on information technology; facility development to support student success), and subsequently follows a systematic and inclusive process to follow up on recommendations so as to continually improve both our capacity and effectiveness. The examples that follow reflect how the campus has been able to address significant challenges in the form of finite space for library resources, outdated or non existent information resources, and the need for additional housing for faculty, staff, and students. A prime example of SJSU's capacity to creatively leverage available fiscal resources to their best advantage is the campus' collaboration with the City of San José to build and maintain what has become an award winning joint library (more detail in essay 4). The strategic intent of this project was to help the entire Silicon Valley learn for life. The new Library is more than a library, it’s a resource that will launch a whole new era in information access and help bridge the digital divide. The Library will become the information hub for the community and a gateway for access to the university. Local residents will be able to use the same education center from earliest childhood years through post-graduate studies, creating a distinct path for young learners to follow to higher education. Another exemplary project is centered around campus housing. The Campus Village is an exciting mixed-use project which will include new student housing, faculty/staff housing, underground parking, recreational space, a computer lab, meeting rooms, retail space and the housing office. The new housing is being designed to meet the needs of today’s students who prefer suite and apartment style living options. Three phases are planned to replace the existing housing. Construction on the first phase began in January 2003 and is expected to begin operation in August 2005. Upon completion of Phases I, II & III, the Village will house approximately 6,000 students, faculty and staff. This increase from the present 2,000 beds will fundamentally shift the campus life experience from that of a predominantly commuter campus to one that is more residentially based. It will position the campus to turn its housing challenges from a competitive disadvantage to a significant advantage in the recruitment and retention of students, faculty and staff. Finally, an example related to effective management of large scale projects, is SJSU's implementation of the information resource referred to as the Common Management System (CMS). As one of the 'first wave' CSU campuses to implement the Financial and Human Resources components of CMS, followed by the student administration component, SJSU's projected costs are significantly lower than comparable CSU campuses (CSU figures):
SJSU is nearing the end of its 20-month Student Administration implementation. For FY 03-04, the project requested only $450,000 in one-time funding. Base funding has been phased in over the past 3 years and is now complete: $859,158 in the general fund and $227,642 from non-general fund operations. This project not only demonstrates capacity with respect to planning and development of a large scale project, but also highlights the significant upgrade in information resources now available to administrators, faculty, staff and students. SJSU CMS success stories include:
One further point regarding information resources is that the CSU has devoted a great deal of time, energy, and resources to develop and implement an Integrated Technology Strategy (ITS). The scope of the plan is excellent and includes initiatives in the areas of academic services, student services, administrative systems, and technology infrastructure. Periodic reporting on progress is imbedded in the plan with findings widely distributed within the CSU and to the California legislature. Baseline data were presented in 2000 and the most recent report was published in November 2003. With respect to engagement, SJSU is well represented on CSU IT advisory groups as SJSU's Provost and AVP for Academic Technology are active members.
Organizational structures are well defined and communication channels readily discernable. At each level (university, college, department, auxiliaries) it is common to find internal and external advisory groups consulted as projects and initiatives unfold. This practice lends itself well to effective decision making. SJSU is one of 23 institutions comprising the California State University System (CSU). As such it does not have complete independent authority, but both advises and must be responsive to the authority resident in the CSU Board of Trustees and the California State Legislature. Action at their level has an immediate impact on campus policy, practices, and campus interactions with all constituents. This association has some unique benefits due to the size of the CSU and its association with the other two higher education systems (Community Colleges, University of California institutions) in California. For example, the CSU system announced this summer plans for a streamlined transfer path for community college students who plan to complete a bachelor’s degree at a CSU campus. Between the previous WASC review and now, the legislature has completed a revision of the California Master Plan for Education. This was a bold and complex endeavor designed to address education in California from kindergarten through higher education. Throughout the revision process the CSU academic senate and SJSU statewide senators were fully involved. The faculty voice was well represented at the sub-committee level (of the Master Plan Committee) where wide ranging discussions with constituents clearly informed the final product. While it remains to be seen what form legislation designed to implement the plan will take, it is reasonable to assume that the CSU will be called upon (in concert with the University of California and Community Colleges) to facilitate transfer for students among the segments of higher education, continue to meet increasing enrollment demands, improve retention and graduation rates, meet state expectations with respect to access, and continue to provide the state with well trained teachers for the public schools of California. Features of the plan are emerging through the budget allocation process. The governor’s January budget proposal for higher education calls for dual enrollment (community college and CSU) and a more systematic approach to student fees. Both are issues the CSU has been an advocate for, and both were part of California Education Master Plan discussions. On the topic of accountability, the CSU presently meets the expectations of the governor and legislators through a reporting process developed in the Board of Trustees’ strategic planning initiative titled ‘Cornerstones’. Cornerstones was stimulated in part by the Association of Governing Boards and the Pew Trusts Higher Education Round Table. They requested that CSU participate in a project to be the first national example of a public, multi-campus system planning effort involving trustees and faculty in deliberations about future plans and decisions. To date, SJSU has completed two rounds of accountability reporting. The process provides both the campus and the CSU a systematic and streamlined framework within which to evaluate and chart progress. An area in which SJSU takes great pride and excels is shared governance. The institution’s main vehicle for shared governance is the Academic Senate and its committee structure. Members of the Senate as well as staff, students, administrators, and other faculty members serve on Senate policy and operating committees. Policy recommendations that affect academic affairs are typically reviewed and/or developed by the Senate. Senate policy recommendations when signed (approved) by the President become university policy. The Senate Handbook delineates the jurisdiction of the Senate regarding University policies. At most levels, solicitation of faculty input is an integral part of decision making. While opinions vary with respect to the impact of collective bargaining, both the Academic Senate and the Faculty Union have sustained good working relationships with the administration. Faculty leadership is both supported and valued by the administration. The quality of the interactions and debate among faculty and administrators has a long history of being high and an important element in the institution’s success in making a difference in the lives of SJSU students and the region.
SJSU clearly has the capacity to develop and apply its resources and organizational structures to ensure sustainability. The investments the institution makes to develop its human, physical, fiscal and information resources are clearly made with the intent of nurturing a high quality academic environment to facilitate student success. Attention is needed in the area of setting goals, prioritizing them, and allocating resources for their support. With institutional planning presently underway progress will no doubt be made to address this. In fact, we’ve consciously used the opportunity presented by this WASC review to engage faculty, staff, students, and administrators in reflections on the strategic landscape and identification of strategic issues the campus needs to address. The response from the campus has been overwhelmingly positive. All constituents identify the need for institutional planning as a high priority. Campus wide forums have been the mechanism to bring the campus together and the results have provided a strong foundation upon which strategic planning can be built. This work is critical if SJSU is to continue to grow and realize its potential. In the absence of a clear and shared vision of where the institution is headed planning still occurs, but it happens in isolation at the level of colleges and departments. When done in this fashion, it simply is not possible to move the institution forward. In addition, isolated ventures are less likely to succeed. The review team is confident that appropriate plans are being developed to address this issue collaboratively, however, it is important to reiterate the need to follow through. Another issue identified as a high priority in the campus forums is
the need to improve internal communications including consultation as
an integral part of decision making. Too often it appears that efforts
are duplicated at a significant cost in terms of human resources and
morale. In addition, when consultation is minimal, projects can be launched
that do not have the support of those who are an important element in
terms of sustainability. Recognizing the importance of clear communication,
particularly in times of fiscal constraint, President Crowley this spring,
in collaboration with the Academic Senate has formed a Resource
Planning Board and in a campus wide meeting made clear that all
decision making with respect to budget issues would be communicated
to the campus. He has also taken steps to insure that budget information
at all levels will be public and readily available to the campus. These
actions are significant steps that should serve as a model for improving
communication on campus. Back to Table of Contents Page The institution sustains its operations and supports the achievement of its educational objectives through its investment in human, physical, fiscal, and information resources and through an appropriate and effective set of organizational and decision-making structures. These key resources and organizational structures promote the achievement of institutional purposes and educational objectives and create a high quality environment for learning. WASC Categories Under Standard 3
Criteria for Review addressed in Essay 3
Fiscal, Physical and Information Resources
Organizational Structures and Decision-making Processes
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