AY 2014-2015 ACADEMIC PROGRAM REVIEW SELF-STUDY TEMPLATE
Reporting School/College: St. John’s College
Program Reviewed: History MA Q
Date Submitted to Department/Division Chair: September 2015
Overview and Program Review Summary: Please summarize this program’s mission and its relationship to the vision and
mission of St. John’s University, and the program’s School/College. Identify similar programs regionally and nationally and
distinguish this program from them. In addition, summarize your findings as they relate to (1) program quality, (2) market
growth potential, and (3) student learning. Also, summarize any significant changes, achievements (by faculty and students
and the program itself), and plans for the future. Finally, based on the information gleaned from the data in the self-study,
give an overall rating of the program’s Enrollment/Market Potential by categorizing it as one of the following: (1) Enhance; (2)
Maintain; (3) Reduce support, Phase out, Consolidate, or Discontinue.
(Suggested limit 1 page)
The MA program in History offers a terminal graduate degree in History with a concentration in European, U.S., world, and
gender history. In the seminar-style classes, students build broad knowledge of history while also learning the fundamentals of
the historical discipline. Our goal is for students to understand how to think, read, and write historically, to learn excellent
communication skills, and develop research and professional skills that translate to an array of fields. In order to transform our
students into historians, we teach them how to ask historical questions, how to read primary sources, how to assess
secondary scholarship, how to research through a variety of sources, how to write historical arguments, and how to present
their research and work in formal presentations, in pitches, in formal papers, and social media. Our students emerge from the
program as sharper thinkers, researchers, and writers who are prepared to work in archives, museums, libraries, businesses,
nonprofits, and publishing.
The MA program serves both students who are seeking a terminal degree and students who are enrolled in our BA/MA
program. To fulfill degree requirements, students take a minimum of 33 unites in graduate history with a minimum of 18
credits in an area of concentration. The completion of an MA thesis is optional.
Like other terminal masters programs in history, enrollments have not been robust. This pattern is true across the nation and
has been studied by the American Historical Association. However, our program offers advantages compared to peer
institutions. First, students are able to take a large number of evening courses. As a result, the program attracts professionals
who work full-time elsewhere, but are seeking to gain a history degree. The program also is attractive to existing history
students in the combined BA/MA program. Finally, the focus on pedagogy and application makes the History department's
approach unique. Unlike other History departments that only prize research, the department's curricular offerings
demonstrate a real commitment to the use and teaching of history. As a result, the department is particularly attractive to
students who are interested in teaching and public history.
Since the last program review, one of the department goals is to raise the academic standard. That has been achieved by
rethinking the curriculum and the reorganization of two foundation classes HIS 401 and 402. HIS401 focuses on professional
development as historians and HIS402 teaches students how to think and write like a historian. The department meets
regularly to discuss the pipeline of professionalization and how to make sure that students emerge as professional historians.
These department meetings and subcommittees have focused on how to emphasize the process of peer review, the use of
citations, the importance of grant-writing, the significance of presenting at academic conferences, and the necessity of
mentoring.
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Since the last program review, the department has made a concerted effort to create a graduate student community through
orientation sessions, workshops, and mentoring opportunities. The members of the department work closely with the other
sectors of the university, such as the library, CTL, and Career Services, to improve students’ professional development. We
have also started an annual conference World History Theory and Practice in order to increase the visibility of the department
on the national and international stage and to provide our students the opportunity to participate in a high-visibility
conference.
The main challenge of the department is two-fold. First, the department continues its efforts to create its curricular reforms
and mentoring efforts to ensure that students meet high academic standards that are in line with national standards. Second,
the department requires more resources to foster intellectual exchange. Our facilities are poor and our resources are minimal,
and as a result it is difficult to build intellectual community when few want to linger in the department. We are also hampered
by funds to help graduate students develop professional experience at conferences. Nonetheless, we have aimed to create
community with our resources and in particular through online mechanisms, such as blogs, Facebook, and Twitter.
The program should be enhanced. The department will continue to work with the library, CTL, and Career Center, but the
department has also forged collaborations with museums, libraries, archives, and historical sites to offer students more
professional development opportunities. The MA would be further improved with more funding for “doing history.” This
would envision the expansion of digital humanities projects in which students would create and curate historical materials.
STANDARD 1. The purpose of the program reflects and supports the strategic vision and mission of St. John’s University,
and the program’s School/College.
1a.
What evidence can you provide that demonstrates that the program embodies the Catholic, Vincentian, and
metropolitan identity of St. John’s University? www.stjohns.edu/about/out-mission. (Suggested limit 1/3 page)
The History MA program advances critical understanding of the past by promoting academic excellence within a learning
environment that fosters free inquiry, Vincentian values, and a deeper understanding of the human experience. The
History faculty is dedicated to fostering appreciation of human experience in all its dimensions—social, political, cultural,
religious—because the study of the past better equips students to deal with contemporary problems and the challenges
of the future. In line with our Vincentian tradition, the faculty demonstrates respect for the rights, dignity, and individual
responsibility of each student, and fosters a learning environment in which tolerance for diverse views and
interpretations flourishes, enlarging the classroom as well as the distance learning experience. The History faculty makes
extensive use of the many cultural, intellectual and artistic resources in the greater metropolitan region by incorporating
assignments that exploit the benefits of NYC and the region.
1b.
What evidence can you provide that demonstrates that the program embodies the University’s vision.
www.stjohns.edu/about/out-mission/vision-statement. (Suggested limit 1/3 page)
Our graduate programs focus on broadly on world history, encouraging students to engage with research and writing
that transcends narrow geopolitical or socio-cultural boundaries, and prepares them to share that knowledge in
academic careers and beyond academe. Our graduates leave St. John’s with a much broader appreciation for history and
how it has shaped today’s evolving global community. The Vincentian tradition of respect for the diversity of human
experience is an essential ingredient of modern historical research and pedagogy. Many of our courses address issues of
globalization, development, poverty and social justice in a historical context. Our faculty uses innovative teaching
methods and fosters rational, spirited inquiry and intelligent reflection within the classroom and beyond. We recognize
that our students are individuals with diverse needs, who require different levels of mentoring and support to achieve
their potential. Our focus on both academic excellence and the core Vincentian values prepare our students for
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leadership and service to the world. Our faculty are involved in Service Learning, CTL, Writing Across the Curriculum, and
since 2011, we have broadened the internship and professional opportunities.
1c.
What evidence can you provide that demonstrates that the program embodies the vision and mission of the
program’s School/College? (Suggested limit 1/3 page)
Graduate courses in history embody the highest standards of scholarly inquiry while also recognizing and addressing the
need of many of our students to find employment outside academia. Our rich and challenging curriculum emphasizes
critical thinking, rigorous analysis, and ethical research and writing. History courses reflect industry and employer needs,
as well as the global perspectives of the continuously changing global marketplace. Our innovative deployment of social
media fosters student engagement; informs students of grants, fellowships, and other opportunities; and builds a sense
of community between students, faculty, and outside visitors to our Facebook and Blog pages. Our web presence and
World History Theory and Practice conference highlight the work of the Department and reflect well on the mission and
vision of St. John’s College. Our faculty engages in research on local, national, and international levels, publishes books
with top academic presses and peer-reviewed articles in scholarly journals, serves in professional societies and on
nation-wide committees, receives grants, delivers papers, and organizes sessions at annual conferences.
Standard 1.
Additional comments if needed. (Suggested limit 1 page)
STANDARD 2. The program attracts, retains, and graduates high quality students.
2a.
Undergraduate SAT and High School Average
2b.
Undergraduate 1st Year Retention Rate
2c.
Undergraduate 6 Year Graduation Rate
2d.
Graduate Standardized Test Scores
Fall
2005
Program
School/College
Average Rate
481/561
2006
2007
540/560
490/550
494/569
465/551
2008
2009
501/588
472/577
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Regional Comparison
National Comparison
New Graduate Students GRE Verbal
Mean Scores
Fall 2010
Fall 2011
Ir Grev Score
History
MA
old
Fall 2012
Ir Grev Score
530
Fall 2013
Ir Grev Score
Ir Grev Score
453
new
152
151
New Graduate Students GRE Quantitative
Mean Scores
Fall 2010
Fall 2011
Ir Greq Score
History
MA
old
Fall 2012
Ir Greq Score
590
Fall 2013
Ir Greq Score
Ir Greq Score
520
new
146
155
As of August 1, 2011, ETS revised the GRE General Test with a new scoring scale. Prior to 8/1/11 on a scale of 200-800(old) and after
8/1/11 on a scale of 130-170(new)
Based on students with valid scores in BANNER - therefore n maybe small in some cases.
New Graduate Students GRE Verbal
Mean Scores
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Fall
2010
Fall
2011
Fall
2012
Fall
2013
Ir Grev Ir Grev Ir Grev Ir Grev
Score Score Score Score
Graduate School Arts & Sci
old
491
500
new
497
532
154
153
New Graduate Students GRE Quantitative
Mean Scores
Fall
2010
Fall
2011
Fall
2012
Fall
2013
Ir Greq Ir Greq Ir Greq Ir Greq
Score Score Score Score
Graduate School Arts & Sci
old
585
566
new
593
604
149
150
As of August 1, 2011, ETS revised the GRE General Test with a new scoring scale. Prior to 8/1/11 on a scale of
200-800(old) and after 8/1/11 on a scale of 130-170(new)
GRE
Intended Graduate Major
History*
Test-Takers
7,479
Mean Score (Verbal)
Mean Score (Quantitative)
156
148
*For further information, please visit http://www.ets.org/s/gre/pdf/gre_guide.pdf.
2e.
Please describe how the program compares with peer and aspirational institutions. (Suggested limit 1/2 page)
The St. John's History Department is extremely strong in both its faculty and curricular offerings. The faculty represents a
wide-range of historical method, conceptual focus, and geographic diversity. What is distinctive about our faculty is our
cutting-edge research. Each member of the faculty has a strong research agenda that produces original research that is
creative and methodologically sophisticated. Many of our faculty members already international experts in their fields, and
their work is considered to be the gold standard for scholarship. They are widely recognized as experts in their fields, they
have received prestigious grants, and consult on an array of topics.
While the department has national and international recognition for its research and methods, the program is constrained by
resources allocated by the University. As a result of a lack of resources, faculty members are not able to attend conferences as
frequently as faculty at other institutions. While students benefit from the curricular changes made by the department since
the last review, the department cannot offer them a suitable space for meetings and limited resources for travel, grant
writing, and conference travel. As a result, the heart of the program – the faculty and its students – is on par with a research
university; however, the fiscal constraints and lack of autonomy in administrative matters, such as maintaining a website,
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hamper the department's ability to market itself. Because of these limits, the department compares well with the other
Queens and Long Island universities, but it does not compete in the national market even though its faculty members are
leading researchers in their respective fields.
2f.
If applicable, describe the program’s student performance over the past five years on licensure or professional
certification exams relative to regional and national standards. (Suggested limit 1/4 page)
History is a discipline that does not require licensure or professional certification. However, the SJU history department is one
of 70 institutions involved in the AHA’s Tuning Project. Tuning consists of five processes by which faculty groups identify
what students earning a given degree in a given discipline know and can do. The process grows from the assumption
that faculty, those who know a discipline best, should be the party responsible for determining the discipline’s core.
2g.
Number of majors and minors enrolled over the past five years. See table below.
Fall
Number of
Students
2005
2006
2007
2009
Majors
18
25
23
17
15
Minors
0
0
0
0
0
Total
18
25
23
17
15
MAJORS
HIS
MA
Total
2h.
2008
Fall 2010
Fall 2011
Majors
Majors
Fall 2012
Fall 2013
Majors
Majors
17
22
24
21
17
22
24
21
Number of degrees granted during the past five years. See table below.
Academic Year
Degrees
Granted
04/05
05/06
06/07
07/08
08/09
MA
7
5
10
8
8
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SJC-GR
HIS
History
MA
10/11
11/12
12/13
Degrees
Conferred
Degrees
Conferred
Degrees
Conferred
6
11
14
Below is comparison degrees conferred data for local and national institutions based on data retrieved from the IPEDS
website. This is based on the Classification of Instructional Program (CIP) Code of 54-History.
20092010
20102011
20112012
Master's
Local
125
133
117
National
3,854
4,003
4,155
EL
1Local
institution include: Adelphi University, Columbia University, CUNY Queens College, Fordham University, Hofstra
University, Iona College, C.W. Post University, Manhattan College, New York University, Pace University, Seton Hall
University, Stony Brook University, and Wagner College.
Comments : Based on the data in 2g and 2h, how do these trends compare to institutional, regional and national patterns?
(Suggested limit 1/2 page)
The student completion trend at SJU compared to local institutions is a comparable. On average, the MA completion rate at
local institutions ranges from 9 to 10 MAs a year. The composite data, however, does not give the complete picture. Large
programs such as Columbia, NYU, and Stony Brook graduate far more MA students than the others because in their pool of
MA students would include those receiving an MPhil as they complete their doctorate.
With SJU being the only History department involved in Tuning, this could be am advantage for recruiting and retaining
students. SJU is the only New York City university active in the project and its faculty have been leaders in working with other
faculty in promoting Tuning.
2i.
What mechanisms are in place to monitor students’ progress toward degree? And, to what extent is there a
collaborative effort to provide quality advising and support services to students? (Suggested limit 1/4 page)
The only years for which we have comparable data are 2010-11 and 2011-12. In 2010-11, degrees conferred locally rose
by 8 (6%); nationally, they rose by 149 (4%), and SJC History MA degrees conferred were 6, down 2 (-25%) from 2008/09,
but there is no data on 2009/10 with which to determine the delta from the previous year. In 2011-12, local degrees
conferred dropped by sixteen (12%); nationally degrees conferred rose by 152 (4%); and SJC History MA degrees
conferred rose by 3 (27%). This suggests that although our numbers may not be as great as other institutions, St. John’s
graduate program in History (MA) is growing at a rate far greater than either national or local programs.
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2j.
If available, provide information on the success of graduates in this program as it relates to employment or attending
graduate school. (Suggested limit 1/4 page)
Our graduates have gone on to graduate, law, and medical school. The department members work closely with students to
prepare them for graduate programs in history, area studies, business, planning, law, medicine. The faculty reads the written
statements, write countless letters of recommendation, offer students research opportunities, introduce them to research
and cultural centers in NYC. All of this is done to ensure that students are equipped to enter the job market and top graduate
programs. Students have entered graduate and/or law programs at Binghamton, Columbia, CUNY, Emory, Florida State,
Fordham, St. Louis University, Stony Brook, University of Arizona, University of Florida, University of New Mexico, to name a
few.
2k.
Please comment on the students’ competencies in the program. Support your response using data provided below
and any other data available. (Suggested limit 1/3 page)
The data reflects the faculty commitment to mentoring students. With the Tuning Project, members of the department
crafted new goals and outcomes for the program. These goals are based on the best practices of the American Historical
Association. The goals include: Historical Knowledge and Perspectives, Historical and Critical Thinking, Communication Skills,
Historical and Information Literacy, and Research and Professional Development. The department approved the new
outcomes and has several meetings about how to promote the goals and outcomes.
Students receive the goals and outcomes at workshops, by email, and by social media. Thus, they understand the purpose of
their degree and the skills that they are studying to attain.
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Standard 2.
Additional comments if needed: (Suggested limit 1 page)
STANDARD 3. The program engages in ongoing systematic planning that is aligned with the University and School/College
planning, direction, and priorities.
3a.
How does your program’s strategic goal/objectives link to your School/College plan and the University’s strategic
plan? http://www.stjohns.edu/about/leadership/strategic-planning
In consonance with the University’s strategic plan, our department has been seeking to bring about a “cultural shift” in our
M.A. program, eliminate “barriers that might get in the way of providing exceptional service to all of our
Students,” and enhance “student engagement.”1 Above all, this has involved bringing our M.A. program more into line with
national professional standards and best practices. We have focused, first, on retooling and reorganizing our two introductory
courses, History 401 (Historical Research Methods) and History 402 (Historiography), which introduce students to research
methods, professional standards and practices, archives and other institutions, and the use of theory in history. Second, we
have greatly intensified our attempts to induce students to develop much-needed skills and professional habits by attending
Library workshops and putting together e-portfolios. Third, we held our first “World History Theory and Practice” conference,
which exposed M.A. students to the broader academic world and to the latest thinking on the teaching of world history.
Fourth, the department recently hired Ian Miller to teach East Asia and expand classes in environmental history which will
connect to the environmental studies program. The department plans to hire a specialists in African-American and South Asia
history. Fifth, we have reconstituted and very much reinvigorated our departmental G.E.P.C., which has been developing
proposals concerning better advisement and supervision of M.A. students and which has organized meetings with graduate
1
All quotations are from the University’s Strategic Plan.
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students in 2013/14 and 2014/15 at which students received an overview of the program and departmental resources, as well
as an indication of our expectations of them.
Our department’s global focus very much fits in with the globalization component of the University’s strategic plan. First, our
course offerings reflect the diverse specializations of our faculty, which include the histories of the U.S., Latin America and the
Caribbean, Africa, East Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Second, our “World History Theory and Practice”
conference as well as a great variety of lectures and colloquia have enhanced our M.A. students’ understanding of global
history and culture. Third, our faculty regularly renew their own global ties by conducting research and attending conferences
abroad.
The strategic plan also focuses on the University’s Catholic and Vincentian mission, which our M.A. program takes seriously.
We offer courses that explore the causes of social injustice and promote global harmony through the study of war, peace, the
Holocaust and other genocides, oppression, dictatorship, international organizations, globalizations, and a tremendous variety
of human societies. Our M.A. program also significantly addresses the University’s metropolitan mission. We take our
students to archives, museum, libraries in the area, acquainting them with the rich resources of our city.
3b.
What is the evidence of monitoring the external and internal environments, specifically what are the strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities and threats facing the program? How were they identified? What actions have been taken in
response to these findings? What characteristics of the program suggest a competitive edge against other programs
regionally and nationally?
A reworking and rethinking of our M.A. program in History has been underway for a few years. It aims to make out program
better adapted to the market and needs of the second decade of the twenty-first century. Our M.A. program appeals a great
deal to New York area high school teachers, and herein is one of its major strengths and one of its competitive advantages
over other similar programs. We have good course coverage of major subject and geographical areas. In reaction to M.A.
student interest, we have opened up some of our D.A. program’s pedagogical courses to M.A. students. M.A. students may
also take courses in our Public History M.A. program, thus expanding their knowledge of archives, libraries, etc. Our M.A.
courses are offered in the late afternoon or evening hours, which makes it attractive to those who have full-time occupations.
Because of our high faculty-to-student ratio, students receive a great deal of individual attention from faculty, which is also
seen as a distinctive feature and positive attribute of our program. We see our most serious challenge as that of bringing our
programs into line with national standards, aided by the American Historical Association’s “Tuning Project,” which Elaine
Carey has been deeply involved in. We have been upgrading our M.A. program, adding skills and professional elements to our
required course, History 401 (Historical Research Methods). History 402 (Historiography) has been converted into a course
that gives students a basic knowledge of the historiography, the schools of historical research, and the theories that undergird
historical inquiry. Our curricular reforms also seek to impart students with historical skills needed to perform successfully in
multiple venues, including, but not limited to, conference papers, publications, e-portfolios, group projects, internships,
research fellowships, and/or research opportunities with academic or practicing historians. Our curricular reforms enable us
to give students the professional skills and historical knowledge that they need to pursue a career as a historian in a rapidly
changing environment.
We established a Public History M.A. program in response to changes in the profession and student interests. This report
does not evaluate that program.
3c.
What is the current and future market demand for the program? Support your response using the data provided
below or any other internal or external sources to justify your response.
Our efforts to improve and revamp our M.A. program have proven successful, as can be seen in enrollment figures, which
have improved since 2010, rising from 17 to an unofficial total of 28 enrollments currently. (This latter figure include Public
History M.A. students.) It also should be added that our M.A. program provides a foundation without which our Public History
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M.A. and D.A. in World History programs could not exist because many of the students in those programs take courses in the
M.A. in History program.
We are working towards the goal of enrollment growth by continual improvement of the program.
Standard 3.
Additional comments if needed: (Suggested limit 1 page)
STANDARD 4. The program provides a high quality curriculum that emphasizes and assesses student learning and
engagement.
4a.
Please indicate how the program curriculum is in alignment with the following three items:
(Suggested limit 1/2 page for each of the three categories below)
1. Standards within the discipline
2. Curriculum integrity, coherence, academic internships, teaching excellence, teaching vibrancy, and study abroad
experiences.
3. The University Core competencies
Standards within the discipline
We are devoting a good deal of work and attention to bringing our programs into line with national standards, aided by the
American Historical Association’s “Tuning Project,” which Elaine Carey has been deeply involved in. We have developed M.A.
Goals and Outcomes in harmony with this project, and have implemented these Goals and Outcomes through curricular
reform and course revision.
Tuning consists of five processes by which faculty groups identify what students earning a given degree in a given
discipline know and can do. The process grows from the assumption that faculty, those who know a discipline best,
should be the party responsible for determining the discipline’s core.
The five processes are to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
define the discipline core;
map employability;
survey stakeholders;
hone core competencies and learning outcomes;
draft degree profiles.
The department has completed all the steps to enhance the BA and MA program. We learned from working with stakeholders
that we needed to circulate the goals and outcomes to the students and talk about them in class. We do this because the
stakeholders from the United Nations, Viacom, Enterprise, and MediaCom mentioned that the types of skills we emphasize in
History are the skills they look for in their entry level professional positions.
Curriculum integrity, coherence, academic internships, teaching excellence, teaching vibrancy, and study abroad experiences
In tandem with the reconceptualization of our M.A. program, we have been upgrading our courses, adding skills and
professional elements to our required course, History 401 (Historical Research Methods). A second required course, History
402 (Historiography), has been converted into a course that gives students a basic knowledge of the historiography, the
schools of historical research, and the theories that undergird historical inquiry. Our curricular reforms also seek to impart
students with historical skills needed to perform successfully in multiple venues, including, but not limited to, conference
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papers, publications, e-portfolios, group projects, research fellowships, and/or research opportunities with academic or
practicing historians. In addition, all of our M.A. courses have been revised this year to reflect the M.A. Goals and Outcomes,
which are not only intended as an assessment instrument, but also as a way to implement the goals that have been developed
through the AHA Tuning Project. This imparts our curriculum with integrity and coherence.
Kristin Szylvian, director of the M.A. Program in Public History, has been working to organize and publicize academic
internships for our M.A. students. She emphasizes that internships are not just for undergraduates, but in fact are an
important part of education on the M.A. level. In addition, they can open career paths for students. Her work in this area is
not just for the M.A. in Public History students, but also for students in our M.A. in History program.
Our department has developed an environment conducive to excellent teaching. Our faculty are very active as scholars,
producing a constant flow of publications, giving talks at conferences and in other venues, and participating in the scholarly
life of the academy in a multitude of ways, including evaluation of tenure cases at other institutions, grant reviewing,
providing expert testimony before courts of law, making media appearances, etc. They are highly respected scholars in their
respective fields. But our department also very much emphasizes the important of vibrant teaching, encouraging adoption of
advanced teaching methods and engagement of students in active learning. The great majority of M.A.-level courses are
taught in an interactive seminar style that embraces a hybrid format.
4b.
The syllabi for the courses within this program incorporate the suggested elements of a syllabus – an example of
which can be found at the following St. John’s University Center for Teaching and Learning link. (Suggested limit 1/3 page)
http://stjohns.campusguides.com/content.php?pid=71651&sid=984766
All of our course syllabi have been updated in 2014 in conformity with University standards. We have developed our own,
discipline-appropriate Goals and Outcomes, which to conform to nationally recognized professional standards as developed in
the American Historical Association’s Tuning Project. Specific Goals and Outcomes (usually 2-3) are selected for each course
for the purpose of assessment. The syllabi provide daily topics, outline assignments, list reading and supplemental readings,
and provide grading information. New course syllabi are discussed and carefully vetted by the GEPC and the Department. All
course outlines are available on our Digication site.
4c.
Describe the assessment model currently in place for the program and indicate the extent to which disciplinary and
core knowledge, competence, and values are met, as well as findings and action plans for improvement. For reference, visit
WeaveOnline – https://app.weaveonline.com//login.aspx; Digication – https://stjohns.digication.com (Suggested limit 1/2
page)
We have developed our own, discipline-appropriate Goals and Outcomes, which conforms to nationally recognized
professional standards as developed in the American Historical Association Tuning Project. WEAVE assessment of History 401
and History 402 (our two required courses) is conducted every time they are taught. Time is devoted during Department
meetings and meetings of the GEPC to discussion of assessment, WEAVE, and implementation of Goals and Outcomes.
4d.
What, if any, external validations, e.g. specialized accreditations, external awards, other validations of quality has the
program received? (Suggested limit 1/3 page)
The department received national recognition from the American Historical Association, the National History Center, and the
Teagle Foundation to implement the White Paper on History and a Liberal Education. The SJU History Department was one of
three institutions chosen because of its work introducing students to research in the libraries and archives of New York City.
The department also has been participating in the AHA’s and Lumina Foundations Tuning Project to improve history education
at the BA and MA level. SJU History Department is one of 70 institutions involved in the project.
Standard 4.
Additional comments if needed. (Suggested limit 1 page)
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STANDARD 5. The program has the faculty resources required to meet its mission and goals.
5a.
Below you will find the number of students enrolled as majors and minors in the program. Please complete the table
by adding the number of full-time faculty assigned to the program. Then calculate the student to full-time faculty ratio.
Fall 2005
# Majors/
Faculty
Majors
FT
PT
Total
3
15
18
Minors
Majors
Minors
Fall 2006
Fall 2007
Fall 2008
Fall 2009
FT
FT
PT
8
Total
17
FT
25
0
6
PT
17
0
Total
FT
23
2
PT
Total
15
FT
17
0
8
PT
Total
7
15
0
0
&
Combined
3
15
# of FTE Students (Majors
& Minors)
3.00
5.00
# of FTE Faculty assigned to
the program
12
18
8
17
25
6
17
23
2
15
17
8
7
15
8.00
8.00
5.67
13.67
6.00
5.67
11.67
2.00
5.00
7.00
8.00
2.33
10.33
12
FTE Student/
FTE
Faculty Ratio
12
12
0.67
15
1.14
Fall 2010
F
15
Total
F
P
15
0.78
Fall 2011
P
15
F
P
16
0.47
Fall 2012
Total
16
0.65
Fall 2013
Total
F
P
Total
Self-Study Template 13
LAS_HIS_HIST_MA_Q
Majors
Majors
MAJORS
6
Majors
11
Majors
17
Fall 2010
Total
FTE MAJORS
Majors
13
Majors
9
Fall 2011
Majors
22
Majors
17
Majors
7
Fall 2012
Majors
24
P
Total
F
P
Total
F
P
Total
F
P
Total
FTE
FTE
FTE
FTE
FTE
FTE
FTE
FTE
FTE
FTE
FTE
FTE
13
3
16
17
12
3
15
3.667 9.667
Fall 2010
12
Majors
9
21
Fall 2013
F
6
Majors
2.333 19.333
Fall 2011
Fall 2012
Fall 2013
# of FTE faculty assigned to the program
FTE Student/FTE Faculty Ratio
Important Notes:
FTE Students = Number of FT Students + (number of PT Students/3)
FTE Faculty = Number of FT Faculty + (number of PT Faculty/3)
This methodology is used by STJ for all external reporting.
5b.
Below you will find the credit hours the department has delivered by full-time faculty and part-time faculty (including
administrators) and the total credit hours consumed by non-majors.
Credit Hours
Taught
Fall 2005
#
Fall 2006
Fall 2007
Fall 2008
Fall 2009
%
#
%
#
%
#
%
#
%
2091
44%
2454
56%
2427
51%
3111
65%
3708
76%
PT Faculty
2646
56%
1953
44%
2313
49%
1650
35%
1194
24%
Total
4737
100%
4407
100%
4740
100%
4761
100%
4902
100%
FT Faculty
% consumed by
Non-Majors
82%
82%
79%
77%
78%
Self-Study Template 14
LAS_HIS_HIST_MA_Q
Credit Hrs Taught
Fall 2010
Number
Fall 2011
Percent
Number
Fall 2012
Percent
Number
Fall 2013
Percent
Number
Percent
F-T Faculty
2,890
54.9%
2,784
50.3%
2,282
42.9%
1,860
39.9%
P-T Faculty (inc
Admin)
2,373
45.1%
2,748
49.7%
3,042
57.1%
2,799
60.1%
0.0%
Total
5,263
% Consumed by
Non-Majors
100%
4,163
79.1%
0.0%
5,532
4,443
100%
80.3%
0.0%
5,324
4,332
100%
81.4%
0.0%
4,659
100%
3,633
78.0%
5c.
Below you will find the number of courses the department has delivered by full-time faculty and part-time faculty
(including administrators).
Courses
Taught
Fall 2005
#
Fall 2006
%
Fall 2007
Fall 2008
Fall 2009
#
%
#
%
#
%
#
%
39
62%
44
59%
50
71%
54
79%
FT Faculty
29
52%
PT Faculty
27
48%
24
38%
30
41%
20
29%
14
21%
Total
56
100%
63
100%
74
100%
70
100%
68
100%
Courses Taught
Fall 2010
Fall 2011
Fall 2012
Fall 2013
Self-Study Template 15
LAS_HIS_HIST_MA_Q
Number
Percent
Number
F-T Faculty
42
62.7%
34
79.1%
P-T Faculty (inc Admin)
25
37.3%
9
20.9%
0.0%
Total
67
100%
Percent
Number
Percent
Number
Percent
40
52.6%
34
50.7%
36
47.4%
33
49.3%
0.0%
43
100%
0.0%
76
100%
0.0%
67
100%
5d.
What is the representative nature of faculty in terms of demographics, tenure and diversity? (See departmental
information on next page). How well does this support the program? (Suggested limit 1/2 page)
The MA students are taught, advised, and mentored by a diverse group of faculty members in terms of demographics,
tenure, and ethnicity. In 2013 53% of the History faculty was female and 47% male. The reporting period began and
ended with nine full-time female tenure-track faculty members. The number of part-time female instructors doubled
between 2010 and 2013 from two to four. The number of full-time male faculty members remained at eight. There are
more far more men working as part-time instructors than women. The number increased from ten in 2010 to sixteen in
2013. Eighty percent of all part-time instructors are white males, down from 92% in 2009.
During the reporting period, the percentage of Black faculty teaching full-time declined from 6% in 2010 to 0 in
2013. Part-time Black faculty also decreased from 25% in 2010 to 15% in 2013. The percentage of Hispanic full-time
faculty rose from 12% in 2010 to 18% in 2013 and the percentage of Hispanic part-time faculty was negligible with on
one hired in the three-year period. Full-time Asian faculty remained consistent at 6% and part-time faculty at 5%.
American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders, are unrepresented. In 2013, there were no fulltime African Americans and two full-time faculty members of two or more races. The full-time faculty was 18% Hispanic,
6% Asian, and 65% White. The majority male part-time faculty was less diverse, with 15% Black, 5% Asian, and 80%
White.
Over the past five years the relative percentages of tenure and tenure track faculty have remained steady. In
2010 there were nine faculty members, or 53 % of the Department faculty who were tenured and six faculty members
or 35% who were untenured. By 2013, the number of tenured faculty had increased to ten and the number of
untenured faculty rose to seven. During 2010-2012, there were two faculty members teaching on a contract basis; by
2013, all full-time faculty members help tenured or tenure track appointments.
Students enrolled in the MA program stand to gain from the expertise of distinguished scholars in the graduate
faculty, including specialists in the history of the U.S., Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and the
Caribbean and many other time periods and topics. A variety of classes are available to Master’s students along with
faculty-supervised directed reading sections and internships.
Departmental Data
Self-Study Template 16
LAS_HIS_HIST_MA_Q
2005
FT
2006
PT
Total
#
%
#
%
12
80%
15
94%
FT
2007
PT
Total
#
%
#
%
13
72%
13
93%
FT
2008
PT
Total
#
%
#
%
11
61%
13
87%
FT
2009
PT
Total
#
%
#
%
12
60%
12
92%
FT
PT
Total
#
%
#
%
12
63%
9
100%
Gender
Male
27
26
24
24
21
Female
3
20%
1
6%
4
5
28%
1
7%
6
7
39%
2
13%
9
8
40%
1
8%
9
7
37%
0
0%
7
Total
15
100%
16
100%
31
18
100%
14
100%
32
18
100%
15
100%
33
20
100%
13
100%
33
19
100%
9
100%
28
Black
1
7%
0
0%
1
2
11%
0
0%
2
1
6%
1
7%
2
2
10%
2
15%
4
2
11%
2
22%
4
Hispani
c
1
7%
1
6%
2
1
6%
0
0%
1
1
6%
0
0%
1
1
5%
0
0%
1
2
11%
0
0%
2
Asian
1
7%
0
0%
1
1
6%
0
0%
1
1
6%
0
0%
1
2
10%
0
0%
2
0
0%
0
0%
0
White
10
67%
15
94%
25
13
72%
13
93%
26
13
72%
13
87%
26
13
65%
9
69%
22
13
68%
7
78%
20
Unkno
wn
2
13%
0
0%
2
1
6%
1
7%
2
2
11%
1
7%
3
2
10%
2
15%
4
2
11%
0
0%
2
Total
15
100%
16
100%
31
18
100%
14
100%
32
18
100%
15
100%
33
20
100%
13
100%
33
19
100%
9
100%
28
Tenure
d
10
67%
10
11
61%
11
12
67%
12
12
60%
12
12
63%
12
TenureTrack
4
27%
4
4
22%
4
3
17%
3
5
25%
5
5
26%
5
Not
Applica
ble
1
7%
1
3
17%
3
3
17%
3
3
15%
3
2
11%
2
Total
15
100%
15
18
100%
18
18
100%
18
20
100%
20
19
100%
19
Ethnicit
y
Tenure
Status
Self-Study Template 17
LAS_HIS_HIST_MA_Q
2010
FT
2011
PT
Total
#
%
#
%
Male
8
47%
10
83%
Female
9
53%
2
17%
Total
17
FT
2012
PT
Total
#
%
#
%
18
9
50%
13
87%
11
9
50%
2
13%
29
18
25%
4
1
6%
2
FT
2013
PT
Total
#
%
#
%
22
8
47%
17
89%
11
9
53%
2
11%
33
17
13%
3
1
6%
FT
PT
Total
#
%
#
%
25
8
47%
16
80%
24
11
9
53%
4
20%
13
36
17
Gender
12
15
19
20
37
Ethnicity
Black
1
6%
Hispanic
2
12%
0%
2
2
11%
1
7%
3
2
12%
Asian
1
6%
0%
1
1
6%
1
7%
2
1
6%
0%
0%
0
0%
0
75%
20
73%
23
American
Indian/Alaskan
Native
White
11
65%
3
9
0%
12
67%
11
2 or More Races
3
3
0%
12
71%
1
0%
12
16%
4
0%
2
16%
4
0%
0
63%
24
0%
3
15%
3
3
18%
0
0%
3
1
6%
1
5%
2
0%
0
0%
0
11
65%
16
80%
27
2
0%
0
0%
2
0
0%
0
0
0%
0
Native
Hawaiian/Pacific
Islander
Unknown
2
Total
17
12%
0%
12
2
2
29
18
11%
0%
15
2
0%
33
17
1
19
5%
1
0%
36
17
20
37
Tenure Status
Tenured
9
53%
9
11
61%
11
10
59%
10
10
59%
10
Tenure-Track
6
35%
6
5
28%
5
7
41%
7
7
41%
7
Not Applicable
2
12%
2
2
11%
2
0%
0
0%
0
Total
17
17
18
18
17
17
17
17
Self-Study Template 18
LAS_HIS_HIST_MA_Q
5e.
What evidence exists that the program’s faculty have engaged in research and scholarship on teaching and/or
learning in the program’s field of study? (Suggested limit 1/2 page)
Best known for the production of historical scholarship, during the reporting period, the History Department gained
national recognition for its pedagogical research and innovation. In April 2013 Chairman Elaine Carey and History
Department colleagues Tracey Anne Cooper, former colleague Elizabeth Herbin-Triant, Philip Misevich, and Alejandro
Quintana published an article in Perspectives, a professional magazine published by the American Historical Association
(AHA), the nation’s leading academic history organization. Professors Carey, Cooper, Herbin-Triant, Misevich, and
Quintana discussed their participation in the AHA’s Tuning Project, an effort to help participating history departments
better define what a student needs to know to complete their history undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
Thirteen months later, in May 2014 Dr. Carey, vice-president of the AHA Teaching Division, helped organize a meeting at
St. Francis College in Brooklyn to explain the Tuning Project to History faculty in the New York metropolitan area. The
meeting was attended by the AHA’s Executive Secretary and five History Department faculty representing all types of
institutions of higher learning from research universities to community colleges. St. John’s faculty members who had cowritten the article and/or participated in the History Department’s Tuning Project shared advice and insight with those
in attendance who were interested in getting their department or division involved.
The graduate faculty works closely with the Institute for Writing Studies and the Center for Teaching and
Learning for the benefit of the MA students.
5f.
What initiatives have been taken in the past five years to promote faculty development in support of the program?
(Suggested limit 1/2 page)
As stated above, the faculty has participated in the Center for Teaching Learning fellows program. With CTL, faculty have
designed web sites, worked with students to explore the connection between history and fictional writing, and attended
conferences to gain social networking and quantitative skills. Members of the faculty have also participated in the Writers
Retreats in Rome and Paris. In both Rome and Paris, professors honed their teaching of writing, shared ideas, and developed
new classes. Another member of the department was in the first Vincentian Mission Institute learning about Vincentian
history and values.
Faculty members always have attended workshops offered by the librarians, and they also attend teaching related seminars at
conferences. Faculty share their experiences at conferences and workshops with the department through the department
meetings.
5g.
The table below shows the amount of external funding received by the department. If available, please provide the
dollar amount of externally funded research for full-time faculty supporting the program under review. (Program dollar
amounts are available through departmental records.)
Fiscal Year
External
Funding
04/05
05/06
06/07
07/08
99,854
28,000
18,000
33,350
08/09
$ Amount
Program
$ Amount
Department
Self-Study Template 19
LAS_HIS_HIST_MA_Q
Fiscal Year
External
Funding
09/10
10/11
11/12
12/13
$ Amount
Program
$ Amount
Department
10,000
7,353
30,800
2,955
5h.
Please comment on the table below that shows trends in overall course evaluation and instructional vibrancy for your
program (if available), your college and the university. (Suggested limit ½ page)
Overall Evaluation (Spring)
Instructional Vibrancy (Spring)
2011
2012
2013
2011
2012
2013
History (Q)
4.02
4.40
4.13
4.23
4.46
4.32
Saint John’s
College
4.23
4.26
4.19
4.37
4.40
4.40
Total Graduate
4.14
4.16
4.30
4.37
4.39
4.52
During the three-year reporting period, in the Overall Evaluation and Instructional Vibrancy categories, the History
Department scored higher than St. John’s College and the graduate program during 2012 and slightly lower in 2011 and
2013. The variation in the scores may be attributed to the demanding nature of the courses, the tendency of MA
students to woefully underestimate the time and effort required of their classes and overestimate their ability to
balance the intellectual and financial demands of their graduate education with work and other career and household
obligations. First year MA students often find that even if they did very well as undergraduates, the transition to
graduate school is not easy. MA students often need faculty help in understanding the reasons why they need to acquire
a solid grounding in historical theory and research methods and gain familiarity with recent trends in scholarship.
Graduate faculty arrange for MA students to visit leading research institutions such as the New York Public Library and
meet staff members who are able to offer specific suggestions for resources to help complete class and other research
assignments. Field trips to the New York Public Library, the Queens Library Archives, the National Archives-New York,
the Museum of the Moving Image, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, help graduate student gain a more
Self-Study Template 20
LAS_HIS_HIST_MA_Q
comprehensive understanding of the historical profession and the nature of historical inquiry. Faculty-supervised
research projects and internships give MA students an opportunity to apply what they learned in their classes to a
professional setting. The History Department is a participant in the program of curricular alignment and assessment
sponsored by the American Historical Association. It is anticipated that the History Department will soon have
consistently average or above average scores on the Overall Evaluation and Instructional Vibrancy.
Note: Institutional Vibrancy is the average of the first 14 questions on the course evaluation, with questions pertaining to
course organization, communication, faculty-student interaction, and assignments/grading. All course evaluation questions
range from 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree).
5i.
What percentage of full time faculty assigned to this program have terminal degrees or industry certifications
renewed within the past 2 years? Comment. (Suggested limit 1/3 page)
One hundred percent of the full-time faculty have terminal degree (Ph.D) in the field. During the Department’s recently
completed search in East Asia History, applications were considered from graduate students who were completing their
dissertations; a few received interviews. In the end, however, the leading candidates for the post had already been
awarded the degree by the time of their campus interview. In the current search it is also expected that the finalists will
have applicants will have successfully completed all the requirements for the Ph.D prior to their beginning of their
contract.
Standard 5.
Comments: Indicate to what extent the program has the faculty resources required to meet its mission and
goals. Include references from 5a – 5i. (Suggested limit 1 page)
MA students at St. John’s choose a course of study among several options, including a thesis track and a non-thesis track
in World, European, U.S. History, or Public History. During the reporting period, the number of students ranged between
seventeen and twenty-four. With roughly the same number of men and women, the MA students are diverse group
representing a broad spectrum of religions, nationalities, ethnic groups, and fields of study.
As anticipated during the last reporting period, the number of MA degrees awarded increased from six in 2011
to fourteen in 2013, in part as a result of the introduction of the Public History concentration. The number of MA
students gaining acceptance to the program has not, however, been sufficient to replace those who graduate. In 2013
there were only three more MA students than there were in 2005. As a result, it will be difficult for the Department to
be able to maintain its target of awarding about eight MA degrees per year. It will also be hard for the Department to
maintain graduate student diversity in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, and field of study.
The decline in enrollments in MA programs in History and other social science and humanities programs is
confined to neither the Department of History nor St. John’s University, but is a national trend that has attracted the
attention of the American Historical Association, the Organization of American Historians, and other professional
organizations. Nevertheless there is potential for the Department to recruit MA students among private and public
school educators who opt to get an advance degree or a dual degree in a program that emphasizes content and not
pedagogy and academic librarians seeking a dual degree in a content oriented program. There is a demand for MA
classes from Doctor of Arts students seeking to fulfill admissions conditions, students in the BA/MA program, students
from other graduate programs such Library and Information Science, and a small number of students from other
universities. Many MA students attend classes on a part-time basis.
The History Department’s efforts to enroll promising full-time students who share the faculty’s commitment to
advancing its educational mission is impeded by the limited nature of the financial aid package offered to the accepted
Self-Study Template 21
LAS_HIS_HIST_MA_Q
applicants. The Masters programs at St. John’s cannot compete for the best MA students with the colleges in universities
in metropolitan New York and elsewhere in the nation that offer greater financial and technical support. The History
Department will have to identify other ways of attracting them by emphasizing the quality of its faculty, programs of
study, classes, field trips and special programs, volunteer, internship, and employment opportunities, advising, and
professional mentorship, are among the reasons why a graduate student would want to come to St. John’s to get an MA.
During the reporting period, the students who enrolled in the MA program included St. John’s graduates,
employees, or individuals who had some other family or personal link to the university. Only a small handful of MA
students came from other New York City area colleges and universities—Catholic and non-Catholic. The first two classes
of Public History students in 2012 and 2013 consisted of students mostly from the surrounding Mid-Atlantic states. As
program inquiries decreased during third year and there was shift towards applicants from the New York City
metropolitan area. As more BA/MA programs are created across St. John’s College and elsewhere in higher education,
it is possible that History’s BA/MA program may see growth. A program that would award a MA in Public History and a
Master of Science in Library and Information Science has been proposed and approved by both the Department of
History and the Division of Library and Information Science in 2012.
Standard 5.
Additional comments if needed. (Suggested limit 1 page)
STANDARD 6. The program has adequate resources to meet its goals and objectives. And, it is cost-effective.
6a.
Narrative/Supportive Technological Environment - Comment on classrooms and labs meeting industry-standards for
quality and availability of hardware, software, and peripherals; library space, holdings and services; science laboratories, TV
studios, art/computer graphic labs; etc. (Suggested limit 1 page)
During the reporting period, the technological infrastructure that supports the graduate program was effectively
maintained, but was not upgraded or improved. The digital equipment in the classrooms and meeting areas is
functional, but slow and awkward to access. The computer hardware, software, and peripherals that support the
department in the fulfillment of its educational mission are barely adequate. Many faculty use aged desktop and laptop
computers. An outdated networked printer was recently replaced. The computing facilities in the graduate office are
minimal and dated. Student access to free printing services is limited. The loaning of digital equipment to support
student work in Oral History and Public History has proven to be difficult and time consuming to administer.
A graduate student-oriented digital innovation center or laboratory space equipped with hardware, software,
and peripherals that would help make possible audio and video production and computer graphics is urgently needed.
Such a facility would in some ways, help compensate for the shortcomings of the St. John’s Library, which began but
never fully completed the transition from a paper and microfilm collection to a digital library.
The digital innovation center would give students who earn a Certificate of Professional Development by
attending classes, demonstrations, workshops, and lectures sponsored by departments, the Graduate School, St. John’s
College, and the Center for Teaching and Learning an opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills. Students, faculty
and staff from the Center for Learning and Technology staff could collaborate in learning how to effectively locate and
analyze digital research resources and presentational tools and provide them with one-on-one advice and guidance in
their use. A digital innovation center could help bring together graduate students from compatible graduate programs
Self-Study Template 22
LAS_HIS_HIST_MA_Q
such as history and library and information science who could share a scanner for the digitalization of books, printed
material, and photographs. Digitization services could be offered on a cost plus fixed fee basis to make it affordable for
historical societies, archives, museums, and other non-profit cultural organizations to utilize the service. The funds
obtained can be reinvested into the operation.
6b.
Narrative/ Supportive Physical Environment - Comment on level of faculty and student satisfaction with HVAC; faculty
and student satisfaction with classroom lighting, crowdedness, and acoustics; flexible teaching environments, and faculty
offices, etc.. (Suggested limit 1 page)
The graduate classes take place in rooms that often do not promote learning or intellectual exchange. The rooms are
often too cold or too hot. The lighting appears to be largely original from the 1950s. The window shades are often
broken. The furniture, including the student desks, the faculty desk and chair found in each classroom, are not in new
condition. Many classrooms offer a podium where AV services are controlled, but the placement of the screen is
cumbersome and limits its use. The furniture is typically arranged in a row and is noisy to move in other arrangements.
Faculty showing AV presentations must be mindful of sound bleeding from room to room. Tightly scheduled classrooms
often result in classes standing in the hallway, waiting for the room to be vacated, even at night.
The faculty is committed to the maintenance of the tradition of individual offices. The faculty offices in St.
John’s Hall might be characterized as “Spartan,” and have an old-fashioned “retro” appearance. They are often too cold
or too hot for comfortable working conditions. The walls are paper-thin and sound bleeding is a major issue. The
graduate assistants share an office, desks, and computers. With the exception of the seminar room used for classes
much of the day and evening, there is little or no History Department space for meetings or special programs.
6c.
To what extent has the University funded major capital projects, e.g., renovations, which are linked directly to the
program during the past five years? (Bulleted list)
The university has not invested in the department or program at all except of a new printer and a few computers.
6d.
If external data that describes the cost effectiveness of the program has been provided by your School/College Dean,
please comment on the program’s cost-effectiveness. (Suggested limit 1 page)
The combined history department’s contribution to the university is $1, 218, 475. The MA in history program generates
over $47,000 in revenue based on the data supplied to the department. The MA program has not grown at a substantial
pace due to lack of advertising budget and presence within the university. The department has made efforts to enhance
recruitment. Members write a MA sheet that is posted on the SJU website. With the new graduate director, the
department has already started greater outreach, organized its own orientation, and events for the new academic year.
The faculty members are devoted to training MA students to work in an array of fields as well as mentor them on their
theses and writing samples for Ph.D. programs.. Working closely with the Career Center, MA students have found
internships and jobs in local museums, archives, and historical societies. Students have also found internships at the
United Nations. Faculty members have also brought MA students into their research and projects, but there are little
additional funds to buy equipment that would assist graduate students in participating in research projects particularly
those in the digital humanities. Many students also complete MA theses. The work that a faculty contributes to
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mentoring a thesis is uncompensated. These take hours and hours of work, from helping students create an argument,
gather evidence in the local, national, and international libraries and archives, to the writing. Most institutions of
comparable size offer some incentive.
The department also recognizes that are our growing commitment to work with College Advantage teachers has yielded
enrollments among our high school teachers in partnering schools. Despite generating over an estimated 93,000 per
year in revenue, the history department does not receive any of these funds to promote its graduate programs to
teachers who might wish to continue their education.
Standard 6.
Additional comments if needed. (Suggested limit 1 page)
STANDARD 7. Effective actions have been taken based on the findings of the last program review and plans have been
initiated for the future.
Comments: (Suggested limit 1page)
Since the last program review of 2003, the History department faculty has worked to raise the level of academics for the M.A.
program. These initiatives can be found in the reconfiguration of the core courses HIS 401 and 402. Also, the department has
been working on strengthening the academics by fostering a cultural shift within the department that aligns with national
standards. Since the last review, we have held orientation sessions, required department colloquium, and made students
aware of discipline-specific national standards. One example, our students tended to lack understanding the standards of the
discipline. They were unclear about the importance of peer review and could not master consistent citation systems. As a
department, we have decided to uphold the gold standard for the field (the Chicago Manual of Style), and we discuss the best
ways to have students learn the critical tools and methods of historical research within department meetings. As a result, as a
faculty we are setting and upholding a consistent standard for students that aligns with national standards.
In order to teach student the historical discipline as a professional path, we have also begun an annual conference that
focuses on the intersection between research and practice in world history. This focus is deliberately chosen because it
reinforces the strengths of the History department graduate offerings, but also because world history is one of the prime
growth markets in secondary schools, community college, and four-year institutions. During the conference, students were
able to listen to international speakers and also acted as chairs and presenters. Whether they were on stage or off, our
students were able to see how the profession operates, and the conference offered valuable experiences. In the conference,
then, we are focusing on a student-engaged approach that raises the academic standards at St. John's University and helps
our students understand what skills they must develop so that they are professionally successful after graduation.
As we raise the standards in our programs, the department is working on building new protocols for graduate student policy.
One of our future tasks is to develop a more systemic approach to reviewing graduate student applications and in particular
graduate student fellowships by the nationally determined deadline of April 15. The Graduate Educational Policy Committee is
developing new protocols for each stage of graduate study: admission, progress and review, and evaluation before
graduation.
Other plans include helping students gain more professional skills in the program. These initiatives include going to
conference and applying for grants. Unfortunately, the department does not have sufficient funds for graduate student
support. Administrative support and funding would help us develop the professionalization of our graduate students further.
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LAS_HIS_HIST_MA_Q