CRITERION 1: THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
1.1MISSION
1.2EVALUATION
1.3INSTITUTIONAL ENVIRONMENT
1.4ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION
1.5GOVERNANCE
1.6FISCAL RESOURCES
1.7FACULTY AND OTHER RESOURCES
1.8DIVERSITY
CRITERION 2.0 INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMS
2.1DEGREE OFFERINGS
2.2PROGRAM LENGTH
2.3PUBLIC HEALTH CORE KNOWLEDGE
2.4PRACTICAL SKILLS
2.5CULMINATING EXPERIENCE
2.6 REQUIRED COMPETENCIES
2.7ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES
2.8OTHER GRADUATE PROFESSIONAL DEGREES
2.9 BACHELOR’S DEGREES IN PUBLIC HEALTH
2.10 OTHER BACHELOR’S DEGREES
2.11ACADEMIC DEGREES
2.12DOCTORAL DEGREES
2.13JOINT DEGREES
2.14 DISTANCE EDUCATION OR EXECUTIVE DEGREE PROGRAMS
CRITERION 3.0: CREATION, APPLICATION AND ADVANCEMENT OF KNOWLEDGE
3.1RESEARCH
3.2SERVICE
3.3WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
CRITERION 4.0: FACULTY, STAFF AND STUDENTS
4.1FACULTY QUALIFICATIONS
4.2FACULTY POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
4.3STUDENT RECRUITMENT AND ADMISSIONS
4.4ADVISING AND CAREER COUNSELING
CRITERION 1.0: THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
1.1MISSION
The school shall have a clearly formulated and publicly stated mission with supporting goals, objectives and values.
1.1.a.A clear and concise mission statement for the school as a whole.
The strategic planning process of the University of Georgia (UGA) College of Public Health (CPH) resulted in the following mission statement:
Mission Statement
The College of Public Health at the University of Georgia promotes health in human populations, protects the environment and prevents disease and injury in Georgia, the United States and globally through innovative research, exemplary education and engaged service.
Since the CPH was initially accredited in 2009, the scope and interconnectedness of the three essential modes of activity to accomplish this mission have increased due to (1) a continuous expansion of educational programs, (2) the recruitment of faculty with a wide range of research interests and (3) the establishment of a formal engagement office for the CPH.
1.1.b.A statement of values that guides the school.
The values of the CPH reflect the mission of the University of Georgia and its motto, “to teach, to serve and to inquire into the nature of things.” The university seeks to foster the understanding of and respect for cultural differences necessary for an enlightened and educated citizenry. It seeks to provide for cultural, ethnic, gender and racial diversity in the faculty, staff and student body. Like the university, the CPH strives to provide its students and the community it serves with an appreciation of the critical importance of participation in an interdependent global society. The values of quality, impact, diversity and social justice resonate through CPH programs and are represented in our participation and leadership in various local, national and international public health activities. The motto of the CPH, “Be Part of the Solution,” reflects a strong emphasis placed on engagement. Students and faculty are encouraged to actively participate in the investigation and analysis of public health concerns with particular emphasis on developing solution-oriented interventions and lasting strategies for prevention. The CPH has formalized its vision and core values in the following way:
Vision Statement
The UGA College of Public Health is dedicated to excellence and innovation in instruction, high-quality research and positive impact on communities through outreach and engagement activities. Faculty, staff and students will collaborate fully with community and governmental partners to improve the health and lives of the people we serve in the state of Georgia, the nation and in other countries through our meaningful and evolving international programs and projects.
Core Values
1. Educating and Training the Public Health Workforce: The essential product of the College of Public Health will be trained personnel prepared as public health practitioners, professionals and leaders who have a clear understanding of the practical and theoretical issues that underlie their productive involvement in creating positive community health outcomes. Graduates of the CPH will be adept at studying public health issues, engaging with communities to solve public health problems and teaching others to do the same.
2. A Research Culture of Excellence: We are committed participants in a culture of high-quality, high-impact research that attracts external funding and other resources to support projects that improve lives in Georgia and the world. We believe that College of Public Health research has the potential to transform public health systems and improve community and environmental health.
3. Outreach as a Translational Mission: The CPH is committed to a translational emphasis on delivering research outcomes to our local, regional, national and international stakeholders. We embrace the land-grant practice of using outreach as a mechanism to educate the populace and deliver research outcomes to the people we serve.
4. A Commitment to International Collaboration: We recognize that we live in a highly connected world and that health problems in other countries can affect citizens beyond their borders, including Georgians. The CPH is committed to solving those truly global public health problems. It will seek out and establish international partnerships in research, education and service that address global health challenges and create solutions that benefit all.
5. Equity and Healthy Lives: The CPH will be a leader in analyzing and impacting social determinants of health, understanding the needs of specific populations and addressing health disparities and environmental justice issues. Appropriate policies about the availability and access to health resources will be pursued. We will promote educational access to empower a public health leadership that is diverse and well informed.
6. Public Health and Economic Development: Improving the health of individuals raises the health of the community and improves economic options at multiple levels. The CPH will have a leading role in delivering research discoveries, educational opportunities and other university-driven outcomes that improve human and economic well-being generally.
1.1.c.One or more goal statements for each major function through which the school intends to attain its mission, including at minimum, instruction, research and service.
College of Public Health Goals
Goal 1. Exemplary Education: The College of Public Health will create and deliver excellence in public health education.
Goal 2. Innovative Research: The College of Public Health will improve human health through innovative research addressing the physical, mental, social and environmental aspects of disease and injury.
Goal 3. Engaged Service: The College of Public Health will engage partners to improve health and wellness, reduce health disparities and prevent disease and injury.
Goal 4. Structural Support: The College of Public Health will strengthen fiscal, human and physical resources to increase capacity for teaching, research and service and to enhance the workforce environment and culture to maximize morale and retention.
1.1.d.A set of measurable objectives with quantifiable indicators related to each goal statement as provided in Criterion 1.1.c.
The following table offers a concise outline of CPH goals, measurable objectives and quantifiable indicators. Appendix 1.1.d presents a more detailed matrix.
CPH Objectives and Quantifiable Indicators for Each Strategic GoalObjective / Indicator
Goal 1: Improve Education Programs
Recruit excellent students / Student qualifications at entrance
Create quality graduate degrees / New research-and practice-oriented programs
Improve employment / Improved graduate job placement outcomes
Develop PH continuing education / Faculty involvement and program development
Goal 2: Conduct Innovative Research
Research applicability / Faculty and student research engagement
More interdisciplinary research / Multiple discipline publications and grants
Increase research activity / Increased grant submissions and publications
Goal 3: More Engaged Service
Involvement with communities / Increase research that benefits communities
More external awareness of the CPH / Increase engagement and public recognition
Goal 4: Increased Resources
Increase research grants / Funding levels and strength of research office
Create new fiscal strategies / Funding for innovative initiatives
Increase operational efficiency / HSC facilities and instructional capabilities
Enhance morale / Faculty productivity and collective outcomes
Establish a culture of excellence / Faculty concurrence about program quality
1.1.e.Description of the manner by which the mission, values, goals and objectives were developed, including a description of how various specific stakeholder groups were involved in their development.
Development of the CPH Mission, Values, Goals and Objectives
After achieving initial accreditation in 2009, an extensive planning process directed by an outside consultant went into motion, resulting in the current CPH Strategic Plan (see Appendix 1.1.e). It was developed in connection with the university-wide process that culminated in the publication of Building on Excellence, University of Georgia 2020 Strategic Plan, approved by the University Council in November 2012. For the CPH component, a strategic planning committee was formed to work with the consultant and coordinate the process. Individual and focus group interviews were conducted with faculty, students, alumni and community partners to identify strategic directions. The strategic plan was vetted by the CPH Executive Committee (dean, associate deans, department heads and institute/center directors) and presented to faculty for comment. The final document was approved by vote of the faculty. This process confirmed the mission statement and developed a set of strategic goals that form the basis of the current self-study. (See above at 1.1.a and 1.1.c.) A committee was formed subsequently to develop an evaluation plan which was largely responsible for the list of objectives and the outcome measures approved by the faculty and found in Section 1.1.d. The Office of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs took responsibility for identifying and collecting relevant data for the assessment (see Appendix 1.2.c). More recently, a desire to strengthen the strategic plan’s vision statement and articulate specific core values led to discussion at an executive committee retreat in August 2013 that triggered wider deliberation. Discussions led by the associate dean for academic affairs with CPH departments and input from faculty resulted in the text found in Section 1.1.b focused on values.
In a sense the entire CPH, as a new and evolving institution, has been in a continuous state of strategic planning. The creation of the mission, values, goals and objectives took place in a wider and ongoing planning process. For example, in addition to the hours faculty have committed to the development of a significant list of new academic degree programs referenced in this study, and the commitment to teaching the program courses required, CPH departments, center, institutes and the dean’s office have all been engaged in the facility planning process required to create an entire campus of buildings for CPH activity. The accreditation process serves as one guiding framework in a multi-layered process aimed at building new academic programs to serve a rapidly expanding student enrollment, developing appropriate facilities for faculty, students and the wider community and to assure the future of an active and growing college that did not exist ten years ago.
1.1.f.Description of how the mission, values, goals and objectives are made available to the school’s constituent groups, including the general public, and how they are routinely reviewed and revised to ensure relevance.
Method of Dissemination of Mission, Values, Goals and Objectives
After approval by the faculty, the values, mission, goals and objectives were disseminated to the entire CPH community via the website and newsletter. Every community partner that participated in the process also received a copy as did our advisory committees. The mission and goals are posted in each department. As measures were developed and validated, reports on performance monitoring and tracking were presented on the CPH’s website and in newsletters. Updates on these measures and performance improvement activities are shared routinely with the Dean’s Advisory Council and the Practice Advisory Council (our external advisory boards). At the midpoint of the strategic planning process (spring 2013), CPH faculty reassessed the goals and objectives to determine relevance and currency. No substantive changes were made to the mission, goals and objectives at that time, but the vision statement has been rewritten to reflect evolving priorities with a set of clearly articulated core values resulting from an open, college-wide process of communication with an affirming, unanimous vote of the faculty.
1.1.g.Assessment of the extent to which this criterion is met and an analysis of the school’s strengths, weaknesses and plans relating to this criterion.
Strengths: The CPH is anchored in a nationally ranked public university with a proven record of outstanding academic performance. The CPH has a clearly articulated mission and delineated goals and objectives which support public health values and ethics. The consistent success of the CPH in terms of developing new programs, expanding enrollment rapidly, attracting major research funding and developing new facilities and infrastructure has earned the strong and continuing central administrative support required for success with its mission. UGA has committed to developing excellent facilities for all CPH programs. The faculty who have sustained the intellectual and personal effort required to plan and create a dynamic public health program, remain committed to initiatives for continued improvement.
Challenges: The goals and objectives are ambitious and the CPH continually strains to provide the necessary support infrastructure for a growing program. The five-year strategic plan will expire in 2015 and envisioning the scope of future commitments will require continued concentration on strategic issues. The unwavering commitment of the CPH to bring all of its programs together at a single campus will face a serious challenge in terms of creating a major new laboratory building for the final unit, the Department of Environmental Health Science (EHS), to join the rest of the Health Sciences Campus (HSC).
Plans: The process of developing a new strategic plan will begin during the summer of 2014 by engaging faculty, staff, students and our external partners.
This criterion is met.
1.2EVALUATION
The school shall have an explicit process for monitoring and evaluating its overall efforts against its mission, goals and objectives; for assessing the school’s effectiveness in serving its various constituencies; and for using evaluation results in ongoing planning and decision making to achieve its mission. As part of the evaluation process, the school must conduct an analytical self-study that analyzes performance against the accreditation criterion defined in this document.
1.2.a.Description of the evaluation processes used to monitor progress against objectives defined in Criterion 1.1.d, including identification of the data systems and responsible parties associated with each objective and with the evaluation process as a whole.
College of Public Health Evaluation and Planning
The CPH’s evaluation and planning efforts are conducted in various ways throughout the academic cycle. The CPH complies with university-required evaluation and planning processes that systematically assess every major aspect of the institution, including units, programs and personnel. As directed by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness (OIE), there is a multi-level approach to academic program assessment that includes full program review, assessment of graduate programs and assessment of undergraduate major programs. For example, during the 2013-2014 academic year, the Institute of Gerontology will undergo university review, the Institute for Disaster Management (IDM) and Center for Global Health will undergo CPH review and during the 2014-2015 year, the Department of Health Promotion and Behavior (HPB) is scheduled to undergo review.
In addition, the CPH has developed an evaluation plan to measure the outcomes identified in our strategic plan. The plan was initially drafted by the CPH, sent to CPH faculty for discussion in departmental meetings and discussed at the self-study committee meetings with the final versions sent to faculty for approval. Revisions were made at each step based on feedback from the respective faculty and incorporated in the final document. The resulting Table 1.2.a (based on CEPH Data Template 1.2.1) is found in Appendix 1.2.a.
Graduate Program Assessment
Since 1999, and in compliance with requirements of both the University System of Georgia (USG) Board of Regents (BOR) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools(SACS), the UGA Graduate School mandates that all graduate programs have plans and processes in place for assessing student learning outcomes. The current system of graduate program review is overseen by the Program Committee of the Graduate Council and operates on a three-year cycle that culminates in the submission of a written report detailing student learning outcomes, measurable objectives, assessment procedures and use of assessment results for improvement. Upon completion of the review process, the chair of the Program Committee reports to the dean of the Graduate School, who confirms satisfactory completion status to the Associate Provost for Institutional Effectiveness. All approved reports are then submitted to the UGA Office of Academic Planning (OAP) and can be retrieved at any time by approved personnel. The Master of Public Health (MPH) and Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) programs both underwent reviews and submitted Degree Reports to OAP in 2010. The CPH master of science program in environmental healthsubmitted a report in 2010. The doctoral program in health promotion and behavior also submitted its last review in 2010. The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programs in epidemiology and environmental health will be reviewed in 2015 and 2016 respectively.
Graduate programs have considerable leeway in how assessment procedures are conducted in terms of data collection strategies, the frequency of data collection and the populations sampled. Typical sources of data, however, are students, employers and alumni. Common approaches for collecting data include exit interviews, written surveys, certification exam results and comprehensive assessment of competency development. For example, the assessment plan for EHS department has five principal components: (1) a survey of graduates and their employers at three-year intervals following graduation from our program, (2) exit surveys or interviews of graduates since the last Assessment Report, (3) employment status of graduates since the last Assessment Report, (4) teaching or course evaluations for graduate courses and (5) recommended program improvements that can be developed from the Assessment Report.