PLAN TO BUILD AND SUSTAIN EXCELLENCE IN STRATEGIC
PROGRAMMATIC FOCUS AREA
Date: February 28, 2005
Programmatic Focus Area: Excellence in Business Education and Development
TASK FORCE MEMBERSHIP
Sponsor– Anna S. Rominger, Dean, School of Business & Economics
Faculty Leader : Dr. Bala Arshanapalli
IUN Cabinet Member: Jeff Lorber
Student, Staff, Community Person and/or other Faculty Members:
Keith Kirkpatrick, Executive Director of Institute for Innovative Leadership
Desila Rosetti, Executive Director, Center for Management Development
Dr. Cuthbert Scott, Associate Dean, Associate Professor of Business Administration
Timothy Sutherland, Interim Director, Center for Sustainable Regional Vitality
I.
PROGRAM PLAN FOCUS
The programmatic focus in Excellence in Business Education and Development is already
making a unique and valuable contribution to IUN and northwest Indiana in the area of
Sustainable Regional Vitality. This focus area serves the campus Mission by providing quality
graduate and undergraduate business education in key areas such as Financial Information
Systems and Business Administration. These programs provide highly trained employees
prepared to enter a workforce in northwest Indiana in an urban economy with a shrinking
industrial base, growing service and retail sectors, and work force development issues. Further,
this programmatic focus assures the region that by engaging students, faculty, staff, and local
employers in regional economic and business development projects, IUN is taking a leadership
role in the developing business opportunities and excellence in northwest Indiana.
Together these activities support business and workforce development in northwest Indiana by
(1) educating managers in the best business practices designed to promote business prosperity,
(2) producing leaders who are qualified to take charge of business opportunities to revitalize key
industries, (3) developing knowledgeable and skilled entrepreneurs who create new business and
job opportunities, (4) producing graduates immersed in regional business development activities,
and (5) training graduates who are prepared to manage personal finances and investments
effectively. Because 80% of the IUN business school graduates remain and enter the workforce
in northwest Indiana upon graduation, these activities have a sustainable impact on northwest
Indiana.
In serving these objectives, this programmatic focus links the IUN School of Business &
Economics (SB&E) with its Mission to provide the highest quality business education in the
region for its graduates, with the leadership development mission of the Institute for Innovative
Leadership, the information gathering mission of the IUN Northwest Indiana Center for Data and
Analysis, the business development activities of the Center for Management Development and
the Small Business Institute, the economic education activities of the Center for Economic
Education, and the sustainable development and quality-of- life improvement activities of the
Center for Sustainable Regional Vitality (CRSV). Further links to external partners include
business counseling to enhance business development through the Service Core of Retired
Executives (SCORE) program and the Small Business Development Corporation (SBDC) and
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information about federal procurement opportunities through the Partners in Contracting
Corporation (PICC).
II. LINKS TO THE IUN MISSION AND STRATEGIC OUTCOMES
Excellence in Business Education and Development differentiates Indiana University Northwest
by promoting unique programs and Centers that serve the sustainable vitality of northwest
Indiana and the overall mission of academic excellence in business education for Indiana
University.
A. Mission Differentiation:
IUN is a regional institution focusing on baccalaureate and selected master’s degree
programs in the growth or sustain categories in the Program Priority Process.
Factors that serve the differentiated Mission include the following:
 IUN is the only public institution in northwest Indiana to offer graduate and
undergraduate business degree programs that are AACSB International
accredited.
 IUN is the only institution in northwest Indiana to offer a leadership development
program through the Institute for Innovative Leadership that is linked to
Leadership Northwest Indiana.
 IUN’s Center for Management Development is the business development center
of choice for key companies such as U.S. Steel, municipalities such as the City of
Valparaiso, and not for profit agencies such as United Way, Inc.
 The NWI Center for Data and Analysis is the only regional data gathering center
in Northwest Indiana.
 IUN’s Center for Economic Education is a nationally accredited Center and the
only such center in northwest Indiana.
 SB&E has an articulation agreement with Ivy Tech Community College to enable
students to transfer into baccalaureate programs at IUN.
IUN is a regional institution of Indiana University which serves a system wide
Mission of Excellence. The focus area in Excellence in Business Education and
Development serves to differentiate the IU system in the following ways:
 This focus area serves the academic excellence goals of IU by ensuring that its
northwest Indiana regional School of Business & Economics joins the flagship
institution and all the key regional institutions in offering the highest quality
business education as validated by AACSB International accreditation, the
premier accrediting body for business education.
 This focus area serves the IU system by making student transfers of credit hours
from IUN to other IU business schools much smoother and easier.
 This focus area is interdisciplinary by making business minors or course
concentrations in a high quality business program available to IUN students in
Arts & Sciences, Nursing and Health Professions and the General Studies
program.
 This focus area serves the IU system by providing a gateway for IU into the
northwest Indiana business community through significant partnerships between
the Indiana Business Research Center, the Center for Management Development,
the Data Center, the Institute for Innovative Leadership, and the CSRV.
 This focus area enables IUN to be a leader in business, finance and economic
education for K-12 teachers.
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 This focus area serves the IU system by differentiating the Mission of IUN from
other institutions through its focus on demonstrated excellence in business
education and development.
B. Sustainability and Accountability
Excellence in Business Education and Development is sustainable in northwest Indiana,
where employment demand continues to be strong in business and transportation
industries, and in Chicago, which is an major economic hub. Data on the contributors to
the focus area include the following:
The School of Business & Economics
 IUN has provided a business program since 1963 when it became a regional
campus of IU. The School completes a self-study assessment every six years and
provides annual reports on continuous improvement.
 The quality of education is so high that 20% of the School’s graduates are
employed in the highly competitive Chicago job market.
 The School of Business & Economics is one of 8 academic units on campus and
generates 12% to 13% of the student enrollment with growth of over 3% in its
undergraduate program.
 The Center for Management Development has been in continuous operation since
1992 and has served more than 1000 businesses, not for profit and government
agencies. The Center completed a successful audit in 2003.
 The Center for Economic Education is funded by the Indiana Council on
Economic Education, in operation since 1983, provides over 90 credit hours
annually in continuing education for teachers, and has served more than 500 K-12
Economics teachers. The nationally accredited Center is reviewed every five
years.
The Institute for Innovative Leadership has been in continuous operation since 1998
and through its link to Leadership Northwest Indiana has an alumni base of over 400.
The NWI Center for Data and Analysis has been in continuous operation since 1996
and has served over 70 government, business, and not for profit clients.
The Center for Sustainable Regional Vitality has been in continuous operation since
2004 and has awarded 11 faculty research grants a year.
C. Links to Strategic Outcomes
The focus area supports the campus Strategic Planning Outcomes in the following ways:
Outcome 1: Academic Excellence: The business programs have earned several indicia
of academic excellence. These include:
 AACSB International accreditation for undergraduate and graduate business
programs. AACSB International is the highest quality seal of approval and the
hallmark of business education, accrediting only 15% of the business schools
worldwide. This accreditation benchmarks faculty excellence in teaching, research,
and service.
 The SB&E graduates are so well prepared that 44% are able to pursue graduate
courses and/or graduate education.
 The Center for Economic Education has earned national accreditation from the
National Council on Economic Education Councils and the Indiana Council of
Economic Education.
 Business students at IUN are eligible to participate in Beta Gamma Sigma, the
international business honor fraternity.
 The Center for Management Development was the 2004 recipient of the Community
Business Service Award by Gary, East Chicago and the Hammond Empowerment
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Zone and recognized for outstanding staff development in the CARF accreditation
review for the Children’s Habilitation Services in Harvey, Illinois.
 The School of Business & Economics is the first academic unit on the campus to
generate enough funds to name the Gallagher-Mills Endowed Chair of Business
Administration, which contributes 30% of the cost of the compensation of the Chair.
Outcome 2: Student Preparation Profile:
 The business programs at IUN prepare students for lifelong learning by offering a
Post Baccalaureate Certificate in Accounting and an MBA degree.
 The business programs prepare graduates for ethical practice by developing student
learning outcomes in ethics and ethical practices.
 The business programs include service learning and civic engagement in the
curriculum in 100, 200, 300 and 400 level courses, including the capstone
management course which engages students in a business analysis for local
businesses valued up to $10,000.
 The business development courses in Continuing Education prepare students and
adults for career development and enhancement.
 The business programs prepare students for successful careers as evidenced by the
alumni survey which indicates that 98% of business students are employed after
graduation and 65% earn over $50,000 per year.
 The Center for Economic Education provides continuing economic education and
training for K-12 Economics teachers, including IUN graduates.
 The Institute for Innovative Leadership prepares students for successful careers
through co-curricular courses in leadership development, for lifelong learning by
linking them with local leaders, and for civic responsibility by requiring civic
engagement from each of its members.
Outcome 3: Code of Professional Conduct:
 SB&E has developed a Philosophy of Student Services which was adopted by the
faculty and staff and posted in the School offices.
 SB&E requires students to take a business ethics course, integrates ethics throughout
its curricula, and assesses student learning in this area.
 SB&E faculty and staff model ethical behavior and professional conduct for their
students to prepare them to enter the business professions.
Outcome 4: Diversity:
 The business programs prepare students to work in a diverse environment by:
 Including a student learning outcome on diversity that is measured twice at
the undergraduate level and once at the graduate level.
 Incorporating teamwork exercises in working with demographic diversity
throughout the undergraduate business curriculum at every course level.
 The School of Business & Economics has its own Mentorship Program that
was utilized in the development of the FRAME program.
 SB&E has a unique opportunity to help students appreciate diversity through
its coursework and experiential exercises on leadership and teamwork.
 The Institute for Innovative Leadership prepares students to develop leadership
skills in the most diverse campus environment in the Midwest.
 The CSRV promotes sustainable development and improved quality of life i.e., a
balanced approach to improve the economy, the environment, and social equity.
Outcome 5: Program Priority: The undergraduate business programs are included in
the growth category and the masters degree program is included in the sustain category of
program priority.
Outcome 6: Areas of Excellence: The business faculty made research contributions to
both areas of excellence. Faculty have been named as research fellows in the Center for
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Cultural Learning and Discovery, and have been awarded grants for their research by
the Center for Sustainable Regional Vitality.
Outcome 7: Student Centered Principles: The School of Business & Economics
incorporated the Student Centered Principles into its operations in several ways:
 The School has developed its own Philosophy of Student Services incorporating the
student centered principles. The school provides comment cards, reviews and
responds to the suggestions.
 The School works with a Student Advisory Board regularly to address student issues
and concerns, including a review of the class schedule template.
 The School utilizes a course embedded assessment system that focuses on student
learning.
 The School has a continuous improvement process of direct and indirect assessment
that solicits feedback from employers, alumni, the business community, and students
on a regular basis and responds to this feedback.
Outcome 8: Involvement in the Seven County Region:
 The Center for Management Development has multiple contracts throughout
Lake, Porter, LaPorte, St. Joseph, Newton, and Starke counties. The Center
conducted community needs assessments for Newton, Jasper and Starke counties.
 The Small Business Institute has conducted projects in Lake, Porter, Newton,
LaPorte, and Jasper counties.
 The Center for Economic Education provides workshops in all seven counties in
Northwest Indiana.
 Faculty, staff, and students in SB&E and the Leadership Institute provide
economic education through Junior Achievement in Lake and Porter Counties.
 Faculty, staff and students have worked with the Glen Park Merchants
Association.
D. Alignment with Quality of Life Principles
The focus area in excellence in business education and development serves the Quality
of Life Indicator 4.0: A Community of Opportunity.
 The CSRV created the Quality of Life Measures and is engaged in economic
development.
 The Economics faculty provides the regional economic forecast to the business
community each year and is working to develop a regional economic forecast
model. These data enables the business community to plan investments,
expansion, and cost savings.
 The business faculty partner with SCORE to provide business counseling to local
residents. This counseling helps create jobs by creating new businesses or helping
existing businesses thrive.
 The Center for Management Development provides business development for
local businesses, government agencies, and not for profit agencies. This training
and consulting creates jobs by helping businesses thrive through improved
operational efficiency.
The focus area in excellence in business education and development serves the Quality
of Life Indicators 6.0: A Learning Community.
 The Center for Economic Education provides economic education development
for K-12 teachers.
 The School provides general education in the areas of economics, and its niche in
personal finance and personal investing.
 The School has earned the seal of approval for excellence in management
education from AACSB International.
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 The Executive Director of the Center for Management Development was chosen
as an AQIP Facilitator by the Higher Learning Commissions to assist colleges and
universities with quality improvement initiatives.
 The Center for Management Development is the facilitator for the Indiana Society
of Human Resource Managers (SHRM).
 Students majoring in FIS prepare income tax returns for local residents through
the VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) Program.
III. STRUCTURE OF THE PROGRAMMATIC FOCUS
SB&E uses national models and best practices to benchmark excellence in its current programs
and services.
A.
National Models and Best Practices
The School of Business & Economics is a member of AACSB International. This organization
sponsors conferences all over the USA and the world on the best practices in business education.
The Dean and the faculty of the School attend at least two AACSB conferences each year.
Conference topics include assessment, strategic planning, development, teaching and learning.
The School benchmarks its performance with its peers each year through EBI benchmarking
surveys in key areas such as assessment, faculty development, alumni, student, and employer
surveys. The School is in the process of identifying and its peer schools to gather even more
specific data about best practices in comparable business schools. The School undergoes a self
study and peer review each six years and completes annual maintenance reports.
B. Demonstrated Excellence in Current Programs
SB&E sustains excellence by tailoring its program offerings to its resource base. Current
programs include the following:
Concentrations and minors
 Curricular for credit offerings
 B.S. Degree in Business Administration, with unique concentration in Financial
Information Systems to serve large financial institution and accounting employer
base and a concentration in Business Administration to serve demand for
qualified managers.
 Post Baccalaureate Certificate in Accounting that permits students with a
bachelor’s degree in any field to prepare for a career in public accounting by
offering courses required to sit for the CPA Exam.
 MBA Degree in Business Administration to provide highest quality management
education to managers in northwest, Indiana.
 Graduate Economics education courses for K-12 teachers.
 General education courses in personal finance and investments to help students
maintain good credit and plan their finances effectively.
 Graduating students score above the national average on nationally normed field
discipline tests.
 Co-Curricular offerings
 Leadership Development through the Institute for Innovative Leadership,
 Sponsored research projects to promote sustainable development and improved
quality of life by a balanced approach to the economy, the environment, and
social equity through the Center for Sustainable Regional Vitality (CSRV).
 Business Development though Continuing Education business courses,
 Economic Education for area K-12 Economics teachers through the Center for
Economic Education that integrates economic education with current regional
economic issues.
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 Business Development through the Small Business Institute which provides
business analysis and counseling for area businesses to provide sustainable
profitability.
 Focused education in personal finance and investments to help citizens manage
credit and plan their finances effectively to serve northwest Indiana that has a
bankruptcy rate in excess of 33% of its population.
 Business Development Programs and Services
 Training, consulting and project work though the Center for Management
Development in best business practices for businesses, not for profits and
government agencies provided by IUN faculty and staff,
 Business counseling through the SCORE program
 Site selection activities through the NWI Center for Data and Analysis, which
serves as host institution and training site for NWI Geographic Information
Systems (GIS) Group .
 Database searching services through the NWI Center for Data and Analysis for
Northwest Indiana Forum and the Northwest Indiana LEDO’s (Local Econ. Dev.
Officials) Group.
 Persons served
 Currently, 442 undergraduate students and 120 graduate students are enrolled in
the business programs. The undergraduate enrollment has been growing at over
3% per semester for the past two semesters.
 Over 65 students are being served by the Institute for Innovative Leadership each
year.
 Over 100 contracts are written each year serving over 1500 employees throughout
the United States by the Center for Management Development.
 The CSRV is creating 11 faculty research fellowships per year to sponsor regional
projects.
 Over 10 clients are being served by the Data Institute each year.
 Over 100 teachers each year are offered workshops and continuing economic
education by the Center for Economic Education.
Enhancing Learning Opportunities
 SB&E currently provides hands on civic engagement and service learning
opportunities for students in all four course levels in the curriculum.
 SB&E offers a Student Investment Fund to provide learning opportunities in finance
and investments for students.
 The School’s management capstone class engages students in the local business
community and offers students a learning experience by requiring them to serve of a
team of students that provides a general business analysis for a local business.
 Technology courses require students to design a website for local businesses.
 SB&E has added a graduate certificate in management areas to its graduate offerings
to provide specialized offerings to managers.
Articulation and Transfer Agreements with Local Schools
SB&E works with areas high schools and the community college to enable these students to
continue their education by enrolling in the IUN business courses and programs.
 The School has articulation agreements with the 7 largest high schools.
 The School has an articulation agreement for business courses with Ivy Tech
Community College.
 The School participated in the CHE intercampus transfer project and identified
business courses that would count as equivalents for other state institutions including
Ivy Tech.
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External Sites Commitments
SB&E works with the campus to provide business courses at the off campus sites to attract
more students to the main campus.
 The School offers at least one and sometimes two courses per semester at the IUN off
campus site in Portage.
 SB&E is working with Purdue University Calumet to offer classes at its Merrillville
site.
 The School develops at least one distance education course each year and that
program has been successful in increasing student credit hours.
General Education Goals and Multidisciplinary Collaboration
The School of Business & Economics is the most multidisciplinary program on campus. Students
take 50% of their credit hours in general education. The School of Business & Economics has
also created general education courses in personal finance, personal investments, and economics
that serve the needs of our students for personal financial stability in the county with the highest
bankruptcy rate in the State and in a business environment that experts predict will move toward
larger number of workers engaged in self-employment and independent contractor employment
opportunities.
SB&E collaborates with the campus by providing courses for the in the Pre-Law Minor program
for students interested law as a career, by providing a business minor to students in other
academic units, by providing a business concentration for General Studies students, and by
providing business courses for CIS and Actuarial Science majors in Arts and Sciences.
SB&E has collaborated in the assessment of general education goals and will collaborate in the
revision of IUN’s general education goals.
IV. PROCESS TO SUPPORT SUSTAINED EXCELLENCE
A. Facilities: SB&E will be moved into the new professional building next year. This
building is adequate to house the School and can accommodate some growth in the faculty. The
School is raising money for a Trading Floor that can be housed in the Student-Faculty Resource
Room in the School’s quarters in the new building. SB&E needs tiered classrooms with live
internet connections that are adequately equipped to offer graduate courses.
B. Funding; SB&E has embarked on a development initiative to seek funds for important
projects. These initiatives are described below. The School seeks additional funds to promote
faculty development and funds to market the School. The School collaborates with the Marketing
Office to develop a marketing plan and seek opportunities to promote and market the School.
C. Assessment/Accreditation: The AACSB International accreditation requires SB&E
to produce a self study and be reviewed by a peer review team of business school deans every six
years and an annual maintenance report annually. The School reviews its Mission and Strategic
Plan every year with an extensive review involving stakeholders every three years.
As a part of this process, the School will also be revising its student learning outcomes.
These outcomes will be based on discipline based objectives and will incorporate the four
student preparedness objectives in Strategic Planning Outcome 2. Hopefully, the campus will
work together to create general education goals that are acceptable to all academic units. Our
Mission development and assessment processes are agile enough to incorporate campus change.
V.
NEXT STEPS IN IMPLEMENTATION & COMMUNICATION
A. Action Plans
The School of Business and Economics and all the Centers and Institutes are embarking on
initiatives described below to enhance the quality of the education and service they
provide.
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SB&E and CSRV funded study on a green index for communities funded by the CSRV to
support Quality of Life objectives for the region.
SB&E study on advantages of northwest Indiana for the development of a logistics
industry in partnership with the Indiana Business Research Center.
Economics faculty are working with faculty from the IU Economics Department on a
joint grant to develop a regional economic forecasting model.
The Center for Management Development (CMD) provides on going training for some of
the largest private and not for profit employers, provides customized on-site business
training for local employers on a continuing basis, and serves as a “virtual team member”
on outsourced projects.
The Director of the IUN Center for Economic Education is serving as a member of the
Strategic Planning Team for the Indiana Center for Economic Education.
The Director of the IUN Center for Economic Education is on the Economics assessment
team for the Indiana Department of Education.
Lilly Endowment Initiative (Grant) to Promote Opportunity through Educational
Collaboration to reduce Northwest Indiana “Brain Drain“ through student internships to
promote economic development and entrepreneurial business development
CSRV partnership with IBRC, Partners for Good, and Local Government Academy to
sponsor Local Government Efficiency Study to help improve the NWI economy)
SB&E relationship with LAKE COUNTY Community Development Committee, CSRV,
and the Local Government Academy initiative, to have all NWI communities adopt ethics
ordinances to address real and perceived corruption in NWI local governments.
CSRV and School of Business & Economics involvement in University Park projects to
create an business and education corridor with IUN, possible new Methodist Hospital
campus, Gary Ivy Tech Campus, and Gary Career Center, with corresponding
infrastructure and transportation improvements along 35th Ave., Broadway, and Ridge
Road areas.
NWI Center for Data and Analysis project on the creation and maintenance of content for
NIPSCO Economic Development Dept.
B. Building Excellence
To ensure continued excellence in business education and development, the School is
undertaking the following significant initiatives :
To maintain its accreditation the School is
 developing a marketing plan and implementing a marketing campaign to promote the
school and it’s a value to this community,
 developing significant initiatives to raise funds to provides opportunities for students
to learn from the business community and allow the business community to interact
with the School’s students,
 refining its assessment program to include pass or fail learning outcomes that must be
met for students to graduate to ensure academic excellence,
 revising its faculty resource plan in accordance with the new accreditation standards
to keep and recruit faculty with terminal degrees and research in discipline to provide
a quality business education,
 sending the Dean and key faculty to significant AACSB conferences this year on
assessment and filing annual maintenance of accreditation reports to continue to learn
and implement best practices in these areas.
To enhance student learning and partnerships with northwest Indiana businesses
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 SB&E is raising funds for a Trading Floor to create learning opportunities for
students with financial institutions who are a major employer in northwest Indiana
 SB&E is raising funds to enhance the Student Investment Fund to give students hands
on experience in sound investment.
 SB& E is raising funds to create a Business to Student Network to enhance internship
and job placement for the School’s students.
 SB&E is exploring grants to fund a Small Business Resource Center to provide
business resources for small businesses.
 SB&E is exploring grants to create small business industry profiles that will provide
key data in the development of small business opportunities in possible collaboration
with Workforce One;
 SB&E is exploring grants to offer personal finance and investing on-line to the
community and to persons declared bankrupt in collaboration with the U.S.
Bankruptcy Court
 SB&E is exploring the need for selected certificates in functional business areas.
B. Communication Plans
The development objectives have already been communicated to the Vice Chancellor for
Advancement and to the Business Advisory Board. The grant development objectives for the
Small Business Resource Center and the small business industry profiles have already been
communicated to the Grants Coordinator. The School will explore the need for a Family
Business Center and/or a Marketing Research Center with the business community.
C. Staffing requirements
 SB&E seeks to maintain the diversity of its faculty and continue to recruit faculty of
diverse ethnicities, cultures, and genders.
 SB&E will work with the Center for Management Development to assist with in its
efforts to develop a viable marketing and promotion plan and staffing.
 SB&E will collaborate with the Director of the Assessment Center to continuously
improve its assessment system.
VI. REFERENCES
AACSB International provides seminars in each on key topics for business schools such as
development for Deans, teaching and learning, assessment and assurance of learning, strategic
planning, managing technology in the classroom, leadership development, effective budgeting
and planning, managing advisory boards. These seminars provide for the sharing of best
practices among business schools worldwide.
AACSB International Knowledge Services
Small School Data - Ethics Resource Center - Salary Surveys
EBI Testing and Benchmarking Services - BUSE completes one benchmarking test each year
to benchmark its performance with peer schools.
Brenton, John, Institutionalizing a Broader View of Scholarship through Boyer’s Four Domains,
Eric Clearinghouse on Higher Education, 2002.
Assessing Student Competence in Accredited Disciplines, Catherine Palomba and Trudy W.
Banta, Eds. Stylus, 2001. Chapter by Dr. Douglas Eder, expert on assessment programs.
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