PREAMBLE
The College of Administrative Science is prepared for reaffirmation of its accreditation by AACSB
International – The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. This Self Evaluation Report,
along with supporting materials, should demonstrate not only the College’s readiness for reaffirmation
review and satisfaction of the standards, but also the organizational and procedural framework that
provides for mission development and strategic planning, curricula development, faculty development
and intellectual contribution, and effective teaching.
College’s Educational Philosophy
The UAH business faculty strives to create a success oriented and student focused learning environment
where students are actively engaged in the educational process. We want the faculty and staff to be
accessible and cooperative. Our courses are designed around the attainment of practical application skills
that prepare students for future careers. This focus is reflected in the program objectives and in the
design of the curricula, which provides a total educational experience emphasizing critical thinking,
problem-solving, communication skills, and preparation for life-long learning. These are our educational
objectives, and feedback from our constituents indicates that we are achieving these objectives.
Management Processes and Organizational Structure
An appropriate organizational structure facilitates management processes that assure continuous
improvement to help the College be ever more successful in achieving its mission. Management
processes along with the review of inputs and the assessment of outcomes determine the direction and
rate of improvement. Table Preamble – 1 illustrates the organizational and governance structure the
College developed and adopted to implement the processes and assessment mechanisms used to adhere
to AACSB International standards and ensure continuous improvement in the College.
Effectiveness of Processes
The creation of an effective organizational structure is crucial to achieving the College’s objectives. In
1998 the College collectively agreed to restructure its committees in order to provide more effective and
efficient oversight of the management processes that address the issues of the College. The new structure
established seven standing committees, eliminating a fairly common need for ad hoc committees and task
forces. Membership on the committees was approved by the faculty, and provides economies of scope
and process efficiencies. Several additional benefits include:
 Providing continuity of membership and chairmanship of each committee.
 Providing continuity for faculty with respect to their committee assignments.
 Decreasing the total number of faculty committee assignments in the College by 24%.
 Creating a college-wide committee devoted to issues related to intellectual contributions.
 Providing that only tenured faculty serve on reappointment committees.
Achievement of the College’s Mission
Section M.5 will discuss the College’s achievements in meeting our mission by providing evidence that
our mission is being accomplished and that our vision statement guides our actions.
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AACSB SELF-EVALUATION REPORT – PREAMBLE
Preamble - 1
Table Preamble – 1
Organizational Structure the College Uses to Institutionalize Management Processes that
Advance the School’s Mission and Produce Continuous Improvement
AACSB Standard
Mission and
Objectives
Faculty Planning
Faculty Recruitment,
Selection, and
Orientation
Faculty
Development,
Promotion,
Retention, and
Renewal
Faculty Size,
Composition, and
Deployment
Faculty
Qualifications
Curriculum Content
and Evaluation
Instructional
Resources and
Responsibilities
Student Services
Intellectual
Contributions
Assessment
and
Accreditation
Committee
Strategic
Planning
Committee
◙
◙
Executive
Committee
Faculty
Search
Committees
Responsible Committee
Faculty
Promotion
Reappointment
and
Committees
Tenure
Advisory
Committee
FC&D
UCC
GCC
◙
◙
IRR
SSS
IC
◙
◙
◙
◙
◙
◙
◙
◙
◙
◙
◙
◙
FC&D=Faculty Composition and Development Committee; UCC=Undergraduate Curriculum Committee; GCC=Graduate Curriculum Committee;
IRR=Instructional Resources and Responsibilities Committee; SSS=Student Services and Satisfaction Committee; IC=Intellectual Contributions Committee
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AACSB SELF-EVALUATION REPORT – PREAMBLE
Preamble - 2
Strategic Planning
The College has a formal strategic planning process that solicits input from stakeholder groups including
faculty, staff, students, alumni, advisory councils, the business community, and the central
administration. The Strategic Planning Committee conducts a formal review and update of the strategic
plan on a five-year cycle or more frequently if needed. The Executive Committee annually monitors the
strategic plan’s implementation and any deviations from it, and drafts goals and plans for the next five
year period. Consequently, each year the College has a set of goals and plans for the next approximate
five-year period.
The College’s “Vision Statement 2010” adopted by stakeholders in 1998 has been guiding the College’s
development up to this point. During the self-evaluation year, our stakeholders are working to develop a
“Vision Statement 2015” which will be used to guide the College’s development for the next five years.
Hence, the College’s goals and plans for the next five-year period, as described in this Self-Evaluation
Report, may evolve as a result of our current ongoing strategic planning process. We will inform the Peer
Review Team of the status of our strategic planning process.
Further Information and Supporting Documentation
In addition to this report, an archive of annual reports, assessment data, course syllabi, intellectual
contributions, and other documents and assessments created as part of the College’s normal management
process are available for review on-site during the campus visit or upon request. Several resources are
also available for review at the following website locations.
University General Information
http://www.uah.edu/
College General Information:
http://www.uah.edu/colleges/adminsci/
Catalogs for Graduate and Undergraduate Programs
http://www.uah.edu/Cat01_03/
Louis B. Salmon Library
http://www.uah.edu/library/
Business Advisory Council
http://www.uah.edu/colleges/adminsci/corp/index.html
Center for Management and Economic Research (CMER)
http://www.uah.edu/colleges/adminsci/cmer/index.html
Center for Management of Science and Technology (CMOST)
http://www.uah.edu/colleges/adminsci/cmost.html
Northeast Alabama Regional Small Business Development Center
http://www.hsvchamber.org/nearsbdc/
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Class Schedules
http://www.uah.edu/cgi-bin/schedule.pl
Office of Institutional Research Data
http://www.uah.edu/provost/oir/
UAH Faculty Handbook
http://www.uah.edu/facsen/Faculty%20Handbook/TOC2.htm
UAH Student Handbook
http://www.uah.edu/student_life/handbook/handbook00/index.html
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Preamble - 4