QUESTION: MissionB3

The department had improved the quality of its faculty over time; however, the accounting department still has a very difficult time attracting doctorally qualified faculty because of the low salaries we pay in relation to comparable schools.  This situation was slightly improved with the new collective bargaining agreement.  However, we were only successful in hiring for one of the three open positions for the 2008-2009 academic year.  Because one of our faculty resigned at the same location as the hire for a $25,000 increase in pay at a neighboring institution, we are still three doctorally qualified faculty members short at the Westside centers.  

The department overall is effective at reaching its goals, and seeks to maintain the quality of curriculum and learning opportunities inside and beyond the classroom.  We will benefit from streamlining the assessment process and closing the loop of assessment instruments and revision of curriculum in light of the results.  This has been done informally, and will be more effective as a regularized annual assessment process.

Our overall effectiveness has been good [excellent] due to a recent program review that has served as our guide.

The department has been successful in placing students for internships with Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air each term.  Horizon Air now operates two direct hire recruitment efforts on campus per year.  The department has been successful in restructuring it's curriculum to add airline type groundschool courses, and will continue to build on those successful operations.  

The Aviation Maintenence Management Degree received a shot in the arm with the advent of the contract with Vietnam Airlines to train several cohorts of students from Vietnam.  Thirty students are on campus now and another 12 will arrive next year.  

The department has also been able to increase direct transfer articulation agreements with several community colleges, including Spokane CC, Big Bend, CC, Green River CC, and is working on one with Clover Park CC.  The four-year Aviation Management Degree is now offered at Big Bend Community College and has already graduated one student.  

The department has to date been hampered in reaching some of its goals due to lack of adequate funding, support and facilities.  

Facilities are the biggest issue at this time.  Some faculty and staff members were physically sick when housed in the flight technology building at Bower's field and were moved out of the building.  After an inspection summer 2007 the entire department was displaced fall 2007 when the building was condemned due to moisture and mold contamination.  The department, which currently has over 200 students, is temporarily "camped" in a row of small offices along a hallway in Michaelson hall.  Adjunct faculty has no offices and must hold office hours in the hallway or at the cafeteria.  Students have no study area or lab, and there is no room for records storage.
Future department offices are slated to be in the new Hogue Technology building, which will not be completed for several years.  The current offices are completely inadequate, were secured as a last minute "fix" and displaced occupants who were told they could have their space back after one year.  Thus, Aviation will have no space after this academic year.  Additionally, we are hiring another full-time faculty member starting fall 2008.  

It is currently difficult to provide coherent services to Aviation students due to lack of or fragmented space.  For example, computer-based flight simulators are housed on the fourth floor of the library, but students must check out a key to that room in Michaelson hall to use them (and return the key after use).  Therefore, zero students have to date used the computer trainers.  When they were available to students in the flight building they were used for several hours each day.

Prospective students are confused as to where the aviation office is located.  There is no centralized reception or waiting area and people are greatly un-impressed when they visit a department that boasts state-of-the-art aviation training (with a cost of approximately $60,000 over and above tuition) and they find us pigeon-holed into a row of offices.

The Aviation Department must have an adequate, non-fragmented, academic presence on campus in order to serve the more than 200 students enrolled in degree programs.  

Some student and faculty programs have been suspended until the department is able to occupy a larger/more coherent space.

If the department is not able to meet the needs for faculty offices, student reception and study areas, adjunct offices, and administrative and operational space (fax/copy/mail room) it will not be able to function effectively as an academic unit.

The current department space may not meet academic unit space needs as determined by industry accreditation.  Additionally, the Federal Aviation Administration has granted a temporary approval for the department.  However, a longer-term space is needed that meets the criteria for FAA certification of our degree programs

Equipment is another issue; the flight training devices (simulators) are completely obsolete, using DOS-based systems and software that is not supported by the manufacturer, and must be replaced.  An amount of money has been allocated to replace the existing simulators, but is only adequate to replace one unit.  A typical FTD as required by the curriculum costs between 1 and 1.5 million dollars.  Department faculty and staff are working to acquire 3 flight training devices with less than $900,000 allocated and are working on creative solutions that can provide students with necessary collegiate and industry standard training devices on a limited budget.

Although we have made significant strides toward meeting our goals, we still have work to do.  The external reviewer for our program review suggested that we articulate a vision for the department with specific goals to help us reach our vision. We discussed our vision collectively but we have not outlined specific goals and objectives beyond what was already outlined in our self study document.  We will continue to work toward the goals indicated in the self study and to reach a point were each of us can articulate our shared vision.  It will be particularly important to do this when we have filled the four currently open faculty postions.

Since the 2003-04 program review, the Communication Department has made great strides in reaching the goals developed from the program review.  However, the department still struggles with student demand that is increasing so rapidly that new faculty lines cannot keep up. It also struggles to find resources for the equipment upgrades and lab spaces necessary to sustain the department programs.   At the same time, the department has received two new tenure-track lines iin 2007-08, and has started the design phase for new facilities in the Hogue Hall remodel. 

Our 2008-09 Program Review documented the changes and improvements since our 2003-04 review.  Our reviewer was very positive about the program and our work.

January, 2008
The Computer Science faculty believe that the process described above is effective in assessing our program. Further, we believe that we are effectively achieving our goals. Perhaps it is appropriate at this point to quote form the report of our last program review. 
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The CS department has a strong faculty that function well as a unit.  Faculty research and grant production is outstanding for a unit of their size.  Especially impressive is the undergraduate research component. There are several ongoing research projects that have active student participation.

The curriculum is thoughtfully reviewed on a regular basis and I see no mojor weaknesses in the program.  Although faculty are teaching a heavy load students are pleased with the CS courses and the instruction.  Students repeatedly commented on the extraordinary effort made by both faculty and staff to provide services and quality instruction.

Staff and faculty have a strong working relationship, and staff support is adequate.  Communication between CS faculty, CS chair, Dean of Sciences and upper adminsitration functions well, and is honest and frank.

The strength of the DOE comes from its faculty. All full-time members of the economics faculty have Ph.D. degrees and are actively involved in teaching, research, and public service. 

1. Graduates will be prepared to be outstanding educational leaders and facilitators of learning.
The Department of Education takes pride in the accomplishments of our graduates. They are prepared to enter the field, which can be seen in the assessment data collected during coursework and student teaching. The assessment tools are based on state and professional standards. Students meet or exceed the standards at a rate of 90% or higher in the vast majority of courses. The students’ preparation is further highlighted by their student teaching success rate. Students successfully complete student teaching on their first attempt at a rate greater than 99%. 

2.  Graduates will demonstrate the knowledge and skill necessary to educate and work within a diverse school population. All of our students have been exposed to the needs of students representing the diverse populations of Washington. At least one of their field placements must take place in a school designated as having a diverse population. All of our students must successfully complete EDCS 431: Multicultural Education. This course requires them to demonstrate an understanding of the impact of different cultural expectations and develop culturally responsive curriculum. They must also successfully complete EDF 302, Introduction to Students with Exceptionalities. This course introduces them to the needs of students with specific needs ranging from severely disabled to gifted.

While students demonstrate basic understanding of working with diverse students, there is still much more that needs to be accomplished. The majority of our graduates enter their professional career teaching in classrooms with English Language Learners. The specific needs of such students are touched on in EDCS 431, but not to the extent needed.  Greater preparation is needed.

3.  Faculty members will demonstrate professional development. Professional development can occur through a variety of means. One of the most common is through research conducted by the faculty members and shared through conference presentations or through professional publications. Fifteen of the Tenure/Tenure-track faculty members either published in professional journals or chapter in books or presented at a national or international conference during the 2006-07 academic year. This does not include those who presented at state or regional conferences.

4. Faculty members will demonstrate service. All faculty members of the Department of Education are heavily engaged in service activities. Examples of service at the university level are faculty members serving on the Human Subject Review Committee, Faculty Senate and its committees, President’s Diversity Council, and the Library Advisory Committee. Examples of service with professional organizations include newsletter editor for International Reading Association’s Early Childhood SIG, President of Northwest Council for Learning Disabilities, President of Washington Association for Bilingual Education, and Local President of Phi Kappa Phi. Examples of community service include Chair of the Board of Directors Of Ellensburg Community Hospital, Coordinator of Dia de los Ninos, and Director and Master of Ceremony for Ellensburg Kiwani’s Talent Show.

The twelve goals below articulate our shared commitments across all programs. These help us prioritize the governance and planning work of the department as a whole. Each program, in addition, has specific curricular goals that delimit and inform course outcomes. 

   1. Our composition curriculum will provide high quality, successful learning opportunities in rhetorical strategies and critical literacy.

Although general education assessment is not yet in place, previous assessments using a sampling of papers indicate that we are meeting our goals.  

   2. Our course contributions to the Literary Backgrounds requirement in the CWU general education program will introduce reading and interpretive strategies and encourage imaginative exploration honoring the commonality and diversity of human experience across time and culture. 

Again, we do not have general education assessment data for the course, but syllabus reviews by our General Education committee and Personnel reviews of course syllabi, SEOIs, teaching materials, and graded assignments strongly indicate that we are meeting our goals.

   3. Our major programs will provide learning opportunities in literary, linguistic, visual, and creative awareness requiring students to engage responsibly with and compose a wide range of texts while developing their repertoire of skills in interpreting, analyzing, writing, and evaluating texts and non-print media.

Our major programs are structured so that all students are required to take a set of core courses that develop skills in interpretation, analysis, writing, and evaluation.  They are also required to take core courses in grammar and linguistics.  Students are also required to select from courses in strands focusing on historical surveys, comparative and cultural approaches, major authors, genres, and creative writing.  Senior surveys and reviews of student portfolios demonstrate that students have the opportunity to study all areas and that their achievement meets or exceeds departmental expectations in all but the grammar and linguistics strand, which we will be focusing on in the coming year.
   
   4. Our creative writing program will guide and support student writers as they practice composing in different genres and as they produce the annual literary magazine, Manastash.

Our interdisciplinary Writing Specialization affords students the opportunity to compose in a wide range of creative and professional genres.  The specialization continues to grow and we have plans to turn it into a major.

   5. Our teaching programs will provide training and practice for both pre-service and inservice teachers in research supported pedagogies. We will insure that all English Teaching majors meet the expectations for the preparation and endorsement of English/Language Arts teachers established by NCTE/NCATE and the competencies identified in the Washington State Administrative Codes. 

Our English/Language Arts Teaching Major is structured to address all required competencies in core courses and to give students a broad background in language and literature.  For 2007-2008, a rubric-based assessment demonstrated that all students met or exceeded Department expectations for mastering the competencies.

   6. Our graduate programs will provide opportunities for students to extend and enrich their exploration of the disciplines of literature and language, specifically to strengthen their preparation for doctoral study, for careers in teaching writing and literature, and for teaching English to speakers of other languages.  

In the past three years, several of our M.A. graduates have been admitted to Ph.D. programs, and we continue to have a good placement record for students going in to teaching, administrative, or editing fields.

   7. We will establish and maintain recruitment, advising and achievement recognition activities that will increase the quality, diversity and number of majors and the probability of their continuation and success in our programs.

Our major numbers are not where we would like them to be.  In the past year, we have significantly improved our website to better present our program and to recognize student, alumni, and faculty achievements.  Our Lion Rock Visiting Writers Series gives our program broader exposure to the university and to the wider community, and we are developing an alumni newsletter.

   8. We are committed to diversity as an enriching fact of life.  We promote it in our faculty and student body and in the programs of study which incorporate a broad range of perspectives.  Our goal is to prepare students to live and work creatively and compassionately in a global society, and for us to do the same. 

Our curriculum ensures that students are broadly exposed to diverse texts and to a broad range of voices and perspectives in analyzing and interpreting those texts.

   9. We will work to involve ourselves through research, performance, presentations, workshops, participation and leadership in professional organizations, and collaboration with colleagues and with our students to contribute to disciplinary knowledge and to enrich the learning environment.

Faculty achievement is strong in all areas, and we have growing student participation in SOURCE and scholarly conferences as well as creative endeavors including readings and publication.

  10. We will seek opportunities to extend our expertise and resources to off campus organizations and communities.

The Department has a very strong record of service to professional organizations and to the wider community.  

  11. We will increase our literary and global knowledge as we participate in the international community, seeking, creating, and sponsoring opportunities for academic interaction with teachers and learners both here and abroad.

We continue to host visiting scholars and faculty have taught in Greece, China, Hungary, and Britain.  Faculty frequently present at international conferences, and one faculty member is organizing a conference in India this year.

  12. We will work together, fully and functionally, as a department in which trust and openness are expected and maintained, through which can evolve the kinds of superior work of which we are capable, and out of which will emerge our best, our most generous and participatory selves.

English faculty have an outstanding record of service at the department, college, and university levels.  In the department, we strive for consensus in all decisions.

The Department has been successful in obtaining instruction technology in the majority of the classrooms.  The remaining classrooms are scheduled to get instruction technology this year. The department has conducted three successful position searches and has three new tenure track faculty.  The department has an unfilled tenure track position and has not received administrative support for filling the position for the past five years.  The department has made good progress in getting the 35 year old department space, classroom and office furnishings upgraded.  The department has not been successful in getting the temperature control system upgraded.  The department heating system is outdated.  Heating units have caught fire.  Heating is inconsistent and extremely noisy in some classrooms and offices.  The building has no air conditioning.  During the hot summer session staff and students have physically suffered from over exposure to excessive heat.  Faculty retirements, replacement hires and the recent addition of faculty from Recreation and Tourism, and Business Education and Marketing programs have created a new mix of department resources and interests.  The FCS department will use the next stages of strategic planning to identify and develop curriculum reorganization priorities.

We have been effective at hiring new faculty between Des Moines and in Ellensburg.  These faculty are all academically qualified.

We have made changes in our curriculum including course descriptions and course numbers as part of our continuous improvement.

We are revising our syllabi to be consistent with catalog course descriptions, and assessment and accreditation quidelines.

We have had a significant output of research and professional activity from the Dept faculty.

Our permanent, long-standing goals have always been to provide top quality programming to our undergraduates.

Evidence for outstanding performance is clearly shown by the success rate of our graduates in finding gainful employment or in seeking continued educational opportunities.  We continue to strive to inspire students, and to encourage their interests in a range of environmental and society-nature topics, and we are heartened to be witnessing what seems to be an apparent increase in the level of such interest among the student body.  As a faculty, we continue to encourage each other in our own research efforts, and in sharing those efforts with other members of the department, faculty and student alike.  We applaud the increase in research activity among our faculty, and the parallel rise in the products for dissemination and publication of that research.  

A key line of evidence for the promise of outstanding performance is apparent in the way the local community perceives the department as being one of the finest academic units in the university.  This has been shown time and again by the many invitations to speak to local meetings, or in editorial comments preceding a guest column written by a faculty member for the newspaper, and in letters to the editor by local citizens commending our efforts.  More tangibly perhaps, our reputation for conducting quality research certainly precedes us, and our noteworthy participation in the planning and research needs of local and regional resource management agencies is well established.  

UPDATED JANUARY 29, 2008
Department goals reflect emphasis on the teacher-scholar model and a desire to prepare students for productive professional and personal lives in which life long learning is a central theme. The department also strives to address regional and national needs in environmental sciences, hazards and other disciplines of the geological sciences.   

Examples of actions that effectively address our mission and goals: 

a. Recent tenure track faculty hires that address growing areas of need (e.g., Science Education, Environmental Geology/Climate Change).

b. Development of Environmental Geological Sciences major (began in Fall, 2003) 

c. Integration of Geochemistry laboratories and analytical equipment, funded through faculty proposals to Murdock Charitable Trust and NSF, into faculty-student research and curriculum.  

d. Continued funding of Science Talent Enhancement Program (STEP) to recruit and retain students in the sciences (several Geological Sciences faculty involved as co-PI’s) 

e. Geodesy Laboratory has grown in scope, staffing and national recognition, largely through external funding.

f. Expansion of university support for graduate teaching assistantships coupled with continued strong external support for research, which also funds MS students. 

g. Continued strong research publication record and acquisition of external grants in support of research and teaching. 

The research papers produced by graduating seniors in History 481, the capstone course, have generally exhibited  solid mastery of essential research, writing, and analytical skills. Some of this work has been shared at SOURCE and the Phi Alpha Theta regional conference, sometimes winning distinction. Once data from our new rubric for individual student abilities are collected and tabulated, we will be able to target areas needing course revision. Study abroad  

Accreditation
All accredited programs have maintained their status and we have started the process to earn accreditation for the SHM program via ABET.

Prep freshman and transfer students
The department has been unable to fully implement this goal due to resource constraints.  Faculty members are active in WCERTE and visit with our community college partners. 

Needs of place bound students
The department has begun to offer the BAS and BS in Industrial Technology and BAS and BS in Safety and Health management at our Des Moines center.  Currently we have 8 separate degree programs between Lynnwood and Des Moines, unless additional funding for more faculty is provided we are at capacity. 

Physical Environment
The department is getting a new building.  The legislature has funded the design and construction funding is anticipated in 2009.

Cultural Environment
The department has made limited progress on collaborative and service learning project. 

Funding
Department success in this area is mixed.  Some faculty have made some significant progress by establishing an endowed professorship with a balance of over $500,000. 

Partnerships with industry
The department has made great strides in this area.  All programs are served by an advisory board and industry professionals are routinely in the class room as guest speakers. 

Continuously support the faculty and staff
Mixed success.  The department has been able to fund travel for professional development.  The ability to full embrace the concept of balanced scholarship, service and teaching has not been achieved in the department.  Due to faculty shortages all faculty members must carry a full teaching load. 

Diversity
We have made great strides in this area through our summer weekend workshop to encourage young women to enter technical fields.  Additionally we host construction week in the summer that typically include a diverse cross section of young people.  

Life long learning
Faculty and staff have accomplished many professional development opportunities.  The department has been unable to perform undergraduate research due to faculty shortages. 

In 2001, what was the Administrative Management and Business Education Department morphed into the Information Technology and Administrative Management Department. Through department consensus, the Business Education, Marketing Education, and Advertising minor were dropped from our curriculum. Because we were on the leading edge of IT as an academic program, we had few curriculum models from which we could develop our curriculum.

In 2005, after researching curriculum models, the department changed drastically. We brought together what was once two separate programs - Information Technology and Administrative Management - so that all our graduates would have broad skills in Information Technology, plus the professional skills in communication, leadership, supervision, and teamwork. This new program went into effect Fall 2006.

We have not yet had, at this time, any graduates of the new Information Technology and Administrative Management program. We continue to refine our course offerings, goals, and assessment strategies in response to industry needs, curriculum standards, and student needs.

Since the last program review the LAJ department has been in a period of transition, growth and change.  During this time period the LAJ department has worked under two deans and three different chairs, hired three full-time tenure track faculty members and a full-time adjunct faculty member, as well as hired a completely different office staff on the Ellensburg campus.  In addition three of our junior faculty members have been awarded promotion and tenure and one has been promoted. While most of these changes have helped the LAJ department better meet their stated goals, these changes have also led to growing pains and some additional challenges.  The department still struggles with communication and workload issues.  Despite these issues, major progress has been made in the areas of assessment, goal clarification, community outreach, scholarly activity, mentoring of junior faculty, curriculum development, and departmental practice and policy.

The Mathematics Department feels that it continues to accomplish Goals 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 9.

Goal 5 continues to present difficulty as the Mathematics Department is now currently split between two buildings with inadequate office space for some full time faculty. Space concerns will increase in the upcoming year with the addition of an Office Assistant position and a new tenure-stream in Mathematics Education. It has been suggested that this may be overcome by placing faculty in a third building however, this further complicates the logistics of the department as well as potentially damaging the cohesiveness of the faculty.

Goal 7 and Goal 8 have probably not been pursued as much as they should be due to a lack of faculty time.

Improvement is being made on Goal 10, in particular, the BA and BS degrees in mathematics are currently developing a cohesive assessment plan that will include a capstone seminar for all graduating math majors.

The Department offers undergraduate curricula leading to the Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Arts degrees and graduate work leading to the Master of Music degree. The growing demand for the "Central Music Graduate" is a source of pride for the music faculty and an incentive for continued dedication to the training of young musicians.  In addition to our traditionally strong Music Teacher Education program, the Department provides high quality training for the performer, composer, conductor and music businessperson. The Department of Music is an institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM).

The faculty in each of the programs strives to incorporate theoretical and applied knowledge and principles of practice in their course instructions. Students are able to learn through hearing, seeing, and doing what is requisite to be a responsible citizen and steward. Through internships, practicum, service learning, pre-student teaching classroom experiences, and student teaching experiences, students become truly enlightened in the pragmatic applications of knowledge and serve as an intellectual resource to Central Washington, the state, and region in identifying, researching, and addressing human and environmental problems. Faculty in the department are encouraged to involve students in faculty led research projects which enables students to participate in identifying, researching, and solving human and environmental problems within the state, region, country, and the world. 

The Philosophy Department is very effective overall in reaching its goals. Our courses give students good exposure to historical and contemporary philosophical and religious traditions of the world. We make excellent contributions to general education. Our programs stress the value of a liberal education for careers in the professions, business, industry, public administration and non-profit institutions.  They also encourage diversity and cultural competence. Our faculty emphasize critical thinking skills in their teaching and prepare students for employment in the real world. Our faculty and students provide good service to link disciplinary scholarship to local community needs through a variety of activities.     

The Department’s effectiveness in reaching its goals is somewhat difficult to determine at this time.  Since there has been no formal Assessment plan, the data needed to answer this question is not readily available.  The current plan developed by the Department should provide the information needed to address this question in the future.  

However, one concern about this plan is the time that will be needed to implement it.  With the resources currently available in the Department, there will be some difficulties in collecting, tabulating and analyzing the assessment data.

We would point to the following that we are already doing as measures of quality, effectiveness and efficiency:

1. In the area of teaching, we show a generally high degree of quality in terms of our student evaluations in both course SEOIs and the Senior Survey; we are rated even more highly for rapport and access, etc.; and our student majors, graduates, and overall FTE have been increasing.

2. As mentioned earlier, according to our Senior Assessment Exit Survey, the Department receives high marks for the quality of education it provides, and clearly has a profound or at least significant impact on its majors in terms of their own understanding, comprehension, and thinking about politics and public affairs.

3. Again, as mentioned, our research productivity has increased, and faculty have made notable achievements outside the classroom in a variety of venues that credit the university. 

4. The Department has increased its efficiency in terms of student output (degrees granted) and especially, per capita FTE (FTE/FTEF) at rates greater than comparable departments or the University as a whole.  We previously noted FTE growth, but actually, in terms of faculty output, we compare favorably: the Department consistently ranked 10th in size in faculty, and between 10th and 11th in size in students in COTS over the last five years, yet when one compares FTE per faculty member the department in each year in the five-year period (1999-04, the only years for which we have comparative data), we moved from 10th to 7th. In other words, while we are one of the smallest departments in the College in absolute terms, in terms of students served per faculty member, we are near the middle. Thus, we rank more highly than our size would indicate, and are thus more efficient relatively speaking. (See Appendix E of Program Review)

5. While a number of our graduates are employed in politics or attending graduate or law school, more attention to career advising, or at least badgering, of our students, coupled with internship encouragement and advertising, might lead to more students going on to work and/or study in the field or other areas.  This is pure speculation, but the department is going to make new efforts in these realms.
Jan. 08

(January 2008)
The department’s goals are constantly changing because of changes in the discipline of psychology and its applied profession, because of reexamination of the university’s and college’s missions, and because of the feedback effects of our own previous reforms. Because our environment is always changing, we seek continuous adaptation and improvement. We measure our success in terms the proportion of desirable changes we actually bring to fruition. This requires openness to evidence, willingness to change, and placing a greater value on program improvement than on individual territory. As a department, we have had a high degree of success in accomplishing what we set out to do. 

The department is overall effective in reaching its goals. The major has both sociology and social service options and has strong requirements. A good variety of courses are offered. The department makes important contributions to general education and a number of other programs on campus (such as Law and Justice, Gerontology, Education, and Family Studies. The department is also a key player in the General Studies (formerly Individual Studies) program, which has been replaced with Interdisciplinery Studies in Social Science program. Faculty members engage in scholarship and professional development. They also provide a variety of professional service on campus and beyand. For example, sociology faculty routinely make presentations at forums organized on campus on issues related to immigration, fair trade, social welfare service, gender, and race and ethnic relations. They serve on Asian/Pacific Studies program, Latino/Latin American Studies program, International Studies and Programs, Women Studies program, and American Indian Studies program. Beyound CWU campus, they provide professional service as consultants to public school districts and community service programs. They also serve on committees of professional organizations such as Pacific Sociological Association and National Social Science Association. 

The Department has been very successful in achieving it’s goals

-To promote the art and craft of theatre in a way that is inclusive of a diverse, ever changing world and peoples. 
Several new courses have been developed and programmatic changes have solidified diversity as a key element in the program core

-To create a laboratory for students and faculty in which they can test and experiment with practical and theoretical artistic skills and precepts.  Laboratory experiences have consistently been considered 50% of what we do as a department.  Recent production schedule changes have introduced Studio Project opportunities that will further the laboratory environment.

-To present a well-rounded and diverse variety of productions, including original plays by students.
A rotation for production has been developed in order to assure this diversity can and will take place.  In addition new plays continue to be produced on a regular basis

-To cooperate well with other departments creating and encouraging joint ventures  and projects.
Perhaps one of the most successful goals accomplished.  The department teamed with Asian Pacific Studies in a very important project which was mounted at an international Asian Studies conference (2007) and was invited to a regional theatre conference (2008).

-To increase fiscal support of the program and to expand ticket sales in order to improve production budgets, expand student assistance (scholarships and jobs),d purchase better equipment. 
Recent grants and bursaries have been awarded to theatre that have stabilized the funding areas to a great extent.  These are not base funded and pose problems for the future if they were to be eliminated