Program Director Self-Study Report
For Program: Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Submitted by:
Mark Fenton
Year: 2014-2015
Planning and Review Committee
1.
UW-STOUT’S STRATEGIC PLAN
1.1 UW-Stout's Strategic Plan:
1.1.1
Describe early and ongoing experiential learning opportunities to students within the
program.
On an ongoing basis BSBA students are taking applied learning courses throughout their
studies in the program. All program faculty are discipline experts with experience in their
respective fields including accounting, business law, marketing, information systems,
finance, management, international business, etc. This along with continuing professional
development activities of the faculty are assimilated into the classroom environment.
Students are learning and working on assignments, projects, presentations, etc. directly
related to what they will be experiencing in the professional environment after
graduation.
As an applied learning program the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration
(BSBA) is heavily focused on experiential learning. One of the most significant
opportunities is the co-op requirement of all BSBA students. Students are required to
work a minimum of 320 hours for an employer covering at least one business functional
area. The majority of co-op students experience a rotation of business functional areas
during their experiential learning. For most students, this is completed during the summer
after their third year in the program after they have completed the majority of general
education and the business core. Organizations hiring BSBA co-op students tend to
prefer hiring students during this time frame. The co-op coordinator, Professor Bill
Kryshak works closely with the UW-Stout Career Services Office, employers and
students to ensure a high level of quality in the co-op program. Detailed data regarding
the most recent review of co-op students by employers is found in Appendix A which is a
copy of the 2013-2014 assessment in the major report.
In addition to the co-op requirement, BSBA students are required to take a capstone
course. The majority of students take BUMGT-480 (Entrepreneurship) or BUMGT-490
(Strategic Management and Business Policies). These senior level courses require a major
project such as a full business plan in entrepreneurship or a long-term strategic plan for
an ongoing business. There is an increased level of rigor in both courses to meet capstone
expectations. This includes completion of major written projects incorporating applied
learning experiences of 200 and 300 level courses leading into the capstone experience.
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The majority of students in the capstone courses perform well on the major projects and
presentations.
1.1.2 Describe program initiatives employed to support and/or increase student enrollment,
retention and graduation rates?
Enrollment
Since the last planning and review report, the number of BSBA students in the program has
dipped. See Table 1 below. In 2008 and 2009, enrollment was approximately 800 students.
This was during a global recession and historically enrollments increase with the economy
falters. Other possible explanations for the decrease in enrollment could be due to three new
programs related to business which are offered online only including the BS in Management
program with over 400 students. These additional options may be attracting students who
would otherwise become BSBA majors. In addition, since the last report in 2007-2008 the BS
in Supply Chain Management, the BS in Golf Enterprise Management, and the BS in Real
Estate and Property Management have had steady growth over the same period. In addition,
the numbers reflect the first declared major. Many students in the programs noted above are
double majors with the BSBA program, but are not counted as BSBA majors if their first
declared major is not BSBA. One item of note is the BSBA program number of 688 for 20132014 is low because the number was generated while we were still accepting transfer and
new students. The current enrollment is 731 students.
Table 1: Three Year Enrollment (Planning Assessment Review and Quality)
In terms of plans or initiatives employed to support and/or increase student enrollment,
retention and graduation rates, the BSBA program is very proactive.
Recruitment
On a continuing basis, several program faculty meet with prospective students during campus
visits. Other ongoing activities include campus preview days and Stout Saturdays when the
Program Director meets with prospective students and often their parents. Feedback from
perspective students indicates meeting with faculty and the program director have a positive
impact on their decision to come to UW-Stout.
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At the beginning of each academic year, representatives from the admissions office meet with
the program director to review talking points about the BSBA program and provide an update
on what is new in the program or coming up. Information would include many of the topics
covered in the assessment in major report, such as program and course revisions which are
designed to improve student preparedness as well as retention.
This past summer, the BSBA program reached out to all students who had been admitted to
the BSBA program as freshmen or transfer students welcoming them to UW-Stout. While not
all who are admitted come to UW-Stout, reaching out from a program standpoint rather than
just hearing from Admissions can be beneficial.
International Reach
One of the initiatives to increase enrollment has been the increasing number of degree
completion agreements with universities in China and Saudi Arabia. The BSBA program has
had a steady increase in the numbers of students from China. In addition, the program has
been working on a new degree completion program with Namseoul University in South
Korea.
Marketing
The BSBA program needs to improve marketing efforts. This year (2014), After completing a
program study, the program director met with Amy Luethmers in University Marketing. Amy
put together a marketing plan which also included additional outreach to transfer students.
The College of Management does not have a budget for additional program marketing at this
time and the plan has not yet been implemented. Fortunately, Amy had grant funding this past
year to use for marketing to transfer students and part of those funds were used in support of
marketing the BSBA program. More needs to be done. Marketing the program is among the
major topics on the next advisory board meeting.
Graduation Rates
Ultimately, ensuring students are meeting program and course objectives successfully has
significant impact on graduation rates.
While not enough time has elapsed since the 2013 program revision, it is expected graduation
rates will increase. The BSBA program has reduced credits to degree to 120 from 124. In
addition, the program worked with the math, statistics and computer science department to
complete a course and prerequisite revision to MATH-123 (Finite Math with Business
Finance Applications). This is the math requirement for the BSBA program. In the past, some
students have taken up to 16 credits of math to meet the program requirement. The math
placement level for MATH-123 was reduced to a 2 from 3 on a 0 (zero) to 4 scale. In
addition, those students scoring a 1(Intermediate Algebra) will still need to take MATH-110,
but the minimum course grade to go directly to MATH-123 from MATH-110 has gone to a
C+ from the previous B- or better requirement.
Historically, when BSBA students take BUACT-206 and earn a grade lower than a C, they
tend to do poorly in BUACT-207 and their advanced accounting requirement. This behavior
may lead to students transferring or not completing a UW-Stout degree. The accounting
faculty have been considering a minimum grade for BSBA program majors.
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1.1.3 Describe, provide examples and explain how the program intentionally integrates diversity
efforts, functions and contributes to the program in support of Inclusive Excellence: “UWStout’s plan to intentionally integrate diversity efforts into the core aspects of everything we
do. Diversity is broadly defined and includes, but is not limited to, race/ethnicity, gender,
sexual orientation, age and disability status.”
During the past four years, the Nakatani Teaching and Learning Center has sponsored yearlong diversity projects for faculty. Several business department faculty members have
participated in one of these professional development projects including the program director.
Faculty are able to take this knowledge to the classroom, disseminate it with colleagues and
some have done conference presentations. One of these was an academic year project on
developing diversity content for a course. The faculty member developed a diversity
project for their international business course. The project addressed the professional roles
of women in the workplace in different countries/cultures. This project was also presented
at the 2013 National Association for Multicultural Education annual conference in
Oakland, California.
Several of the courses offered by the business and operation and management departments
have strong cultural and gender diversity components. These include International Business,
International Management, Organizational Leadership, and Inclusivity in Leadership. Under
the revised general education at UW-Stout, in the contemporary issues category, the BSBA
program director has been recommending students consider taking WGS-210 (Introduction to
Women & Gender Studies) as a racial and ethnic studies A (RESA) course.
1.1.4 Describe environmental sustainability initiatives embedded and supported by the program:
“UW-Stout’s attempt to make students, faculty, and staff more aware of the importance of
sustaining our environment through energy conservation, waste reduction, and other
measures that will not bring harm to the environment, and to provide students with
innovative research opportunities in these areas.”
The BSBA program has an emphasis area requirement all students must meet. One of the
emphasis areas is sustainability and the environment. Students take a minimum of four
related courses. Paper usage has gone down as more faculty are using Learn@UW-Stout to
distribute handouts electronically and as a tool for giving exams.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROGRAM
2.1 Curriculum Design
2.1.1 BSBA Program Objectives
1. Contribute to industry through the application of business and management principles.
2. Implement the systems and processes of the enterprise.
3. Use critical thinking skills and apply quantitative and qualitative information to evaluate
and solve problems, and make sound decisions.
4. Implement the concepts of group dynamics/teamwork in achieving organizational goals.
5. Apply concepts of ethical behavior in decision making.
6. Apply quality principles to assure stakeholder satisfaction.
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7. Utilize a variety of management approaches, techniques, and tools.
8. Demonstrate an awareness of cultural and global competencies in an increasingly diverse
marketplace.
2.1.2
Describe processes and initiatives employed in determining the need for program
revision?
During the 2012-2013 academic year, the BSBA program went through a major revision
to meet the requirement of 120 credits to degree (down from
124) and the UW-Stout revision to general education. The revised program was
implemented in the fall of 2013. Please see Appendix B for a copy of the program
changes. Since this time, a new program revision has not been done. However, when
determining the need for a revision, several factors are taken into account. First, the
advice of the BSBA advisory board is salient to a program revision. The advisory board
is the key conduit the program director has to business and industry. A major goal of the
BSBA program is to have graduates fully prepared to join the professional ranks upon
successful completion of their degree program. The advisory board helps to guide the
program director in curricular development to ensure student preparedness.
Additional incentives are driven by student competencies. Currently, the BSBA program,
faculty and advisory board are considering a minimum grade in BUACT-206 and
BUACT-207 for business majors only. Data is being collected to determine if a minimum
grade in each of these accounting courses will improve applied knowledge retention as
student move into their upper level courses which also use an accounting component.
Other initiatives in determining the need for a program revision include periodic audits of
program offerings and working with other UW-Stout departments with significant
numbers of BSBA students in the respective courses offered.
2.1.3 Check all that apply regarding the program:
X Traditional, on campus program (Note: The BSBA program offers a significant number of
online courses to BSBA students. The majority of these offerings are in the business core and
mainly taught during the WinTerm and summer sessions.)
Offsite location
Online program
2.1.4 Briefly describe the components of your program where students participate in scholarly
activity such as: research, scholarship, experiential learning and creative endeavor.
“programs are presented through an approach to learning which involves combining theory,
practice and experimentation” (UW-Stout’s Mission Statement)
While BSBA students perform various kinds of research in many core and professional
studies courses, the capstone courses provide the most opportunity for research and
scholarship. In Entrepreneurship and in Strategic Management and Business Policies,
students have a major research project. In Entrepreneurship, students complete an actionable
full business plan. In Strategic Management and Business Policies, students write a proposed
strategic management plan for an established organization. In both cases, students also
complete presentations of their work. BUMKG-479 (Marketing Research) incorporates
experimental and survey techniques to secure information for successful marketing; primary
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and secondary sources; data collection, compilation and analysis methods; effective
communication of conclusions and recommendations to management.
Experiential learning is a program requirement. BSBA students complete a co-op, internship,
or field experience. This is generally done the summer after their junior year. The majority,
99% do a paid co-op. The co-op must be a minimum of 320 work hours, have clearly defined
work objectives, complete two reports from the student and two from the employer, and to
present their co-op experience to fellow students in the following semester.
2.1.5 Does your program currently have an accreditation or certification agency that reviews the
program? If so, which agency and to what extent does it influence the structure of the
curriculum?
The Accreditation Council for Business School and Programs (ACBSP) granted initial
accreditation in June of 2012. This was done after a three year self-study and follow-up from
mentor and program visits. The initial accreditation is for 10 years. ACBSP considers several
factors in granting accreditation. For students, there are 12 common professional components
they are evaluated on. As part of continuing accreditation, the BSBA program administers the
Peregrine Assessment in Major exam to seniors in their capstone courses (BUMGT-480:
Entrepreneurship and BUMGT-490: Strategic Planning). Seniors take a 120 question exam
covering 12 Common Professional Components (CPC) topics. These include:
1. Accounting
2. Business Ethics
3. Business Finance
4. Business Integration and Strategic Management
5. Business Leadership
6. Economics (Macro and Micro)
7. Global Dimensions of Business
8. Information Management Systems
9. Legal Environment of Business
10. Management (Operations/Production Management, Human Resource Management, and
Organizational Behavior.)
11. Marketing
12. Quantitative Techniques and Business Statistics
2.2 Faculty/Academic Staff Expertise – Respond to the following:
2.2.1 List key instructors in the program. A key instructor is one who teaches at least one required
professional course in your program.
Professor Charles Baird
Dr. Anne Hoel
Dr. Rao Gundala
Professor Gene Gutman
Dr. David Johnson
Professor William Kryshak
Dr. Paul Lokken
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Dr. Kevin McDonald
Dr. Brian Oenga
Professor Craig Moore
Professor Jill Paetzold
Professor Kelly Schultz
Mr. Evan Sveum
Dr. Dennis Vanden Bloomen
Mr. Scot Vaver
Dr. Mitch Sherman
2.2.2
What additional faculty/academic staff expertise is needed?
Faculty have the necessary expertise needed to meet program and course objectives.
However, the business department is in need of additional FTE. The department has two
accounting positions open which are being filled with adjunct instructors. A search and screen
process has begun. Due to high demand in the accounting and marketing areas, additional
FTE would reduce the pressure for overloading sections. While the number of students in the
BSBA program is lower than it was 10 years ago, the number of students the business
department serves has grown at a steady rate as new programs come online and grow.
Business program faculty teach students from at least 13 different programs across campus
which include 5 programs which did not exist 10 years ago. In addition, the business minor is
the largest minor program at UW-Stout and serves students in many more degree programs.
2.3
Facilities – Respond to the following:
2.3.1 Describe facilities and or capital equipment currently used and how it supports or strengthens
the program? What program specific facilities (unique classrooms, labs, additional space
involving minor construction) have been requested and provided?
The BSBA program has two dedicated accounting classrooms including one with smartboard technology. In addition, the program has tutor labs for accounting, logistics and
decision support systems courses. The tutor locations have moved from their normal location
of 279 Tech Wing during the remodeling of Harvey Hall. As a result, finding space for the
tutor labs is a challenge.
The program now has a dedicated marketing lab used by several faculty members. The
addition of the marketing lab has been a bonus for the program. This lab in the Jarvis Hall
Science Wing was designed with marketing research in mind. The marketing research
students have used this lab to meet with clients and to conduct primary research. The lab has
a multifunction layout with a larger classroom and three smaller meeting rooms for
conducting research and market testing. In addition, this lab is used for research and meeting
with in-the-field supply chain experts by students and faculty in the Bachelor of Science in
Supply Chain Management. This lab has become a critical asset for students in multiple
programs in the College of Management.
2.3.2 What added facility needs (if any) such as unique classrooms, labs, additional space
involving minor construction exist in the program?
With the increased number of students in many programs taking courses offered by the
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business faculty, an additional dedicated accounting space would allow more students to take
accounting in these uniquely designed classrooms.
2.4
Resources for the Program – Respond to the following:
2.4.1
Evaluate the quality, relevance, and quantity of the library resources to support the
program. Include a brief statement as to how these needs have been met by the library.
Capstone courses, international business, international management, several of the
marketing courses, and others use library resources. The Robert S. Swanson Library
Learning Center (RSSLLC) does an excellent job of meeting program needs for these and
other courses. Each year, the library reaches out to program faculty to identify any
additional or continuing resources faculty need for their respective courses. The
RSSLLC’s web site is well designed and developed to facilitate student and faculty
research.
2.4.2
List any special resources used to meet program and/or student needs such as: Learning
Technology Services for curriculum materials development, ASPIRE, Research Services,
Advisement Center, Disability Services, Multicultural Student Services, etc.
The Advisement Center works closely with first year students in the BSBA program to
help identify initial courses and to work with students who are having a difficult time
transitioning to life away from home. In addition, program faculty work with Disability
Services for students with documented needs. This mostly is for testing purposes such as
a quiet room or extended time.
Several program faculty use Research Services as part of their individual research and
grant writing activities. Research Services was instrumental this past year in helping
secure a $100,000 federal grant from the United States Department of State.
2.4.3
3.
Describe other resources (if any) needed to meet the program objectives?
Changing technology is a long running trend. One of these trends is the increasing use of
social media as a marketing tool. To that end, in 2013 the business department added a
new marketing course; BUMKG-391 (Social Media Marketing Management). This
course is growing in demand. It is currently offered one time a year. The BSBA program
director would like to see it offered at least one additional time each year. With the
increased popularity of BUMKG-391 and BUMKG-350 (E-Business Strategy and
Practice), additional lab space and social media design software whether it is open
sourced such as Dolphin, Phpizabi or commercial software such as Nimble and
SocialEngin PHP could be beneficial to the BSBA program.
Quality of the graduates of the program – Respond to the following:
3.1 Describe program graduate demand and/or anticipated changes or trends impacting the future
demand.
The current placement rate for graduates of the BSBA program is 99% employed or continuing
their education. Demand for program graduates has been steady and this trend is expected to
continue. One of the things which make the BSBA program at UW-Stout unique is that it is a
multifunctional business degree. Students have applied learning courses in marketing,
accounting, management, information systems, business law and many others. This approach
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allows employers to place graduates in different areas of an organization.
There is a growing demand by students in the BSBA program to have the option of earning a
minor in marketing in addition to their degree program. The business department offers 11
BUMKG and 2 BUSCM courses from which a minor in marketing could be developed. One of
the BUMKG courses is BUMKG-346 (Seminar), this course could be revised to incorporate
additional marketing analytics.
3.2 Interpret the data provided by the Planning, Assessment, Research and Quality (PARQ) office of
the alumni follow-up surveys.
Alumni Follow-Up Survey (Program Specific)
The one-year follow-up survey of graduates addresses how well UW-Stout in general and the
BSBA program specifically, prepared students for professional life. The latest data is available
for 2012 graduates. Of 163 possible respondents, 28 returned the survey for a response rate of
17%. Fourteen quantitative questions are asked using a five point Likert scale with 5=excellent,
4=above average, 3=average, 2=below average, 1=poor. See the below prepared by the Planning,
Assessment, Research, and Quality office.
Table 2: One Year Alumni Follow-Up Survey (Program Specific Questions)
How well did your university experiences, both in and out of the classroom, prepare
you in the following areas? (1 = Poor; 5 = Excellent)
General business management problem-solving
3.8
Business writing
3.8
Information technology usage
3.8
Economics
3.1
Production/operations management
3.7
Accounting
3.8
The management of people
4.0
Business law
3.6
Marketing
4.1
Sales and sales management
3.8
Business finance
3.7
International/global business
3.1
Integrated business analysis
3.3
Did your coursework in management and other experiences at Stout prepare you
3.85
to effectively motivate diverse individuals to work hard and well in the best interest
of their employer?
Generally BSBA one year graduates held a favorable opinion of how prepared they were when
graduating and moving into the professional environment. While functional topics noted in Table
2 are generally very positive, economics and international business ranked closer to average.
BSBA students are required to take a macroeconomics and microeconomics course. This may be
the only economics course a student takes. In 2013, faculty academic advisors met with many of
the economics faculty to discuss encouraging more BSBA students to get a minor in economics.
There are more students in the economics minor, but the number is not up significantly.
Beginning next term, the BSBA program director will be inviting an economics professor to
address the significance of understanding economics in business. Additional guest speakers from
business and industry who are invited generally ask the program director for a list of talking
point ideas. Understanding economics will be added to the list. For international business, BSBA
program students are required to have only one international course. The majority take BUINB260 (Introduction to International Business). While a comprehensive course, this course alone
would not fully prepare a student.
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The five-year follow-up survey of graduates addresses how well UW-Stout in general and the
BSBA program specifically, prepared students for professional life. The data below is from a
program specific survey sent to 2008 BSBA program graduates. Twenty seven graduates
responded to the survey for a response rate of 17%. Fourteen quantitative questions were asked
using a five point Likert scale with 5=excellent, 4=above average, 3=average, 2=below average,
1=poor. See the below prepared by the Planning, Assessment, Research, and Quality office.
Table 3: Five Year Alumni Follow-Up Survey (Program Specific Questions)
How well did your university experiences, both in and out of the classroom, prepare
you in the following areas? (1 = Poor; 5 = Excellent)
General business management problem-solving
3.96
Business writing
3.59
Information technology usage
4.07
Economics
3.48
Production/operations management
3.50
Accounting
3.7
The management of people
3.89
Business law
3.59
Marketing
3.93
Sales and sales management
3.67
Business finance
3.89
International/global business
3.26
Integrated business analysis
3.48
Did your coursework in management and other experiences at Stout prepare you
3.59
to effectively motivate diverse individuals to work hard and well in the best interest
of their employer?
In comparing the 2012 data to the 2008 data, mean scores were not statistically dissimilar and
respondents tended to view their professional preparation at UW-Stout favorably. As with the
one year data, economics and international business were generally lower than the other
functional areas and are being addressed as noted earlier. One item of note, the current program
director is just beginning their fourth year in the role. The program director is a strong supporter
of international business related education including short-term (1-3 week faculty led programs)
and long-term (summer, semester, or academic year) study abroad opportunities for BSBA
students. The program director works closely with the Office of International Education to
promote study abroad activities. In the past three years, the number of students going on a study
abroad experience has increased. In particular the number going on short-term faculty led
programs has increased.
The response rate for both one-year and five-year graduates are quite low. It is recommended the
program director be a part of the data collection process by including a message of appreciation
with the invitation to participate in the data collection.
3.3 Interpret program specific surveys (students, faculty and advisory committee) conducted by the
Planning and Review Committee.
PRC Student Surveys, Key Instructor Surveys and Advisory Board Member Surveys
Every seven years, the BSBA program submits a program review report to the university. In the
current year (2014), the BSBA program is up for review. Data was collected from three key
stakeholder groups in the spring of 2014; junior/senior students, key faculty, and the BSBA
Advisory Board. Below is a summary for each group.
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Juniors and seniors were asked 20 questions for the Planning and Review Committee (PRC). The
questions related to resources available at UW-Stout, skills development, instruction,
advisement, program specific topics and impressions. A five point Likert Scale was used with
1=strongly disagree, 2=disagree, 3=neutral, 4=agree and 5=strongly agree. Out of 376 possible
respondents, 69 participated. See the table below for question and the mean score.
Table 4: Planning and Review Committee Student Survey
Question
1. The library resources and access to collections are adequate for my program of study.
2. My written communication skills have been enhanced through my coursework.
3. My oral communication skills have been enhanced through my coursework.
4. My critical thinking skills have been enhanced through my coursework.
5. My problem solving skills have been enhanced through my coursework.
6. The classroom facilities meet the needs of students in my program.
7. The laboratory equipment for my program is up-to-date.
8. My advisor is accessible on a routine basis.
9. Instructors in my program are accessible for help outside of regular class time.
10. Instructors in my program provide current and relevant information.
11. Instructors in my program achieve the stated objectives as presented in their course
syllabi.
12. The evaluation procedures for my courses in my program appropriately measure my
learning.
13. My program's objectives were made clear to me and are being met.
14. My program has few or no problems with unnecessary repetition or overlap of content.
15. My program requirements can be completed in a reasonable time.
16. As I near the completion of my degree, I feel confident that my program has prepared
me
to beOverall,
successful
profession.
17.
this in
is amy
quality
program.
18. If I had to do it all over again, I would choose this program.
19. The coursework in ethnic studies that I have taken discourages racism and has given me
a
greater
appreciation
ethnic diversity.
20. I have
developedofa global
perspective.
Mean
3.74
4.01
4.07
4.04
4.16
3.75
3.58
3.91
4.22
4.03
4.07
3.78
3.99
3.46
3.62
3.78
3.99
3.72
3.42
3.54
Overall, respondents leaned to agree and strongly agree. The next time this report is generated
students need to be encouraged to take the survey to improve response rate. A five point Likert
Scale was used with 1=strongly disagree, 2=disagree, 3=neutral, 4=agree and 5=strongly agree.
The response rate for this survey was 18%.
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Sixteen key instructors were identified for the PRC survey. Eleven responded for a response rate
of 69%. Instructors were asked 13 questions to rate instructional technology, classroom facilities,
student preparedness, program information and communication, clerical support and research.
See the table below for each question and the mean score.
Table 5: Planning and Review Committee Key Instructor Survey
Question
1. Quality of classroom facilities for my course(s) is adequate.
2. Quality of laboratory facilities for my course(s) is adequate (if
applicable)
3. Instructional technology for my course(s) is adequate.
4. I received adequate training to develop my online course site
(D2L).
5. The students entering my course(s) are adequately prepared to be
successful.
6. Communication between me and the program director is
satisfactory.
7.
Program Director's leadership is satisfactory.
8. I have the opportunity to participate in program decisions.
9. Departments schedule an adequate number of course sections.
10. Clerical support for my course(s) is adequate.
11. Supplies for my course(s) are adequate.
12. The Library meets the needs of the students in my class (es).
13. The Library meets my needs for research and professional
development.
Mean
4.27
3.67
4.36
4.00
3.82
4.36
4.55
3.64
3.55
4.45
4.36
4.18
4.00
Of the 11 respondents, the mean was in the ‘agree’ to ‘strongly agree’ range. The lower mean in
number 2 can be attributed to the majority of business courses, outside of marketing courses, do
not use lab facilities and for number 9 resources are stretched to their maximum.
. Nine of sixteen members of the advisory board responded to the PRC survey. This survey
focuses on the advisory board’s impact on the BSBA program, to make suggestions for program
development, and to work with the program director to ensure students are meeting the needs of
business and industry when graduating. It should be noted, the BSBA advisory board make-up
has changed since the survey was taken and at least one formal meeting has been held. There
were four quantitative questions. See the table below.
Table 6: Planning and Review Committee Advisory Board Survey
Question
Response
Do you feel the committee should meet more frequently?
Yes=5
Does the program share student learning data?
Yes=7
Does the program advisory committee have the
Yes=6
opportunity
to provide
recommendations
to the program?
Do
advisory
committee recommendations
impact
Yes=7
program’s
decisions?
No=3
No=1
No=2
No=1
The BSBA program has been expanding the number of external advisory board members. In
2014, two new external members and one internal new member have joined the advisory board.
Significant discussions at advisory board meetings in the future will be how to market the
program with limited funding available.
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4.
Program evidence of continuous improvement – Respond to the following:
4.1 Describe program strengths distinguishing it from similar programs. Describe and explain
program weaknesses?
The following universities within Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Michigan and Illinois
have what could be described as a similar business administration degree: UW- Eau Claire, UWRiver Falls, UW-Platteville, MNSCU-Moorhead, UW-GB, UW-Stevens Point, UW-Parkside,
UW-Superior, MNSCU-Bemidji, MNSCU-Winona, MNSCU- Metropolitan State, MNSCUSouthwest, ND-Dickinson, ND-Mayville, ND-State University, ND-Valley City, Ferris State
Michigan, Central Michigan, Illinois State University, Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois
Carbondale, Drake University of Iowa.
While this is a significant number of universities, there are at least 12 different distinguishing
opportunities for the UW-Stout BSBA program. The top strengths are:
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More multifunctional business areas are covered compared to the majority of other programs
listed.
More than 25 emphasis areas as well as the option to self-design their own emphasis.
The co-op/internship is required of all business majors. This gives added value to graduating
seniors.
In addition, there are many other program strengths. Among those the working relationships
program faculty, the College of Management and UW-Stout as a whole have with students,
members of the community and with business and industry. This would include the list below.
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Faculty members are also academic advisors and can help guide students on their paths to
academic and professional success.
The BSBA program and UW-Stout as a whole have strong articulation relationships with the
Wisconsin Technical College System, the UW-System two year colleges, and the Minnesota
community college system. Many BSBA transfer students get their higher education start at these
institutions before transferring to Stout.
The BSBA program in the College of Management has a strong outside advisory board made up
of business owners, managers and other business professionals. This helps to ensure our
graduates are ready to meet the needs of the professional environment upon graduation.
Graduates of the Business program work in every state and in over 20 different countries. The
skills developed in a multifunctional business program are in demand because it gives employers
flexibility. We have a strong working relationship with many study abroad opportunities for
business majors.
Business faculty and the program director meet with perspective students during the entire
calendar year.
In terms of program weaknesses, as noted earlier additional FTE faculty are needed particularly
in the area of accounting. The program recognizes there are budget constraints which may not
lead to additional FTE. In addition, having as many similar programs within a reasonable driving
distance from Menomonie creates a competitive environment with attracting students to the
program. Continuing to inform potential and continuing students about the uniqueness of the
BSBA program is critical. Potentially the biggest weakness is the lack of a program marketing
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budget outside of the general marketing UW-Stout currently does. Until this can be addressed,
either via internally generated funding initiatives or external funding from donors, it will
continue to be a program weakness.
4.2 Submit evidence of program response to the concerns and recommendations from previous
program review.
In the previous program review, the program director was encouraged to continue efforts to
strengthen the emphasis areas and to work with faculty to develop additional minors related to
the emphasis areas. In response, the program reviews emphasis areas at least once a year and
works with lead faculty to determine if the courses meet the expectations of the respective
emphasis area. In addition, four new minors have been created related to emphasis areas. These
include Property Management, Web Technology, Project Management, and Sustainability.
The program director was encouraged to stress the importance of accounting courses. This has
been an ongoing process which starts in the introduction to business course and is communicated
to students via e-mail as advising and registration approaches. Faculty advisors also stress the
importance of the accounting sequence to students.
The program director works with the department chair to identify the appropriate number of
sections for courses. With Harvey Hall off line for at least another year, this has caused an
increase in class sizes for some sections, and reduction in others based on the number of seats
available in a classroom.
4.3 In the next seven years, what major improvements or changes are planned for implementation to
improve program quality?
One of the roles of a program director is to determine why students transfer out of the BSBA
program and UW-Stout. Based on anecdotal evidence, several students want the option of an
additional business related minor. Specifically, a marketing minor is in demand. This could also
be used as a program selling opportunity to prospective students. The program needs to work
with University Marketing to promote the program.
Another goal is to increase the number of business and industry professionals on the BSBA
program advisory board. The goal is to increase the size of the board and to have no more than
25% of the members be internal to UW-Stout., Program enrollment is down from a recent high
of 762 during the 2011-2012 academic year. But as noted earlier, the faculty are serving more
students than ever with the additional of new degree programs and approximately 500 students
in the business minor at any given time from degree programs across campus. Keeping workload
in mind, the program enrollment goal is to work to maintain enrollment at approximately 700750 students. At this time (fall 2014), there are 731 declared business majors. At the same time,
the program recognizes this number will fluctuate over time and the program will adjust as
needed.
During the past two years, program faculty have been submitting course revisions for several
courses. This process will continue to be worked on accordingly. As the next program review
approaches, the BSBA program will be working on the reaffirmation of ACBSP accreditation.
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5.
Attachments - Include electronic links to the following:
5.1 Links of specific program information to be included:
‘ Current assessment in the major (See Appendix A)
‘ Program plan sheet
‘ Emphasis Area List
‘ Individual program facts
2014-2015 Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Advisory Board
First
Name
Last
Name
Title
Company
Abel
Dennis
Adekola
Allar
Dean, COM
President
Karla
Anderson
Global Marketing Manager
UW-Stout
Allar Enterprises, LLC
3M Automotive Aftermarket
Div.
Greg
Bard
MSCS Department
Brad
Berg
Branch Manager
George
Beth
Darcy
Brewe
Brinkman
Brown
Westconsin Credit Union
Greenheck Corporation
Thrivent Financial
Wendy
Dittmann
Professional in Field
Human Resources Consultant
Financial Consultant
Program Director, B.S.
Management
John
Dzissah
UW-Stout
Mark
Fenton
Associate Professor, Quality
Program Director/Professor,
Business
Urs
Haltinner
Associate Professor, Marketing Ed
UW-Stout
Tanya
Rebecca
Arla
Hubanks
Johnson
Kretlow
JD, SPHR
T & D Manager
Regional Underwriting Manager
CVTC
Ashley Furniture
Federated insurance
Bill
Amy
Diane
Karen
Kryshak
Lane
Olson
Martinson
Professor, Business Dept.
Advisement Center
Associate Dean, COM
Instructor
UW-Stout
UW-Stout
UW-Stout
UW-Stout
Evan
Sveum
Professor, Apparel & Comm Tech
UW-Stout
UW-Stout
Weimer Bearing &
Transmission
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UW-Stout
UW-Stout