DRAFT FOR DISCUSSION

AUBURN UNIVERSITY STRATEGIC PLANNING SITUATION ASSESSMENT SUPPLEMENT May 2007

Messina & Graham

Introduction

This draft document is a supplement to the Situation Assessment produced in October 2006. It contains two chapters that extend the information base for strategic planning.

The first chapter, Overview of Graduate Education, profiles graduate

programs at Auburn and illustrates the interrelationships among graduate studies, undergraduate instruction, and the funded-research enterprise.

The second chapter, Faculty Profile, summarizes basic information about

Auburn’s approximately 1,200 faculty members.

Both these information sets also contain comparisons of Auburn data with corresponding measures at selected peer institutions.

DRAFT FOR DISCUSSION

OVERVIEW OF GRADUATE EDUCATION

May 2007

Messina & Graham George Flowers, Interim Dean, Graduate School Joe Pittman, Interim Dean, Graduate School Sharon Gaber, Associate Provost, Academic Administration

Contents

Graduate Students at Auburn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Situation Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Assessment of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (“SWOT” Assessment) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Strategic Implications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Appendices

•

Sources of Greater Number of Masters Degrees at

•

University of Alabama than at Auburn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Sources of Greater Number of Masters Degrees at Auburn

•

than at Clemson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Glossary of Selected Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Note: This profile does not encompass the First Professional programs in Pharmacy, Audiology, Speech Pathology, and Veterinary Medicine that are administered by their respective colleges, not by the Graduate School 2

Roles of Graduate Students at Auburn

INSTRUCTION RESEARCH OUTREACH AND EXTENSION FACULTY REPUTATION

•

Contribute to undergraduate instruction and research by undergraduates

•

Essential participants in performing faculty-led research, both funded and unfunded, which has significant economic impact in the state

•

Significant contributors to faculty-led scholarship and service in community settings

•

Important in attracting and retaining quality faculty

•

Upon graduation, key factor in building the reputation of the University

3

Masters and Ph.D. degrees predominate Distribution of Auburn Graduate Students by Degree Offering – Fall 2006 100% = 3,245 Students Other* 5.9% Masters 54.9% Ph.D.

34.7% Chart 1 Ed.D.

3.8% Ed.S.

0.7% * Includes graduate provisional and graduate non-degree students, most of whom will soon enroll in a graduate degree program 4

The vocationally-oriented Education and Business Masters programs account for 38 percent of AU’s graduate students Distribution of Auburn Graduate Students by School – Fall 2006 Chart 2 100% = 3,245 Students Human Sciences 3% Architecture 3% Agriculture 7% Other 7% Education 22% Science/Math 9% Business 16% Liberal Arts 13% Engineering 20% 5

Almost two-thirds of Auburn graduate students come from out-of-state Enrollment of Graduate Students by Source 2006 Chart 3 100% = 3,245 Students Foreign 21.9% Alabama 39.2% Other U.S.

38.9% 6

Almost one-half of Auburn graduate students are graduate assistants Distribution of Graduate Students by Graduate Assistant Role – Fall 2005 Chart 4 100% = 3,169 Students Graduate Research Assistants 22.8% Combined Assistantships 2.5% Students Without Assistantships 51.2% Graduate Teaching Assistants 23.5% 7

Contributions to Mission Elements by Graduate Students at Auburn

INSTRUCTION

• High-quality graduate students are models of academic seriousness for undergraduates • Graduate teaching assistants interact in small groups and one-on-one with undergraduates • Graduate assistants act as mentors for undergraduate students doing project and research activities

8

Contributions to Mission Elements by Graduate Students at Auburn

RESEARCH

• Graduate students are essential for serious research programs • Graduate student involvement in research provides an apprenticeship for future researchers • Graduate students conduct experimental and field research; do data analysis, modeling and simulation; and contribute through team activity to the training of new graduate students

OUTREACH AND EXTENSION

• Graduate students are on the front lines of delivery and evaluation through “service learning,” practicum experiences, internships, and/or assistantships • Graduate students amplify the faculty’s outreach effort, with accompanying economic benefits

9

Science and Engineering Graduate Students

INSTRUCTION RESEARCH EXAMPLE

• • •

Teach primarily labs and recitation sections Tutoring and homework grading, project supervision and mentoring Role models for undergraduate students

• • • •

Guide undergraduate research Perform funded and unfunded research Co-author publications Prepare and give presentations at conferences and technical meetings

• • •

16 graduate students in Dr. David Bevly’s GPS and Vehicle Dynamics Laboratory (GAVLAB) Work on navigation and control of autonomous ground vehicles $500K in annual research, funded by government and industry

Doctoral student Rob Daily working in GAVLAB Undergraduate student and Graduate Student working together on DARPA Grand Challenge vehicle 10

Agriculture, Forestry, and Human Sciences Students

INSTRUCTION (class and community) RESEARCH (basic and applied) EXAMPLE

• •

Assist faculty in classes Teach classes with faculty supervision

•

Help develop and implement extension curricula and materials

•

Participate in faculty-led community outreach activities

•

Help supervise interns and service learning students

• •

Help design experimental and field research

• •

Help guide student research Evaluate outreach and extension efforts Co-author reports and publications

Drs. Adler-Baeder and Ketring (at ends) with four graduate students and Governor Riley at the Governor’s Mansion for the “Marriage Celebration” event on 2/18/07

• • •

10 graduate students on Dr. Francesca Adler Baeder’s Community Capacity Projects Work with community groups across Alabama to enhance and evaluate educational services in support of marriage and families $1.3M in annual outreach service, research, and evaluation funded by Federal and State government

(through the Healthy Marriage Initiative) 11

Department of History

INSTRUCTION

• • •

Assist faculty in core curriculum classes: World History and Technology & Civilization Teach independent classes Assist faculty in outreach, most notably Alabama Review and Encyclopedia of Alabama RESEARCH EXAMPLE

• •

Conduct original research Prepare and give presentations at professional conferences

•

Publish single-author articles under the guidance of faculty

•

Upon graduation, publish dissertations as books

•

Assist in major projects, such as documentary history of NASA or Slavery Interpretation Project at Westville, GA

Doctoral student Mark Wilson presents his research at a statewide conference

• • • •

7 students enrolled in Dr. Joseph Turrini’s Fundamentals and Theory of Archives Class 5 archival internships across the state during the last calendar year Under Dr. Jeff Jakeman’s direction, program graduates include Director of the Clinton Presidential Library, Assistant Director of Alabama State Archives, and archivists at institutions throughout the United States Department has placed 15 of 15 graduates in last three years in professional positions

12

Research is the primary assistantship role in agriculture and forestry, while core-curriculum teaching is emphasized in science/math and liberal arts Chart 5 Percentage of Graduate Students With a Research or Teaching Assistantship 2005-06

Emphasis on Research Students Involved in Teaching and Research Emphasis on Teaching Core

80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Agriculture Forestry Human Sciences Engineering Science/ Liberal Arts Math % Research Assistants % Teaching Assistants 13

Situation Assessment

•

AU’s graduate programs are small relative to SREB peers. Chart 6. Some schools award more graduate degrees because they have large Social Work, Communications, and Public Health programs that AU does not offer. Charts 7 and 8. The somewhat erratic growth trend in graduate degrees awarded may reflect the priorities of different Presidents and the impact of strategy reviews. Chart 9. In general, however, AU’s graduate program growth lags behind both Alabama and SREB schools overall. Chart 10

•

AU faculty have fewer graduate students and graduate assistants to leverage their instruction and research than do faculty at peer institutions. Charts 11 and 12

•

AU is significantly less selective in its admissions than are many leading competitors, and GPA, GRE, and GMAT scores of entering graduate students are somewhat lower than at many peer institutions.

Charts 13 and 14

•

AU does have some stand-out programs according to external rankings. Chart 15. Nevertheless, many AU programs – such as Mathematics and Engineering – are in the middle of the pack relative to regional competitors. Chart 16. Others – such as Education and Business – rank lower relative to regional competitors. Chart 17

•

The financial package offered to graduate assistants is uncompetitive compared to regional peers.

Charts 18, 19, and 20

14

AU’s graduate programs are small relative to SREB peers Degrees Awarded (Per 100 Bachelors Degrees) 2002-05 Masters Degrees Doctoral Degrees Chart 6 55.3

54.5

43 39.2

34.6

29.9

27.5

25.2

24.6

22.6

19.9

11.9

7.9

7.9

7.1

6.9

6.4

6.3

5.6

4.2

4.0

3.8

USC GA Tech UTN UAL UFL VA Tech Clemson UGA UMS Texas A&M AU Rank of 24 SREB Schools: 1 2 7 8 10 16 18 19 21 23 24 GA Tech UFL USC UGA UTN VA Tech Texas A&M UAL AU Clemson UMS 1 5 7 9 10 12 13 15 21 22 23

Source:

SREB Fact Book 15

University of South Carolina’s higher number of Masters degrees are mostly in the Communications, Social Work, Interdepartmental, and Public Health programs Sources of Greater Number of Masters Degrees at University of South Carolina than at Auburn – 2005-06 Chart 7 164 124 88 58 24 -51 -45 -40 737 Negative numbers where Auburn’s program has more graduate students than University of South Carolina’s 200 215 Comm. & Inf. Sciences Social Work Inter depart.

Public Health

Source:

University of South Carolina Fact Book Bus.

Arts & Sciences Other Arch . Agric. Eng.

Net Difference 16

University of Tennessee’s Masters degree awards exceed AU’s across the board, but Education and Social Work account for half of the difference* Sources of Greater Number of Masters Degrees at University of Tennessee than at Auburn – 2004-05 Chart 8 56 83 -40 776 96 58 98 196 229 Ed., Health & Human Dev.

Social Work Comm.

& Info.

Studies Health Science Business Arts & Sciences * Please see similar charts for Alabama and Clemson in the Appendix Other

Source:

University of Tennessee Fact Book Arch.

Net Difference 17

The somewhat erratic growth trend in graduate degrees awarded may reflect the priorities of different Presidents and the impact of strategy reviews Graduate Degrees Awarded Annually Since 1970 Chart 9 1200 1100 1000 900 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 Philpott F u n d e r b u r k 21 st Century Commission Martin Muse Visions of Excellence Walker d s o n R i c h a r Bailey Report* * President Bailey 1983 to 1984 18

However, AU’s graduate program growth has not kept pace with the state’s or with SREB schools’ growth Percentage Increase in Graduate Degrees Conferred Between 1987-88 and 2003-04 Chart 10 100% 80.5% 69.2% 65.7% 55.1% 42.5%

Source:

SREB Fact Book Masters/Doctorate Alabama Masters/Doctorate SREB States Masters/Doctorate Auburn 19

AU has the fewest graduate students per tenured and tenure-track faculty member of its peers, and of all SREB schools Number of Graduate Students Per Full-Time Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty Member (Students/Faculty) – Fall 2005 Chart 11 6.8

6.4

5.1

4.6

4.4

4.3

4.2

4.1

4.0

3.3

2.8

USC GA Tech A&M UFL Tech UGA UMS Clemson AU 20

AU faculty have fewer graduate assistants to leverage their instruction and research than do faculty at peer institutions Number of Graduate Assistants per Full-Time Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty Member (Assistants/Faculty) – Fall 2005 Chart 12 4.5

2.0

1.9

1.9

1.9

1.7

1.7

1.7

1.5

1.2

1.2

GA Tech Clemson Tech UMS UTN UAL UFL AU A&M 21

AU is significantly less selective in its admissions than are many leading competitors Average Graduate Student Acceptance Rates for the Colleges of Engineering, Education, and Business* – 2006 Admissions Chart 13 71.3% 41.8% 42.1% 44.0% 45.0% 52.7% 56.2% 56.7% 56.8% UGA Texas A&M VA Tech UFL UAL Clemson AU USC UTN * Only includes Universities with all three programs. Average acceptance rates are weighted by number of new students enrolled

Source:

USNWR 22

GPA, GRE, and GMAT scores of entering graduate students are somewhat lower than at many peer institutions Colleges of Engineering, Education and Business Graduate Students Average Undergraduate GPA and GRE/GMAT Scores* – 2006 Admissions Chart 14 GPA GRE Quantitative/GMAT Scores 3.81

3.70

3.58

3.38

3.31

3.28

715 697 655 604 603 577 541 UGA UFL VA Tech AU UTN UAL UFL Texas A&M Clemson AU UTN UGA UAL * Only includes Universities with all three programs. Average scores are weighted by number of new students enrolled

Source:

USNWR 23

AU does have some stand-out programs according to external rankings Recent External National Rankings of Selected Auburn Graduate Programs PROGRAM RANKING* Chart 15 Fisheries Industrial Design Physicians Executive MBA Program Landscape Architecture Industrial and Systems Engineering Health and Human Performance MBA Program (Public) Civil Engineering Electrical Engineering Chemical Engineering Computer Engineering Mechanical Engineering 1 3 4 14 27 28 39 49 49 52 53 65 * Rankings include public and private programs/schools unless otherwise indicated

Source: American Academy of Kinesiology & Physical Education 2007; Auburn Office of Communications & Marketing

; DesignIntelligence

2005 & 2006

; Forbes

2005;

Modern Physician

2006; U.S. Dept. of Agriculture 2006;

USNWR

2004, 2006 & 2007

24

Nevertheless, many AU programs – such as Mathematics and Engineering – are in the middle of the pack relative to regional competitors AU Competitor Rankings in USNWR* – Public and Private Programs/Schools Chart 16 BEST MATHEMATICS PROGRAMS (Ph.D.) BEST ENGINEERING SCHOOLS 2006 2006 2007 1 2 35 47 47 56 56 67 73

80

89 89 94 MIT Harvard Georgia Tech Univ. of Georgia Texas A&M Univ. of Florida Virginia Tech Florida State Univ. of Tennessee

Auburn

Clemson Univ. of S. Carolina Univ. of Alabama 1 2 4 14 26 30 71

74

68 NR NR NR 1 2 4 14 26 33 66

74

77 NR NR NR MIT Stanford Georgia Tech Texas A&M Univ. of Florida Virginia Tech Univ. of Tennessee

Auburn

Clemson Florida State Univ. of Alabama Univ. of S. Carolina NR Univ. of Mississippi * Rankings based on varying combinations of (1) opinions about program quality gathered from deans and recruiters and (2) quantitative measures of faculty resources, research activity, and student caliber 25

AU’s Education and Business programs rank lower relative to regional competitors AU Competitor Rankings in USNWR – Public and Private Programs/Schools Chart 17 BEST EDUCATION PROGRAMS 2006 2007 2 1 1 21 45 35 35 53 3 26 34 41 44 53 70 74 NR NR

NR

NR NR NR Teachers College, Columbia Univ.

Harvard Univ. of Georgia Texas A&M Univ. of Tennessee Univ. of Florida Florida State

Auburn

Clemson Univ. of Alabama Univ. of S. Carolina BEST BUSINESS SCHOOLS 2006 2007 1 1 2 34 31 41 46 59 2 25 29 37 46 55 66

69

73 NR NR NR

NR

NR NR NR Harvard Stanford Georgia Tech Texas A&M Univ. of Florida Univ. of Georgia Univ. of S. Carolina Univ. of Tennessee

Auburn

University of Alabama Clemson Florida State * Rankings based on varying combinations of (1) opinions about program quality gathered from deans and recruiters and (2) quantitative measures of faculty resources, research activity, and student caliber 26

AU’s stipends for graduate teaching assistants are not competitive with those at regional peers in Mechanical Engineering . . .

GTA Stipends in Mechanical Engineering 2006 Chart 18 $22,800 $15,600 $15,300 $13,200 $12,000 $9,500 $8,040 $7,932 Georgia Tech Univ. of KY of MS of TN Texas Univ. of Tech Florida Clemson Auburn

Source: American Society for Engineering Education University Profile

27

. . . or in Human Development/Family Studies GTA Stipends in Human Development and Family Studies 2006 $18,660 $17,328 $17,220 $16,656 $15,996 $15,192 $9,804 Chart 19 Florida Univ. Virginia State of GA Tech

Source: Survey by Virginia Tech

Arizona State Texas Tech Univ. Auburn of NC 28

The benefit package offered to AU graduate assistants is also below that of many peer institutions Health Insurance Benefit for Graduate Students 2006 Chart 20 INSTITUTION U of Alabama U of Florida U of Kentucky U of Tennessee Clemson Mississippi State U of Arkansas U of Georgia U of Mississippi U of South Carolina

Auburn

Florida State University Louisiana State University

Source: Survey by AU Graduate Student Council

HEALTH INSURANCE BENEFIT full benefit full benefit full benefit full benefit subsidized subsidized subsidized subsidized subsidized subsidized

no benefit

no benefit no benefit AMOUNT OF BENEFIT 100% 100% 100% 100% 30% 50% 60% 42% 50% $225

0%

0% 0% 29

Assessment of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (“SWOT” Assessment) Auburn University Graduate Programs

STRENGTHS

• AU offers a wide array of graduate programs, both vocational and academic • AU’s graduate programs in Fisheries, Industrial Design, and Landscape Architecture, as well as the Physicians Executive MBA program, rank very highly at a national level • Several other AU graduate programs – including Engineering, Business, and Kinesiology – rank well among public universities

30

WEAKNESSES

• The size of the graduate programs at Auburn does not reflect a deliberate strategic decision of instruction by the University. Overall, based on comparisons with other institutions, the number graduate students may be too small to effectively support Auburn’s research and missions • The average caliber of students in AU’s graduate programs is lower than that at many national institutions and regional peers • The three large programs that US News & World Report ranks do not fare as well as those at leading national institutions and regional competitors

31

OPPORTUNITIES

• Grow overall graduate program size by selectively supporting programs that have most potential to contribute to the research mission and to undergraduate instruction • Rationalize programs by rigorously assessing the viability, competitiveness, growth prospects, and graduate student quality of each • Build on strengths to attract additional research-oriented faculty who tend to recruit high quality graduate students • Fund competitive graduate assistant stipends and benefit packages while setting a high standard for students to receive financial support

32

THREATS

• A lack of strategic direction for – and resources behind – the graduate programs may inhibit AU from reaching its potential in both research and undergraduate education • and Uncompetitive stipends and benefits may lead to erosion of the size and quality of the graduate student body in the research-oriented programs, and may demoralize faculty undermine the University’s research mission

33

Strategic Implications

•

Overall, graduate education at Auburn University is not in a strong position

–

Many of AU’s graduate programs are not highly selective, lack clear distinctiveness,

–

and the faculty are under-leveraged with regard to graduate student support The small size of AU’s graduate-education enterprise relative to SREB peers increases the challenge of attracting and retaining exceptional research-oriented

–

faculty Slower relative growth in Masters and Doctorate degrees conferred over the past decade and a half (compared to SREB overall and within the State of Alabama) means that AU is losing market share in graduate education among SREB states and, to an even greater extent, in Alabama

•

AU needs to determine the appropriate overall size of its graduate-education enterprise to most effectively support its mission elements of research, instruction, and outreach / extension

•

AU’s graduate programs should be reviewed by discipline and rigorously assessed along significant dimensions – including viability, competitiveness, growth prospects, and graduate student quality

34

Strategic Implications (continued)

•

Should Auburn decide to continue to increase the size of its research enterprise, then the University may well need to expand the number of graduate assistantships to better leverage faculty in both research and teaching

•

Financial packages for graduate assistants need to be upgraded to achieve parity with competitors and thus help maintain the quality of graduate applicants

•

AU needs to review the organization structure of the graduate school and its Dean, and the graduate school’s relationship with the Office of the Provost and with the Vice President for Research, to help ensure strategic alignment

35

Appendices

•

Sources of Greater Number of Masters Degrees at University of Alabama than at Auburn

•

Sources of Greater Number of Masters Degrees at Auburn than at Clemson

•

Glossary of Selected Terms

36

University of Alabama’s higher number of Masters degrees are mostly in the Social Work, Communication & Information Science, and Human & Environment Science programs Sources of Greater Number of Masters Degrees at University of Alabama than at Auburn – 2005-06 Chart 21 43 91 -38 111 -51 -45 266 156 Social Work* Comm. & Inf. Science* Human & Environ.

Science Arts & Sciences * AU does not have College ** U of A does not have College

Source:

University of Alabama Fact Book Eng.

Arch.** Agric.** Net Difference 37

While Clemson and Auburn award about the same number of Masters degrees, Clemson awards many more Engineering and Forestry Degrees – Auburn many more in Business and Liberal Arts Sources of Greater Number of Masters Degrees at Auburn than at Clemson – 2005-06 Chart 22 19 15 29 55 88 -107 -46 -19 34 Business Liberal Arts Agric.

Source:

Clemson University Fact Book Education Other Eng. & Science Forestry Arch.

Net Difference 38

Glossary of Selected Terms

Graduate assistant (GA)

– a graduate student who is awarded a fellowship that provides financial aid in exchange for providing teaching, research, and/or outreach-related duties •

Graduate research assistant (GRA)

– a graduate assistant who works on academic research projects with one or more full faculty members •

Graduate teaching assistant (GTA)

– a graduate assistant who works under the supervision of a professor to teach labs, recitation sessions, and introductory classes

Recitation session

– a class held to expand upon and discuss a lecture given by a senior faculty member

39