University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Sciencesaugust 14, 2012August

University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information SciencesAugust 14, 2012August 14, 2012August 13, 2012

Response to Criterion One

1.0 MISSION, GOALS AND OBJECTIVES.

1.1: The school shall have a clearly formulated and publicly stated mission with supporting goals, objectives and values.

The University of Louisville (UofL) is a state-supported research university located in Kentucky's largest metropolitan area. Information on the university’s missionand the Challenge for Excellence may be found at

The School of Public Health and Information Sciences (SPHIS) is one of the most recent additions to the university’s academic programs. The school was founded in 2002, but public health education is not new to the university. A previous UofL school of public health, formed in 1919, was one of the first schools of public health in the United States.

1.1.a: A clear and concise mission statement for the school as a whole.

SPHIS Mission Statement

We advance knowledge for the public’s health in the increasingly complex and interconnected world of the 21st century. We accomplish this through activities in the three cornerstone areas for advancing health knowledge:

• Research. We create knowledge by seeking new discoveries and understanding through scientific exploration. We communicate our findings.
• Teaching. We share knowledge with students committed to and prepared for learning in a facilitated environment. Our learners are our students, our faculty and our staff. We commit to preparing our learners for success.
• Service. We apply knowledge through quality services to the communities of which we are a part – the university, Louisville Metro, Kentucky, the United States and their respective environs.

SPHIS Vision Statement

In addition to the mission, the school has developed a vision statement:

We will be an internationally recognized center of excellence for the creation, sharing and application of knowledge for the public’s health.

In achieving our vision:

• We will extend the domain of public health to include all factors in the public’s health.
• We will pursue health information sciences as an inseparable aspect of public health.
• We will work for close integration of individual health, health care and public health.

1.1.b: A statement of values that guides the school.

In fulfilling our mission:

• We nurture an academic setting that fosters ethics, respect, diversity, cooperation, learning and fun.
• We strive to improve our approach and performance through a program of active feedback and deliberate change.
• We embrace innovative ideas for advancing knowledge.
• We investigate new techniques and technologies for doing research, teaching and service.
• We think globally and act locally.
• We collaborate with any who will join us in working for the public’s health.

• We recognize that public health starts with the individual.
• We advocate for the public’s health.

1.1.c: One or more goal statements for each major function through which the school intends to attain its mission, including at a minimum, instruction, research and service.

To address the mission of advancing knowledge for the public’s health in the three cornerstone areas of teaching, research and service, the school will focus on the following goals.

1. Provide educational and academic excellence through a responsive, challenging and supportive educational environment characterized by high standards, commitment to quality and student success.
2. Build a public health and information science research enterprise by focusing energy and resources to enhance the scholarly agenda, thereby striving toward national prominence.
3. Foster a diverse, open and accessible school of public health and information sciences with an integrated system of access and intercultural understanding that promotes and supports race and gender diversity, inclusivity, equity and open communication.
4. Promote collaboration and community/state partnerships by developing and integrating interdisciplinary activities associated with teaching, research and service. Support existing partnerships and engage new partners to contribute to the educational, social and economic progress of the region and state.
5. Focus on school effectiveness and servicethrough systematic quality improvement, assessment, CEPH self-study and accreditation, and a dedication to fulfill the mission and vision of SPHIS.

1.1.d: A set of measurable objectives with quantifiable indicators related to each goal statement as provided in Criterion 1.1.c. In some cases, qualitative indicators may be used as appropriate.

As described in greater detail in the introduction to this section, the SPHIS Scorecard is revised annually by the Office of the University Provost in collaboration with the dean to establish measures for the school. While the scorecard covers a variety of objectives in areas of measurement critical for the success of the school, it is not comprehensive. Therefore, additional objectives were created to cover those areas that the scorecard does not address. Of the objectives below, those indicated by “(SC)” were originally scorecard measures, while those marked “(SPHIS)” are additional school-derived objectives. Objectives, outcome measurements, timelines, sources of data and frequency of data collection related to the five goals are delineated in Section 1.2.c.

Goal 1: Provide educational and academic excellence

Objective 1.1: Expand faculty and staff support for program growth as measured by:

1.1.aIncreasing the number of full-time faculty to a goal of 45 by 2013. (SPHIS)

1.1.bMaintaining the number of school and department support staff at a ratio of no less than one staff per four FTE faculty members (1:4 ratio does not include professional, research, or technical staff). (SPHIS)

Objective 1.2:Develop quality curricula/programs as measured by:

1.2.aReviewing educational competencies for MPH, MS, MSc and PhD for appropriateness and measurability annually. (SPHIS)

Objective 1.3:Improve student success and satisfaction as measured by:

1.3.aRefining the quality improvement process through school-wide forums, held at least annually, and yearly exit interviews and/or surveys of our graduates. (SPHIS)

1.3.bIncreasing the number of doctoral degrees awarded per year to 10 in 2013.

1.3.cConducting an annual survey of continuing and graduating students regarding their satisfaction with school and university support services and programs.

1.3.dAnalyzing, reviewing and responding to survey results.

1.3.eAchieving an employment rate within the field of study of at least 80% among MPH students, within one year of graduation, as tracked by the survey. (SPHIS)

Goal 2: Build a public health and information science research enterprise

Objective 2.1: Create a research infrastructure utilizing extramural funding as measured by:

2.1.aIncreasing the number of grants and contracts awarded to 30 in 2013. (SC)

2.1.bIncreasing the total dollar amounts of grants and contracts to $5,000,000 in 2013. (SC)

2.1.cIncreasing the number of faculty on sponsored research to 30 in 2013. (SC)

2.1.dIncreasing the number of students on funded research to six in 2013. (SC)

Objective 2.2: Develop internal support for SPHIS research activities as measured by:

2.2.aAdding one new faculty research position per year (2004-2013) from university administration. (SPHIS)

2.2.bProviding departmental funding for travel to national meetings to present papers and further research. (SPHIS)

2.2.cMaintaining the total number of publications in refereed journals to 25 in 2013. (SC)

2.2.dMaintaining the number of refereed presentations and/or papers sponsored by national or international organizations to 25 in 2013. (SC)

2.2.eHolding monthly research incubation meetings to encourage faculty, staff and student involvement in collaborative research activities. (SPHIS)

Goal 3: Fostera diverse, open and accessible school of public health and information sciences

Objective 3.1: Recruit and retain African American and female faculty and students as measured by:

3.1.aTargeting Historically Black Colleges and Universities for minority student recruitment by establishing a list of contacts, building relationships, two mailings a year for brochures, and one campus visit per year. (SPHIS)

3.1.bIncreasing the number of full-time women faculty to 15 by 2013. (SC)

3.1.cIncreasing the number of full-time African American faculty to three by 2013. (SC)

3.1.dAchieving the number of African American executive, administrative, or managerial employees of one by 2013. (SC)

3.1.eAchieving the number of African American endowed chairs and professors of one by 2013. (SC)

3.1.fAchieving the number of women endowed chairs and professors of one by 2013. (SC)

3.1.gAchieving the number of African American students receiving doctoral degrees of one by 2013. (SC)

3.1.hAchieving the number of women receiving doctoral degrees of three by 2013. (SC)

3.1.iIncreasing the percentage of African American students receiving master’s degrees to 20% by 2013. (SC)

Objective 3.2: Support diversity and inclusivity initiatives as measured by:

3.2.aMaintaining a diversity plan in concert with university guidelines. (SPHIS)

3.2.bHolding quarterly, school-wide luncheons of faculty and staff to promote open communication. (SPHIS)

3.2.cInviting all students to a plenary school meeting session at least once per year. (SPHIS)

Goal 4:Promote collaboration and community/state partnerships

Objective 4.1: Generate input from community partners as measured by:

4.1Meeting four times per year with Community Advisory Board.

Objective 4.2: Establish outreach activities to involve SPHIS with a variety of stakeholders as measured by:

4.2.aContinuing leadership through monthly meetings of the Environmental Health Committee of the Partnership for a Green City, involving UofL, Louisville Metro Government and Jefferson County Public Schools. (SPHIS)

4.2.bPromoting the utilization of an electronic clearinghouse for service opportunities with community and government agencies through annual presentations to faculty, staff and students.

4.2.cMaintaining the number of community partnerships that support local metropolitan area government agencies, metropolitan area businesses, community-based organizations and health care organizations at 25 in 2013.

4.2.dMaintaining the number of partnerships with state, regional and federal agencies at 10 in 2013.

4.2.eMaintaining the number of collaborative programs with K-12 educational institutions at two in 2013.

Goal 5: Focus on schooleffectiveness and service

Objective 5:Monitor quality improvement processes and assessment as measured by:

5.aRenewing CEPH accreditation by spring 2013. (SPHIS)

5.bImproving the mean response regarding overall impression of the school on the comprehensive survey of first-year graduates and alumni, faculty and staff and employers. (SC)

5.cRefining the quality improvement process through school-wide forums and an annual strategic planning retreat. (SPHIS)

1.1.e: Description of the manner through which the mission, values, goals and objectives were developed, including a description of how various specific stakeholder groups were involved in their development.

The development of our mission, goals and objectives was initiated through a consensus process involving the full range of SPHIS faculty and staff. [e1]A committee was formed in 2004 to begin these discussions and present them to the Dean’s Executive Committee, the Accreditation Steering Committee (ASC) and to the entire faculty and staff during monthly plenary meetings. Ideas from the entire group were carefully considered and refined during consecutive meetings of the groups. The concepts were further reviewed in detail during a day-long off-campus retreat in March 2005. Finally, they were enhanced and modified for clarity by the dean and associate deans before being released in final form.

In the formulation of final objectives, it was decided that data from the SPHIS Scorecard would determine objectives in relevant areas of this document instead of creating potentially duplicative or conflicting measures. These measures represent agreements between the Office of the University Provost and the Office of the Dean regarding strategic objectives of the school.

In the spring of 2012, the dean asked the department chairs to review the mission, values, goals and objectives. The chairs recommended making no changes at that time. Member of the Student Government Association were also asked to comment on current mission, goals and objectives during an overview of the self-study in spring 2012.

The dean’s office is currently in the process of developing a preliminary strategic plan that is intended to organize our activities during the decanal transition and to provide a starting point for our new dean. The group is using a middle-down-up approach: collect ideas from heads of departments and other components using a form; review each set of ideas with personnel in the respective department or component and revise accordingly; extract, combine, and redraft ideas into a first-draft school plan that is reviewed and revised first by a team of three from our executive committee and then by the full committee; and a final review and discussion by the full faculty and staff with revision as required. Thegoal is to complete all but the latter step and include thedraft plan in the preliminarysubmission. The preliminary plan will be ready for inclusion in the final submission. Reviewers are invited to read further at our SharePoint site for Strategic Plan Development, available at

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.

The school lists its vision and mission statements on its website, available at addition, plaques containing these are hung in the lobby of the SPHIS building.

The school has elected to review and monitor its goals and objectives in multiple ways. The chairs of each department, along with the entire faculty, staff and student complement, will examine the goals and objectives annually during the strategic planning process to assure adequate input from all constituencies. The first comprehensive strategic planning retreat occurred on January 5, 2007. Program revisions were made based on the recommendations of constituent groups, ensuring adherence with the school’s mission and goals. Subsequent reviews have occurred in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2012.

The review and recommendations were also discussed with the Community Advisory Board. Resulting changes have been disseminated through the board’s established links with business, government and community groups, as well as through postings on the SPHIS website.

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.

This criterion is met. The school has a well-defined vision and mission, with goals and objectives that are specific, measurable and trackable using data from the SPHIS Scorecard, supplemented by other sources. The full spectrum of programs in education, service, research and practice are linked directly to the vision and mission through these goals and objectives

Strengths

• Mission, vision, and goals of the school have been thoroughly reviewed by faculty, students and our Community Advisory Board in 2012.
• Objectives will be tracked using the scorecard process, as defined by data measures selected by the school with the concurrence of the university.

Weaknesses

None identified.

Plan

• The objectives of the school will be extended beyond 2013 during the completion of the strategic planning process during Fall 2012.

1.2 Evaluation. 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 criteria defined in this document.

A team consisting of SPHIS faculty and staff and oneCollege of Education and Human Development (CEHD) faculty member jointly developed the SPHIS evaluation plan. The SPHIS mission, focusing on research (interdisciplinary and collaborative), service (universities and communities) and teaching (traditional and team learning), served as the framework. The self-study team developed goals aligned with the university scorecard of strategic goals and areas of emphasis and the SPHIS vision and mission. Once the goals were established, the self-study team added specific objectives, core learning objectives, measurable outcomes, a timeline and targets for success (Tables 1.2.1 through 1.2.5). Sources of data and frequency of collection were determined. The group reviewed and revised the document, and all faculty and other interested parties were given the opportunity to react and respond to this plan. This included the Community Advisory Board. An internal review and external review panel also provided input.

The SPHIS faculty, staff and students are committed to continued evaluation and modification of this plan on a systematic basis to ensure that it remains comprehensive, workable, informative and effective. The exact structure of evaluation process will continue to evolve as we work toward the goal of a comprehensive plan for all SPHIS programs.

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. If these are common across all objectives, they need be described only once. If systems and responsible parties vary by objective or topic area, sufficient information must be provided to identify the systems and responsible party for each.

Evaluation

SPHIS administration, faculty, staff and students recognize the value and importance of a systematic, broad-based and integrated evaluation. The Quality Assurance Framework, available at depicts the evaluation process of SPHIS in conjunction with the university. With the involvement of the professional community, SPHIS has implemented an assessment system that is reflective of its stated mission, goals and objectives.

Planning

The Community Advisory Board, composed of community members, provide expert external advice to aid the dean in accomplishing the mission of teaching, research and service. The board reviews the initiatives of the school over the prior year in order to make recommendations for changes to meet the needs of the community. The Council of Chairs and Deans, including the dean, associate deans, chairs and student representatives considers the full range of evaluation documents received over the prior year and develops a plan to address noted deficiencies, assure full concordance of the programs with the stated mission goals and objectives of SPHIS, and re-align its activities to more fully serve the needs of its constituents.