SACS Reaffirmation
| Objective | Doctoral Program | |
| The Department of History will bring to approval a History doctoral program. Associated Goals: Image And Exposure, Quality Programs |
| Indicator | Doctoral Program SHSU will receive a letter from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board indicating final approval of a History PhD Program |
| Criteria | THECB Approval of PhD Program The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board will approve a new History PhD Program |
| Finding | PhD Approval During 2007, the department drafted a response to the request of the Texas Coordinating Board for a needs justification for a new PhD program in History. |
| Action | PhD Proposal No further action can be taken on this item until a response is received from the Texas State Coordinating Board. |
| Objective | Faculty Diversity | |
| The Department of History will recruit, maintain and development a faculty that represents the gender and ethnic diversity of the student body Associated Goals: Image And Exposure, Quality Programs |
| Indicator | Faculty Diversity When hiring tenure track faculty, the Department of History will advertise widely and actively seek women and minority faculty |
| Criteria | Maintaining diverse faculty The Department of History will maintain and development a faculty that represents the gender and ethnic diversity of the student body. |
| Finding | Maintaining Diverse Faculty During 2007, the department conducted national searches and hired two new faculty members, one female and one male. The result of this search met our expectations for hiring a well-qualified, diverse faculty that represents the profile of our students. |
| Action | Faculty Diversity The data suggests that our current policies designed to reach this objective are creating the desired outcomes. No changes are needed in the departmental policies at this time. |
| Objective | Faculty Scholarship | |
| The Department of History will increase faculty research and scholarly activities. Associated Goals: Image And Exposure, Quality Programs |
| Indicator | Faculty Research The History faculty will contribute to the field by presenting at professional meetings and by publishing in scholarly venues. |
| Criteria | Faculty Research At least 50% of the graduate faculty will publish a scholarly work each year. The total number of pages published by history faculty will average at least 30 published pages per graduate faculty member per year. |
| Finding | Faculty publications During 2007, 70% of the tenure or tenure track faculty published scholarly work. The average per capita number of pages published during 2007 among the tenure or tenure track faculty was 90 pages. These levels of scholarship exceeded our expectations for faculty scholarly productivity. |
| Criteria | Faculty Research--presentations At least 50% of the graduate faculty will present in scholarly venues each year. |
| Finding | Faculty Presentations During 2007, 65% of the tenure and tenure track faculty presented papers at scholarly meetings. This met our expectations. |
| Indicator | Grant Activity The history department will be involved in seeking grants to support student enrichment opportunities, professional development and scholarly research. |
| Criteria | Grant Activity At least 50% of the graduate history faculty will submit at least one grant proposal each year, and at least one of these proposals will be funded. |
| Finding | Faculty Grant Activity During 2007, 50% of the tenure or tenure track faculty were active in searching external and internal grants. This level of activity met our expectations. |
| Action | % Faculty Grant Active The department is not satisfied with the 50% rate of grant activity during the past merit review period. In response, the department will create a committee to review the current section of the Faculty Evaluation System that is designed to provide incentives for grant activity. The department will act on the recommendations of this committee during the fall semester of 2008. |
| Action | % Faculty Publishing The data suggests that the incentives built into the department''''s Faculty Evaluation System are creating the desired outcomes. No changes are needed in the departmental policies concerning publications at this time. |
| Action | Faculty Presentations With 65% of the tenure or tenure track faculty presenting scholarly papers during 2007, the department met its benchmark goals in this area. No changes in departmental policies are needed at this time. |
| Objective | Faculty Teaching | |
| History instructors will be rated above the national average on the Individual Development and Educational Assessment (IDEA) instrument. Associated Goals: Image And Exposure, Quality Programs |
| Indicator | IDEA Student Ratings History students will use the IDEA student evaluations |
| Criteria | IDEA Student Ratings: % Classes At least 60% of the classes taught by History faculty will have IDEA Student ratings at or above the national average among professors of history at institutions using the IDEA system. |
| Finding | IDEA Student Ratings During 2007, 85% of the classes taught by History faculty scored above the national average on the IDEA instrument. |
| Criteria | IDEA Student Ratings: Average The average adjusted student evaluation of all SHSU History teachers as measured by the IDEA Center will place the History faculty in the top one-third among History teachers in the nation. |
| Finding | IDEA Student Ratings - Average During 2007, 75% of the tenure and tenure track History faculty placed within the top one-third of professors nationwide who were accessed by students using the IDEA instrument; 80% placed in the 65th percentile or above among faculty at institutions using the IDEA instrument. |
| Indicator | Students Taught By PhD Faculty Undergraduate students will be taught by faculty holding the PhD. |
| Criteria | PhD faculty The number and the percentage of history students taught by faculty holding the PhD will exceed the number and percentage of history students taught by faculty holding the PhD during the previous year. |
| Finding | PhD Faculty During 2007-08, 5923 of 7553 History students (78.4%) took classes from History faculty holding the PhD degree. During the previous two years (2005-06 and 2006-07 respectively), the number and % of students taught by PhD faculty were 5026 and 5539, and 74.0% and 78.8%. Comparisons of this data with current data indicate that the number of History students taught by PhD faculty has increased each year during the last three reporting periods. The percentage of students taught by PhDs, however, was not significantly different from the percentage taught by PhDs during the previous reporting period. |
| Action | PhD Faculty Although the numbers taught by PhD faculty continue to increase, the percentage of students taught by PhD faculty is stagnant. Since the unexpected loss of a PhD faculty contributed to this stagnation, in 2008-09 the department will seek funding for the hiring of a PhD to fill this tenure track position. |
| Action | Quality of Teaching The department met all of its benchmarks for successful teaching. No policy changes at needed at this time. |
| Objective | Careers In History | |
| History graduates will reach their career objectives Associated Goals: Quality Programs |
| Indicator | Alumni Publications The History Department will prepare its graduates to publish in their respective fields. |
| Criteria | Alumni Publications At least once every two years, a SHSU history graduate will publish a scholarly work within his/her field that was begun while he or she was a student at SHSU. |
| Finding | Alum Publications During 2007-08, the MA thesis of Phil Caudill (MA, 2007) was accepted for publication by Texas A&M University Press. The monograph is scheduled for release in Fall 2008 or Spring 2009. |
| Indicator | Future Teachers Teacher education students who major or minor in History will pass the TEXES examination. |
| Criteria | Future teachers 80% of all teacher education students who major or minor in History will pass the TEXES examination. |
| Finding | Future Teachers During 2007-08, 24 of 38 (63%) history majors or minors passed the TeXes exam for future teachers. |
| Indicator | Post Graduate Student Progress Each year at least two History graduates will be admitted into a graduate program in pursuit of a higher degree |
| Criteria | Pipeline into graduate programs At least two history graduates will be accepted into a graduate program each year |
| Finding | Pipeline into Graduate School During 2007-08, 4 former undergraduate students and 6 former graduate students were accepted into graduate programs. |
| Indicator | Student Professional Growth The History Department will create and launch a systematic plan that is designed to monitor the professional and career advancement of former history graduates. |
| Criteria | Surveying Student Professional Growth At least 80% of history students five years after graduation will report on the survey instrument that the degree skills they acquired as a student has enabled them to meet their career goals. |
| Finding | Student Professional Growth By July 10, 2008, 6 History graduates from the Class of 2003 had returned the survey instrument asking 2003 graduates to assess the degree that their training at SHSU (a) prepared them for their post-graduate careers, (b) aided them in their intellectual growth, and (c) helped them in the development of their oral and written communication skills. Half of the respondents (3 of 6) gave the highest possible ratings on each of the three categories; 83% gave the highest ratings in two of the categories, and 100% gave the highest ratings to at least one of the categories. Of the 18 responses to the three categories, 17 were favorable, 0 were unfavorable, and 1 was marked "no opinion." |
| Action | Future Teachers Only 63% of SHSU history majors or minors who took the TExES exam successfully passed the exam during 2007. This passing rate does not meet our expectations. Our efforts to address this concern by hiring a tenure track faculty member in 2006 to focus attention on the development of future teachers were delayed when this faculty member took a maternity leave for the 2007-08 year. Efforts need to be made in 2008-09 to readdress this concern. The department will create a study committee to make recommendations for increasing the passing rate of our students with desires to become future teachers. |
| Action | Pipeline into Grad School With 10 students (4 former BA students and 6 former MA students) accepted into graduate programs during 2007-08, the department met its benchmarks for sending students into graduate schools. No changes in policy is needed at this time. |
| Action | Student Professional Growth Efforts to survey former graduates will be increased. During 2008-09, the department will mail survey instruments to former history majors who graduated between 2004 and 2008. |
| Objective | Doctoral Program | |
| The Department of History will bring to approval a History doctoral program. Associated Goals: Image And Exposure, Quality Programs |
| Indicator | Doctoral Program SHSU will receive a letter from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board indicating final approval of a History PhD Program |
| Criteria | THECB Approval of PhD Program The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board will approve a new History PhD Program |
| Finding | PhD Approval During 2007, the department drafted a response to the request of the Texas Coordinating Board for a needs justification for a new PhD program in History. |
| Action | PhD Proposal No further action can be taken on this item until a response is received from the Texas State Coordinating Board. |
| Objective | Faculty Diversity | |
| The Department of History will recruit, maintain and development a faculty that represents the gender and ethnic diversity of the student body Associated Goals: Image And Exposure, Quality Programs |
| Indicator | Faculty Diversity When hiring tenure track faculty, the Department of History will advertise widely and actively seek women and minority faculty |
| Criteria | Maintaining diverse faculty The Department of History will maintain and development a faculty that represents the gender and ethnic diversity of the student body. |
| Finding | Maintaining Diverse Faculty During 2007, the department conducted national searches and hired two new faculty members, one female and one male. The result of this search met our expectations for hiring a well-qualified, diverse faculty that represents the profile of our students. |
| Action | Faculty Diversity The data suggests that our current policies designed to reach this objective are creating the desired outcomes. No changes are needed in the departmental policies at this time. |
| Objective | Faculty Scholarship | |
| The Department of History will increase faculty research and scholarly activities. Associated Goals: Image And Exposure, Quality Programs |
| Indicator | Faculty Research The History faculty will contribute to the field by presenting at professional meetings and by publishing in scholarly venues. |
| Criteria | Faculty Research At least 50% of the graduate faculty will publish a scholarly work each year. The total number of pages published by history faculty will average at least 30 published pages per graduate faculty member per year. |
| Finding | Faculty publications During 2007, 70% of the tenure or tenure track faculty published scholarly work. The average per capita number of pages published during 2007 among the tenure or tenure track faculty was 90 pages. These levels of scholarship exceeded our expectations for faculty scholarly productivity. |
| Criteria | Faculty Research--presentations At least 50% of the graduate faculty will present in scholarly venues each year. |
| Finding | Faculty Presentations During 2007, 65% of the tenure and tenure track faculty presented papers at scholarly meetings. This met our expectations. |
| Indicator | Grant Activity The history department will be involved in seeking grants to support student enrichment opportunities, professional development and scholarly research. |
| Criteria | Grant Activity At least 50% of the graduate history faculty will submit at least one grant proposal each year, and at least one of these proposals will be funded. |
| Finding | Faculty Grant Activity During 2007, 50% of the tenure or tenure track faculty were active in searching external and internal grants. This level of activity met our expectations. |
| Action | % Faculty Grant Active The department is not satisfied with the 50% rate of grant activity during the past merit review period. In response, the department will create a committee to review the current section of the Faculty Evaluation System that is designed to provide incentives for grant activity. The department will act on the recommendations of this committee during the fall semester of 2008. |
| Action | % Faculty Publishing The data suggests that the incentives built into the department''''s Faculty Evaluation System are creating the desired outcomes. No changes are needed in the departmental policies concerning publications at this time. |
| Action | Faculty Presentations With 65% of the tenure or tenure track faculty presenting scholarly papers during 2007, the department met its benchmark goals in this area. No changes in departmental policies are needed at this time. |
| Objective | Faculty Teaching | |
| History instructors will be rated above the national average on the Individual Development and Educational Assessment (IDEA) instrument. Associated Goals: Image And Exposure, Quality Programs |
| Indicator | IDEA Student Ratings History students will use the IDEA student evaluations |
| Criteria | IDEA Student Ratings: % Classes At least 60% of the classes taught by History faculty will have IDEA Student ratings at or above the national average among professors of history at institutions using the IDEA system. |
| Finding | IDEA Student Ratings During 2007, 85% of the classes taught by History faculty scored above the national average on the IDEA instrument. |
| Criteria | IDEA Student Ratings: Average The average adjusted student evaluation of all SHSU History teachers as measured by the IDEA Center will place the History faculty in the top one-third among History teachers in the nation. |
| Finding | IDEA Student Ratings - Average During 2007, 75% of the tenure and tenure track History faculty placed within the top one-third of professors nationwide who were accessed by students using the IDEA instrument; 80% placed in the 65th percentile or above among faculty at institutions using the IDEA instrument. |
| Indicator | Students Taught By PhD Faculty Undergraduate students will be taught by faculty holding the PhD. |
| Criteria | PhD faculty The number and the percentage of history students taught by faculty holding the PhD will exceed the number and percentage of history students taught by faculty holding the PhD during the previous year. |
| Finding | PhD Faculty During 2007-08, 5923 of 7553 History students (78.4%) took classes from History faculty holding the PhD degree. During the previous two years (2005-06 and 2006-07 respectively), the number and % of students taught by PhD faculty were 5026 and 5539, and 74.0% and 78.8%. Comparisons of this data with current data indicate that the number of History students taught by PhD faculty has increased each year during the last three reporting periods. The percentage of students taught by PhDs, however, was not significantly different from the percentage taught by PhDs during the previous reporting period. |
| Action | PhD Faculty Although the numbers taught by PhD faculty continue to increase, the percentage of students taught by PhD faculty is stagnant. Since the unexpected loss of a PhD faculty contributed to this stagnation, in 2008-09 the department will seek funding for the hiring of a PhD to fill this tenure track position. |
| Action | Quality of Teaching The department met all of its benchmarks for successful teaching. No policy changes at needed at this time. |