Prog rams in Professional Education

Sunbelt State University
Dean Evelyn Wilson sighed as she put down the report. “The Final Report of the Committee to Evaluate the Dean” contained an appraisal of Dean Wilson s performance over the past five years. Although Dean Wilson was commended for initiating the review, her overall performance was ranked only “around a C+.” She was disappointed and frustrated. She thought: I have worked so hard for the past five years to enhance the reputation of our programs and to service the needs of the local community, and now my faculty and department heads are telling me that my efforts were misdirected, that I should not have focused on external matters. They simply do not get it. They must not understand all that I have accomplished. “But why is that?” she thought. “Where did I go wrong?”

The Institution
Located in a rural community in a southern state, Sunbelt State University was a public, comprehensive institution offering approximately 87 undergraduate majors and 47 masters degree programs to nearly 8,000 students (4,156 full time undergraduates, 1,668 part time undergraduates, and 1,947 graduate students). It granted doctoral degrees in a few programs (music and art). The university s mission statement noted “a commitment to the complementary relationship between liberal and professional education.” The College of Education, Human Services, Behavioral Sciences, and Justice (EHBJ) offered both undergraduate and graduate courses in what are often called the “helping professions.” They included psychology, social work, criminal justice, public health, nursing, and education. Serving the needs of approximately 2,000 students, it was the second largest school at the university (Arts & Sciences being the largest). Two programs offered masters degrees; there were no doctoral programs.

This case was written by Nancy Thomas as