Lake Superior State University is situated at the northeastern tip of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, overlooking the City of Sault Ste. Marie (population 16,000). One of the state's 15 public universities, it is primarily a baccalaureate degree-granting institution. By design the smallest of the state-supported institutions of higher learning, LSSU affords its 3,717 annually-enrolled students an opportunity to study in a unique international environment rich in beauty and historical significance.

Lake Superior State University was established in 1946 as a branch campus of the Michigan College of Mining and Technology (now Michigan Technological University) and was accredited by the NCA from 1946 to 1968 as part of the parent institution. The University was established on the site of Fort Brady, a decommissioned Army post, to address the educational needs of returning World War II veterans. The remaining Fort structures with their unique architecture are registered today as national historic buildings. During the past 54 years, enrollment has grown from 227 to over 3,000.

The self-study has provided the University with a valuable opportunity to appreciate the changes made since 1991. The following is a sample of those developments.

Strategic Planning. In 1992, President Robert Arbuckle initiated a major strategic planning effort. This effort resulted in the 1994 Strategic Plan document and the institutionalization of a yearly process to keep the plan updated and implemented.

Mission. In the ongoing task of assessing and defining its goals, the University, through the strategic planning process which involved the input of over 300 persons, revised the Mission Statement to more clearly express and reflect these goals. The Board of Trustees adopted the present Mission Statement on May 13, 1994.

Academic. (1) Various programs have received accreditation from the following external bodies: National League for Nursing, the Council on Medical Education and Hospitals of the American Medical Association, Technology Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, and the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress. (2) A $1.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education was received to improve the academic success of the University's at-risk students. (3) The Great Lakes Academy was established to help the University meet its state-mandated community college role. (4) Ten faculty positions have been added in response to enrollment growth in selected disciplines. (5) The implementation of the Severance Incentive Plan in 2000 and 2001 will provide the University with an opportunity for academic revitalization and the ability to better match faculty with student enrollment preferences. (6) In 1997, based on input from faculty, the president, vice presidents, and approved by the Board of Trustees, four colleges were established-College of Arts, Letters, and Social Sciences; College of Engineering, Mathematics, and Business; College of Natural and Health Sciences; and the University College (now the Great Lakes Academy). In 1999, to provide a more prominent focus on the University's business programs, Business was separated from the College of Engineering and Mathematics to form its own College of Business and Economics. (7) A formalization of the program review process was initiated in the fall of 1999. It is designed to facilitate continuous improvement and is an opportunity to gather data that documents program accomplishments, to reflect on those accomplishments, and to plan for the future.

Facilities Additions and Renovations. The University engaged in a massive remodeling and building program in the 1990s that included: (1) A $6 million addition to the Cisler Student and Conference Center, providing a larger and more modern food service facility. (2) A $6.1 million renovation to the existing Norris Center Ice Arena. (3) A $12 million renovation and addition to the Kenneth J. Shouldice Library. (4) A $3 million new Student Activity Center. (5) A $23 million renovation and addition to the Crawford Hall of Science. (6) State approval for a $15.3 million Arts Classroom Building. Design work is underway for an anticipated opening in 2002.

The 1991 NCA site team identified seven areas of concern in addition to concerns associated with the Master of Business Administration program. (Response to concerns resulting from the MBA program focused visits of 1994 and 1998 are highlighted at the end of this section.) The University addressed all of these concerns during the past decade and made substantial progress in all areas.

The NCA teams in 1991, 1994, and 1998 identified areas of concern with the University's Master of Business Administration program. One of the concerns was that the faculty in the Department of Business did not have oversight of the program. Another concern was the lack of doctorally-qualified business faculty teaching in the program. In response, the University conducted an extensive self-evaluation in which future roles of the University as a graduate and undergraduate institution were reconsidered. A task force was appointed, and it delivered its final report in April 1999. The University believed it would be detrimental to the undergraduate programs to provide additional resources to correct the remaining deficiencies. The faculty in Business and Economics and the Board of Trustees voted to discontinue the program and to not accept new students after the fall 1999 semester.

The 1998 focused visit report also indicated that reviewers thought that the Master of Public Administration program suffered from some of the same shortcomings as the MBA program-overloads for faculty, lack of doctorally-qualified faculty, and lack of an assessment plan. In compliance with the recommendations of the report, the University began a teach-out in May 1998 for the 72 MPA program students.