DEAN’S RESPONSE
Planning and Review Committee
Program: BS in Packaging
College: CSTEM
Year: 2014
Recommendations for the Program Director:
Issue/Concern:
1. Challenges in advisement/registration and shortages in course offerings: an insufficient number of
classes and/or course sections to meet increased student enrollment and demand; subsequent delayed
progress-toward-graduation. (Student surveys; Meisner Self Study; Key Faculty A Survey; One-Year
Alumni Survey)
Response from Program Director:
Program director will work with department chair and dean to justify additional qualified faculty.
Issue/Concern:
2. Managing student-instructor ratios and class sizes. (Student surveys; Key Faculty A & B surveys;
Program Advisory Committee Survey; Alumni surveys)
Response from Program Director:
The issue is an increase in student enrollment in the program and would be addressed with additional
faculty.
Issue/Concern:
3. Funding for maintaining and upgrading lab equipment; optimal utilization of lab facilities. (Student
surveys; Meisner Self Study; Key Faculty A Survey; Program Advisory Committee Survey; Alumni
surveys)
Response from Program Director:
The program director is meeting with members of the advisory board to identify equipment needs and
how they can help support the program.
Issue/Concern:
4. Fostering strong and stable leadership by chair and program directors in light of high turnover rate of
program directors historically. (Student surveys; Meisner Self Study; Key Faculty A Survey; Program
Advisory Committee Survey; One-Year Alumni Survey)
Response from Program Director:
This is a non-issue for the moment as the program currently has a strong and able director.
Issue/Concern:
5. Attracting and retaining high quality faculty: need for additional faculty, more stable faculty, as well as
instructors with strong teaching skills and/or potential. (Student surveys; Meisner Self Study; Key Faculty
A & B surveys; Program Advisory Committee Survey; One-Year Alumni Survey)
Response from Program Director:
The program is fortunate to have had multiple successful hires of highly qualified faculty in recent years.
Recommendations for the Department Chair:
Issue/Concern:
1. Work with the program director to hire additional faculty and to retain and mentor existing faculty,
especially in connection with teaching performance and potential; utilize campus resources like the
Nakatani Teaching and Learning Center to foster good teaching and to ensure that pedagogy meets the
otherwise high standards of the program.
Response from Department Chair:
The department chair is a strong proponent to hire additional faculty when it can be justified and when
positions and funding are made available. The department policy all courses are evaluated and instructors
not performing at a high level are encouraged/required to utilize campus resources to improve teaching.
All new faculty are assigned a mentor though most new faculty find a greater connection with the peers in
their discipline.
Issue/Concern:
2. Work with the program director to address registration and course offering/staffing challenges.
Response from Department Chair:
The issue arises from rapid enrollment growth. An additional faculty member was hired for the 2013-14
year through reallocation from a contracting program in the college. There may still be need to hire an
additional faculty member if funding and position allocation could be found.
Issue/Concern:
3. Continue subcommittee review of potential course overlap and curriculum updates.
Response from Department Chair:
The program faculty work closely together to identify areas of curriculum updating and to eliminate
redundancy. Part of the analysis is involvement requires the participation of the program industrial
advisory board and this will certainly continue.
Issue/Concern:
4. Work with program director and dean to address funding and facilities for lab equipment.
Response from Department Chair:
The department chair is always mindful of finding ways to fund equipment needs especially with the
drastic budget cuts the department has undergone in the past few years.
Issue/Concern:
5. Support and mentor program director in connection with leadership, professional development.
Response from Department Chair:
Responsibilities of program directors are supervised by the college dean. Department faculty
responsibilities are supervised by the department chair. The chair understands the important role of the
program director having been one for many years and will always be available to support and mentor
program directors in the department.
Recommendations for the Dean:
Issue/Concern:
1. Support the program director and chair in recruiting, hiring, and retaining quality faculty; utilize
campus resources like the Nakatani Teaching and Learning Center to foster good teaching and to ensure
that pedagogy meets the otherwise high standards of the program.
Response from Dean:
The Dean has always been very supportive in the recruiting, hiring, and retaining quality faculty and
encouraging faculty to take advantage of on campus resources for the improvement of instruction.
Issue/Concern:
2. Work with the program director and chair to address course offering/staffing challenges.
Response from Dean:
The Dean has supported the reallocation of college FTE and funding to hire an additional faculty member
in the Packaging program. Additional faculty could be needed in the future but would be dependent upon
the ability to get FTE and funding assigned to the college and balancing the need of the Packaging
program against the myriad of faculty needs across the college.
Issue/Concern:
3. Work with program director and chair to address funding and facilities for lab equipment.
Response from Dean:
We are currently discussing a new campaign to raise equipment and money donations for the Packaging
program.
Issue/Concern:
4. Support and mentor program director in connection with leadership, professional development.
Response from Dean:
The Dean is always available to meet with program directors to discuss particular issues. The associate
dean also meets with program directors on a regular basis.