CONSULTANT RECOMMENDATION REPORT
Planning and Review Committee
Consultant Recommendation
I.
Degree: BS Sustainable Management
Date of Review: 2012/13
Program Director: Dennis Weibel
PRC Consultant(s): Georgios Loizides and Heidi Rabeneck
Purpose of the Review: The review was conducted to assess the quality of the B.S. in
Sustainable Management degree program as part of the ongoing seven-year cycle of
every UW-Stout academic program.
Committee Findings: The PRC recommends that the Sustainable Management program
continue to be one of UW-Stout’s degree programs for the ongoing seven-year cycle and
that recommendations made by the committee be implemented.
Abstract: The BS Sustainable Management program is an online degree completion
program crafted to equip students with the management skills to lead sustainable business
initiatives. The program is a partnership of four UW campuses (UW-Stout, UW-Parkside,
UW-River Falls, and UW-Superior) and the UW-Extension. Faculty and administration
are found on each of these campuses as students must choose one campus as their degree
granting institution. Instructional faculty/staff on the UW-Stout campus come from four
departments (Operations and Management, Business, Construction, and Biology),
crossing two colleges (COM, CSTEM).
Demand for this program stemmed from Wisconsin-based industry. Johnson Controls,
Modine Manufacturing, Quad Graphics, and other companies participated in the
development of this degree program and its curriculum. Such employers want people
with the skills and desire to meet the growing challenges of business that must balance
profit, people, and planet.
Program quality and continuous improvement efforts are first and foremost. Academic
Directors from each partner campus meet monthly by phone and quarterly face-to-face to
address issues in a timely manner. In addition to this constant discussion, courses are
revised on a 24-month cycle to ensure the program remains cutting edge and innovative.
II.
Process Followed for Current Review:
The PRC Chair met with the program director to discuss the review process. The PRC
consultants also met with the program director to review the procedures and offer
assistance. Data regarding several aspects of the program were collected from students,
key instructors within and outside the department, program committee members, and
program graduates through surveys.
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Student surveys were obtained via online survey submitted to junior and senior year
program students. A total of 13 out of the 45 students responded, providing a 29%
response rate.
The data was analyzed and returned to the program director and PRC members. The
program director completed the self-study report and presented the report to the PRC.
The consultants then wrote the recommendation report. The report was edited and
approved and then forwarded to the deans for their responses.
III.
Previous Review Year N/A
The BS Sustainable Management degree program was first delivered in 2009. The 201213 review is the first in this programs review cycle.
IV.
Current Year Program Review:
Program Strengths-Indicate Source:
1. Fully online instruction (Self-study, key faculty-B survey, student survey)
2. UW-Stout Academic Director (key faculty-B survey)
3. The program is vetted by four campuses and therefore there is increased scrutiny
of curriculum and objectives (Self-study)
4. Collaborative/interdisciplinary program (Self-study, student survey)
5. Regular communication between Academic Directors helps the program run
smoothly (Self-study)
Areas of Concern-Indicate Source (NOTE: All issues of concern need to have a
recommendation related to it. However, there may be some recommendations that don’t
relate to a particular issue of concern):
1. There are too many program objectives (total of 16) (Self-study)
2. The program objectives are unclear and do not reflect the nature of the program
(Self-study)
3. The membership of advisory board is unclear (Self-study)
Recommendations to Program Director:
1. Discuss program objectives with the Dean of the College of Management and
Academic Directors (UW-Stout, UW-Parkside, UW-River Falls, UW-Superior and
UW Extension) in particular, the possibility of combining some objectives and
streamlining them into a manageable, clearly articulated set.
2. Work toward clarifying advisory board membership.
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Recommendations to Dean, College of Management:
1. Work toward clarifying advisory board membership.
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