School of Arts and Sciences
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he School of Arts and Sciences took advantage of a year of introspection to fully assess its programs and determine which of its programs were viable and which would benefit from fresh perspective. The School also made increased communication among administration, fulltime faculty, and adjunct faculty a priority. In order to do this, Arts and Sciences implemented a strategy to use more fully Blackboard technology. All courses were required to develop a Blackboard shell. Specific Blackboard groups, called Math Folks and Science Folks, were instituted as a resource for adjunct faculty, a communal virtual space for sharing syllabi, sample exams, and project suggestions. Shelley Robbins, PhD, as Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences, offered increasingly complex “Brown Bag” lunches, designed to train faculty how to use the more sophisticated tools offered by Blackboard. After a comprehensive review of the undergraduate psychology program, a 4+2 option was approved and launched in Summer I (2013), allowing students in the Bachelors programs in Criminal Justice, Psychology, or Sociology to seamlessly pursue their graduate degree in Counseling Psychology. Additionally two new courses—Psychopharmacology and a History and Systems course—were developed and approved. Another exciting launch was the PreMed Club. Led by students, this club replaced the facultyled PreHealth Care Committee and enjoyed immediate recruitment benefits as well as expert mentoring from alumni and faculty. Finally, three blogs were developed to share division news: one covering math and sciences research and scholarship at the University (http://hfumathandsciences.wordpress.com/), one showcasing the exhibitions in our art gallery (http://holyfamilyartgallery.wordpress.com/), and one highlighting faculty scholarship in the Arts, Communications, and Humanities (http:// hfuhumanities.wordpress.com/).
School of Business Administration
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he 2012-13 academic year brought dramatic change to the School of Business Administration (SBA). There was a complete turnover in
leadership within the School, as Drs. J. Barry Dickinson and Bernice M. Purcell were appointed Dean and Associate Dean, respectively, at the beginning of the academic year. The SBA was merged with the formerly named Division of Extended Learning (DEL). A new academic unit rose from the reorganization, called the School of Business Administration and Extended Learning (SBAEL). This change brings plentiful opportunities for the future. Since the SBA is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), the degree granting programs of the former DEL will now need to go through the accreditation process. The end result will be an enhancement of the academic rigor and program experience for the students and graduates. Furthermore, the reorganization will allow them to eventually share common classes, faculty, and events. This will give students more flexibility in scheduling classes, a more rounded educational experience through the broadening of the variety of professors from whom they learn, and an expanded social and professional network to tap for career opportunities. On the academic front, a number of new programs and initiatives were brought forward. First, the SBA successfully gained approval for its new business core. As of the Fall 2013 term, new business students in all concentrations will be required to take a new group of common courses. These courses will provide a more realistic business foundation for students and prepare them for the demands of today’s marketplace. The new core includes Introduction to Business, Management Information Systems, Organizational Behavior, International Business, and Project Management. The SBA also added a new Minor in Business, which will be available to all Holy Family students in the Fall 2013. Additionally, new dual-concentration programs were approved in Accounting-Finance and Management/Marketing-International Business. On the graduate side of the school, both the Master in Information Systems and Human Resources Management programs went through a major overhaul. New entrance requirements were added to ensure incoming graduate students have the expected business skills necessary to be successful. New applicants who do not have
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