August 18, 2010
9:00 – 3:00
Robbins’ Four-Seasons
House on Crockery Lake
SPNHA Department Retreat
Facilitator:
Mark Hoffman
Recorder:
Attendees:
Donijo Robbins, Dan Balfour, Steve Borders, Greg Cline, Rich Jelier, Priscilla Kimboko, Sherry Moyer,
Fran Cain, Ramya Ramanath, Kathy Agard, Sal Alaimo
Excused:
Mike Payne, Diane Kimoto, Seong-Gin Moon, Mike Mast, Sue Nieboer, Quincy Williams
Mark Hoffman
Minutes
Agenda item: Welcomes by Donijo Robbins
Discussion: Don’t put things down the toilet that will harm the septic tank.
Agenda item: Review of department performance measures
Discussion:
Handout: see http://faculty.gvsu.edu/hoffmanm/fiveyearstats_2.xls
Good:
growth has been steady for both grad and undergrad programs for last five years
Areas of concern
low students per faculty ratio
increasing number of sections taught by adjuncts
drop in new graduate students since last year (PA520 minus 8 students, PA630 minus 6 students)
Corrective strategies
increase caps on selected courses
Insert undergraduate health courses into health professions major or gen ed.
Develop / expand graduate certificate programs in distance learning formats
Participate in Lib Studies Leadership programs in Holland and Muskegon
Offer more PA270 and PA360 sections (which are popular with non-majors)
Increase recruitment activities
Faculty comments:
Don’t change what we do
Don’t play numbers game
Student per faculty ratio is good for department with large graduate program
Conclusion:
To be continued.
Agenda item: Review of department budget
Discussion:
Handout: Same as above (see last worksheet)
Salaries have increased substantially over last five years.
Operating budget has been about the same for last 5 years (about $20,000).
NASPAA dues have gone up
Printing cost have declined
Advertisements ceased
$5,000 has been added to budget because of increase in size and increase in NASPAA membership fees.
get permanent name tags
have a book budget beyond the professional development budget
support alumni activities
advertise programs
expand awards (e.g. alumni award)
Action items
Person responsible
Deadline

Get name tags (Sherry)
Sherry
October 1

Support alumni activities (See below)
Dan, Sherry
ongoing

Advertise locally
Mark
ongoing
Agenda item: New Faculty Recruiting
Discussion:
We have permission to post for two positions this Fall.
Position 1 (replacing Margaret Schulte): Steve made a case that this should be held as a visitor position for a second year.
Decisions that will be made about the health curriculum and accreditation of the MHA program will effect how the position
should be posted.
Faculty Comments:
We could lose the position if we delay in hiring.
Position 2 (replacing Seong Giin Moon): Mark made the case that this should be a undergraduate-oriented PA generalist
position
There are a lot of holes in the PNA major between the intro (Komodo) and capstone (Jelier) which are hard to fill with
adjuncts that are usually available only in the evenings.
Mike Mast’s pending retirement will make this problem much worse.
In 2010-11 there are 40 sections of undergraduate classes and 20 of them are taught by adjuncts or one of the
retiring Mikes.
Most current faculty members do not participate in the many GVSU undergraduate recruiting events to which the
department is expected to contribute.
Faculty Comments:
We should not have a “second class” faculty member.
Students would get too much of the same person
Conclusion:
We will request that the first position be kept as a visitor for one additional year. We will post the second position with the
language “primarily focused on undergraduate education, but with some responsibilities in the graduate programs”
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Action items
Person responsible
Deadline

Write job description / recruitment plan
Mark
ASAP

Chair search committee
Priscilla
ongoing
Agenda item: Strategic Planning
Discussion:
Greg updated the faculty on changes to the College Strategic Plan. We will eventually need to bring the SPNHA strategic
plan into conformity with the College plan (both in format and substance).
Action items
Person responsible
Deadline

Greg
November 1
Convert the SPNHA plan into the matrix format
Agenda item: Graduate Student handbook
Discussion:
Donijo has completed the graduate student handbook. see http://faculty.gvsu.edu/hoffmanm/handbook_1.pdf
Action items
Person responsible
Deadline

Donijo, Sherry
August 25
Make available at MPA / MHA orientation
Agenda item: Admission Process
Discussion:
Mark and Fran argued that the current admission process needs revising
Intensive use of limited COT resources to be assembling folders
Unnecessary cost in printing to paper what is available online.
Delays when student admission materials get lost
Inconsistent recommendations (except from health faculty)
Alternatives would be:
Admissions Committees meeting with Fran and admission materials shown on screen
One person making the decisions directly using On base
Fran fills out a summary of each application and only prints out material when needed.
End the rolling admission and switch to a batch admission
Comments:
Rolling admission seems to work.
Faculty members want to see the new student applications so a single decider would be bad.
Conclusion:
-No change for now … but only for now.
-
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Agenda item: International Students
Discussion:
We only have two new international graduate students this year.
Pandas does not recruit appropriate graduate students for us anymore
Struggle of Saudi student (dismissal of two) brought in with “conditional admits” and ELS
language training has made Padnos conclude that we are not friendly to international students
Little was done to follow up with IREX on the Muskie Fellowships.
Faculty members are concerned about this. In the past we had as many as 17 international students in the
program at one time.
Action items
Person responsible
Deadline

Ramya
October 1
Write up and circulate a description for a GA position
targeted at International students
Agenda item: Student writing
Discussion:
Mark thinks we may confuse students by not clearly defining the appropriate uses of academic writing
(e.g. APA style) and business style. And it is the later that is given short shrift but is most needed for the
student’s professional development. Rich thinks there are a range of writing styles, not just two, and that
students do understand their uses.
Writing Center Guides on “Case Analysis” and “Thought Papers” created for SPNHA students are available
here: http://www.gvsu.edu/wc/writing-in-your-major-49.htm
______________________________________________________________________________________
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Agenda item: Alumni Relations
Discussion:
Dan thinks it is time to make a strong push to build an alumni network.
Sherry reports that the charter for a SPNHA alumni chapter has been approved by Alumni Relations.
Sherry thinks a homecoming activity would be good.
Some department money can seed the development of the chapter.
Action items
Person responsible
Deadline

Meet with Alumni Office staff to se what support might
be available and plan an event.
Dan
October 1

Work with GA to build new set of Alumni Profiles
Dan
January 30

Organize the Alumni Chapter
Dan
January 30
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Agenda item: SPNHA Advisory Board
Discussion:
Mark thinks that the advisory board should be reactivated. Mary Beth Wardrop has offered assistance.
Faculty members are spit on starting over or revamping the old board.
Some potential activities for the board:
awarding the scholarships
choosing the Pi Alpha Alpha honorary inductee
Action items
Person responsible
Deadline

Meet with Mary Beth Wardrop to see what advice she has.
Mark
October 15

At the NASPAA conference, see how other MPA programs
handle their advisory Boards
Rich
October 15

Ask what other deaprtments do with advisory boards
Donijo
October 15
Agenda item: Faculty status of JCP Ph.D.s
Discussion:
Kathy reminded us that JCP staff with Ph,D.s who teach regularly are interested in a status that recognizes this role. .
Conclusion:
No immediate actions to be taken.
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