Chapter I

Eastern Michigan - A Perspective

Introduction

This chapter is intended to orient the reader to Eastern Michigan University as an institution with 142 years of academic tradition. The evolution of Eastern from normal school to multi-purpose state university is outlined. Recent key developments are introduced and important current issues described. The evaluation process leading to this report is also explained here.

Brief History of EMU and Recapitulation of Significant Changes in Character and Purpose

The original purpose for which an institution of higher education has been established may be found carefully phrased in some formal document or legislative act. The effective purpose, however, can only be discerned after years of operation. It is to be found in the minds and hearts and conduct of several generations of those entrusted with the direction of the enterprise, and it often provides that sense of high importance and dignity which powers its members through all the years to heights of achievement and a profound sense of personal satisfaction.

(Egbert R. Isbell, A History of Eastern Michigan University, 1849-1965, Eastern Michigan University Press, 1971, p. 361.)

Michigan State Normal School 1849

Eastern Michigan University was founded in 1849. On March 28, Public Act Number 138 was passed providing for the establishment of the Michigan State Normal School, the essential purpose of which was to provide "the instruction of persons both male and female in the art of teaching, and in all the various branches that pertain to a good common school education." The Normal School functioned under the authority of the State Board of Education consisting of three members appointed by the Governor and two ex officio members, the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Lieutenant Governor. Michigan State Normal School was the first institution of its kind west of the Allegheny Mountains. It was the sixth normal school founded in the United States.

Michigan State Normal School became the first member of four such schools in the State. Central Michigan Normal School, founded in 1895, has become Central Michigan University; Northern Michigan Normal School, established in 1899, is now Northern Michigan University; and Western Michigan Normal School, opened in 1903, evolved into Western Michigan University.

From its earliest days, interest in a liberal education formed part of the Normal School's traditions. A brochure published in 1893 and distributed at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago explained:

The function of the Michigan Normal School is to prepare teachers, both academically and professionally, in the most thorough manner possible . . . And no teacher is so equipped unless his own culture and training have been carried considerably beyond the limit to which he may be called upon to conduct the pupils under his general supervision. . .

Continued enrichment of the curriculum led to the conferring of the Normal School's first four-year degree in 1890. The degree was the Bachelor of Pedagogics.

Michigan State Normal College 1899

By the end of the nineteenth century, the character of the Normal School had grown more sophisticated. According to historian Isbell,

"As early as 1889, a degree was offered which purported to be the equal of a degree from any reputable four-year college. From 1903, a degree from Normal was legally recognized as such." (p. 30)

In response to this maturing of the institution, the State Legislature changed the College's name in 1899 to Michigan State Normal College. Despite continuing curricular diversification, the College's role continued to be primarily teacher training. In 1915 the Normal College was first accredited by the North Central Association under the then applicable label "Higher Institution." In 1917 it was accredited among "Institutions Primarily for the Training of Teachers."

Throughout the early part of the twentieth century, the Normal College diversified further. For example, Eastern Michigan University is proud to have been the first college in Michigan to offer work in industrial arts. This occurred in 1901. Gradually, programs in business, home economics, music, occupational therapy, physical education, and special education joined a burgeoning liberal arts curriculum in adding to the special character of Michigan State Normal College. In 1912 the first extension course was offered for the teachers of Bay City, Michigan; and in 1921 a separate extension department was formed. Under the authority of the State Board of Education, the Normal College began offering graduate work as early as 1889. The first established degree was the Master of Pedagogics. Of course, teacher training retained a prominent role through this process of evolution. In 1928 the College was transferred to the North Central Association's list of colleges and universities.

Eastern Michigan College 1956

Both internal momentum and external social and economic demands maintained the movement of the Normal College toward a more diverse purpose. Through the Great Depression and World War II, evolution of the College continued despite economic dislocation and practical difficulties. By 1934 the world of which the Normal College was a part had grown more complex than it had been in 1849, and in that year the State Board of Education adopted a new statement of purpose for the guidance of the four teacher colleges. The statement offered two aims as "paramount and inseparable in an institution for the training of teachers."

1. A thorough grounding in such fields of study as may lead to the intellectual growth of the student.
2. A thorough grounding in the science and art of teaching under direction.

The emphasis in teacher preparation was still strong but was no longer as unequivocal as it had been earlier. The increased prominence of "such fields as may lead to the intellectual growth of the student" combined with another important development in 1934: the expectation that a student would meet the requirements for teacher certification to qualify for a bachelor of arts degree was dropped.

The Normal College operated for twenty-one years under the 1934 statement. In the academic year 1955-56, the college catalogue offered a new statement of purpose.

. . . Eastern Michigan College was originally founded to educate teachers. This is still one of its basic functions. To this it has added, over the last half century, programs of instruction in the liberal arts and sciences, and a wide range of specialized and pre-professional programs . . . It is the judgement of the staff and faculty of Eastern Michigan College that the College has not changed its function in its century-old history, but has expanded and broadened it. The additional professional education necessary for the teacher has its counterpart in the other specialized areas for those planning to enter other professions.

Eastern Michigan University 1959

In 1959, EMC became EMU&emdash;Eastern Michigan University. The University newspaper reported: "the designation of Eastern as a State University . . . promises intellectual and physical expansion in the future." Although teacher preparation still played an important role in the University's functions, the prominence of a wide variety of disciplines increased. In organizing itself as a University, the institution established the College of Education in 1959, and the College of Arts and Sciences and the Graduate School in 1960. Programs in business grew rapidly, and in 1964 the College of Business was founded.

The establishment of the Graduate School and the three Colleges was followed, in 1964, by a new State Constitution which provided for an independent board of control for the University. The one hundred and fifteen-year relationship with the State Board of

Education had now changed. The newly-constituted Board of Regents requested from the President a statement of objectives. It read in part:

Eastern Michigan University, even in its earliest years as a normal school, had some of the characteristics of a multi-purpose institution and over the years it has steadily acquired more. In the future, mounting enrollments which bring to this institution even more students in search of university education rather than teacher preparation will force the University to diversify and expand its offerings still further. At the same time, however, teacher education will continue to be the main concern. These goals are never fixed but evolve with time and with such increase of wisdom as the faculty, administration, and governing board may acquire.

The decade of the 1960s was a time of extraordinary expansion. The University grew physically. Its student population burgeoned from 5,137 in 1960 to 19,965 in 1970, and its academic programs continued to diversify. The institution was now fully committed to a transition in identity. During the 1960s a variety of new issues arose for Eastern. Many of those challenges were reflective of what the North Central Association was to call the University's "indeterminate status." This maturing process carried into the decade of the 1970s.

Eastern Michigan University During the 1970s

The decade of the '70s was notable for changes throughout our society. For EMU too, the period was marked by change, much of which was troubling. But, through persistence and creativity, the University not only sustained itself, it strengthened its character in a manner that would prepare it for growth in the '80s. The University confronted sharp enrollment declines, intense cost pressures, and stagnant physical development. It responded with careful resource management and substantial program diversification.

The following chart summarizes the extent of enrollment decline during the '70s.

	1971/72	1979/80	% Decline
Total Head Count	21,410	18,648	12.90%
Total Full Year Equated Students	18,396	13,353	27.41%
Ratio: Head Count/Full Year Equated Students	85.92%	71.61%	16.66%

Decline in headcount was driven, to a large extent, by sharp reductions in the number of students pursuing teaching careers. As the University stressed programs in business and diversified into new areas, including technology and human services, a greater number of non-traditional students were attracted who took fewer credit hours per term, hence the sharper decline in full-year equated students and the big dip in the ratio of head count to full-year equated students. In Fall of 1971 the average undergraduate student elected 13.68 credit hours. By the fall of 1979 that figure had dropped to 12.06.

Financial pressures on the University were intense during this period as well. It is quite apparent in Figure I-2 that revenue barely kept pace with inflation during the second half of the decade.

These were difficult years for the whole State of Michigan. In several instances modest State appropriations were strained even further by budget recisions during the fiscal year.

It was consequently very difficult to sustain operating and maintenance budgets at appropriate levels, to acquire new equipment, or to enhance the campus with new or

improved facilities. The only major building addition during the period was the new Alexander Music Building, begun in 1978 and completed in 1981. That addition had been planned in the early '70s to house the music programs and free needed space for the University's accounting and business services in the old Alexander Building. During this same period, there were no significant resources available for major equipment purchases.

While operating budgets and capital investment were both curtailed, the only way the University could respond to such intense financial pressure and enrollment decline was to reduce faculty and staff. The chart below summarizes faculty reductions and reallocations from 75/76 through 80/81.

Total faculty allocations declined by 8.8% from 772.53 to 704.33. Just as important as the reduction in the number of faculty were the reallocations from Education and Arts and Sciences to Business, Human Services, and Technology. These adjustments reflected the programmatic changes that took shape at the University during the period.

While many of the University's departments responded to the circumstances of the 1970s with program adjustments and diversification, the most apparent and substantial of such adjustments were in the areas of business, health and human services, and technology. While Business had been organized as a College since 1964, it was during the 1970s that student demand and academic development converged and resulted in substantial growth, expanded program variety, and enhanced academic rigor. By 1973 the undergraduate business programs were accredited by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). During the mid '70s preparations were undertaken to qualify for AACSB accreditation at the Master's Degree level. Initial accreditation was finally achieved in 1982.

Evolution of the College of Health and Human Services began with the development of a nursing program in 1973. By the following year a broader perspective was taking shape regarding curricula in human services. The departments of Nursing, Home Economics, and Occupational Therapy developed the College and constituted its first members upon establishment in 1975. During the decade of the '70s the College took over programs in medical technology and social work while it developed new programs in consumer affairs, dietetics, family life, fashion merchandising, health administration, interior design, gerontology, and nuclear medicine technology.

Planning for a College of Technology began in the mid-70s. In 1977 the Board of Regents authorized the implementation of the College. After careful needs assessment and organizational preparation an operating plan was adopted. The search for the first Dean of the College was begun in the Winter of 1980.

The University Since 1980: Significant Changes in Character and Emphasis

Since 1980 the University has continued to respond to changes in the world and region of which it is a part. Eastern, during the 1980s, has diversified its programs, strengthened in curriculum, surged ahead in student enrollment, elaborated on its historical mission, reinforced its scholarly and graduate enterprises, and successfully faced difficult economic challenges.

Program Diversification and Curricular Development

Since 1980 the College of Technology has expanded from its original identity as an outgrowth of the University's Division of Applied Science to a major academic unit consisting of the departments of Business and Industrial Education, Industrial Technology, Interdisciplinary Technology, Military Science, and the Coatings Research Institute. Enrolling over 1,400 majors, the College is a prime example of the creative manner in which the University responded to changes that began in the '70s

and continued through the '80s. While Technology has been the most visible example of program diversification at Eastern, it is certainly not the sole instance of such initiative. In Chapter IV of this report there is a complete listing of the academic program adjustments submitted for review by the Presidents' Council of State College and Universities in Michigan. The history of those adjustments during the past decade is a history of Eastern's full evolution into a comprehensive State University, mindful of its traditions yet responsive to the needs of the region it serves.

The University has responded to the needs of its students by diversifying its major offerings. But, it has also kept firmly in mind the central value of a sound undergraduate base curriculum. In February, 1985, the Provost commissioned a Basic Studies Review Committee and charged its members with conduct of "a comprehensive re-examination of our present basic studies requirements and with determining what changes should be made to provide the most effective liberal/general education for today's students." The Committee met through April, 1986, and recommended a series of substantial changes that are detailed further in Chapter IV of this report. The changes were approved by the University Board in September of 1987. In addition to revising this important aspect of its curriculum, the University established a standing Basic Studies Committee to supervise implementation of the revised program and to monitor and recommend further adjustments in Basic Studies as may be advisable and feasible in the future.

The undergraduate curriculum has been further enhanced with the addition of an honors program. Established in 1984, by 1989 it offered approximately 50 courses to over 900 students in the typical Fall or Winter schedule. The honors curriculum has both a basic studies and departmental component. The program also offers interdisciplinary courses, many of which were developed under a National Endowment for the Humanities grant during the mid '70s.

As the University sought to respond to the needs of the region of which it is a part and to the changes in the world at large, among the important factors that emerged were: 1) that continuing education for a diversifying work force was important to Southeastern Michigan; 2) that an international perspective was increasingly an educational imperative rather than an option for the University. Two significant developments grew out of these factors. First, the University strengthened its commitment to non-credit continuing education through the newly-formulated unit called Corporate Services. Second, the University focused more attention on internationalizing its curriculum and on supporting faculty research and scholarship with an international orientation through the formation of the World College. Additional detail regarding these development can

be found in Chapters II and IV of this report. What is important to note in this overview is the manner in which both of these developments are part of the highly responsive programmatic diversification of Eastern Michigan University.

During the 1980s curricular diversification and development has tapped the creativity and aspirations of the faculty and responded to the needs of current and prospective students. The University has continued to evolve by devising new programs and extending its older traditions.

Academic Program Review

In 1981 systematic academic program review at both undergraduate and graduate level was initiated at Eastern. Program review at the graduate level had been conducted since the early '70s. During the '80s the review process consequently became more comprehensive as the curricular development referred to above occurred. Academic programs came under careful scrutiny through a review process led by the Associate Vice-President for Academic Affairs. That review process stresses evaluation as compared to mere description and is tied to considerations of program value, quality, and efficiency. In 1985 the system was updated to coincide with regular NCA review. The pattern established at that time is as follows:

In the primary data file upon which this report is based, there are copies of all Academic Program Reviews as well as the Departmental Self-Study prepared in anticipation of current NCA evaluation. That primary data file will be available for examination by the visiting team of Consultant-Evaluators.

Planned Doctorate

The University's oldest academic tradition is in the field of Education. It is quite fitting then, that the first doctoral program to be proposed by Eastern Michigan University is in the field of Educational Leadership. In Chapter XI of this report the proposed doctorate will be explained in detail. What is important here is to note the historical context from which the proposal has arisen.

By the middle of the 1980s, according to a report from the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education, Eastern had become one of the largest producers of educational personnel in the U.S. In 1985/86 Eastern recommended for award 1,676 teaching certificates, 282 more than second-place Michigan State University. Over the decades the University has developed a cadre of tens of thousands of alumni who are educational professionals. With the strong encouragement of alumni and colleagues throughout the State of Michigan, EMU surveyed demand for an Ed.D. degree focused on the needs of practicing school administrators.

A questionnaire was distributed to 2,125 school administrators working within 35 miles of Eastern's campus who did not hold a doctorate. Seven hundred and eighteen responded. The following chart summarizes the survey results.

The University undertook development of a proposal and in 1985 internal University approval was secured. After extensive discussion with external constituencies, the State Council of Academic Vice Presidents and then the University Board of Regents approved of the proposal in the Spring of 1988.

The Michigan legislature approved offering of the Ed.D. by Eastern Michigan University in the Higher Education Act, 1988, section 404.1.a.

The proposal contained in Chapter XI represents continued evolution by EMU in directions consistent with its history and responsive to the region it serves.

Research and Scholarship

As the University's undergraduate and graduate curricula have continued to evolve, so too has its research and scholarly endeavors. The 1980s were a particularly important time in that regard. Fuller detail on this subject is offered in Chapter VI of this report. But, in this initial overview, it is important to note how the University's character has matured in the area of research and scholarship.

Faculty research, scholarship, artistic work, and publication has continued to grow in quantity and develop in sophistication. Stimulated by a supportive departmental and College environment, faculty have taken advantage of the many incentive programs of the University including the sabbatical leave program, faculty research fellowships, Spring-Summer research awards, graduate research assistantship awards, the Graduate School Research Support Fund, released-time available for grant proposal development, and special project funds from the Office of Research Development.

The 1980s also saw the establishment of several new programs that have recognized and stimulated important scholarly and artistic accomplishments. Special Scholarly Recognition Awards in Science and Technology, Humanities and the Arts, Education and Human Services, and Business and the Social Sciences have been added to the long-standing Distinguished Faculty Award. There was also put into place an Artistic Recognition Award.

Established in the mid-80s, The Collegium for Advanced Studies now sponsors and funds a wide range of programs intended to recognize and encourage research, scholarship, and the arts. The Collegium operates the Center for Research Support and publishes mosaics, a periodical that features the scholarship, research, and artistic work of the academic community at EMU. The organization, made up of faculty and graduate students and financed by general fund dollars, also sponsors discussions, research symposia, and other special events.

In 1985 the State of Michigan created a Research Excellence Fund intended to finance research innovation with economic development potential. Since the establishment of the Fund the University has received approximately $400,000 in support of such innovation. A notable outcome, partly due to the Fund and partly due to private industry, has been the establishment of the Coatings Research Institute. The Institute operates in association with the Department of Interdisciplinary Technology and its facility was financed by the coatings industry.

The College of Business, accredited by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), has continued to strengthen its faculty performance in research and publication. Explicit expectations have been promulgated to Business faculty regarding the quantity and quality of research and publication. Teaching loads have been adjusted to accommodate such an intensified commitment to research and publication and the results have been significant.

Research, scholarship, and artistic work in the Colleges of Education and Arts and Sciences, as evidenced by the self-study documentation prepared for this report, reflect diversity and quality typical of a regional State University. In all, Eastern has continued to mature in this aspect of its identity.

Enrollment and Retention

In many respects, the story of Eastern during the 1980s was the story of enrollment increases driven, to a large extent, by marked improvement in student retention. The charts below provide overviews of both the marked increase in student headcount and the extent to which that phenomenon was influenced by improved retention of students.

From a period in the 1970s during which the University experienced sharp declines in student enrollment, Eastern has progressed through a period of substantial growth in the number of students it serves. In fact, in the later part of the 1980s there was concerted effort to control enrollment growth without seriously jeopardizing educational access by Eastern's traditional student clientele. Chapter V of this report contains a more detailed analysis of enrollment growth at EMU and its implications. What is important to note in this review of developments since 1980 is the central importance of enrollment growth as a factor in the University's developing character. Eastern is a large, multipurpose, State University striving to serve what has been an expanding student body. Those conditions have strained the institution's financial and human resources in recent years.

Financial Position

As the University progressed through the 1980s, its financial circumstances were increasingly defined by the fact that the State of Michigan funds higher education on a "base-plus" system. State appropriations are determined as a percentage of the previous year's funding. There is not an enrollment-driven formula. Consequently, as enrollments increased, as the University retained larger numbers of student, State appropriations did not match the institution's growth.

The chart below compares revenue and enrollment increases from 1985 to 1989 for example. When revenues are adjusted by taking into account the Higher Education Price Index, State appropriations are seen to have grown only 10.63% and total revenues by only 18.19%. During the same period the University student headcount grew by 22.35% and its full-year-equated students increased by 14.8%.

*Higher Education Price Index

While these factors are not the only ones that influenced the University's financial circumstances during the 1980s, they certainly had a most important impact. In Chapter VIII of this report, more detailed analysis of the University's financial circumstances is provided.

Regular and Non-Tenure Track Faculty

During the 1980s the regular tenure track faculty provided continuity and stability to the programs of the University. The cutbacks of the previous decade gave way to growth in the size of the regular faculty so that between 1983/84 and 1988/89 the regular full-time equivalent faculty grew in size from 612 to 666. As indicated in the chart below, regular faculty holding the doctorate or other appropriate terminal degree continued to grow in number.

While these data do not represent a full profile of the faculty (Chapter VI of this report contains such a profile.), they do represent an important trend since the early 1980s. Another such trend has been the use of non-tenure track faculty, referred to generically as lecturers. The following chart summarizes the growth in numbers of such non-tenure track, often part-time faculty at Eastern Michigan University.

Increased use of lecturers has resulted principally from two factors. First, since the University has diversified into certain technical fields in which it is difficult to recruit highly specialized practitioners to regular faculty status, it has been important to bring such specialists to campus as adjunct faculty. Such professionals have proven to be of great value to the programs and students of the University.

Second, during times of rapid enrollment growth and slow growth in revenues, it has often been necessary to hire lecturers to supplement the cadre of regular faculty.

These factors have resulted in a significant proportion of the University's instruction to be offered by lecturers. The chart below summarizes the individual enrollments, course sections, and student credit hours produced recently through the use of regular

faculty compared to lecturers. Because this condition is of concern to the University, it has been examined carefully and actions are under study to slow and reverse this trend. Because of the importance of this subject it is treated in more detail in Chapter X as a "special theme arising from this self-study."

Physical Changes, Equipment, and Deferred Maintenance

During the 1980s the University began to enhance its physical facilities and to respond to seriously pent-up needs for major equipment additions. During that same period providing maintenance funding continued to be difficult, as it was for so many institutions around the nation. The charts below summarize the major additions and renovations during the '80s, the five-year instructional equipment acquisition plan begun in the '80s, as well as the status of major deferred maintenance as of the end of the decade.

While the '80s saw some significant additions to facilities and equipment, Eastern, just as many other institutions, suffered from serious deferred maintenance. By the end of the decade only $2.79 million in deferred maintenance had been fully funded, representing seven projects in progress. Total unfunded deferred maintenance was $41.74 million with $15.66 million of that amount considered "critical."

As serious a problem as deferred maintenance is, it is important to bring some perspective to this situation. Both the Association of Physical Plant Administrators of Colleges and Universities (APPA) and the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) agree on an estimate that roughly 25% of the nation's college and university facilities were in need of renewal or replacement by the end of the '80s. Consequently, if Eastern were "average" by that standard, then its deferred maintenance would be approximately $91.63 million as compared to its actual $44.3 million.

The University recognized at the end of the decade (comparisons aside) that it needed to begin serious planning to respond both to the need for additional facilities and the requirements of deferred maintenance. Consequently it undertook a major facility development plan that will be discussed later in this report.

1981 NCA Comprehensive Review and University Responses

As a result of the 1981 comprehensive review by the North Central Association, the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education continued Eastern's accreditation at the Specialist Degree-granting level and scheduled the next comprehensive review for 1990/91. However, because of a variety of issues raised by the visiting team, the Commission required that a focused visit should be conducted in 1986 to examine the further development of policies and procedures that would influence conduct of the University's graduate-level enterprise. There were several issues raised. They fell into four categories:

1. Membership in the graduate faculty.
   
   
2. Dismissal policy.
   
   
3. Intermixing of graduate and undergraduate experiences.
   
   
4. Admissions standards and grading practices.

As a consequence of the 1986 focused visit, the University was "recognized for correcting the problems identified in 1981" and it was further stipulated that "no further reviews are called for until 1990/91." Because of the importance of the actions taken by the University leading to the 1986 focused visit, they are reviewed briefly here.

Membership in the Graduate Faculty

The Graduate School, in cooperation with the University Graduate Council, established exacting procedures through which faculty are screened for membership in the graduate faculty. The full text of the policies governing membership in the graduate faculty is included among the appendices to this current report. In the fall of 1983 the review process began with all assistant professors, continuing with review of associate professors in 1984 and full professors in 1985. The

University is now on a five-year cycle of reconsideration for membership in the graduate faculty. All newly-hired faculty are reviewed at the time of appointment if the department intends to employ the individual to teach in its graduate program.

The principal criteria for graduate faculty membership are that the candidate have an earned doctorate or other appropriate terminal degree and that he/she offer appropriate evidence of current and continuing involvement in research, scholarship, and/or artistic endeavors. It is understood that graduate faculty will continue to have substantial involvement in graduate education and that academic departments may stipulate criteria beyond those established by the Graduate School for membership in its graduate faculty. Policies governing membership in the graduate faculty are included among the appendices of this report.

Dismissal Policy

The Graduate School reasserted its role in dismissing students for academic reasons. Previously such dismissal was recommended by departments. When a student's cumulative grade point average drops below 3.0 he/she is placed on probation. After two successive terms on probation the student is automatically dismissed from the University. At any time that a graduate student's cumulative grade point average drops 0.15 points or more below the required 3.0 he/she is dismissed from the University. A Dismissal Review Board must examine all appeals for reinstatement.

Complete details regarding the University's graduate student dismissal policy are published in the Graduate Catalogue. The Graduate School's role in this process has been strongly reinforced and current practices are typical of those employed by sister institutions.

Intermixing of Graduate and Undergraduate Experiences

The 1986 evaluating team contended that there was an "absence of Graduate School policies which ensure that graduate study throughout the University is truly graduate in nature . . . ." The team cited the case that (at the time) " . . . graduate credit is given for junior-level courses and for senior-level courses, and undergraduate students with no more than 85 hours may enroll in 500-level graduate courses."

Since 1981 there have been several policy and procedural changes made to ensure that the graduate courses and programs at Eastern are truly graduate in character. First, in September of 1981 the Graduate Council eliminated the possibility of counting 300-level courses for graduate credit. In addition, graduate students are restricted in the use of 400-level courses by two mechanisms: only specifically approved courses can be counted for graduate credit and only nine hours of 400-level coursework can be counted for graduate credit.

In addition, there have been procedural changes in the method used to monitor the double numbering or co-offering of graduate and undergraduate courses. University policy now states:

"courses shall not be double numbered, 'piggybacked,' unless there is highly individualized methods of instruction where there is direct interaction between the instructor and students, and where the student largely works by himself/herself."

The following procedure is used to monitor compliance with the policy:

Before courses are double-listed, the department head must complete a request form to provide a rationale for the double-listing of graduate and undergraduate courses. The course outlines which describe the various expectations for the undergraduate and graduate offerings are included.

The department head sends the form to the College Dean for his/her signature, indicating endorsement.

The College Dean sends the form to the Graduate Dean who reviews the course and either approves or disapproves. If the courses are approved for double numbering, the rationale and syllabus is kept on file at the Graduate School.

When the class schedule for each term is in final draft form, the Graduate School reviews it to be sure that no unapproved courses are double-listed. In the event a mistake is discovered, the Graduate Dean notifies the Associate Vice-President for Academic Affairs who will authorize cancellation of the courses, discontinuation of them, or special review for possible approval.

In recent years the Graduate School has insisted to the departments and the academic program review process and stressed the necessity of distinguishing clearly between graduate and undergraduate levels of instruction, both in rigor and in content.

Admissions and Grading Practices

In preparation for the 1986 focused visit the Graduate School re-examined admissions standards and grading practices. Its admissions standards were compared to the nine other institutions in the Mid-American Conference (MAC), since those institutions are, in many respects, similar to Eastern. Graduate admissions standards at Eastern were found to be quite compatible with those at sister institutions within the MAC. (Details of graduate admission standards can be found in Chapter V of this report.) Additionally, as can be seen from the chart below, actual undergraduate grade point averages of entering graduate students have remained quite sound during the past several years.

Since the 1986 review the Graduate Council has further tightened admission standards by eliminating the "special student" status and imposing strict limits on the number of hours that non-matriculating students can earn and subsequently apply to degree programs.

The Graduate School has also continued its long-standing practice of monitoring departmental grading practices and consulting with departments regarding trends. Further detail on grading practices is available in Chapter IV of this report. What is important to note in this summary of the University's recent actions in response to previous NCA concerns is that, in every case, Eastern has been responsive.

EMU Today with Projected Future Developments

Eastern Michigan University is a comprehensive State University of nearly 25,000 students that enjoys an excellent relationship with the community and region it serves. The University hopes to offer its first doctoral degree in Educational Leadership, extending its 142-year history in the field of Education. Eastern has a firm grasp of its purposes, it has the resources to continue fulfilling those purposes, and it has the capacity to do so in a manner that ensures sound academic achievement of its students.

Eastern Michigan University faces significant challenges, just as it has throughout its long history. The most important of those challenges are explored in the balance of this report. While the detail of those subjects is found later in this document, a brief overview is appropriate here.

The 1980s saw substantial increases in enrollment at Eastern. State funding did not keep pace with the increased demand upon the University to serve students. The outgrowth of those opposing trends remains an important feature to the contemporary circumstances of the University. Eastern must restrain enrollment growth in the short term without impeding access of qualified students or interrupting the University's longer term enrollment stability.

The University has recognized serious limitations to its library facilities and resources. Careful study is currently being conducted to define the most prudent way to address this problem. The College of Education has continued to grow and to thrive, consequently new facilities are required to house the College. There are other important facilities needs that will also require attention as the University enters the 1990s.

The University must continue to recruit and retain a highly-qualified faculty. While the core faculty has remained stable in size and character in recent years, there has also been a marked increase in the amount of instruction provided by non-tenure track lecturers. The University is currently studying its practices in that regard and will formulate a plan to control and reverse this trend.

In recent years the University has been very successful in providing non-credit instruction, principally to employees of the various companies within its primary service area. It has also been highly creative in its credit-bearing continuing education programs. While sustaining these important efforts, it will be part of the University's challenge to complement these commitments with a sharpened focus on its traditional educational mission. An important aspect of this refocus will be the initiation of a comprehensive student outcome assessment movement, for which planning is already under way.

The University is currently preparing to implement an Integrated Student Information System (ISIS). The result will be extensive automation of the functions in Admissions, Financial Aid, Housing, Academic Records, Registration, and Student Accounting. ISIS is representative of the larger movement to employ fully-modern information technology in the conduct of many aspects of the University's affairs, academic as well as administrative. This movement toward a more sophisticated information management system is another important aspect of Eastern Michigan University's contemporary circumstances.

Subject to approval by North Central, Eastern hopes to implement its proposed Ed.D. in Educational Leadership. New faculty have already been recruited and new resources committed in support of the proposed program. Continued maturation of the University's graduate-level and research enterprises must also be sustained into the 1990s as Eastern becomes, for the first time, a doctoral-granting institution.

Because so much hinges on successful planning, the University has redoubled its strategic planning efforts. In conjunction with this self-study and with direct leadership from the President, the University's Office of Strategic Planning and Advancement has developed a strategic plan intended to guide the University as it moves ahead.

The 1980s was a decade of remarkable growth and change for Eastern. It is often referred to by University and Community leaders as EMU's "decade of advancement."

As the balance of this report demonstrates, the University is prepared to continue its advancement into a new decade with the same determination that has characterized its previous 142-year history.

The Current Self-Study Process

Objectives of the Self-Study

There are three objectives for the self-study on which this report is based:

1. To assess the operation of Eastern Michigan University in such a manner as to determine whether it fulfills the Evaluative Criteria and General Institutional Requirements of the Commission and consequently to prepare the University for a comprehensive evaluation by the Commission for continuing accreditation at the Specialist Degree level.
2. To assess the readiness of the University to offer a Doctoral Degree in Educational Leadership and consequently to prepare it for evaluation by the Commission that will lead to a change in its Statement of Affiliation Status to include the Doctoral Degree (research curricula).
3. To provide evaluative information for the University's strategic planning process.

Evaluation and Planning Context

The University conducts regular academic review of both its graduate and undergraduate programs. Results of this on-going review process have been integrated into the current self-study. In several instances, academic departments accredited at a program level have employed results from such accreditation studies in their contribution to this current study. In addition, this current study has been integrated with the University's strategic planning process.

Committee Structure

The committee structure that has been used for this self-study process is outlined in Figure I-15. Senior leadership for the study has been provided by the President and Provost of the University. Operational supervision for the overall process has been

provided by the Self-Study Coordinating Committee chaired by the Assistant to the Provost who served as Self-Study Coordinator. Special assessment of the University readiness to offer the Doctoral Degree in Educational Leadership has been overseen by the Doctoral Coordinating Committee chaired by the Dean of the Graduate School.

Periodic review of self-study outcomes have been conducted with the University-Wide Self-Study Committee. That Committee represents all major constituencies of the University. The self-study process also required substantial involvement by the faculty and staff of every unit of the University in completing the component self-studies. A list of component self-studies is included among the appendices of this report.

Evaluation Methods

The guidelines that have been developed for use by academic and support units of the University are included in the appendices of this report. Guidelines were developed also for the College Deans who conducted summary assessments of their own, in light of the assessments each department submitted. There are special guidelines that have been adapted for use by certain very distinctive elements of the University. While those special guidelines follow a pattern similar to the more general guidelines, they also have unique features appropriate to the special units by which they were used. Those guidelines are included among the appendices to this report.

Other evaluative resources from the University's Planning, Budget, and Analysis offices were used in the self-study process as well. Extensive statistical displays were prepared for academic units to use in completing their self-studies. An example set of statistical displays representing the type that were used is included among the appendices of this report. A complete set of the statistical data is available in the primary data file held on EMU's campus. Naturally, these and other extensive informational resources will be available to the evaluation team during their visit.

The University has contracted with Educational Testing Service to conduct the survey, Student Reaction to College. The University has a long history of student course assessment. Data from such assessments have also been used in the self-study process.

Reporting Mechanisms

Composition of the Self-Study Report has been the responsibility of the Self-Study Coordinator. He has been assisted by a technical editor. Because a self-study such as this is an institution-wide discovery process, certain issues of policy arose from it. Consequently, the report drafting procedure was conducted to allow for review of

outcomes with the major divisions of the University as well as with the President and Provost as the senior leadership of the self-study process.

Summary

Eastern Michigan University defined clear and appropriate objectives for its self-study process. It has used existing evaluation and planning mechanisms as well as specially designed assessment techniques in a timely and representative process. Self-study results have been examined carefully by the University's leadership and several significant decisions have been made as a consequence.

Organization of Subsequent Chapters

Chapters II through IX provide a combination of descriptive and evaluative information on a wide variety of topics. Those chapters are intended to orient the reader fully to the current circumstances of the University.

Chapter X elaborates on certain important issues that have arisen as a consequence of this self-study. In some instances significant action has already begun with respect to certain issues. In other cases further study has been initiated. Such issues, actions, and studies are described. This chapter also provides for specific commentary regarding the University's fulfillment of the Criteria for Accreditation and the General Institutional Requirements. This commentary is illustrated through reference to the preceding nine chapters.

In Chapter XI the University presents its proposed Ed.D. in Educational Leadership. The rationale for the degree as well as its structure and content are discussed. Also presented are the admission, matriculation, and graduation policies that will govern the program.

Chapter XII describes the University's Strategic Plan.