Download this memo as a PDF.

A memorandum from Provost Dr. Kimberly D. McCorkle and President Brian Noland

 

This document provides a substantive response to the Report of the Academic Structure Task Force (hereinafter referred to as “report”). The content provided undergirds and frames the proposed academic structure plan for East Tennessee State University (see Proposed Structure). Furthermore, the responses provided were generated in accordance with the vision set by the Board of Trustees in the Committee for 125 Chapter II Report. A public comment period for the proposed academic structure will offer opportunities for feedback, and the subsequent final recommendation will be presented to the university governing bodies for approval, including Academic Council, University Council, and the ETSU Board of Trustees.

Academic Health Sciences Center Colleges

Relevant recommendation:*

Creating or bolstering AHSC infrastructure while keeping five health colleges is a reasonable alternative and option.  As previously mentioned, all of the health colleges should have targeted identities: the task force seeks to avoid a “college of other things not mentioned elsewhere.”  Potential pros of creating ETSU Health academic infrastructure include support for AHSC-level strategic planning, initiatives, and accountability; coordination and centralization of services across colleges; promotion of interdisciplinary teaching and research; and generally taking advantage of opportunities identified in the AIM Report.  Potential cons include increased administrative costs and slowing of individual college progress as the greater good is considered.

*For complete Task Force recommendation, refer to page 17 of report.

Response: We concur with the Task Force recommendations and rationale related to strengthening the colleges that comprise the Academic Health Sciences Center (AHSC). As a result, we recommend retaining the current structure of five health colleges, with select changes to the composition noted later to the College of Public Health and the College of Clinical and Rehabilitative Health Sciences. To bolster the infrastructure for the AHSC, we will explore creating a position within the Office of the Provost in coordination with the Vice President for Clinical Affairs to improve the coordination of the AHSC and ETSU Health. To determine the best course of action, we will work jointly with the deans of the health sciences colleges and the Vice President for Clinical Affairs and commit to reviewing the 2018 AIM report and recommendations; developing a strategic plan for ETSU Health; and, implementing the plan within the upcoming academic year to strengthen collaboration across the colleges. We will also work collaboratively with the Vice President for Clinical Affairs to continue to strengthen ETSU Health.

Executive Director for Academic Advising, Center for Academic Achievement, TRIO Programs, University Advisement Center, University Career Services, and University Testing Services

Relevant recommendation:*

The primary decision point is the optimal placement of the Office of the Executive Director of Academic Advisement and the University Advisement Center.  It could remain in SLE and try to address noted opportunities.  The advantage of leaving the office in SLE is minimizing disruption in an office that transitioned to its current location in the university’s structure in 2021.  Another advantage is minimizing disruption for the SLE AVP hired to lead these units.  That person started at ETSU in February 2024.  A disadvantage of leaving the office in SLE is the inability to formally connect central and decentralized advising structures.  Alternatively, the central advising infrastructure could be moved back to the Office of the Provost.  Moving it back would place all academic advising infrastructure in Academic Affairs.  If this option is selected, establishing an Associate Provost for Student Success position, or something similar, might be warranted.  Potential advantages of moving to Academic Affairs include improved collaboration between advisors and faculty members, enhanced accountability, and reduced time to degree.  Disadvantages include decreased college autonomy in the hiring of advisors and decreased collaborative potential with University Career Services (UCS) if that unit is not also moved to Academic Affairs.  If moved to Academic Affairs, a change in the funding approach for advisors (e.g., funded by Office of the Provost and deployed to one or more colleges or units using evidence-based metrics) could be considered.  A student-focused staff member in the Office of the Provost could also champion University Career Services and other academically focused units (e.g., first-year experience course, Center for Academic Achievement, TRIO) that currently reside in SLE. 

*For complete Task Force recommendation, refer to page 42 of report.

Response: While we appreciate the input related to these important offices in the Division of Student Life and Enrollment (SLE), it should be emphasized that these units were recently relocated from the Division of Academic Affairs to SLE in 2021 based upon best practice recommendations from a national consultant and after completing extensive strategic planning about where these support services would fit best at ETSU to support student success. These units have experienced initial success in retention and other student success measures and have recently hired new leaders to continue the progress by working with the academic units. Therefore, we propose keeping the Office of the Executive Director of Academic Advisement and the University Advisement Center in SLE

We will address the issues raised by the Task Force by working with SLE in the coming academic year to increase collaboration and coordination with academic units. We will consider establishing a standing university committee dedicated to student success (advising, retention, persistence) led jointly by a team from the Office of the Provost and SLE leadership and comprised of members from Faculty Senate, SGA, and college advising. This standing committee will report regularly to Academic Council and/or University Council.

Centers & Institutes

Relevant recommendation:*

ETSU is home to approximately 20 centers and institutes with varying funding models, missions, levels of interdisciplinarity, and reporting structures.  Some centers and institutes are generally contained within one college (e.g., Center for Rural Health Research) whereas others engage more so in interdisciplinary efforts.  Feedback received during the ASTF process noted a need to bolster infrastructure for centers and institutes that span college boundaries.  Interdisciplinary centers and institutes that conduct research and/or obtain external funding as part of their mission typically report to the office of research at peer and aspirational institutions.  One ETSU center, the Center for Community Outreach, currently reports to the Office of the Vice Provost for Research (OVPR).  ETSU does not have a policy or guidelines for development of centers and institutes.  While the ASTF endorses developing such documents, a current decision point for ETSU is determining the centers/institutes that could be served through reporting centrally versus reporting to a college.  Two interdisciplinary institutes currently report to the College of Graduate and Continuing Studies (CGCS) and are coupled to the decision point regarding that college.  One option would be transitioning reporting of these institutes to the OVPR since both conduct research and/or obtain external funding.  The task force perceives only advantages to developing policies and guidelines specific to centers and institutes.  A disadvantage to moving the two institutes from CGCS to the OVPR is the inconvenience of modifying reporting in HR, ORSPA, and other units.  Another disadvantage is the limited support personnel in the OVPR to serve the institutes.    

*For complete Task Force recommendation, refer to page 23 of report.

Response: The Task Force has noted the need to clarify the role of centers and institutes across the university. We agree with this recommendation and will appoint a work group led by the Vice Provost for Research to develop policies and recommendations for creating, assessing, and maintaining academic centers and institutes. Additionally, given the proposed changes to the College of Graduate and Continuing Studies, we recommend relocating the two centers currently housed there to follow the faculty from the disciplines that primarily comprise the centers' work. As a result, both the Strong BRAIN Institute and the Child and Family Health Institute would be moved to the College of Public Health with the faculty in the Department of Psychology.

College of Arts and Sciences

Relevant recommendation:*

School or division structure could be employed to create identities across strength areas or similar disciplines while still maintaining the CAS structure.  ETSU does not have standard definitions for schools and divisions.  The task force advocates for consistent use of “school” and “division” in terms of administrative structure across ETSU and has provided suggested definitions. Schools serve various functions at other academic institutions, sometimes inconsistently within the same institution.  For example, at East Carolina University, an ETSU peer institution, the Brody School of Medicine is led by a dean and functions as a college whereas the School of Art and Design is led by a director and functions as a department.  Schools at other institutions can administratively be part of reporting structure (e.g., department chair reports to school head who reports to college dean).  Alternatively, schools can function as an administrative mechanism for supporting and staffing multiple units (e.g., shared administrative assistant, office coordinator, research services manager) with department chairs reporting directly to deans.  The task force is defining such a model as a division.  School language can also be used to create an identity and/or for philanthropic reasons.  The Mary B. Martin School of the Arts is an example of the latter as it was established as an endowment with the intent of “providing a focal point and recognition for the arts at ETSU.” While the Mary B. Martin School sets some precedent in how ETSU defines a “school,” there is potential to add academic infrastructure to the School, including departments.  Likewise, all CAS departments could be placed into schools or divisions, or alternatively, a selection of departments could be placed in a school or division while others remain as department units in the college.  Reporting differences (i.e., some chairs report to head while others report to dean) complicate integrating school infrastructure to part but not all departments within a college.  School infrastructure, while potentially a mechanism to keep CAS intact as a college, adds a layer of administrative oversight.  Feedback received from faculty notes resistance to any model that increases such oversight.  However, division infrastructure as defined by the task force could be implemented in part or all of a college with no impact on reporting structure.  If CAS remains a single college, the task force encourages college and university leadership to consider use of divisions and/or schools to create identities, efficiencies, and collaborations across related units in the college.

*For complete Task Force recommendation, refer to page 24 of report.

Response: One of the key areas of analysis for the Task Force was whether to retain the College of Arts and Sciences as one large college or segment the college into distinctive academic units. We concur with the recommendation to keep the College of Arts and Sciences intact and to create three separate schools with aligned programs and missions thereby creating identity and strengthened opportunities for college, school, and departmental strategic planning.  The proposed school structure and composition is as follows:

School of the Arts

  • Music
  • Theatre & Dance
  • Art & Design

School of Humanities and Social Sciences

  • Communication Studies and Storytelling
  • Appalachian Studies
  • Black American Studies
  • Criminal Justice & Criminology
  • History
  • Literature and Language
  • Philosophy & Humanities
  • Political Science, International Affairs & Public Administration
  • Sociology and Anthropology
  • Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

School of Science, Engineering, and Math

College of Clinical & Rehabilitative Health Sciences

Relevant recommendation:*

The College of Clinical and Rehabilitative Health Sciences (CCRHS) is a multifaceted college that contains multiple undergraduate, graduate, and clinical doctoral programs.  Feedback gathered by the task force noted the college is confusing, forgotten, and difficult to describe to students.  It functions as ETSU’s “health college of everything else.”  As compared to the other colleges identified as part of the AHSC, CCRHS is the home to programs that aren’t named directly in the title of the college.  Decision points specific to CCRHS involve appropriate placement of programs within ETSU’s portfolio of health degree offerings to give the current CCRHS a defined identity.  One option is to leave the current college as is.  Given feedback received, if this option is selected, a change to the name of the college should be considered.  Another option is to move departments and/or programs from CCRHS to another college to the benefit of both the college and the department.  Nutrition, for example, is currently in the Department of Rehabilitative Sciences.  One option is to move the program to the College of Public Health, thus messaging nutrition less as rehabilitative health and more as preventive health.  To increase the emphasis of CCRHS on rehabilitative health, the Department of Allied Health, currently in CCRHS, could warrant moving.  Options include, but are not limited to, placing it in the Colleges of Nursing, Public Health, Medicine, or Pharmacy.  Given the clinical undergraduate emphasis of the department, alignment with the College of Nursing is a reasonable option.  Placing the Department of Allied Health in the College of Nursing would embed a department model in the College of Nursing that has not existed to date.  Feedback has been received during structure conversations that a department model be considered in this college.  The Department of Allied Health could also fit well in the Quillen College of Medicine.  Such a move would give QCOM a presence on main campus as well as provide an opportunity for the college to engage in undergraduate education. 

*For complete Task Force recommendation, refer to page 27 of report.

Response: Based on the recommendations of the Task Force, we propose adjusting the title of the College of Clinical and Rehabilitative Health Sciences to the College of Health Sciences. Additionally, we suggest establishing two schools within the college to create alignment among the disciplines. The composition of the proposed schools are as follows:

School of Clinical Sciences

  • Audiology & Speech and Language Pathology
  • Allied Health Sciences (Respiratory Therapy, Radiology & Dental Hygiene)
  • Rehabilitative Health Sciences
  • Occupational Therapy
  • Orthotics & Prosthetics
  • Physical Therapy
  • Social Work

School of Human Performance and Sport Science

  • Exercise Science
  • Sport Science/Coach Education Graduate Programs
    • Center of Excellence for Sport Science and Coach Education
  • Nutrition

College of Graduate & Continuing Studies

Relevant recommendation:*

Per its most recent strategic plan, the mission of the ETSU Graduate School is to foster post-baccalaureate programs of scholarship that are recognized for their excellence and contributions to society.  The charge of the Graduate School is to oversee all aspects of graduate education at ETSU, including but not limited to program marketing, recruitment, application, admission, matriculation, graduation, professional development (graduate students and faculty), appeals, retention, student services, curriculum development, reporting and assessment, graduate assistantships/fellowships/ scholarships, and assuring compliance with ETSU policies related to graduate education.  The task force received mixed feedback about the role of and effectiveness of the Graduate School.  It is perceived as both a key component of operationalizing graduate education at ETSU and also a barrier or hurdle that must be overcome.  Some faculty and leadership perceive the roles the Graduate School plays should be decentralized to the colleges.  Others perceive the Graduate School would function more effectively and efficiently as an administrative unit in the Office of the Provost.  The Graduate School certainly does, to a degree, play an administrative role given the previously mentioned charges, but it also offers graduate-level courses similar to other academic colleges.  It is the opinion of the task force that decentralization is not in the university’s best interest at this time given the extent to which doing so would require additional resources in the colleges.  A reasonable option is to rebrand the CGCS as the Graduate School, with a singular focus on partnering with colleges offering graduate degrees to optimize graduate education at ETSU.  The Graduate School should be evaluated after a period of time to determine if moving it to the Office of the Provost as an administrative unit is warranted.

*For complete Task Force recommendation, refer to page 29 of report.

Response: We agree with the recommendation and rationale provided by the Task Force. Subsequently, we recommend repositioning the Graduate School with the singular focus suggested by the Task Force and transitioning it to the Office of the Provost as an administrative unit, streamlining administrative, application processing, and registration functions, and graduate student teaching and contracting.  We propose that the other units currently housed in the College of Graduate and Continuing Studies be repositioned as follows:

  • Reposition the Transfer and Adult Outreach function to the Office of the Provost under the Associate Provost for Curriculum
  • Reposition degree-granting academic programs in Cross-disciplinary studies to the Honors College
  • Reposition Professional Studies, and camps and conferences, to Clemmer College of Education and Human Development

Department of Computing

Relevant recommendation:*

The Department of Computing offers four concentrations, at least one of which benefits from close collaboration with business-focused programs.  It is not uncommon to find Information Systems as a program or degree in a college or school of business at academic institutions.  Conversely, it is uncommon to find a computer science program in a college of business.  Computer science is typically in a science and/or engineering-focused college.  A decision point for ETSU is how best to position the concentrations within the current Department of Computing to meet the university’s vision and do so without negatively impacting program accreditation.  Data provided by CBAT leadership indicates the Department of Computing has decreased the number of faculty by 15% and increased enrollment by 59% since 2014.  The number of terminal degree faculty members in the department has decreased from 15 to eight since 2014.  Research is currently not prioritized.  One option is to split the department into a department of information systems that would remain in CBAT and a department of computer science that could be moved to a science-focused college.  Or, the entire department could be moved to a science-focused college.  Alternatively, and as described in more detail in the Department of Engineering section, a School of Computer Science and Engineering could be established and resourced in CBAT with the intent of launching the School as a College in subsequent years.  Leaving as is potentially limits the University’s ability to capitalize on the growth in AI and has implications for ETSU strength areas such as the social sciences and health care. The growth in cybersecurity is also hindered by the current emphasis on information systems and shrinking faculty resources.  Succinctly, if the department remains intact where it is, a significant infusion of resources and a culture shift will be necessary to contribute to the research and scholarship vision of the university.  Pros of leaving the Department of Computing in CBAT as is include minimizing disruption to CAS if the department were moved there and minimizing disruption to current collaborations within CBAT (e.g., Blue Sky).  Pros of establishing school or division infrastructure for computing within CBAT include increasing its status and identity, particularly if the college name is changed to explicitly identify assets in the college.  Cons of leaving as is include maintenance of the status quo in terms of collaborations beyond CBAT and minimal contribution to the research and scholarship mission of the institution.  Moving the department to CAS could facilitate interdisciplinary teaching and research collaborations, increased exposure to liberal arts coursework that could positively influence critical and creative thinking, and contribute to culture change needed in the department to maintain ETSU’s computing reputation.  Cons include potentially creating misalignment with industry expectations and disrupting current collaborations.  Considering all other academic structure variables, a reasonable option is to establish a School of Computer Science and Engineering in CBAT with an explicit plan to invest in growth and launch the unit as a College of Computer Science and Engineering.  Ultimately, if ETSU desires to be a destination institution for synthetic biology and other STEM-based interdisciplinary programs, a College of Computer Science and Engineering, or similarly named college, will be a key ingredient.  Moving one or both departments to CAS will still require the explicit plan for investment and appropriate resourcing, but the move would only be temporary if ETSU’s vision is the previously mentioned standalone college.  University leadership needs to ensure appropriate college and school leadership and resourcing are in place to meet this vision.

*For complete Task Force recommendation, refer to page 32 of report.

Response: The Task Force has noted the ongoing growth of computing-related programs at ETSU and a desire to expand computing research activities and academic programming in high demand areas such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and healthcare information systems. The existing Department of Computing has several joint programs within the College of Business and Technology such as:

  • undergraduate Marketing Analytics program, offered by Marketing and Computing
  • undergraduate Supply Chain Analytics concentration, offered by Supply Chain and Computing
  • B.A. concentrations in Business Analytics and Cybersecurity Management
  • proposed FinTech undergraduate program, to be offered by Finance and Computing
  • proposed Digital Development concentration, offered by Digital Media and Computing

Each of these programs has established a strong foundation for ongoing growth that benefits students and addresses market demand. Employers have highlighted ETSU’s blending of Business and Technology as a strength and area of competitive advantage, particularly as compared to other regional institutions.

ETSU offers four distinct undergraduate concentrations (Computer Science, Information Systems, Information Technology, and Cybersecurity and Modern Networks) under a single academic major, Computing.  Each of these concentrations is independently accredited by ABET (Cybersecurity and Modern Networks will have ABET accreditation formally granted in summer 2024). To accomplish the goals outlined by the Task Force, the existing Department of Computing would work towards transforming the four existing concentrations into separate majors, i.e. the B.S. in Computing would become a B.S. in Computer Science, a B.S. in Information Systems, a B.S. in Information Technology, and a B.S. in Cybersecurity and Modern Networks. This restructuring would facilitate the creation of concentrations in artificial intelligence, healthcare information systems, and other areas with high demand. This separation into distinct academic programs would also enhance program marketing and communication with prospective students, highlighting our extensive degree portfolio in this domain, while retaining the existing academic efficiency that comes from housing these programs in the same academic unit.

On the research front, much of the current activity being undertaken in the department highlights collaboration between business and computing, such as the recent Appalachian Highlands Supply Chain and Digital Technology Summit, and the ongoing collaboration in establishing an Economic Data Clearinghouse. For the past several years, the Department of Computing has addressed the increased demand for course sections by adding full-time faculty members whose responsibilities are focused primarily on instruction. As the Department of Computing continues to grow, a priority will be placed on enhancing the focus on scholarship, collaborations across colleges to strengthen our focus on cybersecurity and AI-related initiatives, and working with the health colleges to bolster academic and research opportunities related to the impact of AI in healthcare.

Departments of Counseling & Human Services, Psychology, and Social Work

Relevant recommendations:*

The critical decision point is the optimal college location if one or more departments are placed in the same college.  While their current placement in three distinct colleges is justifiable, and precedent can be found at other institutions, given ETSU’s health-rooted identity and the extent to which the departments engage in health-focused clinical and scholarly activities, it could be beneficial to place at least two of the departments, if not all of them, in one or more ETSU Health colleges.  Potential advantages of placing departments in the same college include decreased duplication of course offerings, increased research and clinical collaboration, development of additional interdisciplinary curricular offerings, and improved ETSU reputation and recognition in mental and behavioral health.  Potential cons include disruptions to collaborations in their current colleges, loss of or shifts in discipline-specific identity, and potential decreased research productivity if the Department of Psychology, for example, is moved to a college that does not have a strong research culture.  Also, attention would need to be given to non-health parts of certain programs (e.g., elementary and secondary school counseling) that the university desires to maintain and/or grow.  To this point, the task force’s vision is that cross-college degree options be the status quo at ETSU. 

Moving all of the departments to the College of Public Health is a reasonable option.  The College of Public Health has a strong research culture, and there are some potential synergies in the social, behavioral, and community health sciences.  There is also some precedent for departments or schools of public health and social work being co-located.  Moving the Department of Social Work from CCRHS would also facilitate the movement of science emphasis among most remaining programs.  Establishing a collective of social, mental, and behavioral health disciplines in the College of Public Health could potentially be a short-term initiative with a long-term vision of launching a School or College of Social and Behavioral Health Sciences.   The social and behavioral sciences are certainly a strength at ETSU, and structure should facilitate their collaborations to the benefit of the region ETSU serves.  Despite pros mentioned heretofore, cons include potentially disrupting collaborations in current colleges, disruption involved in moving three departments to a new college, separation of psychology from other sciences and social sciences that would remain in the College of Arts and Sciences, and the lack of current clinical infrastructure in the College of Public Health. 

*For complete Task Force recommendation, refer to page 34 of the report.

Response: After reviewing the recommendations of the Task Force and receiving additional input from the campus community, we recommend leaving the Department of Social Work in the proposed College of Health Sciences and leaving the Department of Counseling and Human Services in the Clemmer College of Education and Human Development given the distinctive focus of those units.

After carefully considering the recommendation to move the Department of Psychology to the College of Public Health, we are confident that this action would provide important long-term benefits for students, faculty, and staff. Furthermore, it would create opportunities to align the department more fully with ETSU Health and its focus on interprofessional and clinical experiences.

Since these three departments would continue to exist in separate colleges, we recommend that the department faculty and staff work to develop a strategic plan to determine how all three departments can collaborate on curriculum and projects to benefit the region and implement relevant portions of the ETSU Strategic Plan in the coming academic year.

Departments of Digital Media and Media & Communication

Relevant recommendation:*

The Departments of Digital Media and Media & Communication are currently in two different colleges.  As mentioned above, this is a point of confusion for students and also a point of opportunity based on potential synergies that could be realized by having both departments in one college.  The task force recommends the “communication” portion of the name of the Department of Media & Communication be changed to more clearly reflect offered programming and differentiate itself from the Department of Communication Studies and Storytelling.  A decision point is the optimal placement of the departments within a college.  A move to CBAT would not only co-locate the departments but also move advertising and public relations to the same college as marketing.  The journalism component of Media & Communication may be perceived to be better placed in an arts and humanities colleges, but the journalism program does emphasize digital storytelling and technology-based skills.  The journalism component could remain in CAS by moving the program and faculty to, for example, the Department of Communication Studies and Storytelling.  A move of Digital Media to CAS could harm existing collaborations between the department and other departments currently residing in CBAT, including Management, Marketing, and Supply Chain Management and Computing.  However, such a move could strengthen collaborations with the Department of Art & Design, a department in which the BFA in Graphic Design is the program with the highest enrollment and degrees conferred.  Moving Media & Communication to CBAT would also co-locate the Brand and Media Strategy and the Digital Marketing graduate degrees, both of which are university strengths.  Regardless of the college home, department structure and alignment (e.g., combining departments, moving faculty to different departments) would need to be addressed by college leadership, taking into consideration related programs such as film studies currently housed in the Department of Literature and Language.  If CBAT and CAS generally retain their current structure and the Department of Media & Communication is moved to the college, a CBAT name change should be considered to feature media (and computing and engineering) assets.  Overall, the task force perceives moving the Department of Media & Communication to CBAT to be a reasonable option.

*For complete Task Force recommendation, refer to page 36 of report.

Response: Based on the recommendation and rationale of the Task Force, we concur that it would be beneficial to co-locate the Departments of Media & Communication and the Department of Digital Media in the College of Business and Technology (CBAT) to create synergies between these two departments as well as other departments that currently exist in the College of Business and Technology. The Department of Media & Communication (MCOM) is currently located in the College of Arts and Sciences. As noted by the Task Force, this department currently offers academic programs similar to programs located within CBAT—both in the areas of Digital Media and Marketing. One example is the certification MCOM offers in Digital Marketing, which competes with the CBAT M.S. degree in Digital Marketing. Brand and Media Strategy offers coursework that is compatible with Marketing. MCOM programming in Radio, TV, and Film (RTVF) has opportunities for collaboration with Digital Media. Moving the Department of Media & Communication to the College of Business and Technology and housing it in a proposed School of Marketing and Media with the Department of Digital Media brings attention and focus to the department in a more substantial way than its current placement in the College of Arts and Sciences. The proposed change would also improve faculty collaboration in research and creative activities.

Department of Engineering, Engineering Tech, Interior Architecture, and Surveying

Relevant recommendation:*

Moving the Department of Engineering, Engineering Technology, Interior Architecture, and Surveying to another college is a complex decision point; one that is coupled to other decision points.  Moving the department and holding all other variables constant (e.g., resources, facilities, department-level identity, research expectations) is not likely to effect change that aligns with the university’s vision.  At other institutions, engineering is typically identified in the name of a college or school.  It could be moved to the College of Arts and Sciences.  It could be established as its own college or a school with CBAT.  Both the Department of Engineering, Engineering Technology, Interior Architecture, and Surveying and the Department of Computing could be removed from CBAT and established as a college or established as a school within CBAT.  Some programs within the current department (e.g., interior architecture, surveying) could perhaps be placed in other departments with which there is some alignment.  However, the task force perceives their current location to be optimal given precedent at other institutions and ETSU’s current academic portfolio. 

*For complete Task Force recommendation, refer to page 38 of report.

Response: The Task Force noted the ongoing focus on enhancing ETSU’s portfolio of Engineering and related programs, particularly given the imminent launch of the B.S. in Mechatronics Engineering. This is a key decision point for the university, especially since the 125 Chapter II report proposes the creation of synthetic biology and bioengineering programs, capitalizing on the current work to build research and industry-facing academic programs in synthetic biology and related fields. In light of this, we recommend the Department of Engineering, Engineering Technology, Interior Architecture, and Surveying move to the College of Arts and Sciences to better facilitate the development of an integrated science and engineering academic portfolio. The department would become a part of a newly formed School of Science, Engineering, and Math housed within the College of Arts and Sciences. Given the established synergies between Interior Architecture, Engineering, and Engineering Technology, these programs would be kept together as a department, with an opportunity to review the structure after the transition to the College of Arts and Sciences. Surveying would also benefit from being housed in the same college as Geosciences, creating the potential for new collaboration across these academic programs.

Department of Sport, Exercise, Recreation, and Kinesiology

Relevant recommendation:*

The sport science graduate program and exercise science undergraduate programs are distinct but interconnected by shared faculty.  Exercise science has two dedicated undergraduate faculty and an instructor for over 300 students.  The sport science graduate program, an internationally reputed program, has seven faculty for approximately 40 students.  Four sport science faculty teach in the exercise science program.  Collaborative research is not fostered.  The task force perceives there to be opportunities to bolster collaboration across ETSU’s sport science and exercise science strengths to the benefit of students and faculty alike.  Therefore, the task force recommends co-location of the exercise science and sport science faculty within a college.

The sport management and recreation management component of SERK is distinct from other components of the department.  The task force consistently heard that given the extent to which sport and recreation management emphasizes management, the programs and faculty may align better with the Department of Management, Marketing, and Supply Chain Management.  There are also potential collaborations and synergies that could be realized between sport management and parks and recreation management and the new hospitality and tourism concentration in the Department of Management, Marketing, and Supply Chain Management.  Such a move could raise the profile of all involved programs.  Potential cons include disruptions inherent in splitting a department and moving colleges.  The task force perceives it a reasonable option to move sport and recreation management faculty to CBAT as a standalone department.  After a defined period of time (e.g., 2 years), the task force suggests college leadership evaluate and optimize department structure given other college department structure. 

The exercise science BS degree and the rehabilitative health science BS arguably compete for students.  Placing both in the same college could promote synergies and decreased course duplication.  Both programs emphasize health and human movement.  Given the strengths of sport science, exercise science, and undergraduate and graduate programs in the current Department of Rehabilitative Health Sciences, and given the health infrastructure at the university and the task force’s desire that ETSU not be home to a health college that has an identity of “everything not included elsewhere,” a reasonable option is to move all sport science and coach education, sport physiology and performance, and kinesiology degrees and faculty to a College of Movement Science, College of Human Movement & Performance, College of Rehabilitation and Human Performance, or similarly named unit.  This would give the college a defined identity, be a logical home for an athletic training program if such a program was developed, and foster collaboration across similar disciplines.  Potential cons to this move include disruption to department cultures and collaborations given perceived overlap and duplication in course offerings and students being recruited.  Another potential con is that the lack of a collaborative culture across sport science and exercise science would deter or decrease collaborations between other units in the college. 

*For complete Task Force recommendation, refer to page 39 of report.

Response: We concur with the Task Force’s analysis and recommendation to move the programs in the current Department of Sport, Exercise, and Recreation to other colleges to create better alignment across disciplines. This recommendation allows the opportunity to consider the best placement for the various programs that are currently housed in the large department. To enhance alignment among similar programs, we call for the move of Sport and Recreation Management (SARM) to the College of Business and Technology in a department that includes the Global Sport and Leadership EdD. The K-12 Physical Education concentration will remain in the Clemmer College of Education and Human Development where it is aligned with other education programs. We also propose moving the sport science, sport physiology and performance, and exercise science degrees to the newly configured College of Health Sciences into the School of Human Performance and Sports Science.  Kinesiology, as a discipline, is aligned with Physical Education, and will continue to be associated with academic programs in that department within the Clemmer College of Education and Human Development.

Honors College

Relevant recommendation:*

Just as the task force desires to avoid the “college of everything else” in the Academic Health Science Center, it also desires for the Honors College to be a college with a targeted mission, vision, and role in student success.  Given the first-year experience currently resides in Student Life and Enrollment and has student credit hours awarded for completion, there is precedent for a unit in the Office of the Provost to house similar credit-bearing programs that currently reside in the Honors College.  If an Associate Provost for Student Success, or similar position is created, study abroad, undergraduate research, and other non-Honors programs could be championed through this unit.  This would allow the Honors College to maintain a focus on students enrolled in the college.  There could potentially be a way to develop synergies between the Roan Scholars Leadership Program and the Honors College given overlap in the students served by both units.

In summary, the task force perceives there to be an urgent need to locate and incubate cross-disciplinary or interdisciplinary studies in a neutral college, and that this college could potentially be the Honors College if the scope of the college was expanded and renamed to reflect the expanded scope.  However, interdisciplinary offerings and honors student development are distinct enough that separate units may be warranted.

*For complete Task Force recommendation, refer to page 46 of report.

Response: This recommendation presents an opportunity to highlight the focus that ETSU has on providing high-impact educational practices for all students. These educational experiences positively impact student success, and we believe there is value in combining these units in one entity whose mission, vision, and role is focused on student success across the student population. In following the primary guidance of the Task Force on this issue, we recommend enhancing the scope of the college to provide an opportunity to continue the significant progress that the Honors College has made but also to allow additional growth in study abroad and study away, undergraduate research, and prestigious awards. Additionally, there is a need to provide Cross-disciplinary studies a home in a college that can work with all colleges to strengthen its academic degree programs and impact, including degree options for adult learners and those seeking degree completion options. Placing that unit in this revised unit would provide an opportunity to develop interdisciplinary programs focused on collaborations across the colleges that will impact student success and fosters opportunities to offer high impact educational experiences for students in these programs.

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