1: Departmental Mission/Vision Statement http://coe.westga.edu/cep/mission.html
2: Departmental Statement of Goals, Process to Assess These Goals, and Assessment Results http://coe.westga.edu/cep/Effectiveness.html
3: Departmental Statement of Curriculum Learning Outcomes, Processes to Assess These Outcomes, and Assessment Results for each Degree Program http://coe.westga.edu/cep/Effectiveness.html
4: Statement of Departmental Condition - please indicate the specific strengths and weaknesses of your department.
Strengths: Faculty in the department are national leaders in the transforming school counseling initiative; the M.Ed. programs in school and community counseling hold national accreditation from the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational programs (CACREP) - one of only four such programs in Georgia and one of 16 in the Southeast; the department has been the recipient of the largest ($515,000) grant (Wallace Reader's Digest Fund) from a private source in the history of UWG; the department was recognized and honored as a national "pioneer" in school counseling by the Education Trust in November, 2002; and programs in the department are held in high esteem by graduates, supervisors of graduates, and employers. Average ratings of the program by graduates was 3.6 (out of possible 4.0), 3.8 by employers, and 3.9 by supervisors. The full report can be located at http://coe.westga.edu/cep/ProgramEval.html

Weaknesses: Faculty in the department have significant teaching loads compared to institutions that we "compete" with and, in the past, higher loads than required by NCATE for those teaching graduate courses. This issue has been placed in our strategic plan and has been addressed. Additionally, many graduate classes are too large.

Opportunities: Enrollment in the department remains very strong. The counseling program is among the largest in the United States. At this point in the life of the department, the challenge is too many students or, worded differently, not enough faculty resources to handle the number of students and opportunities that are available. The real opportunity at this time, lies in two areas: developing a doctoral program and developing specialty certification areas within the community counseling program in particular. Even with the Ed.D. Program in School Improvement, the demand is strong for a doctoral program in counseling. This, of course, would require resources beyond the capacities of the Department at the current time. The functionality and demand for the doctoral program, in particular, is very high by students and others outside the department. It should be noted, that a proposal for an Ed.D. in Counseling was submitted in the summer of 1997 and was approved at the Department and College level. It was the first doctoral program proposed (along with a Leadership in Education program) at UWG. The proposals were the predecessor to the current Ed.D. in School Improvement that was approved several years ago. The concept of specialty, non-degree certifications has the potential to bring in many "advanced" students such as those interested in drug and alcohol abuse, rehabilitation counseling, marriage and family counseling, and other related areas.


Departmental Achievements:

5: Percent of Students passing licensing, certification, or other accreditation examinations related to their chosen field 91
6: Proportion of graduating students going on to graduate or professional schools 100
7: Types of Licensure
  • State certification in school counseling (S-5 and S-6 levels)
  • Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
  • National Certified Counselor (NCC)
8: How does the department prepare students for Licensure?
  • The M.Ed. curriculum is aligned with and meets CACREP standards. These standards form the basis for licensure and certification examinations at both the state and national levels.
  • The M.Ed. exit (final) examination is a national examination developed for graduate students in counseling (Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination) and is designed around CACREP standards and modeled after professional licensure examinations in both content and format.
  • The department provides study guides and materials in the COE learning resources center for current and former students who are preparing for examinations.
9: Other notable achievements
The most notable achievements of the department include: (1) one of six
departments in the United States to receive a grant from the Wallace Reader's
Digest Fund to transform school counseling (institutions who applied but did not
receive this grant include many of the largest and most well known research
universities in the United States); (2) continued national accreditation by the
Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs
(CACREP); and the performance of students on the National Counselor Preparation
Comprehensive Examination (CPCE) which is the department comprehensive/exit
exam. In 2003, for example, our students scored above the mean on every
subtest but two and the overall mean was considerable above the national mean.
Considering the large size of our department and the types of universities that
utilize the CPCE, the performance of our students is quite remarkable.

In spring 03, for example, the mean score for UWG students was 101.47 versus 93.26 for students from other universities (about 8 points higherr). Of the eight categories, UWG students scored lower on only two standards and higher on six standards. In fall 02, the mean score for UWG students was 94.57 versus 88.71 for students from other
universities (about 6 points higher). Of the eight categories, UWG students
scored lower on only one standard (group work) than the national average and
higher on seven standards.


Student Achievements:

10: Total Published Research Papers 5
11: Total Presentations 6
12: Total Internships 130
13: Total Co-Ops 0
14: Total Scholarships 5
15: Total Fellowships 0
16: Total Recipients of Notable Awards 8
17: Other notable achievements

Graduate students in the department recieved the following awards:

  • Outstanding School Counseling Master's Degree Student: Laura Meeks
  • Outstanding School Counseling EDS Student: Jennifer Jones
  • Outstanding Community Counseling Master's Degree Student: Jake Wilensky
  • Oustanding Community Counseling EDS Student: Christy Varnadore


Faculty/Staff Productivity:


Teaching:

18: Total New Course Developments 0
19: Total Faculty Teaching Honors Courses 0
20: Percent of Faculty involved in Academic Advisement 75


Research/Productivity:

21: Total Books and Monographs 0
22: Total Book Chapters 5
23: Total Peer Review Articles 6
24: Total Other Shorter Works 7
25: Total Paper Presentations 30
26: Total Other Presentations 0
27: Total In-House Publications 4
28: Total Juried Exhibits/Performances 0
29: Total Other Exhibits/Performances 0
30: Total Positions Held in Journal Editing/Review 9
31: Total Faculty involved in Notable Continuing Education Efforts 0


Public Service:

32: Total participants in Honors Organizations 5
33: Total offices held in Professional Organizations 4
34: Total Advisors of Student Organizations 3
35: Total Participants in Cooperative Consulting Efforts 9
36: Total System-Wide/UWG Committee appointments 24
37: Total participants in Public Service activities 12
38: Other notable achievements by Faculty
  • Dr. Stanard serves on the national CACREP board
  • Four faculty serve on editorial boards for national and state journals
  • Two faculty members chair CACREP accreditation teams
  • Four faculty members serve on CACREP accreditation visitation teams
  • Many faculty consult with public schools, community organizations/agencies, and businesses
  • Dr. Slone received the UWG student government faculty of the year award for the College of Education
  • Department faculty identified as national "pioneers and leaders' in school counseling by the Education Trust.


Grants/Awards:

39: Total Proposals Submitted 3
40: Total Proposals Funded 2
41: Total Amount Funded 4000.00
42: Total Gifts Generated by Department 0
43: Total Contracts Awarded 0
44: Total Fellowships Awarded 0
45: New Degree Programs or Deletions
None
46: New Departments or Other New Units; Also Any Restructuring of These
N/A
47: Accreditation or Similar Distinction or Renewal
  • CACREP Accreditation continued
  • Identified as one of six national universities as a leader in transforming school counseling.
  • Recognized and honored by the Education Trust, Inc. as a "Pioneer" in School Counseling reform (November, 2002).
48: Other Awards, Distinctions, and Achievements
N/A
49: Additional Comments Concerning Your Department
N/A
50: Give an example of how your department used the assessment of goals and outcomes to change/improve a process.
Our department interviews all master's level applicants to our school counseling and community counseling programs as well as many Ed.S. applicants (depending on certain factors). This is time consuming but necessary to ensure the appropriateness and quality of graduate students who will become counselors. A question protocol was developed for school counseling applicants that has worked effectively in addressing issues. As the department community counseling committee reviewed the goals and outcomes of the admissions process, it was decided to develop a similar question protocol that would address key issues in community counseling in a systematic way. With department approval, the change was implemented this spring and faculty believe the process of admissions will be improved.