CEPS Dean

What is the program’s mission statement or statement of purpose? Why does the program exist?

Our Mission

The mission of the College of Education and Professional Studies (CEPS) at Eastern Illinois University is to provide an educational environment that is conducive to interaction, inquiry, and service. Our goal is to prepare professionals who will advance the intellectual, physical, psychological and social wellbeing of our pluralistic democracy and global society. Offering preparation in varied fields and on multiple levels of study, the College serves a diverse student body at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The College has a reputation for excellence in its programs, strives to hold students to even higher expectations for learning, and is accountable for quality of academic programs and the assessment of learning. The Dean’s Office serves as the administrative center for the College of Education and Professional Studies and serves students from all four academic colleges.

How does the program mission align with the university mission?

The College of Education and Professional Studies Mission Statement is in alignment with the EIU Mission Statement.

Whom does the program serve?

Services Provided

The Dean’s Office provides services for staff, faculty, students, alumni, and friends of the college. Our activities focus on planning, management and oversight of college initiatives; encouragement for initiatives undertaken within individual academic units and outreach programs; graduation certification for undergraduate students; licensure entitlement for all educator preparation programs (current students and alumni in all four academic colleges); alumni re-engagement through the Alumni Board; fundraising activities and stewardship through the Philanthropy Board; scholarship awards; representation on university committees and advisory boards; summer school planning and development; resting place for student and faculty concerns; college budgeting; and college personnel administration.    

The Dean’s Office provides direction and support for the accreditation of all teacher education programs at EIU through COTE, the governing body for teacher education at EIU. COTE sets policy and reviews/approves curricular matters pertaining to all initial and advanced teacher education programs.

What are the services provided? How do these services align with the university mission and program mission?

See previous answer.

Describe the program’s origins (e.g. year established, purpose, expectations).

College History 

Eastern Illinois University was founded as a normal school to prepare teachers and administrators. This remains as a strong feature of our college. The current configuration for the College of Education and Professional Studies occurred in 1993. CEPS academic units include the Departments of Counseling and Student Development; Early Childhood, Elementary and Middle Level Education; Educational Leadership; Health Studies; Kinesiology and Sports Studies; Recreation Administration; Secondary Education and Foundations; Special Education; Student Teaching and Clinical Experiences; as well as the Instructional Technology Center. Eight departments offer undergraduate and/or graduate programs as well as minors.

The Dean’s Office strives to ensure that the educational, programmatic, and service needs of our students, faculty, alumni, and the greater community are met. Reconnecting with alumni and working with current and new donors has been a high priority to ensure the funds are available for student and faculty initiatives. New scholarship support for short term faculty led study abroad programs has made those programs more accessible to a wider audience. Meetings are held with the Administrative Council bi-weekly and the immediate office staff monthly.

How has the unit changed or adapted over time?

See previous answer.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the program’s history and relevance to university mission.

Provide data showing the four-year trend in the number of majors, minors, options, and concentrations.

Provide data showing the four-year trend in student credit hour (SCH) production, percent of SCHs that are general education, and percent of SCHs that are taught to non-majors.

What elements of the program’s curriculum are offered specifically to support other academic majors, minors, options, and concentrations?

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the internal demand for the program. Note any clarifications or special circumstances (e.g., curriculum changes made by another program) that should be considered when reviewing the above data.

Internal Demands for Service

The Dean’s Office oversees the following:

• college budget.
• evaluation of Unit A and B faculty portfolios.
• hiring and training of faculty, staff, and chairs.
• identification and procurement of private support for college and departmental initiatives.
• preparation of reports and information requests.
• college curriculum committee approval processes.
• COTE processes.
• curriculum review and development across all EIU teacher education programs.
• educator licensure entitlement for all four academic colleges.
• undergraduate graduation certification.
• mediation of personnel and student concerns.
• facilitation of student related academic requests (changing majors).
• CEPS Alumni Board and Philanthropy Board.
• CEPS summer school offerings.
• representation at university committees and boards.
• preparation of grant proposals to support college programs.
• accreditation and reaccreditation for academic programs.
• telefund and other awards for faculty and students which includes funds for scholarships and research projects.
• graduate assistantships focused on technology, student support, and constituent relations.

The Dean’s Office has numerous interactions with CEPS’s 166 faculty and staff on a weekly basis via personal appointments, phone calls, e-mails, or meetings. CEPS’s students, faculty, advisors, prospective students, parents, and other EIU staff members are served by our graduation certification staff via e-mails, phone calls, drop-in appointments with an average of 15,000 contacts per year.

Educator licensure questions have increased with the new state regulations. Routinely, this positon deals with over 5200 phone calls, e-mails, walk-in and scheduled appointments yearly with students, alumni, and administrators. In addition, meetings are held for all teacher education candidates monthly.

The Instructional Technology Center (ITC) serves numerous individuals. On a yearly basis, over 80,000 individuals use the services of this facility. The services include technology assistance, Uniprint, lamination, bulletin board materials, and checkout of equipment (video, audio, laptops, cameras, netbook and iPad carts). The ITC provides Classroom Technology Proficiencies for between 600 and 800 students yearly.      

List relevant data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Outlook Handbook, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) New Graduate Salary Survey, and the EIU Career Services Annual Report.

Is the program accredited or approved by a recognized external agency or otherwise certified to meet established professional standards? Provide an executive summary of and link to the program’s most recent accreditation or certification report, if available.

Is the program required to meet any regulatory or legal requirements? Is the program subject to any special auditing requirements?

What are the most important outreach or public service activities supported by the program?

How do the local community and the region benefit from the program?

If needed, provide supplemental comments or data sources to help the reader understand the external demand for the program.

External Expectations and Community Involvement

CEPS outreach efforts extend beyond the university to the local community, ISBE, and the P-12 districts across Illinois. A strategic effort has been made to re-engage and recognize CEPS alumni and donors. Examples include:

• establishment of the CEPS Alumni Board to help re-engage our alumni.
• establishment of the CEPS Philanthropy Board to assist in identifying potential donors and friends for the college.
• creation of a yearly alumni publication Connections which is now sent to over 28,500 alumni and friends of CEPS. Endowment donors and friends receive a personalized copy from the Dean.
• quarterly publication of the electronic newsletter The Chat Room which is sent to 12,500 alumni and friends of CEPS.
• creation of the annual CEPS Alumni Awards Program.
• recognize every gift to the CEPS or any department on a weekly basis with a personal thank you note from the Dean.
• recognize each new endowment with a special token of appreciation.
• annual stewardship of local endowment donors with a short reception and tickets to the “Call to Duty Concert.”
• Establishment of the CEPS Winetasting Fundraiser where $7000 was raised in 2011 and $17,000 was raised in 2013. All funds raised went to support CEPS initiatives.
• strategic support for EIU’s faculty-staff campaign with a 72% participation rate in 2012 and an 82% participation rate in 2013.
• phone calls, luncheons, and/or dinners with donors and their scholarship winners or potential donors.
• nomination of alumni and/or friends of CEPS for numerous campus award programs as well as community sponsored awards.
• participation in numerous events hosted by other entities at EIU: Homecoming Tent, Legacy Celebration; Alumni Association and Athletics sponsored functions.
• requests for EIU practicum students, student teachers, and alumni from teachers and administrators in school districts across Illinois.
• requests from school districts and regional offices of education to establish both bachelor’s and master’s level cohorts inside and outside our service area.
• requests from ISBE for teacher education data and/or information on a routine basis.
• facilitate requests for education related volunteer requests with local school districts.

If needed, provide supplemental comments or data sources to help the reader understand the quality of program outcomes.

Ensuring Quality Academic Programing

CEPS sustains and creates partnerships between faculty, students and community agencies, including business, industry and P-12 schools. Administration, faculty and staff are committed to design and implement programs that reflect our changing society. All students participate in field-based experiences that bridge the gap between theory and practice. Students are prepared to be leaders in their professions and can integrate technology effectively and responsibly in both their personal and professional lives. Graduates demonstrate respect for the dignity of individuals because they have seen it modeled and integrated in their college experience.

• All educator preparation programs at EIU are accredited by NCATE – National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, approved by their respective SPA, as well as being approved by ISBE – Illinois State Board of Education.
• Other academic programs in CEPS are recognized by their respective accreditors: CAATE - Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education; CAHEA - Committee on Allied Health Education and Accreditation; CACREP - Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Programs; NRPA/AALR -National Recreation and Parks Association /American Association for Leisure and Recreation; CASS - College Association of Student Services; and SOPHE/SABPAC/AAHE - Society for Public Health Education.
• Fully fund all accreditation costs in CEPS including yearly fees and all costs associated with site team visits to EIU.
• Support accredited programs by purchasing necessary equipment.
• Assist with the IBHE program reviews noting the areas of strengths as well as the areas for change/improvement.
• Assist with the preparation of IBHE documents for new programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
• Prepare Title II Report, AACTE-PEDS Report, and annual NCATE Report.
• Maintain and disseminate assessment data for teacher education programs through LiveText.
• Responsible for teacher education across all four academic colleges.
• Prepare the ISBE data tables for Annual Program Reports.
• Submit all Annual Program Reports to ISBE.
• Provide data to departments for the multiple reports completed on a yearly basis.
• Support the efforts of departments in developing their applications for EIU’s Graduate School First Choice Designation.
• Support the CAA Learning Goal Analysis efforts.
• Encourage departments to engage in the process to have their graduate programs designated as First Choice.

Note any special benefits (e.g., personnel support, equipment, permanent improvements) that the program has received in the past three years from its grants and other sponsored programs.

How does the program benefit from donor gifts (e.g., scholarships, endowed chairs)? Does donor support provide a significant percentage of the program’s overall funding?

List two or three key relationships that the program maintains with external constituencies (e.g., community colleges, other universities, government bodies). How do these relationships advance the university mission or otherwise benefit the university?

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the resources generated by the program. Note any clarifications or special circumstances (e.g., revenue pass-throughs) that should be considered when reviewing the above data.

Instructional Technology Center

• Money generated from the materials purchased by students is used to replace the materials.

Development/Philanthropy Efforts

• Stewardship and maintaining relationships with donors are a high priority for the Dean’s Office and stewardship. Cards are routinely sent for a donor’s birthday and in early November to thank them for their generosity and support of CEPS. As a result, we have seen donors provide more support for CEPS.
• Our annual winetasting fundraiser has been a success in supporting programs across the College. The CEPS Winetasting Fundraiser raised $7000 in 2011, $12,000 in 2012, and $17,000 in 2013. The money raised has supported iPad carts, manikins with computer chips imbedded for CPR effectiveness, equipment for KSS and REC, faculty mentored undergraduate research, and student awards for faculty led short term study abroad programs.
• Connections is one way we let our alumni and friends know where their money goes. By featuring what has been purchased or how students have benefitted from a scholarship/award, we are seeing more people deciding to endow scholarships. For FY14, we gave out 108 scholarships/awards for a total of $138,459.

Summer School

• During the past 1 ½ years, the CEPS Administrative Council has been discussing innovations that could be used to increase summer school attendance, thereby increasing revenue. During Summer 2014, we will see the initial implementation of some of these ideas.
• Use of summer school offerings to increase enrollment during the summer and linking to our programs to help increase enrollment during the academic year.

Grants

• Personnel from the Dean’s Office are PI’s on grants involving teacher education.
• An assistant to the dean is available to work with faculty on the budget portion of any CEPS grant proposal.

Curricular Offerings

• Personnel are active participants in statewide IAI meetings.
• The Dean’s Office encourages departments to look at their large feeder community colleges and create 2+2 agreements.
• An Alternative Certification Program was offered until last year that provided another way for individuals to obtain their licensure. Resources generated offset much of the cost of the program.

MTIEP

• A spring program is held to encourage minority middle and high school students to consider coming to EIU in the future. A summer camp is help for high school students with a focus on helping them prepare to be successful in college.

Criminal Background Checks

• Money was collected to offset the cost of processing the paperwork. This is now handled by an outside vendor and no additional revenue will be collected.

Post-Bacc Evaluations

• Money is collected for transcript evaluation prior to admission to a post-bacc teacher education program.

Key Relationships

• ISBE
• Area P-12 and ROE Administrators and other School District Personnel
• Community Colleges
• CEPS Alumni and Philanthropy Boards

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the productivity of the program. Note any clarifications or special circumstances (e.g., accreditation requirements, curricular changes, program restructuring) that should be considered when reviewing the above data.

The CEPS Dean’s Office is an excellent steward of appropriated dollars. Some examples of cost saving measures follow.

• CEPS holds the equipment portion of the budget centrally in order to find the lowest price for the items we ordered and have been able to obtain quantity discounts. While the numbers appear to show a huge budget centrally, most of the items purchased from this budget are for faculty and staff across the College.
• By sending postcards to the majority of alumni and actual copies of Connections to donors and alumni graduating prior to 1980, CEPS reduced the cost of printing, publishing, and mailing the publication by over $6000. In FY14, e-mail was used to notify recipients and we reduced the cost by $2000.
• The Chat Room has been sent using a listserv for many years. This year we will change to a new system making it easier to manage and more cost effective.
• Graduation certification officers make use of the electronic degree audits and e-mail when corresponding with students to save on paper and printing expenses.
• The Director of the ITC routinely updates department chairs, faculty and staff about free or inexpensive technology innovations.
• Accreditation costs are paid by the Dean’s Office and with careful planning, we have not had to pay for more than one site visit per academic year which helps to balance the budget.
• CEPS uses the new scholarship web interface designed by Financial Aid to designate scholarship recipients.
• Unit A and Unit B faculty have full teaching loads and many are currently in an overload status.
• Faculty, staff, and students all utilize the technology training opportunities by CATS.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the costs associated with the program. Note any clarifications or special circumstances (e.g., expenditures made centrally or externally, expenditures made on behalf of other units) that should be considered when reviewing the above data.

The CEPS Dean’s Office has been creative and economical in the use of resources – both human and financial.

• Over the past four years, units under the Dean’s Office have been consolidated in order to use our support staff more effectively. Two staff members (1 ½ FTE) retired and one staff (1 FTE) member passed away. None of the positions (2 ½ FTE) were replaced. Two graduate assistants were hired to provide technical technology assistance for the ITC – a greater need than a clerical position. The clerk in the Dean’s Office now spends a portion of her time in the ITC providing clerical support.
• Equipment reserve money is held centrally and most CEPS equipment is purchased centrally. This allows us to take advantage of discounts offered when purchasing large numbers of items (ie: computers). Smaller pieces of equipment are purchased departmentally.
• TRM monies come directly to CEPS and are distributed to the appropriate departments.
• Telefund money is held in the Dean’s account but each department is notified by the CEPS Development Committee of the funds available to them for scholarships and/or faculty support.
• CEPS reduced the cost of printing, publishing, and mailing Connections during the past few years – even with the increasing numbers of CEPS alumni, postage and printing costs. (FY 11 $6059, FY12 $9803, FY13 $9985, and FY14 $7979)
• One assistant to the dean focuses on personnel and budgeting while monitoring the following budget line items:
• civil service pay deficits.
• faculty pay deficits (new faculty salaries, temp extra help, overload CU pay).
• faculty travel paid by Dean’s Office.
• faculty search expenses.
• new faculty moving expenses.

How does the program seek to distinguish itself from similar programs at other institutions?

Note any unique and/or essential contributions that the program makes to the university.

Provide any program-specific metrics that help to document program contributions or program quality. Examples of some commonly used program-specific metrics may be found here.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the program impact on the university mission.

CEPS faculty and staff engage in numerous initiatives that support EIU’s mission.

• All undergraduate and graduate programs include practica/fieldwork/internships/student teaching as required components of a degree program.
• Eight different faculty led short term study abroad programs to have been developed and offered by CEPS faculty from six different academic departments. (Bahamas, Toronto, Ireland, Serbia, China, Germany, India, and Great Britain) One additional program to Montreal is under development.
• Fundraising efforts in 2013 and 2014 are focused on supporting CEPS students participating in CEPS faculty led short term study abroad programs.
• Faculty in KSS established a faculty exchange program with the University of Winchester. This resulted in our students going to Winchester for a short term study abroad program and their faculty and students visiting EIU in Fall 2013.
• CEPS is a member of COST (Consortium for Overseas Student Teaching) and sends up to 10 student teachers abroad every year.
• The CEPS Minority Recruitment and Retention Committee focuses attention on how we might be better able to recruit and retain both faculty and students in CEPS.
• Faculty routinely mentor undergraduates participating in NCUR and a CEPS student(s) has attended every year.
• CEPS graduate faculty routinely involve groups of students (undergraduate and graduate) in research projects resulting in numerous refereed presentations and publications.

Provide a link to or listing of the program’s goals and/or strategic plan.

What role will the program have in the implementation of the university’s strategic plan (provide link to strategic plan)?

What are the program’s two or three most promising opportunities that could help advance the university’s academic mission? Provide an estimate of additional investments or other costs required and additional student credit hours, revenue, or other resources generated.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand future opportunities for the program.

A brief listing of future opportunities for CEPS follows.

• Teacher Assessment Support Center (TASC) – provides support to EIU students as they navigate the state testing requirements to become a teacher.
• Provide support for the integration of the edTPA-a new licensure requirement in Illinois beginning 2015.
• Instructional Technology Center (ITC) – provides low to high technology support for students, staff and faculty as well as the equipment and materials to create unique bulletin boards.
• New academic programs – created based on a needs analysis and inventory of programs at EIU and statewide along with employment outlook and trend data.
• Adult and Community Education – B.S. (At IBHE for review and approval)
• Health Promotion and Leadership – M.S. (Approved by CEPS Curriculum Committee 11-11-13)
• Graduate Certificate Program in English as a Second Language Instruction– Collaborative effort among these departments – EC/ELE/MLE, SED, CSD, FLG, and ENG
• Enhancing the faculty led short term study abroad offerings in CEPS.
• Expanding the departments who are mentoring students attending NCUR.
• Cross-training CEPS staff so that there is always someone available to answer questions asked by students, faculty, advisors, parents, other EIU personnel, or prospective students.
• Expanding our partnerships with Community Colleges through the use of 2+2 agreements and other creative methods of program delivery.
• Supporting the implementation of improvements recommended by the Quality Endowment Process Management Committee. These improvements should result in future cost-savings as well as enhanced donor satisfaction and increased gifts to the University and the College.