The conclusion of the Title III grant.
In the spring of 2006, the last of the Title III reports was due to the Department of Education in Washington. Many accomplishments were tallied in that report, but there was no space for reflection on the variety of colleagues who had helped bring the grant to fruition. To explain to the campus community the scope and depth of the grant takes a different approach. This page is an opportunity to review Title III (see excerpts from the final report below) and more importantly to give thanks to many dedicated individuals who worked hard to make the grant successful. As the grant co-ordinator who furnished that final report, I have a unique vantage point on the sources of our success.
Credits
SUNY Cortland's Title III endeavors began with the talent and dedication of two grant writers: Patricia Francis (then Executive Assistant to the President) and Dean John Ryder. Both have since joined the central system administrative team in Albany--however their remarkable work is not forgotten on this campus. Once the grant was awarded, one key administrator was needed for day to day operations, developing protocols, enlisting faculty and administrative support etc. Dr. Terrence McGovern took on this role of grant director, serving until January of 2003. Terry's remarkable dedication, sense of humor, administrative skill and foresight were essential to the success of this grant. Working with Terry, Pat Catterfeld (Research Foundation) and Amy Henderson-Harr (Director, Office of Sponsored Programs) made a first-class team. While their work was behind the scenes, Pat and Amy were absolutely essential to our success. I will always appreciate their resourcefulness and friendship.
Starting as grant co-ordinator in the spring of 2003 I was remarkably lucky to inherit the structure that Terry built. The help, support, and insight I received from Terry, Amy and Pat were critical to my ability to understand and implement the grant. That was a wonderful group to work with; I am truly grateful for the opportunity to be drafted to that team. By the time the grant came to its conclusion in December of 2005 I had relied on wide variety of other experts on campus, including Dr. Carol van der Karr (Director of Advisement and Transition), Linda Battin (Financial Operations Manager), and Bryant Withers (WebCT guru). To all I extend my thanks, your patience and professionalism made a whole world of difference for me. My thanks also go to the Title III Steering Committee for their invaluable support: Provost Elizabeth Davis-Russell, Dean Mark Prus, VP for Institutional Advancement John Mosser, and faculty members Prof. David Miller, Prof. Joy Hendrick and Prof. Margaret D Anderson. My thanks too to Barb Kissel who provided secretarial support throughout the grant. In Washington D.C. we had great help and support from our program officer, Ellen Sealey. Our external evaluator, Dr. Neal Prochnow, was another gracious source of support and insight.
Finally let me not forget the faculty, staff and students who embarked on all kinds of Title III adventures. We had a great many daring souls try out some new ideas under the auspices of Title III -- and for each I am grateful. I am glad to say that the spirit of innovation that the grant hoped to inspire is alive and well in the Cortland campus community.
Excerpts from the Final Report (March 2006):
When SUNY Cortland proposed its Title III initiative in 1999-2000 a number of key indicators did not bode well for the College. Most troubling was a decline in enrollment in the School of Arts and Sciences. In a seven-year period of steady erosion, the proportion of students enrolled in Arts and Sciences dropped from 40% (1993) to 33% (1999). Examining reasons for this decline the proposal cited several factors: a lack of new programs that meet student interest or address market needs, an over-reliance on traditional pedagogy by faculty (coupled with a reluctance to use newer teaching strategies), and poor advisement. A second key indicator was stated in terms of "SUNY Cortland's fiscal viability." Despite overcoming an enrollment crisis in the mid 1990s the College still faced a net shortfall of over 300 students over the decade. To exacerbate the problem of lower enrollment, SUNY institutions faced "a precipitous drop in state funding" in the same decade. As a result budgets were stretched particularly thin …
To address these two key problems the proposal identified a number of strategies. First and foremost was enhancing the attractiveness of Arts and Sciences programs through: a) creating new major programs and articulation agreements, b) developing learning communities to attract new students and premajors into Arts and Sciences, c) infusion of technology (e.g. course-management software) into the curriculum, and d) increasing use of the Outdoor Education Center at Raquette Lake. Allied with this approach was a reform of advisement: a new central advising office was needed, advising resources should be widely distributed, and faculty training in advisement was essential. Finally, to address the fiscal issue the College promised to increase its endowment by a factor of 100%, thereby freeing up funds to be used to support equipment replacement, faculty development activities, and the Outdoor Education Centers.
Between 1999 and 2006 the College experienced a number of changes. Since the beginning of the grant we have welcomed a new President, a new Provost, a new Dean of Arts and Sciences and a new grant co-ordinator. Changes in personnel did not affect our commitment to the goals we had established in 1999. By the fall of 2005 it was clear that the College had succeeded in every major area addressed in the grant proposal.
- Enrollment The key criterion for our progress in the Title III grant has always been enrollment in Arts and Sciences majors. From a low of 2,358 majors in the fall of 2000 we have moved to a high of 3,030 majors in the fall of 2005. The grant had anticipated a net gain of 300 students; the actual gain was over 600 students. Where once Arts and Sciences had accounted for 33% of our majors, it now accounts for 43.9%, well above the 38% goal identified in the grant. {Four new majors were created under the grant's auspices: Geographic Information Systems, New Media Design, New Communication Media and Conservation Biology}. …
- Learning communities Learning communities devoted to technology, environment and civic engagement issues have been funded by the grant. They have been a critical addition to our efforts to attract new students to Arts and Sciences majors. The grant expected 40 new A&S faculty teaching in these groups; the actual figure was 35. Despite this slight shortfall we are pleased with progress in A&S learning communities; over 30 unique courses were included in this program and faculty from 13 departments have offered courses. Infusion of learning communities into the curriculum is assured and has been a major responsibility of the Director of Advisement. Many of the faculty who have participated in the technology, environment and civic engagement learning communities have committed to continuing these groups beyond the life of the grant. As all "pre-majors"will choose an academic program within two years at SUNY Cortland, we have monitored their choices to see how Arts and Sciences has fared. In 2004-05 the data indicate that Arts and Sciences is the preference of 67% (120 of 179 pre-majors students), up from 65% at the start of the grant. This again suggests that the attractiveness of A&S has been enhanced during the grant period.
- Technology Infusion of technology into the curriculum has been assured through the advance of WebCT course management software. Over 75 A&S faculty have used WebCT during the course of the grant; in any one semester at least 3000 students (almost 50% of our enrollment) are taking a course using WebCT. While the grant set a goal of 115 trained faculty, we are reassured by the fact that 73% of all the faculty using WebCT come from A&S. In 1999 our proposal noted that only 20% of A&S faculty used instructional technology in classes. Today that proportion is 50%. Students have responded positively to its use and the Office of Information Resources is committed to providing the infrastructure and personnel needed to maintain WebCT on campus.
- Outdoor Education Increasing use of the Outdoor Education Center at Raquette Lake has been a more difficult task than anticipated. While two Title III sponsored learning communities devoted to an environmental focus have taken classes there, a deeper penetration into the curriculum has been difficult to achieve. The grant proposed that 50 A&S faculty would use this facility in their teaching, our data indicate that 30 A&S faculty have in fact done so. The trend in student enrollments is very positive; students taking A&S classes or attending A&S programs at Raquette Lake have averaged 150 per year, but the two highest years have been 2004 (202 students) and 2005 (175 students). We are hopeful that this trend will continue.
- Advisement As promised in the grant the College has established a centralized advisement office ("Advisement and Transition"), which has taken the lead in freshman orientation, transfer orientation, learning communities, development of advisor resources and advisement workshops. The grant anticipated 50 A&S faculty participating in advisement workshops; our participation rate was in fact 47 A&S faculty. (A small number of faculty outside A&S participated as well, funded by the Provost's Office). The workshops earned very positive reviews from the participants and the impact was felt across the school. Participants came from each of the 17 departments in A&S; among the participants were 13 faculty who at some point during the grant served as department chairs.
- Endowment The goals set for endowment growth were specific and clear: a $10 million dollar endowment by the end of the grant, including $350,000 provided by Title III and $350,000 matching funds raised by our Office of Institutional Advancement. By December of 2005 the endowment had reached over $10.2 million. From the endowment there is sufficient income to fund $120,000 in expenditures for faculty development, support of Outdoor Education Centers and equipment purchases. In the process of achieving this goal the College identified some 440 top prospects for fundraising, well ahead of the proposed target of 200.
Conclusion
Title III has left its mark on the campus in many ways. Over 100 A&S faculty have participated in Title III workshops, representing 68.8% of the A&S faculty. In the last year of the grant Title III helped fund a regional one-day conference devoted to engaging the first-year student. Over 70 faculty, staff and higher education professionals attended. Events like these enhance the academic community in ways that are difficult to quantify. There can be no doubt that Title III has made a major contribution to faculty development and academic quality on our campus.
After visiting the campus on two occasions (2003 and 2005) our external Title III evaluator, Dr. Neal Prochnow summarized our progress in these terms:"The Title III grant has been successful to-date because the senior leadership and faculty have been involved and committed to the primary purpose of the grant. It is my impression after spending time on the campus over the past five years that they are committed to institutionalizing the activities that have led to the increased enrollment in A&S programs and increase in the endowment … The coordinators, Dr. McGovern and Dr. Jerome O'Callaghan, have managed the grant in an excellent fashion -- the tasks to be accomplished were on target, the expenditures have been appropriate, the faculty are involved, and changes have been made where needed in consultation with the Title III program officer. It is my observation that this Title III project is one of the best grants written and designed to strengthen a College and it has been accomplished in an admirable fashion."Having reviewed the accomplishments of the Cortland community, accomplishments that were directly or indirectly sponsored by the Title III grant, we can only agree with Dr. Prochnow. By strengthening the acdemic quality of the school of Arts and Sciences and improving the College's fiscal infrastructure Title III has achieved all that the College had hoped for. Dr. Jerome O'Callaghan
Title III Coordinator
2003-2006 Images below are from workshops, learning communities and other activities sponsored by the Title III grant.
