Mission

Vision

Core Values

Excellence - We seek excellence in all our endeavors, and we are committed to continuous improvement.

Intellectual Freedom - We believe in ethical and scholarly questioning in an environment that respects the rights of all to pursue freely knowledge.

Service - We believe that serving others is a noble and worthy endeavor.

Integrity - We are committed to the principles of truth and honesty, and we will be equitable, ethical, and professional.

Diversity - We respect others and value diversity of opinion, freedom of expression, and other ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

Stewardship of Resources - We are dedicated to the efficient and effective use of resources. We accept responsibility of the public’s trust and are accountable for our actions.

Goals, Critical Success Factors, Objectives, and Strategies

Goal 1: The Retention and Promotion of Outstanding Faculty and Staff.

Critical Success Factors:

• Faculty salaries and benefits are at least at the average for the various ranks in Big 12 History Departments.
• Staff salaries and benefits are at least the average of similar positions within Big 12 History Departments.
• Outstanding faculty and staff are rewarded with above average raises.
• Formalized mentoring program exists for junior faculty, resulting in successful achievement of tenure.
• History faculty are regularly nominated for college- or university-wide teaching and research awards.
• Faculty and staff experience greater job satisfaction.

Objectives:

• Allocate pay raise funds in accordance with productivity and performance as determined in the annual appraisal process.
• Seek equity adjustments when they are available to address chronic salary compression issue.

• Identify tenured faculty member in affiliated field to serve as departmental mentor during a new faculty member’s probationary period.
• Head will meet with new faculty member and mentor at end of each semester to discuss untenured faculty member’s progress toward meeting requirements for promotion and tenure.

• Establish program in which majors can identify an outstanding undergraduate teacher, to be recognized at annual awards banquet in spring.
• Provide announcement to University Communication Services whenever a faculty member publishes a monograph or other outstanding scholarly work.
• Nominate staff for Staff Advisory Council awards and recognitions when warranted.

• Identify faculty members eligible for specific teaching and research awards.
• Nominate at least one faculty member annually for Regent’s Distinguished Teaching Award and Regent’s Distinguished Research Award.
• Nominate qualified faculty for any other teaching and research awards that become known.
• Nominate qualified members of the History Department as Regent’s Professors.

• Meet at least once a semester with staff to review tasks they have been assigned and undertaken in order to determine if any change in titles and job description are warranted.
• Adjust titles and pay ranges when appropriate.

Goal 2: An Increase in the Number and Diversity of Tenure-track and Tenured Faculty.

Critical Success Factors:

• Number of tenure-track and tenured History faculty increases to at least 25 by 2009.
• Number of tenure-track and tenured faculty from under-represented groups increases and at least reflects gender/race/ ethnic profile of the discipline as determined by Affirmative Action.
• History faculty are able to offer breadth of subject matter and expertise consistent with being a state-supported comprehensive university.

Objectives:

• Define fields for next five new hires (this does not include replacing existing faculty).
• Hire next five new faculties in the defined positions to enhance breadth of subject matter and expertise.

• Advertise vacant position in journals and other publications that specialize in targeting candidates from under-represented groups.
• Make personal contact with applicants from under-represented groups early in search process to encourage completion of application file.

• Consult with College Affirmative Action officer and University Vice-president for Institutional Diversity before any faculty search in order to ascertain if any existing incentive programs can facilitate the hiring of new faculty from an under-represented group.
• Utilize any appropriate incentive program identified to create a more diverse faculty, including target hiring.

Goal 3: An Improved Environment that Attracts Qualified, Diverse Undergraduate and Graduate Students.

Critical Success Factors:

• Number of majors and graduate students receiving scholarships increases.
• Undergraduates are provided the opportunity to add value to their degrees by engaging in research, participating in internships, and studying abroad.
• Number of undergraduate and graduate from under-represented groups increases at least 20% by 2009.
• Graduate assistants and associates receive pay, waivers, and benefits that are at least the average of other Big 12 institutions offering the Ph.D. in History.
• Accomplishments of undergraduate and graduate History students receive wide recognition.
• Undergraduate and graduate students benefit from job placement assistance offered by Department and coordinated with other career-oriented services offered by the College of Arts and Sciences and the University.

Objectives:

• Work with College Development personnel during 2004-2005 academic year to identify potential scholarship donors.
• Meet with potential donors as necessary to create endowed scholarships.

• Conduct meetings early each fall to inform majors and graduate students of scholarship opportunities.
• Follow-up meetings with timely e-mail and mailings reminding students of new scholarship opportunities and approaching application deadlines.

• Maintain file of internships, study abroad, and research opportunity announcements.
• Post these announcements in area of main office designated as the “History and American Studies Career Resource Center”.

• Review “Request for Information” cards, scholarship applications accompanying admission forms, and ACT/SAT reports on prospective undergraduate students to attempt identifying those from under-represented groups.
• Make personal contact with undergraduate applicants from under-represented groups to encourage majoring in History at OSU.
• Review inquiries of interest in History graduate programs and other applicant information to attempt identifying those from under-represented groups.
• Make personal contact with graduate applicants from under-represented groups to encourage pursuing graduate studies at OSU.
• Initiate contact with Oklahoma tribal governments to explore possibility of recruiting Native American graduate students who might benefit from the Department’s strengths in Native American history and public history.

• Conduct survey during 2004-2005 academic year of salary and responsibilities of graduate assistants at other Big 12 History Departments.
• Use resulting data to create a rationale for increasing graduate assistantship stipends to make them competitive in recruiting outstanding graduate students.

• Prepare press release and photographs for distribution to University Communication Services and other media-announcing winners of various awards presented at annual banquet in spring.
• Prepare press releases for distribution to University Communication Services and other media on special awards and recognition received by undergraduate and graduate students whenever warranted.
• Post on departmental web page and include in annual newsletter special awards, recognitions, and outstanding accomplishments of undergraduates and graduates.

• Make available to every undergraduate major fact sheet and flow chart that addresses career options for History majors.
• Create a “History and American Studies Career Resource Center” within the History Department main office.
• Post-available jobs, internship, and professional education opportunities at the “Career Resource Center”.
• Provide computer with Internet access to various History-related career web sites in the “Career Resources Service”.
• Conduct annual workshop for Ph.D. students on applying for academic positions and the nature of a professorial career.

Goal 4: An Improved Environment for Scholarship, Including Interdisciplinary Endeavors

Critical Success Factors:

• Scholarly productivity---in the form of books, refereed articles, book chapters, and other recognized scholarly contributions—increases and is proportionately commensurate with other Big 12 History faculties
• Departmental guidelines regarding work-load and rewards accommodates research in interdisciplinary and innovative programs
• Faculty have greater access to resources necessary to conduct research

Objectives:

• Work with College Development personnel during 2004-2005 academic year to identify potential donors who might support research travel for faculty and graduate students.
• Meet with potential donors as necessary to create endowed accounts that would support research travel.
• Expand pedagogically sound custom publishing efforts in History courses to generate revenue, a portion of which would be dedicated to supporting graduate student and faculty research travel.

• Revise departmental guidelines to allow work in developing and administering interdisciplinary programs to count toward promotion and tenure as contributions to meritorious scholarship.
• Seek College and University support to allow faculty to pursue and acquire editing positions of national and international journals.

• Conduct inventory of current space available within Department for research purposes.
• Survey space needed to support adequately research within the Department.
• Present any deficiency of research space to Arts and Sciences Dean’s office for assistance in resolving any identified need.
• Conduct inventory of current facilities, especially computer hardware and software, available within Department for research purposes.
• Identify facilities needed, including computer hardware and software, to support research adequately.
• Present any deficiency in research facilities to Arts and Sciences Dean’s office toward meeting any identified need.

Goal 5: An Improved Environment for Teaching, Including Interdisciplinary Endeavors

Critical Success Factors:

• Effectiveness of instruction increases as evidenced in increased average rubric scores for learning outcomes identified in annual departmental assessment report.
• History courses are taught using the best available pedagogy and technology.
• Faculty and students participate in interdisciplinary and innovative programs.
• Departmental guidelines regarding work-load and rewards accommodates teaching in interdisciplinary and innovative programs.

Objectives:

• Conduct faculty seminar every fall to address common pedagogical concerns.
• Conduct, as needed, meetings of faculty within the three curriculum foci—U.S. history, European history, and World history—to discuss common teaching concerns.

• Poll faculty to identify any pedagogically- related technological needs not being met.
• Work with College of Arts and Sciences, especially its Computer Support office, to rectify deficiencies.
• Distribute among faculty timely notice of training College- and University-offered training related to teaching technologies.

• Create, under aegis of personnel committee, a system for evaluating teaching that includes classroom observation.
• Utilize University student evaluation form in conjunction with departmental student evaluation instrument.
• Utilize senior faculty to mentor untenured faculty to make instruction more effective. Objective 5.4: Enhance effectiveness of graduate student instruction by expanding existing preparation for teaching and monitoring of classroom performance.

• Schedule monthly meeting between survey coordinators and graduate student instructors to discuss concerns and share experiences.
• Arrange for graduate studies committee representatives to observe classes taught by graduate instructors at least once a semester.

• Establish a department policy to allow faculty to credit portions of course team-taught as overload in interdisciplinary programs toward future release time.

Goal 6: Promotion of Greater Understanding of the Department’s Contributions to Its Communities

Critical Success Factors:

• Departmental web page offers timely and accurate information about the History Department generally, its programs, its faculty and students, and its accomplishments.
• History alumni, friends, and emerti receive an annual newsletter highlighting the activities and accomplishments of the Department during the past year.
• Both the campus and off-campus communities have an enhanced understanding and appreciation for the discipline of History.

Objectives:

• Provide training to at least one staff member necessary for maintenance of web page.
• Review current content of web page.
• Make necessary additions and revisions to information presented on web page.
• Review contents of web page at least once every semester and make necessary revisions and deletions to assure information is accurate and timely.

• Collect from faculty at end of every spring semester a summary of their publications, awards, and other achievements for inclusion in the newsletter.
• Solicit alumni for updates on their current activities and accomplishments during the fall semester for inclusion in the newsletter.
• Contact majors and graduate students during the spring semester for any special recognitions they may have received for inclusion in the newsletter.
• Prepare annually article on departmental awards banquet that includes the names of the various awards and scholarships and the people receiving them.

• Establish internal database of faculty expertise and interests to be used in responding to public requests for information and programs.
• Provide list of faculty expertise and interests to agencies sponsoring History-related public programming, including the Oklahoma Humanities Council, Oklahoma Historical Society, local humanities councils, and museums.
• Provide copy of annual newsletter and information on departmental web page to agencies sponsoring History-related public programming, including the Oklahoma Humanities Council, Oklahoma Historical Society, local humanities councils, and museums.

• Seek Norris Foundation and other College and University support to bring at least one notable historian to campus annually.
• Raise funds, if necessary, to underwrite an annual lectureship program.
• Host at least one visit annually from a notable historian who will give a public program and visit classes.