Letter from the Dean

Dear CPASS Alumni and Friends,

It is my honor to write this letter for the fall 2020 issue of the CPASS Alumni magazine. Having served as interim dean for the 2019/2020 school year, I now write this letter as dean of the College, appointed for the next two years. This two-year period is extremely important for our College, as we work to position ourselves with an eye on the future. I promise to do my best to help us make a smooth transition following the retirement of our long-serving dean, Dana Brooks.

I would love to say this year went by smoothly and without issue. However, many factors, both internal and external to the University, have caused difficulties within CPASS and WVU. These factors include changes to the accreditation policies for athletic training, COVID-19 and the popularity of online education. Within the College, we have worked hard to be proactive and position ourselves in a positive way that will take advantage of the opportunities caused by these challenges.

Because of the mandatory transition of the Athletic Training program to the School of Medicine due to accreditation changes and the Academic Common Market program elimination, we looked at opportunities to expand our academic offerings.

As such, we have developed a new major titled Health and Well-being that has admitted its first class of students to WVU. They will begin taking courses in August 2020. To date, we had received deposits from more than 150 students. To put this in perspective, this major, in its first year, was amongst the top 10 incoming majors on campus.

We have also made a dedicated effort to improve our online programming options. These changes started three years ago with the creation of a position for a director of online education. This position has expanded into an associate dean position with Sean Bulger taking the lead. Under his direction, our online master’s degree programs have increased enrollment by almost 200 percent.

We have added an instructional designer and two graduate assistants to support these efforts and are currently in the process of hiring another instructional designer. In addition to our online master’s degree programs, we are beginning the process of planning a new online undergraduate degree in sport leadership and have discussed other options for more online graduate programs.

It is also important to mention the impact that COVID-19 has had onour college and the University. Since this virus began influencing our lives within the US and around the world, WVU made the decision to transition all classes to remote delivery over a two-week window. As you may guess, this was a herculean effort for all involved, but the semester ended without too many problems. The University has since made the decision to have students on campus while taking all necessary precautions. Although that situation is constantly evolving, CPASS remains ready to address any challenge as it arises.

Further, we expect that some students will need to take all or part of their classes online for various reasons. Therefore, we are have worked to transition several of our classes to a HyFlex instruction model, allowing students to complete work both on-campus or online. This instruction option will provide for a quick conversion to online education whenever needed. .

To help with these shifts, WVU has offered workshops designed to support instructors to transition their classes to such a model. Within CPASS, we are proactively working with instructors to modify teaching schedules and assist through the development of a supplementary webinar series and creation of new online and HyFlex teaching templates and support services. We believe that the development of these teaching resources will benefit our College as strategies will likely change moving forward. It is fair to say that we strive to be diligent and remain nimble and ready to shift how we do business on a moment’s notice.

As a College, we have begun conversations related to racism and racial inequity and the policies and practices that may promote these habits on an institutional level. It is our goal to create a mechanism for intentional conversations and systemic change designed to eliminate any policies and procedures that may perpetuate these issues. As such, we will develop working groups to discuss and develop strategies for change that include goals and timelines. I will report on our positive efforts next year.

In summary, this has been a busy year as we promote various initiatives. I am excited to help guide CPASS into the future. I believe that we have the opportunity and means to continue and enhance the legacy of the College. Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate in reaching out to my office.

Jack C. Watson II, PhD
Professor and Dean