Peer Reviews for Athletic Departments

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Peer Reviews for Athletic Departments

• NAIA Annual Convention
• April 15, 2008

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BAKER UNIVERSITY

• 1. Create and Develop SPLT
• Strategic Planning and Leadership Team
• 2. Tasks and directives
• a. Perform Self-Study
• Strategic Analysis Reports
• Develop list of peer aspiration
  institutions
  
• SWOT Reports
• Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats
• b. Outside Consultant Assessment

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Vision

• Baker University will be nationally recognized
  for fostering learning communities that integrate
  liberal arts, professional programs, and
  experiential learning in ways that develop the
  whole person and shape successful, responsible
  citizenship in our global society.
• Explanation of Key Components
• nationally recognized (Expands applicant pool to
  create more selective admissions  encourages
  active participation in events that bring
  national recognition for our students, faculty,
  and staff encourages internships across the
  country and abroad elevates the value of a Baker
  degree)
• learning community (Students, faculty, and staff
  linked together in various ways around a common
  theme, focused on a coordinated program of
  learning, characterized by service, civility, and
  respect)
• integration of liberal arts, professional
  programs, and experiential learning  (All
  educational units CAS, SON and SPGS all are
  committed to the value of integration.  The
  unique mission statements for each major
  educational unit will describe the nature of the
  integration utilized and the value that
  integration has for their respective students.)
• developing the whole person (Mind, body, and
  spirit)
  
• promoting responsible citizenship (People with
  ethical character who seek ways to be of service
  and make a contribution to the greater good)
  
• global society (Promotes awareness of and
  appreciation for diversity, international
  connections, the importance of learning to live
  and work with diverse groups of people, and the
  impact our actions have on the members of the
  global community encourages education about
  different cultures, domestic and foreign, as well
  as study abroad.)

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Core Values

• Student Learning, Development, and Success
• We are passionate about student learning,
  development, and success. We will provide a
  challenging, yet supportive, learning-centered
  educational experience that reflects a concern
  for academic excellence, sensitivity to changing
  and emerging student, market requirements, and
  attention to the factors that influence student
  learning, development, fulfillment, and success.
  We will build a living-learning environment that
  promotes student engagement and ignites in our
  students a passion for life-long learning.
• Community
• Our commitment to community represents the
  essence of our campus culture. We will adopt
  policies, procedures, and practices that promote
  attention to individual needs and aspirations, as
  well as those that strengthen our University and
  the broader community. We will actively engage
  students, faculty, and staff in integrated
  learning communities that foster synergistic
  connections among and within academic disciplines
  and social clusters. We will seek ways to
  partner with our extended community to promote
  mutual enrichment and professional progress.
• Character
• We understand that character development is a
  life-long pursuit. Therefore, we encourage
  continued character development for students,
  faculty, and staff. We will seek and develop
  faculty and staff who will model ethical
  behavior, principled decision making, and
  personal integrity in ways that will inspire
  these characteristics in our students. We will
  integrate ethics and analytical thinking
  throughout our curriculum and adopt an ethos of
  ethical character development in our approach to
  athletics, co-curricular activities, student
  discipline, and employee relations.
• Civic and Social Responsibility
• We are committed to the traditional United
  Methodist concerns for social justice and service
  to others, and we will seek faculty, staff, and
  students who share this concern. We will
  encourage a sense of social responsibility among
  members of our community by integrating
  academics, student development, co-curricular
  activities, university governance, and
  community-service programs in ways that promote
  understanding of public policy and encourage
  service to others, leadership development, and a
  life-long commitment to civic and social
  engagement.

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Mission

• Baker University was founded by the Methodist
  Church in 1858 as the first university in Kansas.
  At the heart of the institution rests Bakers
  College of Arts and Sciences, which comprises the
  main campus in Baldwin City, Kansas.
• The College offers a life enhancing experience
  that promotes rigorous scholarship and integrates
  student learning, student development, and
  student engagement in ways that educate the whole
  person and inspire student success and
  fulfillment.
• Liberal arts education provides the foundation of
  the College educational experience for all
  academic programs. The curriculum is infused
  with exposure to ethical considerations,
  experiential learning opportunities, and
  thoughtful reflection that, together, help
  students translate theory and research into
  practical tools for principled-decision making
  and creative problem solving at work, at home,
  and in the global community. This intentional
  combination of liberal arts, professional
  programs, and experiential learning is designed
  to produce open-minded critical thinkers who
  understand diverse people and perspectives and
  are prepared to lead in their chosen profession.
• By encouraging faith and values exploration and
  deliberately surrounding the students with
  meaningful opportunities for student development
  and engagement in learning communities outside
  the classroom and beyond campus borders, we
  encourage each student to embrace our core values
  of community, character, and responsible
  citizenship. These pursuits reflect a steadfast
  belief in the relevance and importance of liberal
  arts education and a resolute commitment to our
  United Methodist heritage.

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Strategic Analysis Report

• Area of interest Athletics (national or regional
  trends)
  
• CRITICAL ISSUES
• Institutions provide athletic programs to create
  an arena for the development and growth of
  student-athletes within the boundaries of an
  academic environment. These programs serve a
  variety of needs for each institution and are
  generally governed by external bodies such as a
  conference or a national organization like the
  NAIA or the NCAA. Some institutions use athletic
  rosters to support enrollment, and others use
  athletic programs to attract media attention to
  enhance the recruitment process.
• INFLUENTIAL TRENDS ISSUES (Why do we offer
  sport programs?)
  
• The decision to offer a specific athletic
  program is driven by a university plan to
  determine the contribution of the sport to the
  university environment. Issues that are
  considered include roster size, geographical
  recruiting area, operational cost of the program,
  liability (high risk/low risk activity),
  availability of adequate facilities, and
  conference affiliation. Title IX legislation and
  gender equity requirements are outside influences
  on sport offerings. Maintaining this balance is
  a challenge and, many times, an obstacle.
• SUPPORT DATA
• Attached data includes a list of sports offered
  by peer and aspiration institutions. The lists
  represent a reasonable balance of programs for
  men and women. The expected roster sizes for
  these sports generally show compliance with the
  Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act Report (EADA)
  submitted by all institutions to the federal
  government in the fall semester.
• The Baker University sport programs equal to or
  are greater than the offerings at most of the
  peer and aspiration institutions. The Baker
  University offerings include 19 sports sponsoring
  9 for men, 9 for women and one coed compared to
  the peer and aspiration institutional average of
  14 sports.
• CURRENT GAP ANALYSIS
• An analysis of the athletic program offerings
  shows a significant difference between the peer
  and aspiration institutions. All but one of the
  peer institutions offers football and very few of
  the aspiration institutions offer football as a
  varsity sport. In most cases, the lack of
  football at the aspiration institutions is based
  on regional location and the lack of a conference
  affiliation sponsoring the sport. By not
  sponsoring football, the institution may invest
  in other unique sports like field hockey or
  lacrosse that are not sponsored by the NAIA. No
  varsity football programs may also relate to the
  fact that the institution may lack adequate
  facilities for the program.

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Performance Goals

• Goal 1 Research new sport offerings and
  determine appropriate fit within the university
  environment based on the aforementioned
  criteria.
• Timeline Current data on new sports could
  be reviewed by a department
  
• advisory
  group. Visits to institutions sponsoring new
  sports could be
  
• scheduled in
  the fall of 2004.
  
• Rationale - Roster size will generate net
  tuition to support expenses of the
  
• program. The rosters
  can support compliance with the spirit of
  
• gender
  equity. The proximity of competition
  institutions is reasonable
  
• and
  affordable.
  
• Goal 2 Compare athletic facilities with peer
  and aspirations institutions and develop a plan
  to create competitive facilities to enhance
  the recruitment process.
• Timeline Current facility improvement
  schedules include a May 1, 2004 timeline for
  baseball and softball projects. Football,
  track, and soccer are scheduled to start May 1,
  2005. Visits to peer and aspiration
  institutions could start in the spring of 2005 to
  plan for future upgrades and new
  developments.
• Rationale Keeping athletic facilities
  consistent with and comparable to peer and
  aspiration institutions can enhance
  competitive recruitment practices.
• Goal 3 Reduce the percent of student-athletes
  on campus by increasing the number of non-
  participating students.
  
• Timeline This process could be an immediate
  priority for the recruitment classes of 2004,
  2005, and 2006.
  
• Rationale - This increase in enrollment will
  reduce the discount rate of athletic scholarships
  and provide
  resources to fund the varsity programs.

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• EXPECTED OUTCOMES
• Maintaining the current sport programs will keep
  Baker University competitive with peer and
  aspiration institutions for recruiting and
  marketing. New programs could enhance the
  athletic environment, increase enrollment, and
  generate revenue streams.
• PREVENTIVE MEASURES / PROACTIVE REQUIREMENTS
• Athletic goals for research and data gathering
  would require minimum resources. Dedication of
  responsibilities for goal accomplishment would
  require some immediate attention.

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SWOT AnalysisStrengths Weaknesses
Opportunities Threats

• Strengths (distinctives and pockets of excellence
  across functional areas)
  
• As the first university in Kansas, Baker has a
  long tradition of excellence in liberal arts
  education.
  
• We are ranked as one of the top 35 universities
  in our region by U.S. News and World Report.
  
• The CAS campus location provides safety and
  opportunity the safety of a small mid-western
  town and the advantages of being within close
  proximity of a major state institution and a
  large metropolitan area.
• Department of Education and all of their
  sponsored undergraduate and graduate programs are
  accredited by NCATE.
  
• The 9 hours Liberal Arts Core courses uniquely
  integrate critical reading, analytical thinking,
  and expository writing instruction in ways that
  encourage the honest evaluation of alternative
  ideas and the confrontation of public policy
  issues influenced by science and technological
  developments in all academic fields.
• Interterm courses are an unique educational
  distinctive that promotes experiential learning.
  
• Academic programs integrate experiential learning
  and professional preparation within the context
  of a liberal arts education.
  
• The Baker Study Abroad program supplies many
  varied opportunities for students to explore
  international cultures and issues, including the
  Harlaxton program where sets of Baker students
  study abroad with other U.S. students at
  Harlaxton College in England.
• The CAS student/faculty is 13.48 which promotes
  high levels of individualized instruction.
  
• We sponsor a wide range of co-curricular
  activities that support student growth and
  development including 19 athletic teams, a wide
  range of music ensembles, theatre productions,
  student media (newspaper, radio, TV), forensics,
  and student involvement in research.
• The CAS student loan default rate is remarkably
  low.
  
• The combination of our FYE program and special
  freshman advising program promote successful
  freshmen orientation to University life and
  student retention.
• Learning Resource Center provides instructional
  support and services designed to promote academic
  success for all students.
  
• The LRC sponsors a support program for at risk
  and struggling students that promotes faculty
  involvement in instructional support and focuses
  on problem prevention, rather than problem
  solving.
• Baker CAS provides access to health and
  counseling services at a level that is very good
  for a campus of up to 1000 students.
  
• Currently 24 of our graduates go to graduate
  school and 72 are employed within 6-months of
  graduation
  
• The university sponsors 19 sports with a balance
  of 9 for men and 9 for women with one coed sport.
  Scholarships and operational budgets are evenly
  balance between the genders.

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• Weaknesses (Areas of needed improvement wherein
  we compare unfavorably to both peer and aspirant
  institutions)
  
• The current budget process does not reflect
  campus wide priorities derived from a strategic
  plan.
  
• CAS tuition ranks 11th out of 12 in the peer
  institution group and should be raised to at
  least the peer mid-point
  
• Existing student recruitment and admissions
  practices do not produce the appropriate inquiry
  pool, sufficient yield ratios, or desired shape
  of student body.
• Current funding levels do not support national
  and international recruiting, which forces us to
  focus heavily on local recruiting, a practice
  which limits the number of applicants and our
  ability to be selective.
• University's Comprehensive Development Plan does
  not adequately integrate the Annual Fund, major
  individual gift cultivation and solicitation,
  corporate and foundation cultivation and
  solicitation, planned giving, grant acquisition
  and a donor recognition program.
• We do not have an institutional vision, mission
  and values education program for faculty, staff
  and students.
  
• The combination of tuition and discount rate do
  not adequately produce net tuition revenue.
  
• The graduation rate of 55.2 is relatively low.
• Although our student loan default rate is low,
  our student loan indebtedness is relatively
  high.
  
• Current levels of faculty and staff training and
  education do not adequately communicate policies,
  practices and procedures in regard to compliance
  to various governmental regulations thus,
  opening the opportunity for inadvertent
  non-compliance (e.g. EEO guidelines for student
  and employee recruitment, ADA, FERPA, OSHA, Title
  IX, Patriot Act, etc.)
• The CDC and Alumni Relations have not developed a
  system that would promote alumni involvement in
  student placement.
  
• Campus security staff members are under-prepared
  to deal with law enforcement issues.
  
• The Student Union does not house recreational
  space for students and there is no other
  alternative location for students to gather and
  interact outside of class.
• Dining facilities and options are out of date
  which negatively impacts student retention and
  satisfaction.
  
• Athletic facilities do not compare favorably to
  others and is a recruiting and retention
  liability.

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• Opportunities (Areas of improvement wherein we
  are generally inline with most of our peers but
  compare unfavorably to most aspirant
  institutions)
• Revise the 10-year-old institutional mission
  statement and revisit the CAS general education
  learning outcomes goals to ensure they are
  congruent with the new mission.
• Internationalize the curriculum in order to
  attract more sophisticated students and better
  prepare all students for success in our global
  society.
• Establish international student exchange
  programs.
  
• Review and revise current budget policies and
  procedures to ensure allocation of resources
  matches institutional priorities.
  
• Create a comprehensive Integrated Marketing
  Communications Plan designed to incorporate
  building awareness, image building, recruitment,
  placement, alumni connections, and donor
  cultivation
• Expand and improve the Universitys traditional
  fall and spring events to enhance connections
  among students, alumni and constituents.
  
• Improve Baker's Web site in all areas, targeting
  first the key areas of interest to potential
  freshmen, transfer, international and
  non-traditional students. (Athletics 1 in hits)
• Increase funding and staffing for recruitment and
  admissions to allow for the development programs
  and systems to attract and encourage the
  enrollment, integration, and retention of
  transfer and non-traditional students, as well as
  a broader spectrum of domestic and international
  students.
• Consider alterations to admission requirements
  and processes to strengthen our academic profile
  while at the same time encourage admission of
  students who have the potential to be
  successful.
• Establish transfer guides to assist students in
  determining how their previous coursework will be
  accepted upon enrollment or in determining how
  feasible it is to complete their Baker
  requirements in a timely manner.
• Establish articulation agreements with community
  colleges in close proximity to the University.
  
• Strengthen service-learning initiatives on campus
  in ways that involve students, faculty and staff
  working together.
  
• Create a plan to (a) promote and enhance an
  understanding of and sensitivity to diversity and
  (b) expand the level of diversity among students,
  faculty and staff.
• Develop a program of instructional support
  services for athletes.
  
• Create a comprehensive program to promote the
  development of leadership skills among students,
  and to link leadership and service.
  
• Examine the 4-year on-campus living requirement
  to accommodate student satisfaction and desired
  enrollment growth.
  
• Enhance the percentage of non-student-athletes on
  campus.
  

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• Threats (Areas that demand attention because our
  weaknesses put the institution at risk or because
  progress is required to enable improvements)
  
• The University does not have a shared vision
  statement, which makes it difficult to establish
  an effective strategic direction that can guide
  mission statements, institutional values, and
  funding priorities.
• Baker must develop and implement a
  university-wide program outcomes assessment
  plan.
  
• Gender-related gaps in salaries violate standards
  for pay equity. (EADA Report)
  
• Diverting unrestricted estate gifts to on-going
  operations, rather than investing them in the
  endowment, sacrifices long-term goals to cover
  short-term needs.
• Lack of endowment funds to support recruitment
  efforts (e.g. scholarships) and reduce student
  indebtedness hampers recruitment and retention
  efforts.
• Current technology funding levels put us at
  severe risk with the security of our technology
  systems.
  
• No procedures exist for handling Patriot Act
  investigations.
  
• The absence of a systematic workplace safety
  program raises our risk potential and increases
  our liability.
  
• Safety inspections of athletic facilities are not
  conducted on a periodic schedule to assure safe
  playing environments.