DATE:
April 2, 2001
TO:
Julie Furst-Bowe
Associate Vice Chancellor
FROM:
Bob Meyer, Dean
College of Technology, Engineering, and Management
SUBJECT: Program Review Response for B.S. Apparel Design/Manufacturing
The following response regarding the program review of the B.S. Apparel Design/Manufacturing
program is based on the PRC’s final report to the dean.
Recommendations for the dean:
1. The committee is unable to recommend continuation of the Apparel Design/ Manufacturing
program based on the data gathered for this review. The committee instead recommends that the
dean complete a status report this spring (April 2001) responding to the question: Should the
Apparel Design/Manufacturing program be continued?
If the dean responds affirmatively, a plan will be needed which addresses the following concerns:
the improvement of faculty relations to a level reflecting the professionalism expected of all UWStout faculty; the improvement of student/faculty relations such that those relations promote
students’ achievement and pride; the adoption of a curriculum which has the support of faculty,
students, and advisory board members; the improvement of students’ advisement to the
satisfaction of students in the program; immediate and extensive student recruitment, and
marketing which reflects the actual purpose of the program.
Response:
The College of Technology, Engineering and Management is committed to the students enrolled
in the AD/M program, and to the faculty who serve them. While the PRC could not recommend
continuation of AD/M, the college will work with the faculty and students to improve and correct
the situations causing the greatest problems in program operation.
The program is currently under continuous assessment with formal feedback conducted at the end
of each semester for the next two years.
1)
How faculty relations and professionalism will be improved.
a. The goal of the college is to improve the professional behavior among both students
and faculty within the AD/M program. A “no tolerance” approach to unprofessional
conduct has been communicated to the faculty. Faculty have been instructed that
unprofessional behavior will not be tolerated. Further, faculty have been directed to
cease the practice of involving students in faculty conflicts.
b. To deal with the feelings of ill-will, distrust and unprofessional behavior among
faculty, the associate dean of programs for the college has been assigned to work with
the AD/M faculty on a weekly basis. Meetings have been scheduled and conducted
that address issues outlined in the report and presented by students, key faculty and
advisory committee members. Long term, the group will be determining program
strategies. This includes long range planning, curriculum revision, advisory committee
updates and other program improvements.
c. Conflict resolution strategies have been implemented during these meetings and will
continue throughout the remainder of the spring 2001 semester, and into the fall 2001
semester, if necessary.
d. Systematic peer reviews will also be implemented to provide constructive feedback to
all AD/M faculty.
e. To deal with the many challenges presented by the PRC, the previous AD/M program
director voluntarily resigned from the position. A change in the chemistry of the
leadership has been facilitated by the dean appointing a new program director, Dr. Rita
Christoffersen.
2)
How student/faculty relations and professionalism will be improved to promote student
achievement and pride.
The dean’s office utilized spring semester 2001 advisement day to meet with all of the
students majoring in AD/M. At that meeting, the dean highlighted many of the strategies of
program improvement presented in this response, to all of the students. He also discussed
the need for a team effort in planning, researching and implementing change. He
encouraged students to communicate program concerns to the dean’s office throughout the
process of program improvement.
At the same advisement day meeting, the new program director was introduced, along with
all of the AD/M faculty. Many program announcements were presented to the students,
including opportunities for leadership and professional development. The annual fashion
show, Bobbin Show, and travel programs are immediate opportunities for students to
demonstrate their achievements to audiences that include parents, advisory committee
members, and potential employers.
To demonstrate dean and department level support to the program, $20,000 has been
allocated jointly by the dean’s office and the technology department to purchase computers
for the AD/M lab. This was an area of concern presented by the students in the PRC data
collection. The new computers will provide better technology to run software specific to
AD/M needs.
With the changes presented in this response, the relationships between students and faculty
should evolve into positive, professional alliances.
3)
How the program curriculum can be changed to gain the support of faculty, students, and
the advisory board.
a. A needs assessment will be conducted to determine the need for the program and
determine its potential direction. Included in the goals of this activity is the name,
addressing the design v. manufacturing focus of the program, which will then direct the
marketing and recruitment of new students and faculty.
b. All AD/M courses will be evaluated by students at the end of each semester.
c. Course enrollments will be analyzed, along with a review of all courses within the
curriculum, to determine and remove redundancies. In addition, staffing needs will be
determined through the analysis, with the goal of interdisciplinary efforts to more
efficiently deliver the program.
d. The program advisory committee’s membership and role will be reevaluated. A
broader representation of industry will be sought to include both design and
manufacturing expertise.
4)
How student advisement will be improved to the satisfaction of the students.
Student advisement will be a primary responsibility of the new program director. To assist,
each AD/M faculty member has been assigned an equal number of students with the goal of
providing quality advisement to all AD/M majors.
5)
How immediate and extensive student recruitment efforts will be implemented.
Developing a recruitment plan will be a result of the curriculum review, needs assessment
analysis, and strategic planning. Immediate recruitment activities will focus on delivering
the program, as its mission currently directs.
6)
How the program will be marketed in a manner consistent with the purpose of the program.
Program marketing will be a result of the needs assessment analysis. Determining the
direction of the program will be a result of input from industry and program stakeholders.
Once the direction of the program is decided as a result of the data, program components,
staffing and student recruitment will follow.