AY 2014-2015 ACADEMIC PROGRAM REVIEW SELF-STUDY TEMPLATE
Reporting School/College: St. John’s College
Program Reviewed: Psychology BA SI
Date Submitted to Department/Division Chair: 9/30/15
Overview and Program Review Summary: Please summarize this program’s mission and its relationship to the vision
and mission of St. John’s University, and the program’s School/College. Identify similar programs regionally and
nationally and distinguish this program from them. In addition, summarize your findings as they relate to (1) program
quality, (2) market growth potential, and (3) student learning. Also, summarize any significant changes, achievements
(by faculty and students and the program itself), and plans for the future. Finally, based on the information gleaned
from the data in the self-study, give an overall rating of the program’s Enrollment/Market Potential by categorizing it as
one of the following: (1) Enhance; (2) Maintain; (3) Reduce support, Phase out, Consolidate, or Discontinue.
(Suggested limit 1 page)
The Psychology BA Program in Staten Island is offered by the Department of Psychology in St. John’s College of Liberal
Arts and Sciences. It provides the same curriculum and has the same major and minor requirements for students in
Staten Island as it does for students on the Queens Campus. For nearly two decades, the psychology major has been one of
the largest liberal arts programs in Staten Island, currently with 57 undergraduate majors and 3 full-time, tenured
faculty members, along with 2-3 part-time instructors.
The Psychology BA Program is directly related to the Psychology Department’s and the University’s Mission with a focus
on, academic excellence, student engagement and global education. With regard to mission, students majoring in
psychology are engaged in studying behavioral and mental processes associated with the human condition occurring
across the entire socio-economic spectrum but, with a particular focus on poor and marginalized members of society as these
segments of society suffer from greater proportions of psychological disorders and other patterns of maladjustment.
Our curriculum includes coverage of key topics related to psychological health and well-being, such as diversity,
prejudice, communication, gender roles, motivation, poverty, and aggression.
With respect to student engagement, our faculty members teach, and engage students in research and service projects
outside of the classroom. Our courses have been designed to be student-centered and foster student engagement. Our
syllabi and course outlines have been developed to adhere to the psychology program’s goals and learning objectives and
are continually being revised to reflect new developments in the field of psychology. We also gather feedback from
students and peers to improve course content and pedagogy. The faculty provides caring, competent, and professional
advisement to all of our advisees every semester.
With respect to Global Education, our curriculum, faculty and student research and service have increasingly
emphasized a global perspective in psychology. Many of our courses include components that focus on the importance
of the global context for the study of human behavior. In addition, we encourage our students to study abroad, and
many have taken advantage of the available opportunities. The Psychology Department has offered courses in Rome,
Spain, and Greece, and will continue to do so in the future. Therefore, our majors are introduced to a general set of
personal and social values necessary for living in a global, multicultural world. In addition, throughout the academic
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year and during summer sessions, the psychology faculty in Staten Island offers various introductory and advanced
courses in a Distance Learning platform. This is done, in part, for the benefit of students who study abroad to enable
them to have a greater selection of courses in their major.
Since our last Program Review, the Psychology BA Program in Staten Island has remained strong and active. With lower
enrollments on the Staten Island campus overall, we have seen reduced numbers of majors relative to number of
majors prior to 2009. However, the Psychology program is still one of the largest liberal arts majors in SJC – Staten Island
with 57 majors in 2014. Our faculty members are active, scholarly researchers, often collaborating with students on
research projects that have been presented at regional and national conferences, and that have also been published
in peer-reviewed journals. We believe that the tradition of close mentorship of student involvement in research enriches
the scope of the Psychology major and engages students outside the classroom in a high-impact practice that adds
immeasurably to their distinctive educational experiences.
According to a survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics in 2013,
the psychology major is one of the largest growing fields of study nationwide. Since 2001, the total number of all
associate's degrees awarded increased by 71 percent, from academic year 2001–02 to 2011–12; the psychology major
increased by 177%. This survey also found that psychology was the fifth most popular baccalaureate degree awarded in
2011-2012. The number of psychology degrees awarded between 2001–02 and 2011–12 increased by 42 percent. Thus,
we believe that our potential for market growth will continue and we will continue to attract academically strong,
dedicated students to our BA Program. The firm, Eduventures, which was hired by the university during the 2011-2012
academic year to study the problem of declining enrollments in our Staten Island campus, identified psychology as one
of the fields with ‘outstanding’ demand for such degrees and prospective job growth.
Just like the psychology major on the Queens campus, our Staten Island psychology majors are immersed in a
stimulating, broad-based curriculum in psychology in the classroom and extra-curricular activities, service, and research
opportunities outside of the classroom. We have an active chapter of Psi Chi, The National Honor Society in Psychology
and each year we induct approximately 10 -12 new members. We also have an active Psychology Club that is open to all
psychology majors and minors who want additional program-related activities, workshops, opportunities for service,
research and engagement with faculty members outside of regular class hours. We hold several events each semester
for psychology majors aimed at increasing the opportunities for students to learn more about the discipline and about
each other. We hold presentations about graduate education and careers in psychology, availability of service
organizations, related minor fields of study, and also about research opportunities, including faculty research and
students’ own independent research.
Since our last program review, the Psychology Program on the Staten Island Campus has cultivated a growing number of
students who want to be active learners that are fully engaged with all aspects of the discipline in a program with a
vibrant curriculum that supports the strategic missions of both the Department of Psychology and St. John’s University.
U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2013). Digest of Education Statistics, 2012 (NCES
2014-015).
STANDARD 1. The purpose of the program reflects and supports the strategic vision and mission of St. John’s
University, and the program’s School/College.
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1a.
What evidence can you provide that demonstrates that the program embodies the Catholic, Vincentian, and
metropolitan identity of St. John’s University? www.stjohns.edu/about/out-mission. (Suggested limit 1/3 page)
In nearly all of our courses students learn about and discuss the role of community in relation to human behavior and
mental processes. We emphasize the dignity and value of each individual and the importance of research and
application of psychology for improvement of the human condition. In several of our advanced courses, for example,
Psych 2070, 2080, 2200, and 2220 we discuss the role of poverty and neglect on development. We provide
opportunities for students taking these courses and others to complete academic service- learning projects.
1b.
What evidence can you provide that demonstrates that the program embodies the University’s vision.
www.stjohns.edu/about/out-mission/vision-statement. (Suggested limit 1/3 page)
In our courses, we typically include readings and discussions on the role of socio-economic factors on mental and
physical health. Thus, some emphasis is placed on the detrimental effects of poverty, drugs and alcohol addiction, and
social ills that have contributed to the break-down of the family unit. Consistent with the university’s Vincentian
mission, we impart to our students a genuine concern for all, such that it will enrich their lives as well as the lives of
others. In many of our courses, such as Clinical Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, Child Development, Adolescent
Development, Personality Psychology, Social Psychology, as well as in our Introductory courses we frequently deal with
issues of concern for people who are from poorer backgrounds, culturally deprived, living in crisis or turmoil in the
family, and socially and emotionally stressed.
As a result of our emphasis, many of our students choose to complete academic service learning at the many social
service related sites available in Staten Island, such as Project Hospitality, YMCA Counseling Service, local hospitals and
clinics, as well as numerous schools and pre-schools that serve special populations of children. The Internship in
Psychology offers our majors the opportunity to gain more experience working in one of these social service sites on
Staten Island. In addition, we now have a few Psychology majors who are part of the Ozanam Scholars Program who
have a special devotion to community service.
We have found that many of our majors naturally choose to get involved in service related jobs, either after graduation
or while they are still in school through our internship course. Many of our students have gone on to jobs or graduate
programs that involve service to the underprivileged, including school psychology and school counseling, drug and
alcohol counseling, mental health counseling, and direct service jobs such as group home attendants.
In addition to our curriculum, we have two highly successful and very active organizations, The Psychology Club, and
Psi Chi, Psychology’s International Honor Society, which have been involved in some truly Vincentian missions over the
past years. For example, both clubs have donated food, toys, and clothing to many of the charity organizations on
Staten Island, including Project Hospitality, and Mount Loretto, a home for underprivileged children. In sum, we believe
that Psychology majors are given many opportunities to discover the rewarding experience of providing service to the
poor and marginalized, while acquiring the skills and knowledge of liberal arts major.
1c.
What evidence can you provide that demonstrates that the program embodies the vision and mission of the
program’s School/College? (Suggested limit 1/3 page)
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The BA psychology program in Staten Island embodies the vision and mission of St. John’s College. Many of our courses
provide active learning experiences for our majors. We have courses that incorporate library and writing skills (Psych
2990), laboratory experience (Psych 2030 & 2040) and the ability to develop and implement supervised research (Psych
3040 & 3041 and 4951). All of our courses provide a strong research component and concentrate on developing strong
verbal and written skills. Many of our courses are geared toward providing our students with an understanding of
human suffering effects the human condition (Psych 2200). We also offer courses that allow our students to
understand the dynamics of multicultural diversity (Psych 2010 & 2180).
We believe that a BA in Psychology from Staten Island prepares our students with the capability to thrive in the
complex and ever-changing 21st century. With a focus on critical thinking, effective communication and an
understanding of our diverse world, our students are ready and able to take on the challenges necessary to succeed. As
a result of our efforts, over the last few years, there have been a greater percentage of students seeking admission to
graduate programs than ever before.
St. John’s University alumni from the Staten Island BA Program are now working in places such as the YMCA
Counseling Service, Eden II (School for Autistic Children), Seaman’s Society for Children (foster care service
organization), and many local pre-schools, elementary schools and high schools as counselors, teachers, social
workers. For example, one of our Staten Island alumnus, Frank Cicero, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologists and Director of
Psychological Services for the Eden II Programs, an Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) program in New York State serving
children and adults on the autism spectrum.
Standard 1.
Additional comments if needed. (Suggested limit 1 page)
STANDARD 2. The program attracts, retains, and graduates high quality students.
2a.
Undergraduate SAT and High School Average
SAT
2005 2006 2007
1105 1060 1063
Program
School
1014
/
University
1068
College
1057
1075
1074
1075
High School Average
2005 2006 2007 2008
89
87
88
89
2008 2009
1083 1125
1069
1087
1097
1092
85
86
87
87
88
87
2009
88
88
87
88
88
Freshmen SAT Scores
Fall 2010
Computed
Psychology
Fall 2011
Computed
1,009
Fall 2012
Computed
1,160
Computed
1,089
Freshmen High School Average
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Fall 2013
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1,099
Fall 2010
Fall 2011
High School
Psychology
Fall 2012
High School
87
High School
High School
89
88
SAT Scores
School/
College – SI
Total
University
Fall 2013
88
High School Average
2010
2011
2012
2013
2010
2011
2012
2013
1079
1113
1097
1104
87
88
88
90
1097
1087
1096
1104
87
87
88
89
SAT
Test-Takers
Intended College Major
Mean Scores
Number Percent (%) Critical Reading
Psychology
7,261
5.4%
Mathematics
Total
478
966
488
* For further information, please visit http://www.ets.org/s/gre/pdf/gre_guide.pdf.
2b.
Undergraduate 1st Year Retention Rate
Fall
2003
2004*
2005
2006
2007
# Fresh
22
2008**
# Ret
20
%
91%
86
2557
84%
78%
Program
94%
80%
86%
84%
74%
School
76%
70%
79%
83%
77%
102
/
University
78%
78%
78%
79%
76%
3268
College
Note* The % of student started in Fall 2004 and returned to the program in Fall 2005
** The % of student started in Fall 2008 and returned to the program in Fall 2009
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2009
2010
2011
2012
Total Returned
DNR
Total Returned
DNR
Total Returned
DNR
Total Returned
DNR
#
%
# %
#
%
# %
#
%
# %
#
%
#
%
PSY
26 22 85% 4 15%
11 9 82% 2 18%
15 11 73% 4 27%
7 6 86% 1 14%
Fall
2009
2010
2011
2012**
# Fresh
# Ret
%
School/
College - SI
93%
85%
77%
42
36
86%
Total University
78%
78%
76%
2757
2195
80%
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2c.
Undergraduate 6 Year Graduation Rate
Program
1999
70%
2000
74%
Fall
2001
58%
2002
81%
2003
56%
School/
College
Average
University
Rate
74%
64%
65%
59%
60%
61%
69%
61%
58%
58%
2004
Graduated
#
%
10 5
50%
Total
PSY
2005
Graduated
#
%
21 #
81%
Total
2006
Graduated
#
%
19 #
79%
Total
2007
Graduated
#
%
27 #
59%
Total
Fall
2004
School/College
Average Rate - SI
58%
2005
68%
Total University
58%
58%
2d.
Graduate Standardized Test Scores
2e.
2006
2007
66%
68%
59%
55%
Please describe how the program compares with peer and aspirational institutions. Suggested limit 1/2 page)
This is difficult to determine because few universities make undergraduate majors’ data available to outsiders. It should
also be noted that the psychology major on the Staten Island campus, is not a separate independent program of study. We
are part of the psychology department on the Queens campus and by itself it should not be compared to other psychology
programs in other institutions. With that being said, while the number of our majors has diminished over the last few
years, a trend that coincides with the decline in enrollment for the entire SI campus, our retention rates have remained
consistently strong. This suggests that if a student decides to major in psychology on the Staten Island campus they are
satisfied with the program. Our strong retention rate is likely due to a combination of factors, such as students’ interest in
psychology as a field of study, the closer faculty-student relationship fostered by our smaller campus, the Honors program
and the fact that psychology majors on Staten Island are able to complete the major without having to go the Queens
campus to fulfill their course requirements.
2f.
If applicable, describe the program’s student performance over the past five years on licensure or professional
certification exams relative to regional and national standards. (Suggested limit 1/4 page)
Not applicable - This data would not apply to undergraduate programs (no certification or liscensure at the BA level)
2g.
Number of majors and minors enrolled over the past five years. See table below.
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Fall
Number of
Students
Majors
Minors
Total
2005
85
3
88
2006
76
3
79
2007
79
3
82
2008
98
3
101
2009
101
0
101
Fall 2010
MAJORS
PSY
Majors
86
BA
Fall 2011
Majors
55
Majors
55
1
1
1
BA/MA
1
Total
MINORS
Fall 2013
Majors
69
BA/MA
PSY7
Fall 2012
86
56
Fall 2010
Fall 2011
Fall 2012
Fall 2013
Minors
Minors
Minors
Minors
Psychology
2
Total
70
3
2
4
Fall 2010
Fall 2011
Fall 2012
Fall 2013
Total
Total
Total
Total
88
73
57
58
61
It should be noted that many students do not officially declare their minors. Consequently, the figures above do not
reflect the actual number of students who take several psychology courses, including those students who may take the
necessary requirements for a minor but do not actually declare it officially.
2h.
Number of degrees granted during the past five years. See table below.
Degrees
Granted
BA
04/05
15
Academic Year
05/06
06/07
07/08
27
24
9
08/09
23
10/11
SJC-UG-SI PSY
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Psychology
BA
11/12
12/13
Degrees
Degrees
Degrees
Conferred Conferred Conferred
24
22
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Below is comparison degrees conferred data for local and national institutions based on data retrieved from the IPEDS
website. This is based on the Classification of Instructional Program (CIP) Code of 42-Psychology.
20092010
20102011
20112012
Bachelors
Local
1,938
1,813
1,995
National
97,213
100,893
108,986
1
Local institution include: Adelphi University, Columbia University, CUNY Queens College, Fordham University,
Hofstra University, Iona College, C.W. Post University, Manhattan College, New York University, Pace University,
Seton Hall University, Stony Brook University, and Wagner College.
Comments : Based on the data in 2g and 2h, how do these trends compare to institutional, regional and national
patterns? (Suggested limit 1/2 page)
Psychology does continue to be a very popular major amongst college undergraduates. Informal discussions with
colleagues at other institutions verify these trends. Based on the information stated in the overview section of this
report, The US Department of Education maintains that psychology is one the most popular and growing majors
nationwide and has been for several decades. There are no indicators that the trend will change in the foreseeable
future.
2i.
What mechanisms are in place to monitor students’ progress toward degree? And, to what extent is there a
collaborative effort to provide quality advising and support services to students? (Suggested limit 1/4 page)
We consider student advising to be a key component to the success of our majors. As a result we make a concerted
effort to closely monitor our students’ progress toward the degree. The Staten Island faculty is dedicated to insuring
that our students meet all course and major requirements in a timely manner. The 3 full-time faculty closely
collaborate with each other by providing extended non- overlapping office hours, particularly during the period of preregistration. During this time, we also frequently consult with the SJC Dean’s office staff, particularly Assistant Dean
Maria Allegreti, whose assistance is invaluable in helping us meet our students’ advisement needs. Student-faculty
contact can take place during any day of the week as the psychology faculty has a presence on campus every day. In
fact, with the administrative cut-backs on our campus (we no longer have a Freshman Center nor a Writing Center) and
the departure of one of SJC’s assistant deans, the psychology faculty volunteered to advise first-year students, a task
that had been part of the responsibilities of the Freshman Center and later of the associate and assistant deans of the
college. Thus, and unlike, our colleagues in other majors, the psychology faculty advises its majors starting in their
freshman year. We have also been able to successfully carry out our advisement duties with our Study Abroad students
by pre-arranging video-conferencing meetings with Skype or similar software.
2j.
If available, provide information on the success of graduates in this program as it relates to employment or
attending graduate school. (Suggested limit 1/4 page)
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The data we have concerning graduating seniors’ acceptance rates into graduate programs is incomplete. However, data
we have collected over the last 3 years indicates that approximately 47% of our seniors that applied to graduate
programs were accepted into at least one program. These programs include: MA in General Psychology, MSW and MA in
Mental Health Counseling programs as well as the more traditional doctoral programs. This percentage is higher than
was reported by APA's Center for Workforce Studies, which estimated that 25 percent of psychology baccalaureates go
on to graduate school.
http://www.apa.org/support/education/statistics/continuing.aspx#answer
2k.
Please comment on the students’ competencies in the program. Support your response using data provided
below and any other data available. (Suggested limit 1/3 page)
The cumulative GPA for our psychology majors is on par with the rest of the majors on the campus.
Below is outcome assessment data from one of our courses, Research Methods in Psychology (Psych 2040) for 20112012 and 2012-2013. They present the rubric used in determining the grades for the course. The students’ names have
been omitted.
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Fall 2011
100
80
100
100
100
80
93
93.33
76.0
Fall 2011
80
100
100
80
100
80
93
90.00
89.0
Fall 2011
80
80
80
60
80
80
76
76.67
80.8
Fall 2011
60
80
80
60
80
60
73
70.00
75.8
Fall 2011
60
60
80
80
80
60
72
70.00
86.4
Fall 2011
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100.00
97.2
Fall 2011
100
80
100
100
100
80
93
93.33
88.4
Fall 2011
80
80
80
80
80
80
80
80.00
74.2
Fall 2011
80
80
80
0
80
40
60
60.00
60.4
Fall 2011
100
80
80
80
90
50
79
80.00
83.4
Fall 2011
80
80
80
70
70
70
76
75.00
85
Spring 2012
80
70
90
60
70
50
72.5
70.00
82.8
Spring 2012
80
90
80
90
80
80
84.5
83.33
83.8
Spring 2012
80
80
80
90
90
70
82
81.67
89
Spring 2012
80
90
100
100
70
80
91.5
86.67
90.4
Spring 2012
0
40
30
80
30
30
41
35.00
76.6
77.5
79.4
83.8
76.9
81.3
68.1
79.2
81
81
94
69
75
56
76.0
0
6
0
6
19
13
7.3
19
13
6
25
6
31
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Course Grade
Mean Rating Across Dimensions
Rubric Grade
(.10) References and Overall Style: An APA-style
Reference section is included and conforms to
correct style guidelines. writing grammar,
adherence to APA style and format
(.05) Title and Abstract in correct APA style.
Concise summary of study in 150-200 words. (.05)
(.25) Introduction: Detailed description of
theoretical area, adequate review of literature,
references, justification, experimental design,
indep/ dependent var , The hypothesis explicitly
(.20) Results: description of findings, relationships
stated, discussed. (.025)
are specified, description of the descriptive
statistics, Detailed description of the appropriate
inferential
statistics,
including
main effects
and
(.30) Methods:
Detailed
description
of study
interactions.Detailed
Inclusion
of test statistics,
degreesthe
of
participants,
description
of apparatus,
freedom
(or sample
all using
size) and
measures,
Detailed
description
ofp-values,
procedures.
(.30)
appropriate APA format. Inclusion of a graph or
table of means. Draws the appropriate statistical
conclusions, correctly indicating whether the
(.10)
Detailed
Discussion:
ofsupported.
purpose &
research
hypothesis
wassummary
or was not
methods, summary of results, how results relate
to
(.20)
literature, practical and/or theoretical implications
of research, any limitations of the study, external
validity or generalizability of the study, and
implications/recommendations for future
Research.
Semester
STUDENT ID
Student ID#
X02395591
Semester
Spring 2013
Rubric Grade
98
X02406138
Spring 2013
95
X02442362
Spring 2013
88
X02337706
Spring 2013
83
X02053708
Spring 2013
82
X02304403
Spring 2013
80
X02388270
Spring 2013
60
X02413880
Spring 2013
89
X02257992
Spring 2013
88
X02250623
Spring 2013
95
X02262333
Spring 2013
95
X02401791
Spring 2013
87
X01996203
Spring 2013
91
X02355307
Spring 2013
90
X02243721
Spring 2013
88
X01430251
Spring 2013
0
X01913633
Spring 2013
85
X02340145
Spring 2013
83
X02301324
Spring 2013
70
X02314174
Spring 2013
90
X02348305
Spring 2013
85
X01793525
Spring 2013
92
Average Rating in Each Category
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% of students at or above 80
86%
% of students between 70-79
4%
% of students below 70
4%
Self-Study Template
Standard 2.
Additional comments if needed: (Suggested limit 1 page)
STANDARD 3. The program engages in ongoing systematic planning that is aligned with the University and
School/College planning, direction, and priorities.
3a.
How does your program’s strategic goal/objectives link to your School/College plan and the University’s strategic
plan? http://www.stjohns.edu/about/leadership/strategic-planning
Consistent with the goals and objectives of our college and the University’s Strategic Plan, the Staten Island program
mirrors that of its counterpart in Queens. For example, some of our courses in Staten Island offer a service learning
component. Our majors are strongly encouraged to take advantage of our study-abroad program and several of them
do so every year. This is, in part, facilitated by the increasing number of Distance Learning courses we have been offering.
Like our colleagues in Queens, the Staten Island faculty has also become active participants in efforts to increase
student writing and the implementation of technology in our courses and now virtually every psychology course in
Staten Island includes a writing component.
Regrettably, despite being one of the strongest majors in the college, the smaller student population in Staten Island does
not permit us to have the same range of services that the Queens program has in terms of course offerings, co-curricular
and extracurricular activities, such as colloquia and the like. To address these shortcomings, we have attempted to come
up with creative and inexpensive solutions while taking advantage of existing resources. For example, to meet the
university’s strategic priorities of expanding our offerings, we developed hybrid and online offerings. The online courses
are now available to students in both campuses. All 3 faculty members from the Staten Island program have completed
the distance learning pedagogy and we have offered on-line and hybrid psychology courses from Staten Island since
2009. It should be noted that we were the first ones in our department to offer these types of courses.
The Staten Island faculty continues its long-established tradition of engaging its students in and out of the classroom
by, for example, actively participating in various campus activities (e.g., student research day), including attendance
to the annual meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association and other external conferences where at least 4 -6
student/faculty presentations are given each year, and by maintaining more than our minimum number of office
hours. Lastly, and with the gracious support of our department chair, we now have funds set aside to facilitate
activities where faculty and students come together outside of classroom settings. For example, every year we have
been able to invite one or two outside speakers and to have a student-faculty pizza party. The latter was very helpful
in revitalizing the student-run Psychology Club and our chapter of Psi Chi.
3b.
What is the evidence of monitoring the external and internal environments, specifically what are the strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities and threats facing the program? How were they identified? What actions have been taken
in response to these findings? What characteristics of the program suggest a competitive edge against other programs
regionally and nationally?
Despite continuing declines in student enrollment on the Staten Island campus, the undergraduate psychology major in
Staten Island is uniquely vibrant and continues to attract significant numbers of students, relative to most other
programs in SJC, Staten Island campus (see also item 2f). The faculty attends professional conferences and engages in
other scholarly activities, some of which are directly related to the teaching of psychology. We participate in scholarly
teaching forums (Teaching in the Psychological Sciences – TIPS) and hold membership in professional organizations
directly related to teaching (e.g., Division 2 of APA). Such level of involvement in the discipline allows us to gauge the
strengths and weaknesses of our program. As stated earlier, the limited resources associated with being in a smaller
LAS-PSY_PSYCH_BA_SI
14
Self-Study Template
campus at times represent a real weakness (e.g., fewer face-to-face course options and faculty members with which to
work with), but in other situations, they represent our strength (e.g., more chances for student engagement). Our
competitive edge stems primarily from our faculty, who continue to be active contributors to the discipline and whose
enthusiasm for teaching continues to be as strong as it was when they taught their first courses at SJU.
Subsequent to the last program review, the psychology department created a survey to assess how the undergraduate majors
feel about the program overall. The last time we administered it, 2012-2013, we included items from the student
engagement form the NSSE. This questionnaire is the one that Institutional research uses to assess student engagement.
The items used from the NSSE where reworded to reflect engagement within the Psychology Department. From this
survey we know that we are doing better than we thought at engaging our students and that more of our students wish
to pursue graduate education than we thought. Highlights of the results from this study are as follows: 75% percent of
the psychology majors would like to purse graduate studies. Eighty-five percent of the majors believed the professors
were very helpful to them in their classes and 67% believed that professors were helpful in their entire educational
development. Ninety-four percent felt the faculty was very respectful to them. Eighty-one percent of the students would
recommend St. John’s University to a friend of theirs and 73% believed the psychology department provides an
intellectually stimulating environment. It should be noted that the results presented here represent the combined data
for both the Queens and Staten Island campus. There were too few Staten Island majors to split the data by campus.
3c.
What is the current and future market demand for the program? Support your response using the data
provided below or any other internal or external sources to justify your response.
Change, 2010-20
Fastest Growing Occupations
Psychologists
Percent
22%
Numeric
37,700
Occupations having the
largest numerical increase
in employment
Change, 2010-20
Percent
Psychologists
22%
Numeric
37,700
Changes, 2010-20
Grow faster than average - Increase 15 to 20.9%
Psychologists
Percent
Numeric
22%
37,700
*For more information please visit: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecopro.toc.htm
Standard 3.
Additional comments if needed: (Suggested limit 1 page)
Dept. of Labor Statistics
STANDARD 4. The program provides a high quality curriculum that emphasizes and assesses student learning and
engagement.
4a.
Please indicate how the program curriculum is in alignment with the following three items:
LAS-PSY_PSYCH_BA_SI
15
Self-Study Template
(Suggested limit 1/2 page for each of the three categories below)
1. Standards within the discipline – The Psychology BA Program in Staten Island is offered by the Department of
Psychology in St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and provides the same approved curriculum and
has the same major and minor requirements for students in Staten Island as it does for students on the
Queens Campus.
2. Curriculum integrity, coherence, academic internships, teaching excellence, teaching vibrancy, and study
abroad experiences. The BA program on the Staten Island campus provides extensive training in research
methods and specialized areas of psychological study, including experimental, developmental, abnormal,
personality and social psychology. Students gain practical experience through student-led research projects
and collaboration with faculty. Faculty and students regularly present at conferences hosted by major
organizations including the Eastern Psychological Association. Internships are available where students gain
valuable experience volunteering at approved settings (i.e., hospitals, psychological treatment facilities and
schools) throughout the Staten Island community.
There are three full-time Psychology faculty members that have a combined 70+ years of teaching
experience on the Staten Island campus. In addition to traditional classroom teaching, they all have been
teaching online courses since its inception at St John’s University. Many of the Psychology majors have taken
advantage of the study abroad experience and have traveled to Rome, Paris and even the Galapagos Islands.
3. The University Core competencies: The BA program in psychology was constructed with the core
competencies in mind. As the field of psychology has evolved over the years, courses and requirements
have been modified to reflect changes in the field while maintaining a focus on the core competencies.
Specifically,
a. Critical Thinking: All courses in the undergraduate curriculum emphasize the application of
psychological knowledge and theory to understanding human behavior. As an empirical discipline,
critical thinking cannot be avoided as we link hypotheses about human behavior to research designed to
test those hypotheses.
b. Information Literacy: The field of psychology is information intensive with hundreds of journals and
texts published daily basis. Every course has its own knowledge foundation that is dynamically changing
as new research is conducted and new theories are formulated. It is not possible to be successful in any
course without a broad literacy in the area or without the ability to effectively access that information.
c. Skillful writing: Nearly all psychology courses engage in constant low-stakes writing through journaling,
blogging, and brief reflections during class. Students are also required to master more formal writing
using APA style in the form of terms papers in the content course s and research reports in the methods
courses.
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Self-Study Template
d. Oral Presentation Skills: Beginning in Introductory Psychology and continuing through the History &
Systems in Psychology, students are expected to participate in class discussions and oral presentations.
During these discussions students have the opportunity to both express their ideas and to observe how
their peers and instructors express their ideas. In addition, many courses require students to prepare
brief presentations on their paper topics or on specific oral presentation topics.
e. Quantitative Reasoning: As an empirically-based field, psychology requires that all students develop
competency in statistics, probability, measurement, and inference models. These skills are introduced in
a required statistics course and are later applied to research in the methods courses and applied to
evaluating the literature in the substantive courses.
4b.
The syllabi for the courses within this program incorporate the suggested elements of a syllabus – an example of
which can be found at the following St. John’s University Center for Teaching and Learning link. (Suggested limit 1/3
page) http://stjohns.campusguides.com/content.php?pid=71651&sid=984766
All of our department syllabi meet the requirements for suggested elements and have been approved by the Dept.
UEPC.
4c.
Describe the assessment model currently in place for the program and indicate the extent to which disciplinary
and core knowledge, competence, and values are met, as well as findings and action plans for improvement. For
reference, visit WeaveOnline – https://app.weaveonline.com//login.aspx; Digication – https://stjohns.digication.com
(Suggested limit 1/2 page).
We have developed rubrics for assessments of statistical knowledge and research methods knowledge of our students.
We are currently developing rubrics for, History and Systems 3800 and Psych Sophomore seminar 2990.
4d.
What, if any, external validations, e.g. specialized accreditations, external awards, other validations of quality
has the program received? (Suggested limit 1/3 page)
Richmond County Psych Association Awards –at least one student has won this award every year for nearly two decades.
Standard 4.
Additional comments if needed. (Suggested limit 1 page)
The BA Psychology program on the Staten Island campus offers the same curriculum as the BA program on the Queens
campus. The 3 full-time faculty on the Staten Island campus have worked together for over 20 years to build the
program to a level where it is today, one of the strongest major on the campus. Through their commitment to teaching
excellence and thorough knowledge of the discipline, the undergraduate psychology major is provided with an extensive
overview of the field of psychology.
STANDARD 5. The program has the faculty resources required to meet its mission and goals.
LAS-PSY_PSYCH_BA_SI
17
Self-Study Template
5a.
Below you will find the number of students enrolled as majors and minors in the program. Please complete the
table by adding the number of full-time faculty assigned to the program. Then calculate the student to full-time faculty
ratio.
# Majors/
FT
Faculty
Majors
Minors
Majors &
Minors
Combine
d
# of FTE
Students
(Majors
&
Minors)
# of FTE
Faculty
assigned
to the
program
FTE
Student/
Faculty
Ratio
Fall 2005
Fall 2006
Fall 2007
Fall 2008
Fall 2009
FT
PT
Total
FT
PT
Total
FT
PT
Total
FT
PT
Total
FT
PT
Total
79
3
6
0
85
3
72
3
4
0
76
3
76
3
3
0
79
3
96
3
2
0
98
3
98
0
3
0
101
0
82
6
88
75
4
79
79
3
82
99
2
101
98
3
101
82.0
0
2.0
0
84.0
0
75.0
0
1.3
3
76.3
3
79.0
0
1.0
0
80.0
0
99.0
0
0.6
7
99.6
7
98.0
0
1.0
0
99.0
0
3
2.3
3
5.33
3
2
5
3
1.6
7
4.67
3
1.6
7
4.67
3
1.6
7
4.67
15.7
6
15.2
7
Fall 2010
F
Fall 2011
P
Majors
MAJORS
Total
F
2
86
67
Fall 2010
F
Fall 2012
Total
F
3
70
Fall 2011
P
Minors
LAS-PSY_PSYCH_BA_SI
18
P
21.3
4
21.2
0
Fall 2013
Total
F
P
Total
Majors Majors Majors Majors Majors Majors Majors Majors Majors Majors
84
MINORS
17.1
3
Total
F
P
Total
57
57
54
3
Fall 2012
Fall 2013
F
F
Total
Total
Minors Minors Minors Minors Minors Minors Minors Minors Minors
1
1
2
5
1
6
4
4
Self-Study Template
5
5
57
Fall 2010
Total
MAJORS/MINORS
Fall 2011
FTE MAJORS
Fall 2013
F
P
Total
F
P
Total
F
Total
F
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total
85
3
88
72
4
76
61
61
59
Fall 2010
Total
Fall 2012
Fall 2011
Fall 2012
P
Total
Total Total
3
62
Fall 2013
F
P
Total
F
P
Total
F
Total
F
P
Total
FTE
FTE
FTE
FTE
FTE
FTE
FTE
FTE
FTE
FTE
FTE
85
1
86
72
61
61
59
1
60
Fall 2010
Fall 2011
1.333 73.333
Fall 2012
Fall 2013
# of FTE faculty assigned
to the program
3
3
3
3
FTE Student/FTE Faculty
Ratio
29.33
25.33
20.33
20.66
Important Notes:
FTE Students = Number of FT Students + (number of PT Students/3)
FTE Faculty = Number of FT Faculty + (number of PT Faculty/3) do we have data on pt
faculty
This methodology is used by STJ for all external reporting.
The figure for majors includes first and any second majors.
5b.
Below you will find the credit hours the department has delivered by full-time faculty and part-time faculty
(including administrators) and the total credit hours consumed by non-majors.
LAS-PSY_PSYCH_BA_SI
19
Self-Study Template
Credit
Hours
Taught
FT Faculty
Fall 2005
#
%
4860 69%
Fall 2006
#
%
4733
68%
Fall 2007
#
%
4598
67%
Fall 2008
#
%
4911
71%
Fall 2009
#
%
5465
76%
PT Faculty
Total
2139 31%
6999 100%
2244
6977
2262
6860
2010
6921
1719
7184
25%
%
consumed
by
NonMajors
Credit Hrs
Taught
32%
100%
24%
Fall 2010
Number Percent
33%
100%
23%
Fall 2011
Number Percent
29%
100%
22%
24%
100%
20%
Fall 2012
Fall 2013
Number Percent Number Percent
F-T Faculty
5,048
65.4% 4,736
58.4% 5,108
65.6% 4,687
63.3%
P-T Faculty
(inc Admin)
2,665
34.6% 3,370
41.6% 2,684
34.4% 2,721
36.7%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
Total
7,713
100% 8,106
100%
% Consumed
by NonMajors
1,716
22.2% 1,891
23.3% 1,819
LAS-PSY_PSYCH_BA_SI
20
7,792
100%
0.0%
7,408
23.3% 1,436
100%
19.4%
Self-Study Template
Credit Hrs
Taught
Fall 2010
Number Percent
Fall 2011
Number Percent
SI F-T Faculty
708
94%
362
76%
431
93.5%
398
70.3%
SI P-T Faculty
(inc Admin)
45
6%
114
24%
30
6.5%
168
29.7%
0.0%
Total
753
100%
Fall 2012
Fall 2013
Number Percent Number Percent
0.0%
476
100%
0.0%
461
100%
0.0%
566
100%
5c.
Below you will find the number of courses the department has delivered by full-time faculty and part-time
faculty (including administrators).
Courses
Taught
FT Faculty
PT Faculty
Total
Courses
Taught
SI
FT Faculty
PT Faculty
Total
Fall 2005
#
%
55
63%
Fall 2006
#
%
56
63%
32
87
37%
100%
33
89
Fall 2005
#
%
37%
100%
55
63%
Fall 2006
#
%
56
63%
32
87
37%
100%
33
89
LAS-PSY_PSYCH_BA_SI
21
37%
100%
Fall 2007
#
%
60
67%
Fall 2008
#
%
63
69%
Fall 2009
#
%
68
71%
30
90
28
91
28
96
33%
100%
31%
100%
29%
100%
Fall 2007
#
%
60
67%
Fall 2008
#
%
63
69%
Fall 2009
#
%
68
71%
30
90
28
91
28
96
33%
100%
31%
100%
29%
100%
Self-Study Template
Courses
Taught
Fall 2010
Number Percent
Fall 2011
Number Percent
Fall 2012
Fall 2013
Number Percent Number Percent
F-T Faculty
63
66.3% 100
62.1% 69
69.7% 65
61.3%
P-T Faculty
(inc Admin)
32
33.7% 61
37.9% 30
30.3% 41
38.7%
Total
95
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
100% 161
100% 99
100%
0.0%
106
100%
5d.
What is the representative nature of faculty in terms of demographics, tenure and diversity? (See departmental
information on next page). How well does this support the program? (Suggested limit 1/2 page)
The three full-time faculty members consist of one female, and two males one of whom is Hispanic. This ratio compares
favorably to the Psychology majors, there are 54% male and 46% females. Each full-time faculty member has tenure,
one faculty member lives on Staten Island and the other two live in New Jersey. All three full-time faculty members
have been at St John’s University’s Staten Island campus for at least 20 years and have an extensive knowledge of the
culture that is unique to Staten Island and our students.
LAS-PSY_PSYCH_BA_SI
22
Self-Study Template
Departmental Data
2005
FT
2006
PT
Total
#
%
#
%
Male
20
65%
14
45%
Female
11
35%
17
Total
31
100%
Black
2
Hispanic
FT
2007
PT
Total
#
%
#
%
34
18
60%
14
41%
55%
28
12
40%
20
31
100%
62
30
100%
6%
1
3%
3
2
3
10%
1
3%
4
Asian
1
3%
1
3%
White
25
81%
28
Unknown
0
0%
Total
31
100%
Tenured
23
Tenure-Track
FT
2008
PT
Total
#
%
#
%
32
16
55%
15
50%
59%
32
13
45%
15
34
100%
64
29
100%
7%
1
3%
3
2
4
13%
3
9%
7
2
1
3%
1
3%
90%
53
23
77%
28
0
0%
0
0
0%
31
100%
62
30
100%
74%
23
24
5
16%
5
Not Applicable
3
10%
Total
31
100%
FT
2009
PT
Total
#
%
#
%
31
15
50%
14
54%
50%
28
15
50%
12
30
100%
59
30
100%
7%
1
3%
3
3
5
17%
1
3%
6
2
1
3%
1
3%
82%
51
21
72%
26
1
3%
1
0
0%
34
100%
64
29
100%
80%
24
23
5
17%
5
3
1
3%
31
30
100%
FT
PT
#
%
#
%
29
15
50%
14
54%
46%
27
15
50%
12
46%
26
100%
56
30
100%
26
100%
10%
0
0%
3
3
10%
0
0%
5
17%
0
0%
5
5
17%
1
4%
2
1
3%
2
8%
3
1
3%
0
0%
87%
47
21
70%
23
88%
44
21
70%
24
92%
1
3%
1
0
0%
1
4%
1
0
0%
1
4%
30
100%
59
30
100%
26
100%
56
30
100%
26
100%
79%
23
24
80%
24
25
80%
4
14%
4
4
13%
4
5
17%
1
2
7%
2
2
7%
2
1
3%
30
29
100%
29
30
100%
30
30
100%
Gender
Ethnicity
Tenure Status
LAS-PSY_PSYCH_BA_SI
23
Self-Study Template
FT
Gender
Male
Female
Total
Ethnicity
Black
Hispanic
Asian
American
Indian/Alaskan
Native
White
2 or More Races
Native
Hawaiian/Pacific
Islander
Unknown
Total
Tenure Status
Tenured
Tenure-Track
Not Applicable
Total
LAS-PSY_PSYCH_BA_SI
24
#
%
15
14
29
52%
48%
3
5
1
10%
17%
3%
20
0%
69%
0%
29
23
5
1
29
79%
17%
3%
2010
PT
#
%
12
14
26
1
24
1
26
Total
FT
#
%
46%
54%
27
28
55
15
14
29
52%
48%
0%
4%
0%
3
6
1
3
5
1
10%
17%
3%
0%
92%
0
44
20
0%
69%
4%
1
55
0%
29
23
5
1
29
23
5
1
29
2011
PT
#
%
12
13
25
Total
FT
#
%
48%
52%
27
27
54
15
14
29
52%
48%
1
0%
0%
4%
3
5
2
3
5
2
10%
17%
7%
23
0%
92%
0
43
19
0%
66%
1
25
4%
79%
17%
3%
Self-Study Template
1
54
0%
29
23
5
1
29
26
2
1
29
90%
7%
3%
2012
PT
#
%
13
17
30
Total
FT
#
%
2013
PT
#
%
Total
43%
57%
28
31
59
16
15
31
52%
48%
16
14
30
53%
47%
32
29
61
2
2
0%
7%
7%
3
7
4
3
5
2
10%
16%
6%
1
3
2
3%
10%
7%
4
8
4
25
0%
83%
0
44
21
0%
68%
0
23
0
0%
77%
0%
0
44
0
0
1
30
0%
3%
0
1
61
1
30
3%
1
59
0%
31
26
2
1
29
28
2
1
31
90%
6%
3%
28
2
1
31
5e.
What evidence exists that the program’s faculty have engaged in research and scholarship on
teaching and/or learning in the program’s field of study? (Suggested limit 1/2 page)
The Staten Island faculty regularly presents their research at regional conferences. One faculty
member of this program is a nationally and internationally known figure in the areas of academic
integrity and responsible writing and authorship.
Roig, M (2014). Self-plagiarism: Some considerations. Paper presented at the conference “Plagiarism
in Research: Common Pitfalls and Unforeseen Consequences”. The Graduate Center, City
University of New York, February, 6th.
Roig, M. (2014). Plagiarism in research and education: An international panorama. Presented at the
forum “Pesquisa, Criatividade e Plágio: Desafios para Professores e Alunos". Universidade
Federal do Rio de Janeiro, November 5th.
Roig, M. (2014). Plagiarism in the sciences. International Institute for Collaborative Cell Biology and
Biochemistry – Bi-annual Course in Biochemistry and molecular biology: Bench to
bedside approaches, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 6th.
Roig, M. (2015). Plagiarism in real-life situations. International Institute for Collaborative Cell Biology
and Biochemistry – Bi-annual Course in Biochemistry and molecular biology: Bench to
bedside approaches, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 7th.
Roig, M. (2015). Plagiarism and Self-Plagiarism in the Sciences. Workshop offered at the Columbia
University’s Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, Pathology Library,
Presbyterian Hospital, March 24th.
Roig, M. (2015). Plagiarism and Self-Plagiarism in the Sciences. Life Science Seminars, Virginia Tech,
Blacksburg, Virginia, April 10th.
Roig, M. (2015). An exploratory analysis of Expressions of Concern. Paper presented at the 4th
World Conference on Research Integrity, Rio de Janeiro, June.
Vasconcelos, S. M. and Roig, M. (2015 in press). Prior publication and redundancy in contemporary
science: Are authors and editors at the crossroads? Science and Engineering Ethics.
Roig, M. (2014). On Reusing Our Previously Disseminated Work. Professional Ethics Report, 27(4), 4-5,
http://www.aaas.org/sites/default/files/reports/PER%20FALL_2014.pdf.
Roig, M. (2014). Critical issues in the teaching of responsible writing. Journal of Microbiology and
biology education, 15(2), 103-107,
http://jmbe.asm.org/index.php/jmbe/article/view/832/pdf_114.
Roig, M. (2014). Journal editorials on plagiarism: What is the message? European Science Editing, 40,
58-59.
Roig, M. (2014). Yes, it’s plagiarism, but it’s complicated (invited editorial). Anesthesia and Analgesia,
118(1), 5-7.
LAS-PSY_PSYCH_BA_SI
Self-Study Template
25
Vigorito, C. (2008). Using online peer-to-peer discussion posting to promote writing to learn. Panel
Session Thinking and Writing Abroad to Strengthen Thinking and Writing Across Campus.
Presented at the Writing Across the Curriculum Conference, Quinnipiac University, CT,
November, 2008.
Vigorito, C.G. (2012). Lifelong learning in Psychology curricula. Discussant for Symposium at the
annual meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association, March 10-13, Cambridge, MA.
Buckner, J., & Vigorito, C.G. (2011). Defining the value of lifelong learning, in and through the
classroom. Workshop presented at the annual meeting of the Northeast Conference for
Teachers of Psychology, October 28, Fairfield, CT.
Vigorito, C.G. (2014). CUPP Symposium: The role of undergraduates in psychology teaching and
learning. Chair and Discussant at the annual meeting of the Eastern Psychological
Association, March 13-16, Boston, MA.
Vigorito, C.G. (2015). Academic Service-Learning: Expanding the Classroom and Enhancing the
Mission at St. John’s University. : CUPP Symposium: Helping Students See Connections
between Coursework and “Real Life”. Annual meeting of the Eastern Psychological
Association, March 5-7, Philadelphia, PA.
5f.
What initiatives have been taken in the past five years to promote faculty development in
support of the program? (Suggested limit 1/2 page)
The department has funded the entire Staten Island faculty to attend regional and national
conferences, which they take advantage of for regional travel. The department has also encouraged
the Staten Island faculty to invite colloquia speakers to SI and we have taken advantage of this
opportunity and have invited various speakers. For the last fifteen years, the three members of
Staten Island psychology faculty have attended the psychology department annual retreat where
matters relevant to the functioning of the department are discussed: faculty development, student
retention, changes to existing courses, proposals for new courses, and other topics related to
enhancing the effectiveness of our teaching, research and service to the university.
5g.
The table below shows the amount of external funding received by the department. If
available, please provide the dollar amount of externally funded research for full-time faculty
supporting the program under review. (Program dollar amounts are available through departmental
records.)
Fiscal Year
External
04/05
05/06
06/07
Funding
$ Amount
Program
$ Amount 1,154,015 1,465,723 1,326,898
Departmen
t
External
Funding
LAS-PSY_PSYCH_BA_SI
26
07/08
08/09
597,315
793,401
Fiscal Year
Self-Study Template
$ Amount
Program
$ Amount
Department
09/10
10/11
11/12
12/13
406,258
821,179
789,022
1,310,434
5h.
Please comment on the table below that shows trends in overall course evaluation and
instructional vibrancy for your program (if available), your college and the university. (Suggested limit
½ page)
Psychology (SI)
Overall Evaluation (Spring)
2011
2012
2013
Instructional Vibrancy (Spring)
2011
2012
2013
4.18
4.32
4.34
4.28
4.52
4.43
Saint John’s
3.95
4.01
4.00
4.28
4.33
4.33
College
Total
4.01
3.21
4.07
4.27
4.29
4.35
Undergraduate
Table 5h indicates that the Staten Island Psychology faculty has demonstrated superior overall
teaching evaluations and instructional vibrancy since 2011 compared to the rest of the St John’s
College faculty.
Note: Institutional Vibrancy is the average of the first 14 questions on the course evaluation, with
questions pertaining to course organization, communication, faculty-student interaction, and
assignments/grading. All course evaluation questions range from 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 5 (Strongly
Agree).
5i.
What percentage of full time faculty assigned to this program have terminal degrees or
industry certifications renewed within the past 2 years? Comment. (Suggested limit 1/3 page)
All three of the full time faculty has Ph.D’s and one member of the full time faculty is a New York
State licensed Psychologist and two members have post-doctoral research experience.
Standard 5.
Comments: Indicate to what extent the program has the faculty resources required
to meet its mission and goals. Include references from 5a – 5i. (Suggested limit 1 page)
Although financial data is not available at the program level, departmental information is provided
below for your reference.
LAS-PSY_PSYCH_BA_SI
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Self-Study Template
Department Information - Earned Income/Direct Instruction Expense Ratio
(FY 2013 data not yet available)
FY 2004
$ From
Grants
FY 2005
FY 2006
FY 2007
FY 2008
780,852
1,154,015
1,465,723
1,326,898
597,315
9,031,292
9,847,265
10,721,253
11,292,073
11,728,045
376,924
414,892
344,780
456,528
599,220
5,060,000
5,494,000
5,715,000
6,224,000
6,544,000
2.01
2.08
2.19
2.10
1.98
Earned
Income from
Instruction
(by student
credit hours
taught)
General Fees
(includes lab
fees)
Direct
Instructional
Cost
(Departmental
Budget)
Earned
Income/Direct
Instructional
Expense Ratio
LAS-PSY_PSYCH_BA_SI
28
Self-Study Template
FY 2009
$ FROM GRANTS
EARNED INCOME FROM
INSTRUCTION (By student credit
hours taught)
FY 2010
FY 2011
FY 2012
793,401
406,258
821,179
789,022
12,735,836
14,094,805
16,032,194
17,699,021
668,455
764,203
784,968
761,196
6,705,000
6,773,000
7,071,000
7,311,000
GENERAL FEES (includes Lab Fees)
DIRECT INSTRUCTIONAL
COST (Departmental budget)
EARNED INCOME/DIRECT
INSTRUCTIONAL EXPENSE RATIO
2.12
Standard 5.
2.25
2.49
Additional comments if needed. (Suggested limit 1 page)
The three full-time faculty members’ academic degree, rank, academic specialty, and their
teaching responsibilities are given below. The full-time faculty members are sufficiently
diverse to present a survey of the major areas in psychology. In addition to the full-time
faculty, the psychology major relies on part-time adjunct faculty to teach approximately 20 to
25 percent of the course load per semester.
Program Faculty and Their Academic Specialt ies:
Name
P. Drucker
C. Greco-Vigorito
M. Roig
LAS-PSY_PSYCH_BA_SI
29
Degree Rank
Ph.D.
Associate
Ph.D.
Associate
Ph.D.
Professor
Status
Tenured
Tenured
Tenured
Academic Specialty
Experimental/Clinical
Developmental
Cognitive/Experimental
Self-Study Template
2.63
Program Faculty and Their Teaching Responsibilities
Name
Teaching Responsibilities
P. Drucker
Abnormal Psychology, Experimental Psychology
of Learning, Test & Measurements, Physiological
Psychology, History & Systems in Psychology,
Positive Psychology, Health Psychology and
Experimental Psychology Laboratory I.
C. Greco-Vigorito
Child Psychology , Honors Child Psychology, Adolescent
Psychology , Honors Adolescent Psychology, Research Methods,
Psychology of Women, and Sophomore Seminar.
M. Roig
Introductory Psychology, Statistics, Cognitive, Sensation and
Perception and Altered States of Consciousness, Scientific
Inquiry in the Core, Research Methods.
The Staten Island BA Program in Psychology is supported by the Psychology Department of St.
John’s College. As such, we have had sufficient funds to provide adequate instructional staff (3
full-time faculty) and 3- 4 part-time adjunct faculty each semester. However, in some cases we
have had difficulty finding qualified adjuncts to teach some of our advanced major courses such
as Seminar and Statistics Laboratory. Although enrollment on the Staten Island campus has
decreased overall over the last several years, enrollment in the psychology program has
remained relatively strong. Psychology continues to be a growing and active program at St.
John’s and nationally (see DOE statistics in other sections) and we expect to see an increase in
the number of students who choose psychology as their liberal arts major. In addition, many
education majors can now take psychology as a liberal arts concentration adding to the number
of students we serve every semester. The Psychology Department has also provided some
research support for faculty members in the form of travel funds which are minimal for all
members of the department, and funds to bring invited speakers to campus for academic lecture
events and student engagement events. Students who present at conferences, even
undergraduates, receive up to $500 in travel reimbursement costs.
STANDARD 6. The program has adequate resources to meet its goals and objectives. And, it
is cost-effective.
6a.
Narrative/Supportive Technological Environment - Comment on classrooms and labs
meeting industry-standards for quality and availability of hardware, software, and
peripherals; library space, holdings and services; science laboratories, TV studios,
art/computer graphic labs; etc. (Suggested limit 1 page)
LAS-PSY_PSYCH_BA_SI
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Self-Study Template
We have one dedicated room on the second floor of MAH that serves as a psychology
laboratory. This is largely a seminar room that holds approximately 10 students and has 4
desktop computers. In addition, the room has a storage closet that holds research files in locked
cabinets and some other research equipment. The psychology laboratory serves multiple
functions, as a classroom for Psych 2040P – Research Methods in Psychology Practicum, which is
a required course for all psychology majors, as a meeting room for Psychology Club and Psi Chi,
as research space for faculty and students to conduct research studies and as a storage space for
equipment and research files. In addition to its small size, the other major problem with the lab is
nd
that it is located on the 2 floor of Mahoney hall and is not handicap accessible as there is no
elevator in that building. This means that whenever there is a student who is registered for
Psych 2040P who needs handicap accessibility the course cannot meet in that room. In addition,
any students with those needs cannot attend meetings there and cannot use the space for
research purposes.
The laboratory facilities are inadequate. Most colleges and universities that offer the
Psychology major have more appropriate laboratory facilities. This allows them to offer more
lab courses and also support student and faculty research. Our limited laboratory space has
always restricted and shaped our curriculum. A larger percentage of our majors desire to
attend graduate school and the lack of laboratory facilities restricts their experiences and
makes them less competitive.
All classrooms on the Staten Island campus are equipped with instructional technology and the IT
support for classrooms and faculty are very good. The Loretto Library on the Staten Island
campus does hold numerous psychology books and periodicals; however, the majority of faculty
and student use of the library is virtual. Fortunately, most of the significant and relevant journals
for psychology faculty and students are available via the digital databases owned by St. John’s
University.
6b.
Narrative/ Supportive Physical Environment - Comment on level of faculty and student
satisfaction with HVAC; faculty and student satisfaction with classroom lighting, crowdedness,
and acoustics; flexible teaching environments, and faculty offices, etc.. (Suggested limit 1 page)
Except for laboratory facilities, the classroom space in Staten Island is more than adequate at
this time. In recent years our classes are seldom crowded and the general environment is usually
conducive to learning. One element that has remained problematic is the climate control of the
buildings, particularly DaSilva Academic Center, our newest academic building. Too often the
temperature in classrooms or faculty offices is either too cold or to warm. For example, many of
us keep an electric heater to enable us to work with some measure of comfort during times
when the building is too cold.
6c.
To what extent has the University funded major capital projects, e.g., renovations,
which are linked directly to the program during the past five years? (Bulleted list)
LAS-PSY_PSYCH_BA_SI
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Self-Study Template
In recent years, the campus has been beautified by the addition of trees, flowering shrubs and
other plants. In addition, outdoor furniture has also been acquired and has been positioned
around the green. A small gazebo has also been built between DaSilva and the cafeteria. In sum,
our campus has become much more attractive and a pleasure to visit and walk around.
However, there has been no direct funding explicitly for the psychology program.
6d.
If external data that describes the cost effectiveness of the program has been provided
by your School/College Dean, please comment on the program’s cost-effectiveness. (Suggest
limit 1 page)
Below is a breakdown of the contribution margin analysis of SJU’s six psychology programs.
Based on the analysis the Staten Island psychology undergraduate program seems very cost
effective. The SJU Psychology department has an undergraduate program located on both the
Staten Island and Queens campus and two Master degree programs and a Psy.D. and Ph.D.
program located on the Queens campus. The undergraduate program on the Staten Island
campus is approximately one-tenth the size of the Queens program in enrollment, credit hours,
tuition, direct expenses, etc. It also has one- tenth the size in of the number full-time faculty as
the Queens undergraduate program. The Undergraduate program on Staten Island ranks as the
second highest in total revenue of the six programs listed and fifth in direct expenses.
LAS-PSY_PSYCH_BA_SI
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Self-Study Template
St. John's University Contribution Margin Analysis - SJC Psychology
8/21/2015
Summary by Student Major FY 2014
Enrollment
Credit
Hours
Tuition
Fees
Gross Tuition
& Fees
Financial
Aid
Tuition
Remission
Fellowships
Net Tuition
Revenues
Other Direct
Revenue
Total
Revenue
Direct
Expenses
Contribution
Margin #1
544 SJC Psychology
BA
Q
561
16,428
19,925,107
892,593
20,817,700
9,121,702
317,115
0
11,378,883
133,311
11,512,194
4,813,213
6,698,982
544 SJC Psychology
BA
S
54
1,626
1,890,956
77,850
1,968,806
1,025,412
0
0
943,394
13,221
956,615
572,066
384,549
544 SJC School Psychology
MS
Q
45
936
1,104,480
21,708
1,126,188
0
0
194,686
931,502
3,156
934,658
632,055
302,603
544 SJC Gen-Exper Psychology
MA
Q
23
454
506,000
11,334
517,334
75,710
0
70,620
371,004
1,405
372,410
255,112
117,298
544 SJC School Psychology
PSYD
Q
100
1,747
2,083,408
48,378
2,131,786
5,310
(22,420)
1,352,634
796,262
5,792
802,054
789,069
12,985
544 SJC Clinical Psy
PHD
Q
60
1,105
1,468,100
29,340
1,497,440
0
0
1,340,900
156,540
3,578
160,118
687,367
(527,249)
Report Glossary
Enrollment is based on the Fall 2013 Institutional data.
Tuition and Fees – gross tuition and fees posted to the student account regardless of where the
student takes his or her classes.
Financial Aid – University financial aid as posted to the student account. (Does not include any
externally funded or government aid.)
Tuition Remission –dependent and employee remission for students in the program; reported based upon the college / program of the
student and not the employee organization budget code.
Fellowships - fellowships and graduate assistant tuition remission; does
not include stipends.
Other Direct Revenue – Represents additional revenue (e.g. refunds).
Direct Expense – faculty and other instructional costs for the courses within the program of study.
LAS-PSY_PSYCH_BA_SI
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Self-Study Template
Standard 6.
Additional comments if needed. (Suggested limit 1 page)
STANDARD 7. Effective actions have been taken based on the findings of the last program
review and plans have been initiated for the future.
Comments: (Suggested limit 1page)
The undergraduate program in the psychology department had previously received very
favorable ratings in past program evaluations. However, we continually engage in a regular
program of self-study as part of our responsibility to monitor and evaluate program offerings.
Here we review these efforts.
As a result of our internal program evaluation, we learned through our self-evaluation that a
majority of our students have plans to apply to graduate programs. Thus, the students
indicated a need for increased internship and research mentoring opportunities. We
recognize that we need to better prepare our students to be competitive in securing positions
in doctoral and masters level programs and we are actively making every attempt to do so.
Beyond the involvement that students can obtain from working closely with faculty on
campus, we are currently encouraging students to seek out summer research opportunities,
such as those funded by NSF and NIH. We have already had one of our students accepted into
one of these competitive programs.
Since the last program review, the Staten Island BA in Psychology program has offered more
online distance-learning and hybrid courses for our majors. This allows a greater flexibility for
our majors as well as allowing them to take courses in the proper sequence that may have been
cancelled due to low enrollment.
Since our last Program evaluation, we have attempted to gauge the prevailing interests of our
student population and to remain current with respect to course offerings. Toward that end,
we have added several new courses. Positive Psychology, Health Psychology, and Forensic
Psychology have been offered over the last few years.
We have also developed several new BA/MA programs in addition to the BA/MA in General
Psychology and they include the BA/MA in Psychology and Criminology and the BA/MBA in
psychology and Business Administration
In the 2014 fall semester, due to many students interest in more research opportunities
we offered Research Lab I (Psych 3040). As a result of this course experience, each
student learned how to and successfully submitted an IRB approval form and several of
them have submitted and presented research posters at the annual meeting of the
Eastern Psychological Association this past March, 2015. It is believed that the changes we
have implemented help to improve the psychology major and greatly increase the experience
for our students on the Staten Island campus.
LAS-PSY_PSYCH_BA_SI
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Self-Study Template
2014-15 ACADEMIC PROGRAM REVIEW
PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT PLAN (PDP)
ENROLLMENT/ MARKET POTENTIAL CATEGORIES
(1) Update progress report and comments sections of 2009-10 PDP.
Category
Criteria
Enhance
high enrollment; high market potential
Maintain
moderate enrollment; moderate market
potential
Reduce support,
low enrollment; low market potential
(2) Complete 2014-15 section of PDP for this program.
2009-10 Academic Program Review
School/College:
St. John's College
Dept/Division:
Psychology
Program Reviewed:
Date:
BA in Psychology - Staten Island
9-Apr-10
Enrollment/Market Potential Category:
High Revenue/ High Demand
(3) If a program is identified as low enrollment & low market potential
the PDP must identify specific steps to increase enrollment,
reduce support, phase out, consolidate, or discontinue the program.
(4) If program quality goals are not being met, the PDP must
include strategies to make improvements.
(5) If assessment goals are not being met, the PDP must
phase out, consolidate,
include strategies to make improvements.
or discontinue
the program
2009-2010 Recommendation
Strategic Action
Resource Requirement
None
Reallocation
New
Continue and step up Outcomes assessment
process
Continue and step up Outcomes
assessment process
None
Cost
None
Person(s) Responsible
Status of Strategic Action (no
action taken; completed; in
progress)
2009 - Comments regarding status of
strategic action:
2014-15 ACADEMIC PROGRAM REVIEW
St. John's College
Psychology
BA in Psychology - Staten Island
Date: September 2015
Enrollment/Market Potential Category: Enhance
2014-15 RECOMMENDATION
The critical issue for Psych-SI is enrollment
Offer more high impact opportunities (research with faculty;
None
None
Entire Faculty; Career
Services
Credited internships that target student interests
Comments
LAS-PSY_PSYCH_BA_SI
35
Actual Cost
Entire faculty
completed
School/College:
Dept/Division:
Program Reviewed:
PROGRESS REPORT
Resource Requirement
(none; reallocation; new)
Self-Study Template
none
none