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Academics
Chemistry Laboratories
For a number of years prior to 2000-01, the annual assessment reports
from the Department of Chemistry indicated a critical need to upgrade
its general chemistry labs and to develop several special-purpose labs.
As a result of these assessments, The Citadel developed a proposal
and presented it to a distinguished Citadel graduate who had earned
a Ph.D. in chemistry and taught chemistry at the Air Force Academy.
In December 2000, Dr. Harvey Schiller pledged $500,000 to refurbish
general purpose chemistry labs and to develop a biochemistry lab in
support of a new joint minor offered by the Departments of Biology and
Chemistry.
This project, resulting directly from departmental assessment of facilities
and programs, has now been completed.
Engineering Curriculum and
Laboratories
The annual assessment reports from the Departments of Civil and Environmental
Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering indicated the need
to improve and update lab equipment. This need, as well as the need
to revise the curriculum in several areas, was identified and validated
in the 1997 ABET review of these two programs.
As a result of this assessment, the faculty have implemented the necessary
curriculum revisions, and the institution has allocated additional funding
to improve the laboratories in these two departments. The project will
be implemented over a three-year period.
These needs surfaced as a result of annual departmental assessment
and the reaffirmation review of The Citadel's programs by ABET.
Modern Language Laboratory
In addition to the annual assessment reports from the Department of
Modern Languages, The Citadel, in conjunction with the South Carolina
Commission on Higher Education, conducts program reviews. Both the departmental
assessment and the 2000 program review identified the language laboratory
as a major problem area within the modern languages program.
As a result of these two assessments, the institution reviewed several
alternatives for transitioning from a "boom-box and tape"
operation to a modern, computer-based language laboratory.
Following this review, the institution funded the renovation of the
facility and the procurement of the necessary software and hardware
to develop a state-of-the-art, computer-based laboratory. In addition,
the institution funds a faculty member to be in charge of the laboratory
and to assess the ongoing performance of the lab in meeting the curriculum
requirements of the department. This faculty member also provides training
on the use of the lab.
This significant educational improvement came about as a result of
departmental assessment and periodic program review.
Electronic Databases in Daniel
Library
Daniel Library conducts annual surveys to determine satisfaction with
library services. These surveys, coupled with national trends regarding
the storage and retrieval of academic materials, led The Citadel to
increase the investment in electronic databases.
In addition, the institution has secured grant funds and private donations
for this purpose. The institution has dramatically increased access
to multiple electronic databases during the last three years as a result
of this assessment.
Reading Tutorial Program
The Core Curriculum portions of the Annual Assessment Reports from
the Departments of English and History identified a significant number
of entering freshmen with reading problems. As a result, The Citadel
began administering the Nelson-Denny reading test to all incoming freshmen
in the fall of 2000. The results were analyzed by faculty members with
a specialty in reading in the Department of Education.
As a result of this assessment data, the institution developed a reading
tutorial program that is provided through OASIS (Office of Access Services,
Instruction, and Support) at no cost to the student.
The Nelson-Denny is now given to each freshman as a routine part of
freshman orientation, and incoming freshmen are referred to the Reading
Tutorial program based upon the results. The institution allocated the
resources for this program based on the important need which surfaced
as a result of our assessment program.
Student Affairs
Freshman Student Activity
Space
The Citadel periodically conducts formal studies of the entire freshman
year (Fourth Class System) in addition to annual assessment done by
the Provost and Commandant of Cadets on freshman attrition and academic
performance. Parts of these studies include contracting with a third
party to do a follow-up study on all freshmen who leave The Citadel
during their first semester (fall). In addition, the Board of Visitors,
through the committee structure, reviews areas of special interest.
The annual studies indicated the need for a freshman snack area and
lounge. The institution studied this need more carefully and validated
the importance of these new facilities.
The Commandant's Office and the food service contractor redesigned
the existing snack bar space to include a private area for freshmen.
In addition, a new lounge area was developed by the institution in Mark
Clark Hall. These new spaces became operational in the Fall of 2002
as a result of the assessment of the experiences of our freshmen. The
Offices of the Commandant of Cadets and the Vice President for Finance
and Business Affairs are continuing to assess the impacts of these new
facilities on freshman attrition and performance.
Class Absence System
At The Citadel, class attendance is required, and cadets are disciplined
for unexcused class absences. The system developed for reporting and
processing class absences was in the main manual and quite cumbersome.
Annual assessment tools, including cadet surveys and focus group meetings
with cadet leaders and selected faculty, indicated that this reporting
system was actually exacerbating the class absence system because additional
disciplinary consequences were resulting from the time delays caused
by delays in the processing system.
Based on these assessments and the review of discipline by the Commandant's
Office, The Citadel reviewed best practices regarding cadet accountability
systems. Members of the Commandant's Office and Information Technology
Services visited West Point to review that accountability system. Based
on the analysis of best practices and the institution's identification
of the problem through institutional assessment, The Citadel has redesigned
its class absence system. The new system is an online system which is
driven by faculty input. The data becomes available daily to the student;
to upperclassmen in charge; and to tactical officers, adults who are
assigned to each cadet barracks.
The Citadel's Information Technology Services has designed, developed,
and tested the new system, and it will become fully operational in Fall
2003. This enhancement is a direct result of the assessment of student
(cadet) life, analysis of the current discipline system, and faculty
concerns.
Fitness Center and Equipment
The Citadel periodically conducts studies of the freshman year (Fourth
Class System). In addition, annual studies are done by the Provost and
Commandant of Cadets on freshman attrition and academic performance.
The institution also does an annual exit survey of all seniors. In addition,
the Athletics Department surveys the interest of female freshmen as
input in the determination of the mix of intercollegiate sports programs.
Finally, the Athletics Department does an exit interview with each athlete
when they graduate or leave the institution.
These assessments coupled with the known trends regarding increased
interest in fitness among college students led The Citadel to make significant
improvements in the fitness rooms and equipment for student athletes
and the entire student body.
Also, The Citadel's physical plant assessment of deferred maintenance
supported this need for improvements in the facility (Deas Hall). As
a result of this assessment, The Citadel invested state funds and obtained
private donations to make major improvements in Deas Hall including
the weight room and fitness areas. The total investment is approximately
2.5 million dollars. The project was done in phases and the last phase
will be completed at the end of August 2003.
Barracks (Residence Hall)
Supervision
The Office of the Commandant of Cadets prepares an annual report that
includes an assessment of discipline issues in the barracks. In addition,
in 2002 the institution conducted a thorough review of barracks security
and the fourth class system.
Based upon these studies, the Commandant proposed a significant enhancement
of the adult supervision in the barracks during the evening. The institution
approved and funded this new program which includes the provision of
an adult officer-in-charge (OC) for each of the four barracks from 8:00
p.m. until 7:30 a.m. In addition, there is a supervising OC on duty
during this period to assist the four OC's as necessary.
This program became fully operational for the 2002-03 year, and the
Commandant's Office continues to monitor its success. First-year results
on the assessment of the new program are encouraging as the number of
serious discipline issues decreased significantly.
Honor Training for Students
The Cadet Honor Code plays a critical role in the accomplishment of
The Citadel's primary mission of educating its graduates to become principled
leaders. Monitoring the number and nature of honor offenses is part
of the annual assessment of cadet life. Based on these assessments,
that include interviews of freshmen who have decided to leave the College,
The Citadel determined that there was a need for enhanced training regarding
the Cadet Honor Code and what it truly means to live by that code.
In 2002 the institution conducted a Systems Review of 1) ethics and
honor, 2) multicultural relationships, 3) student-athlete issues, 4)
barracks safety and security, and 5) the fourth class experience.
This review validated the need for additional training on the Cadet
Honor Code, and a committee, chaired by the faculty advisor to the Cadet
Honor Committee, developed a computer-based approach to individual instruction
on the Cadet Honor Code. The system was tested with a group of cadets
and will become part of cadet training in academic year 2003-04.
In addition to the development of this instructional system, the institution
invested in the necessary upgrade to software to enable the system to
be available to all cadets. Finally, the institution developed a proposal
to fund a leadership initiative at The Citadel including a Director
of the Krause Initiative in Leadership reporting directly to the President.
This proposal was funded, and the director has been selected. This individual
will work with the faculty advisor to the Cadet Honor Committee to continue
to assess the effectiveness of this online instructional program.
Women's Intercollegiate Athletic
Programs
In 1996 The Citadel made the decision to admit women into its primary
student body, the South Carolina Corps of Cadets. The institution also
made a commitment to remain in the Southern Conference and in Division
I of the NCAA . Therefore, the institution initiated a comprehensive
assessment program to determine the athletic interests of new female
students and prospects. This assessment was a major factor in the determination
of the seven sports for women currently offered by The Citadel. The
timetable for implementation was as follows:
1997-98: Cross Country, Indoor Track, Outdoor Track
1998-99: Volleyball
2000-01: Soccer, Golf
2001-02: Rifle
As a result of these assessments and plans, The Citadel has implemented
seven intercollegiate athletic sports for women with a total annual
investment of approximately $750,000.
A part of the NCAA certification of the athletic program at The Citadel
included the development of gender and minority equity plans for intercollegiate
athletics at The Citadel. The assessment of the implementation of these
plans resulted in significant improvements in institutional systems
and procedures including hiring practices; representation of students,
faculty, and staff on committees; surveys of students; facilities and
support services for student athletes; and the number of women professionals
involved in the athletic programs at The Citadel.
The Citadel continues to assess this issue through annual surveys
and program reviews.
College Administration
Freshman Retention Program
The Citadel periodically conducts formal studies of the entire freshman
year (Fourth Class System) in addition to the annual assessment done
by the Provost and Commandant on freshman attrition and academic performance.
A part of these studies includes contracting with a third party to do
a follow-up study on all freshmen who leave The Citadel during their
first semester (fall).
The results of these annual assessment reports, formal studies, external
contracted studies, and national research in higher education indicated
the need to provide additional support for students transitioning from
high school to college and from a civilian environment to a more structured
military-oriented environment.
Based on this assessment, the institution developed two additional
programs for freshmen. Citadel 101 is a one-credit-hour course that
is required for all first-time freshmen for each fall semester. The
course is a fairly typical freshman orientation course taught by regular
faculty and a few staff/administrators.
In addition to Citadel 101, the institution developed an early intervention
program, "Jump Start," which is mandatory for freshmen who
do not perform well during the fall semester of their freshman year.
The program consists of tutoring sessions on time management, study
skills, test taking, and other appropriate topics. In addition, these
students are required to limit their course loads for the spring semester
of their freshman year. The data from the first year of implementation
showed a significant improvement in the freshman grade point ratio and
a significant decrease in attrition. The institution continues to monitor
these programs annually. These programs were developed and funded as
a direct result of efforts to assess the experience of the first-year
students.
Reorganization to Schools
For a number of years, the institution studied the organizational
structure of the academic programs at The Citadel. The previous Vice
President for Academic Affairs recommended the change of the Department
of Education to the School of Education in the Spring of 1999. The new
Vice President for Academic Affairs (now Provost) decided to study the
entire structure. A process which included significant faculty input
as well as input from the Faculty Council and Academic Board (academic
administrators) was undertaken and continued for approximately 18 months.
The results of this assessment led the institution to reorganize into
five schools as follows:
School of Business Administration
School of Education
School of Engineering
School of Humanities and Social Sciences
School of Science and Mathematics
All five schools are operational. Four of the five now have deans,
and the fifth school (Science and Mathematics) has an acting dean for
the 2003-04 academic year. The Provost continues to monitor the impact
of this reorganization.
Faculty Salary Supplements
As a part of ongoing assessment, the Office of the Provost and the
Office of Institutional Planning and Assessment conduct annual salary
studies using data from 29 peer institutions. Between 1997 and 1999,
this data indicated the need for faculty salary increases at The Citadel
in order for the institution to be competitive in recruiting and retaining
faculty.
As a result of this assessment data, The Citadel allocated $440,000
in additional faculty salary supplement funds from The Citadel Foundation
to address merit, market, and equity issues.
The institution continues to conduct this annual salary study approach
as a part of its ongoing assessment program.
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