Overview of Northern Arizona University

Overview of Northern Arizona University

Brief History of NAU

Northern Arizona University was established as Northern Arizona Normal School in 1899. This normal school was dedicated to the preparation of elementary teachers for schools in the Arizona Territory. Under the leadership of President Almon Nicholas Taylor, the school opened its doors on September 11, 1899 with twenty-three students, and two copies of Webster’s International Dictionary. In 1925, it became a four-year institution granting a bachelor’s degree in education, preparing elementary and secondary teachers, and was renamed Northern Arizona State Teachers College. A master’s degree in education was added in 1937. By 1945, the teaching specialties for secondary teachers had begun to take on an academic life separate from the preparation of teachers; and majors were added leading to Bachelors of Arts and Bachelors of Science degrees in those disciplines. The institutional name was once again changed, this time to Arizona State College at Flagstaff. Beginning in the late 1950's, programs became even more diversified; and in 1966, the name was again changed -- to Northern Arizona University. In 1973, the Doctor of Education degree was established as the first doctoral program.

Current Status of NAU

Under the leadership of its fifteenth president, Dr. John D. Haeger, NAU serve 25,384 students in Flagstaff, at sites distributed across Arizona, and through on-line courses delivered via the internet in 2011-12. NAU’s enrollment ranks in the top 5 percent of universities and colleges in the United States, and it has one of the largest on-campus residential student populations in the nation. In Fall 2011, student enrollment by campus location was: Mountain = 17,761; Extended Campuses = 3,670; Yuma 640; and online = 3,293. Sixty percent of the total NAU student enrollment is comprised of female students. In terms of personnel, the university has a total of 2,651 staff and 1,496 faculty (864 of these are full-time faculty- 58%). The current tuition and fees for NAU on campus graduate students who are Arizona residents for two semesters (12-16 credits) is $7,560.

The average class size at NAU for undergraduate classes is 32 and for graduate classes it is 13. The majority of undergraduates reside in one of the university’s 22 residential buildings, which are located throughout the 740 acre campus. NAU is unique in meeting the needs of non-traditional students in that it has one of the largest university-owned student family housing systems in the country. The university has also recently added privately owned housing options for students.

Top Undergraduate and Graduate Academic Plan by Enrollment

Undergraduate

Graduate

BSED Elementary Education- 936

MADM Administration- 371

BS Biology-805

MED Educational Leadership- 352

BS Psychology-755

MED Human Relations-237

BS Hotel and Resort Management- 752

MS Clinical Speech-Language Pathology-176

BS Criminology and Social Justice- 706

DPT Physical Therapy-Entry Level-163

Source: NAU Office of Planning and Institutional Research (PAIR)

Mission, Goals, and Strategic Planning

The mission, goals, and strategic plans of Northern Arizona University are aligned to the Arizona University System Mission created by the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR). The Arizona System Mission is:

To increase the educational attainment of Arizona citizens by producing enough high-quality university degrees for the state to be nationally competitive by the year 2020.
To increase the prominence of the system’s research enterprise so that it can contribute to the knowledge economy and improve the quality of life in Arizona.
To provide the educated workforce needed to fill shortages and to stimulate demand for higher paying jobs in Arizona.

The following are the Arizona Goals established by ABOR:

Educational Excellence

To be nationally competitive in the percentage of Arizona’s citizens with a high-quality bachelor’s degree by providing affordable access through a well-coordinated and aligned system.

Research Excellence

To increase the research capabilities and performance of the Arizona University System to a level of competitive prominence with peer rankings of top American research universities.

Workforce and Community

To utilize research, economic development, community engagement, and service contributions of the universities to create and disseminate knowledge to strengthen Arizona’seconomy and improve Arizona’s quality of life.

Productivity

To maximize the use of existing resources so that the system can produce greater numbers of degrees and with greater efficiency of resources per degree without sacrificing quality.

NAU Mission and Goals (

Mission:
Provide an outstanding undergraduate residential education strengthened by research, graduate and professional programs, and sophisticated methods of distance delivery.

Values:

Excellence in Education—Offer a rigorous, high-quality education to all students
Student Success—Place learner needs at the center of our academic and service planning, policies, and programs
Educational Access—Provide all qualified students with access to higher education
Diversity—Achieve multicultural understanding as a priority of educational and civic life
Integrity—Operate with fairness, honesty, and the highest ethical standards to sustain a community of trust
Civility—Support a civil, engaging, and respectful campus climate

Strategic Goals:

Learning-centered university
Student access, learning, persistence and affordability
Sustainability and stewardship of place
Global engagement
A culture of inclusion, civility and respect
A commitment to Native Americans
Innovative, effective and accountable practice

Overview of the College of Education

Brief History of the College

By 1980, the professional preparation of educators had been mostly relegated to the College of Education. Like many Colleges of Education across the United States, the College was beginning to deny its practitioner-preparation roots and mission and began aspiring to the academic culture (and related mores) of arts and science colleges, where the emphasis was more upon research (especially using agri-based methods) and written scholarship, and away from the preparation of educational practitioners.In the early 1980's, America's K-12 educational system was facing increasing calls for accountability. Colleges of education were thought to be primarily responsible for preparing the teachers and administrators in those schools. Many critics blamed teachers (and those responsible for their preparation) for ineffective schools, while at the same time teachers were claiming their preparation to be too theoretical and distant from the practical realities with which they found themselves. Policy-makers at a variety of levels called for changes in colleges of education. In addition, the Arizona Board of Regents was grappling with issues of program duplication across the state's universities and with growing and competing demands for resources from each of those programs. This led to the designation, in such duplicated program areas, of a particular program/college in one of the state's universities as the lead Arizona college for that discipline; colleges so designated were expected to play the major role in serving the needs of the State of Arizona. Such colleges/programs were called Centers for Excellence. NAU’s College of Education received such a designation. In 1984, NAU President Eugene Hughes established a new entity, the Center for Excellence in Education (CEE). This new Center was charged with developing new models for preparing professional educators, with providing assistance to Arizona's schools and with addressing the education needs of rural Arizona. The Center was to involve the entire university in the task of preparing professional educators. The Arizona State Board of Education temporarily set aside certification regulations so the new Center could experiment, and the Arizona Legislature provided one million dollars of additional NAU resources for this new entity.

In the years that followed, a variety of initiatives were undertaken to make the Center a reality. New organizational structures and new programs were created. Aside from a brief leadership designation of Vice President, the Center was led by an Executive Director. In the creation of CEE, a State Advisory Council (SAC), consisting of business, community, education and political leaders, was formed to give guidance and feedback on the development and operation of the Center and its initiatives. It later adopted an additional responsibility for College advocacy. The State Advisory Council, which was established in 1984, is still an active group. The group has historically been comprised of teachers and K-12 administrators. In 2008, a practicing school psychologist was added to SAC. Thus, the helping professions are now represented on the Board.

Current Status of the College

Today, the College has evolved into an organization known for innovation, for service to schools and school reform, and for providing professional education programs throughout the State of Arizona. The universityis accredited by the National Council of Teacher Education (NCATE). No other institution in Arizona has attained this status. The diligent work and cooperation of our faculty, staff, and administration providing quality education and implement transparent and accountable practices were instrumental to our becoming accredited. This accomplishment culminates several years of preparation and reflection among teacher preparation programs across the university, spearheaded by on the part of the College of Education. NAU was accredited by NCATE in 2011 and will be reviewed again by CAEP in 2017. The NCATE accredited programs include initial certification, other school personnel, and advanced preparation for education professionals that are located in four NAU colleges. There was broad participation in the initial accreditation process and this participation has continued. CoE took and continues to take a lead role in initiating changes to meet the high expectations outlined by NCATE (now CAEP) unit level standards, and documenting the quality of programs and candidates through student learning assessments and other forms of data, beginning with our self-study and ending with the deliberation of the NCATE Unit Accreditation Board. We look forward with enthusiasm as we develop and implement methods and processes to continuously improve our education.

The College has an exceptional reputation for its programs and its service to schools and communities. Its organization and program innovations are discussed and emulated across the nation; and it is the recipient of a variety of awards and other recognitions. Fall enrollment (2012) in the College was about 3,790 students at Flagstaff and other locations around Arizona.

CoE has four academic departments that provide five undergraduate programs, 16 master’s degrees, and 3 doctoral degrees at the Mountain Campus, via the World Wide Web, and at 34 sites across the state. NAU-Yuma, a branch campus in southwestern Arizona on the Mexican border, is in the process of becoming an independent institution. The Department of Educational Psychology offers the M.Ed. in Human Relations at all statewide sites, including Yuma and online. The Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and the M.Ed. in Counseling-Student Affairs is only offered on the Mountain campus.

Faculty In 2009, 24% of the faculty had attained Full Professor rank. Today, the percentage has increased to 34% of the faculty attaining the rank of Full Professor with tenure. Currently, 26% are Associate Professors with tenure (compared to 23% in 2009). The college currently employs 33 full-time, non-tenure track instructors (34% of the faculty), which is a decrease from the previous review of 41. This change can be initially attributed to state dollars made available through Prop 301 funds in the early 2000s. Lecturers are hired out of Prop 301 funds teach in areas that support the workforce development in the State of Arizona. These lecturers are a stable component to our faculty. They teach four classes per semester and are on 1-3 year hiring contracts. Numerous part-time faculty teach courses through the Extended Campuses system, as well as on the Mountain campus. These part-time faculty credentials are reviewed by department chairs and approved to teach courses in our programs. Additionally, the recent budget constraints have resulted in a reduction in tenure-track faculty replacement lines; and thus, a greater dependency on non-tenure track and part-time faculty on the Mountain campus and at statewide sites.

While average salaries for faculty in the College have increased in the past seven years, salaries remain below peer institutions, while the cost of living in Flagstaff is above the national average.

COE Mission, Goals, and Strategic Planning

COE Mission and Goals

Much energy has been devoted to specifying the college’s mission. In the years just after the Center was created, there was considerable dialog attempting to clarify what was expected of this new creation. Over the years, a consensus developed among the faculty and others over what CEE should be about. During the 1992-93 academic year, a task force consisting of faculty, alumni and practitioners came together in an attempt to codify, in a formal mission statement, extant views of the Center and a vision for future directions. Draft results of that effort were reviewed by the Center's State Advisory Council, and feedback was sought from education leaders in the University and around the State. The final draft was presented to Center faculty and, after slight modification, was adopted on March 27, 1993. This Mission Statement continues to guide the direction of the College of Education.

Recognizing that CoE did not have a strategic plan in place, Dr. Daniel Kain, Interim Dean, initiated a planning process in Fall 2002. There were several goals underlying the planning process. First, the direction for the College of Education must be consistent with the goals and priorities stated in the NAU 2003 Strategic Plan. Second, the CoE strategic plan must be a COE faculty and staff driven document. Third, the goals outlined in the strategic plan should serve to provide a focus for the College set forth in the contextualized environment and do not reflect all of the projects and initiatives within CoE. Finally, the strategic plan document should provide a 5-year direction for the College of Education, with progress being monitored and reported to the CoE community on an annual basis. Dean Kain convened a college wide strategic planning group (Standing Committee on College Priorities).The central charge of our college is to provide the competent and committed professionals who will make a difference in schools, higher education institutions, and human services organizations. We recognize that this mission involves a number of issues, which deserve further clarification.

To prepare professionals requires that we build programs which offer the broad range of learning experiences necessary for the complexities of practice. This further means that our students must gain content knowledge relevant to their work, practical knowledge for linking that content with learners or clients, and the sound judgment associated with professionalism. We view professionals as those who will thoughtfully apply what they learn and continue to learn throughout their careers.

We articulate dual targets for our work. We wish to produce professionals who will succeed as they enter institutions, but who will also maintain the disposition to work for the improvement of these institutions in the face of a changing society. To serve and lead recognizes that our graduates will both meet immediate needs in organizations, but that they will also become leaders in improving those organizations. Serving education organizations consists of improving student achievement, understanding, and application of skills, as well as the conditions of schooling, especially for those who are most at a disadvantage. To serve education organizations successfully means creating school conditions that honor democratic practices, diversity, and civility. To lead education organizations means to participate in the improvement of such entities.

Education and human services organizationsindicate the breadth of our mission. While our primary focus is on preparing professionals and generating knowledge for educational institutions, we recognize that our graduates will serve in a variety of helping organizations (such as clinics, community centers, and other entities). Moreover, in the course of our work with these organizations, we strive to serve them directly by providing knowledge, wisdom of practice, and resources.

This mission builds on the mission of Northern Arizona University: “to provide outstanding undergraduate education strengthened by research, graduate, and professional programs and sophisticated methods of distance delivery.” As an institution, Northern Arizona University has an articulated set of values that includes the following: excellence in education, student success (placing the learner at the center), educational access, diversity, integrity, and civility. The mission of the college embraces these values.

Finally, our mission calls on us to hold high expectations for our students, our colleagues, and ourselves; to embody active respect for our colleagues and those we serve; and to provide the tenacious support needed for all to succeed.

College of Education Goals

2009-2014

GOAL 1: Maintain prominent leadership in Arizona education and human services.

GOAL 2: Enhance and expand scholarship/research, especially as it relates to the core mission and goals of the college, the university, the community and the profession.

GOAL 3: Provide leadership in technology integration.

GOAL 4: Be a national leading college of education serving Native Americans.

GOAL 5: Be a national leading college of education serving Latina/Latino/Hispanic students.

GOAL 6: Become a state leader in early childhood education.

GOAL 7: Increase global engagement.

GOAL 8: Foster a culture of inclusion, civility and respect.

2002 Recommendations

Increase CoE budget to recognize the administrative and faculty loads associated with statewide programs. As a response, a CoE Assistant Dean position was created devoted to assessment, quality assurance, evaluation of programs, and accreditation. In 2007, Extended Campuses funded Assistant Chair positions for each of the four CoE departments. This provided departmental assistance with managing course scheduling, signature assignment assessment, and other responsibilities supporting programs offered statewide. However, in the budget downturn of 2008-2009, the funding for these assistant chair positions from Extended Campuses was eliminated. The College of Education continues to support assistant chair positions in three of the four departments through allocations from local funds.

Initiate serious discussions about national accreditation. The College initiated discussions about pursuing the National Council of Teacher Education (NCATE)/Council on the Accreditation of Educational Programs (CAEP) accreditation. In the spring of 2009, CoE received NCATE accreditation. The majority of the programs in the College of Education are NCATE/CAEP accredited, several of which are highlighted as model programs on the NCATE/CAEP web site.

Develop and implement a plan to define program standards for students and the means by which they are assessed. Prior to NCATE/CAEP accreditation, all certification-related programs were revised to include signature assignments in key courses. These assignments assess students’ knowledge, skills, and dispositions as they advance towards capstone experiences. Full-time and part-time faculty are required to evaluate signature assignments and provide feedback to students. Students must pass signature assignments prior to student teaching or internship. These assessments are managed through the TaskStream data management system. The program assessment plans and signature assignments formed the basis of later NCATE/CAEP accreditation efforts.

Consider the methods by which the CoE and the Graduate College assure the quality of doctoral programs. A doctoral faculty committee convened in 2006. The committee included representatives from Educational Leadership, Educational Psychology, and Educational Specialties. The Dissertation Chair Prerequisite Knowledge, Skills, Roles, and Functions Guide was developed, and training to faculty was provided. The NAU Graduate College provides on-going monitoring and support for faculty and students. Policies are reviewed and revised regularly by the University Graduate Committee (UGC). A College of Education doctoral faculty committee convened in 2006 to consider methods for quality assurance for all doctoral programs within the college. The committee included representatives from Teaching and Learning, Educational Leadership, Educational Psychology, and Educational Specialties. The Dissertation Chair Prerequisite Knowledge, Skills, Roles, and Functions Guide was developed, and training was provided to all faculty who intended to participate in doctoral programs. The NAU Graduate College provides on-going monitoring and support for faculty and students. Policies are reviewed and revised regularly by the University Graduate Committee (UGC). The Department of Teaching and Learning faculty, along with faculty from the other three departments, meet throughout each academic year to review and revise the curriculum, policies, and procedures, making changes to these programs on an as needed basis.

Clarify and address the personnel needs in the College. While the majority of tenure track faculty members teach a 3 units/3 units load, some faculty members who are not research active prefer to teach a 4/4 load rather than have a MOU for scholarship/research. This option is reflected in faculty Statement of Expectations (SOE).

Create and staff an office of research support: A Faculty Research Center was established in 2004. The Center provided faculty and students with assistance on research projects and grant writing. Initially, a senior faculty member provided mentorship with research methodology and statistical procedures. Additionally, the lab was staffed by a 20 hour graduate assistant. The budget reductions of 2008-2009 necessitated that the office be scaled back with staffing by a 20 hour graduate assistant. However, with the continued deterioration in state funding, the Faculty Research Center was closed in 2010-2011. Partly in response to the diminishing resources for scholarship assistance, College of Education initiated the Dean’s Research Grant program in 2007-2008. Additionally, faculty members can access scholarship resources through the Office of the Vice President for Research. This office coordinates externally funded research, intramural grant programs, intellectual property polices and technology transfer, research administration and compliance, undergraduate research initiatives, university-wide research and public service partnerships, and strategic environmental initiatives to support faculty members in their scholarship/research productivity.

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