Departmentof Government, Social Work, & Sociology
Annual Unit Report on Implementation of Strategic Plan 2006
Department of Government, Social Work, & Sociology
Degrees/majors offered-
B.S. Government and Public Affairs
B.A. Government and Public Affairs
B.S.W. Social Work
Sociology minor
Year by Year Comparison of Faculty, Majors, and Graduates
Calendar Year (Government)
200420052006
Full-time Faculty FTE333
Part-time Faculty FTE000
Number of Majors573856
Number of Intended Majors14713
Number of Graduates7114
Calendar Year (Social Work)
200420052006
Full-time Faculty FTE333
Part-time Faculty FTE000
Number of Majors8810145
Number of Intended Majors2947 85
Number of Graduates131318
Calendar Year (Sociology)
204320052006
Full-time Faculty FTE322
Part-time Faculty FTE3 31
Number of Minors36355*
Number of Intended Majorsnot availablenot availablenot available
Number of Graduatesnot availablenot available3 minors
2 majors
*Fall 2006 only (new major)
______
Year by Year Comparison of Applied Learning Activities
Calendar Year (Government)
200420052006
Number of Independent
Research/Projects224
Number of Practicum/Internships907
Number of Performances/
Exhibitions004
______
Year by Year Comparison of Applied Learning Activities
Calendar Year (Social Work)
200420052006
Number of Independent
Research/Projects151121
Number of Practicum/Internships131120
Number of Performances/
Exhibitions (research presentations)151122
Year by Year Comparison of Applied Learning Activities
Calendar Year (Sociology)
200420052006
Number of Independent
Research/Projects322
Number of Practicum/Internships000
Number of Performances/
Exhibitions010
______
Year by Year Comparison of Community Service Activities
Calendar Year (Government)
200420052006
Number of Faculty Who
Gave Volunteer Service521
Average Number of Faculty
Volunteer Hours per Month536
Number of Community Groups
Faculty Served455
Number of Hours of Student
Community Volunteer Work 000
Facilitated by the Department
Number of Community Service
Projects Involving Students and000
Facilitated by the Department
______
Year by Year Comparison of Community Service Activities
Calendar Year (Social Work)
200420052006
Number of Faculty Who
Gave Volunteer Service323
Average Number of Faculty
Volunteer Hours per Month1024.5
Number of Community Groups
Faculty Served947
Number of Hours of Student
Community Volunteer Work 790950489585
Facilitated by the Department
Number of Community Service
Projects Involving Students and33152
Facilitated by the Department
______
Year by Year Comparison of Community Service Activities
Calendar Year (Sociology)
200420052006
Number of Faculty Who
Gave Volunteer Service210
Average Number of Faculty
Volunteer Hours per Month010
Number of Community Groups
Faculty Served200
Number of Hours of Student
Community Volunteer Work 000
Facilitated by the Department
Number of Community Service
Projects Involving Students and000
Facilitated by the Department
______
Department/Program Mission, Vision, Values
The Government and Public Affairs faculty want to attract more students, both as majors and minors. Our target is to increase our major count by 3-5 students each year. We believe Government and Public Affairs offers students an education that is strongly anchored in the traditional strengths of liberal arts: critical and analytical skills, oral and written communication skills, and quantitative techniques (theoretical and practical). We have implemented a required internship component for our majors; and work to integrate emerging technologies into our courses. Also, we will explore new avenues and approaches in the recruitment of new students into our program.
In keeping with the University and School goals, the mission of MWSU’s Social Work Program is to prepare undergraduate students for ethical and effective generalist social work practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities in Northwest Missouri and surrounding areas. Social work graduates will value human dignity, social and economic justice, and human and cultural diversity. They will competently serve individuals from diverse backgrounds including persons who are poor, vulnerable, and oppressed. They will also work to reduce poverty, oppression, and discrimination by making government and social service agencies more just and responsive to consumer needs.
In addition to preparing competent social workers, MWSU’s Social Work Program is dedicated to offering its professional expertise and academic resources to support community efforts devoted to enhancing human well being and social and economic justice.
Starting from Fall 2006 a sociology major was instituted at MWSU. There are two sociology faculty assisted by one to two adjuncts. Our goal is to build a strong major and our hope is to grow in numbers which will require the addition of a third sociology faculty in the near future. Even though the major has been here only a few months, we have already registered nearly twenty students. Indeed, during our first semester (Fall 2006) we had two students who graduated with a sociology degree from our program. Short of a major, we have always insisted on offering a very strong minor in sociology, and that is the reason why our first two graduates needed only a few classes to fulfill the requirements of the major.
In addition to offering the major and minor, sociology also contributes to the university’s general studies program through the introductory courses (SOC 110: Introduction to Sociology and SOC 120: General Anthropology). Furthermore, we also serve other disciplines and departments by offering both required and elective courses. The sociology faculty are committed to providing a broad liberal arts education with a keen focus on a sound theoretical foundation, necessary in the critical analysis of social issues; quantitative and qualitative research method; computer literacy; comprehensive oral and written communication; international and inter-cultural awareness; ethical issues and dilemmas in social life, etc. The courses offered are directly relevant to both securing employment and preparing students in all disciplines to face the social dynamics of the real world, including the world of work.
Department Goals
Overall Departmental Summary:
provide a broad, liberal arts perspective;
continue to increase number of practicum and internship sites and opportunities;
expand experiential learning in all classes;
establish travel abroad programs;
increase the number of minority student majors and graduates;
refine discipline promotional materials;
work with Admissions to identify and recruit high school students interested in our disciplines;
link up with other disciplines such as History, Communication Studies, Education, and Government to increase enrollment in our sociology classes;
monitor and increase student retention by expanding tutoring and support services;
enhance multi-cultural education and international exposure;
provide professional expertise and resources to community efforts designed to promote human well-being and social and economic justice;
increase the inter-relatedness among the different classes offered by the three disciplines within our department;
expand students’ opportunities to attend conferences and workshops to increase their commitment to professional development and education;
monitor graduate employment and increase job procurement efforts;
offer students job-seeking assistance;
implement employer satisfaction survey;
refine outcome evaluation procedures;
strengthen student services within our disciplines;
support and promote high quality general education;
strengthen student mentoring opportunities, knowledge, and experience;
monitor the quality of non-residence programs;
enhance the LAS Areas of Focus in our curriculums.
actively participate in undergraduate research
actively participate in programs and enhance the general strategic goals of the college (e.g. Learning Communities)
expand student/classroom field trips
Integration of Department and Institution Goals
(Please quantify your responses whenever possible)
Western Strategic Plan Goals
Academic Affairs and Enrollment Management
Goal Two: Develop a diverse mix of students with academic potential for completing high-quality programs.
Department response and outcomes: (recruitment activity and successes)
All three disciplines in the department have been committed to recruiting a diverse mix of students with regard to race/ethnicity, age, gender, and traditional/non-traditional status. The recruitment tools used include but are not limited to offering distance education course, internet courses, and the Griffon Edge, sending out brochures and verbally talking to students about our major and minor programs in the department. The number of government majors continued to grow (albeit modestly) during 2006. Through an “aggressive” recruitment approach by the sociology faculty the number of sociology minors grew significantly during 2006 and during our first semester of the program (Fall 2006) we enlisted over a dozen sociology majors.
The Government and Public Affairs faculty has always targeted potential majors through the GOV 101(American National Government) general studies course. The public service internship (GOV 490) continued to strengthen the appeal of the major to many prospective students. The Social Work Program has been involved in a number of activities designed to recruit “a diverse mix of students” into the Social Work major.
The Social Work Program is continuing its efforts to establish a 2 + 2 program with Metropolitan Community Colleges, which would attract a more diverse group of students into MWSU’s Social Work Program. In addition, the program continues to actively participate in all MWSU-sponsored recruitment activities including the Griffon Edge and sending out program information to all interested students identified by Admissions.
The Sociology faculty continues to send recruitment letters to SOC 110 students with outstanding mid-term grades. They also approach students individually and recruit them in the Sociology minor and major. The Sociology faculty are fully committed to academic rigor and the content of their courses, and the testing materials fully reflect these aspects. They are also involved in research projects with students and assign community-based projects.
Goal Three: Strengthen existing and develop new academic programs, taking into consideration the educational and career needs of students and the economic, social, and cultural needs of the community.
Department response and outcomes: (accreditation)
GOV 280 (Scope and Methods) exposes students to the depth and breadth of the government and public affairs discipline and gives them a greater appreciation of their role in a larger community outside of Missouri Western. GOV 490 (Practicum in Government and Public Affairs) requires our majors to perform a public service internship that clearly touches many potential “economic, social and cultural needs of the community.” The Social Work Program has initiated a number of changes designed to strengthen its program. Various Social Work students presented their research projects on MWSU’s Multidisciplinary Research Day.
Social Work faculty continue to offer their services to the local and professional community, which in turn, strengthens the program. Dr. Nandan remains a member of the Inter-Agency Council on Aging. Dr. Martha Ellison volunteered for Relay for Life and Reach for Recovery and co-facilitated a breast cancer support group for Heartland’s CancerCenter. Dr. Scott serves on the Commission on Inquiry for the National Association of Social Workers-Missouri Chapter and is Board Secretary for Community Action Partnership of St. Joseph. The Social Work Program continues to administer senior exit, alumni, and employment surveys each year as program evaluation tools.
The Sociology major was approved in Fall 2006. The sociology courses offered are selectively and deliberately chosen to meet the realistic educational, employment and career needs of the potential graduates was well as the perceived needs of the academic and broader community. The major requires several courses form other disciplines as a way of networking and also as a way of building a well rounded education of our graduates. The minor was revised and strengthened. The Sociology faculty met the needs of the community giving community-based research projects and assignments. The sociology faculty were interviewed by local T.V. and newspapers to address current issues of local, national and international importance. They also continued to serve the college community by offering a variety of general studies and elective courses relevant to a variety of disciplines.
Goal Four: Strengthen the retention, graduation and placement outcomes of students.
Department response and outcomes: (retention, graduation, placementrates, licensure/certification pass rates)
The Government and Public Affairs majors are required to complete the ETS exit exam before graduation.
The Social Work Program continued to use and refine its existing outcome evaluation procedures. The Social Work faculty sent out annual alumni and employment surveys, administered the ACAT test, and gave an exit survey
Retention Rates: The Social Work Program continued to use more mastery learning assignments in its lower level courses, which we believe bolsters student retention. For example, in SWK 250, all students submitted a draft of their research paper a month prior to the final due date. After commenting and offering suggestions, the instructor requires all students to work with the WritingCenter to improve the paper. Moreover, the Social Work Program has created a new student database so we can monitor our majors and track their progress throughout their college career. The database is not yet fully operational.
Graduation Outcomes: The Social Work Program developed a complete set of outcome evaluation measures several years ago. The Social Work Program continued to administer and analyzes annual alumni and senior exit surveys, which analyze student/graduate satisfaction with their social work education. In addition, the Social Work Program requires all graduating seniors to complete the ACAT, the social work exit exam. Results indicate that our students’ scores are above the national standardized mean.
In the future, the Social Work Program plans to purchase
graduates exam results on the AASWB state licensure exam
Placement Outcomes: The Social Work Program posts all advertised positions it receives and the Practicum Director informs practicum students about available job openings. Moreover, we track graduate employment rates by sending an annual employment survey six months after students’ graduation.
Students in the Sociology minor maintained a high graduation rate and had a very low drop-out rate. Anecdotal data through informal feedback shows that students who had a minor in Sociology are doing well and a good number have proceeded to graduate school.
Experiential Learning and Student Development
Goal One: Provide students, by graduation, the opportunity to blend academic knowledge and applications in and beyond the classroom.
Department response and outcomes: (applied learning opportunities and numbers)
The Government discipline achieved the goal of blending academic knowledge and application beyond the classroom by offering GOV 490 (Practicum in Government and Public Affairs). All social work courses continue to involve some degree of experiential learning. The Sociology faculty continued to give student assignments and research projects that involved the community.
Goal Two: Provide additional opportunities for students to participate in international and/or multicultural experiences.
Departmental response and outcomes: (number of students and nature of travel/study)
The social work program incorporates multi-cultural content in all its courses. In addition:
Dr. Nandan arranges a yearly field trip to Kansas City where students learn about poverty and Kansas City’s multicultural communities.
The new CSWE Accreditation Standards require social work programs to incorporate more information on international social work. Consequently, the Social Work faculty will be infused more international content into their courses.
The Sociology faculty provided opportunities for students to participate in international and/or multicultural experiences by offering courses such as SOC 120 (General Anthropology), SOC 300 (The World of Islam), SOC 400 (Racial and Ethnic Relations. In addition, SOC 200 (Introduction to Archaeology) and SOC 370 (Mediterranean Archaeology) both provide students the opportunity to study abroad. All classes add an international and multicultural component.
Goal Three: Recognize and expand experiential learning activities in coursework. (Do not include independent study activities here)
Departmental response and outcomes:
Government students are regularly encouraged to work on research projects outside of the classroom for presentation at student and scholarly conferences. GOV 490 (Practicum) provides similar experiences. In recent years, several GOV students have attended/participated in undergraduate research conferences.
For Social Work: see discussion under Experiential Learning and Student Development, Goal One.
All sociology classes involve active learning through in-class exercises, group and individual research projects, group and individual class presentations, data collection and interpretation, and computer literacy. All courses are reading intensive.
Community Service, Community Partnerships, and Workforce Development
Goal Three: Increase the participation of Western students, faculty and staff in community service activities.
Departmental response and outcomes: (service participation by number and hours for students, faculty & staff, list of partnerships and nature of activities)
The practicum partnership continued to thrive in 200 5.
The Social Work faculty participated in various community service activities. Dr. Ellison volunteered with Reach for Recovery and Relay for Life and co-facilitated an area Breast Cancer Support and Education Group.
Dr. Scott serves on a National Association of Social Work-Missouri committee and the Community Action Partnership of St. Joseph Board and tutored elementary school children during the summer.
Dr. Nandan served on the Inter-agency Council on Aging, Community Health Committee, and the Bereavement Planning Committee. She also coordinates the LIFE program (Lasting, Intergenerational Fellowship Experience).
Finally, all SWK 250 students are required to volunteer 40 hours at an area human service agency, and social work practicum students are required to complete 456 field hours in various area agencies.
The Sociology faculty appeared in several television interviews to comment on international matters and gave several addresses in various settings in the community. Dr. Kibirige was interviewed by the St. Joseph News Press on issues regarding community attitudes towards police. Dr. Ali Kamali was interiveiwed by the St. Joseph Press and KQTV.