Mission, Goals, and Objectives

Mission Statement

The mission of the MPH program at Claremont Graduate University (CGU) is to prepare professionals to play leadership roles in promoting global public health through improved research, practice, policy-making, and system response. The program provides contemporary leadership, education, research, and service in public health, regionally, nationally, and internationally by combining a broad public health foundation with specific training in three specialty areas.

Goal Statements

The new School of Community and Global Health at Claremont Graduate University is uniquely situated at the edge of the Inland Empire, a region of communities in transition. The distinctive challenges faced by these communities are reflected in patterns found globally: The growth of major desert cities and urban sprawl, the public health needs of rural and urban tribal populations in Southern California, akin to those of indigenous peoples in Asia and Latin America, and the difficulties faced by populations in communities confronted with rapid growth, rising chronic disease, environmental degradation, health and economic disparities, public health emergencies, and entry into a global economy.

Assessing and addressing the unique health challenges of these communities in transition serves as a major theme guiding our programs of research, service, education, including the MPH program, at the new School. MPH faculty, staff and students work in partnership with communities, tribes, and the public and private sectors to focus on issues confronting these communities, building on their strengths, developing leadership skills and increasing their capacity to respond to rapidly evolving public health problems. Students gain knowledge in the emerging trends in global health while also honing the skills necessary to be eligible for jobs that employ the majority of graduates in public health.

The three major functions of the program involve instruction, research and service in public health. There are seven goal statements within these three areas.

INSTRUCTION: The first priority as faculty and staff of the MPH program is the education of our students through the development of innovative classroom techniques and exploring new fields of scholarly investigation. The curriculum is designed to prepare public health leaders to assess community needs of populations, design, implement, and evaluate health promotion programs to diverse populations. Instructional goals include:

Goal 1: To educate interested individuals for professional careers in public health through the development of an MPH program that prepares them to assess community needs of populations, design, implement, and evaluate health promotion programs to diverse populations.

Objective 1: Achieve an overall mean rating of 4.30 for course evaluations each year (1.00=poor to 5.00=excellent).
Objective 2: At least 90% of students will meet all MPH program competencies upon graduation.
Objective 3: At least one MPH courses will utilize some form of distance learning technology each semester.
Objective 4: Develop interdisciplinary learning opportunities by cross listing at least one course a semester.
Objective 5: Increase collaboration between Schools at CGU by offering at least two dual degrees or an additional MPH concentration by 2013.

Goal 2: To provide an environment conducive to student learning and professional development.

Objective 1: Provide financial support for education by offering at least a 20% tuition discount for all MPH students.
Objective 2: Half of core faculty will provide opportunities for student involvement in research per year.
Objective 3: In an attempt to better service the students, the program will provide funds for MPH administration to attend at least one professional training opportunity per semester.
Objective 4: The School will make annual donations to the fund student graduation reception/banquet.
Objective 5: Provide annual financial support for at least three MPH students to attend the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting & Expo.
Objective 6: Strengthen field placement opportunities by increasing the number of affiliated sites by 5 each year.
Objective 7: Create an environment where a diverse campus community can thrive by co-sponsoring two campus events addressing multicultural issues every year.

Goal 3: To prepare graduates to practice successfully in diverse public health/social service settings or to pursue advanced professional/academic training.

Objective 1: Maintain a cumulative attrition rate of 10% or less among those students who matriculate per year.
Objective 2: Ninety percent of students will have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 every semester.
Objective 3: Maintain a 90% graduation rate every semester.
Objective 4: Eighty percent of eligible students/graduates will pass the CHES exam on the first attempt.
Objective 5: Eighty percent of graduates will pass the CPH exam on the first attempt.
Objective 6: Ninety percent of graduates will obtain employment in public health or matriculate into an academic/professional degree program within one-year of graduation.
Objective 7: One hundred percent of students will receive a performance rating of at least 4.0 from their internship supervisors (1=below expectation, 3=satisfactory, 5=beyond satisfactory).
Objective 8: Ninety percent of students will receive a preparedness rating of “very prepared” from their internship supervisors.

Goal 4: To recruit a qualified and diverse student body.

Objective 1: Attend a minimum of 5 recruitment events targeting minority students each year.
Objective 2: Attend at least 20 student recruitment events each year.
Objective 3: Enroll at least three MPH students from the accelerated program bachelors/MPH program offered at the Claremont Colleges each year beginning fall 2011
Objective 4: Enroll at least three MPH students each year from the undergraduate major in Community Health offered by the University of La Verne beginning fall 2012.
Objective 5: Enroll at least two dual degree students in the MPH program per year.
Objective 6: Offer McNair Scholars at least a 25% tuition discount.
Objective 7: At least 50% of students accepted into each cohort are minority students.
Objective 8: At least 50% of students accepted into each cohort are women.
Objective 9: At least 10% of students accepted into each cohort are from outside the U.S.
Objective 10: Offer a university minority fellowship to a 100% of returning minority students each year.

RESEARCH: Research of the highest quality by our faculty and students is fundamental to our mission. Research and teaching are inextricably intertwined such that faculty do more than teach other people’s work, but actively contributor to what is taught, thought, and practiced. Research goals include:

Goal 5: To conduct research that contributes to the identification, management, and resolution of public health problems locally and globally.

Objective 1: Seventy-five percent of core faculty will have funded research annually.
Objective 2: Twenty-five percent of core faculty will conduct funded research projects that address public health problems in minority populations.
Objective 3: Fifty percent of core faculty will publish one peer-reviewed article annually.
Objective 4: Fifty percent of core faculty will conduct at least one presentation at a professional meeting annually.
Objective 5: Fifty percent of core faculty will publish in a public health journal annually.
Objective 6: Core faculty will maintain at least two collaborative research projects annually.
Objective 7: At least two students will present research projects at professional conferences per year.
Objective 8: Fifty percent of core faculty will have MPH students working with them as graduate assistants, student workers, student interns or on directed research projects each year.

SERVICE: The MPH program strives to improve the health status of individuals through community efforts. As a community-practice oriented degree, the program encourages students and faculty to participate in community service through research, consultation and volunteerism. Service goals include:

Goal 6: To encourage faculty and students to actively engage in service leadership activities.

Objective 1: At least 50% percent of all faculty will serve on panels/boards or provide technical assistance to community based agencies
Objective 2: At least 50% of core faculty will maintain an active membership on University committees
Objective 3: At least 50% of core faculty will maintain an active membership on School committees
Objective 4: At least 25% of core faculty will serve as grant reviewers.
Objective 5: At least 50% of all faculty will serve as manuscript reviewers.
Objective 6: At least 75% of core faculty will have active membership in community, national or international professional associations.
Objective 7: At least two courses a semester will provide student service opportunities.
Objective 8: The MPH Student association will coordinate/participate in two community service events per year.
Objective 9: Support at least one student appointment on MPH program committees each year.
Objective 10: At least two MPH students will participate in faculty service activities each year.
Objective 11: At least 50% of students will participate in service activities

Goal 7: To improve the skill set of the local public health workforce so it may address issues characteristic of the region.

Objective 1: Conduct a needs assessment at least every three years to determine current and emerging needs of the public health workforce.
Objective 2: Provide at least one annual training opportunity that will reach local public health professionals.
Objective 3: When applicable, all trainings will provide continuing education units for health educators (CHES).
Objective 4: Enroll at least 5 CHES participants in continuing education programs per year.