Section V
ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION

A. Program descriptions and requirements are published and disseminated to all prospective students.

A Graduate catalog is sent to students upon inquiry, and has specific information related to all graduate school programs.  At the Counseling orientation, Counseling Students are given a copy of the Graduate School Counseling Manual that includes more specific information related to the Counseling & Psychology programs.

B. A clear procedure for responding to inquiries of prospective students has been identified and carried out.

Prospective students most often initiate contact with the Graduate Admissions office. This office forwards general inquiries to Dr. Lemoncelli, the Counseling Dept. Chair. Program-specific (i.e., School or Mental Health) inquiries are directed to respective program coordinators:

    Dr. Lemoncelli - Mental Health Counseling
    Dr. Bradley Janey - Elementary School Counseling
    Dr. Shamshad Ahmed - Secondary School Counseling

In addition, an open house is held during the fall and spring semesters by the Graduate Admissions office. This open-house is attended by a full-time faculty member to respond to questions from prospective students.

C. Prior to or at the beginning of the first term of enrollment in the program, the following should occur for all new students:
1. a new student orientation is conducted; and

2. a student handbook is disseminated that includes the institution’s and/or program’s:                

a. academic appeal policy,

b. student retention policy explaining procedures for possible student remediation and/or dismissal from the program,       

c. written endorsement policy explaining the procedures for recommendation of students for credentialing and employment,

d. information about appropriate professional organizations (i.e., ACA, its divisions and/or branches), involvements, and activities potentially appropriate to students in the program, and

e. mission statement and program objectives.

In August, prior to the start of each academic year, all new students are encourages to attend the Graduate Orientation. During this orientation, full-time faculty are present to respond to all questions, and also to review the contents of the Counseling Dept. Handbook. The Counseling Dept. Handbook outlines program objectives and the mission statement and has updated information on academic appeals, student retention, remediation and dismissal policies.

The handbook also contains updated information on professional organizations, as well as credentialing in terms of school certification, National Board certification (NCC) and Pennsylvania State Licensure requirements. It is distributed in print form at the August orientation, during the initial meeting with the academic adviser, and is also available for download from the Counseling Department home page.

D. The program has procedures for disseminating current information to all students enrolled in the program, and associated personnel.

Dissemination of current, up-to-date information is accomplished via the department home page, and in-class announcements.

E. The recommended ratio of FTE students to FTE faculty is 10:1.

According to data received from the office of Planning & Institutional Research, the FTE Faculty to student ratio since Fall '04 is as follows:

            Fall, 2004            9:1
            Spring, 2005        10:1
            Fall, 2005            10.5:1
            Spring, 2006        9.4:1
            Fall, 2006            8.5:1
            Spring, 2007        9.5:1
            Fall, 2007            10.1:1

This makes a mean of  9.6:1 over the last three years.

F. The teaching loads of program faculty are consistent with those of the institution’s other graduate level units that require intensive supervision as an integral part of professional preparation and incorporate time for:

1. advising and supervising student research using formulae consistent with established graduate school policies within the institution;

2. maintaining knowledge and skill as a counselor educator, which ordinarily includes ongoing scholarship and service; and

3. administrative responsibilities (if applicable).

The program faculty's teaching load is consistent with the University's general policy on faculty load for graduate-level faculty. Each full-time faculty member is contracted to teach six graduate - level courses per year (3 - 3) with the exception of the Assistant Chair of the Department (Graduate Counseling Chair) who allowed a one course load release time (3 - 2) for administrative duties.

There is no requirement for a master's thesis in the Counseling programs. However, Counseling faculty are sometimes asked to lend their expertise as a mentor or committee member for students in other graduate programs in Psychology. At the present time, there is no formal policy for faculty participation in student research for graduate faculty in any department. It is usually dependent upon the interests of students, and expertise of faculty. It is however, not unusual for a Counseling faculty member to be on more than one or two committees per year.

Faculty have a significant amount of freedom and support from administration for continued professional development and scholarly activity. Besides opportunities for course reductions (one per semester) or sabbatical leave, Graduate Counseling courses are typically scheduled to meet 12 times during a 15 week semester. This allows for attendance at state, national and international conference.

Financial support (in the form of Faculty Development funds) for such activities is also generous. $800 per year is available for conference attendance. This increases to $1200 when faculty are presenters. If the conference is international, support has recently increased to $1700.

G. Graduate assistantships for program students are commensurate with graduate assistantships in other clinical training programs in the institution.

Assistantships are awarded to students on the basis of need and merit. Typically, the Graduate Programs in Counseling are granted 2-3 assistantships each year, which is commensurate with other masters-level programs at Marywood University.

H. A written policy has been developed to recruit students to represent a multicultural and diverse society has been developed and is implemented by program faculty.

Efforts by the Counseling Program to recruit and train students are derived from the mission statement of Marywood University. Marywood’s mission statement is:

A Catholic university sponsored by the Congregation of Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Marywood University roots itself in the principle of justice and a belief that education empowers people. Enacting its ideals, Marywood offers students a welcoming and supportive community that encourages men and women of all backgrounds to shape their lives as leaders in serviced to others. Proud of its liberal arts tradition and host of professional disciplines, Marywood challenges students to broaden their understanding of global issues and to make decisions based on spiritual, ethical, and religious values.  Marywood calls upon students to seek their full potential and invites all to engage in a lifelong process of learning. Witnessing the efficacy of teaching and scholarship, Marywood educates students to live responsibly in a diverse and interdependent world.

Specifically, the Counseling Program of Marywood University is designed to place men and women of all backgrounds and ages at the forefront of service, knowledge, and technology. The Counseling Program attempts to recruit a wide range of students, both nationally and internationally, while maintaining a concern for the education of women, culturally diverse persons, and first generation students. The Counseling Program recognizes and affirms the dignity of each individual, regardless of age, culture, disability, ethnicity, gender, language, race, religion, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status. Our coursework integrates diversity and multicultural influences across the curriculum. The department aspires that all faculty and students will engage in respectful explorations of issues regarding diversity and multiculturalism as we develop more fully our commitment to social justice. In addition, faculty and students are encouraged to explore their own attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors in regard to discrimination so that the quality of research, teaching, and counseling practice reflects the principle of social justice.

The faculty of the Counseling Program works closely with the admissions office to recruit students to fully represent the diversity of the larger society. In addition, faculty attend regional, state, national, and international conferences for a variety of reasons, one primary reason being recruiting diverse students.

I. The program admissions criteria, as well as selection and retention procedures, are distributed to prospective students. 

Admission procedures are communicated to prospective students via various means. General information is available on p. 96 of the Graduate Catalog, as well as the Graduate Admissions home page, which can also be accessed via the Counseling Dept. Home Page. Admission criteria include: scores on the Miller's Analogy Test (MAT) or the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Beyond these standardized tests, criteria examined includes undergraduate GPA and letters of recommendation. More detailed admissions criteria (including retention) is included in the Counseling Dept. Student Handbook on p. 7. It is the student's responsibility, in consultation with the advisor, to monitor progress toward the degree. A time line to graduation is included in the handbook, and is discussed elsewhere in this self-study.

The criteria and procedures include consideration of:

1. input from regular, adjunct, and affiliate program faculty;

Regular faculty are responsible for defining the admissions process and criteria, and are involved regularly with discussions regarding the overall process. It is the responsibility of the Dept. Chair (Dr. O'Brien) to organize the process, after the Graduate Admission Dept. provides applications for review and evaluation. All regular faculty are directly involved in the paper review of the application files.

2. each applicant’s potential success in forming effective interpersonal relationships in individual and small-group contexts;

Each student in each class is evaluated by each instructor, whether full time faculty or adjunct, using the student evaluation form which completed on every student by every instructor every semester.

3. each applicant’s aptitude for graduate-level study, including technological competence and computer literacy;

Aptitude for graduate study is evaluated at the time of the initial application, and includes undergraduate GPA, and scores on the GRE or MAT. Also, since most graduate-level counseling courses require some type of computer literacy (online periodicals, web-based instruction, online assessments, email communications, ect.), evaluation of computer literacy and technological competence is on-going and informal and is included as an item on our student evaluation form.

4. each applicant’s career goals and objectives and their relevance to the program; and

Career goals and objectives are evaluated when students complete their application for candidacy after 12 graduate credits have been completed.

5  each applicant’s openness to self-examination and personal and professional self-development.

This domain is evaluated during faculty meetings when individual candidacy applications are evaluated by regular faculty members. Data included is in-class experience with the student, and previously described evaluation procedures. It is also an item on the student evaluation form.

J. Admission decision recommendations are made by an academic unit’s selection committee.

When applications for admission are received by graduate admissions, the file is circulated to all three of the full-time Counseling faculty, asking for input related to the admission of the applicant. After the faculty provides input on the application, the file is returned to the admissions office and the prospective student is notified of the faculty's decision. 

K. Effort is made to secure financial assistance for students in the program, including all of the following:

1. monitoring to ensure that the program receives a proportionate share of institutional funds allocated for such purposes; and   

The Dean of the Reap College of Education and Human Development and the Department Chair work to insure that counseling program students are aware of the financial assistance available to them, and that the proportionate share of funds are directed to program students.  For example, each year a proposal for funding a graduate assistanceship is submitted by department faculty, and on average, 2-3 assistanceships are granted each year.

2. informing students of available loans, part-time work, graduate assistantships and fellowships, and other sources of financial aid.

Students are informed of student loans, scholarships, and assistanceship opportunities through the office of financial aid via the Graduate Admissions website, and the graduate catalog (p.  32) and at various points during their academic careers at Marywood. Students initially receive information in their acceptance packet once admission has been approved. Registered counseling students are notified of application deadlines via email and postcards from the financial aid office twice a year.

Also available at the graduate admissions site is an online scholarship application for students pursuing Masters degrees in various fields including School and Mental Health Counseling. 

L. Students have an assigned faculty advisor at all times during enrollment in the program.  Students, with their faculty advisor, develop a planned program of study prior to the completion of twelve (12) semester or eighteen (18) quarter hours of graduate study.  The planned program of study identifies the following:

1. program prerequisite curricular experiences,

2. core curricular requirements,

3. specialized curricular experiences,

4. supervised practicum and internship requirements, and

5. appropriate elective curricular requirements.

Students are assigned a faculty advisor at the time of their admission to the program and work collaboratively with them until graduation.
The program of studies, developed collaboratively by the advisor and student, is designed at the time of admission to the program. Students who wish to make changes to their programs of study are asked to do so only after consultation with their advisors. Advisors meet with their advisees at least once each semester to review their plan and to offer feedback and discuss other concerns.

A copy of the program of studies for each program track is included here. As indicated, all of the areas addressed above are included. In addition, tentative timing of each course and progress toward the degree is outlined. This document serves as a plan for the student and the advisor; changes made to the plan are made cooperatively by the student and the advisor. 

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