Criterion Three - The institution is accomplishing its purposes in academic programs.

UW-River Falls has had a strong commitment to undergraduate education in agriculture since 1912. To better recognize the expanding scope of agriculturally-related programs and specializations, the College name was formally changed in 1996 from the College of Agriculture to the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences (CAFES).

The CAFES has excellent, well-maintained and -equipped classroom and laboratory facilities to support undergraduate teaching and applied research programs. A new $2.8 million Dairy Teaching Center is expected to be constructed on the Mann Valley Laboratory Farm during the 1999-2001 biennium. Animal and associated crop production enterprises provide vital resources for University teaching extension and research. The College administers a highly successful intemship program and participates actively in international programs.

The primary educational goal of the CAFES is to provide a comprehensive group of academic majors covering the agriculture, food, and environmental sciences for a target enrollment of 1300 to 1500 students. In 1992, the CAFES completed an evaluation of all majors and programs for the University of Wisconsin System. The report was part of a statewide review of all academic programs in agriculture and natural resources in Wisconsin's public higher education.

Several new majors and courses have been added since the 1988 NCA review. New majors include Biotechnology and Marketing Communications, Horticulture, and Land Use Planning. Timely, new courses have been added in food and process engineering, industrial fermentations, integrated pest management, plant tissue culture, hydrogeology, landscape construction, and orientation to college, and others.

Academic program assessment plans have been finalized for each of the 14 majors offered in the CAFES. Each program has a faculty coordinator who provides oversight and responsibility for implementation of academic program assessment as well as for reporting results of the evaluations.

Each academic assessment plan includes the mission statement, purpose of the assessment, the assessment plan, and a review of the results. The assessment plan for the Broad Area Agriculture major is typical of most college plans. It is accomplished by means of testing for incremental learning in the six areas represented by core courses in the major plus environmental science. Beginning in 1998, all students are being tested in these areas during their first year and again during their final year of college utilizing a bank of examination questions developed by faculty. The Department of Agricultural Economics tested more than 500 students in 1996 and 1997.

The College has assembled an outstanding academic faculty and support staff who recognize the value and importance of providing a high level of excellence in the undergraduate experience. Approximately one-half of the faculty have international program and travel experiences that enrich their teaching. Additionally, about one-half of the faculty participate in applied research projects through a state cooperative research program and through private grants from companies and various governmental agencies.
Enrollment increased each year of the 1990s placing the CAFES enrollment-wise among the top 20 colleges of agriculture nationally. Approximately 50 percent of the College freshmen graduate in six years (heavy non-academic work loads, studies abroad, intemships, and other reasons delay graduation for many students).

Employers throughout the Midwest actively recruit CAFES graduates. More than one-half of Wisconsin's high school agriculture teachers are UW-River Falls graduates, as are nearly one-half of the loan officers with Farm Credit Services and the Farmers Home Administration. In the public service arena, the CAFES offers a series of workshops and institutes on an "as requested/needed" basis throughout the year. The CAFES is one of a five-institution consortium in Wisconsin that has a state-funded cooperative research program for faculty which coordinates cooperative extension appointments and works cooperatively on Distance Education course offerings to each of the five universities. The consortium recently completed a USDA Strengthening Grant that provided financial support for courses being taught by faculty on each campus to sister institutions of
Wisconsin.

The College of Arts and Sciences at UW-River Falls is described in the 1998 Self-Study Report in terms of faculty workload targets, departmental merit review plans, college goals and challenges, campus-wide Review and Reallocation process, curricular adjustments driven by the final Reach for the Future document, the campus-wide Annual Planning and Outcomes Review process, the number of degrees granted, and the unit organizational chart. Relatively little evidence in available documents was presented regarding tangible evidence of the use of data collection and analysis, as well as curricular or other changes prompted by attention to results of assessment processes. However, assessment plans have been established for each major.

Thorough, accurate descriptions of academic programs are in the undergraduate and graduate catalogs as well as the program description/four-year plan document. With some exceptions, evidence of college stability and/or growth is present in the Fact Book published Fall 1997-98.

Interviews with administration, faculty, and students revealed awareness of challenges faced by the college that are common to other institutions with liberal arts programs. The college has been successful in re-establishing its niche on campus and in the broader community by creating popular new majors, eliminating ones with low enrollment, and marketing its strengths as evidenced by successful program reviews, student success after graduation, greater use of student intemships, and an increased profile of visibility overall.

Faculty in the college were supportive of planning and reallocation efforts effected by the administration as long as departmental costs remained within tolerances. Pride in teaching, students, the role of the liberal arts, and the rewards offered by a traditional liberal arts education were likewise expressed.

Similar to conversations with other instructors on campus, college faculty revealed their sense of dissatisfaction with the amount of committee work which does not in turn become synthesized by the institution's administration and then widely communicated to the campus. Faculty expressed their desire for the return of consistent two-way communication as a result of working in tandem with the administration and for agreed upon, specified purposes.

General education is described in the 1998 Self-Study Report as "prescribed yet flexible." The program's objectives and areas of emphasis are laudable, but the assessment of these objectives runs the risk of being more difficult due to the abundance of course options within those areas. It perhaps is incumbent upon the institution to revisit its interpretation of the program's balance of prescription and flexibility.

By extension, assessment of student academic achievement in general education is considered multifaceted (see the Academic Policy and Programming Report on the Assessment of General Education). Yet assessment of general education remains at the same time subject to an inconsistently applied "shotgun approach" of too many measures too few times. This fact, as also the necessity of making solid general education objectives "more assessable," is recognized by the Assessment committee and members of the Academic Policy and Program committee.

Students expressed satisfaction with the quality of learning in their general education studies but noted the high reliance upon, and turnover of, instructional academic staff in the program. Students believed greater consistency of staffing would better reinforce the objectives of general education at the university.

The new Teacher Education Building currently under construction for the College of Education and Graduate Studies reflects the significant focus on this Unit since the 1988 NCA re-accreditation visit, and complements the Reach for the Future planning initiative.

Resources provided for this state-of-the-art facility demonstrate the major commitment of the University to the teacher education programs. Although the results of the March, 1998 visit by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education were not available to the team, the history and evidence documented indicates high standards of professional education, including integration of technology into teaching and learning. The professional education program was one of eleven "exemplary teacher education programs" selected by the National Education Association's Center for Innovation—the only program in the Midwest cited, and one of only three cited nationally for all its professional education programs. Other programs within the College have achieved accreditation by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction or respective learned societies, as appropriate.
Efforts at recruiting and retaining diverse students continue to be an acknowledged challenge within the University. One promising initiative is the collaboration with the St. Paul, Minnesota School District to attract and support public school students with an interest in teaching through the "Teachers of Color" program. The addition of a full time academic advisor for the College of Education and Graduate Studies complements this effort.

The faculty carry appropriate workloads, and are provided support for professional development through the Reach for the Future allocations. The evident diversity of faculty and administration within the College is commendable. There is strong, diverse leadership administering the programs within this College. One issue is how will the retirement of the current dean, the only female in administration at this level or above, affect University diversity as a whole.

Significant strengthening of the School of Graduate and Professional Studies, in response to the 1988 Team Report and the 1992 Report of a focused visit, has been achieved by increased emphasis on scholarly activity of full graduate faculty, by more thorough assessment of undergraduate-graduate "slash" courses, as well as by monitoring of student progress by the assistant dean for graduate studies. While enrollment patterns appear to be uneven, in part because of recent restructuring of academic departments, the major reorganization of degrees and programs currently supports increased enrollment from within the region. Graduate faculty teaching loads, a concern of the 1988 Team Report, have been resolved by bringing all faculty workloads in line with peer comprehensive institutions in the UW System.

While assessment continues to need attention at UW-River Falls, the Teacher Education program within the College of Education and Graduate Studies has in place a continuum of procedures from entry to exit. A more stringent appeal process for entry into Teacher Education supports Wisconsin's standard on the PPST, the highest passing score in the nation. Reflective portfolios are used to evaluate the teacher candidates' competence, and criteria and benchmarks are being developed to coincide with INTASC Standards for both instruction and field experiences. The faculty participate in the University's "Systematic Performance Appraisal Plan", which provides quantitative summaries for teaching, advising, scholarship and service supporting student achievement.
At the time of the last comprehensive visit, the team identified concerns regarding student services programs. The concerns focused on the decentralization of the programs and the apparent isolation of the Dean of Students and Admissions Office from that of the Provost/Vice Chancellor. Within the last three years this concern appears to have been addressed effectively. The Dean of Students now reports to the Provost/Vice Chancellor and both offices are located in the same building. This should enhance the perception of a close relationship between the offices.

The reorganization effort has resulted in a decrease in the number of divisions within Student Affairs and a consolidation of services provided to students. While this has streamlined the structure and conveniently provides more centralized services for students, such changes naturally cause creative tension among employees. This tension will take time to subside. It is recommended that attention be given to resolving some of this tension in order to allow the new structure to fully serve the institution and reach a maximum level of effectiveness.

Given the nature of the student population, care needs to be taken to provide services that support the various student groups. Some individuals, including students, expressed concern that certain segments of the student population, e.g., non-traditional students, were not served as well as were other students. It was also reported that while student services-were traditionally very good and staff friendly, some unevenness of service existed in a few units. Some services were also scheduled predominantly during hours which would limit access to evening or weekend students.
As educational costs continue to rise and students seek ways to pay expenses, the financial support from the university becomes increasingly important to students. As such, it comes under increasing scrutiny and can be a key factor in student satisfaction with the university. Several students expressed strong concern about some of the service that had been provided by the financial aid unit, noting that it was unusual for the student services. The Team urges the university to give attention to student perceptions of services and appropriate training for "front-line" workers.

UW-River Falls enjoys a residence hall system that provides a sense of community for students. Students have a variety of room options, and the lay-out of some of the halls along a mall area adds to the residential atmosphere. The residence halls appear to be well maintained. They provide a comfortable atmosphere for residents and are conducive to the learning environment.
Students enjoy a variety of dining options in different locations. Food services areas are well-maintained and are conveniently located for students. The services also include low-cost options for students.

While a bookstore is available on campus through an external vendor, its inventory includes primarily gift items and a few text materials. The university's Textbook Service is used as a low-cost method of providing texts to students. For a low fee, students are able to rent textbooks for the semester with an option to buy the texts later in the semester.

The university has been successful in providing other low cost services to students. It contracts with an area health center to provide health care for students. It also contracts with a community agency to provide campus child care.

Efforts toward international education, programming, and student services are currently located in a number of offices at the university. This situation is not greatly different than that noted in the 1988 Team Report. Ten years ago, the Team ofevaluators expressed concerns including under-staffing in international programs, declining numbers of minority and/or international students on campus, and a lack of coordination and central leadership for all programming. Some notable improvements have been made in the numbers of human and fiscal resources to deliver better opportunities and services for students leaving and coming to campus, but the numbers of international students is not large.

At the time of the 1988 comprehensive evaluation, the university's graduate dean was the summer school director. Presently, the summer school coordinator is a special assistant to the chancellor whose primary responsibilities are in summer bulletin preparation, distribution, general marketing, and contract preparation. Responsibilities for budgeting, staffing, and course selection/rotation lie with the faculty and deans of the colleges. This method of decentralization is satisfactory for the campus and is an expected function of campus history and climate.

Summer sessions appear not to generate much high-profile emphasis. A review of head-counts, student FTEs and student credit hour patterns over the last ten years corroborates that impression. Indeed, by these measures, numbers from the recent past are clearly among the lowest of the decade. At a university with this mission and of this size and immediate metropolitan population, opportunities for growth and positive fiscal impact are present and probably should be a greater expectation.

Continuing education at the university has been, and continues to be, an area of emphasis and generally receives accordant staffing, resources, and efforts across the campus and beyond. Credit and noncredit bearing extended degree programs, faculty cooperative extension appointments with the University of Wisconsin - Extension, and shared courses at the Pigeon Lake Field Station have been in place for decades. These efforts are viewed within and without as a necessity, and a strength, of the university.
Organizationally, however, the institution is wrestling with the degree of centralization needed to perform effectively in these areas. It no longer has a director of the Rural Development Institute, is searching for a new coordinator of Outreach, and will shortly be appointing a director of the School of Business and Economics (formerly departments within the College of Arts and Sciences). These deliberations are reflected in the Reach for the Future document (goals VII, VIII, and most notably, X), and are subject to further consideration regarding the specifics of implementation.

The newly autonomous School of Business and Economics is an example of the university's positioning to increase its delivery of programs to evening and weekend students. Guided by the internal University Outreach Advisory Committee, each college also has program managers to coordinate distance education or outreach efforts. Although common to each college, the College of Agriculture, Food, and Environmental Sciences appears most active with these efforts.

Based upon the Reach for the Future Progress Report, the university has made strides in clarifying the role of continuing education on and off campus and is encouraged to bring closure to its specific organizational decisions.

The 17-sports program of the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics is located administratively in the College of Education and Graduate Studies. The UW-River Falls is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC). As a Division III non-scholarship institution, the Athletic Department adheres closely to the constitution, by-laws, philosophy, principles, rules, and policies of the NCAA and the WIAC.

The purpose of the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics is fourfold: (1) to provide a broad-based intercollegiate athletic program designed to encourage participation; (2) to perform proficiently in a highly visible area; (3) to promote the educational development of the participating student-athletes; and (4) to bring students, faculty, staff, and alumni together in building a sense of community.
A priority of UW-River Falls is to bring about gender equity and cooperation. In 1988, the WIAC initiated a comprehensive study of gender equity and compliance with Title IX requirements among all member athletic departments. The study was completed in 1993. Utilizing student, faculty, and staff input, the UW-River Falls critically examined the climate for women in athletics and presented their findings to the Chancellor and Athletic Committee.

Based on findings from this self-study and on-going annual reports, the University has made commendable progress in the following areas: increasing sports participation opportunities for women, increasing FTEs for coaches of women's sports, increasing salaries for assistant coaches of women's sports, upgrading game programs for women's sports, and increasing training room assistance for female student-athletes.

During the 1997-98 school year, 447 student-athletes participated in 17 different intercollegiate sports (of these, four students were African-American, three were Asian, two were Hispanic). Of the total support budget for athletics, the portion for men's sports was approximately 37.7%; for the women's program, 30.8%; and the total not-allocated by gender was 31.5%.

The Athletic Department places its highest priority on the academic successes of student athletes. All coaches are committed to academic achievement. In 1993-94, the UW-River Falls women athletes won the prestigious WIAC Conference All-Academic Award.

Coaches in the UW-River Falls Athletic Department offer numerous camps and clinics on the UW-River Falls campus and at junior and senior high schools in Wisconsin. Approximately 2000 youth participate in these camps and clinics annually.

The team finds that UW-River Falls has met Criterion Three.

Criterion 4