The Business Department tracks its enrollment and course section offerings very closely. We try to adjust to what students need and be aware of trends. Attached to this request is a copy of the trend lines for our degree programs that we report every year to our Advisory Boards and periodically to our accrediting agency, ACBSP. The Business Department currently has 9 programs and certificates.  Of those, 6 require Business Law 1 and Business Law 2 as part of their required curriculum (AS Accounting, AS Business Administration, AAS Accounting, AAS Business Management, AAS Marketing, AAS Office Technologies (Management & Legal)). Comparing the Department enrollment to the College, we traditionally provide 12 – 13% of total college enrollment.

The Business Department has 12 full-time tenure track faculty positions. Historically (since 2000) we had two Accounting faculty members retire (Gutting, DeNicolo) and they were replaced with Accounting faculty.  We had two Business faculty (Mullin, Markovits, M.) retire that were also replaced. Our last full-time hire was to provide a FT faculty member for the Newburgh Campus (we offer the AAS Business Management at this campus) for teaching, club, and advising. We have traditionally had two Business Law faculty on staff.  In 2007 Edward Meyer retired and we began a search for replacement. We went through the HR process from posting the job description, to picking candidates to interview.  At this point the search was cancelled. Adjustments were made to the number of Business Law course offerings and the position was never replaced.

Business Law is a specialized course that most general business instructors cannot teach. The fall 2017 semester was covered, but it was difficult and there is question of whether some adjuncts teaching the courses should be doing so long-term. For spring 2018, two sections of Business Law have been cut from the schedule and there has still been difficult covering the remaining sections with qualified instructors.  So we have decreased our number of course offerings which has distorted out FT faculty percentage. This is a course that needs a working knowledge of law, if not a law degree.  We have reached out to the area law community looking for qualified candidates. Most who are qualified are also practicing law and cannot commit to a day time/multiple day a week schedule.

Business Law is a specialized course that most general business instructors cannot teach. The fall 2017 semester was covered, but it was difficult and there is question of whether some adjuncts teaching the courses should be doing so long-term. For spring 2018, two sections of Business Law have been cut from the schedule and there has still been difficult covering the remaining sections with qualified instructors.  So we have decreased our number of course offerings which has distorted out FT faculty percentage. This is a course that needs a working knowledge of law, if not a law degree.  We have reached out to the area law community looking for qualified candidates. Most who are qualified are also practicing law and cannot commit to a day time/multiple day a week schedule.

Please explain:  ACBSP ACCREDITATION STANDARD 5: FACULTY AND STAFF FOCUS The ability of a business unit to effectively fulfill its mission and meet its objectives is dependent upon the quality, number, and deployment of the faculty and staff. Each business unit: (1) develops and implements policies and plans that ensure an excellent faculty, including a staffing plan that matches faculty credentials and characteristics with program objectives, (2) evaluates the faculty based on defined criteria and objectives, (3) provides opportunities for faculty development and ensures scholarly productivity to support department and individual faculty development plans and program objectives; and (4) fosters an atmosphere conducive to teaching and learning.                                                                                                                            STANDARD 5 Criterion 5.2 is where faculty credentials are addressed. From their document is states - Criterion 5.2 Faculty Qualifications Employee qualifications and credentials are a critical foundation for business success. Qualified faculty must teach all class sections taught within the business unit. Faculty qualifications in the business unit are defined as Master’s or Doctorate Degree Qualified, Professionally Qualified, or as Exceptions. A Master’s or Doctorate Degree Qualified faculty member meets at least one of the following criteria: (The institution must provide documentation) 1. Doctorate in teaching field 2. Juris Doctorate— qualified to teach law courses 4. MBA—The MBA is the qualified master's degree in the teaching field for business management and marketing degrees. The MBA is also the master’s qualification to teach any introductory or principle level business unit courses (for example, entry level accounting, economics, software applications, finance, intro to computers, etc.). 5. MED —The Master's in Education with a concentration in a business discipline is the master's degree in the teaching field for office administration. 6. Related or out-of-field master’s or doctorate degree with 18 semester/27 quarter credit hours or equivalent of courses in field beyond the introductory principles level

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No

Other

Briefly describe additional evidence of the need for this position.  Examples of evidence may include connections to advancement of Program/discipline goals, Department goals, Division goals, Academic Master Plan objectives, Strategic Plan objectives.

The Business Department Goals 1 & 2 are most impacted by not replacing this position. Business Law 1 & Business Law 2 are transfer courses required in any AS Business degree at other institutions. The courses are also included in the AAS programs because it is important to have a working knowledge of definition & terms and understanding of contract law if we are to send student prepared into the workplace. These goals further tie into the Programming Theme of the Academic Master Plan and 2.1 & 2.3 of the College’s Strategic Plan.

2016/17 BUSINESS DEPARTMENT GOALS

1. To provide high quality, industry-standard skill set training within our AAS and Certificate coursework so that our graduates are prepared for employment.

1. To provide high quality academic coursework in our AS transfer programs so that our graduates can successfully transfer to a Bachelor’s degree program.

SUNY Orange Academic Master Plan – Programming Theme

Programming refers to providing an academic environment, course options, and other learning experiences to foster student knowledge and attainment of goals. Programming must be and remain current and applicable. Objectives & Strategies  Objective #1: Offer valuable academic programming by maintaining relevance and timeliness of programming throughout the college.   S1:  Conduct periodic program review to ensure program currency (i.e., adding new content, revising current content). S2:  Ensure program goals are met by ongoing course assessment.  S3: Identify opportunities to leverage SUNY Seamless Transfer and OPEN SUNY; publicize and communicate these opportunities.  S4: Develop collaborative mechanisms that integrate and align curriculum, student support and administrative policies and processes. S5: Promote and reinforce faculty development and active learning strategies that promote/reflect currency in the field.

SUNY Orange Strategic Plan

2.1 Prepare students for college success through academic planning and advising and comprehensive ongoing support.

2.3 Increase student retention, completion, transfer and employment readiness.

Implications/Impact if not filled

Briefly describe the impact of not filling this position:

The replacement of Samuel Markovits as the only remaining Business Law faculty member is crucial to the integrity of the Department. This is a course that need a working knowledge of law, if not a law degree.  Our accreditation body has requirements for faculty qualifications that will be difficult to meet without a replacement for this position.