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Undergraduate Studies
Annual Report for 2007-2008
Preliminary and Abbreviated Version
April 15, 2008

Introduction

The multiple roles and functions of Undergraduates Studies lead to a complex task when it comes to providing the Annual Report. Much of the work of the various individuals and offices in Undergraduate Studies involves working through others in the academic colleges and departments, in the various offices of student affairs and in other university entities to facilitate the best possible programs and services for undergraduate students. The list accomplishments in this Annual Report includes the results of direct services and activities provided by individuals and offices reporting to Undergraduate Studies but also includes accomplishments of partnerships with many others throughout the university.

Please note that this preliminary Annual Report for 2007-2008 includes comfortable projections of what will be completed by the end of the academic year.

Student Success Programs

Transitional Advising Center

• Established a data base using access that allows TRAC to evaluate and monitor the advising process for all TRAC students. This will aid in retention and evaluation efforts to identify how our students are progressing to graduation.

• Piloted and implemented the Living and Learning Community for Transitional students. The TLC (Transitional Learning Community) promotes a residential community for up to 50 students. The 2007-2008 pilot program engaged 17 students. This program highlights career/major exploration through a specialized section of UE and utilizes various out-or-class experiences to enhance and engage students in career/major exploration through the use of guest speakers, career shadowing and various interpersonal instruments related to career development.

• Re-advising for students not eligible for limited access or GPA specific majors. Special advising sessions have been developed to assist students who are no longer eligible or interested in their original major/career selection. These sessions work collaboratively with the career center to assure that both personal and career needs are being met. Students benefit by gaining a better understanding of their strengths and weaknesses and how they can apply their skills and existing coursework towards a major/career that will achieve their academic and career goals.

Athletic Enrichment Center

• Intercollegiate Athletics had a 40% increase in the number of student-athletes earning a 3.0 or higher during the fall 2007 term.

• USF completed the NCAA Athletics Certification Self-Study report, peer review and NCAA certification.

• The Academic Enrichment Center staff assisted in finalizing and implementing the new Admission Policies & Procedures for Prospective Student Athletes.

First Generation Access Programs

• Of the 280 Freshman Summer Institute and Student Support Services students enrolled fall 2007, 247 (88%) continued fall 2008.

• Winn-Dixie Stores Foundation donated a $25,000 gift to ENLACE at USF to implement a variety of activities related to student success and graduation.

• The Upward Bound Program moved to Undergraduate Studies, positioning it alongside other first-generation programs at USF to help provide a seamless transition to the university for qualified Upward Bound students.

Career Center

• Launched the first Public Service Career Fair which hosted government, health care, law enforcement and social service employers. The first event was very successful and we will continue to offer this fair on an annual basis.

• Implemented Optimal Resume, new online resume software that instructs students on resume development, allows them to create, edit, format and store their resume online. Students can also submit the resume to their career counselor for an online critique via the software.

• Converted career planning and job search workshops to streaming video, which is now housed on the Career Center website. Students can now access these "web workshops" at their convenience. The script, production and presentation of the video were all done in-house.

Office of Orientation

• Implemented cost saving measures by exploring sponsorship and eliminating the use of outsourced vendor (graphic designer) for most publications. Overall cost savings of approximately $15,000

• Completely overhauled the Transfer Orientation and all undergraduate academic colleges participate and all students now attend an on-campus orientation session

• Streamlined the following processes/procedures:
  • FSR policy for no attendance at orientation sessions required, appointment times are given by Office of Orientation (appointment time corresponds with first available orientation session)
  • No show attendance policy and procedures was streamline with colleges and communication flow was created
  • FSI, SSS, Athlete reservation process and fee payment where Orientation inputs all information for these populations manually and at one time, and bills the student's OASIS account to ensure more accurate fee payment
  • Separate reservation process for the Honors College where reservations are pulled from an Honors College admissions database regulating the number of students who attend each orientation session
  • Partnership with New Student Connections was revisited and streamlined to be more creation and session facilitation instead of implementation

• Established an Orientation Advisory Board utilizing campus partnerships for creation of orientation initiatives and policy revision

• Communication upgrades
  • Created a Family Orientation brochure that goes to every student including special population students
  • Created an Agreement page for Transfer and First Year students which all students must read and agree to in order to be permitted to register for Orientation (encompasses all orientation policies including refunds, overnight stay, etc.)
  • E-mails are now sent to students as reminders of upcoming orientation sessions
  • E-mail flow created in partnership with Undergraduate Admissions to encourage students to deposit and register for orientation sessions

Retention Rate, Graduation Rate and Tracking

• Fall to Spring Retention rate is the highest in the past 5 years

  AY	Fall to Spring Retention
  2003-04	93.73
  2004-05	94.12
  2005-06	94.32
  2006-07	93.87
  2007-08	95.03

• Fall to Spring "good academic standing rate" is the highest in the past 5 years

  AY	Good Academic Standing
  2003-04	85.11
  2004-05	85.45
  2005-06	83.71
  2006-07	84.78
  2007-08	88.40

• Based on 2007 and 2008 Equity reports, retention increased by 2.0% (2005 FTIC class had a 79.1% retention rate and Fall 2006 class had a 81.1% retention rate), Data was provided by Debbie Hayward.

• Based on 2007 and 2008 Equity reports, 6-year graduation rate increased by 0.7% (2000 FTIC class had a 48.0% 6-year graduation rate and Fall 2001 class had a 48.7% 6-year graduation rate), Data was provided by Debbie Hayward. Data for 4-year rate is not available at this time.

Community College Relations

Community College Advisory Committee

• The USF/Regional Community College Advisory Committee was formed in May 2007 and meets semiannually to discuss issues and formulate policy for the enhancement of FL community college student transfer to USF. Academic and Student Development Vice Presidents from Hillsborough Community College, Manatee Community College, Pasco-Hernando Community College, Polk Community College, St. Petersburg College and South Florida Community College continue to meet with USF-Tampa and regional campus administrators to discuss relevant issues on transfer policy. In particular the meetings have led to agreement on consistent criteria for lower and upper level transfer, the sharing of data on student success, discipline to discipline discussions on relevant major preparation and strategies to enhance successful completion of associate degrees for transfer.

• Regular visitation of community colleges within the region is also ongoing. Once the new policy for transfer admission has been discussed and clarified with the regional advisory committee, representatives from community college relations will make personal visits to explain the policy and the impact on community college students.

Sharing Data and Improving Transfer Student Retention and Success

• USF is engaged in an innovative partnership with Hillsborough Community College (HCC), Manatee Community College (MCC) and the Florida Center for Academic Advising and Support (FCAAS) to develop an automated data sharing and advising program. Using technology available through the FACTS advising system, students attending HCC and MCC who indicate USF as their institution of choice for transfer could elect to transmit electronically current course history, cumulative GPA, email address and pre-major information to the university. It is planned that students will receive regular follow up responses from the university advising personnel encouraging completion of the AA degree and appropriate common prerequisites. The objective will be to impact significantly the number of students transferring and to improve their lower level preparation for baccalaureate majors.

• USF will pilot this program for the State and, if successful, it will become available for use by any public community college student desiring to transfer to a Florida public state university. As a planning tool it would be valuable to both students and advising and admissions professionals. The Partners have also agreed that data sharing will be in accordance with applicable Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (F.E.R.P.A.) requirements for notification and permission of students and/or parents where applicable. Data may also be used to facilitate studies of retention and student success between the community colleges and the university.

Community College Relationships with Community Colleges

• Representatives from the Undergraduate Studies office regularly attend the Community College Council of Instructional Affairs/Council of Student Affairs (CIA/CSA) meetings which are held three times per year. At the February 2008 joint meeting of the councils, USF facilitated a panel discussion by state university system articulation and transfer officers. The discussion served to focus attention on collaborative initiatives to assist FL community college students in completion of degrees and increasing transfer success. A strong recommendation for regular meetings of the university representatives with CIA and CSA was made and will be coordinated by USF.

• USF is also participating on an ad hoc FACTS State Advisory Committee in looking at innovative ways FACTS technology can be used to provide information to students for advising and decision making. The committee reviews current practice and also makes recommendations for projects that will improve the quality and usefulness of information provided by FACTS.

• The Director created/updated 2007-08 articulation agreements with: Hillsborough Community College & Hillsborough Public Schools; St. Petersburg College; Valencia Community College; Keiser College, Pasco County Public Schools; Broward County Public Schools; Duvall County Public Schools; and Hernando School Board.

• The Director also made a presentation with the and Valencia Community College Dean of Students on 2+2 Pathways at Florida Connections Conference and presented USF updates at the annual FACC Council of Instructional Affairs/Council of Student Affairs meeting.

Academic Programs

General Education

• The General Education Council generated over 50 additional course proposals through a third call for new general education courses for the Foundations of Knowledge and Learning Core Curriculum (FKL). By the end of AY 07-08, we expect to reach the goal of over 50 additional courses approved for the program, added to the 58 approved previously in AY 06-07, totaling over 110 approved courses for the FKL. New FKL courses are being taught as they are approved, with full implementation of the FKL program set for Fall 2009.

• Over 100 incomplete course proposals are currently entered on the GEC new course proposal website, waiting final submission by the faculty proposers to the Council. Plans are for the completion of these course proposals and their approval in AY08-09, building the total number of new courses for the FKL program to be over 200 by Fall 2009. The process of review, approval and allocation of GEC funds for these courses will become more expedient.

• Estimated annual seat allocations (minimum 4400 semester) per core area of the FKL for newly approved courses have been met or exceeded for the core areas of English composition, humanities, social and behavioral sciences, and human/cultural diversity & global context. More seats are needed for fine arts, mathematics and quantitative reasoning, natural sciences (life and physical) and exit courses.

• Fund allocations of newly approved courses for capacity enhancement and peer learning funds have been made, expected to total $600,000 for courses approved in AY 07-08. These funds are primarily for GA/TA's and peer teachers directly associated with newly approved FKL courses. These are in addition to the previously approved allocations ($893,306) for courses approved for the program in previous academic years.

• Assessment methods in General Education for the past five years were examined by the GEC Assessment subcommittee with the university Director of Assessment. Prior assessments have focused primarily upon students' writing as assessed through CLAQWA. An online version of CLAQWA was completed this year which is being utilized for writing assessments for the program. Other assessments for other dimensions were examined and are being considered for implementation or development, with special attention to those assessment programs from other AAU institutions.

• Plans for recertification of FKL courses were approved by the Council, with various strategies for this process being proposed and examined by the GEC Recertification subcommittee. It is planned that the process will be implemented by the course instructor on a regular basis, possibly each semester taught or annually on Blackboard, to be used for recertification on a five-year cycle. Details of the parameters and process for recertification may be integrated with the course assessments.

• New guidelines for Gordon Rule Communication Courses set by the Council were integrated with the Exit writing course guidelines and appear on the GEC website.

• Plans include the development and distribution of materials promoting the new FKL curriculum, to be disseminated in the university and to our feeder institutions.

• Additional information sessions and faculty workshops on the program goals and key areas will include focus upon development of exit courses, process writing, peer-led learning strategies, innovations for teaching large classes, successful models for incorporating new dimensions, and course assessment strategies.

Leadership Studies

• The Leadership Studies program continued to grow during 2007-2008 despite a decline in resources to hire instructors. During the academic year the program produced 1298 SCH, up from 1140 the previous year. In 2007-08, 32 students were awarded the Minor in Leadership Studies.

• The growth was made possible by reducing the stipend for instructors from $3,600 to $2,400. The majority of instructors for the program have continued their participation at the lower-level stipend. There is concern that the program will have difficulty attracting additional experienced/qualified instructors at this compensation level.

• This year the Leadership Studies program has collaborated more closely with Student Affairs through the Leadership Development Center and Residence Life to connect students who are engaged in campus leadership activities and the living-learning community (Leadership House) to the academic curriculum within the Leadership Studies Minor. This should result in greater enrollments and a stronger connection between student leadership practice and leadership curriculum.

• USF took the lead in preparing for the Board of Governors the justification for Leadership Studies as a new/emerging discipline deserving a separate Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code and worked with the State Course Numbering System (SCNS) staff the SCNS to develop a new discrete prefix (LDR) for Leadership Studies programs throughout the SUS.

Bachelor of Science in Applied Science (BSAS)

• As a still relatively new bachelor's degree option in the State of Florida for technical/occupational Associate in Science (AS) degree transfers, the USF BSAS has become a well and respected 2+2 degree for this population of transfer students.

• Enrollment remains steady with approximately 300 active students majoring in the BSAS while the number of BSAS graduates has increased to 40 in 2007-2008.

• The BSAS Program Director has made invited presentations about the program to the Florida Association of Community Colleges, the American Association of Registrars and Admissions Officers, the College Board and the Florida Department of Education adding evidence that the program has gained national recognition as a model for 2+2 transfer for AS and AAS graduates from community colleges.

The Joint Military Leadership Center

• A Ribbon Cutting Ceremony to name and open USF's newest building, designed and built for the Joint Military Leadership Center (JMLC) and USF's ROTC programs, was held November 2, 2007. The new building, a four-story, 53,000 square foot, state-of-the-art facility, is the new home of the nationally unique JMLC and USF's Army, Naval, and Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) programs and is the university's most technologically advanced educational facility. The facility has 5 classrooms and 3 lecture halls; office and storage spaces for the ROTC programs; a weapons simulation room; a computer lab and library; and a Joint Cadet/Midshipmen lounge.

• The Spring 2008 Symposium: "The U. S. Central Command Coalition Partners: Their Armed Forces…Their Security Perspectives", held on February 29, 2008, provided ROTC cadets, midshipmen, and officer candidates from USF and across Florida an opportunity to learn about other coalition nation's military organization and capabilities directly from the highest ranking military ambassadors to the U.S. Central Command. These Senior National Representatives also shared their country's respective viewpoints on security issues at the national, regional, and global levels. In attendance were the representatives from the coalition member countries of Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, and Tajikistan participated either as presenters or observers.

• The Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, Dr. David. Chu, visited the University and spoke to ROTC students, International Affairs students and other interested USF faculty and staff about the decision to serve one's country in either a military or civilian career, the challenges we face as a nation today and the importance of foreign cultural and language training in education.

Army ROTC

• USF's Army ROTC program was expanded this year as the U.S. Army Cadet Command increased our faculty and staff allocations from 10 to 16 personnel with the expectation at enrollments would grow substantially during the next few years. The expansion was a clear recognition by the Cadet Command that the USF program was one of the most successful in the nation. This growth allowed us to place permanent Cadre/faculty on the USF St. Petersburg Campus which eliminated unnecessary and excessive travel for students from Pinellas County to the USF Tampa campus.

• This year the USF Army Cadet population surged to 146 Cadets. Of these Cadets, 102 are "contracted" and receive monthly stipends that total approximately $500,000 over a ten month period. We awarded 31 scholarships for the USF Cadets totaling over $1.2 million in benefits.

• The Battalion commissioned thirty-four 2nd Lieutenants into the U.S. Army. Seven of these officers graduated with honors as Distinguished Military Graduates placing them in the top 20% of Cadets in the nation. Two of this year's class earned degrees in Nursing from USF's College of Nursing.

• The USF Army ROTC Cadets participated in numerous extracurricular training and social events to include; placing fifth out of twenty schools at the 2007 Ranger Challenge Competition, participated in the opening ceremonies for the new JMLC Facility at CWY Hall, two field training exercises, two rifle ranges, numerous joint color guards for the USF athletic department, hosted the 5th annual Golf Scramble fund raiser, conducted community service in supporting the Norman Schwarzkopf charity clay shoot and donated $500 to Fisher House which provides temporary lodging for families of wounded veterans at the James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital in Tampa.

Air Force ROTC

• The University of South Florida's Air Force ROTC (AFROTC), Detachment 158 celebrated its 25th anniversary at USF during the 2007-2008 academic year. We have 8 cadre members, 5 officers, 2 non-commissioned officers and a USF Senior Staff Assistant. Our cadet enrollment reached a high of 141 cadets and as we reach the end of the year our enrollment is 103.

• During the year, the unit commissioned, or will commission, 16 high quality Air Force officers (4 pilots, 3 navigators, 3 logistics readiness officers, 2 engineers, 2 intelligence officers and 2 nurses).

• Ms. Brenda Faulk, Senior Staff Assistant, celebrated 25 years service at the Detachment this fall and was recognized as the AFROTC Detachment Civilian of the Year for 2007, the number one civilian at 144 AFROTC Detachments. Major Bruce Fike was recognized as the AFROTC Southeast Region Field Grade Officer of the Quarter for the fourth quarter 2007, the top field grade officer out of 38 AFROTC detachments. Captain Christine Newsome won Company Grade Officer of the Quarter for the first quarter of 2008, number one company grade officer out of 38 universities.

• The Headquarters Air Education and Training Command Inspector General Team inspected the Detachment on 27-28 March 2008. They rated the unit "Excellent" overall with an "Outstanding" training program.

• The Detachment remains actively engaged in the community. For example, cadre members participate in the Tampa Chamber of Commerce, Military Affairs Committee. Additionally, cadets and cadre support the American Heart Association's Heart Walk, Valentine's for Veteran's at the James Haley Veteran's Administration Hospital, the Military Officer's Association of America's Operation Helping Hand to support spinal cord injury veterans at the VA Hospital, the Children's Home Clay Shoot Fundraiser, and cleaning and landscaping a local elementary school. The unit also supported several Junior AFROTC Drill Competitions as judges and hosted the highly successful 2008 Air Force Association's Florida State Drill Competition where 22 teams from 17 high schools competed. Cadets and cadre also participated in the Air Force Association's Gala, honoring 50 years of the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, in Orlando, Florida.

• A new Detachment commander, Colonel Robert G. Wright, Jr. will arrive this summer from United States Air Forces Europe to replace Colonel Brad Ward, who is retiring 1 May 2008, after 30 years service.

Naval ROTC

• At the December Commissioning ceremony, the Naval ROTC Battalion commissioned seven new officers into its service in front of family, friends, and Buccaneer Battalion members. Timothy Bell, Eric Holler, Tameka Howze, Juan Oquendo III, Michael Quaglino, and Keith Zumar were commissioned as Ensigns in the United States Navy, and Jose Quezada was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. The ceremony included two prominent guests: the 15th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, Sergeant Major John L. Estrada Virginia Tech's Marine Officer Instructor, Major Trent A. Gibson, an infantry officer with an esteemed career. The Battalion expects fourteen more new Ensigns and 2nd Lieutenant to enter the Naval Service at the Spring and Summer Ceremonies.

• Every year our unit participates in the American Heart Association's annual Heartwalk to help raise money and awareness for the benevolent organization. The date set for the 2007 Heartwalk fell on November 10th, the Marine Corps' 232nd birthday and a ceremony was held prior to the Walk in honor of the Marine Corps. It was an excellent opportunity for a public celebration of the honored traditions of the United States Marine Corps. The crowd and participants of the Heart Walk were all very supportive. The Unit also participated in Toys for Tots, the Florida Children's Home GEN Schwarzkopf Clay Shoot, and The American Cancer Society Relay for Life.

• The Navy and Marine Corps Birthday Ball this year was a very special event with a presentation by the Battalion Drill Team and the outstanding speech by the guest speaker, the 15th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, John L. Estrada.

School of Hotel and Restaurant Management

• Enrollment in the Hotel and Restaurant Management program has grown substantially from only 12 students five years ago to the current 80 majors and 180 total students taking classes during the Spring 2008 semester.

• Two outstanding new members were added to the faculty as Dr. David Chang and Dr. Greg Dunn joined the School of Hotel and Restaurant Management faculty. This brings the total to five tenured or tenure track faculty.

• The scholarly productivity of the faculty continues to be high with all five of the full-time faculty having one or more refereed articles published during this academic year. Also noteworthy is the fact that the three leading Hotel and Restaurant Management textbooks are authored by Dr. John Walked of the USF School of Hotel and Restaurant Faculty and Dr. Walker was named a Fulbright Scholar this year.

• The School of Hotel and Restaurant Management faculty have converted four courses for online delivery and four more are in progress toward completion. The School will soon be able to deliver the entire degree on line. This will serve a unique set of students that are unable to attend traditional classes; however, the traditional classroom setting will remain the predominant delivery format.

• The 2+2+2 Articulation Agreement involving Manatee Technical Institute, Manatee Community College and the USF School of Hotel Restaurant Management was touted by the Florida Legislature as one of the 100 best ideas in education for 2007.

• The School of Hotel and Restaurant Management has developed a complete proposal for a new Master's degree program that is near university approval pending decisions about organizational structure for the School once graduate courses and students are added to the mix.

Department of Information Technology

• Enrollments in the Information Technology major are continuing to grow. The department saw a 140% enrollment increase in the Lakeland IT offerings over spring of 2007. As a consequence, the 181 students who currently are majoring in Information Technology are almost 50% higher than a year ago. An additional 35 students are enrolled in the IT Concentration for the BSAS degree program.

• A major effort by faculty resulted in the introduction of fully online courses delivered from the Lakeland campus, aiming toward the provision of high quality, wholly online degree programs and concentrations. The fall semester included planning and course preparation, and scheduling of several online sections which experienced very strong enrollment. In fact, these online courses were largely responsible for the recent increases in enrollment. Other online courses are in preparation and will be offered during the summer session or in the fall semester.

• By use of the available asynchronous technology tools now available (Camtasia, SoftChalk, etc.), the department has been able to create superior learning experiences for our students. Additionally, two of the synchronous online courses this semester have deeply explored new pedagogies for teaching programming online.

• The Department of Information Technology continues to make progress in its primary goal areas: to increase the quality of our existing degree, concentration and certificate programs, to prepare and introduce a graduate program in Information Technology, to extend the flexibility possessed by students in choosing courses suited to their educational and/or career goals, to provide more content delivery modes to suit the needs of non-traditional and distance students, to increase enrollment in our majors and concentrations, to support the scholarly research efforts of our department faculty members, and to support our home campus as it moves toward a new facility and a polytechnic orientation.

• IT courses were also introduced on the Tampa campus. This was the first time our department had the opportunity to offer any lower-division courses for Tampa campus students. This spring, many core upper-division IT courses were offered via distance learning to Tampa campus students; our enrollment there is strong and growing.