University Goal 1: Sustain and Enhance the Quality of Undergraduate Programs.

Subgoal 1: Continuous Improvements of Undergraduate Education.

Forestry and wood-products education at the undergraduate level emphasizes a profession (management of wildland ecosystems and utilization of wood and fiber) rather than a discipline (e.g., math, physics, or chemical engineering). This professional emphasis is deeply ingrained in the SFWP undergraduate programs.

Forestry.

The Forestry curriculum is interdisciplinary, with a course work emphasis that includes biology, ecology, soils, hydrology, mathematics, wildlife management, and business subjects. The Society of American Foresters reaccredited our programs in 1994 [6.5A3], with the next review scheduled for 199x. We were one of only two forestry programs evaluated during that year to receive accreditation without qualification; the other 16 forestry programs evaluated had substantive issues to address. The SFWP has an advisory committee which reviews our curriculum and focuses special attention on proposed changes.

Much of the strength of the program is associated with our efforts to continuously evaluate the program and revise it when necessary. We significantly revised our undergraduate curriculum in 1993, which included extensive modification of many components. At this time we implemented a three-quarter capstone sequence to help students integrate information from a wide range of classes. We also revised the Forestry fall camp, with the revised program first taught in Fall 1996. Fall camp is a complete quarter of field-oriented forestry education scheduled for Fall quarter of the sophomore year. Our modifications emphasize a holistic approach to ecosystem management while still retaining a strong emphasis in basic forestry field skills. Fall camp is conducted entirely off-campus at the FFC, a teaching and research unit of the SFWP with dormitory and housing facilities. Adjacent to the Ford Center, the SFWP has a 4500-acre research and teaching forest which is used for field instruction.

We strive to integrate current information technologies into the undergraduate program as they become available. Students start the process by being introduced to word processing, e-mail, and the Internet during their first Fall quarter in the program. Our undergraduate Forestry program contains a strong emphasis on field and computer skills.

Opportunities outside of classroom situations are available to facilitate the undergraduate educational experience. The faculty serve as primary academic advisors, which provides an opportunity for interaction with academic faculty throughout the undergraduate experience. Many of our undergraduate students are employed in the School on research projects, which provides both financial support and the opportunity to work directly with faculty and graduate students. We also have a co-op program, where students may work for a term away from the MTU campus. We have been involved in a variety of environmental-education projects in which our Forestry students participated. For example, Project Learning Tree gives students the opportunity to teach environmental science in the public schools. Several of our students were involved in the development of the Houghton-Portage Township School Forest and have worked with the Headwaters Environmental Station, a private educational institution for primary and secondary students. Further afield, we have initiated contact with the University of Veracruz, Mexico to develop an Undergraduate Quarter Abroad program for students in the new Applied Ecology and Environmental Sciences program.

We perceive that the School suffers from two weaknesses related to this goal. First, our physical facilities are clearly inadequate to support the educational mission of the SFWP (see Goal 7 discussion). Second, the Forestry program attracts a large number of transfer students (about 40% of upper-division students), both from within MTU and from other institutions. It is frequently difficult for these students to complete degree requirements in a reasonable time period because of scheduling problems at the School and University levels. A large number of our classes require field work, which can realistically only be done fall quarter because of the region's climate. We have worked very hard to minimize this inconvenience by moving any class that could possibly be taught without outdoor labs to quarters other than fall quarter. Furthermore, students often have difficulty enrolling in courses tofulfill general-education requirements.

The greatest strength associated with this subgoal for the Forestry program of the SFWP is the new Applied Ecology and Environmental Sciences Degree Program, which has received final approval. This program will provide an educational option with diverse career opportunities both now and into the future and is likely to attract a large number of high-quality students.

The SFWP and the School of Business and Economics have recently developed the option for a certificate in industrial forestry, which is nearing final approval.

Wood Science.

Wood-science education at the undergraduate level is somewhat different from other degree programs because of its emphasis on a material (wood) rather than a discipline (e.g., mathematics, physics, or chemical engineering). Courses taught within IWR provide a background in wood structure, wood mechanics, wood physics, wood chemistry, and applications. The curriculum is purposely interdisciplinary, with course-work in biology, chemistry, physics, and business. Current course concentrations are Engineering, Chemistry, Business, and Environmental Studies.

Undergraduate students are exposed to IWR research programs as part of the educational program, especially industry-funded projects. This type of exposure improves the student's understanding of issues in wood science and enhances the student's competitive advantage in the job market.

In 1993, the School undertook a major revision to the undergraduate curriculum as part of the strategic planning procedure for the IWR. To date, we have revised the engineering and business concentrations; and the faculty committee is pursuing the development of a new concentration in biotechnology.

Many opportunities outside of the traditional classroom situation are available to enhance the undergraduate educational experience. Most of our undergraduate students are employed on research projects, and this provides both financial support and the opportunity to work closely with IWR is involved in a co-op program in which students are able to work for a term away from the MTU campus. Throughout the year, IWR has many visitors from industry, federal laboratories, and other universities. These visitors interact with the students in seminars, and they provide the undergraduates with an understanding of the problems and opportunities within the forest-products industry.

A major weakness, low undergraduate enrollment, is closely associated with the lack of modern equipment for the undergraduate laboratories. Much of the Institute's equipment is twenty to thirty years old and it is not well suited for the purpose of training undergraduate students. IWR has above-average number of undergraduate students as compared to other programs in the United States, but the enrollment is relatively small when compared to the other undergraduate programs at MTU. A list of undergraduate programs in the United States, and the number of students in each program, can be found in Appendix C of the IWR Strategic Plan.

The greatest possibilities for growth in the undergraduate program are to be found in the development of the new biotechnology program, an aggressive recruiting program by the faculty, and the continued growth of the research program.

Subgoal 2: Assure the Recruitment and Retention of a High-Quality, Diverse Student Body.

Forestry.

The undergraduate Forestry program has seen dramatic swings in undergraduate enrollment over the past 20 years. Undergraduate enrollment peaked at 700 in the 1970s when forestry was a popular major, but a decline in popularity led to a low of 40 students in 1985. Since then, we have set a goal to increase undergraduate enrollment. We aggressively marketed the Forestry program by hiring a recruiter and recruiting high-school students from 1988–1991, and increased enrollment from 74 students to 131. Loss of funding for a recruiter affected enrollments, which have stabilized at about 135 (see Table 1). Although this does not quite meet our long-term enrollment goal, the trend remains positive. Furthermore, our entering students meet high academic standards; the 1996 entering freshmen class had an average composite ACT score of 23.8.

TABLE 1. SFWP Undergraduate Enrollment (Fall Count).

	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996
Forestry	74	91	118	123	131	134	137	140	135
Wood Products	13	17	16	13	12	15	13	18	20
Total	87	108	134	136	143	149	150	158	155

Student diversity is somewhat less than we would like for gender (29% women), ethnic, and geographic region (see Figures 1 and 2 for gender and ethnic diversity information). Nonetheless, we were recently recognized by the USDA Forest Service as a 1996 Honor Award recipient for our efforts in developing a natural-resources multicultural youth camp.

FIGURE 1. Enrollment in SFWP by Gender.

FIGURE 2. Enrollment in SFWP by Students from
Underrepresented Groups.

We developed and continue to update a video and other recruiting materials that describe the Forestry program, and we distribute them to anyone who expresses an interest or who we think might consider forestry as an option. We have also conducted summer youth camps, including a minority summer youth camp and a summer institute for exceptional students.

The recently approved BS in Applied Ecology and Environmental Science presents a great opportunity to increase undergraduate enrollment. This degree program fills a niche that is not filled at MTU or elsewhere in our Midwest region. We believe that there is a large pool of well-qualified students, particularly women students and students from across the region, who would be interested in this option. The number of jobs for which this program would prepare students has grown rapidly, especially in the private sector.

Retention is strong and placement is high. Retention rates have improved over time, with about 80% of students returning each year. Students who do not return cite three reasons:

1. financial issues,
2. insufficient academic performance, and
3. transfer to another program.

To enhance recruitment and retention, SFWP has tried to reduce the financial burden for students by providing $500 of work-study assistantship for each freshman or transfer student. We have several endowed scholarships, with 1996/7 awards of $21,508, and we are pursuing opportunities to raise more scholarship funds. Alumni, friends, and corporations have contributed $120,000 to this effort over the last two years. Finally, most of our students who wish to do so are able to work part time on research projects during the school year as well as summers.

Job placement for 1995 and 1996 graduates have been 92% and 88%, respectively, and approximately 25% have been accepted into graduate programs. Job placement has been concentrated in regional land-management companies such as Mead Paper and Champion International, but our students are also hired by smaller companies (e.g., Pike Lumber of Carbon, Indiana and Sundance Consulting of Duluth, Minnesota), public land management agencies (e.g., Bureau of Indian Affairs, Michigan Department of Natural Resources), and urban forestry companies (e.g., Davey Tree). Our students have been accepted into graduate schools across the nation, including Yale, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Utah State University, and the Universities of New Hampshire, Minnesota, Florida, and Idaho.

Improvements in and the new addition to the Forestry Building will assist with recruiting. However, two factors threaten our ability to increase enrollment. There is competition from many forestry programs at other Midwest universities, and interest in forestry as a profession has been low for the last decade, due in part to increased urbanization and confusion by the public in general about management of forest lands.

Wood Science.

Enrollment in undergraduate Wood Science has also increased (see Table 1, above) from 13 students in 1988 to 24 in 1996. A weakness is the lack of gender, ethnical, and regional diversity.

Our goal of 40 students by 2002 will require continuing recruitment efforts. The best pool of potential students are internal transfers from "undeclared" engineering, but IWR has met with mixed success so far. Visibility of IWR programs remains poor among engineering students, who do not understand the structure and nature of the Wood Science program. Concentrations in the environmental and biotechnology areas should assist recruitment of both engineering and non-engineering students. The enthusiasm of current IWR students should help us recruit in the future.

Strengths which will help with recruitment include excellent job placement, low student-to-faculty ratios, an attractive building, and a focused career niche that can positively impact our environment. Because retention of students is vital, we have an active program to increase faculty-student interaction is essential. Mentoring students to insure they retain their interest in the program and graduate in a timely manner is essential.

Specific efforts to recruit and retain students are listed in IWR's Strategic Plan [2.6G2]. It includes efforts to increase scholarship funding, recruit minority groups, and improve the environment for retention of students.

As with the Forestry program, we have attempted to reduce the financial burden for IWR students by providing freshmen or transfer student with a $500 work-study assistantship. We also have several endowed scholarships, and are pursuing the opportunity to raise additional scholarship funds. Finally, most of our students work part-time during the school year or during the summer on research projects.

Subgoal 3: Provide an Environment that Enhances the Quality of Student Life.

Forestry.

Emphasis on the professional aspects of forest management encourages a strong feeling of unity among the Forestry undergraduates, which develops especially during the fall camp experience of the sophomore year. The cohesiveness of our student body is facilitated by our policy of providing students with access to the building and facilities on nights and weekends via their student ID card.

A sense of shared goals is also imparted by several professional and extracurricular organizations including the Student Chapter of SAF/Forestry Club, the Student Chapter of the Wildlife Society, the National Forestry Honor Society Xi Sigma Pi, and the local chapter of the Timber Wolf Alliance. Students also produce a yearbook, The Forester, which includes a pictorial summary of student life and activities and is the only yearbook currently being produced at MTU. The School publishes two periodic newsletters, one by the staff and one by the students. Because all students have access to e-mail and the World Wide Web, the School distributes a great deal of information electronically. Xi Sigma Pi organizes and facilitates a tutor program, where Forestry students help other Forestry students in a wide range of classes. The Dean of SFWP meets with student leaders monthly during the school year. An undergraduate student served on the Committee to Evaluate the Dean, which made a recommendation regarding reappointment of the Dean. Although there are many activities available to SFWP students, a comprehensive survey of undergraduate-student perceptions of SFWP performance revealed modest participation in these clubs and activities, a weakness which will address.

Wood Science.

The small number of students in this program encourages a strong feeling of unity. By the junior or senior year, the majority of Wood Science majors have developed a close-knit social group; this is beneficial to the students as a means of networking once they enter their professional career.

Most students of the Wood Science program are members of the student chapter of the Forest Products Society, which is one of the main professional organizations within the wood science profession. Students meet several times per quarter and typically organize a yearly wood-working project that is used to raise scholarship money. Faculty and students usually have an informal pizza dinner once a quarter to discuss student issues.

The students in both the Forestry and Wood Science programs have an unusually high exposure to the faculty and staff outside of their courses. Students are generally on a first-name basis with both the faculty and staff. The SFWP usually has a welcome picnic in the Fall at the Otter River Camp, a facility used, in part, for social functions of the organizations discussed above. Several social functions that target undergraduates are held each year in the Forestry building. The staff generally organizes these gatherings and frequently helps undergraduates with a variety of problems. The School also hosts a seminar series focused on international resource management issues.

A weakness is that our students do not interact extensively with students from other majors. There are few campus-wide activities outside classes which encourage mixing between majors.

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