View the Aquinas College Self-Study Report

164 Pages·2011·4.01 MB·English

Aquinas College
Self-Study RepoRt
For the Higher Learning Commission
of the North Central Association
March 28–30, 2011
1607 Robinson Road S.E., Grand Rapids MI 49506–1799
616.632.8900
www.aquinas.edu
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INTRODUCTION n
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Institutional Profile .............................................................................................................................................................................i-1 r
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Recent Accomplishments & Institutional Changes ..................................................................................................................i-3
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Accreditation History .........................................................................................................................................................................i-5 u
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Self‐Study Timeline and Process .....................................................................................................................................................i-5 t
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CRITERION 1: Mission and Integrity
Core Component 1A ..........................................................................................................................................................................1-2
Core Component 1B ...........................................................................................................................................................................1-4 c
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Core Component 1C ...........................................................................................................................................................................1-6 I
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Core Component 1D ..........................................................................................................................................................................1-11 e
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Core Component 1E ...........................................................................................................................................................................1-15 I
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CRITERION 2: Preparing for the Future
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Core Component 2A ..........................................................................................................................................................................2-1 e
Core Component 2B ...........................................................................................................................................................................2-11
Core Component 2C ...........................................................................................................................................................................2-15
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Core Component 2D ..........................................................................................................................................................................2-20 r
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CRITERION 3: Student Learning and Effective Teaching
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Core Component 3A ..........................................................................................................................................................................3-1 n
Core Component 3B ...........................................................................................................................................................................3-6 t
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Core Component 3C ...........................................................................................................................................................................3-11
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Core Component 3D ..........................................................................................................................................................................3-14
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CRITERION 4: Acquisition, Discovery and Application of Knowledge r
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Core Component 4A ..........................................................................................................................................................................4-1
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Core Component 4B ...........................................................................................................................................................................4-4
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Core Component 4C ...........................................................................................................................................................................4-10 n
Core Component 4D ..........................................................................................................................................................................4-13 t
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CRITERION 5: Engagement and Service e
Core Component 5A ..........................................................................................................................................................................5-1
Core Component 5B ...........................................................................................................................................................................5-8 c
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Core Component 5C ...........................................................................................................................................................................5-13 I
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Core Component 5D ..........................................................................................................................................................................5-26
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CHAPTER 6: Federal Compliance ....................................................................................................................................................6-1
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CONCLUSION
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Cross-Cutting Themes ........................................................................................................................................................................7-1
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APPENDICES r
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A. Organization Chart .........................................................................................................................................................................8-1 t
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B. Institutional Snapshot ....................................................................................................................................................................8-2 r
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C. Facilities Map .....................................................................................................................................................................................8-4
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D. AQ Terms and Acronyms...............................................................................................................................................................8-5 F
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E. Self-Study Committees ..................................................................................................................................................................8-8 V
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F. Past Reviewer Concerns .................................................................................................................................................................8-10

I n t R o d u C t I o n
tABLe oF contentS
INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................................................................................i.1
Introduction .......................................................................................................................................................................................i.1
Institutional Profile ..........................................................................................................................................................................i.1
Recent Accomplishments & Institutional Changes .............................................................................................................i.3
Administrative Changes ................................................................................................................................................................i.4
Financial Stability .............................................................................................................................................................................i.4
Facility Improvements ....................................................................................................................................................................i.5
Accreditation History ......................................................................................................................................................................i.5
Self-Study Timeline and Process .................................................................................................................................................i.6
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i. IntroductIon n
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Introduction d
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The administration, faculty, and staff of Aquinas College support a learning environment which encourages t
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students to learn and think and prepare for the twenty-first century. The mission of the College states: o
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Aquinas College, an inclusive educational community rooted in the Catholic Dominican tradition, provides a liberal
arts education with a global perspective. At Aquinas, we emphasize career preparation with a focus on leadership and
service to others. An Aquinas education fosters a commitment to lifelong learning dedicated to the pursuit of truth and
the common good.
Aquinas College is committed to providing this education to its students and has embraced the North
Central Association Re-accreditation Self Study as an opportunity to demonstrate how the College fulfills this
commitment and to identify areas in need of improvement. The self-study report presented here documents the
College’s on-going efforts to provide a quality educational experience in the liberal arts and sciences, meeting
the needs and expectations of its constituents in ways that are both sustainable and mutually beneficial. Aquinas
College is proud of its history of fine teaching and academic scholarship founded on the Dominican principles
of prayer, study, community, and service. As the institution eagerly anticipates the celebration of its 125th
anniversary in 2011–2012, the College is honing a strategic plan that will secure an equally promising future.
The College does recognize, however, that institutional shortcomings do exist and has used this self-study
process to openly explore and examine those issues. Where feasible, immediate corrective actions have been
taken in order to address identified weaknesses. Where genuine solutions will require more analysis and
collaboration, change processes are being initiated but complete resolutions may not be achieved by the time of
the on-site visit. These self-study findings, in conjunction with the institution’s strategic plan, should seamlessly
transition the College into the Higher Learning Commission’s new Pathways quality initiatives model.
Every attempt has been made to be both honest and transparent throughout the self-study process.
Following a campus-wide informational kick-off in Fall 2008, the Steering Committee has met regularly,
facilitating frequent communication with the Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, and students. Campus community
updates, Criterion subcommittees work, and a college-wide “Read-In” event in Fall 2010 have served to increase
campus awareness and provide significant opportunities for constituent input. Institutional buy-in to the
self-study process has resulted in an end product which is both meaningful and constructive to future planning
and process improvement.
Institutional Profile
Just two miles from downtown Grand Rapids, Aquinas College is a private liberal arts institution located on a
107 acre parcel, a key portion of which was a former estate complete with manor and carriage house. Aquinas
College’s tradition of academic rigor and community engagement dates to 1886 when the Dominican Sisters
of Grand Rapids established a novitiate normal school for the education of young women as teachers and
candidates for the sisterhood. In 1923, the State of Michigan granted a charter to confer degrees, and in 1931 the
College was reorganized and coeducation was introduced. The College was renamed “Aquinas College” in honor
of Saint Thomas Aquinas when it began to operate as a four-year institution in 1940. (More information on the
history of the College is available at the Aquinas College Heritage and Traditions website.)
In keeping with the founding Dominican tradition, Aquinas College (AQ) provides an open and engaging
learning environment focused on service and leadership. The only Catholic liberal arts college in West Michigan,
Aquinas College offers more than 61 majors and 18 degrees.
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Aquinas College Fall 2010
Founded 1886 Costs Fall 2010
City/State Grand Rapids MI Tuition and Fees $ 22,314
Setting Urban Room and Board $ 7,014
Type Private Need-Based Financial Aid 77%
Religious Affiliation Roman Catholic Average Financial Aid Pkg $ 17,500
Academics Institution Endowment $30.4 million
Academic Calendar Semesters Admissions/Enrollment
Student-to-Faculty Ratio 13:1 Selectivity Selective
Full-Time Faculty 91 Acceptance Rate 82.5%
Tenured 71% Average High School GPA 3.4
Terminal Degrees 75% Average ACT Composite 23
Degrees Awarded (09-10) Undergraduate Enrollment 1,953
Associates Degrees 6 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) 1,822
Bachelors Degrees 348 Graduate Enrollment 233
Masters Degrees 88 Enrollment by Ethnicity 12%
Table 1: Institutional Snapshot
As shown in Figure 1, despite a challenging state economy, recent years have seen record freshmen enrollment
at the College. As a 10–year Enrollment Profile indicates, incoming freshmen at Aquinas College have an
average ACT composite score of 23 with an average high school GPA of 3.4. Of the 432 traditional incoming
freshmen in 2010, 97% came from Michigan, with 34% coming from the local, Greater Grand Rapids area. The
majority of freshmen in 2010 self-identified as White/non-Hispanic with 11% self-identified as ethnic minority.
Approximately 52% of the 2010 freshmen identified themselves as Catholic.
Figure 1: Freshmen Enrollment Trend
Aquinas College is proud of its emphasis on high-quality teaching and on building strong faculty-student
relationships. The student-to-faculty ratio at the College is 13:1. The average (non-lab) class section has 18
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students; 91.1% of class sections have fewer than 30 students. Of the 91 full-time faculty, 75% have terminal n
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degrees. During a typical semester, two-thirds of the courses are taught by full-time faculty. Teaching assistants r
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help with Science lab sections and lead tutoring sessions but do not teach any courses at the institution.
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Cost of tuition for the 2010–2011 academic year, Aquinas College is $23,206; room and board is an additional c
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$7,226. Over 90% of Aquinas College students, however, receive some form of financial aid. Due to generous I
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scholarship support, graduates from Aquinas College incur lower than average student loan debts. The Project n
on Student Debt, an initiative of the Institute for College Access & Success, a nonprofit independent research
and policy organization, reports that the national average student loan debt for 2009 graduates was $24,000.
The average student loan debt for Michigan four-year private colleges and universities is reported at $25,458. As
indicated in Figure 2, the average student debt of 2009 Aquinas College graduates was only $14,983.
Figure 2: Average Student Loan Debt
Study Abroad and Service Learning
Aquinas College students have a variety of Study Abroad and Service Learning Program opportunities. Study
Abroad program options include seven semester-long international programs: Italy, Ireland, Spain, France, Costa
Rica, Germany, and Japan, as well as a Dominican Exchange program where students may spend a semester
at Barry University in Miami, Florida, Dominican University in San Rafael, California, or at St. Thomas Aquinas
College in Sparkhill, New York. Students may also choose from over eleven different Service Learning trips across
the United States and Central America. During each academic year, additional service opportunities arise such as
CAVA (Community Action Volunteers at Aquinas), Kids Food Basket, and Heartside Project Cleansweep.
Recent Accomplishments & Institutional Changes
The institutional changes and accomplishments since the last HLC/NCA Comprehensive Visit in 2004 include
administrative personnel changes, stabilization of finances, and numerous facility improvements.
Administrative Changes
In 2007, after an exhaustive national search, Interim President C. Edward Balog, Ph.D. was appointed by the
Board of Trustees to be the sixth President of the College. Prior to accepting the role of Interim President, Dr.
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Balog served as Provost and Dean of Faculty for seven years. With strong faculty support and a clear vision for
the future, President Balog has brought financial stability to the institution by increasing freshmen enrollment,
improving student retention, and carefully allocating limited resources.
Dr. Donald Chaffee, Professor-in-the-College, was appointed Interim Provost for the 2007–2008 academic year,
the College conducted an extensive search for a new Provost. In fall 2008, Charles D. Gunnoe Jr., Ph.D. was
appointed Provost and Dean of Faculty. Having previously served as Associate Professor and Department Chair
of History, Dr. Gunnoe brought to the position an appreciation for the responsibilities of Provost and a clear
understanding of the President’s vision for the future.
As noted in the 2008 Focus Visit report, other administrative changes since the 2004 visit include the
appointments of Mr. Michael Keller to Vice President for Planning and Research, Ms. Paula Meehan to
Vice President for Enrollment Management, and Mr. Gregory McAleenan to Vice President for Institutional
Advancement. In fall 2008, a new Dean of Students was appointed, but has since left the institution. The College
is currently seeking to fill the position as of this writing.
In 2009, Mr. Stephen Wonch was appointed as Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer.
During the summer of 2009, academic reporting structures were reorganized and the positions of Dean of Arts
and Sciences, Dean of the School of Education, and Dean of the School of Business and Management were
eliminated. Ms. Nanette Clatterbuck, previous Dean of the School of Education, was appointed Associate Provost
and Director of the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies. Mr. Brian Divita was appointed Director of Graduate
Management Programs in fall 2010. A current organizational chart is provided in the appendices to this report.
Financial Stability
Although a recent national and state economic crisis presented the institution with additional financial
challenges, the College has weathered the storm successfully. Despite continuing economic hardship in
Michigan, the financial status of the College has become increasingly stable as a result of careful fiscal
managment and successful enrollment and retention efforts. With the support of the Board of Trustees
and under President Balog’s leadership, the College embraced a plan to increase freshmen enrollment and
strengthen traditional undergraduate programs. In 2008, a Retention Initiative was launched which uncovered
and then addressed a wide variety of campus issues. To summarize, in spite of challenging economic times and
past financial problems, the current administration has maintained balanced budgets each of the past four years
while raising sufficient funds to support numerous facility improvements, to maintain strong benefit packages
for faculty and staff, and to take steps toward improving salary compensation.
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