The History of Marshall University

The History of the West Virginia Graduate College

Marshall University: Present and Future

Accreditation History

NCA Requirements for Institutional Change

     1. A Concise Statement of the Requested Change
     2. A Rationale for the Requested Change
            A Vision for the 21^st Century
            Collaboration Between MU and WVGC
            Coordinate Affiliation
            Impetus for Merger
            The Merger
     3. The Merger is Appropriate to the Institution's Mission and Purposes
     4. Scope of Institutional Programs and Previous NCA Comprehensive Visit
     5. The Planning Process that Led to the Proposed Change
     6. Evidence that the Institution has the Appropriate Internal and
         External Approvals for the Institutional Change
            West Virginia Graduate College Board of Advisors
            External Approvals
                 University System Board of Trustees
                 The West Virginia Legislature
     7. Continued Ability to Meet the NCA General Institutional Requirements
         Continued Ability to Meet the NCA Criteria for Accreditation

             Criterion One: The institution has clear and publicly stated purposes consistent with
                its mission and appropriate to an institution of higher education

             Criterion Two: The institution has effectively organized the human, financial,
                and physical resources necessary to accomplish its purposes

             Criterion Three: The institution is accomplishing its educational and other purposes.
                  Undergraduate Education
                  Information Technology
                  Interactive University
                  Graduate Education
                  School of Business
                  The Graduate School of Education and Professional Development
                  The Graduate School of Information Technology and Engineering
                  Assessment
                  Support Services

             Criterion Four: The institution can continue to accomplish its purposes and
                strengthen its educational effectiveness.
                   Capital Improvements, Finances, and Infrastructure
                   Insuring Academic Quality 
                   Planning
                   Challenges

             Criterion Five: The institution demonstrates integrity in its practices and relationships.
                 Publications
                 Contracts and Community Relationships
                 Commitment

     8. An analysis of the anticipated effect of the proposed change on the other parts of
           the institution

     9. Evidence that the institution has established the processes to assure that it has the
           capability to initiate and maintain the proposed change and to monitor acceptable
           quality once the change has been implemented.

     10. Evidence that the institution has organized and planned for human, financial,
            physical, and instructional resources to initiate and support the proposed change.
                  Human Resources
                  Financial Resources
                  Physical Resources
                  Instructional Resources
Closure
 

The merger was enacted by the West Virginia Legislature on April 4, 1997 and became effective July 1, 1997. The report chronicles the changes associated with the merger during the 1997/98 academic year in programs and services and, it identifies ongoing and long term changes that need to be considered. The first year of the merger was acknowledged as a first step in a continuing process that is complex. While the accomplishments to date are remarkable, the merging of these two institutions into a single institution is a long term effort.

Contributions to the report came from the Steering Committee, representing a cross-section of both institutions, and from individuals who continue work on merger tasks. Their contributions are complemented by the documentation found in the Resource Room. The final report has been distributed to all administrative and academic offices and copies are available in all of the libraries. It is also posted on the University's Web page, http://www.marshall.edu.

The report follows the guidelines in NCA's Handbook of Accreditation (1997), second edition, chapter twelve dealing with institutional change. Following a short history of Marshall University and West Virginia Graduate College, the report is organized according to the chapter twelve guidelines and provides evidence that with the merger, Marshall University continues to meet the NCA General Institutional Requirements and the Criteria for continuing accreditation.
 

Marshall University originated in 1837 as Marshall Academy, named in honor of the late Chief Justice John Marshall. It was formally incorporated in the following year by the Virginia General Assembly and was established in 1867 by the West Virginia Legislature as the State Normal School at Marshall College to train teachers. The growth period for the College occurred from 1896-1915; in 1907 the enrollment exceeded 1000. The College continued to expand throughout the 20^th Century and was authorized to form the following divisions over the course of the century:

1924, the College of Arts and Sciences;
1948, the Graduate School;
1960, the College of Applied Science;
1969, the Lewis College of Business;
1972, the merger of the College of Business and Applied Science;
1974, the School of Medicine and Associated Health Professions;
1975, the Community College;
1976, the College of Science;
1984, the College of Fine Arts;
1991, the Community College became the Community and Technical College; and
1998, the College of Nursing and Health Professions.

        * high quality undergraduate education;
        * technological sophistication unmatched by any other university of its size and type in the nation;
        * status as the prototypical interactive university in America; and
        * sound management of human and financial resources.

Marshall pursued its vision as an interactive university serving West Virginia and the nation on multiple fronts. It is West Virginia's leader in rural health care medical education, and, it is becoming the state's leader in the use of technology for delivering and enhancing educational programs and increasing efficiencies in communication. Located in a tri-state region, Marshall has become a leader in training for business and industry through its affiliations with the Byrd Institute for Flexible Manufacturing and has been able to promote high tech manufacturing for economic development. These areas of emphasis were joined with commitments to environmental issues, to the development of fine arts and the humanities, and to a new commitment to graduate education. The emphasis on graduate education evolved with the addition of the Ph.D. program in the Biomedical Sciences, the continuing development of Master's degrees in many disciplines, and the merger with the West Virginia Graduate College.
 

In 1958, the West Virginia Graduate College began as an extension center of West Virginia University in the Kanawha Valley specifically to offer courses in engineering. The West Virginia Legislature, in July 1972, established the college as a separate entity, and in 1974, the Board of Regents defined the mission of the college and the geographic service area of the College as the 16 counties of central and southern West Virginia. At the time, the geographic area contained 39% of the state's population. With the passage of the legislation establishing the Graduate College, degree programs in business and education were added to the offerings.

In 1975, in addition to other approvals, the Education Specialist Degree in Education was authorized. In 1980, a cooperative doctoral degree program in Educational Administration was authorized involving Marshall University, the West Virginia Graduate College (known then as the West Virginia College of Graduate Studies), and West Virginia University with the latter granting the degree. In 1987, an additional Ed.S. Degree was authorized in Psychology.

The hallmark of the Graduate College has been its mission to deliver graduate programs to geographically dispersed working people who might ordinarily not have the opportunity to pursue an advanced degree. In the 26 years prior to the merger, the Graduate College awarded 6,615 graduate degrees. The College went through four name changes with the fourth being decided by the Legislature as the Marshall University Graduate College.

In 1996, Marshall University and the West Virginia Graduate College entered into a Coordinate Affiliation Agreement to share and mutually support programs, services, and personnel. This was followed, in 1997, with a merging of the two institutions, and WVGC became the Marshall University Graduate College.
 

Today, Marshall University truly is an interactive university, interacting with a variety of stakeholders at multiple levels and through multiple strategies. With the addition of the Graduate College and the sites it has developed over 26 years, principally in central and southern West Virginia and in selected locations in other parts of the state, Marshall University is a forceful and effective provider of quality higher education.

This Self-Study Report elaborates on the historical connections between Marshall University and the West Virginia Graduate College and the evolution of the Coordinate Affiliation and the merger. Further, the report will demonstrate how these aggressive moves in West Virginia, a state of limited resources, provide the prospect of a more coherent program of graduate education as well as a more efficient and effective delivery of programs and services.

In Fall 1997, following the merger, Marshall's total enrollment was 15,690 and of that number 4,347 were graduate students and of the latter, 21 were enrolled in the Ph.D. program in the Biomedical Sciences. There were 449 faculty--43 who teach solely at the graduate level and 273 certified to teach at the graduate level as part of their work load.
 

The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools accredits Marshall University. Many specialized associations, which are listed in the catalog, accredit Marshall programs. Relevant to this Self-Study and the Focused Visit is Marshall's accreditation by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), the West Virginia Department of Education and the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools accredited the West Virginia Graduate College, and NCATE and the West Virginia Department of Education accredited its teacher education programs.

The Self-Study describes the accommodations that were made as a consequence of the merger of both accredited teacher education programs and the accommodations between the WVGC School of Business, which was not accredited, and the Marshall University Lewis College of Business, to satisfy their freshly earned accreditation status with AACSB.
 

The following sections represent a response to the NCA Requirements for Institutional Change as found in Chapter 12 of the NCA Handbook for Accreditation (1997).

1.  A Concise Statement of the Requested Change
The purpose of this institutional change request concerns the merger of the West Virginia Graduate College with Marshall University. The merger, enacted in the 1997 session of the West Virginia Legislature, became effective on July 1, 1997. The objective of this Self-Study is to demonstrate that Marshall University, with the merged entity now known as the Marshall University Graduate College, continues to meet the NCA General Institutional Requirements (GIR's) and the Criteria for Accreditation. Further, the Self-Study is a request to expand Marshall's Scope of Activities to include the scope of activities of the former West Virginia Graduate College.

2.  A Rationale for the Requested Change
Once an institution is accredited, NCA concerns itself with any institutional change that may alter the institution's status--in this case, the merger between two regionally accredited institutions. Once merged, the West Virginia Graduate College ceased to exist as a separate public institution of higher education. Marshall University, with the acquisition of the Graduate College, increased the number of its programs and course offerings at the graduate level, as well as its capacity to deliver graduate programs to a wider geographic area. As part of the merger, Marshall University is committed to continue the implementation of the mission of the West Virginia Graduate College; i.e., to deliver graduate programs to traditional and non-traditional graduate students and to provide graduate instruction throughout the state (Senate Bill 67). This commitment expands Marshall's Scope of Activities.

There were multiple reasons for this institutional change associated with a record of collaboration and affiliation between the two institutions; a strong interest in increasing efficiencies in programs and services; and a desire to make an economic impact in the region.

A Vision for the 21^st Century. The rationale for the merger between the West Virginia Graduate College and Marshall University was comprehensively expressed in a paper written by Marshall's president J. Wade Gilley and WVGC's president, Dennis P. Prisk. The paper, "Recasting a University for the 21^st Century," focuses on a vision of "consolidation of forces and resources to ensure a more cost effective and higher quality program of graduate and professional education for this region and our state." The foundation for this vision, as discussed in the paper, includes but is not limited to the following:

• the growth of the rapidly developing economic market in the Charleston-Huntington region that could be well served by a combined graduate school with a coherent program of graduate education;
• the increased cost savings, efficiencies, and accessibility that could be achieved with the consolidation of services and programs; and
• a long history of cooperation and collaboration between Marshall University and the Graduate College, and the most recent formal coordinate affiliation between the two institutions which resulted in increased sharing of facilities and the integration of libraries and electronic systems.

Coordinate Affiliation. The Coordinate Affiliation documents the legacy of cooperation between the two institutions and their intentions to intensify cooperative activities in sharing library resources and a telephone registration system; to establish a joint T-1 interactive video link for instruction; to develop cooperative master's degrees; and to explore the options in shared facilities including the possibility of a jointly sponsored research park. These cooperative ventures were responses to a University System Board of Trustees position on cooperation and partnering as a way to increase access to higher education and to initiate entrepreneurial activity that would further higher education within the state. Moreover, the 1995 landmark legislation, Senate Bill 547, stimulated institutional sharing and collaboration in higher education that would increase efficiency and reduce duplication in programs and services.

Impetus for Merger. Possibilities of merger were not new to WVGC. As early as 1976, when the Graduate College was only four years old, then Governor John D. Rockefeller, III threatened to cut the school's budget and merge it with one of the state's universities. The attempt was unsuccessful, but the WVGC president at the time predicted that the threat of merger would continue for it was apparent that declining resources in the state and increasing pressure for efficiency in higher education would not dissipate. For the next fifteen years, WVGC maintained an assertive posture regarding its independence. The merger atmosphere gathered strength in 1990 when the University System Board of Trustees sought an expression of Governor Caperton's goal for higher education to innovate and create service of higher quality at the same expenditure level. This positioning is reflected in a letter from the President of the Board of Trustees to the Chair of the Board of Advisors of WVGC (at the time called the West Virginia College of Graduate Studies). The Trustees expressed an interest in the merger of WVGC with Marshall University as a way to make the University System more effective. Although discussions followed, the merger did not materialize.

The Merger. Finally, in 1996, WVGC assessed the opportunity of controlling its destiny. With the need for increased efficiency and with partnering and reduction in duplicated programs becoming a solution to making the most of limited resources, WVGC entered into a dialogue with Marshall examining a long term and more permanent relationship by merging the two institutions.

3.  The Merger Is Appropriate to the Institution's Mission and Purposes
Marshall is a regional university, with the main campus located in Huntington, West Virginia, just across the Ohio River from Ohio, and thirteen miles from the Kentucky border. MU has worked over the years to strengthen opportunity and access to higher education for students in southern West Virginia. Recently, the university has worked aggressively alongside the West Virginia Graduate College to develop Advantage Valley, the geographic corridor from Huntington to Charleston electronically linking businesses, industries, and schools for the purposes of economic development. Additionally, the MU mission and the Areas of Current Emphasis articulate a commitment to graduate education as well as to "economic development through programs in education, ..., business, ... and engineering." For the West Virginia Graduate College, collaboration and partnering have been part of the College's efforts over the years to expand resources and programs to make them available to students. The cooperative doctoral program in Educational Administration in 1980 created an opportunity for school personnel in southern West Virginia that would otherwise not have been available. The joint Master's degrees, first with the West Virginia Institute of Technology in Control Systems Engineering, and second with Marshall University in Technology Management, illustrate the programmatic efforts to create greater access. In each case, WVGC's role was to offer the degree programs in multiple locations creating access for professional working students. Another example of WVGC's leadership is the Advantage Valley initiative.

A partnership with Marshall University offered WVGC the opportunity to fulfill its purposes. Partnership, collaboration, affiliation, and then merger created access to resources that WVGC did not have and would not likely be able to acquire, particularly in advanced information technology and its application to distance education. Prior to the Coordinate Affiliation, WVGC was a small college with a lean, flat administrative structure, a small full-time faculty, with no ownership of facilities and no auxiliary enterprises. The institution rented space at another campus for its library and rented classroom space around the state to meet its instructional needs. The WVGC mission involved a commitment to using alternative forms of program delivery in order to reach geographically dispersed students. A partnership with Marshall University offered technology and library support in the areas of training, professional development, and services to students. The formidable cost of licenses for library and student information databases could be resolved through affiliation and merger. A broadening of the pool of faculty within disciplines creating a larger community of scholars could be created through partnership, affiliation and ultimately, merger.

In summary, the missions and statements of purposes for both institutions are concerned with graduate education. The merger became an enabling action to increase the graduate opportunities for students and to provide coherent graduate programs to a geographically dispersed, non-traditional, working student body compatible with the Marshall University regional university with a statewide mission. Lastly, the merger is a creative solution to resource sharing between two institutions that will increase efficiencies at a time when higher education in West Virginia is confronted with limited resources.

4. Scope of Institutional Programs and the Previous NCA Comprehensive Visit
The Marshall University NCA Statement of Affiliation Status (SAS) needs to be updated. Currently, it does not reflect the merging of offerings (number and location flexibility) found in the WVGC SAS. During 1997/98, the first year of the merger, the deans and faculty from the schools of business, education, and engineering at both institutions met in committee to analyze the programmatic changes that were necessary to merge duplicated programs into singular offerings. As well, the differences in admissions standards were addressed where they existed, course requirements in some programs were reconfigured, courses were renumbered, and a new graduate catalog was created.

As part of this Focused Visit, Marshall University requests that the NCA Statement of Affiliation Status be revised to include the Affiliation Status from WVGC's statement.

The justification for the revision in the SAS begins first with the merging of programs and services of two NCA accredited institutions. The proposed revision in the SAS does not add anything beyond the SAS of the merged institution. Revision enables Marshall University to fulfill its obligation to implement the mission of the Graduate College. The mission and statement of purposes of Marshall University, as well as the mission of the Marshall University Graduate College, are the driving force for the programs and services that are offered. The evidence that Marshall has organized its resources to support the programs and services in the SAS is discussed below in numbers seven and ten.
 
The revision in the new SAS should read as follows:

New degree sites: No prior Commission approval required for offering existing degree programs at new sites within the state; in Lawrence County in Ohio; and in Boyd, Greenup, Carter, and Lawrence counties in Kentucky.

No prior Commission approval required for offering, via distance delivery methods when appropriate, existing degree programs at new sites throughout the State of West Virginia and in Lawrence County in Ohio and in Boyd, Greenup, Carter and Lawrence counties in Kentucky.

No prior Commission approval required for offering existing degree programs at new sites within the state.

In late 1995, Marshall University and the West Virginia Graduate College, with a history of joint ventures and cooperation, began planning for a coordinate affiliation that would "facilitate sharing facilities, develop integrated information technology systems, operate joint programs where efficient and practicable, develop joint electronic administrative and library systems, and engage in joint appointment of faculty and administrators as feasible and where cost effective." The preparation for this resolution, signed by the University System Board of Trustees Chancellor and the presidents of the two institutions on January 12, 1996, is found in the Report to the Board of Trustees. This report, by the two presidents, details the record of cooperation and affiliation between the two institutions. Listed below is a summary of their joint ventures:

• Joint Master's Degrees in Environmental Science and Environmental Engineering;
• A Center for Environmental, Geotechnical and Applied Sciences;
• Joint Faculty Appointments;
• Using a $300,000 grant from the Board of Trustees, constructing and linking two interactive multimedia classrooms in Charleston and Huntington to facilitate the expansion of graduate and undergraduate offerings;
• Planning for a joint Master's degree in Technology Management; and
• Planning for sharing library facilities and the telephone registration system.

The destiny of the two institutions, MU and WVGC, was shaped by the Coordinate Affiliation. There followed discussions about a new vision for the two institutions. This vision, conceptualized as a consolidation or a merging of the two institutions, "was driven by demands for a more coherent program of graduate education that will meet the needs of the people of the region." The region was defined as the Huntington-Charleston corridor as well as the southern and central regions of West Virginia. The strategies of consolidating or merging services and programs had already demonstrated that the benefits from consolidation would be "improved opportunities for students, financial savings, organizational efficiencies, programmatic efficiencies, and stronger and more unified efforts for economic development." Early planning for consolidation in the form of the Coordinate Affiliation was assigned to a Blue Ribbon Task Force composed of community and civic leaders, and members of the Marshall and WVGC administration and faculty. A major undertaking of the Task Force was to engage the MU Office of Research and Economic Development to assess industry and business needs and perspectives for graduate education. The process was a study involving focus groups in different parts of the state and a broad based survey mailed to 1250 contacts representing the region's primary economic and employment base. The report of the assessment summarized responses to questions about gaps in graduate education, the structuring and accessibility of graduate offerings, opportunities for partnerships with business and industry, delivery mechanisms, and deterrents to graduate education. The work of the Task Force affirmed the need for a more coherent program of graduate offerings in the state and provided information for the on-going planning activities.

The final plan for merger is summarized in Senate Bill 67, legislation that restructured the West Virginia Graduate College as Marshall University Graduate College. This bill specifies that:

• the mission of the graduate college in serving traditional and non-traditional students be preserved;
• the program review process and course approval process for graduate offerings be separate and distinct from undergraduate programs;
• Marshall University and the Graduate College each receive their proportionate share of state funding through the fiscal year 2000-2001;
• graduate programs be operated under the policies of Marshall University; and
• faculty, staff and students be represented appropriately on the advisory committees of the Board of Trustees.

6. Evidence that the Institution has Appropriate Internal and External Approvals for the Institutional Change.
Internal approvals involved reviews by faculty, staff, and boards of advisors from the two institutions. External approvals involved the University System of West Virginia Board of Trustees and ultimately, the West Virginia State Legislature.

The Faculty Senate on the Marshall campus dealt with the proposed merger at four of its monthly meetings as regular agenda items. In January and February 1997, faculty from the Graduate College were in attendance and in February, the WVGC Faculty Council president requested and received approval from the Marshall Faculty Senate for a Proposed Action Plan for the two institutions as part of the merger process. The Senate approved the Proposed Action Plan. Faculty at WVGC were invited to the assembly meeting in January 1997 when the WVGC president presented the proposal to consolidate. The outcome of this meeting was the Proposed Action Plan mentioned above.

Faculties shared concerns about the structuring of the merged graduate college, about equity in salaries, promotion and tenure policies, and about governance. Faculty at WVGC expressed particular concern about preserving the mission of the Graduate College to serve geographically dispersed, non-traditional, professional working students as well as governance and policies related to curriculum. In March, 1997, the presidents from Marshall and WVGC gave a charge to an ad hoc committee of faculty from both institutions to identify academic issues that were associated with the proposed merger. The issues identified were:

1. maintaining the mission of WVGC in a complementary fashion with the unique characteristics of the individual colleges on the Marshall campus;
2. whether the Graduate College should be maintained as a separate entity;
3. reconciling differences in the review, promotion and tenure policies;
4. addressing the specialized accreditation requirements in the different Colleges as advanced programs are added;
5. reconciling differences in the timetables of the program review cycle;
6. modifying the governance structure so that faculty from both institutions are fairly represented;
7. creating a process for merging duplicate programs, eliminating duplicate courses and course numbers, as well as whether common, equivalent, or comparable syllabi should be used;
8. commencement and the conferring of degrees;
9. reconciling the academic calendars; and
10. comparability in faculty salaries and benefits as well as the compensation schedule for adjunct faculty.

The Marshall University Classified Staff Council met on February 20, 1997 with the Marshall University President and the director of Human Resources. Questions posed in the discussion centered on salary equity, funding the salary schedule, job security, and consolidation of services. No specific action was taken.

The WVGC Classified Staff prepared a list of concerns for their Board of Trustees Advisory Council Representative. The concerns included many of the same topics: job security, the role of seniority in layoffs and relocations, preservation of the mission, and whether a separate council would be maintained on the Graduate College campus. The WVGC staff raised concerns about the Graduate College in general. No action was taken other than to forward the concerns to their representative.

West Virginia Graduate College Board of Advisors. The WVGC Board of Advisors was composed of individuals committed to the mission of serving non-traditional students who worked full-time and who needed alternative delivery systems of graduate education. The Board members had been instrumental in creating the Graduate College more than 25 years ago and took a very active interest in any major decisions that affected the college.

At their meeting on January 7, 1997, the Board took action to support consolidation of the Graduate College with Marshall. They believed that the combination of Marshall University/ West Virginia Graduate College would provide significant leadership in graduate education in West Virginia. Their overriding concern was to preserve the mission of the college.

On January 14, the Board passed a resolution related to their earlier action of support. The resolution was sent to the Chancellor of the Board of Trustees and contained three items:

• Funds appropriate for the Graduate College should be designated as a separate line item in the Marshall University budget;
• WVGC promotion and tenure policies should be maintained as the Graduate College became part of Marshall; and
• A Graduate Council should be structured to provide oversight for the policies and procedures governing graduate programs.

On February 3, 1997, the Board of Trustees unanimously approved language that was recommended by the committee for a proposed senate bill. The Board of Trustees recommended that:

• The mission of the West Virginia Graduate College should be preserved;
• There should be a provision for the selection of University System chairs of faculty, staff, and student advisory councils; and,
• The merger should in no way erode the authority of the Board of Trustees in its governance of the system's institutions.

The West Virginia Legislature. On April 4, 1997, the West Virginia Senate passed Senate Bill 67, known as the merger legislation. This bill took effect on July 1, 1997 and its provisions included but were not limited to:

• Terminated the West Virginia Graduate College as a separate institution and merged it with Marshall University;
• Directed that the graduate programs should operate under the policies and programs of Marshall University and the Board of Trustees;
• Authorized the Board of Trustees to assure that the President of Marshall University adopt policies, procedures and standards for the graduate programs that facilitate the multiple missions of the graduate college in serving traditional and nontraditional students and providing graduate instruction throughout the state;
• Directed that the proportionate share of the funds which would have been generated by the Board of Trustees resource allocation policy for the West Virginia Graduate College shall be allocated to the Marshall University Graduate College; and
• Provided for the structure and functions of the advisory councils to the Board of Trustees.

Continued Ability to Meet the NCA General Institutional Requirements
The merger between Marshall University and the West Virginia Graduate College, a consolidation between two public institutions of higher education in the state of West Virginia, occurred within the governance structure of the same statutory public corporation, the University System of West Virginia. Consequently, not only were both institutions subject to the same system wide policies, but the University System Board of Trustees evaluated the merit of the plan and ultimately authorized the merger. Additionally, the West Virginia Legislature, in recognizing that the West Virginia Graduate College would cease to exist as a separate entity, codified certain stipulations for the merger. These conditions, found in Senate Bill 67, addressed a commitment to the mission of the Graduate College and codified safeguards for faculty and staff. Further, prior to the merger, both institutions were accredited by the North Central Association and met the NCA General Institutional Requirements and Criteria for Accreditation. This section of the Self-Study affirms that the new Marshall University with a merged Marshall University Graduate College continues to meet the General Institutional Requirements and the Criteria for Accreditation. Particular information relevant to the merger is reported for GIR's 5, 10, 11,12, 19, and 20.

1. It has a mission statement, formally adopted by the governing board and made public, declaring that it is an institution of higher education. The mission of Marshall University, as formally adopted and approved by the Board of Trustees, appears in the catalog and appropriate publications.

2. It is a degree granting institution. Marshall University grants associate, baccalaureate, master's, educational specialist, doctoral and a first-professional level degree in medicine. The first four-year college degree was granted in 1921. Degrees awarded for 1995-1998 appear in NCA Basic Institutional Data Form F.

3. It has legal authorization to grant its degrees, and it meets all the legal requirements to operate as an institution of higher education wherever it conducts its activities.  Marshall University is authorized to grant degrees by the University System of West Virginia Board of Trustees, a statutory public corporation governing higher education institutions in West Virginia.

4.  It has legal documents to confirm its status.  The institution has legal documents (available in the Resource Room) to confirm its status as a public institution.

5. It has a governing board that possesses and exercises necessary legal power to establish and review basic policies that govern the institution.  The Board of Trustees of the University System of West Virginia is the governing board for Marshall University with the legal power to establish and review basic policies that govern the institution. (See GIR #3) The minutes of the Board of Trustees meetings which document Board approval of the merger are available in the Resource Room.

6. Its governing board includes public members and is sufficiently autonomous from the administration and ownership to assure the integrity of the institution.  The Board of Trustees of the University System of West Virginia has twelve public members who are appointed for a term of six years. Each member may be reappointed for one additional term. The Governor makes appointments with the advice and consent of the West Virginia Senate. No more than six may belong to the same political party and none may have any affiliation with any state institution of higher education. Ex-officio members with full voting rights are the chairs of the Advisory Council of Students, the Advisory Council of Faculty, and the Advisory Council of Classified Staff.

7. It has an executive officer designated by the governing board to provide administrative leadership for the institution. President J. Wade Gilley, appointed August 1, 1991 by the Board of Trustees, is the executive officer.
 
8. Its governing board authorizes the institution's affiliation with the Commission. The Board of Trustees authorizes affiliation with the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. It receives reports of accreditation visits and NCA Commission decisions. Marshall University has been continuously accredited by NCA since 1928 and the West Virginia Graduate College was continuously accredited since 1972.

9.  It employs a faculty that has earned from accredited institutions the degrees appropriate to the level of instruction offered by the institution.  The faculty has degrees appropriate to the level of instruction offered by the institution. This report is found in NCA Basic Institutional Data Form C as well as in the Faculty Handbook, the catalogs, the Marshall University Bluebook, and the West Virginia Graduate College Fact Book. All documents can be found in the Resource Room.

10. A sufficient number of faculty are full-time employees of the institution.  According to the Office of Institutional Research, in Fall 1997, the number of full-time faculty was 415 and 45 were Marshall University Graduate College faculty. There is at least one full time faculty assigned to each program. Verification may be found in the current census report available from Institutional Research, in the MU Bluebook and the MUGC Fact Book, as well as on NCA Basic Institutional Data Form C.
 
11. Its faculty has a significant role in developing and evaluating all of the institution's educational programs.  Adding, deleting, or revising educational programs follows the decision making process that begins at the department/program level, through faculty committees in the colleges and in the Faculty Senate, and lastly through the Faculty Senate itself. The Graduate Council reviews graduate course and program changes. Details concerning the faculty's role in developing and evaluating educational programs can be found in the Greenbook and actions taken are recorded in the minutes of the Faculty Senate and the Graduate Council. Copies of the minutes are available in the Resource Room.

All programs are on a five-year program review cycle following procedures specified by the University System of West Virginia. All programs that are accredited submit copies of their most recent accreditation review. Program Reviews are evaluated by the College Curriculum Committee, the dean, the Graduate Council, and the Academic Planning Committee of the Faculty Senate. Revisions are made as needed following each juncture in the cycle until the final submission through the Vice President of Academic Affairs to the President who then submits the Program Review to the University System Office. The Office of Program Review and Assessment coordinates the process.

Faculty also play a pivotal role in the assessment of student academic achievement, having designed the assessment tools and timelines in general education and in the majors. A fuller discussion of assessment at Marshall University appears under Criterion Four.

12. It confers degrees.  The first degree awarded from Marshall University as an institution of higher education was in 1921. At its commencement ceremonies in May, 1998, Marshall awarded 237 associate degrees, 1168 baccalaureate degrees, 886 master's degrees, 11 Ed.S. degrees, 4 Ph.D. degrees, and 49 M.D. degrees. Students who may have started their master's degree programs prior to the effective date of the merger, July 1, 1997, became Marshall University students and were awarded their degrees as Marshall graduates. Additionally, six students earned their Ed.D. Degrees in the cooperative program with West Virginia University. WVU awarded the degree.
 
13. It has degree programs in operation, with students enrolled in them.  Marshall has degree programs with students enrolled in them, which are reported in the Marshall University Bluebook and the Marshall University Graduate College Factbook.
 
14. Its degree programs are compatible with the institution's mission and are based on recognized fields of study at the higher education level.  Degree programs pass through a campus approval process and then are approved after review by the University System of West Virginia Board of Trustees. Degree programs must be compatible with the institution's mission. Further, degree programs are defined by the Classification of Institutional Programs (CIP codes) used by the U. S. Department of Education. The catalog lists, as well, the specialized accreditation of many of the degree programs.
 
15. Its degrees are appropriately named, following practices common to institutions of higher education in terms of both length and content of the programs.  The programs at Marshall University, at all levels, follow traditional practices in naming, content and length of time requirement for completion. An appropriate number of hours is required for each degree with the minimum being 128 semester hours for a bachelor's degree, 65 for an associate degree, 32 for a master's degree, and the completion of the program of study at the doctoral and first-professional levels in medicine. Each program is described in the appropriate catalog. Specific requirements for each program are listed in the catalogs, which may be found in the Resource Room.
 
16. Its undergraduate degree programs include a coherent general education program consistent with the institution's mission and designed to ensure breadth of knowledge and to promote intellectual inquiry.  A new General Education Philosophy was adopted in 1991 and is found on page 6 of the current undergraduate catalog. The explication of the General Education Program, known as the Marshall Plan, is found on page 43. The Marshall Plan establishes the minimum competencies and processes for the General Education program, and each College determines the specific courses that form the foundation for their respective degree programs.
 
17. It has admission policies and practices that are consistent with institution's mission and appropriate to its educational programs.  The Board of Trustees has adopted a minimum set of requirements for admission to a four-year program of study in an institution of higher education in West Virginia. In addition to a set of course requirements, a high school diploma is required with a GPA of 2.0 or a composite score of 17 on the ACT. Certain programs have selective admission requirements higher than the general criteria for admission to the university. The Community and Technical College has an open admissions policy for anyone holding a high school diploma or who has met the GED requirements.
 
Admission to the Graduate College is based upon a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution, a minimum grade point average, the scores of required examinations and completion of the information provided on the "Application for Graduate Admission" form. These are minimum requirements. The required GPA and test scores vary according to program and may be associated with specialized accreditation requirements.
 
Admission to the School of Medicine is a selective process based upon the undergraduate GPA, the major program completed, the scores on the MCAT, the results of an interview, and appropriate recommendations.
 
Admission to the doctoral degree program, in addition to the general requirements of the Graduate College, requires the completion of 32 semester hours towards the Master of Science Degree in Biomedical Science or its equivalent.
 
The admissions criteria are contained in the appropriate undergraduate or graduate catalog.
 
18. It provides students access to those learning resources and support services requisite for its degree programs.  Student support services include, but are not limited to, counseling, placement and advising services; recreational sports and fitness activities; tutorial and skills development services including a disabled students services program; a writing center and a student legal aid center. Descriptions of these services and how students may access them are found in special bulletins and brochures with brief references in the catalog.
 
Technology learning resources are described to students during orientation. Students have experience with computer technology and the electronic library resources during Freshman Seminar 101. Courses that integrate technology have their own orientation. Technology resources are further described under Criterion Two.
 
19. It has an external financial audit by a certified public accountant or a public audit agency at least every two years.  External audits are conducted annually. The most recent external audits for Marshall University and the West Virginia Graduate College may be found in the Resource Room.
 
20. Its financial documents demonstrate the appropriate allocation and use of resources to support its educational programs.  The Strategic Planning Update documents for 1997 and 1998 demonstrate the manner in which the institution supports its educational programs. These documents offer, as well, multi-year comparative financial statements and balanced budgets.
 
In 1997, the University System Board of Trustees established a format for the Strategic Planning Update. This format contains proposed budgets for the upcoming fiscal year and, fiscal projections to FY 2001. Balanced budget projections are required. There is a full description about how resources are used to start programs; how faculty development and specific student needs are supported; and a full description of technology improvements. The Update also reports on program closings and changes in personnel. The University sends its official submission of the Strategic Planning Update on November 1 of each year. The Updates for 1997 and 1998 may be found in the Resource Room.
 
21. Its financial practices, records, and reports demonstrate fiscal viability. The external audits, found in the Resource Room, attest to sound financial practices including appropriate financial record keeping. Fiscal viability is affirmed by balanced budgets, a record of successful capital campaigns, most recently for the new John Deaver Drinko library, a growing endowment, an increase in grant activity, and a stable level of state appropriations.
 
22. Its catalog or other official documents include its mission statement along with accurate descriptions of:

• its educational programs and degree requirements;
• its learning resources;
• its admissions policies and practices;
• its academic and nonacademic policies and procedures directly affecting students;
• its charges and refund policies; and
• the academic credentials of its faculty.

24. It makes available upon request information that accurately describes its financial condition.  Marshall University is a tax supported, public institution that functions as part of the University System of West Virginia. In addition to the external audits and strategic planning documents that describe the institution's financial condition, Marshall also publishes an annual report to the University System Board of Trustees as well as occasional reports to West Virginia legislative committees. The Marshall University Foundation produces an Annual Report. All of the reports described above are public reports available upon request. Copies are available in the library and in the major offices of the university. Tuition and fees are published in the catalog.
 
Summary. As demonstrated above, Marshall University, with the merger of the West Virginia Graduate College, continues to meet the North Central General Institutional Requirements. The institution's authority, mission, degree programs, faculty, financial practices, and financial viability meet not only the letter but the spirit of the GIR's as well.
 

Each of the five NCA Criteria for Accreditation will be reviewed briefly with references to the patterns of evidence that demonstrate that Marshall University continues to meet the Criteria for Accreditation.
 
Criterion One. The Institution has clear and publicly stated purposes consistent with its mission and appropriate to an institution of higher education.

• The long and short-range institutional goals have been published in the Strategic Plan, and in the subsequent annual Strategic Planning Updates.
• Whenever Marshall University wishes to undertake a new program or area of emphasis it must demonstrate to its faculty, to the Chancellor, and/or to the Board of Trustees that the offering is consistent with the mission and purposes of the institution. An open dialogue with students is frequently conducted through the university's newspaper, The Parthenon. New initiatives are often reviewed with appropriate program advisory groups, external consultants, and/or the institutional advisory board.
• The undergraduate and graduate catalogs have been revised and contain the current university offerings. New program brochures have been produced to accurately depict the merged programs. Copies of documents mentioned above as well as other standard informational brochures are available in the Resource Room.
• The institution has a typical decision making process. The Faculty Senate reviews policy matters and a recommendation is sent to the President for approval. With the merger of the Graduate College, a new Graduate Council has been created and is concerned with policies and procedures associated with graduate programs and graduate faculty. Faculty from the newly merged Graduate College are represented on the Faculty Senate and on the Graduate Council.
• Marshall maintains a philosophical commitment to scholarly inquiry and supports and encourages research activity. Financial support for faculty inquiry is available through two standing committees of the Faculty Senate: the Research Committee and the Faculty Development Committee. A special ad hoc committee of two Graduate Council members and three Research Committee members make grants to cover faculty on reassigned time. Faculty from the Graduate College are eligible for the research and development support. The University has instituted an Outstanding Scholar Award which goes to an outstanding researcher. Students compete for thesis research awards.
• The institutional commitment to excellence in teaching is verified by recognition of excellence in teaching and in its procedures to evaluate teaching through course evaluation and review. The Graduate College had consistently evaluated every course, every semester, a practice adopted only in some programs on the Huntington campus. As a consequence of the merger, the course evaluation procedure was adopted for all graduate programs including those that were originally campus based. The Pickens Queen awards and the Marshall and Shirley Reynolds awards are University initiatives to recognize outstanding teaching. The Moore Auto Group provides support for outstanding advising.
• All faculty complete the annual report of the faculty in which faculty detail their year's work in instruction and advising, scholarly and creative activity enumerating publications, research, professional activity, and service to the institution and the civic community. Faculty then prepare a plan for the following year. As part of the annual report, faculty complete a self-evaluation and the supervisor completes an evaluation. These documents then become part of the faculty's portfolio that may be used in the scheduled faculty review for promotion and tenure.
• In its support for student learning, Marshall has in operation a Freshman Program to stimulate success in a student's first year; a Writing Center; tutorial support; and, a special program for students with learning disabilities.
• The application of the Assessment Plan and the use of outcome data in program review processes demonstrate the concern with evaluating student academic achievement. The Assessment Plan and most recent Annual Reports of Assessment as well as the most recent program review reports are available in the Resource Room.

Criterion Two. The institution has effectively organized the human, financial, and physical resources necessary to accomplish its purposes.

The merger of the West Virginia Graduate College with Marshall University became an opportunity for the institution to restructure programs and services. Rather than simply merging and maintaining every policy and procedure from both institutions, committees that were charged with addressing the impact of the merger, examined policy and procedural areas that could be reshaped, deleted, or created. The first major institutional changes that occurred as a consequence of the merger were in the organization of the human, financial, and physical resources necessary to accomplish the institution's purposes. These changes and the planning that led to the changes are described in this section and are contained in the following reports:

• A memorandum from President Gilley to the Chancellor of the University System Board of Trustees on May 14, 1997 outlined the steps he would take to operationalize the merger.
• The Process to Consolidation, June 20, 1997 itemized the consultations and approvals, and specified the initial organizational structures that would go into effect on July 1, 1997.
• Marshall Prime, An Operating Plan Overview, effective July 1, 1997, accompanied The Process to Consolidation. It recaps the statutory requirements in the merger as delineated in Senate Bill 67; the Board of Trustees Merger Principles (adopted February 3, 1997); the initial structuring of the Marshall University Graduate College; the creation of a Graduate Council and its composition and; initial administrative consolidations.
• Interim Executive Policy Bulletin No. 12 established the operating policies and procedures that were put into effect on July 1, 1997 creating the "new Marshall University." The changes put into effect with IEPB #12 made the merger visible immediately. IEPB #12 outlined the bold steps that would make the new Marshall University Graduate College a reality. The following are the implementation steps provided for in IEPB#12.
 •The former West Virginia Graduate College became a university-wide administrative facility located in South Charleston and was designated as the site of the Marshall University Graduate College. It was charged with the responsibility of planning, coordination, and review of all graduate programs of the university; administration of funds allocated by the Board of Trustees from state appropriations and other revenues designated for all non-Huntington graduate programs; and providing administrative and student support for all non-Huntington university graduate programs.
•In the area of Governance, during 1997-1998, or until a modification in the Marshall University Faculty Senate Constitution is approved, full-time faculty based in South Charleston in the Graduate School of Information Technology and Engineering, the Graduate School of Management and the Graduate School of Education and Professional Development have representation on the Faculty Senate. Classified Staff assigned to South Charleston enjoy proportional representation on the Marshall University Staff Council. As mandated in Senate Bill 67, two faculty members and two staff members from Marshall University are elected to the Advisory Councils of the Board of Trustees: one faculty and one classified staff from each MU campus. The Marshall University Graduate Council was created and charged with the responsibilities of long range planning for graduate education; approving programmatic and curricular changes; facilitating graduate accreditation; recommending promotion and tenure policies relative to graduate education; and, recommending graduate faculty to the president. The West Virginia Graduate College Institutional Board of Advisors became the Marshall University Graduate College Board of Visitors and, as provided by law, three members from the MUGC Board of Advisors serve on the Marshall University Institutional Board of Advisors.
• In the area of Student Policies, as duplicated degree programs and courses merged during 1997/98, maximum flexibility was extended to individual students so that each student is able to meet the requirements of merged programs.Within three years, there will be one set of tuition and fees for resident graduate students at Marshall University.
•In the area of Administration, a position of Senior Vice President for Graduate and Extended Studies and Technology was created to head the Marshall University Graduate College. The former president of WVGC filled this position. A position of Vice President-South Charleston was created with responsibilities for operations on the South Charleston campus.  The following Administrative Offices from the two locations are merged: Institutional Research and Planning, and Computing Services, each retaining a presence in Huntington and South Charleston. Human Resources merged and all services are provided from Huntington. 1997/98 became a period for merging databases associated with admissions, registration, development, accounting, and accounts payable and fee collections under the Banner (SCT) System. Many of these functions are successfully merged with the remainder scheduled for completion during 1998/99.
•Libraries of the two institutions are merged. The new John Deaver Drinko Library in Huntington, under construction and scheduled for completion in October 1998, is the centerpiece of the MU library system. The Drinko library expands the existing full multimedia resources and electronic subscription services currently available in the James E. Morrow Library. The MU Huntington library system links electronically to a new library at the Graduate College in South Charleston making all the resources of the MU Library System available to students in South Charleston. ARIEL document delivery equipment provides ease of transfer from one location to another. The Graduate College library also serves a small branch library in Beckley, West Virginia providing services to students in the state's southern area.
•In Fiscal Management, Marshall University prepared a revised Strategic Planning Update document (required in Senate Bill 67) and submitted it to the University System Board of Trustees on November 1, 1997. The revised plan consolidated financial reports of the two institutions, using the same salary policies and basic financial assumptions currently being utilized by the University. 1997/98 was a transition year in fiscal management. The Graduate College receives a separate allocation from the University System Board of Trustees through Fiscal 2000-2001 as provided for in Senate Bill 67. A Graduate College expenditure schedule is maintained; however, fiscal reporting reflects consolidated revenue and expenditure accounts. As appropriate, the University follows practices it had developed for similar situations in the fiscal management of the Medical School and the Community and Technical College.

Summary. Marshall University meets Criterion Two. The responses to GIR 3, 5, 10, 11, 14, 15 and Criterion Two give evidence that Marshall University has structures in place to enable the university to accomplish its purposes.

• Marshall continues to be governed by the University System of West Virginia Board of Trustees. The Board has supported Marshall's actions concerning the merger.
• Marshall has an effective administrative structure in place. This includes appropriate program administration that facilitates program delivery and faculty support at more than one geographic location.
• The Marshall University Graduate College is administered by a Vice President on location in South Charleston. A senior vice president for development and planning has the responsibility of developing a physical plant master plan for the South Charleston facility and other Marshall locations.
• All faculty have the appropriate credentials for their academic appointments. Credentials are on file in the office of the Academic Vice President. Graduate faculty are certified by the Graduate Council as meeting criteria commensurate with appointment to the graduate faculty.

Marshall University established its educational focus in the early part of this decade as preparation for the 21^st Century. Marshall's goal is to achieve a unique identity characterized by:

• High quality undergraduate education;
• Enhanced graduate education;
• Technological sophistication unsurpassed by any other university of its size and type in the nation;
• Status as the prototypical interactive university in America; and
• Sound management of human and financial resources.

Information Technology. The University continues to make a major investment in Information Technology and estimates that by 2001, its investment in technology will exceed $80 million dollars. This investment includes computers and a technology infrastructure which includes software for the new Drinko Library and the Graduate College Library, rural-health-based medical programs, and student-centered programs. For the latter, the investment in the professional development of faculty prepares them to use technology as a delivery mode for instruction or for integrating technology in the classroom. Technology services for students are available in the training programs, computer labs, learning via technology, and technology driven information resources.

Interactive University. Marshall University is known as the "Interactive University" partly because of its telecommunications and technology systems and partly because of its interaction with the statewide and regional community. Marshall founded Advantage Valley for the purposes of economic development. Advantage Valley is the business and industrial corridor in the Charleston-Putnam-Huntington and Ashland region established to stimulate and support economic development. The Center for Business and Economic Research and the Marshall University Research Corporation are actively engaged in economic development activities.

Graduate Education. The merger of the West Virginia Graduate College with Marshall University was proposed as an opportunity to provide coherent, high quality, graduate programs to the people of West Virginia with special emphasis on delivery in the southern part of the state.

At the time of the merger, the Graduate College was composed of three schools: the School of Business, the School of Education and Professional Studies which was NCATE accredited, and the School of Engineering and Science. This structure continued with the merger, incorporating merged programs and name changes. A dean headed each school and the total number of full-time faculty and the number of part-time faculty, which varies slightly each semester, is sufficient to support the degree programs offered.

The academic structure at Marshall University follows a traditional pattern of disciplines housed in departments, with undergraduate and, in many cases, graduate programs. Academic disciplines are grouped appropriately into colleges or schools, each headed by a dean. An academic vice president, assisted by an associate vice president, provides leadership for the academic programs. Once appointed to the general faculty, a faculty member could apply to the Graduate School for associate of full graduate status to teach at the graduate level. Once certified, a faculty could have broad responsibilities at the graduate as well as the undergraduate levels.

Interim Executive Policy Bulletin #12 laid out an operating plan that would initiate the merger of academic programs and policies, which, in turn would affect graduate faculty. Academic reorganization proceeded as outlined in IEP #12:

• A Graduate School of Education and Professional Development within the College of Education, consisting of those programs and faculty existing at the WVGC prior to July 1, 1997, was created and is an official "academic unit" within the university's Faculty Senate definition, headed by a dean. A committee consisting of the dean, the vice president for academic affairs and the dean of the College of Education recommended a plan to consolidate graduate education programs. This plan was completed in July 1998.
• A Graduate School of Management was created within the Lewis College of Business, headed by an associate dean and director of graduate management programs who is located on the South Charleston campus. GSM is an official "academic unit" within the Faculty Senate Constitution definition. Continued AACSB accreditation has been the highest priority of the business faculty and a plan has been developed by the Lewis College of Business to address accreditation requirements and the expanded mission to serve non-traditional students throughout southern West Virginia. It was submitted to the president of the university on January 1, 1998 and was sent to and approved by AACSB.
• Marshall University's Technology Management program was merged with the School of Engineering and Science at WVGC to form a new "academic unit," the Graduate School of Information Technology and Engineering with components in both Huntington and South Charleston. This academic unit also has representation on the Faculty Senate.
• A new School of Extended Education, headed by a dean (but not an official "academic unit" ) was created to merge certain continuing education programs of the two institutions and facilitate the development and administration of off-campus, non-traditional programs, and web-based courses.
• A Graduate Council was established with the following responsibilities: long range planning for graduate education at Marshall; recommendation of new programs and courses to the university president; evaluation of existing programs and courses; facilitation of accreditation of graduate programs; recommendation of promotion and tenure policies relating to graduate education and its new mission, and recommendation of the approval of graduate faculty to the president.
• Faculty rank and tenure of individual faculty of West Virginia Graduate College was automatically transferred to Marshall University.
• University policies for promotion and tenure were adjusted to account for the special requirements of faculty associated with the graduate programs of the former West Virginia Graduate College.
• Student policies found in the catalog are treated in the following manner: Marshall honors, within the requirements of accreditation, the contract with students admitted prior to July 1, 1997, published in the WVGC catalog. As programs were merged, students were counseled as to how the new programs affected them. Students were given the option to finish the program they started or to meet the requirements of the merged program. One set of tuition and fees is being phased in over a three-year period.

In June, 1998, the President reported that all of the above had been accomplished. Further, in 1997/98, with the reorganization of many academic and administrative units and the merging of graduate programs, Marshall University Graduate College was designated as the center for all off-campus graduate education for the university. In the course of the 1997/98 academic year the following specific organizational changes took place.

School of Business. At the time of the merger, the Marshall University School of Business was in the midst of an AACSB accreditation process. WVGC graduate programs were not accredited. The accreditation visit to the Marshall campus took place and the recommendation was made for accreditation for a period of ten years under certain conditions including, but not limited to the following:

1. Annual reports would be filed with AACSB for five years demonstrating that the merged institution satisfies the requirements, or is making substantial progress in satisfying the requirements, to maintain AACSB accreditation.
2. A comprehensive interim report is due on September 1, 2001.
3. A two member Merger Monitoring Team was appointed. One member serves as the advisor, the other member serves as the Business Accreditation Committee Liaison.
4. The Peer Review Team recommended an intensive monitoring period until the year 2000.

Uniform admission standards were instituted; cooperative programs with other institutions were renegotiated incorporating changes; a graduate committee for business programs was established with three faculty from each location; and, the President set aside $50,000 for faculty in South Charleston to use to elevate their research and scholarship status. Curriculum committees were established within disciplines to work on the merger of programs as well as common core elements for graduate programs. The revised graduate programs in Business appear in the revised graduate catalog.

The continuing merger challenges for the School of Business are in enrollment and retention; faculty scholarship and development; and, in making substantive progress in the AACSB requirements.

The Graduate School of Education and Professional Development. Both the MU School of Education and the WVGC School of Education have been NCATE accredited for a long period of time. The most recent visit to WVGC was in October 1996 and the MU visit occurred during the first year of the merger in November 1997. NCATE agreed to evaluate only the MU Huntington programs during the 1997 visit with the understanding that subsequent annual reports would document the progress made in merging programs and faculty. The next NCATE accreditation visit would consider the Teacher Education programs as merged and evaluate them accordingly.

The structure of the new College of Education and Human Services appears in the revised catalog and it includes the Graduate School of Education and Professional Development. The College is headed by an executive dean who is assisted by a dean located in South Charleston who administers the graduate programs in education and professional development. During 1997/98, faculty worked in committee, usually along discipline lines, and merged programs and renumbered all courses. Admission requirements as well as other program requirements were revised for consistency within programs. The programmatic responsibilities for the Psychology and Humanities programs were moved to the College of Liberal Arts; the Educational Leadership program was moved from Huntington to the Leadership Studies program in South Charleston.

The Graduate School of Education and Professional Development is the largest unit affected by the merger. It has most of the faculty from the former Graduate College and the largest number of courses offered to students who are dispersed geographically. Some faculty are located off-site in Beckley and Bluefield.

The operational challenges from the merger for the College of Education and Human Services in 1998/99 include, but are not limited to, restructuring the college standing committees, developing a clearly defined graduate unit, developing a graduate plan for the unit, evaluating dual courses, i.e., undergraduate/graduate, and reexamining relationships with external agencies such as the West Virginia State Department of Education and the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

The Graduate School of Information Technology and Engineering. The new school, GSITE, is a merger of the MU Technology Management Program with the WVGC School of Engineering and Science. The Technology Management Program was a degree program offered jointly by Marshall University and the West Virginia Graduate College. The new school continues the Engineering, Environmental Science, and Information Systems programs. The newly written strategic plan for GSITE outlines the short term goals associated with student issues such as admission requirements, advisement and student records. As well, it addresses programmatic issues such as course evaluations by students, employers, and faculty. There are goals for faculty recruitment, retention and development and efforts to involve faculty in funded research and service projects. Further, faculty will assess graduate degree curricula and examine ways to create core components for programs. On the short-term timetable, faculty will develop an action plan that will lead to ABET accreditation of the Master of Science in Engineering program. The full plan, available in the Resource in Room, outlines multi-year plans that include affiliate agreements with other centers and institutes. There is a target for increasing research productivity among faculty.

The merger challenges for GSITE are associated with student recruitment and retention. The specialized nature of the GSITE programs demands a focused market analysis by program need and geographic location. Work has already begun on revising the Information Systems program consistent with market needs, particularly in West Virginia.

Assessment. Assessment of Student Academic Achievement at Marshall University consists of four areas: undergraduate entry level assessment, general education assessment, undergraduate program level assessment, and graduate level assessment. The MU Assessment Plan was approved by NCA in 1995. The merger challenges graduate level programs to examine procedures and timelines and to make appropriate revisions to accommodate the newly merged programs. Each program submits an annual report to the Program Review and Assessment Office that reflects changes in assessment. The annual report contains a description of goals, learning outcomes, data collection instruments and timelines, and a statement of how the data are used to improve curriculum and student achievement.

In the first year of the merger, 1997/98, faculty in graduate programs were involved with the operational aspects of merging the academic programs: merging and resetting courses, renumbering courses, and working on the program changes for a new catalog. Appropriate revision of the assessment plans for graduate programs is scheduled in 1998/99.

The effect of the merger on all of the graduate programs has been to heighten the emphasis on faculty scholarship and creative activity. There is an expectation that, as a minimum, faculty will engage in applied research as a way to involve students and to enhance instruction and learning.

Support Services. The following functions have been integrated: human resources; business affairs and payroll; computing services including student information and personnel databases, libraries and other information technology activities; extended education and distance learning technology; institutional research and planning; and, graduate school administration. Financial management is centered on the main campus with some local administrative functions located in South Charleston such as security and maintenance.

• All administrative applications (i.e. Alumni, Student Information, Finance and Human Resources) are integrated with the Banner 2000 Student Information System.
• The Marshall University Graduate College in South Charleston is responsible for admission and enrollment of all graduate students (effective October 1998) and the data are entered into a fully, integrated student information system.
• In 1983, the Morrow Library became the first academic library in the state to automate basic library functions using the VTLS integrated system. The Morrow Library provides an online public access catalog that can be accessed from on or off campus. The library provides full multimedia resources and electronic subscription to patrons. ARIEL document delivery equipment provides ease of transfer from the South Charleston campus to the Huntington location. The South Charleston location serves a small branch library in Beckley that provides services to students in the state's southern area.
• Academic programs are appropriately organized with a differentiation between undergraduate and graduate standards of achievement.
• Academic programs are characterized by intellectual rigor and high scholarship.
• A University wide academic assessment program is in place and steps are being taken to implement the program in the newly merged graduate programs.
• There is a clear understanding and expectation that faculty and student scholarship at the master's degree level should be relevant to the world of professional practice and that applied research is the natural outcome of such efforts.
• Support services are on location and, as appropriate, can be accessed electronically by geographically dispersed students.
• Student records and personnel records are standardized and filed electronically. Transcripts and other student data are recorded in the student information system.
• In the first year of the merger, 1997/98, all affected graduate programs have been merged and course numbering, sequence and program restructuring has been accomplished. Other programs not affected by the merger, as in the Graduate School of Engineering Technology and Engineering, will be examined in 1998/99.

Criterion Four. The institution can continue to accomplish its purposes and strengthen its educational effectiveness.

Capital Improvements, Finances, and Infrastructure. In his January, 1998 Report to the University System Board of Trustees, President J. Wade Gilley recapitulated Marshall's progress since 1991/92 and demonstrated that Marshall has a solid financial base and academic programs of high quality and is sought after by college students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Marshall's capital investments and capital improvements have strengthened the institution for the future. Marshall's developments in the 1990's critically poise the University for the 21^st Century and according to the President, "Marshall's only limitations are our imaginations and our unity of purpose."

The document, "Marshall: Then, Now and Future" describes the University's challenges in the last seven years and are reported within the context of Marshall's mission and specific goals at that time:

1. to establish financial stability;
2. to improve faculty and staff salaries; and
3. to construct a new library.

Accomplishments in meeting those challenges include the completion of a $29 million drive for the Drinko Library, a state-of-the-art technology facility, scheduled to open in October, 1998. Faculty salaries continue to improve and move toward the 2000-2001 market target.

Strong financial management is evident. The University has projected balanced budgets through FY 2001. In addition, it has received unqualified external audits and enjoys a AAA bond rating which enables the University to engage in capital campaigns and campus improvements.

On January 12, 1998, when the West Virginia Legislature reconvened for its 1998 session, President Gilley reported to the Governor and the Legislature the accomplishments of the merger. In addition to noting the progress in academic and administrative reorganization, the President reported on the specific promise that the merger of the West Virginia Graduate College with Marshall University would result in cost savings. The report lists the following actual cost savings in FY 1998:

• $300,517 associated with elimination of 5.5 positions due to attrition or retirement and not filled;
• $ 25,00 in duplicate association dues;
• $25,000 in elimination of duplicate subscription costs;
• $116,000 associated with conversion to one telephone system; and,
• $ 54,000 staff cost savings in having a shared library.
• $520,517 TOTAL SAVINGS

• $235,000 purchase of Banner modules;
• $100,000 telephone registration system;
• $ 28,000 Student ID system;
• $210,000 new library system;
• $54,000 new servers;
• $ 20,000 E-course development.
• $647,000 TOTAL COST AVOIDANCE

Marshall has made a major investment in technology making it one of the most technologically sophisticated universities of its size and type. Between 1992 and 2001, an $80 million investment will have funded a new library and information center, a fiber optic campus network, ATM voice, data and video systems connecting both major campuses, touchtone telephone registration, a distance learning classroom network, as well as other advanced technologies.

Evidence of Marshall's emphasis on academic quality is found in The Marshall Plan for Quality Undergraduate Education which restructured the General Education Program. The merger with the West Virginia Graduate College, a well established institution serving the graduate needs of working professionals, enables Marshall to join graduate programs into a coherent framework of graduate education that serves West Virginians throughout southern West Virginia and in the Advantage Valley corridor between South Charleston and Huntington-Ashland.

One significant by-product of Marshall's accomplishments is an increase in enrollment. NCA Basic Institutional Data Form A reflects increases in undergraduate enrollment in each of the last three years. Graduate enrollment on the Huntington campus varied over the last three years, and enrollment on the South Charleston campus, for the same period, gradually declined. The complete report, Marshall: Then, Now and Future, is available in the Resource Room.

Insuring Academic Quality. Marshall has an integrated Program Review and Assessment Plan which positions the institution to evaluate the currency and effectiveness of the academic programs. The plan stipulates that the general education and academic programs prepare assessment plans and timetables for the collection of data. Further, the plans describe the manner in which data are collected and used. One of the data applications is in the program review process, a procedure established by the Board of Trustees to review all academic programs at least once every five years. This five year cycle has been projected until 2005. Program review consists of three levels of activity: an annual audit program review by the Board of Trustees, and this information becomes part of the five year review providing longitudinal information. The five year evaluation examines the viability, adequacy and necessity of the programs in relation to the institution's master plan. Marshall's assessment reports and program reviews for the last three years are available in the Resource Room. They serve as examples of the ability of the institution to continue offering academic programs of high quality.

Planning. In compliance with the omnibus higher education legislation passed in 1995, known as Senate Bill 547, Marshall University submits on November 1 of each year, to the University System Board of Trustees, a Strategic Plan Update. These updates, based upon a Five Year Strategic Plan submitted on April 30, 1996, outline what has been accomplished and what is projected in programmatic areas, support services, salaries, administrative functions, and technology as well as a description of the diversity of the university and its involvement in economic development. The plan and the updates contain the Campus Fiscal Strategic Plan Summary, a series of tables reflecting E&G projections through FY2002, variances that may have occurred in the current operating budget from the approved budget, wage and benefit costs, and a capital projects summary. The tables are constructed for Marshall University with all of its units and, as well, a separate set of tables for Marshall without the effect of the addition of the merged Graduate School. Separate tables are available for the Marshall University Graduate College.

The planning process involves the units responsible for the academic, administrative, and support services. The planning committee, in turn, composed of a broad representation of campus constituents, evaluates the plan and makes recommendations to the president. The Faculty Senate, Classified Staff, and Student Government review the updates and make recommendations to the president.

Challenges. On June 5, 1998, the president outlined the major challenges facing the university in a memorandum to the administrative staff, faculty, and classified staff, with copies to the institutional boards of visitors and advisors, and to the Board of Trustees. While Marshall has been successful in achieving institutional goals associated with its strategic plan, the institution has had imposed on it, faculty salary and classified staff salary goals defined by the Senate Bill 547 legislation which should be met by FY2001. Legislative appropriations will not be sufficient to meet these goals and the university must find the funds through restructuring and reorganization. The president has outlined a series of reorganization strategies to accomplish the requirements of SB 547 as well as to achieve the objectives envisioned in the merger between the West Virginia Graduate College and Marshall University.

• Major academic reorganizations were approved effective July 1, 1998 for the College of Nursing and Health Professions, the College of Science, the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and the Mass Communications, and the College of Liberal Arts. These were added to the reorganizations that occurred in 1997/98: the Marshall Graduate School of Management, the Graduate School of Information Technology and Engineering, the Graduate School of Education and Professional Development, the School of Extended Education, and a new organization, the Marshall Technology Institute. The MTI has been created bringing together various information technology training programs on both campuses under one marketing and administrative organization.
• In addition, several adjustments were made in the administrative structure. These involved the redefinition of the roles and responsibilities of several high level administrators with duties associated with the development of the South Charleston campus; development of alumni relations; expansion of communications; and, a stronger focus on the development of the Robert C. Byrd Institute for Advanced Flexible Manufacturing.
• Additional administrative changes were made in the University Printing Services and auxiliary enterprises. As well, the president stated that strategic goals would be achieved by streamlining administration. Furthermore, savings would be gained by personnel attrition and