Faculty Senate Meeting - February 24, 2020
Subject: Faculty Senate Electronic Meeting Minutes
Attendance: Andrey Simonov (Chair), Sijie Sun (Vice Chair), Terrance Jalbert, Keisuke Nakao, Todd Inouye, Sukhwa Hong, Amirhossein Mohammadian, Kimberly Furumo, Angela Faanunu, Benjamin Zenk, James Czarski, Deborah Hughes, Helen Tien, Emmeline de Pillis (ex officio),
Topics:
- Accept the minutes from prior face-to-face and electronic meetings
Report: The minutes include Senate Meeting 08/28/19, Faculty Senate Meeting 9/18/2019, Faculty Senate Electronic Meeting 9/23-9/27/2019, and Faculty Senate Electronic Meeting 9/30-10/31/2019.
Actions:
• Sijie Sun moved to motion, and the motion was seconded by Sukhwa Hong.
• The motion was approved with 9 votes in favor, 0 against, 1 abstained.
- Change prerequisites for Fin 322 (attached below) and Remove the prerequisites for Fin 220 (attached below)
Report:
• Change the prerequisites on Finance 322, Corporate Finance to remove ACC 202 as a prerequisite.
Current Prerequisites: Pre of C or better in Fin 320; C or better in ACC 202.
Proposed Prerequisite: Pre of C or Better in Finance 320.
Reason, The Finance 320 prerequisite is sufficient for the course. Removing the ACC 202 requirement will reduce course sequencing congestion for a few of our students.
• Remove the prerequisites on Fin 220, Personal Finance
Current Prerequisite: Sophomore Standing
Proposed Requirement: No Prerequisites
Reason: The course is intended as an introductory course and as such, the prerequisite is excessively restrictive. The course is also being incorporated into the University’s Financial Literacy Initiative. To serve optimally in that role, it needs to be available to freshmen.
Actions:
• Terrance Jalbert moved to motion, and the motion was seconded by Kimberly Furumo.
• The motion was approved with 10 votes in favor, 0 against, 0 abstained.
Discuss changing prerequisites for other classes. Dr. Furumo will talk about prerequisites for QBA classes.
Renaming BUS400 from “Internship” into “Senior Business Internship”.
Report: As above
Actions:
• Andrey Simonov moved to motion, and the motion was seconded by Terrance Jalbert.
• The motion was approved with 12 votes in favor, 0 against, 0 abstained.
- Vote on WASC essay "The Meaning of the Degree” with the proposed changes.
Report: Appendix A.
Actions:
• Amirhossein Mohammadian made modification on Page 5.
• Andrey Simonov moved to motion, and the motion was seconded by Keisuke Nakao.
• The motion was approved with 12 votes in favor, 0 against, 1 abstained.
- Requirements for the promotion.
Report: The current requirement is </academics/cobe/senate/tenure-promotion-guidelines.php#art2b> . The senate formally discuss the possible changes for the requirements for promotion. Senior faculty will carefully look through the guidelines, suggest sufficient modifications, and develop a recommendation for promotion standards and communicate to Senate.
Actions:
• Terrance Jalbert moved to motion, and the motion was seconded by Kimberly Furumo.
• The motion was approved with 12 votes in favor, 0 against, 0 abstained.
- Discuss CoBE Senate Chair requirements.
Report: According to our Charter of the Senate, the CoBE Senate Chair and Vice Chair positions will be filled by all tenured faculty for one-year terms, on a rotational basis. After a one-year term the Senate Vice Chair will become the Senate Chair for one year. Rotation will be on an alphabetical basis. Department Chairs will be exempt from the rotation during their Department Chair term.
The modification is from all tenured faculty to all tenured-track faculty.
Actions:
• First reading on the Senate.
• Terrance Jalbert moved to motion, and the motion was seconded by Benjamin Zenk.
Appendix A:
What does a degree from UH Hilo/ CoBE mean? (approved CoBE Faculty Senate, Month/Date/2020)
Vision Statement
The CoBE will continue to be an important source of management expertise for the local and global community. The CoBE will strengthen our position as a destination of choice for students seeking a lifelong personal and professional network. Our graduates will be valued as competent, confident, and ethical business leaders.
Mission Statement
Our mission is to offer business education rooted in the liberal arts tradition. We provide a foundation for students to become confident, competent, and ethical business leaders. We achieve this goal through active pedagogy, internships, community outreach and scholarship.
Core Values of the College
- We believe that the personal and educational development of our students is the highest priority.
- We value inspiration, discovery, and creativity inside and outside the classroom.
- We share the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo’s commitment to “learning with the spirit of aloha and ohana.”
- We believe that personal and institutional integrity are essential.
- We believe in diversity among our student body, faculty, and staff.
Introduction
In working toward our vision of becoming a destination of choice for students seeking a lifelong personal and professional network, The College of Business and Economics engages with the community through board and organization memberships, internships, consulting, and education. CoBE’s relatively small class sizes, full-time faculty with terminal degrees, and teaching focus are valued by students, employers, and families. Because CoBE directs effort toward delivering a quality educational experience, it enjoys strong support from the East Hawaii community.
Although our BBA is hardly the only undergraduate business program in Hawaii, we have a unique niche: we strike a balance between research and teaching focus appropriate to a challenging, high-quality, liberal arts-based education. Mānoa excels at research; West Oʻahu, Maui, and the Community Colleges focus on undergraduate education; but UH Hilo shines in both areas, offering a challenging undergraduate curriculum with internship and research opportunities.
The result is that 99% of our alumni are employed, with 85% Employed in field at an average annual salary of $75,910, and 14% Employed out of field with an average salary of $51,315.
To fulfill our mission and work toward our vision, we have set three main goals: Student success, financial sustainability, and reputation.
Goal One: Student Success
We believe that the personal and educational development of our students is the highest priority.
Our BBA has four learning goals:
- Business Content Knowledge
Assessed with the ETS Major Field Test in Business, administered in MGT 490, Strategic Management
- Written and oral communication
Written communication is assessed with the Collegiate Learning Assessment, administered in the sophomore year in BUS 290, Critical Thinking, and in the senior year in MGT 490, Strategic Management.
Oral communication is assessed using our in-house rubric during final presentations in MGT 490, Strategic Management.
- Quantitative problem solving
Quantitative Problem Solving is assessed using our in-house rubric in QBA 300 and FIN 320, and by student results in Economics, Accounting, and Finance in the ETS Major Field Test administered in MGT 490, Strategic Management in the senior year.
- Critical Thinking
Critical Thinking is assessed with the Collegiate Learning Assessment, administered in the sophomore year in BUS 290, Critical Thinking, and in the senior year in MGT 490, Strategic Management.
To improve student success, we are taking the following actions:
Continue the CoBE single-advisor model initiated in FA19 a. Single-advisor model reduces advising errors that result in graduation delay
b. Reduces perceived and actual “runaround,” increasing student satisfaction
c. Provides a single point of contact for CoBE, increasing students’ personal attachment to CoBE
d. Removes burden from faculty of being responsible for knowing complex and frequently-changing transfer, gen-ed, and graduation rules.Improve tracking of post-graduate employment and salary data. a. Continue to work closely with the UH Foundation to monitor post-graduation results from EMSI.
b. When Director of Institutional Research position is filled, they will have access to EMSI data; coordinate with them to access data to be used in decision making and outreach efforts in CoBE.
c. When the Career Development Services director position is filled, coordinate with them to develop our internship program and to access data to be used in decision making and outreach efforts in CoBE.Continue to manage class size. Class size is one of the few variables under the control of the institution that has a demonstrated effect on student outcomes. The optimal class size appears to be between 10 and 15; grades, satisfaction, and subsequent performance decline measurably as class size increases from 26 to 100 [1-6]. Increases in student-faculty ratios account for over three-quarters of the decrease in completion rates relative to the 1970s [7]. a. Every effort will be made to cap courses at 30, especially when more than one section is offered. While this is not the ideal size of 15-20, it is preferable to class sizes of 40-50.
b. Continue offering MGT 300 (MGT, ORGS, & Human Behavior) and MGT 490 (Strategic Management- Capstone) as Writing Intensive, capped at 20.
c. For core courses for which one section is traditionally offered and for which enrollment is 35+ (MGT 333, MGT 423, QBA 300, QBA 362, FIN 320) offer additional sections and explore offering summer courses to take the pressure off academic year enrollment.
d. Work toward getting a permanent hire to fill the position number of the recently-retired dean.Continue publishing two-year rolling course schedule a. Rolling course schedule is tied to course map so that students have the courses they need to graduate
b. Rolling course schedule allows students to plan aheadContinue to focus on effective instruction a. Three new continuing instructors were added in FA19. Their responsibilities are primarily instruction, not research.
b. Summer session 2020 was designed based on surveys of student interest and examination of course maps, to allow students to accelerate or catch up.
Goal Two: Financial Sustainability
Continue to work with the UH Foundation to explore advancement opportunities.
a. Participate actively in campuswide development plans
b. Maintain contact with CoBE alumni with quarterly newsletter
c. CoBE Academic and Career Advisor to continue CoBE Alumni Thank-A-Thon sessions
Take a more strategic and deliberate approach to summer session.
a. In 2018, management of summer session moved from the former CCECS to the colleges. CoBE now receives around 20% of summer tuition.
b. Conduct market research to determine which summer courses are in demand. The first survey to this end is going out in September 2019 to plan summer 2020.
c. Work with national and international exchange offices on campus to publicize CoBE summer offerings. Yamaguchi University (Japan) has already expressed interest in a 3-week Intro to Business summer course to be offered in the first three weeks of August.
d. Offer a one-credit “Hawai’i Experience” course for residential summer students that provides transportation to local sights and shopping; this course will be subsidized by a scholarship to encourage students to stay on campus and take face-to-face courses.
Cultivate relationships with alumni and other stakeholders to increase engagement and resources, both financial and other.
a. Continue to work with the CoBE Advisory Board, collaborating with the President and taking a strategic approach to the Board’s role.
b. Interim Dean to join the board of the Hawai’i Island Chamber of Commerce, the Japanese Chamber of Commerce, and other business and service organizations.
c. Continue to publish a digital newsletter in cooperation with the UH Foundation that will be distributed by email to all alumni and interested stakeholders on a quarterly basis.
d. Continue the annual CoBE Awards Ceremony, under the guidance of the Student Affairs Committee.
e. Continue to use gifts such as those from the Enterprise Holdings Foundation to sponsor student events such as the joint workshop with Yamaguchi University students and the Japanese Chamber of Commerce, and the upcoming Etiquette Dinner.
Explore executive education and professional development workshops.
d. CoBE has set up an RCUH revolving account to collect payment for noncredit education, and a website for executive education programs.
e. Executive Education programs are currently in development.
Goal Three: Reputation
Support faculty research and intellectual contributions.
a. In AY 2019-2020, UH Hilo suspended travel awards. The CoBE Interim Dean made the decision to provide $1,000 in Professional Development money annually to faculty and staff, plus an additional $1200 for conference travel to untenured, tenure-track faculty to bring the award amount to the $2200 annually formerly supplied by the campus-wide travel award.
b. Develop research symposia on campus for faculty to share and refine their research.
c. Continue to explore relationships with community members such as Sponsored Research Agreements to support research in CoBE.
Use face-to-face summer school programming to help CoBE students complete their degrees and raise the profile of CoBE nationally and internationally.
a. Work with University Relations to explore newspaper and Facebook ads targeted at parents of local students who are going to university off-island. Promote summer school as a way for local students majoring in business elsewhere to get ahead or catch up.
b. Use targeted scholarships to encourage students to enroll in face-to-face classes during the summer.
Selected activities and initiatives
The following summarizes recent and ongoing actions toward continuous quality improvement.
• Starting in fall of 2019, CoBE introduced a new advising model. We repurposed our department chair position into a CoBE Academic Success Coach position. The Academic Success Coach is also an instructor, enabling her to understand classroom dynamics and stay engaged with the students in both roles.
o Before this, advising responsibilities were dispersed among CoBE faculty and many other entities on campus. Students were receiving outdated, incorrect, or contradictory advice, and coming to their fourth year with deficits in their coursework. CoBE’s new advising model is being watched by other academic departments and put forth as a possible model for the future throughout the university.
o While it’s too soon to assess the effect of this new position, students have been requesting it for years. They are happy they finally have a dedicated and knowledgeable point of contact in the faculty, and CoBE has been able to do course corrections for students before it’s too late. The coach sets up regular career development and networking workshops for the students and helps them polish their resumes so they can take advantage of internship and career opportunities.
• Working with the CoBE Academic Success Coach, recent CoBE alumni who are currently members of the Hawai’i Island Chamber of Commerce have formed a “young professionals” chapter and are recruiting current CoBE students as student members. In FA19, the first Young Professionals event on the UH Hilo campus will take place: A presentation by popular emeritus economics professor David Hammes, on how to survive the next recession.
• Beginning in 2017, CoBE has reached out to, and strengthened ties with, the UH Foundation. The University of Hawaiʻi Foundation was established in 1955 to encourage private support for the University of Hawaiʻi and is a private, institutionally related corporation designated as a 501(c)(3) organization by the Internal Revenue Service. The Foundation includes development and alumni relations functions. Because Hawai’i Island is a small community, coordination is crucial to providing a coherent story and image to community members. In concert with the Foundation, CoBE has
o Sent a quarterly newsletter to alumni and community (/academics/cobe/news/) starting June 2018.
o Accepted a $5,000 gift from Enterprise Holdings which is being used to stage an Etiquette Dinner and International Business Workshop.
o Accepted a $600,000 endowment from the Thropp Estate and created scholarships for transfer students, returning “nontraditional” students, summer students, and international students.
o Arranged to have prominent alumni and community members be “professor for a day,” as guest speakers in CoBE courses.
o Current information from the Alumni Engagement Program for the Hawai’i Island of the UH Foundation showed that among 2,064 CoBE alumni, 432 made donations to the college and university for a total of roughly $200,000 and 752 alumni provided information on their career and employer information.
• CoBE faculty are deeply involved in the civic life of the community, including volunteering with nonprofit organizations, participating in service clubs such as Rotary and Chambers of Commerce, and performing pro bono services such as scorekeeping for the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival.
• CoBE serves as the affiliate of the Hawai’i Island Business Plan Competition (HIPlan), a business plan contest, which has been sponsored by a CoBE lecturer, Kelly Moran, and a CoBE Advisory Board member, Dr. Jim Wyban. The contest awards $25,000 for the winning business plan and full Tuition Scholarships to two student plans with the highest scores at UH Hilo and Hawai’i Community College (HCC).
• CoBE continues to refine and advance its mission and vision. In 2017, the CoBE Faculty Senate voted to adopt a revised mission, vision, and values. Our current mission is to offer business education rooted in the liberal arts tradition. We provide a foundation for students to become confident, competent and ethical business leaders.
• CoBE faculty and students worked on a committee to design pilot “21st Century Classrooms,” Kanakaʻole Hall 126, 127, and 128. Moveable furniture allows for multiple individual and group seating options, and plentiful fixed and moveable white board surfaces are available to write on. This has enabled faculty to experiment with different types of course delivery.
• Responding to student interest and the need to make the best use of resources, CoBE discontinued the B.A. in Economics, and replaced it with a BBA with a concentration in Economics. The result is a more applied degree for the students, and more courses in common means fewer underenrolled or cancelled classes, and a quicker path to graduation. CoBE has deactivated offerings that no longer fit with its applied focus and has dual-listed courses with graduate programs, for example ECON 482 is dual listed with Conservation Biology Environmental Science
• CoBE hired an Assistant Professor of Data Science & Business Administration to develop new courses in analytics and data science. The position started in fall 2019. Professor Hong has already designed two new data science courses, and CoBE is working toward a concentration in analytics or data science.
• CoBE has continued to strengthen our internship program. We progressed through various models of student engagement, including the Applied Learning Experiences (ALEX) program and the “Journey to Success.” We learned that there is no one-size-fits-all solution for our students. We now focus on internships, which are encouraged and supported, but not required. The Academic Success Coach prepares students for interviews and directs them to the internship instructor if the student is interested in pursuing an internship. She also sets up periodic career and networking workshops. Our Assistant Professor of Accounting is the instructor of record for all internships as part of his teaching load, ensuring the academic integrity of the internships.
o We have just introduced a lower-division internship option, BUS 200 or ACC 200. This allows students to try out a field early in their academic career, and is accessed by non-majors who don’t have internship options in their own departments.
• CoBE has been responsive to the changing environment while upholding the quality and integrity of the degree. CoBE’s new Health Care Management track does two things: First, it responds to an industry need for health care managers who are flexible and knowledgeable enough to navigate the legal, social, and political environment around our health care system. Second, it opens a career path for students who want to help others, but for various reasons choose not to pursue hands-on patient care.
• CoBE’s new building provides a physical space for students to study and learn together, with a meeting room at the center of the building and professors’ offices along the surrounding hallway. The close working relationships, workshops, and impromptu tutoring sessions inspired by this space have helped to build lifelong personal and professional networks, per our mission statement.
• CoBE is the first non-natural science program to be accepted into the STEM Research Honors Certificate Program, a selective and challenging program designed to expose students “to the highest academic standards and provide them with guidance, academic mentorship, and opportunities to participate in advanced modern research.” The official start of CoBE’s participation is fall 2020.
• CoBE has been ranked consistently above other business programs at large universities such as University of Oregon, University of Utah, Baylor University, Kansas State University, Oklahoma State University, and Louisiana State University. The ranking was provided by the Eduniversal system that rates schools according to their international reputation.
• CoBE helped the UH Hilo College of Pharmacy develop a Professional Certificate in Healthcare Leadership and assisted them in designing a one-credit Strategic Management course to be included in this program. • CoBE graduates who take the CPA exam have the highest pass rate of any college or university in the State of Hawai’i.
• The diversity of CoBE’s student body mirrors that of the University, which U.S. News & World Report has ranked the most ethnically diverse campus among national universities. As Chancellor Bonnie Irwin says, “We are proud to serve such a diverse group of students…The assets they bring to UH Hilo enrich our community and help us provide an inclusive, high-quality education for all of our students. ”
The meaning of a CoBE degree
We provide a foundation for students to become confident, competent and ethical business leaders, as we work toward our vision of becoming a destination of choice for students seeking a lifelong personal and professional network. While our assessments provide valuable information about student learning and employment, the true meaning of a CoBE degree is evident in the students and alumni who are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and relationships to forge their own paths.
Andrew Misitano
Andrew Misitano (Bachelor of Business Administration, 2009) was born and raised on the Big Island. He decided on UH Hilo because of the reputation and value, and the ability to stay close to friends & family. He majored in Business because of the diversity of subject matter to study, and the career options he would have upon graduation. During his studies, Andrew found himself drawn to the technical side of business in topics as MIS, eCommerce, and Digital Marketing.
Andrew’s girlfriend (now wife) Rachael was at UH Hilo pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Rachael was a fellow Big Island native, who like Andrew saw the value in getting her undergraduate degree close to home. She planned to pursue an advanced degree in Nursing upon graduation from UH Hilo.
When they graduated in 2009/2010, Andrew and Rachael kicked off their careers with a 2-year stint in the Midwest, working at the renowned Mayo Clinic medical center. Deciding they preferred warmer weather and less distance from the Pacific Ocean, they moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. Andrew would go on to Google. For the past 5.5 years he has worked in Analyst and Program Management roles within the Google Ads and YouTube product areas. Rachael has been with Stanford Healthcare for 6 years starting as an inpatient RN and working her way up to the Manager of Stanford’s Cardiovascular Health Clinics. Along the way, Rachael earned her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) and Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) degrees from the University of San Francisco.
"My time at Google has been amazing and it has given me the opportunity to continue learning, to travel, and work with cutting-edge technologies" Andrew says, "but we're hoping to make the transition back home to Hawaii when the right opportunities arise. We’ve realized that the chaotic Bay Area/Silicon Valley lifestyle isn't for us in the long term”. He adds, “Rachael and I enjoy strolling through campus whenever we visit home, and we’re always championing our great experiences at UH Hilo to friends and family. You’re surrounded by a lot of really smart and successful people in the Bay Area, so it makes you proud to represent your home and UH Hilo and know that you can excel anywhere in the world with a UH education”.
Raisa Ancheta
Raisa Ancheta (formerly Raisa Evora) earned her BBA from CoBE and started as a Senior Accountant at a brokerage firm in the Bay Area. That would be a great story in itself, although not unusual. But then she completed a second Bachelor's degree in Microbiology at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in 2018 with a 4.0 (Summa Cum Laude). How did that happen? Raisa explains,
“I was fortunate to work in one of the greatest work environments as a senior accountant. However, I found myself constantly reading science textbooks on my commute to work. I, unfortunately, had to leave my job in the Bay Area when my husband was deployed and stationed in Wisconsin. I took advantage of my new freedom during this time of transition to pursue a passion for science that I had developed. Furthermore, I realized that I could not only have tremendous fun working in a field that I love, but I also had the advantage of understanding the management/accounting/marketing related aspects of business which is an integral part of the health care system.”
We talk about lifelong learning a lot, and this is one of the best examples we’ve ever seen; a CoBE alum so curious and driven by the desire for knowledge, that she excelled at both business and life science. Raisa is a military spouse of 5 years. She and her husband have three children. They currently live in Wisconsin, but will be relocating to San Diego in December. She is currently applying to medical school.
Hyun Sang An
Hyun Sang An always knew he wanted to be a businessman, but discovered his passion for teaching during his years at UH Hilo. Now a professor at Minnesota State University Moorehead, he’s fulfilling both dreams having earned a Ph.D. in Marketing and teaching college classes. He credits Dr. Kimberly Furumo as his mentor and inspiration. It was Dr. Furumo, he says, who first inspired him to consider an academic career.
“She is the very first one who motivated me to dream about becoming a college professor,” he says. “Even when I had an interview with Minnesota State University Moorhead, she gave me lots of helpful tips and very good letter of recommendation.”
After completing his Ph.D. at Rutgers, Dr. An had several tenure-track offers. He says, “I finally chose Minnesota State University Moorhead since its atmosphere is so similar to the UH Hilo. Minnesota State University Moorhead is a 4-year liberal arts college enrolling about 9,000 students. And its average class size is 25-30 students.”
Nanncy Leao
I am originally from the beautiful Island country of Timor Leste (East Timor). After completing my secondary education from Bali Indonesia, I attended the University of Hawaiʻi, Hilo in 2011 under the United States Timor Leste (USTL) Scholarship. I enjoyed my business studies and completed the BBA in 2014. Upon completion of the programme, I decided to return to my home country and serve my people with the skills and knowledge I gained in Hawaiʻi.
I joined Oceano Lda Company as a Procurement and Administration Manager and worked there through August 2018. I am now pursuing a master’s in international business with Birkbeck University of London in the Chevening Scholarship programme. It is a compact one-year programme and upon completion, I will again return to East Timor to serve my country.
I must attribute my passion and success to the team of Academic staff at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo for their relentless support, after graduating from their programme. The academic staff has always been there to assist me with my needs and were just an email contact away. My current endeavors would not have been possible without the extraordinary support for Alumni from University of Hawaiʻi. With the great experience from University Hawaiʻi, I am looking forward to a similar reception at the UK campus.
- Kokkelenberg, E.C., M. Dillon, and S.M. Christy, The effects of class size on student grades at a public university. Economics of Education Review, 2008. 27(2): p. 221-233.
- Bandiera, O., V. Larcinese, and I. Rasul, Heterogeneous Class Size Effects: New Evidence from a Panel of University Students*. The Economic Journal, 2010. 120(549): p. 1365-1398.
- De Paola, M. and V. Scoppa, The effects of class size on the achievement of college students. The Manchester School, 2011. 79(6): p. 1061-1079.
- Johnson, I., Class Size and Student Performance at a Public Research University: A Cross-Classified Model. Research in Higher Education, 2010. 51(8): p. 701-723.
- Campbell, C.M., M. Jimenez, and T. Cruz Paul, COLLEGE EDUCATIONAL QUALITY (CEQ) PROJECT 2013 Pilot Study 1, in COLLEGE EDUCATIONAL QUALITY (CEQ) PROJECT. 2013, Teachers College, Columbia University: New York, New York.
- Cuseo, J., The empirical case against large class size: adverse effects on the teaching, learning, and retention of first-year students. The Journal of Faculty Development, 2007. 21(1): p. 5-21.
- Bound, J., M.F. Lovenheim, and S. Turner, Why Have College Completion Rates Declined? An Analysis of Changing Student Preparation and Collegiate Resources. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 2010. 2(3): p. 129-57.
Examples of CoBE Activities