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 4.2: Federal Requirements

Judgment of Compliance

Compliance

Partial Compliance

Non-compliance

Requirement

The institution maintains a curriculum that is directly related and appropriate to its purpose and goals and to diplomas, certificates, or degrees awarded.

Narrative

McNeese State University is in compliance with Federal Requirement 4.2

McNeese State University maintains a curriculum that is directly related and appropriate to its purpose and goals and to degrees awarded and is in compliance with respect to this criteria. The University does not award diplomas or certificates (University Curricula Offerings).

The University, as “a selective admissions institution, provides education, research, and service that support our core values of academic excellence, student success, fiscal responsibility, and university-community alliances” (Mission Statement). Fundamental to that mission is the offering of “associate, baccalaureate, and specific graduate curricula distinguished by academic excellence (Mission Statement). Accordingly, a small number of associate and graduate degree programs are offered to students, and the majority of major programs of study leading to degrees are concentrated in bachelor degree programs typical of institutions within the University of Louisiana System. (link to comparison graphic by Dane here).

Central to the University’s undergraduate curriculum are the Core Requirements for the bachelor and associate degrees (2006-2007 Catalog, p. 60). The core represents the general education foundation upon which all associate and baccalaureate degree programs are constructed and is typical of freshman and sophomore year courses available to students in other institutions within the University of Louisiana System as well as in public and private institutions throughout Louisiana and the nation. Core requirements “must be completed by all students” entering bachelor and associate degree programs (Catalog, p. 60, highlight heading) and are mandatory by order of the Louisiana Board of Regents (Board of Regents Academic Affairs Policy, 2.16)

Building upon the educational foundation provided by the Core Requirements, associate and bachelor degree programs are available in unique fields of study, and each of these consists of course offerings developed by the faculty in order to provide appropriate exposure to and understanding of the respective subject areas. These degree programs, constructed around required and elective course offerings and sequences, are developed and administered by the faculty under the statutory oversight of the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors and the Louisiana Board of Regents with the intended outcome of providing students with essential knowledge and competencies relative to their fields of study so that they may “cultivate skills for critical thinking and effective expression” and may “gain an understanding of the global community” (Mission Statement). Consistent with its fundamental educational mission to offer “specific graduate curricula,” McNeese State University offers nineteen programs leading to the master’s degree and one program leading to the educational specialist degree (Catalog, Pages 9-10; highlight master’s and specialist designations). Drive by its mission as a selective admissions institution, McNeese State University "provides education, research, and service that support our core values of academic excellence, student success, fiscal responsibility, and university-community alliances." Fundamental to the University's mission is the offering of "associate, baccalaureate, and specific graduate curricula distinguished by academic excellence." The University also collaborates through "ventures [that] benefit industry and...enhance economic development and cultural growth" in and beyond the local area and region (University Mission Statement).

Academic Excellence

In keeping with the institution's core value of academic excellence, twelve academic colleges ,departments or degree programs have obtained accreditation or approval for programs within their disciplines (Catalog, P. 16-17), and an additional twelve agencies have approved or certified degree programs in a variety of academic fields (Catalog, p. 16-17). The University continually participates in period review of academic programs by external accrediting bodies having undergone more than nine such reviews since 2002 (President's Memo, Fall 2002, Accreditation; Winter, 2005, Other Highlights). General and basic studies, business, education, engineering and technology, graduate school, liberal arts, nursing and science comprise the divisions of study within the University. Each of these divisions, except business, general and basic studies and graduate school, offer myriad subjects of study that can be packaged together toward associate, baccalaureate, and graduate degree programs according to criteria set forth by the faculty under management of University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors and oversight by the Louisiana Board of Regents. Degree offerings in business are limited to baccalaureate and graduate fields of study. Degree offerings in general and basic studies are limited to associate and baccalaureate fields of study. Degree offerings through the graduate school are limited to master's and education specialist degrees and are tied to the faculty and programs of the appropriate college within the University.

Student Success

The University distinguishes itself as an academic institution through the success of its students. Pass rates on professional examinations such as nursing indicate the University's preparation of students is rigorous and competitive (BSN and ADN Nursing Examination Pass Rates).

Fiscal Responsibility

The University prioritizes its resources first in support of teaching, learning, and instructional support. As demonstrated in operating budget allocations for the past three years, the primary expenditure of the University is in direct support of its educational programs, library and learning support functions (Budget History; ref pie charts here--Dane is working on this.)

University-Community Alliances

The University's geographical location and the educational needs of the southwest Louisiana region also influence the manner in which the University's mission is expressed in its curricular offerings and degrees offered. For example, Calcasieu Parish Schools, headquartered in the University's home city of Lake Charles, constituted the fifth largest public school system in the state prior to hurricanes Katrina and Rita and enrolled over 31,000 students. When enrollment data from the parishes immediately surrounding Calcasieu is combined with the local school enrollment, more than 49,404 children are enrolled in public K-12 schools within a fifty mile radius of the McNeese State University campus (Regional Public School Enrollment Data). The ever increasing demand for teachers, school counselors, educational technologists, campus principals and central office administrators in these school districts and beyond is an important factor in the curricular and certification options offered through the University's College of Education as it seeks to build University-community linkages, a core value inherent in the institution's mission. The local petrochemical and manufacturing industries illustrate another significant opportunity and responsibility for the University to fulfill its mission-related objective of service and its core value of University-community linkages by supporting economic development in the region. Major industry presence through leading employers including CITGO Petroleum Corporation, PPG, Conoco-Phillips, Basell-USA, and numerous other local, national, and multinational business interests is a significant factor in influencing the development and focus of curricular offerings and degree programs within the College of Business and the College of Engineering and Technology, particularly in the areas of chemical engineering, engineering management, and process plant technology. And the University's College of Nursing and College of Science respectively provide the only University-affiliated programs in health-care related fields (nursing, medical technology, and radiological technology) within sixty miles in any direction for a metropolitan region populated by over 185,000 persons in Calcasieu parish alone plus an additional 100,000 persons residing collectively in parishes immediately surrounding Calcasieu prior to Hurricanes Rita and Katrina (Regional Population Census Data). The University's extensive number of endowed professorships and chairs, underwritten by philanthropic and business interests throughout the region, confirms the value placed on the University and its academic programs by the University's local and extended community (Catalog, P. 89).