McNeese State University

Section 2:
Core Requirements
2.1	2.2	2.3
2.4	2.5	2.6
2.7.1	2.7.2	2.7.3
2.7.4	2.8	2.9
2.10	2.11	2.12
Section 3:
Comprehensive Standards
3.1.1	3.2.1
3.2.2.1	3.2.2.2	3.2.2.3
3.2.2.4	3.2.3	3.2.4
3.2.5	3.2.6	3.2.7
3.2.8	3.2.9	3.2.10
3.2.11	3.2.12	3.2.13
3.2.14	3.3.1	3.4.1
3.4.2	3.4.3	3.4.4
3.4.5	3.4.6	3.4.7
3.4.8	3.4.9	3.4.10
3.4.11	3.4.12	3.4.13
3.4.14	3.5.1	3.5.2
3.6.1	3.6.2	3.6.3
3.7.1	3.7.2	3.7.3
3.7.4	3.7.5	3.8.1
3.8.2	3.8.3	3.9.1
3.9.2	3.9.3	3.10.1
3.10.2	3.10.3	3.10.4
3.10.5	3.10.6	3.10.7
Section 4:
Federal Requirements
4.1	4.2	4.3
4.4	4.5	4.6
4.7	4.8

McNeese State University
Compliance Plan for Reaffirmation

Section 4.1: Federal Requirements

Judgment of Compliance

Compliance

Partial Compliance

Non-compliance

Requirement

When evaluating success with respect to student achievement in relation to the institution's mission, the institution includes, as appropriate, consideration of course completion, state licensing examinations, and job placement rates.

Narrative

McNeese State University is in compliance with Federal Requirement 4.1.

The University evaluates success with respect to student achievement in relation to the institution’s mission and considers, as appropriate, course completion rates, state licensing examinations, and job placement rates.

Course Completion

Course completion is examined through degree completers and graduation rates, as well as through the pass/fail/withdrawal rates for individual courses. Degree completers are monitored both by the University and by the Louisiana State Board of Regents (BOR). Programs which are identified as “low completers” by the BOR and which fail to show improvement in enrollment and degree completion within a specified time are subject to elimination.

The Vice President of Academic Affairs regularly reviews with deans and department heads any programs which the BOR has moved to the “low completer” status or which has the immediate potential to be moved to the “low completer” status. Departments are expected to provide a plan for enrollment recruitment of majors as well as a plan to move students to success as degree completers.

The BOR collects, compiles, maintains, and publishes institutional data and displays the information on the Data/Publications website. A partial list of reports include the following:

• First-time, Full-Time Freshman Student Retention/ Transfer Reports;

• Graduation Rates;

• Statewide Completers Systems Data;

Student Opinion Surveys;

• Noel Levitz Systemwide Strategic Enrollment Analysis.

Posted electronically, the documents are always available for use by deans, department heads, and program coordinators for outcomes assessment in the various academic units.

At the conclusion of each semester the University Office of Institutional Research provides deans and department heads with Grade Distribution Reports which list the grade distributions in all courses. The Report offers data by course and by faculty member. An overall GPA is indicated for each course. Results are discussed at both the departmental and college level. In recent years, several “killer gateway courses” have been identified and faculty have attempted to develop strategies and teaching methods to increase retention in these courses. As an example, one of the killer gateway courses identified is Math 113, traditionally a 3-hour course. In an effort to reduce the fail/withdrawal rate, the Department of Math, Computer Science, and Statistics added a second option for enrolling in the course which provides a two-hour lecture and three-hour lab compared the traditional three hour lecture. Pass/fail rates are being tracked by faculty in the Math department with results showing positive improvement in student success.

State Licensing Examinations

Documentation of performance on licensure exams and certification examinations is provided in supporting documents.

College of Nursing – BSN and ADN Programs

In the Burton College of Education, all students must have passed the Praxis I and Praxis II exams in order to graduate with a degree. Praxis I and II pass rates of McNeese State University students may be found in supporting documents.

Job Placement Rates

Faculty from departments and colleges monitor their job placement rates, graduate school admission rates, and other factors within each discipline. In some instances, data are collected and maintained over consecutive years. In other cases, job placement and graduation information is gathered anecdotally from the students themselves and/or from the employers. A sample of some of the data collected by individual programs is included in supporting documents.

Other Performance Indicators

The Department of English and Foreign Languages prints a spectacular publication each semester that highlights graduate accomplishments. As an example, the Spring 2006 edition, highlighting the completion of the 100th book published by faculty, students, and alumni from the Department since its beginning. Student writing featured alumnus’ quest to obtain her law degree from Tulane University while battling the effects of Hurricane Katrina. Another

student, a 1996 MFA graduate, was recently appointed Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs at a prestigious university in Chicago.

The annual Master Plan/Progress Report and Institutional Summary document prepared by academic programs, departments, and colleges also contains data and information regarding program graduates. According to the 2006 Master Plan/Progress Report for the Harold and Pearl Dripps Department of Agricultural Sciences, fourteen of the twenty-five degree completers or 56 percent of graduates are currently employed in agricultural-related jobs.

Graduates are also tracked to determine their success in gaining admittance into graduate school. Two Spring 2006 graduates from the MA Psychology program recently began studies in doctoral programs. Two candidates from the BM Music Performance program are entering graduate schools to begin working on masters of performance degrees. After winning an open audition, another Music Performance graduate is singing professionally in Colorado; another is soon to audition for a position in a military band; and one is currently freelancing as a popular musician in Louisiana and one has opened a private performance studio before applying to graduate school in Fall 2007. In a recent study of Family and Consumer Science graduates who had been out of school for one to two years, 64 percent were working in a job that required a degree in FACS or a closely related field and 36 percent had begun graduate school. No graduates indicated a failure to find work in his or her chosen field.

In the Department of Performing Arts, MUSC 200 (Admission to Upper Division Performance Study Board) was recently added to program requirements and was instituted in the 2006 Fall semester to assess the candidate’s potential for 1) successfully completing the degree program; and 2) gaining admission to advanced training (graduate school) following completion of the program.

The Department of Chemistry reports that of their graduates from Fall 2003-Spring 2006 fourteen were enrolled in graduate programs pursuing Ph.D. degrees and eleven are employed in various industries or related occupations such as Louisiana’s Chemical Industry, pharmacists, veterinarians, software design, or are serving as teachers. In surveys to assess employer satisfaction, feedback from graduate schools and local industries about the quality of our students continues to be positive.

Career Services

The Career Services Center identifies its purpose as "offer[ing] lifetime career assistance to the students and alumni of McNeese by providing opportunities, resources, and expertise to achieve career goals. The Career Services Center promotes the University’s core values in several ways:

• The use of electronic job searching facilitates use of technology to increase efficiency and effectiveness on campus. The office maintains an on-line job search through eCampus Recruiter that allows students to locate employment opportunities, schedule interviews, research companies, and in some cases submit resumes on-line;

• The Career Fair and the Teacher Job Fair bring employers from the community, from other cities and states to campus, increasing University-community linkages;

• The Center supports student retention and student success by providing students with career assessment and information, job resources, on-campus interviews, and career fairs, while also being responsive to the needs of area business and industry;

• The assistance provided to students seeking employment illustrates the culmination of the University’s efforts to enhance student learning and ultimately actualize the degrees students have earned.

The Center serves as a focal point for students and employers in assisting both to meet their employment needs" (2005 Master Plan). In working to help individuals find employment, the Center adheres to the highest principles of fairness, integrity, and equal opportunity.

The reports from the Career Center attached as supporting documents demonstrate the success that the Career Fair enjoys during both Spring and Fall semesters and reflects employment figures of graduates.

Louisiana Department of Labor

The Louisiana Department of Labor maintains a “score card” on certain degrees from McNeese State University and the resulting job placement. An example of the program graduates from the Department of Chemistry is included in the supporting documents.