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Academic Program Review SUMMARY*
Department under review: Marketing
Date selfstudy received in Dean’s office: August 2013
Date of external consultant’s review: April 24, 2013
Date APR received report: Sept. 20, 2013
APR’S summary of self-study
(first two boxes must be completed)
APR’s summary of how the academic program attempts to reach its goals and objectives and the extent to which those goals and objectives have been achieved.
The Department of Marketing offers a major (but no minor) to students who have been admitted to the College of Business Administration (CBA). During the period of this self-study, the department graduated an average of 105 majors a year although there was a dip to 84 in 2011-12 due to lag effects of the recession. Enrollment numbers for first-year students have been nudging up as the recession fades. The curriculum, which is in compliance with its accreditation agency, is typical of those offered by similar institutions. The recent influx of additional faculty prompted a review of the curriculum which was anticipated in the self-study but began afterward in 2013-2014 .
Although assessment is in place, it is a work in progress as the department further defines its own
(vs. CBA) learning outcomes and tools for measuring them. Students have a number of active or applied learning opportunities including working with local businesses or non-profit organizations for class projects, participating in the Great Northwoods Sales Competition and internships.
Marketing majors have done well in the job market, with overall employment rates over 97% in the last 10 years – typically over 82% in jobs specifically related to marketing .
APR’s comments including:
Notable Strengths
1.
High student success in job placement.
2.
Marketing majors doing internships have increased from approximately 13-14% to 20-
22% over the last decade.
3.
Commitment to providing international components in the curriculum, and international experiences for students and faculty.
Notable Weaknesses
1.
As reported in the self-study, salary compression and inversion issues have led to difficulties in retention of faculty and unfair compensation for those faculty who have been here longterm.
2.
Lack of flexibility with no elective classes in the 24 credit curriculum.
3.
Limited distinctions between overall CBA student learning outcomes and those specifically for Marketing.
APR comments on any/all of the six specific components of the self-study (if applicable)
Self Study: Purposes
The department developed a set of goals in Spring of 2013. The self-study lists these major points:
1.
provide marketing students with an excellent business education that allows them to be
successful professionally and serve their communities in a socially responsible manner.

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2.
for everyone in the department to be professionally engaged and personally satisfied
3.
create a pleasant environment in which to learn, to work, and to be
4.
strengthen relationships and presence within the business community
Self Study: Curriculum
The Department of Marketing offers one major open to any students admitted to the College of
Business Administration. The major is typical of those at similar institutions with the exception of
MKT 341: International Marketing, which is a unique feature. The UW-L Marketing degree requires a total of 24 credits (8 required courses, no electives) beyond the Principles of Marketing class. One of the eight required courses is a senior seminar that allows the students to pursue research they select which can help prepare them for employment opportunities after graduation.
Credits at time of graduation typically range from 131-137 credits. This number is higher than 120 credits due to many marketing majors who double major, some students switching to the major later in their academic careers, or majors electing to study abroad.
Overall, the department contributes to a number of diverse programs at UW-L. One department offering, MKT 309: Principles of Marketing, is a required core course for all students in the
College of Business Administration and also for students minoring in Business Administration, majors with business concentrations found in other colleges (such as Chemistry, Microbiology, and
Spanish), Theater Arts majors with an Arts Administration emphasis, and Exercise and Sport
Science majors with either an Exercise Science emphasis (Fitness Track) or Sports Management emphasis. The department also offers MKT 341: International Marketing, a required course in the
International Business major, and has two International Business electives on the books (MKT 440:
Comparative Marketing Systems and MKT 445: International Marketing Strategies). These classes were not offered between 2002 and 2010 due to staffing constraints.
Although a course in Marketing Sustainability is in development, the curriculum as a whole has not been revised since 1998 when electives were eliminated due to staffing constraints brought on by lost positions. Recent additional hires through Growth, Quality and Access have enabled the department to re-evaluate the curriculum in 2013-2014 by updating, adding or substituting courses reflecting changes in society and the economy.
Self Study: Assessment of Student Learning & Degree of Program Success
The College of Business Administration established an Assurance of Learning Task Force in fall of
2009, which led to overarching CBA student learning outcomes and a framework for assessment throughout the college. (In fact, CBA received a 2013 Council for Higher Education Accreditation
Award “for its use of outcomes assessment to improve student learning in its undergraduate program, utilizing a faculty-driven team that directs a strong assessment culture.”) In 2007, the
Marketing program revised its student learning outcomes with seven main categories and a number of points under each spelling out the expectations for each outcome. The assessment of these
Marketing outcomes could be better developed. The major in-house tools are indirect. One tool has the students assess which courses contributed to specific skills related to each outcome, but has no assessment of their own proficiency. Others measures include job placement rates, internship evaluations, and success at sales competitions. The college participates in “The Major Field Test for Business“ as a direct measure of major competencies (a CBA student learning goal). Marketing

3 is one of the fields covered and UW-L senior business students (not just marketing majors) scored in the 85 th
percentile in 2010 and in the 94 th
percentile in 2012 for knowledge of marketing concepts and application. There is also an embedded assignment in MKT 479: Marketing
Management that is taken the semester of graduation. Again, this is directed toward the CBA major competency goal and not specific department outcomes. The results were positive, however, the CBA Assurance of Learning Task Force had concerns with the embedded task and has asked the department to “develop a plan to further define the learning goals making up mastery of the major and assess those specifically.” This should be done to make the tool serve a dual role so that it will also be an assessment tool for the department learning objectives. The department is currently moving to involve all faculty in the assessment process rather than leaving it to one person. As the department has further defined competency goals for its own major, they have realized that their student learning outcomes need to be more exclusive to Marketing. The department will be reviewing its desired learning outcomes in 2013-2014.
Self Study: Previous Academic Program Review and New Program Initiatives
The 2004 APR report (which addressed all of CBA) noted the negative effects of the loss of faculty positions, the need to develop alumni contacts, the need for improved intellectual contributions especially in Accountancy and Marketing, suggested a revision of the CBA mission statement to include intellectual contributions and service, and urged greater attention to assessment. Since that report GQA hires have helped stabilze the workload in the Marketing department and college and some department by-laws (including Marketing) have been revised to increase the weight of intellectual contributions in hiring and retention. The Marketing department along with others in
CBA has hosted several different types of alumni events. The CBA mission has been revised but does not include the suggested issues. CBA has developed an extensive structure of assessment.
New program initiatives in Marketing include a review of its own program curriculum as well as supporting the new sustainability minor and healthcare management program.
Self Study: Personnel
In the previous decade the department has experienced personnel instability due to budget cuts, resignations, and shifting responsibilities (MBA instruction, community service) which have taken people out of full-time department responsibilities. The department dealt with these problems in the past by streamlining the program and not offering electives. However GQA hires since 2010 have helped and the department has been able to slowly broaden its upper-level offerings. As of the 2012-2013 school year, the department was up to 10 faculty, including one who is currently part time, one whose responsibilities are split with the Management department and one who teaches exclusively in the MBA program.
Self Study: Support for Achieving Academic Program Goals (Resources)
The department identifies the many issues related to salary inadequacies as the main impediment to its program goals. Recent office and classroom renovations have improved those spaces but due to outdated technology, the “focus group” meeting room is essentially unusuable. Although the department wrote a prosposal to remodel the focus group room and make it more versatile, it was not funded. (Since the self-study report was completed, the focus group meeting room has been

4 updated and the department is building up its uses of the space.)
External Reviewer Recommendations
APR’s Comments on External Reviewer (if applicable)
The AACSB accreditation report evaluated the entire college and did not make specific comments on the Marketing program. The report highlighted overall that the college needs to comply with newly-revised academic and professional qualifications, review the MBA program, and increase scholarly productivity.
Department’s response to the Reviewer Recommendations
APR’s Comments on the Department’s Response (if applicable)
Since the accreditation report was for the college as a whole, the Dean responded rather than the department itself. In order to comply with new standards passed in 2013 and expected ratios for
AACSB, the college plans to revise faculty qualifications for hiring and retention and upgrade the
CBA Scholarly Productivity Guidelines along with expectations for professional engagement.
Though not singled out in the AACSB report, the Dean briefly noted that the Marketing department had rebounding enrollments, new hires who were helping to meet productivity expectations, improved assessment of key courses, a plan for revising its curriculum, and high student success in the transition to the work place.
Dean’s Letter
APR’s Comments on Dean’s Letter (if applicable)
APR agrees with the Dean’s letter. Taking the necessary steps to maintain AACSB accreditation is essential. To the extent it is able within resource constraints, the Marketing department is also successfully addressing personnel, curricular, and student success issues.
APR’s Recommendations (must be completed)
Recommendations:
1.
Continue department-wide efforts to articulate Marketing program student learning outcomes and assessment tools distinct from those of CBA SLOs.
2.
Work with the administration to alleviate issues of salary compression and inversion.
3.
Proceed with planned curriculum review with an eye toward offering elective courses, providing more flexibility for students.
X No serious areas to address – review in next regularly scheduled cycle
□ Some areas to address – review in next regularly scheduled cycle
□ Some areas to address – department should submit short report on progress to Faculty
Senate/Provost’s Office in 3 years
* APR’s report to faculty senate will consist of this completed form in electronic form.