The University
Cleveland State University is a state-assisted, metropolitan university whose mission is to recruit and instruct a diverse student population, provide strong arts and sciences programs, support excellence in education, reaffirm its commitment to basic and applied research, and provide a supportive and nurturing educational environment for members of the community.
Cleveland State has some 16,000 students enrolled in more than 1,000 courses and 200 major fields of study at the undergraduate and graduate levels as well as professional certificate and continuing education programs. These include: seventy undergraduate programs, forty master’s-level programs, two law degree programs, three specialist degrees (two in education and one in school psychology), six doctoral programs, and joint programs in law-business, law-public administration, and law-environmental studies. The University also offers over a dozen graduate certificate programs. Approximately one-third of Cleveland State’s students are enrolled in graduate or professional programs and about half attend on a part-time basis.
The University’s eight colleges are the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, the College of Sciences and Health Professions, the Monte Ahuja College of Business, the College of Education and Human Services, the Fenn College of Engineering, the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs, the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, and the College of Graduate Studies. Descriptions of the University’s baccalaureate programs are contained in the Cleveland State University Undergraduate Catalog, which can be found at http://www.csuohio.edu/undergradcatalog/. Programs in the College of Law are described in the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law web site at http://www.law.csuohio.edu/admissions/.
Other important academic divisions of the University are Continuing Education, which offers a variety of special, non-credit learning opportunities; the English as a Second Language Program, and the Division of University Studies, which provides comprehensive academic and student support services, including orientation programs, academic advising, tutoring, assistance to students with disabilities, mentoring services, and career development and planning.
Project 60/Active Minds offers senior citizens the opportunity to take undergraduate and graduate courses on a tuition-free, non-credit, and space-available basis. Students can sample undergraduate and graduate courses without being admitted formally to a degree program.
Cleveland State’s faculty is among the best anywhere, with more than ninety-three percent holding the highest degree in their field. Four out of five hold the Ph.D., a figure unmatched by any other Ohio university. And faculty have received fifty-five prestigious Fulbright Scholar Awards, including twenty awards over the last four years. Our faculty members create an atmosphere that promotes intellectual growth, the creation of new knowledge and an engaged learning experience.
The University has more than 90,000 alumni, most of whom have remained in the Northeast Ohio area to establish careers, give back to the community, and raise their families. Recent research shows that at nearly 1,000 businesses across the country, a Cleveland State graduate is at the helm as founder, chairman, CEO, president, or top executive.
Cleveland State is a metropolitan university that provides a rich environment for engaged learning in an exciting and dynamic location. Our students are fond of claiming that the entire city is their campus for study, practical experience, and recreation. And our pledge to each student is an engaged learning experience in the real world, for the real world, among a diverse and engaged student body.
University Mission Statement
Our mission is to encourage excellence, diversity, and engaged learning by providing a contemporary and accessible education in the arts, sciences, humanities and professions, and by conducting research, scholarship, and creative activity across these branches of knowledge. We endeavor to serve and engage the public and prepare our students to lead productive, responsible and satisfying lives in the region and global society.
University Vision Statement
We will be recognized as a student-focused center of scholarly excellence that provides an accessible and exceptional education to all. We will be a place of opportunity for those who seek truth, strive toward excellence, and seek a better life for themselves and for their fellow citizens. As a leader in innovative collaboration—both internally and externally—with business, industry, government, educational institutions, and the community, the University will be a critical force in the region’s economic development. We will be at the forefront of moral, ethical, social, artistic, and economic leadership for the future and embrace the vitality that comes with risk. We will be the strongest public university in the region and be known for our scholarship in service to students and to our community.
History
Established as a state-assisted university in 1964, Cleveland State was created out of the buildings, faculty, staff, and curriculum of the former Fenn College, a private institution of 2,500 students that was founded in 1929.
Cleveland State University’s historical roots go back to the 19th century. During the 1880s, the Cleveland YMCA began to offer day and evening courses to students who did not otherwise have access to higher education. The YMCA program was reorganized in 1906 as the Association Institute, and this in turn was established as Fenn College in 1929. A significant contribution of Fenn College was its pioneering work in developing internships for students in engineering and business. These internships, as joint ventures between the College and local businesses and industries, provided students with professional contacts and experience, as well as an affordable education. Historic Fenn Tower, now student housing, stands as a reminder of these early years, when the University already had a strong commitment to equal access to higher education
The Cleveland-Marshall College of Law traces its origins to 1897 when the Cleveland Law School was founded. It was the first evening law school in the state and one of the first to admit women and minorities. Another evening law school, John Marshall School of Law, was founded in 1916. In 1946, the two schools merged to become the Cleveland-Marshall School of Law. Cleveland-Marshall became part of Cleveland State University in 1969.
Evening and Weekend Classes
Most graduate programs are available in the evening. During a typical term, more than 5,500 undergraduate and graduate students attend the hundreds of classes offered during the late afternoon and evening hours. Many classes meet once a week or on Saturdays, thus providing multiple scheduling alternatives.
A Dynamic Campus Environment
Strategically located in downtown Cleveland, the University sits in the midst of major businesses and institutions that provide students with internships and other career opportunities. Nearby neighbors include The Plain Dealer (Ohio’s largest newspaper), Playhouse Square Center (home of the Cleveland Opera, the Great Lakes Theater Festival, and touring Broadway productions), Tower City Center, Progressive Field, Quicken Loans Arena, and the North Coast Harbor, which is the home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, the Great Lakes Science Center, and Cleveland Browns Stadium.
The Cleveland State campus consists of 85 acres—the largest footprint in downtown Cleveland—with forty buildings used for teaching, research, housing, administration, and recreation. “Building Blocks for the Future,” the University’s $200-plus million campus master plan, is changing the face of both campus and downtown Cleveland while creating a vibrant living and learning community in the heart of the city. New or renovated buildings include a recreation center; apartment-style student housing; a restaurant; an administration center, a College of Graduate Studies building; and more. Soon to come: a new student center and a College of Education and Human Services building. Cleveland State also has extended campuses in Westlake and Solon, where students have access to the same quality education as they have downtown.
Within easy reach of the University are the Cleveland Clinic, Severance Hall (home of the Cleveland Orchestra), the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, the Cleveland Play House (the oldest repertory theater company in the country to have a continuous existence), Karamu House (America’s oldest African American community theater company), and the Western Reserve Historical Society.
We believe that a first-class education benefits not only the graduates of Cleveland State but the rest of society, as well. Public and private institutions, corporations, and businesses have joined as our partners in a dynamic and engaged learning experience. With their help, the University has created an environment in which the individual, the curriculum, and the community interact to achieve the highest levels of learning.
Extended Campuses
We’ve expanded our horizons so you can expand yours. Cleveland State now has campuses in Westlake and Solon – close to where you live or work.
Higher education is now at your doorstep, allowing you to pursue a graduate degree in a number of fields such as education, business and diversity management.
Each extended campus has
- well equipped classrooms
- instructional computer lab
- study area with computers
- comprehensive student services including library delivery
- on-site arcademic advising
- free parking
WEST CENTER
26202 Detroit Rd.
Westlake, Ohio 44145
216-875-9600
westcenter@csuohio.edu
www.csuohio.edu/westcenter
Student Learning Assessment Policy
All academic programs and student service units on campus assess student learning outcomes in order to improve the quality of our curricula, instruction, support systems, and the overall campus life. Systematic, ongoing assessment efforts focused on student learning are coordinated by the Office of Student Learning Assessment. There are several measures used to determine whether the University’s expectations and goals for learning are being achieved. In this light, we evaluate a combination of theses, papers, projects, portfolios, pre-and post-tests, licensure, and other formal examinations. Additionally, current and former students’ views about the learning process are also solicited through questionnaires, interviews, and focus groups. Upon completion of the process of reviewing all academic program as well as student service unit assessment reports, the Office of Student Learning Assessment provides constructive feedback to the reporting programs and units as a way for the University to continuously meet the needs of our diverse student population.
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA)
Cleveland State University is required to give annual notice to students, or parents of students, of the rights granted by the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974. In accordance with this act you are notified of the following:
Right to Inspect
You have the right to inspect and review information contained in educational records maintained by Cleveland State University.
Right to Request Amendment
You have the right to request an amendment of an educational record that you believe to be inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of your FERPA rights. This includes the right to a hearing should the university decide not to alter a record according to your request.
Right to Prevent Disclosure
You have the right to restrict the release of information that may be disclosed on an unlimited basis by university personnel in response to oral or written requests. Certain exceptions to this rule are specified in the Act. See also Student Rights Regarding the Release of Directory Information.
Right to File a Complaint
You have the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning any belief you have that Cleveland State University has failed to comply with the provision of FERPA. Written complaints should be directed to The Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 600 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20202-4604. Phone: (202) 260-3887. Fax: (202) 260-9001.
A copy of Cleveland State University’s institutional policies on access to student records may be obtained by request from the Office of the University Registrar in UC 400 or viewed on the Web at http://www.csuohio.edu/enrollmentservices/registrar/privacy/ferpa.html. These policies set forth the procedures for inspection and amendment of educational records.
Student Rights Regarding the Release of Directory Information
The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) as amended, prohibits Cleveland State University from disclosing or releasing a student’s “education record” or personally identifiable information contained in that record without the student’s consent. FERPA defines “education records” as “those records, files, documents and other materials which (i) contain information directly related to a student; and (ii) are maintained by an educational agency or institution or by a person acting for such agency or institution.” One of the exceptions to FERPA permits the university to release or disclose “directory information” about students without their consent. The university will release the following as “directory information” unless otherwise instructed by the student:
- Name
- Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
- Height and weight for members of athletic teams
- Dates of attendance
- Degrees earned and awards (honors) earned
Students who wish to restrict the release of the foregoing information can do so via CampusNet under the Student Records option or by submitting the Directory Information Restriction Request form to Campus411. The form can be found on the University Registrar’s Web site under Downloadable Forms at http://www.csuohio.edu/enrollmentservices/registrar/forms/, or by coming in person to the Campus411. This restriction will remain in effect until you request in writing that it be removed. However, even if you file such a request, the university will release information as necessary if it is determined that disclosure is permitted by FERPA without prior consent (e.g., response to a subpoena, health or safety emergency, etc.). Refer to the University Registrar’s Web site at http://www.csuohio.edu/enrollmentservices/registrar/ for more information on FERPA. Please be aware that if a student requests that the foregoing information be withheld, it will be withheld from a variety of sources, including friends, relatives, prospective employers, insurance agencies, honor societies, and the news media. Students should carefully consider the consequences of withholding such information before they do so.
Student Records
Right to Review Records
Students attending Cleveland State University have the right to review educational records which consist of official records, files, and data directly related to themselves which are maintained by department, college, or university offices. Personal files maintained by faculty or staff are excluded from coverage under this policy.
Medical and counseling records maintained by professional or paraprofessional physicians or counselors which are used in treatment or counseling with a student are deemed confidential and need not be shared with a student. Such records may be reviewed by a physician or other appropriate professional of the student’s choice.
- Admissions Offices (Graduate and Undergraduate)
- Admissions File
(Records submitted by applicants are not available for inspection until admittance and registration of the student.)
- Alumni Office
- Degree information for alumni
- Names and addresses of alumni
- College Dean’s Office
- College Departmental Offices
- College of Education–Student Personnel Service
- College of Education student records will be maintained in this office rather than in the Education College Dean’s Office. Under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974, confidential materials submitted prior to January 1, 1975, are not available. Records that are available include: (undergraduate) academic records, students’ written objectives, speech and hearing test results, T.B. test results, and schedules; (graduate) application, transcript, GRE test results or Miller Analogies Test results, and letters of recommendation.
- College of Law–Dean’s Office
- Admission file
- Placement file
- Student file
- CO-OP Office
- Education file
- Employer file
- Division of Collegiate Studies
- Admission information
- Diagnostic Test Information
- Judicial Affairs–Department of Student Life
- University Judiciary Reports and Conduct Records
- Placement Office
- Placement folders submitted by students for employment purposes
- Treasury Services
- University Police
- Incident Report/ Crime Log
- University Registrar
- Academic Record
- Student Schedule
- Residency Petition
- Change of Name Record
- Transcript Request File
- Transient Record
- Graduation Application File
- Registration/Enrollment Materials
- Veterans’ Certification File
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