Jeffrey C. Hill

Faculty Mentor: Dr. David Mustard
The University of Georgia


Abstract

The quality of the undergraduate experience in our nation's universities is currently a hot topic both nationally and locally. At the University of Georgia, many high-ranking administrators have given a great deal of attention to the issue. One factor that has an important role in the undergraduate experience is the quality of the education the students receive. Many public policy officials and school ranking services argue that a lower student/faculty ratio and smaller classes improve education. Compared to other colleges at the University of Georgia, the Terry College of Business is significantly understaffed, resulting in high student/faculty ratios and large classes. Within the Terry College of Business, the Economics Department has the highest student/faculty ratios and the largest share of classes with over 200 students. This is a result of a rapid increase in enrollment in the College of Business coupled with a failure to increase faculty accordingly. The Quality of the Undergraduate Experience and the Allocation of Faculty in the Terry College of Business and the University of Georgia

Recently, the quality of the undergraduate experience at our nation's universities has been a hot topic at both a national and local level. At the University of Georgia, high-level administrators such as President Michael Adams and Provost Karen Holbrook have called for an increased focus on undergraduates (McClam, 1998). As Holbrook states, "[W] e don't need to bring freshmen in, sit them in a class and tell them stuff" (Henderson, 1998). The undergraduate experience can be defined as the composition of educational, social, and extracurricular experiences of undergraduates that occur at institutions of higher learning. While all these factors affect the quality of the undergraduate experience, education can be considered the most important. Murray Sperber, a professor of English at Indiana University, describes the quality of education received at several large institutions as "deplorable" in an article for The Chronicle of Higher Education (2000). To measure the quality of the education students receive, many groups focus on student/faculty ratios and class sizes. For example, most public policy officials and school ranking services argue that a lower student/faculty ratio and smaller classes improve the education received.

At the University of Georgia, students commonly complain about classes in the Terry College of Business. Most complaints are that the classes are too large, and the faculty is inaccessible. This paper examines student/faculty ratios and class sizes in the various colleges at the University. The College of Business has significantly higher student/faculty ratios and a greater portion of large classes than the other colleges. Within the College of Business, the Economics Department has the highest student/faculty ratios and the largest portion of classes with more than 200 students. This is a result of a dramatic increase in enrollment in the College coupled with a failure to increase faculty accordingly.


Section One

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