President's Report 2025

EXPLORING NEW MAJORS IDEAS TRENDS DATA INNOVATION RESEARCH SCIENCE OUTCOMES PROPOSAL

By Betsy Simon Digital and Brand Marketing Manager

I n her 15 years as Provost/Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, Janet Clark, Ph.D., has been part of adding nearly a dozen new degree programs, including Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Equine, Kinesiology and Paramedic Science to Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Normally, the process begins when faculty in a department or division decide to explore a new program – job market trends, alumni comments or prospective student feedback. “We try to mutually decide it’s something worthy of exploring before we get too far along in the exploration phase,” Clark said. Faculty generally follow a template to determine what resources, courses and faculty might be needed and the projected student enrollment per year. After the exploration phase, the proposed major is planned and approved within the department before it goes to the Faculty Assembly, which gives every faculty member on campus a voice and a vote in any program that’s added. “That’s how we’re a small but stronger community. We all know and agree that these are the programs we want,” Clark said. “A lot of times, we’re a little bit reactive. We know we want to do it and then we discuss when it can be ready. We need about a year to market it and make sure prospective students know we have it.” Faculty spend about a semester on this process. A department can approve the findings within a couple of meetings, at which point Faculty Assembly could pass it within two months. The proposal is presented to Clark, who then submits it to the Cabinet. Most new programs also require approval from the Higher Learning Commission. “If it’s a small program or an add-on to an existing program, we don’t necessarily need the approval of the Board of Trustees,” Clark says. If we’re adding something major that might require new and different resources, like the counseling program, then we bring it to the Board of

Trustees after Cabinet. The Board’s role is to determine if it fits into our mission.” Several new programs that have undergone this process most recently include:

CLINICAL MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING Through a partnership with Hamilton Center and Valley Professionals Community Health, SMWC introduced a Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (MS-CMHC) in spring 2024. The curriculum is designed

so students can pursue licensure in any U.S. state after completing the program. It features a hybrid model with online courses, two brief on-campus residencies, and on site training in the student’s local area, with the option to finish in as little as two years. The program targets students who have just earned an undergraduate degree and want to pursue their master’s immediately or mental health professionals with a bachelor’s degree and several years of experience. In fall 2025, 31 students were enrolled in the second cohort. EQUINE The Equine Prevet Science

was added in the fall of 2023 and became the largest equine major in the department. A year later, in the fall of 2024, the Master of Science in Equine Science program added concentrations in Equine Coaching

and Instruction, Thesis in Equine Science and non-thesis in Equine Science. The College also began an Associate of Science in Racetrack Management through Woods

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