Mission Statement

Our mission is to provide a diverse core of foundational art history courses which help students achieve the following:
1.   fulfill General Education requirements
2.   prepare art history and studio art majors for advanced study at 4-year institutions of higher learning
3.   prepare art history and studio art majors for arts related careers
4.   promote an appreciation for, and comprehensive understanding of, our rich cultural heritage as expressed through great art and architecture. 

Program Description

We offer an AA-T Degree in Art History, encompassing curricula in the history of art useful for art majors and for students from other majors who are seeking to fulfill general education and multicultural competency requirements for their degrees and for transfer to 4-year colleges.  Our course offerings are as follows:
ART 1 Art Appreciation
ART 2 Art History Survey I (Prehistoric through Medieval)
ART 3 Asian Art History Survey
ART 4 Art History Survey II (Renaissance through Modern)
ART 5 Survey of Modern Art
ART 6 Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Native Americas

In response to the newly adopted C-ID framework, we are developing a course in Modern Art (ART 5) to be launched Spring of 2014. 

Student Learning/Administrative Unit Outcomes

Most of the Art History Survey assessments were based upon written essays and exams.  It is clear that many students find writing at college level challenging, due either to lack of previous training, aptitude, or motivation.  We must therefore endeavor to teach writing skills in these courses, and to inspire a variety of learners.  We do the former by clearly laying out what the expectations are, both in assignment guidelines, and evaluation rubrics.  We strive for the later by assigning topics that are engaging and require critical and creative thinking.  Beyond this, it is up to the students to respond positively by submitting all required work, and preparing adequately for writing and examinations.  By and large, the ones who do are successful in achieving related SLOs.
In Art Appreciation, and a couple of other Art History courses, the SLO assessments were done doing pre and post-tests.  These appear to indicate high levels of success for students in acchieveing the specic SLO being assessed.  

Standards/Goals for Student Achievement (OSLED Departments)

			College			Program
Indicator	Source	2013-2014 Performance	Standard	Five Year Goal	Fall 2014 Performance	Standard	Five Year Goal
Course Success
-          Overall	PDR	71.1%	70%	73%
-          Transfer/GE	PDR	71.5%		73%	69.5%	67%	73%
-          CTE	PDR	75%		77%
-          Basic Skills	PDR	51.7%		55%
-          Distance Ed (all)	PDR	62.5%		64%
Persistence (Focused).  Note:  The Persistence (Focused) that is included in the PDR is a different indicator than the three-primary term persistence indicator, from the state Student Success Scorecard, that is used to measure institutional persistence.  The Focused Persistence indicator measures the percentage of students that took a second course in a discipline within one year. There is no relationship between the college and program standards in this area.	PDR	72.6%    (Three-Term) Scorecard	67% (Three-Term) Scorecard	75% (Three-Term) Scorecard	10.4%	9%	15%
Degrees	PDR	1,455		1,600	AA: 8 AA-T: 5	10	25
Certificates	PDR	366		475
Developmental Strand Completion
-          English	State	42%		45%
-          Math	State	30.7%		33%
-          ESL	State	25%		28%
Licensure Pass Rates
-          Registered Nursing	SC
-          Licensed Vocational Nursing	SC
-          Respiratory Therapy	SC
-          Paramedic	SC
-          Cosmetology	SC
-          Welding	SC
Job Placement Rates	PIV

                                              The Art Academic Department is in compliance with the standard. Degree production has increased from 5 to 13 over four years.  Probably the impact of the AA-T degree.  Approximately 10 students have chosen the Art History AA-T as their academic program although about 500 have chosen ARTA AA.  Contact information for these students may be found in the Reports Server at the Institutional Research, Program Review, Students in an Academic Program tab.  The department is outreaching to these students and we are having dialogue about how to increase the number of degrees in this discipline.  We have created attractive brochures touting the advantages of the AA-T degree, and advise students informally.  It is suggested that counselors also steer students in this direction. Focused persistence is down from 13.3% to 10.4% during the past four years. This could be reversed if more students focused on the degree.  Some variability in this figure is to be expected.  Many non-major students enroll in these courses to filfill a General Education requirement.   Success rates in the program (69.5%) are below that of other academic programs at the college (71.5%) and below the standard for course success at the college (70%).  We continually endeavor to improve student success rates in the art academic area, but are faced with daunting factors involving a complete lack of prerequisites and a free-for-all when it comes to students self-waiving recommended preps.  Writing is the only way to properly and accurately assess student success in achieving SLOs such as:   B.  Analyze, discuss, and differentiate works of art and architecture in terms of historical context and cultural values. C. Analyze, discuss, and differentiate the roles of art, architecture, and the artist from prehistory through the medieval period. As many students are underprepared to write at college level, they find written assignments and exams quite challenging.  Additionally, the amount of work we require in art academic courses reflect that which they are likely to be required to do at a 4-year institution, but most of the students who fail these courses simply choose not to complete all the assignments.  It is unclear how to induce these students to perform at a higher level. 

Standards/Goals for Student Achievement (All Other Departments)

NA

Strategic Direction

The Art Academic Department supports the college in meeting its Strategic Direction and Priorities in the following areas:
Under Initiative 1 for Entry, we are focusing on instructing in writing skills because students come to us unprepared.
Ensuring that students take the appropriate prerequisites.
Requiring underprepared students to begin developmental coursework in their first semester and to enter a program of study as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, due to fear of lawsuits, the State of California has made it difficult to justify prerequisites and many students simply waive recommended preparations.  This hits us especially hard relative to the English 2 completion and Writing-level requirements.  We get students who range from functionally illiterate, to highly skilled, and it is one of the reasons why it is so challenging to design and implement curricula to facilitate all the SLOs in these courses, which require a considerable amount of college level writing and critical thinking.  It is unclear how the we in the Art Academic area can help establish and enforce prerequisites, or prevent students with insufficient reading and writing skills from waiving those recommended preps.    
For Strategic Initiative #4, Maximizing Resources to Support Student Learning, the Academic Art Department is focused on practicing strategic enrollment management that integrates financial planning with student need and achievement. * 

We tailor our art academic schedule to meet student demand and ensure that both art majors, who need specific courses for degree completion, and non-majors who need a course for general education, are able to enroll in the courses they require. 

Program Review

The team noted that the last Validation Team review called for two new full-time faculty positions.  Since that time, three full-time and several experienced associate faculty have left. It is clear that despite the limited institutional resources, the number of full-time faculty should be increased to sustain the future of the department. While multiple areas of need are recognized, particularly striking was a lack of full-time faculty in 3D areas. Ceramics and Sculpture do have skilled associate faculty, but a full- time faculty will provide forward-thinking leadership for these large and quite complex programs. Recognizing other departmental faculty needs, a General Education Area C-rooted faculty could be sought who has additional expertise in the Art Academic areas, specifically Art History. Of particular importance to the overall health of the department would be the reinstatement of staff positions to prior levels. Specifically, Krista Collett’s secretary III position should return to a 12 month position to effectively deal with the myriad of financial transactions that need to be concluded during the summer months. Lab tech support staff positions should also be returned to previous levels to permit all the deferred maintenance that builds up during the school year.
We have reinstated the Secretary III role to 12-month.  We need to eventually hire an additional full-time instructor in the art academic area.
• As the Background Statement of the Art Department’s 2014 Program Review rightly states, “Art has been an integral part of human culture for over 30,000 years” (p. 1) and it remains essential by reinforcing our “shared beliefs and values” (p. 2), increasing our “empathy” (p. 3) and reinforcing our “social bonds” (p. 3). Because of the Arts’ central importance in human development and behavior, it is extremely disheartening to see the cuts and restrictions Butte’s Art Department has suffered in recent years. Therefore, it is the Validation Team’s recommendation that the Art Department be allowed to expand its course offerings (which are also profitable for the college). It is also the team’s recommendation that creative solutions be sought to somehow address students’ needs for skills development in Studio Arts classes given current, inappropriate state-mandated limits on repeatability of classes.
We are endeavoring to add courses as the college experiences lower-than-anticipated enrollments.  We have been met with resistance by an administration focused on classes perceived as more central to the “completion agenda”.
• We recommend that the Art Department review what is in the catalog currently on page 117 for the Arts major requirements. Most of what is listed is aligned with Chico State, our biggest transfer destination; yet, the page does not reflect what is currently on assist.org for many majors.
This remains to be done.
• The Validation Team recommends that the Art Department discuss and agree to the use of a standard departmental name. Clearly denote the “programs” included within the Art Department. Ensure that signage on Art Department doors and walls, promotional materials and student advisement documents reflect the official organizational structure and name of this department.
This remains to be done.
• The Validation Team recommends that the Art Department continue to address ongoing requests and concerns with regard to tweaking operating budgets. Faculty and technical support personnel need to continue to provide input as far as what is needed to support and enhance instruction and carrying our program operations. Unit Plans supply an important vehicle for facilities support, but more can be done outside of Unit Plan cycles. For example, only instructors know best what visual delivery systems work best in their classrooms. Their views should be respected and reflected in various budget requests at various times during the academic year. This includes support for the Art Resource Center.
This is in-progress and ongoing.
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• The Validation Team recommends a renewed, more inclusive approach to the running of the Art Gallery. While we commend the individuals who have recently carried the bulk of the organization and presentation of Gallery exhibits, we believe that the vision for the Gallery should reflect a more broad consensus. We recommend that the Art Department, in conjunction with an advisory committee comprised of other interested, appropriate parties, both establish the vision and do planning for the Art Gallery. Ensure that input is gathered from more full-time and associate faculty. We also recommend that the Gallery not be so reliant on personal donations from faculty and staff. The Gallery requires the support of student assistants, reinstatement of reassigned time for faculty taking a leadership role relative to the Gallery and stipends for those curating exhibits.
This is in-progress and ongoing.
• We recommend that the Art Department continue the ongoing work of SLO assessment, align Student Learning Outcomes with General Education outcomes, and implement a 6-year assessment cycle for all disciplines and/or programs within the department.
This is in-progress and ongoing.

Department Goals

Increase the number of AA-T Art History degrees awarded.
Maintain and enhance student achievement of SLOs and PLOs.
Expand our course offerings (ART 5).
Improve the percentage of students who successfully complete our Art History and Art Appreciation courses.

Future Development Strategies

Requested Non-Financial Resources

Current Financial Resources

Augmentation Requests

Original Priority	Program, Unit, Area	Resource Type	Account Number	Object Code	One Time Augment	Ongoing Augment
Description	Supporting Rationale		Potential Alternative Funding Sources		Prioritization Criteria
1	Full-time Art Instructor	Personnel	11-000-512-1-100220	52210	$0.00	$99,187.00
Art Academic/Art Studio	SEE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES FOR A FORMATTED VERSION OF WHAT FOLLOWS HERE: Compliance with Agencies and External Mandates, and Need for Full-time Leadership: With the support of the Office of Instruction and key leaders in the Curriculum Committee, we successfully developed AA-T degrees in both ART STUDIO and ART HISTORY. These have been approved by the State of California and are presently available to students. But our ratio of Full-time to Associate faculty is not optimal: In Art, we presently have just three* Full-time Faculty, two of whom routinely teach overloads to meet student demand, while the number of Associate Faculty is eleven. If we are to maintain the quality of our programs moving forward, we need reliable faculty who have a long-term interest in providing excellent instruction and leadership, especially in Studio Art, but also in Art History. *This is down from five Full-time Faculty in Arts, due to the retirements, without subsequent replacements for, of Idie Adams (Ceramics) and Will Stull (Sculpture, Art Appreciation Lack of Associate Faculty, and Inability to Meet Student Demand for Educational Pathways Based on Established Scheduling Criteria: Last Spring we were asked by the Office of Instruction to add two Art History classes to our Fall 2013 schedule. I was happy to accommodate, and scheduled the courses back-to-back, for Tuesday/Thursday at prime time, so that they would be most likely to fill. First I offered these to our present Associate faculty, one of whom was enthusiastic about the assignment. About a month later she declined the classes due to receiving other full-time employment. Everyone else was fully scheduled. I requested that we be included in the recruitment that Human Resources was doing for additional Associate faculty, and was confident that we'd be able to find someone great to teach both classes, especially after hearing our media blitz for Associate faculty in a variety of areas on radio station KCHO. By mid-summer, when I checked with Human Resources, we had just three applications in Art. Of these, two were interested in Graphic Design positions, and one was more general, but did not possess the needed qualifications to teach two CSU/UC transferable classes. I subsequently reached out to C.S.U.C. Art Department and specific individuals recommended by our Associate faculty, but to no avail. So I had to cancel one class, and schedule myself an overload to teach the other. This problem was compounded with the untimely death of a long-time Associate faculty member named Ed Logan. We had great difficulty staffing his classes, due to the lack of depth in our Associate Faculty pool. After many years of hiring few, if any new faculty, and the retirements of many of our very capable veterans, we seem less able to attract fresh talent to the Associate ranks. Supported by Program Learning Outcomes, SLO Report, Unit Plan and Most Recent Program Self-study and Validation Report: Six years ago, in our Program Review Self-Study, we requested a Full-time Sculpture Instructor. More recently, during our 2013-14 Program Review, we determined our present needs would be more completely satisfied by more versatile individual who can provide expert instruction, leadership, and support in a wider variety of Three-dimensional Studio foundation courses, as well as in Art History/Appreciation. Our 2013-14 Validation Team supported this request wholeheartedly.				Maintaining core programs and services Directly supporting meeting department standards/goals for student achievement and/or supporting the college in meeting its student achievement standards and/or goals Reaching the Sustainable Continuous Quality Improvement level on the implementation of Student Learning Outcomes Practicing strategic enrollment management that integrates financial planning with student need and achievement
2	Arts Resource Center	Personnel	11-000-512-1-160100	52468	$0.00	$8,670.00
2 Student Assistants, 15 hours per week each.	Student help is critical in providing access to the materials and equipment in the ARC. These resources are targeted to facilitate student success in Academic Art courses which meet G.E. and transfer requirements, and Studio Art Courses.				Maintaining core programs and services Directly supporting meeting department standards/goals for student achievement and/or supporting the college in meeting its student achievement standards and/or goals