Commission on Colleges

Commission on Colleges

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

DOCUMENTATION FOR THE SUBSTANTIVE CHANGE COMMITTEE

For use with the following types of changes:

· Initiating off-campus sites (where a student can obtain 50% or more credits toward a degree program)

· Initiating a branch campus

Initiating distance learning programs offered electronically (where a student can obtain 50% or more credits toward a degree program)

Name of the Institution: The College of William & Mary

Nature of the Substantive Change: Initiating an off-campus site

Date: May 2-3, 2007

By signing below, we attest to the following:

1. That The College of William and Mary in Virginia (name of institution) has attached a complete and accurate overview of the proposed Substantive Change.

2. That The College of William and Mary in Virginia (name of institution) has provided complete and accurate disclosure of timely information regarding compliance with the selected sections of the Principles of Accreditation affected by this Substantive Change.

Name and signature of the President:

_________________________________

Gene R. Nichol, President

Name and signature of the Accreditation Liaison:

__________________________________

Lorne Kuffel, SACS Liaison

COC Staff Member assigned to the Institution: Donna Wilkinson

Part I. Overview

A. Describe the proposed change. Include the location, initial date of implementation, projected number of students, primary target audience, and instructional delivery methods. For new off-campus sites or branch campuses, list the educational programs to be offered and the degrees/certificates/diplomas to be granted. For initiation of electronic distance learning, list all programs for which 50 percent or more of the program’s credits will be available via electronic delivery.

The School of Business Executive MBA program began offering classes in Williamsburg in January 1985. During the history of the program, there was consistent interest from executives in the Northern Virginia region. In some entering classes, as many as seven students were from this area for the twenty-month program. In 2003, the School decided to expand the program to the Northern Virginia market, offering the courses in Reston, Virginia. The target enrollment for both Williamsburg and Northern Virginia is 28 to 34 students entering every January. All classes are taught by full time William and Mary Business School faculty. The student profile of our typical entering Executive MBA class is shown below.

Profile of the Executive MBA Program Students
Male/Female (%)	70/30
Median Age	37
Minorities	20%
Graduate Degrees	30% (15% with doctorates)
Average Work Experience	12 years
Example of Job Titles	President/Owner; Physician; VP/Executive Director; Manager
Median Income	$85,000
Average GMAT	580
Enrollment	28-32 students

The College offers degrees at the bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and professional levels. The College of Arts and Sciences offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees. The School of Business offers bachelor's and master's degrees. The School of Education offers master's, education specialist, and doctoral degrees. The School of Law offers a doctoral and the LL.M. American Legal System degree.

The Executive M.B.A. program requires 48 credit hours earned over a five-semester program. Each two credit hour course has 13 to 15 sessions of one and one-half hours each. The Global Strategy course includes an international residency of 12 days with several company visits, lectures from host country institutions, and presentations from government officials. This is a three credit-hour course.

The School of Business offers masters' degrees in business administration (M.B.A.) through full-time, evening (part-time), and Executive M.B.A. program formats, and a full-time Master of Accounting (MAC) degree. Requirements for the successful completion of all graduate programs in the School of Business Administration include a graduating GPA of at least 2.75.

The William and Mary Executive M.B.A. program is designed to help mid-level and executive management professionals maintain an active career while earning an M.B.A. degree. The Executive M.B.A. program is a 20-month academic program with classes entering only in January. The Executive MBA Program provides a curriculum and method of approach that builds on the basics of business management to prepare working professionals to take on greater responsibilities and escalating challenges. The focus is on providing students – executives and managers with a minimum of 6 years professional experience – with the skills necessary to advance their careers. Students explore the fundamental theorem in managerial economics, finance and analysis, accounting, marketing management, organizational behavior and change management, quantitative methods and other business essentials.

There are two sections of the Executive MBA program, one conducted in Williamsburg and the other offered in Reston, Virginia. The program operates over five semesters, including two summers. There are 48 credit hours in the program. Required classes include 42 credit hours in the "lock step" programmatic format. Students select the elective classes during the final semester of the program. Each two credit hour course has 13 to 15 sessions of one and one-half hours each, including those held during the residency weeks. In comparison, the standard two-credit course involves 100 minutes of instruction each week for 13.5 weeks. Between the fourth and fifth semester there is a 12-day international study residency that usually includes two countries. Incorporated in this international experience are academic presentations, meetings with government officials, and several visits with corporate executives. This is a three credit-hour course. The total hours of instruction, approximately six hours each day for 12 days, far exceed the standard for the traditional three-credit course (two and half hours of instruction each week for 13.5 weeks.).

B. Discuss the rationale for the change. Provide evidence of the legal authority for the change. List institutional strengths that facilitate implementing the proposed change.

Requests from executives in the Northern Virginia area and market analyses resulted in the decision to expand the program to Reston, Virginia in January 2003. The School of Business faculty were involved in the Northern Virginia Executive MBA program evaluation and planning process from the beginning of the study phase in 2000. A study was completed of the market need for the addition of a new section (site) in Northern Virginia by the administration and our School of Business Foundation. The proposal to extend the program to Northern Virginia was discussed in the School of Business Faculty Advisory Committee and approved by the Faculty Affairs committee. The Provost approved the addition of a new section. No approval was required from the State Council of Higher Education since there was no change in the degree and curriculum was the same.

The Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools approves significant substantive changes in degree offerings, following approval of the relevant faculty, dean, Provost, Board of Visitors, and the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia (SCHEV). All of the schools have curriculum committees that review degree requirements, courses, and programs for their curricula. The deans, the Provost, the Board of Visitors, and SCHEV must approve all degree programs. The Bylaws, School of Business Administration, Article IV, Section 1 describe the relevant policy. Article V, Section 5 describes the responsibilities of the Curriculum Committee.

The added Northern Virginia section for the existing Executive MBA program is designed to meet the educational needs of professionals in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Those needs previously were met by the university only in the Williamsburg market through the William and Mary graduate program. The added section is taught in Reston, Virginia to serve professionals in the northern Virginia area. The curriculum and faculty for both sections are the same.

Core Requirement 2.1. The institution has degree-granting authority from the appropriate government agency or agencies. Code of Virginia Title 23 Chapter 5 Sections 23-46 (attached) authorizes the College of William and Mary's Board of Visitors to confer degrees. No approval was required from the State Council of Higher Education because there was no change in the degree, the faculty and the curriculum are the same as for the existing program, and no state appropriations were requested for the program.

Some evidence of the quality of our academic programs can be found in the external evaluations provided by various rankings and polls (see About William and Mary). For example, U.S. News and World Report ranks the College sixth among public universities in the nation and 31st among the nation's best universities. The Financial Times ranked the Business School at 49th internationally and Forbes Magazine rated the MBA program at 23rd nationally. The Executive MBA program was ranked 33rd in the nation by Financial Times.

Part II. Impact of the proposed expansion on selected requirements in the Principles of Accreditation

2.4 The institution has a clearly defined, comprehensive, and published mission statement that is specific to the institution and appropriate for higher education. The mission addresses teaching and learning and, where applicable, research and public service. ( Institutional Mission)

See College of William and Mary Mission Statement.

As noted above, the mission statement was approved by the Graduate and Professional Student Association, the Student Association Council, the Faculty Assembly, and by the Board of Visitors in 1994. It was reviewed and confirmed by faculty, staff, and the Board of Visitors in 1999 as a part of the review of the 1993-1994 strategic plan. (see William and Mary Mission Statement in School of Business webpage.)

2.5 The institution engages in ongoing, integrated, and institution-wide research-based planning and evaluation processes that (1) incorporate a systematic review of institutional mission, goals, and outcomes; (2) result in continuing improvement in institutional quality; and (3) demonstrate the institution is effectively accomplishing its mission. (Institutional Effectiveness).

The College engages in ongoing, integrated, and institution-wide research-based planning and evaluation, which over the past 15 years, has become increasingly intentional and transparent. The College undertook an institution-wide strategic planning effort in 1993, which resulted in a plan "to guide the College through the first years of its fourth century with the goal of making it 'the best, small public university in the nation'" (Strategic Plan: Into the Fourth Century). These strategic planning efforts resulted in major structural changes, including the elimination of a number of M. A. programs, and a streamlining of administrative efforts, all oriented to more effective and efficient accomplishment of the mission. The planning efforts also produced a set of principles to operationalize the College's mission. Faculty, staff, and the Board of Visitors reviewed and affirmed the Strategic Plan in 1999. (See 1999 Planning Principles.)

The expanded Executive MBA program is consistent with the following principles:

William and Mary, recognizing its special responsibility to the citizens of Virginia, will serve as a resource to the local, state, national and global communities and enhance its own programs by interacting with these communities.
William and Mary will seek and allocate resources in a manner consistent with its commitment to quality as well as national and international stature in selected programs.

The off-site review team examined information on institutional planning and evaluation in the fall of 2005 and found that the College is in compliance.

2.7.1 The institution offers one or more degree programs based on at least 60 semester credit hours or the equivalent at the associate level; at least 120 semester credit hours or the equivalent at the baccalaureate level; or at least 30 semester credit hours or the equivalent at the post-baccalaureate, graduate, or professional level. If an institution uses a unit other than semester credit hours, it provides an explanation for the equivalency. The institution also provides a justification for all degrees that include fewer than the required number of semester credit hours or its equivalent unit. (Program Length).

All William and Mary schools use the semester credit hour as the unit of credit. A semester encompasses 14.5 weeks. Three-credit courses serve as the standard. These courses meet for 50 minutes for each of a minimum of 41 class sessions in the semester. Courses that meet on a Tuesday/Thursday schedule involve slightly more contact hours. The Executive M.B.A. program requires 48 credit hours, with 42 of those credits earned in a “lock step” program format that ensures appropriate contact hour content (see the discussion of Comprehensive Standard 3.6.1). Each two credit hour course has 13 to 15 sessions of one and one-half hours each. The Global Strategy course includes an international residency of 12 days with several company visits, lectures from host country institutions, and presentations from government officials. This is a three credit-hour course.

All courses and degree programs are approved by faculty curriculum committees in the schools. These committees determine appropriate course levels. Courses numbered below 500 receive undergraduate credit. Those above earn graduate credit. Only those who are enrolled as post-baccalaureate students can earn graduate credit.

The College of William and Mary follows the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) guidelines. All educational programs meet the standards for their respective accrediting bodies.

2.7.2 The institution offers degree programs that embody a coherent course of study that is compatible with its stated purpose and is based upon fields of study appropriate to higher education. (Program Content)

College-level curriculum committees, school deans, the Provost, the College's Board of Visitors, the State Council of Higher Education in Virginia (SCHEV) and the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (COC/SACS) review and approve all academic degree programs. There are similar arrangements in the Schools of Business, Education, and Law (see Bylaws, School of Business Administration, Article IV, Section 1, Bylaws of the Faculty of the School of Education, Section 1.3, College of William and Mary School of Law Bylaws).

In addition to reviews within the institution, state, and region, the School of Business is accredited by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business, and the Executive M.B.A. program is accredited by the International Association for Management Education. These accrediting agencies examine and review the School’s programs, curricula, and faculty.

2.8 The number of full-time faculty members is adequate to support the mission of the institution and to ensure the quality and integrity of its academic programs. (Faculty)

Include a description of the processes in place to ensure that students have structured access to faculty. For graduate programs, include documentation of the scholarship and research capability of faculty. For doctoral programs, include documentation of faculty experience in directing dissertation research.

The College of William and Mary has sufficient faculty to ensure the quality and integrity of its academic programs. Over the past eleven years, the number of full-time faculty at the College has remained rather stable, averaging 571 per year. The number of part-time faculty has increased, adding 45 part-time faculty members since 1994. This growth in qualified part-time faculty has helped fortify the academic program as student enrollments rose especially at the undergraduate level and as the research and public service demands of the full-time faculty increased.

Full-time faculty teach 80% of all course enrollments. Part-time faculty members are responsible for 12% of the total student course enrollments, with the remaining 8% taught by administrative and professional staff with faculty credentials, teaching assistants, and other staff.

The faculty teaching in the Northern Virginia section are full-time faculty in the School of Business. The new program funds the entire faculty needed to teach in the program. Generally, a faculty member who teaches in the Executive MBA program will teach both the Williamsburg and Northern Virginia sections for the semester which constitutes the course load for the semester. See attached Executive M.B.A. Faculty Roster. The Roster presents their academic preparation, course assignments, and any additional notes that support their experience or ability to teach their assigned courses. Twenty-one faculty members taught in the Executive M.B.A. program in the 2004-2005 academic year. With approximately 60 students in the program, the student-faculty ratio is approximately 3 to 1.

The College's commitment to faculty development in the area of research has been embodied primarily in its program of Summer Research Grants and Semester Research Assignments. The total amount of research funding and number of participants in this program for the past three years has been as follows:

2002 to 2003:

$540,000
30 Faculty research assignments
33 Summer research grants

2003 to 2004:

$660,000
30 Faculty research assignments
30 Summer research grants

2004 to 2005:

$884,000
45 Faculty research assignments
31 Summer research grants

See Faculty Research Committee Annual Reports.

In addition, most department, programs, and schools are able to provide some support for faculty members to travel to regional and national professional meetings to present papers.

Each year funding provided by the Roy R. Charles Center supports an interdisciplinary program of May seminars, faculty reading groups, and a university-wide teaching project. The May Seminar Program awards faculty grants that support teaching and curriculum development projects. The Faculty Reading Group program encourages intellectual discussion and exchange on important new books of general interest to a number of faculty members.

The University Teaching Project models good teaching practices at the same time that it institutionalizes a dialogue on good teaching practices across campus.

The School of Business participates in the college-wide Faculty Research Award program. This program awards tenured faculty members up to one year off (at 80% salary). The awards are made on a competitive basis so past research productivity is rewarded. The School also has a policy of allowing faculty members to take leaves of absence to participate in activities that clearly are important for professional development. For example, in 2003-04 one of our accounting faculty members was on leave for a year to pursue a project at the SEC; this past year another faculty member was granted a semester leave, and partial income support, for a Fulbright Fellowship. The School grants each faculty member one day per week to pursue outside consulting or related work activities that contribute to the faculty member's practical knowledge of his field.

2.9 The institution, through ownership or formal arrangements or agreements, provides and supports student and faculty access and user privileges to adequate library collections as well as to other learning/information resources consistent with the degrees offered. Collections and resources are sufficient to support all its educational, research, and public service programs. (Learning Resources and Services)

Describe library and information resources – general as well as program specific – and staffing and services that are in place to support the new site or delivery system. If reliant upon other libraries, describe those collections and their relevance to the programs offered and include a copy of formal agreements in the appendix. Relative to electronic resources, describe how students and faculty will access information, how training for faculty and students in the use of online resources will be provided, and what staffing and services will be available to students and faculty.

The School of Business has a dedicated high-speed data communication link from the educational center in Reston back to campus. There is a wireless network available to faculty and students in the facility as well. As part of the Executive MBA program, each student receives a notebook computer with necessary software to meet all the course requirements. On-line library resources are available to all our graduate students including those located in Northern Virginia. The Executive MBA program has on call technical support for our staff and on class days for students and faculty.

The classroom in Reston is a tiered design that will seat 34 students. The classroom includes white boards, video projector, VCR, DVD, TV and video conferencing capability. There is wireless access for the notebook computers and power outlets at each seat.

Students have access to all the on-line resources available to any student. The program provides technical support during class days.

Collections

Swem Library's collection includes 1,276,876 cataloged volumes; 1,463,470 microforms; 594,082 government publications; 23,143 maps; 5,404 print periodicals and serials; 28,888 multi-media materials; and 11,816 linear feet of manuscripts and archives. In addition to the main library, Swem Library has separate libraries for Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Music, and Physics. Additional William and Mary libraries serve the Schools of Business Administration, Education, Law, and Marine Science.

The library offers many electronic resources, including an online catalog (LION) and access to more than 200 databases and 10,000 electronic journals. These are available through Swem's home page (Swem Library) and controlled by a proxy server for off-campus access.

SOLINET/OCLC, is the library's backbone utility for the creation of the online catalog, interlibrary loan activities, technical services support and staff training opportunities as well as additional discounted electronic resource licenses.

CRL, the Center for Research Libraries, loans specialized research materials to faculty and students. WRL, the Williamsburg Research Libraries is a local consortium of William and Mary and Colonial Williamsburg libraries providing a joint online catalog with unified access to the holdings of both libraries, adding particular strength for research in colonial history. The Tidewater Library Consortium allows students and faculty of higher education institutions in Hampton Roads to borrow materials from member libraries.

Representatives of all campus libraries meet three or four times each year with the Library Policy Advisory Committee, a provost-appointed committee composed of faculty, undergraduate and graduate students, and chaired by a faculty member. (See LPAC members for 2004-2005 for a list of recent members.) The committee considers issues of service, collections policies and expenditures, and concerns brought by students and faculty. A review of LPAC Minutes reveals the active participation of representatives from Arts and Sciences, Business, Education, Law, and Marine Sciences in monitoring the adequacy and availability of library resources. (See, for example, LPAC Minutes for February 24, 2005 and Minutes April 3, 2003.)

The off-site external review team examined information on library resources in the fall of 2005 and found that the College is in compliance.

2.10 The institution provides student support programs, services, and activities consistent with its mission that promote student learning and enhance the development of its students. (Student Support Services)

The College of William and Mary grants degrees at the bachelor's through doctoral levels. The enrollment total is 7,650 of whom approximately 5,700 are undergraduates. Services described as "student support" overlap with those that may be called academic support. William and Mary provides a broad array of both types of service through both academic departments, programs, and schools and through the Division of Student Affairs.

The School of Business provides academic services to both undergraduate and graduate students, including a Career Center, support for study abroad, and the MBA Association.

The College ensures that the general education and program degree requirements conform to commonly accepted standards and practices through explicit articulation of learning expectations, through the Process of Institutional Effectiveness (see also Process of Institutional Effectiveness for Academic Departments and Programs), and through the long-term and continuous use of external program reviews. The School of Business is accredited by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business. The Executive M.B.A. is accredited by the International Association for Management Education.

2.11.1 The institution has a sound financial base and demonstrated financial stability to support the mission of the institution and the scope of its programs and services.

The member institution provides the following financial statements: (a) an institutional audit (or Standard Review Report issued in accordance with Statements on Standards for Accounting and Review Services issued by the AICPA for those institutions audited as part of a systemwide or statewide audit) and written institutional management letter for the most recent fiscal year prepared by an independent certified public accountant and/or an appropriate governmental auditing agency employing the appropriate audit (or Standard Review Report) guide; (b) a statement of financial position of unrestricted net assets, exclusive of plant assets and plant-related debt, which represents the change in unrestricted net assets attributable to operations for the most recent year; and, (c) an annual budget that is preceded by sound planning, is subject to sound fiscal procedures, and is approved by the governing board. (Resources)

Include a business plan that includes the following: