AY 2014-2015 ACADEMIC PROGRAM REVIEW SELF-STUDY TEMPLATE
Reporting School/College: St. John’s College
Program Reviewed: Government & Politics BA Q
Date Submitted to Department/Division Chair: September, 2015
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 mission of the undergraduate program in Government and Politics (GOV) is to prepare students for careers in
the civil and foreign service; positions of political and administrative responsibility in the public and private
sectors, including with both international and domestic non-governmental organizations; careers in the field of
education; or further study as graduate or law students. Moreover, the BA in Government and Politics provides
the expertise to put the University’s mission into practice as a career. The program provides competencies in
communication skills, analytical skills, and the ability to conduct research and policy analysis. Many of our
undergraduate majors go on to law school or to graduate studies in political science or public administration;
others pursue teaching careers at the elementary or secondary levels; still others secure positions in the United
States civil service or in a private-sector field related to government and public policy. Many students work in
positions and fields with an international focus, in the United States and abroad. There are also undergraduate
students who go on to unrelated careers, who completed our major because of their general interest in the subject
matter and the analytical, research and writing skills we emphasize.
The undergraduate curriculum of the GOV program offers a wide variety of courses across the political science
discipline’s four major subfields: American Politics, with an emphasis on political institutions and public law;
International Relations, with a focus on international organizations, international law, international political
economy and large scale questions of war and peace; Comparative Politics, with an emphasis on area studies,
political, economic and social development, and issues of the environment and gender; and Political Theory, with
offerings in classical, modern and contemporary thought. We also offer experiential opportunities, with courses
for internships and also via courses abroad on the Rome and Paris campuses, and via travel courses (e.g.,
Morocco and Greece). Our undergraduate program in GOV requires completion of thirty-six credit hours of
study. Eighteen of those hours comprise a “major core.” There are three specifically required courses, GOV 1030,
American National Government, GOV 1050, Research Methods in Government and Politics and GOV 49914994, the Senior Seminar in one of the four major subfields. We also require students to take at least one course in
International Relations, Comparative Politics and Political Theory; we offer a range of courses to meet this
requirement. In the remaining eighteen credits, students can go wide or deep into subjects that spark their interest.
In going wide, students can emphasize a broad range of country and area studies, or combine subfields to
demonstrate a broad range of theoretical and empirical knowledge. Students can go deep and assemble courses to
create an area of strength with a focus in pre-law, international law, international political development, or
SJC_GOV_GOV_BA_Q
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municipal and state government. Any focus or approach will effectively serve as preparation for pursuing an
advanced degree or pursuing a professional career through our attention to developing students’ analytical skills,
research and writing.
The Government and Politics program is the 3rd largest major in St. John’s College and has been so for some time.
Given the financial downturn and the declining enrollment at the University in the past few years, the fact that we
continue to serve more than 250 majors suggests the strength and health of our program. Political science and
international relations are consistently popular majors at St. John’s and across the country. It is among the top ten
majors nationally, according to Princeton Review. National Center for Education Statistics reported that the social
sciences granted the second largest number of degrees, just behind business, in 2013. More importantly, the major
is also clearly a popular one for students who come to St. John’s. Moreover, our BA/MA program is among the
most popular among our best and brightest. Government and Politics majors are consistently competitive in a
variety of national scholarship competitions. The ability to complete the BA and MA in 5 years continues to be a
draw for high school students and their parents.
Across entrance requirements and GPA earned at the University, the GOV program compares well with peers.
Our entrance requirements are significantly lower than aspirational schools but given our job and graduate school
placement rate, our students do well enough to compete with our aspirational schools. This is especially evident
given our student recent successes achieving prestigious fellowships, awards and internships. Our students have
recently earned awards from Fulbright, Marshall, Pickering and Truman, internships from the White House and
Watson, and admission to the Public Policy and International Affairs summer programs at Princeton and Stanford.
Those awards and opportunities earned by our best indicate the effectiveness of the program, particularly in the
goals and objectives identified by the program. Our graduates are able to communicate effectively orally and in
writing, and have high levels of knowledge in their field of study. Furthermore, our 6-year graduation rate
continues to be a point of pride as we graduate significantly more than the College or University. However, at
64% there is considerable room for improvement, and we believe the next reported cohort will respond to the
changes made in the program to graduate more of our majors.
The Department of Government and Politics faculty made significant improvements to the GOV program; the
creation of GOV 1050, a research and methods introductory class, and the creation of a majors only introductory
requirement (GOV 1030, American National Government) are perhaps the most significant. Full time faculty
always teach these two classes. The majors only class and the focused instruction have improvement retention and
also have influenced students’ skills across our goals and objectives.
On the basis of our continued status as a key major in the College, alongside the success of our students, and
including the role that the courses in the program play for other programs, we believe it very important that the
GOV program be Enhanced. We have done so much with just 12 faculty members. We need more faculty in order
to grow at the pace we can while supporting even more of our students to great heights.
Standard 1.
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.
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)
Catholic
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The Catholic identity of St. John’s University is grounded in the Church's social teaching concerning human welfare and
social justice, with a strong emphasis on actualizing these principles through service and ministry. The program of
Government and Politics is dedicated to the understanding, development and administration of political systems,
institutions and values. Thus, this program includes emphases on evaluating the translation of social values through
various types of government systems, primarily focusing on democracies. Components of many of our courses focus on
the wide variety of social values articulated in Papal Encyclicals commencing with Rerum Novarum and continuing
through the papacy of Francis. We also have course components that address the rights of workers and the responsibilities
of employers as per John Paul’s On Human Work.
We offer course components that emphasize comparative analyses of
classical, modern and postmodern political thought, as per John Paul’s Faith and Reason. Our students are exposed to
course components that emphasize globalization and issues of human rights, a matter of concern to Catholic thinking.
Globalization and world poverty is covered in many of our courses, a matter of concern in light of the position taken by
the Latin American Bishops’ Conference. We also have course components that focus on social and economic justice, a
matter of concern highlighted by the Conference of American Bishops as well as components that emphasize Thomas
Aquinas’ notion of “just law” and “just war.”
Vincentian
The BA in Government and Politics rests on the core components of the Vincentian tradition. Course components in the
program focus on analyzing issues of social justice, e.g., national redistributive economic policy, progressive tax
structures, and developed-developing countries’ socioeconomic and political relations. Moreover, the program
emphasizes issues of human rights, e.g., rights of the accused, treatment of prisoners, religious tolerance, and the rights
of labor. The program has a number of courses focused on issues of legal justice, e.g., national and international courts,
issues of reparations, and affirmative action. The program also includes an emphasis on service learning both locally
and internationally by serving the less fortunate in a society.
Metropolitan
The BA in Government and Politics is metropolitan in both theory and practice. Theoretically, we offer courses that focus
on cultural diversity with the United States and abroad, e.g., urban politics and comparative politics offerings. We have
classes and components that focus on environmentally friendly sustainable development. We have courses and
components that focus on issues of metropolitan governance and the economic inequities between and among local
communities in the U.S as well as abroad. In practice, the program encourages internships so that students experience
directly the metropolitan nature of their major. We encourage participation in internships in local, state, national and
international economic and political arenas.
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)
The vision and mission of the University focuses on academic excellence and the pursuit of wisdom, which stem from the
values articulated as Catholic, Vincentian and Metropolitan. As a department, we have established specific strategic goals
dedicated to academic excellence. For the BA in Government and Politics, we aim to help students 1) understand and
apply concepts of political science, 2) communicate effectively, either orally and in writing, 3) address issues critically
and effectively. Our program is central to students’ ability to analyze and present arguments about a range of issues at
home and abroad. We are truly global in our approaches to social justice, social action, community service, and social
and economic inequality. Our country and region specific courses enable students to understand in specific cases the
determinants of the distribution of power, material resources, opportunities, and social values. Our international relations
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courses examine forces and policies regarding war, peace, human rights regimes, and international organizations and law
more widely. Our political theory courses enable students to critically compare various normative arguments for just and
caring social arrangements within the context of specific issues of for example tax policy, immigration laws, family
policy, and the role of religion in politics. Many of our courses engage students in practical applications of service or
advocacy either through internships or group projects.
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)
The major in Government and Politics embodies multiple aspects of the vision and mission of St. John’s College. To
become student centered we made a commitment that our required classes for the major would only be taught by full time
faculty. In doing this, we guarantee that our students have an early opportunity to build intellectual relationships with our
faculty, laying the foundation for a sense of mentorship and academic community within the department. Given that our
courses are writing and research intensive, we capped our classes to give students the individual instruction they need.
Our program has many courses that use the most advanced technology available to us at St. John’s. As noted in how we
serve the university mission, the program is both international and leadership oriented. Our focus is on “the highest
standards of scholarly inquiry” from both the students and they faculty. Moreover, the exit surveys provided by the Career
center demonstrate that in the last three years (the years for which data is available) our placement rate is excellent. With
over 70% of our graduated majors responding, the surveys demonstrate that an average of 90% of our students reporting
they are either employed, furthering their education or a combination of the two. In the last two years, those seeking but
not finding employment is under 10%. Consequently, we feel the department embodies the goals of the college vision and
mission to serve our undergraduates with a program that reflects “industry, market, and employer needs as well as the
global perspectives of our continuously changing world” (St. Johns’ College Mission, May 2013).
Standard 1.
Additional comments if needed. (Suggested limit 1 page)
STANDARD 2.
2a.
The program attracts, retains, and graduates high quality students.
Undergraduate SAT and High School Average
The undergraduate program in Government and Politics unquestionably attracts, retains and graduates high quality
students. It is the third largest major in St. Johns’ College. Over the last five years, the number of majors has declined
from our 10 year high of 252. However, given the challenges the university faces in current enrollment, we are pleased to
continue to serve on average more than 258 students as majors, BA/MA students in two colleges (SJC and CPS) and
minors.
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Judging from the SAT scores, the student quality has declined just slightly from our high in 2007, and remains better than
the College and on par with the University. We believe that SAT scores for our majors are likely to rise rather than
stabilize close to the University level. As the student interest in legal careers reemerges, and interest in globally oriented
careers continue to rise, we expect that the “better prepared” students (as judged by standardized tests rather than a high
school average), seeking to attend law school will apply to our program. The GPA for our students remained stable for the
last 10 years and is similar to the College and University average.
The program continues to retain students at a high rate. Our retention rate through 2012 declined slightly, and declined
more than the College or the University. In response to these dips, we instituted two significant changes. We now have a
section of GOV 1030 for just our majors and we created GOV 1050 in 2011 to provide an introductory methods course for
our majors. Despite the strain on our scheduling, we ensure that full time faculty teaches these required classes. We are
very pleased by the response to these changes, in 2014 our retention rate was 100% and in 2015, we retained 93% of our
freshman.
Our 6 year graduation rate continues to be a point of pride as we graduate significantly more than the College or
University. However, at 64% there is considerable room for improvement, and we believe the next reported cohort will
respond to the changes made in the program to graduate more of our majors.
SAT
High School Average
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
Program
1104
1093
1157
1135
1089
86
88
89
88
88
School/College
1104
1099
1085
1093
1093
88
88
88
88
89
University
1068
1075
1075
1087
1092
86
87
87
87
88
Freshmen SAT Scores
GOV
Fall 2010
Fall 2011
Fall 2012
Fall 2013
Computed
Computed
Computed
Computed
1,106
1,088
1,126
1,112
Freshmen High School Average
GOV
Fall 2010
Fall 2011
Fall 2012
Fall 2013
High School
High School
High School
High School
88
85
88
87
SJC_GOV_GOV_BA_Q
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SAT Scores
High School Average
2010
2011
2012
2013
2010
2011
2012
2013
1089
1077
1087
1098
88
88
88
88
Total University 1097
1087
1096
1104
87
87
88
89
School/
College - Q
SAT
TestTakers
Mean
Scores
Intended College Major
Number
Percent
(%)
Critical
Reading
Mathematic
s
Tota
l
Public Administration and Social Services
Professions
489
0.4%
445
440
885
* 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
2008**
# Fresh
# Ret
%
Program
82%
85%
74%
88%
82%
54
45
83%
School/
College
77%
79%
77%
77%
73%
1005
768
76%
University
78%
78%
78%
79%
76%
3268
2557
78%
Note* The % of students started in Fall 2004 and returned to the program in Fall 2005
** The % of students started in Fall 2008 and returned to the program in Fall 2009
2009
SJC_GOV_GOV_BA_Q
2010
2011
2012
Self-Study Template 6
T
o
t
a
l Returned
GO
V
Tota
l
DNR
Returne
d
DNR
Tota
l
Returne
d
DNR
Tota
l
Returne
d
DNR
#
%
#
%
#
%
#
%
#
%
#
%
#
%
#
%
5
5 43
78
%
1
2
22
%
3
7
71
%
1
5
29
%
2
4
71
%
1
0
29
%
3
6
73
%
1
3
27
%
52
34
49
Fall
2009
2010
2011
2012*
# Fresh
# Ret
%
School/
College - Q
76%
74%
72%
905
683
76%
Total University
78%
78%
76%
2757
2195
80%
* The % of students started in Fall 2012 and returned to the program in Fall 2013
2c.
Undergraduate 6 Year Graduation Rate
Fall
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
Program
62%
71%
73%
58%
70%
School/
College
Average Rate
61%
59%
58%
60%
57%
University
64%
59%
61%
61%
58%
Fall 2004 cohort
Fall 2005 cohort
Fall 2006 cohort
Fall 2007 cohort
Total
Graduated
Total
Graduated
Total
Graduated
Total
Graduated
31 67%
43
20 47%
48
34 71%
45
29 64%
GOV 46
SJC_GOV_GOV_BA_Q
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Fall
2004
2005
2006
2007
School/College
Average Rate - Q
57%
57%
57%
51%
Total University
58%
58%
59%
55%
2d.
Graduate Standardized Test Scores
Comments: Refer to Charts 2a – 2d in your response. (Suggested limit 1/2 page)
2e.
Please describe how the program compares with peer and aspirational institutions.
(Suggested limit 1/2 page)
The Government and Politics program compares well with peers but not with aspirational institutions.
Baruch College requires a minimum of 2.25 to become a major in their Bachelor of Science in Public Affairs, which
is much lower than our students. The GPA is similar for the College at 89.6, but their average SAT is significantly
higher at 1264. John Jay College, has a lower GPA and lower SATs, at 84.4 and 986 respectively. CW Post is similar,
looking for 82-85 GPA and SATs of 1000 for their admission requirements. Adelphi reports chances of getting in to
be high with our GPA and SAT scores. Hofstra attracts students with a higher GPA but about the same SAT scores.
Our sister school, DePaul, reports similar GPA and SAT scores to our majors. However, the GOV program does not
compare as favorably with aspirational institutions like NYU and Columbia with significantly lower SATs and overall
GPA (1340 average SATs, GPAs in the top 10% or higher of their high schools).
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
2g.
Number of majors and minors enrolled over the past five years. See table below.
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Fall
Number of
Students
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
Majors
252
240
239
235
252
Minors
15
12
20
23
30
Total
267
252
259
258
282
Fall 2010 Fall 2011 Fall 2012 Fall 2013
MAJORS GOV
MINORS Government & Politics
Total
2h.
Majors
Majors
Majors
BA
231
209
187
190
BA/MA
12
11
25
24
Total
243
220
212
214
Fall 2010
Fall 2011 Fall 2012 Fall 2013
Minors
Minors
Minors
Minors
28
31
22
24
Fall 2010
Fall 2011 Fall 2012 Fall 2013
Total
Total
Total
Total
291
267
253
258
Number of degrees granted during the past five years. See table below.
Degrees
Granted
BA
Majors
Academic Year
04/05
05/06
06/07
07/08
08/09
56
74
46
59
55
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10/11
SJC -UG-Q GOV
Government & Politics
BA
11/12
12/13
Degrees
Degrees
Conferred Conferred
Degrees
Conferred
53
53
60
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 45-Social Sciences.
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
Bachelors
Local
3,417
3,423
3,322
National
137,582
142,145
143,422
1Local 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)
In 2009, we served 282 students on the undergraduate level. Given the financial downturn and the declining enrollment in
the past few years, the fact that we continue to serve more than 250 majors suggests that more than just the institutional,
regional and national patterns are at work here. Political science and international relations are incredibly popular majors.
It is among the top ten majors in the country, according to Princeton Review. According to the National Center for
Education Statistics, the social sciences granted the second largest number of degrees, just behind business, in 2013. More
importantly, the major is also clearly a popular one for students who come to St. John’s. We continue to be the third
largest major in St. John’s College, despite the fluctuations in enrollment. St. John’s students want to be GOV majors.
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)
The department provides individual advising to all its majors in all its programs. All faculty provide quality advising and
support. All students meet with full time faculty each semester with their UIS report in hand. At these meetings, progress
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toward degree, opportunities, and options for the future are discussed. The department recognizes that more can be done
to introduce students to opportunities and is instituting required meetings for each class, building on the freshman lunch
that now occurs at Convocation. We have also instituted a tutoring program, provided by our Graduate Assistants, to aid
students who are underperforming. We believe the specialized attention, in addition to the support provided by the
Writing Institute, has been invaluable.
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)
According to the information provided by the Career Center for the last three years, Government and Politics majors are
finding either employment or a place in graduate school at a high rate. On average over the last three years, 80% of our
majors are either employed or in graduate school. However, our placement rate keeps increasing. The department used to
have a thriving alumni program, where we kept track of the data. Alumni Relations took over this task in the late 1990s
and since then we have not had as effective a relationship with our Alumni or kept as effective track of them. Alumni
Relations has also been less than helpful in assisting us in contacting our Alumni. Therefore, beyond the information from
the Career Center surveys, we only have anecdotal information and information from faculty LinkedIn connections. Our
anecdotal information indicates that our students have a wide variety of interesting professions – some are the natural
paths from Government and Politics: law, politics, and policy. We have alumni who work for government, in government
or in politics. We also have alumni working abroad, working in media and journalism, and even working in investment
banking. We have alumni in various levels of government from the state department, to the CIA, the FBI and a variety of
bureaucracies. Our majors are successful!
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)
As indicated in the following charts, Government and Politics majors are doing very well at St. John’s. The overall GPA
for the program has increased over time and is higher than the college and the university. Moreover, our BA/MA students
represent the best and brightest in the College and University, as indicated by GPA. In addition, assessment of students in
the program via the senior seminar (GOV 4991- 4994) indicates that significantly more than 80% earn our highest ranking
in the goals and outcomes assessed by the department. Thus, our graduates are able to communicate effectively orally and
in writing, and have high levels of knowledge in their field of study.
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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
The goals and objectives of the GOV program are to prepare students for public and/or private sector careers as well as
prepare them for further study as graduate or law students. Fundamentally, the GOV program seeks to educate students
about government and politics at home and abroad; we especially focus on the linkages between countries and on the rule
of law across countries. We focus on American Politics, with an emphasis on political institutions and public law;
International Relations, with a focus on international organizations, international law, international political economy and
large scale questions of war and peace; Comparative Politics, with an emphasis on area studies, development, and issues
of the environment and gender; and Political Theory, with offerings in classical, modern and contemporary thought. The
program provides competencies in communication skills, analytical skills, and the ability to conduct research and policy
analysis.
We believe that the BA in Government and Politics provides the expertise to put the University’s mission into practice as
a career, regardless of the path chosen. In many respects, the political science discipline always has been concerned with
social justice issues. Aristotle long ago pursued political philosophy from the ethical and organizational perspectives.
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The common good, closely associated with political stability, was jeopardized should disparities exist and persist among
economic groups. Via practical competencies as well as its mission, the GOV program’s strategic goals and objectives
dovetail nicely with both the College and University’s strategic plans. The Program’s dual academic and practical focus is
a main point emphasized very clearly in the Provost’s letter of September 13, 2013 addressing the Strategic Plan and
Repositioning Progress Report, which noted that: “although we value knowledge as a goal in and of itself, the external
reality is that there has been a shift in the social and political paradigm that will continue to challenge us.” These
challenges involve educating our students in ways that encourage and prepare them to be active participants in the careers
that reflect and will help shape the global future, to produce “tangible results” that make certain that our “courses will help
[our students] meet industry and employer needs.”
It is also important to note that the twin emphases of academic rigor and practical application are distinct but related goals.
We want our students to have careers focused on governance and the use of power partly because we want our students to
be successful professionals but also because we hope they will bring their St. John’s experience with a multi-cultural
environment, an emphasis on social justice and the Vincentian notion of service to their careers and to the lives of the
people these careers impact. In short, we want to train our GOV students to be successful and effective spokespeople for
the basic values and underlying Mission of St. John’s as they move on to their professional careers in private or public
service. These values are obviously needed in all areas of life today but none more so than in that area where the
formulation and implementation of public policy most directly occurs—the venue where decision makers give meaning to
the ideals of celebrating diversity, establishing social justice and acting in service to something larger than oneself.
As the Department of Government and Politics works to maintain and expand the GOV Program in both of the twin
emphases mentioned above, academic understanding and practical application are foremost in faculty members’ minds.
The Program strives to help students address fundamental questions of representative governance, as for example, what is
the proper balance between the democratic accountability found (at least theoretically) in the elected branches of
government and the professional knowledge and responsibility housed in the organizations that implement public policy
and how are public services delivered effectively, efficiently and justly, while also making certain that our students
develop the practical skills necessary to help them reach positions where they can address these and other equally thorny
questions in ways that reflect the University’s core value of Vincentian service and the commitment to social justice. Few
areas of study are more relevant to the needs of the future, both for society in general and in terms of student opportunities
for meaningful employment in that society, than that of Government and Politics.
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?
The faculty in the Department of Government and Politics, like most of our colleagues in the College and University, has
undertaken fundamental reviews and assessments of our various programs in recent years. Spurred on by academic
research focused on what is and what is not effective pedagogy as well as by increased pressures to point to the tangible
results of Higher Education, the Department has developed assessment strategies for all its programs, including the GOV
BA. There are two main avenues for assessing the “internal environment” of the Program. The first involves the Weavebased assessment process focused on the Program’s capstone seminar, GOV 4991-4994 (the Seminar in either American
Government, International Relations, Comparative Politics, or Political Theory). Through the assessment of the Senior
Seminars, we learned that our students wanted the grounding that methodology provides earlier in their program.
Consequently, we added the introductory methods course, GOV 1050. We are looking forward to fall 2015, when we can
begin assessing the effect from adding this course. We expect to see growth in all our competencies, but especially
students’ research and analytical skills. The second active assessment process involves faculty meetings each semester
SJC_GOV_GOV_BA_Q
Self-Study Template 13
focused on several of our programs, using the posted class outlines as the guide. These meeting serve as the basis for
reconsideration of the formal course syllabi that define each of the Department’s class offerings.
A SWOT analysis will help clarify the Program’s “external environment.” In terms of strengths, we have a small but
committed group of faculty members, who offer classes in the undergraduate GOV Program. Our International Relations
and Comparative Politics courses reflect the strength that 6 of our 12 faculty provide. To bolster our small but committed
fulltime faculty, we have a dedicate group of part-timers. In particular, lawyers, who all also have the MA from our
graduate program, teach our law courses.
Although faculty commitment and skill is undoubtedly a strength for the Program, the small number of full time faculty
offering classes in GOV at St. John’s represents a notable and pennywise-but-pound-foolish weakness. Because of the
small size of the Department versus the commitment to 5 programs across 3 campuses, 40% of our undergraduate course
offerings come from part timers. Given the size of our major, the Program needs more faculty members who can dedicate
full-time service to teaching our classes. The part-time faculty members GOV classes are, as mentioned above, excellent
but they have careers outside of the classroom and they cannot—nor should they be expected to—dedicate the amount of
time that a full-time faculty member has available for office hours, informal interactions with students, and developing a
“campus presence,” which brings life to any academic program. And although tenure-track lines are always optimal,
several contract lines filled by PhDs would prove useful to our students and to the GOV Program. We cannot grow
without it. We cannot offer new courses that represent new areas of research without faculty who have that expertise.
Based in NYC, home of the UN, a dynamic and active city government, and only a few hours from the Albany and
Washington, D.C., the Government program has an enormous competitive advantage for Internships and career
placement. The Government and Politics’ Internship Program provides one of our most effective mechanisms to transition
to employment or graduate school. Between 2011 and 2014, the Department averaged 50 students taking the opportunity
to work in a political office, government office, or in the private sector.
This report will address programmatic opportunities below in Section 3c and so the current section will close with an
analysis of threats. The problems underlying the threats to the program reside with the University. The decline in
enrollment will be an issue every department must face, however, the size of our major and health of our major means that
students who would have naturally joined GOV are now being courted by other programs. We are concerned especially by
the Homeland Security and Legal Studies programs, as we often see those students as Juniors wanting to switch into our
program. We believe the incoming freshman are not being successfully advised as applicants as to the major that best
matches their career dreams. Students who want Graduate degrees – Master’s, PhD’s or Law – are best served by a liberal
arts education. Moreover, we are concerned that both Homeland and Legal Studies are marketing themselves as
functionally equivalent to us, when then their programs are actually designed with much narrower career paths in mind.
Secondly, the growth of interdisciplinary programs without appreciation for the management of faculty assignments has
been a challenge. The Department of Government and Politics runs 5 of its own programs across 3 campuses. In addition,
the Department is committed to running courses that serve the Environmental Studies Program and the MA in Social
Justice and Development. Our courses also fill spots in many minors and other programs. Consequently, the Department
is continually challenged to balance its own needs with the needs of others, without recognition of the need to
accommodate these responsibilities from the University.
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.
The occupations in the provided table represent those chosen by only a small fraction of program graduates. The
Government and Politics major, as a liberal arts major, prepares students broadly for life, and for employment in any of an
extremely diverse range of fields. In 2010 the American Association of Colleges and Universities conducted focus groups
with employers, and then conducted broad employer surveys on the basis of the focus group results, identifying the
learning outcomes on which employers wanted colleges to place more emphasis. Of the 14 areas identified by a majority
SJC_GOV_GOV_BA_Q
Self-Study Template 14
of employers for enhanced attention, 13 represent particular strengths of the Government and Politics B.A. program.
These are: global issues; the role of the United States in the world; cultural diversity in the U.S. and other countries; civic
knowledge, participation, and engagement; written and oral communication, critical thinking and analytic reasoning;
complex problem solving; teamwork skills in diverse groups; creativity and innovation; information literacy; quantitative
reasoning; ethical decision making; and applied knowledge in real-world settings.
The current and future market demand for trained social scientists is good, consequently the demand for the program
remains high. According to the Federal Government’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, the growth and earning potential of
Government (political science) majors is excellent. Looking purely at positions termed “political scientists,” the job
outlook is expected to grow by 21%, between 2012 and 2022 and is considered faster than average. “There are some
experiential indications that the growth will be somewhat larger: e.g., political scientists with social media skills are
increasingly in demand in local, state and federal campaigns. One also might add the growing divergence among states on
public policy issues such as marijuana use, assisted suicide and gun control. Each of these areas promises employment
opportunities.” In addition, similar positions, like market research analysts, teachers, survey researchers, urban and
regional planners are also expected to grow. Although the field of law is only expected to grow about average, according
to the Bureau, political science is still considered the preferred track for those seeking law degrees. Moreover, according
to the Hamilton Project at the Brookings Institute, Political Science and Government are the only social science degrees,
which beat the overall average lifetime salary of majors.
The increasing globalization of the business and political sectors, as well as the growth in work and opportunity in
developing countries, underscores the need to understand these processes. Consequently, interest in the international
relations and comparative politics side of the major continues to grow. According to College Factual, there were over
11,000 graduations in International Relations and over 42,000 in political science, which is 3 percent of the approximately
1.8 million degrees awarded last year.
In addition, the current and future demand from St. John’s students remains high. Our students look for ways to connect
the mission to their career, their preferences, as well as their beliefs. Consequently, we would expect to continue to serve
students who want to serve at home and abroad via government and NGO service. Furthermore, we would also expect to
continue to be an affiliated program for students interested in environmental studies and global development.
Another reason to be confident in our market demand is the long legacy of local career success. Our students are children
of department alumni – not just St. John’s alumni. In New York State, we have produced state governors and a third of the
New York legislators were St. John’s University undergraduate, graduate or law graduates. Significant numbers of
program graduates go on to law school and to other graduate and professional programs. Most go directly to employment
throughout the private, public, and nonprofit sectors in a diverse variety of occupations. Representative BLS 2012-2022
employment projections, all at average to above-average growth levels, which are all potential careers for our students,
include:
Occupation group
Numerical increase
Percentage increase
Public relations and fundraising managers
8,000
12.8
Management occupations (all)
636,000
7.2
Business and financial operations occupations
898,100
12.5
Lawyers, judges, and related workers
76,600
9.3
Media and communications workers
60,200
8.3
SJC_GOV_GOV_BA_Q
Self-Study Template 15
Political science teaching, postsecondary
3,100
14.6
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/political-scientists.htm
http://www.hamiltonproject.org/files/downloads_and_links/MajorDecisions-Figure_2a.pdf
Fastest growing occupations and occupations having the largest numerical increase in employment by level of education
and training projected.
Change, 2010-20
Fastest Growing Occupations
Percent
Numeric
0%
200
Paralegal and Legal Assistants
18%
46,900
Judges, Mediators, and Hearing
Officer
7%
4,600
Legislators
Occupations having the
largest numerical increase
in employment
Change, 2010-20
Percent
Numeric
Paralegal and Legal
Assistants
18%
46,900
Projected Changes in Related Occupations (2010 – 2020)
Grow faster than average - Increase 15 to 20.9%
Paralegal and Legal Assistants
Grow about as fast as average - Increase 7 to 14.9%
Judges, Mediators, and Hearing Officer
G Little or no change - decrease 2 percent to increase 2 percent
Legislators
Changes, 2010-20
Percent
Numeric
18%
46,900
Changes, 2010-20
Percent
Numeric
7%
4,600
Changes, 2010-20
Percent
Numeric
0%
200
*For more information please visit: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecopro.toc.htm
Standard 3.
Additional comments if needed: (Suggested limit 1 page)
SJC_GOV_GOV_BA_Q
Self-Study Template 16
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:
(Suggested limit 1/2 page for each of the three categories below)
Standards within the Discipline
The discipline of Political Science provides the foundation and standards for the program in Government and Politics. As
a social science, we apply the scientific method to the study of political behavior. Thus, our standards for teaching
students focus on the “doing” of political science. However, we are aware that most of our students will not be political
scientists in the classic sense, earning Phd’s in the field, rather they will be citizens and participants in the environment
where political behavior occurs. Thus, the standards for teaching in the discipline also include focusing on how to
formulate questions, understanding how to design answers to those questions, identifying where to get information,
gleaning the difference between good and bad information (especially important within the digital age) and the value in
being a participatory citizen. We use many of the classic readings in political science in our courses, and also rely on
texts and workbooks designed to teach students methodology and research design.
The standards for research in the field can be found in publications produced by our primary professional association – the
American Political Science Association. As core research forms the foundation of for our courses and their syllabi, it is
not surprising to find similarity in terms of courses, and the approach to those courses provided by the Association’s self
evaluation, Political Science The State of the Discipline, which is currently in its third iteration. The volume focuses on
the adjustment of the field and “the state of the discipline in an era of globalization; democracy, justice, and their
institutions; citizenship, identity, and political participation; and studying politics, including essays on comparative
politics, rational choice, game theory, data and formal theory, and reclaiming the experimental tradition.”
Curriculum integrity, coherence, academic internships, teaching excellence, teaching vibrancy, and study abroad
experiences.
Our program provides an exceptionally integrated and coherent program covering the major subfields of political science.
The department prides itself on offering courses supporting the 5 fields within the discipline. Four of those fields comprise
the GOV major – International Relations, Comparative Politics, American Government, and Political Theory. The 5th field
is Public Administration, which we serve via the Public Administration and Public Service Major.
Our course offerings are among the most comprehensive when compared to the practices in other political science
departments across the country as compiled by the American Political Science Association’s Curriculum Report. For
example, 57.1 % of responding departments did not offer a research methods course, 16.3% of responding departments do
not offer political theory; 22% reported not offering a Constitutional Law or Judicial Politics class, all of which we now
offer with great frequency. Our faculty has been particularly vibrant in terms of expanding course offerings both on
campus and online. Newer courses include GOV 3310 Comparative Diversity, Identity and Governance; 3340 Arms
Races and Arms Control; GOV 3851 Politics of Genocide; GOV 3820 Politics of Migration and most recently, GOV 2000
Introduction to Conflict Resolution. In addition, we are especially proud of the choice to take on the task of preparing
GOV 1050, the Research and Methods course, a crucial avenue for retention. At least two more new courses are in the
pipeline: Transnational Politics of Gender and Campaigns and Elections. Several of our faculty ventured across
disciplinary lines working with Global Justice and Women’s and Gender Studies programs. In addition, a number of
faculty have worked assiduously to offer courses online regularly during each semester and summer sessions. Finally,
for many years we have had a comprehensive internship program, which has enabled student to integrate practical
experience and academic research. Internships are available in American politics and domestic and international public
SJC_GOV_GOV_BA_Q
Self-Study Template 17
administration. Such internships are absolutely central to our being able to offer our majors a uniquely practical avenue to
their post-graduate careers.
We have rich and developing opportunities for study abroad: In Rome, we offer GOV 2650 - Government and Politics of
Western Europe and GOV 3320 - Current Terrorists Movements, in France we offer GOV 3290: The Politics of
Revolution. Online, specifically for DTW students, we also offer GOV 3992 Integrating Seminar: Politics of the
European Union in Paris, Rome and Salamanca. We typically offer 1 upper division GOV course online so that our
students abroad can take a course, in addition to those offered in Rome and Paris. Our BA/MA students can also take a
graduate course on the Rome campus, if they are there for the semester. Moreover, top students and BA/MA students have
had the opportunity to enroll in new developed graduate short course: GOV 199. In 2014, we had a very successful
version of this course for which 15 students traveled to Morocco. For summer 2015, we have developed a version that we
hoped would run in Athens, Greece.
As noted in the table provided in section 5, the Government Department’s faculty – full time and part time receive high
marks from students for teaching vibrancy. In every category in the table, the faculty scores are much higher than both the
college and the university. Clearly, the students in the program value the faculty highly and consider their courses
beneficial to their overall goals. Our faculty work hard to maintain and update our course offerings as well as the material
in their courses. Much of what we do in political science is analyzing the past in order to explain the present and offer
predictions for the future, thus our faculty must always remain current with knowledge in the field and with their own
research.
The University Core Competencies
Almost every course we teach is designed to increase students’ ability to think critically, to find and use information
effectively, to write skillfully, to present their work orally, and to analyze quantitative information. Indeed, our program
and our field is one of the best majors in which to coherently unite empirical and normative concerns, as suggested by
these competencies. In our courses, students are motivated to analyze both theoretical concepts and contemporary data.
Beginning in Fall 2015 the combination of GOV 1050, Research Methods in Political Science and the Senior Seminars,
will allow the department to do a full assessment of student entering and exiting skill sets. We expect the combination of
these assessment points will allow the department to fully understand where our students are and what we need to do to
get our students where they need to go.
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 Departmental syllabi incorporate the “suggested elements of a syllabus” as outlined in the link included in this section.
We have made the suggested elements standard for all department syllabi. Moreover, each semester, as mandated by the
most recent Collective Bargaining Agreement, every full- and part-time faculty member offering classes is required to
submit his/her class outline to the Departmental Personnel and Budget Committee. These class outlines (individual class
syllabi) are then posted on the Department’s e-Portfolio page for review by the faculty each semester. The Department
requires that these outlines include all relevant class information concerning faculty contact, required readings, required
assignments, grade assessment plan, units of analysis, class objectives, scheduling, departmental policies, etc.
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)
The Department has worked hard to develop our academic identity, which rests on three main goals for the GOV program.
Goal 1: Understand and apply concepts of the discipline. Goal 2: Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
SJC_GOV_GOV_BA_Q
Self-Study Template 18
Goal 3: Demonstrate critical analysis of issues. Within these goals, we have 10 objectives. Our undergraduate course map
demonstrates how within each course, objectives are either: Introduced and/or, Reinforced, and/or Mastered. We use this
map to design our WEAVE assessments. As part of our assessment program, we randomly sample a course each year to
evaluate a goal and its objectives. In addition, we undertake continuous assessment of all our majors via the Senior
Seminar. For the four courses that fall under the senior seminar, we designed an assessment rubric to evaluate the goals of
the program. As every student must take the seminar, we are able to assess each and every major for competencies in the
goals and objectives we have articulated. As our WEAVE analysis demonstrates, we routinely see over 80% of our
students successfully meeting our objectives. In response to student evaluations and their frustrations with the goals of the
seminars, we created GOV 1050 in 2011. With this course, we now have the ability to assess all our majors at their
common entry point and then again as they exit the program. Beginning in Fall 2015, we will be able to truly understand
the process of growth for our students and begin to better fill needs identified by the assessment program.
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)
In the last four years, Government undergraduates have won very prestigious awards and internships. We had two White
House interns in Spring 2015. One of our students won a fellowship from the American Bar Association. Our students
have submitted papers and been accepted to the Pi Sigma Political Science Student Conference. They have also
participated in local and regional professional political science associations, e.g., the NYPSA and NEPSA. Our students
continue to gain admission to top graduate schools and obtain wonderful job opportunities. They have earned prestigious
opportunities to assist in their post-SJU careers from the Fulbright, Watson, Marshall, Pickering and Truman awards.
Although it would be nice to win a “best department” award from another institution – the success of our students speaks
louder than any external validation could.
Standard 4.
Additional comments if needed. (Suggested limit 1 page)
STANDARD 5. The program has the faculty resources required to meet its mission and goals.
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
Fall 2005
FT
PT
Total
FT
PT
Total
FT
PT
Total
FT
PT
Total
FT
PT
Total
Majors
244
8
252
237
3
240
233
6
239
230
5
235
244
8
252
Minors
14
1
15
7
5
12
19
1
20
21
2
23
30
SJC_GOV_GOV_BA_Q
Fall 2006
Fall 2007
Fall 2008
Fall 2009
30
Self-Study Template 19
Majors
&
Minors
Combin
ed
258
9
267
244
8
252
252
7
259
251
7
258
274
8
282
# of
FTE
Students
(Majors
&
Minors)
258.0
0
3.0
0
261.0
0
244.0
0
2.6
7
246.6
7
252.0
0
2.3
3
254.3
3
251.0
0
2.3
3
253.3
3
274.0
0
2.6
7
276.6
7
# of
FTE
Faculty
assigned
to the
program
0
0
0
0
0
FTE
Student/
FTE
Faculty
Ratio
0
0
0
0
0
Fall 2010
Fall 2011
P
Majors
Majors Majors Majors Majors Majors Majors Majors Majors Majors Major Major
s
s
6
Fall 2010
251
F
221
P
7
Total
228
F
214
P
Fall 2013
F
MAJORS 245
Total
Fall 2012
8
Fall 2011
Fall 2012
Fall 2013
F
F
F
Total
Minors
Minors Minors Minors Minors Minors Minors Minors Minors
SJC_GOV_GOV_BA_Q
27
30
30
21
Total
21
22
P
222
F
MINORS 27
Total
Total
1
F
P
216
5
Total
221
Total
23
Self-Study Template 20
Fall 2010
Total
Fall 2011
P
Total
F
P
Total
F
P
Total F
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total Total Total Total
6
278
251
7
258
235
8
243
MAJORS/MINO
272
RS
FTE MAJORS
FTE Student/FTE Faculty
Ratio
Fall 2011
Fall 2012
238
P
Total
F
P
Total
F
P
Total F
FTE
FTE
FTE
FTE
FTE
FTE
FTE
FTE
FTE
272
2
274
251
2.333
253.333 235
2.667
237.66
238
7
Fall 2011
15
16
17:1
16:1
Fall 2012
P
6
Total
244
Fall 2013
F
Fall 2010
# of FTE faculty assigned
to the program
Fall 2013
F
Fall 2010
Total
Fall 2012
P
Total
FTE FTE FTE
2
240
Fall 2013
16
16
15:1
15:1
Important Notes:
FTE Students = Number of FT Students + (number of PT Students/3)
FTE Faculty = Number of FT Faculty + (number of PT Faculty/3)
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.
Credit Hours
SJC_GOV_GOV_BA_Q
Fall 2005
Fall 2006
Fall 2007
Fall 2008
Fall 2009
Self-Study Template 21
Taught
#
%
#
FT Faculty
2166 67%
1671 55%
1713 62%
PT Faculty
1044 33%
1365 45%
1065 38%
Total
3210 100% 3036 100% 2778 100% 3177 100% 3315
% consumed by Non-Majors
30%
Credit Hrs
Taught
Fall 2011
Fall 2010
%
#
%
30%
#
%
#
%
2019 64%
2310
70%
1158 36%
1005 30%
28%
Fall 2012
37%
32%
Fall 2013
Number Percent Number
Percent Number
Percent Number Percent
F-T Faculty
1,992
59.9%
1,800
57.0%
1,947
75.8%
1,596
63.0%
P-T Faculty
(inc Admin)
1,332
40.1%
1,356
43.0%
621
24.2%
936
37.0%
0.0%
Total
3,324 100%
% Consumed
by NonMajors
975
29.3%
0.0%
100%
0.0%
3,156
100%
2,568
100%
1,068
33.8%
591
23.0%
0.0%
2,532
531
100%
21.0%
5c.
Below you will find the number of courses the department has delivered by full-time faculty and part-time faculty
(including administrators).
Courses
Fall 2005
Fall 2006
Fall 2007
Fall 2008
Fall 2009
Taught
#
#
#
#
#
%
66%
%
%
%
%
27 60%
29 64%
31 63%
31
18 40%
16 36%
18 37%
16 34%
FT Faculty 26 67%
PT Faculty 13 33%
Total
39 100% 45 100% 45 100% 49 100% 47
SJC_GOV_GOV_BA_Q
100%
Self-Study Template 22
Courses
Taught
Fall 2010
Fall 2011
Fall 2012
Fall 2013
Number Percent Number
Percent Number
Percent Number Percent
F-T Faculty
26
60.5%
37
67.3%
31
75.6%
27
65.9%
P-T Faculty
(inc Admin)
17
39.5%
18
32.7%
10
24.4%
14
34.1%
0.0%
Total
43
100%
0.0%
55
100%
0.0%
41
100%
0.0%
41
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 numbers provided below do not match the number of people teaching for the Department. There are 12 fulltime
faculty members, 67% are male, and 83% are white. However, only 10 full time faculty are in Queens, and 2 of those go
to Rome each semester. The Department is 100% tenured. However, we have more than 5 individuals teaching for the
Department part-time. In Fall of 2013, the data should show 10 part time members. Our part time faculty (which include
administrators) are 60% male and 70% white. Our Department could be more diverse, a factor we hope to achieve with
additional hiring
SJC_GOV_GOV_BA_Q
Self-Study Template 23
Departmental Plan
2005
FT
2006
PT
Total FT
2007
PT
Total FT
#
%
#
%
11
7
64%
8
62%
8
4
36%
5
38%
2008
PT
Total FT
#
%
#
%
15
7
64%
4
36%
9
4
36%
7
64%
2009
PT
Total FT
#
%
#
%
11
8
67%
5
45%
11
4
33%
6
55%
PT
#
%
# %
#
%
#
%
Male
7
64%
4 50%
13
8
67%
5
5
Female
4
36%
4 50%
10
4
33%
5
5
Total
11 100% 8 100% 19
11 100% 13 100% 24
11 100% 11 100% 22
12 100% 11 100% 23
12 100% 10 1
Black
1
9%
0 0%
1
0
0%
1
8%
1
0
0%
1
9%
1
0
0%
1
9%
1
0
0%
1
1
Hispanic
0
0%
1 13%
1
0
0%
1
8%
1
0
0%
1
9%
1
0
0%
1
9%
1
0
0%
1
1
Asian
1
9%
0 0%
1
1
9%
0
0%
1
1
9%
0
0%
1
1
8%
0
0%
1
1
8%
0
0
White
9
82%
7 88%
16
10 91%
11 85%
21
10 91%
9
82%
19
11 92%
9
82%
20
11 92%
8
8
Unknown
0
0%
0 0%
0
0
0
0
0
0
0%
0
0
0
0%
0
0
0
0
Total
11 100% 8 100% 19
11 100% 13 100% 24
11 100% 11 100% 22
12 100% 11 100% 23
12 100% 10 1
Tenured
9
82%
9
9
82%
9
9
82%
9
9
75%
9
9
75%
Tenure-Track
1
9%
1
2
18%
2
2
18%
2
3
25%
3
3
25%
Not Applicable 1
9%
1
0
0%
0
0
0%
0
0
0%
0
0
0%
11
11 100%
11
11 100%
11
12 100%
12
12 100%
Gender
Ethnicity
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
Tenure Status
Total
11 100%
SJC_GOV_GOV_BA_Q
Self-Study Template 24
2010
FT
2011
PT
#
%
Male
7
Female
4
Total
11
#
Total
FT
2012
PT
%
#
%
64% 6
55% 13
8
36% 5
45% 9
4
#
Total
FT
2013
PT
Total
%
#
%
# %
67% 6
60% 14
8
67%
3 75%
33% 4
40% 8
4
33%
FT
PT
Total
#
%
# %
11
8
67%
3 60%
11
1 25%
5
4
33%
2 40%
6
4
16
12
5
17
Gender
11
22
12
10
22
12
Ethnicity
Black
0%
1
9%
1
0%
1
10% 1
0%
Hispanic
0%
1
9%
1
0%
1
10% 1
0%
0%
1 25%
0
0%
1 20%
1
1
0%
1 20%
1
Asian
1
9%
0%
1
1
8%
0%
1
1
8%
0%
1
1
8%
0 0%
1
American
Indian/Alaskan
Native
1
9%
0%
1
1
8%
0%
1
1
8%
0%
1
1
8%
0 0%
1
White
9
82% 9
82% 18
13
10 83%
3 60%
13
2 or More Races
0 0%
0
Native
Hawaiian/Pacific
Islander
0 0%
0
0 0%
0
Unknown
SJC_GOV_GOV_BA_Q
0%
0%
0
10 83% 8
0%
80% 18
0%
0
10 83%
0%
3 75%
0%
0
0%
Self-Study Template 25
Total
11
11
22
12
10
22
12
4
16
12
5
17
Tenure Status
Tenured
9
82%
9
10 83%
10
11 92%
11
11 92%
11
Tenure-Track
2
18%
2
2
17%
2
1
8%
1
1
8%
1
0%
0
0%
0
0%
0
0%
0
Not Applicable
Total
11
SJC_GOV_GOV_BA_Q
11
12
12
12
12
12
12
Self-Study Template 26
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)
In the last 2 years alone, the department’s fulltime faculty produced 13 books, 15 peer-reviewed articles, 8 book chapters,
2 book reviews and presented at 63 conferences. The faculty of the Department of Government and Politics is very
engaged in research and scholarship.
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)
In the past 5 years, the Government Department has encouraged its faculty to participate in numerous conferences
presenting and receiving peer-reviewed critiques of their research. The Department has also encouraged its faculty to
participate in the APSA’s Annual Teaching and Learning Conference. The Department has encouraged its faculty to
participate in St. John’s Center for Teaching and Learning programs. The Department encouraged its faculty to present
their research at colloquia for students and alumni. The Department has granted numerous research reductions, several
research leaves and encouraged its faculty to apply for outside grants.
Many program faculty participate in teaching-development workshops and seminars offered by the University’s Center
for Teaching and Learning and the Global Studies program. Most faculty members have been certified for distance
learning by the University. Several faculty members have been engaged in programs associated with the university’s
Vincentian Institute for Social Action (VISA). Many of our faculty members have received recognition and financial
incentives from the university for accomplishments in teaching, research, and service
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.)
External
Funding
Fiscal Year
04/05
05/06
06/07
07/08
08/09
$ Amount
Program
$ Amount
Department
External
Funding
Fiscal Year
09/10
10/11
$ Amount
Program
$ Amount
SJC_GOV_GOV_BA_Q
11/12
12/13
100,000
-
-
-
-
Self-Study Template 27
Department
Dr. Kearn received a fellowship grant from the Rand Corporation. He conducted research and wrote a book, while on
leave with the Fellowship
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)
As noted in the table provided, the Government Department’s faculty – full time and part time receive high marks from
students. In every category in the table, the faculty scores are much higher than both the college and the university.
Clearly, the students in the program value the faculty highly and consider their courses beneficial to their overall goals.
Overall Evaluation (Spring)
2011
2012
2013
Instructional Vibrancy (Spring)
2011
2012
2013
Governement
4.15
4.27
4.13
4.32
4.48
4.36
& Politics (Q)
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
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 the Department’s faculty have the terminal degree in the field – the PhD in political science.
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)
Government and Politics is the 3rd largest major in St. John’s college, only Biology and Psychology are larger. However, 7
departments have more faculty and two departments with fewer majors have the same number of fulltime faculty. Some
departments with a small number of majors are service providers to the larger majors on campus. However, the
Government Department is a service provider as well, to numerous minors, the Master’s of Global Development,
Environmental Studies and Asian Studies. In addition, the Government Department serves the PA undergraduate major,
the Staten Island campus and our graduate program in Queens and in Rome. Due to those commitments, in a typical
semester, the Government department has only 8 full time faculty available, and 3 of those have administrative
responsibilities. Consequently, the 3rd largest major typically has more adjuncts serving our majors than full time faculty.
The department does not have enough faculty to provide our students, at every stage of their undergraduate career, with
high impact learning practices and significant experiential opportunities. Due to the time, effort, experience and expertise
our faculty provide, our students have achieved impressive results with 2 White House interns, a Fulbright, 2 Pickerings, 3
Marshalls and a Truman award, not to mention the first Watson fellow in recent memory. These students are not
succeeding in a vacuum. We could do much more, for more students, with enhanced faculty resources.
SJC_GOV_GOV_BA_Q
Self-Study Template 28
Standard 5.
Additional comments if needed. (Suggested limit 1 page
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)
Technology: St. John’s has made significant attempts to upgrade the technology in the classroom, and it is
relatively reliable and user-friendly. For the purposes of lecture oriented classes, the available technology is
sufficient for most tasks, and the multi-media capabilities in most rooms is similarly sufficient for using movies,
documentaries, etc.
Despite the willingness of St. John’s technical support staff to provide guidance and direction, the version of the
widely used “Blackboard” program, which is designed to provide a platform where students and faculty can
interact in a variety of ways to improve and enhance classroom experiences, is limited and seems a lesser version
of what is available at most universities. Because of SJU’s Blackboard limitations, some faculty preferred to use
the rather rudimentary St. John’s Central program to communicate with students and facilitate course-related
activities and interactions. It is not clear that the upgrade to MySJU will addresses those limitations.
In general, given the obvious investments in information technology and computers, the support and oversight of
technology seems questionable at best. Virus software is rarely if ever improved or enhanced and there is little if
any direction over securing important information that may be vulnerable. Basically, we are told to “back up” our
files. At this point in time, such advice is taken for granted and what seems to be missing is a proactive,
technically proficient and advanced core of IT professionals that can administer a truly effective university-wide
SJU computer technology capacity. Moreover, the more technologically dependent courses become the more
important it is that the students receive adequate technology support. When students in hybrids or online classes
have difficulty with the functionality of Blackboard or access to it, learning suffers. In addition, the IT department
is only slowly recognizing how many of the students and faculty use Apple products. The university’s network
system and software does not work as effectively for Apple users. A speaker from Apple came to talk to the
university about using iPads in the classroom – this would be a faculty member’s own iPad.
Library: Unfortunately, the library is one of the real disappointments of St. John’s University. The completely
misguided effort to purge large numbers of books and various collections six years ago, with very little planning
or forethought in order to create more social space for students, was simply disastrous. For our program, many
fundamental collections that would be easily available at any other reputable university (such as collections of
primary source documents and archives of governmental materials) are not accessible. In fact, it is not clear
whether the library continues to possess these collections or whether they were liquidated, as so many books were
six years ago. Many universities consider their library to be the crown jewel of their campus and reflective of the
overall health and wellness of the institution. The SJU library unfortunately reflects a misguided emphasis on
shallow notions of student social experience at the clear expense of a commitment to research, scholarship and
academic engagement.
SJC_GOV_GOV_BA_Q
Self-Study Template 29
Library technology is adequate, but just that. While the staff is responsive when asked to acquire journals or
collections of online periodicals, there are many resources that are simply not there, which would be found at
most other institutions. Other university libraries often have staff that are experts in specific fields that can aid
both students and faculty in research endeavors. Unfortunately, there seems to be little of this type of
collaboration here.
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)
Physical Environment: Perhaps nothing is more apparent at SJU than the fact that its physical plant is old and
outdated and does little to foster or contribute to a conducive academic learning environment. The Department of
Government and Politics is housed in St. John’s Hall, which is a large and uncomfortable building. For
undergraduate courses—particularly those with larger enrollments—rooms are often cramped and crowded.
Because the building is old and rooms are in some cases artificially divided with thin walls, noise from other
classes can become an issue. In general, the large, lecture style rooms are a “one size fits all” that poorly applies
to teaching today, where seminar style interactions and discussions classes are often far more important than
lecturing.
An additional, but not inconsequential problem is the near-constant commotion and noise that comes from the
parking lot behind St. John’s Hall. Whether it is garbage trucks making pickups from the poorly placed
dumpsters or delivery trucks dropping off items – the near constant daily traffic it can be a major distraction for
students and faculty. Why these activities cannot be moved to somewhere else in the university is difficult to
fathom. Because most classrooms in St. John’s Hall must keep windows open, even during the winter (see
below), this is a major annoyance.
Faculty/Student Satisfaction with HVAC: To be brief, the HVAC situation in St. John’s Hall is horrendous.
Oddly, it is often not much better in Marillac Hall (where Government & Politics also typically has classes). The
ancient heating system is turned on sometime in October or November and proceeds to blast high heat throughout
the buildings. Whatever thermostats are in individual classrooms, they seem to have little effect. It’s little
surprise that student typically seem to get sick around the time the heat is turned on, as often the temperature
outside doesn’t warrant any interior heat, but there is simply no way for faculty to control the heat in these
buildings. Students consistently complain about the heat in course evaluations and faculty can corroborate that
the high heat can really undermine the learning environment. It’s quite ridiculous.
Faculty Offices: While the Government and Politics Department is somewhat fortunate in its location, in general
faculty offices in St. John’s Hall are abysmal. In general, they are extremely small, literally making it almost
impossible for more than one student to visit a professor at any given time. Access to bookcases, cabinets, and
other amenities is often a major chore and can take months. Finally, as discussed above, many times during the
year (typically late fall and early spring), it is almost impossible to stay in the offices for any period of time
because of the ridiculous temperature levels. Faculty have no control over the temperature in their offices,
because of the archaic heating system in St. John Hall. This can lead to faculty having windows wide open during
the coldest days of winter. While the facilities staff tries to be responsive to faculty complaints, it is simply not a
healthy working environment and certainly does little to foster student engagement with faculty.
SJC_GOV_GOV_BA_Q
Self-Study Template 30
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)
The only renovations the Department of Government and Politics has received in over 15 years came after a flood
from a bathroom in the main hall of St. John’s Hall. The flooring was replaced in the department. The department
looks old and worn out and reflects a general lack of commitment to the programs in the department.
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)
According to the contribution margin analysis the Department was provided, the Government and Politics program
brought in $8 million dollars in tuition and fees from its undergraduate majors. After financial aid, tuition remission and
expenses, the Government and Politics program made more than $2.5 million dollars for the university during FY 2014.
The Department was not given access to the source of any of these numbers so we have to trust that the numbers are
correct. We were informed that the numbers are based on the numbers of students. However, since the costs of the 5
programs that are housed in the Department of Government and Politics are fixed, it is hard to understand how some of
these numbers where determined. For example, there are 12 faculty in the Department – not all 12 teach for GOV, some
teach for PA, some for SI, and 2 go to Rome each semester. Thus, it is unclear how the direct expenses were calculated.
Irrespective of the issue with the numbers, the GOV program makes money. However, it does so by relying very heavily
on adjuncts – to the detriment of our students and any efforts to bring them more high impact practices.
Moreover, the calculations done by the Rome campus indicate that FY 2014 we earned $612,399.50 as the total amount of
MA tuition money generated at the Rome campus. The costs for staff salary, faculty housing, faculty per diem, and faculty
flight costs from NY to Rome equal $116,862. Thus, by our calculations we made $495,537.50 for a difference of
$378,675. The entire difference comes from the “direct expense” category. Thus, this category appears to double
and triple count faculty salaries across all 5 programs the Department runs. Consequently, every GOV program
makes money, we believe some make considerable more than identified by the Contribution Margin Analysis provided by
the university.
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.
SJC_GOV_GOV_BA_Q
Self-Study Template 31
The Department of Government and Politics faculty have been very active in revising and reshaping the undergraduate
Government and Politics program since the last program review. Our primary focus was on revising the curriculum.





We created different tracks for freshman declared majors and non majors
o Non-majors take 1010 – this class is no longer a requirement for majors but students who take the class
and then become a major can use it as an elective. This class is intended to appeal to majors and non
majors alike. It is a course to attract new majors but also to provide non-majors with a basic
understanding of politics and political systems. We hope that it spurs non-majors to participate in politics,
even if it does not attract them to our major.
o Our majors are now required to take 1030 – American National Government and 1050 Research Methods
in Government and Politics. 1050 is closed and is for majors only. We offer 1030 for anyone interested
but we created a special section for majors. As noted earlier, have majors only classes taught by full time
faculty has been beneficial for retention and for growth in student skills across our objectives.
We revised all our assessment tools, our goals, our objectives and our rubrics.
We encouraged participation in fellowships, awards, and internships resulting in the winning of prestigious
awards and fellowships as cited above.
We encouraged opportunities to present at undergrad conferences and professional conferences. We encouraged
our students to make use of the Dean’s offices travel grants for student conference participation.
We revised our advisement process engaging all faculty and all students.
Going forward, the faculty will continue to be engaged in revising and reshaping our curriculum to meet the needs of our
students. We plan to:
 Create a new BA/MA track with Homeland Security
 Create a new BA/MA track with Environmental Studies
 Revise the curriculum in response to the planned revision of the Public Administration and Public Service
program to make the two programs more distinctive.
 Create additional advisement opportunities – by grade, e.g., sophomore, junior, senior – with information tailored
to their progression through the university
Comments: (Suggested limit 1page)
SJC_GOV_GOV_BA_Q
Self-Study Template 32