CONCLUSIONS
RAMAPO
COLLEGE
O F
N E W
J E R S E Y
CONCLUSIONS
This self-study has allowed the college to examine where we have been and where we are going during a time
of significant change, challenge, and opportunity. With all facets of the college involved in the self-study, the
outcome is a comprehensive and accurate reflection of Ramapo College—our achievements and challenges over
the last decade as well as recommendations that provide a road map for the future. The community takes great
pride in being an institution that is grounded in the liberal arts and focused on student learning. An accessible
administration, close-knit faculty and staff, and engaged student body make Ramapo a special community in which
to teach and learn.
Ramapo College has accomplished a great deal in the last decade, with many successes amid diminishing state
support. The college revised its mission and strategic plan and instituted formal processes to ensure that all
budgeting, planning, and assessment are linked. These activities led to changes in organizational structure and
procedural changes regarding the allocation of resources (human, financial, and space), the creation of reserve
funds for strategic initiatives, and an increase in full-time faculty lines.
The college also increased enrollment, raised academic standards, improved retention and graduation rates, and
revised the curriculum to provide a more rigorous academic experience for students and allow faculty to devote
more time to research and service. Enhanced student services and opportunities for out-of-class learning, the
transition to a residential campus, attention to the needs of special and at-risk populations, and the advent of
public transportation to and from the campus are just a few examples of how the quality of student life and student
engagement has been enhanced.
Growth and change in the college’s infrastructure has been significant. The addition of carefully planned and
designed academic, recreational, and residential facilities, renovation of existing facilities, and continued attention
to maintenance and grounds have transformed the campus, without diminishing the natural beauty of the grounds
and existing architecture.
In the last ten years the college has made great strides in creating a culture of assessment. Assessment of
student learning has been institutionalized through the creation of the position of vice provost for curriculum and
assessment, the Assessment Office, and the Faculty Resource Center, through regular participation in Greater
Expectations, and through five-year reviews of each academic program. The college has done an excellent job
of measuring and improving effectiveness through benchmarking and the use of assessment tools that include
national surveys such as NSSE and ACUHO-I/EBI Resident Study, institutional surveys such as the Graduating Senior
Survey, and numerous internal surveys, focus groups, and measures within academic programs and individual
courses. Institutional effectiveness is also supported, measured and improved through the work of governing bodies
and committees (Board of Trustees, Faculty Assembly, President’s Cabinet, Position Review Committee, Academic
Review Committee, Space Committee, Budget Contingency Committee, etc.), annual reports, budget analyses, and
employee evaluations.
SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS
Mission, Leadership and Governance
1.1 Continue discussions of curricula founded on a commitment to the liberal arts and assess all programs in light
of this vision.
1.2 Develop a process for reviewing new program proposals to emphasize alignment with mission.
1.3 Given the considerable responsibilities of the Board of Trustees, provide greater and more formal training for
new members.
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1.4 Assess faculty governance structure and revise as needed to meet the needs of a larger faculty with more new
members.
Planning and Resources
2.1 Already planned assessment of the new planning process should be ongoing to continually correct flaws and
implement innovations.
2.2 Budget projections should be carefully monitored as it is likely that the state allocation will not increase
significantly in the next few years and future planning will need to be carefully focused.
2.3 Communications about planning and budgeting must continue to improve so all in the community can feel
informed and involved.
2.4 To ensure that high-priority new, renewal, and replacement capital projects come to fruition, continue to explore
both traditional (e.g., New Jersey Educational Facilities Authority fixed-rate bonds) and creative (e.g., engagement
of an energy service company or ESCO; public/private partnership as provided under recently enacted
legislation) means of financing.
2.5 Campus morale should be a priority during difficult times. Ramapo’s administration and faculty leadership will
have to determine what communications will be needed and what processes should be in place to limit the
possibility that the complex times will result in a deterioration of morale.
Institutional Effectiveness
3.1 Develop a method for intra-unit and divisional communication and develop ways to link divisional action plans
vertically and horizontally.
3.2 Consolidate all the information, processes, procedures, and outcomes of resource committees under the
Institutional Effectiveness Committee and include them on the Institutional Effectiveness Web site for purposes
of transparency.
3.3 Improve the communication and transparency of assessment processes across the campus community.
Students
4.1 Assess the effectiveness of out-of-state, international, and diversity recruitment efforts designed to achieve the
college’s goals related to diversity and adjust as needed.
4.2 Assess the effectiveness of recent reorganizations and adjust as needed.
4.3 Evaluate the effectiveness of the current academic advisement structure and make improvements as needed.
4.4 Less reliance on the TRIO grant for funding programs and services for students with disabilities.
4.5 Assess the needs and outcomes of transfer students in order to refine/improve services related to advisement,
registration, and overall student services.
Faculty
5.1 Improve effectiveness of institutional planning to ensure that the needs of academic programs are prioritized.
5.2 Codify orientation procedures that support the assimilation of new faculty members and the development of a
shared vision among all faculty members.
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5.3 Improve the structure of faculty governance and the structure of interchange between faculty and administration
to address the issue of improving communication and transparency in academic decision-making.
5.4 Develop more formal structures to help create a sense of “community” in a faculty that is continuing to grow.
Academic Programs and Assessment
6.1 Complete a comprehensive plan for the assessment of general education.
6.2 Fully implement recently purchased assessment software (WEAVEonline).
6.3 Make permanent the Office of Assessment to house an assessment library and to provide tools and resources
for both faculty and staff.
6.4 Develop a plan and process for the creation of new graduate programs that address issues such as impact on
undergraduate education, integration of liberal arts and professional studies, and alignment with mission.
6.5 Create a Web site for General Education that lists goals, requirements, and other relevant information that
students can access.
6.6 Create a Web site for assessment so that all academic assessment activities can be posted and shared.
Related Educational Activities
7.1 Develop a college-wide plan to assess and address the issue of writing across the curriculum.
7.2 Consider having each academic major adopt its own integrative, experiential component for its program.
7.3 Continue to pursue grant funding for the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission programs.
7.4 Develop a process to assess online courses and their impact on major programs; create policies that address
the balance between distance-learning courses and in-classroom offerings.
7.5 Develop a plan for increasing faculty and student participation to embed the international component in the
curriculum and develop more study abroad opportunities
7.6 Develop policies for assessing the academic content, rigor, and quality of vendor-sponsored study abroad
programs
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Final Thoughts from the Co-Chairs
The aforementioned recommendations stem from a study of how Ramapo College meets the fourteen
“Characteristics of Excellence” required for Middle States accreditation and re-accreditation. Through the self-study
process and the writing of the final report, the Steering Committee Co-Chairs observed some overarching realities
that warrant further comment.
First, the college is relatively young, and thus there is a natural reliance on founders and long-time employees
to provide institutional memory and history. Although there is an abundance of data available and numerous
important studies conducted and reports produced, it was sometimes difficult for study groups to determine what
existed and where it might be located. The college needs a more organized system for retaining, cataloging and
posting important documents and data. The assessment office, established for this self-study and intended to
continue beyond it, and the Institutional Effectiveness Web site and its links to data, administrative processes and
outcomes, and annual reports, are moving the college in the right direction. These efforts must continue and must
be supported with sufficient resources.
Second, the college’s greatest resources are its students, faculty, and staff. There is an unwavering commitment
to student learning and abiding pride in the institution among members of the community. The college has enjoyed
tremendous growth and success over the past ten years, amid significant changes and challenges. While change is
constant and often provides opportunity, it also creates stress. Campus morale should remain a priority, particularly
during difficult times. The administration, faculty, staff, and student leadership should continue to discuss what
communications will be needed and what processes should be in place to limit the possibility that the complex
times we live in will result in a deterioration of morale.
Finally, the decline in state funding has had its greatest impact on students. Students cannot continue to bear the
burden through increased tuition and fees. Public higher education is becoming beyond the means of middle-class
families (in addition, of course, to lower income groups) and this is an issue that has to be addressed with the larger
audience of legislators, the governor, and the public in general.
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