CLAYTON STATE UNIVERSITY
HMSV 3501: Organization & Administration of Human Service Agencies
Fall 2007 Syllabus 

Course Description.
   
A comprehensive analysis of the role and function of a human service agency management professional. Topics include skills and techniques in the areas of planning, staffing, budgeting, volunteer coordination, risk management, community relations, and advisory or governing board interaction. (3.0 semester credit hours).  No prerequisites, but junior level status highly recommended.
 
Professor.
   
Dr. Sandra M. (Sandy) Harrison
Office: Arts & Sciences Bldg, 214 A
E-mail: sandyharrison@clayton.edu
 		 Phone: 678/466-4804
Personal website: http://a-s.clayton.edu/harrison
Office hours: http://a-s.clayton.edu/harrison/schedule.htm
Required Texts.
   
Hutton, S., & Phillips, F. (2006). Nonprofit kit for dummies (2nd ed.).  New York: Wiley.

Lewis, J.A., Packard, T.,  & Lewis, M.D. (2007). Management of human service programs (4th ed.)  Belmont, CA:  Wadsworth.
 
Class Calendar.
 
Grading System.
   
Graded 
Assignments
Syllabus quiz (1 @ 10 pts) 10 pts possible
Covey concepts (1 @ 10 pts) 10 pts possible
Online open-book chapter quizzes (10@ 10 pts) 100 pts possible
Research Activities   (2 @ 20 pts; 4 @ 15 pts) 100 pts possible
Software skills:  Excel & Publisher  (2 @ 30 pts) 60 pts possible
Tests (4 @ 50 pts) 200 pts possible

Optional:
Community Leadership Forums (3 @ 3 pts)
Community Service Project (3 hrs minimum, completed by Dec. 1)
9 pts possible
20 pts possible
   
Grade Scale (based on total points earned) 432-480 = A
384-431 = B
336-383 = C
288-335 = D
below 288 = F

Midterm Grade.   The course grade posted in the DUCK at midterm will be based on the number of points earned by midterm divided by the total points possible at midterm. Midterm grades are for information only and do not impact a student's GPA.
 
Computer Requirements.
   

Because several assignments involve computer skills, each student MUST have ready access to a notebook computer which meets the minimum requirements for CSU's academic programs. (See http://itpchoice.clayton.edu for full details of the policy.)  

  • Students will need to bring their laptops to class several times during the semester.  Some of your grades in the course are based on in-class activities with your laptop and they cannot be done from a remote site.

  • You must have Microsoft's Excel and Publisher loaded on your computer; both software programs are available free from the HUB.  Excel is part of the standard Office suite, but Publisher is supplementary.  A word to the wise: Do NOT wait until the day of the assignment to try to get Publisher loaded. 

  • If  you need additional help with your computer or computer skills, visit Student Software Support Services on the ground floor of the Library. I do not provide technical assistance or software instruction outside of class, but the SSSS folks are excellent resources.

Course Policies.
   
Attendance Every class is important. Students who miss class are responsible for everything covered in class. Please identify two people to partner with and check with them to obtain information about what happened in class. Don't e-mail or call me with questions such as "Did we do anything important in class?" (Of course we did!)

More than two unexcused absences during the semester will lower your grade one letter. (Traffic problems are not considered excuses.) Coming late to class will contribute toward unexcused absences in that three tardies (more than five minutes late) will count as one unexcused absence. Students who are on time to every class and have no unexcused absences will have 5 extra pts added to their final total in the course.  Students with no more than two tardies or one unexcused absence will earn 2 extra pts.  (Traffic problems are not considered an excuse for tardies or absences.)  Students missing over 25% of the classes will be dropped from the course.
   
Children Children, even those who are quiet and well behaved, are not allowed in class because they are distractions. Plus it's unfair to other parents who went to the trouble to get childcare. Students bringing children to any test or other assessment will lose 10 pts from their grade on that evaluation.
   
Deadlines Deadlines are designed to pace you in the course, keeping you from waiting until the last minute to do the readings and research exercises. Completing assignments by their deadlines demonstrates responsibility and self-discipline, important characteristics of a professional in the field of human services.

In particular, self-grading assignments cannot be attempted after the deadline has past, and the points for missed chapter quizzes and research tasks are forfeited. All other class assignments (including tests) have 25% point penalties for those who do not complete them on time.

Do NOT wait until the last minute to do an assignment on your computer. The gremlins who inhabit computer systems note your stress level and delight in making your machine lock up, crash, or unable to access the Internet just before an assignment is due. Having technical problems at the last minute does not excuse you from a deadline when the assignment has been available for several days.

Do an assignment on the FIRST day it is available, and you will be able to comfortably cope with server problems, computer viruses, and other inevitable technical glitches. Planning for the unexpected is an essential skill of human service professionals.
   
Electronic Devices All cell phones, pagers, and other electronic devices should be off during class. If you expect an urgent call, please turn your device to vibrate mode and sit close to the door. Any communication device going off during any assessment, even in silent mode, will result in the bearer losing 5 points on that assessment.
      E-Mail   In order to abide by Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) guidelines protecting students, I can only communicate with you through your CSU e-mail account.  Please do not contact me through any other e-mail system.  I am not legally allowed to respond.  
   
Integrity Students are expected to take all tests and quizzes without assistance. Cheating on any assignment, quiz, or other evaluation method will result in a zero.
   
Make-up Tests One (and only one) make-up test may be taken on the day of final exams, immediately after you have taken the final for this course. Make-ups are not given at any other time.

Beware of missing a test when it is originally scheduled, since the lapse of time between learning the material and taking a make-up is almost certain to have a negative effect on your recall of the material. Make-ups may also include questions not on the original test. Remember that your grade on a make-up test is docked 25%, since you had more time to study for it than did the rest of the class.
   
Respect Research has shown that social skills are more important to life success than is academic intelligence. Because argumentativeness, combativeness, and an attitude of entitlement are increasing problems in American culture, your college experience is a good opportunity to practice and expand your ability to communicate respect and courtesy. The old saying "You'll catch more flies with honey than with vinegar" is still true.

In team projects and interacting with the professor, courtesy and an open mind are valuable assets. Don't toss them aside in an attempt to prove yourself right. You will gain respect by being respectful of others.
 
Course Goals/Outcomes
Knowledge
  • Students will explain the evolving relationship between the public, business/commercial, and nonprofit sectors.
  • Students will describe the variety of roles for nonprofits both nationally and internationally.
  • Students will identify and discriminate between and organization's mission and the objectives/goals that derive from that mission.
  • Students will demonstrate knowledge of the state and federal requirements for getting and maintaining 501(c)(3) status.
  • Students will describe the characteristics of an effective board of directors and the functions they serve.
  • Students will describe effective procedures for recruiting and managing paid staff and volunteers.
  • Students will identify the major resources available to persons involved in human service organizations.
  • Students will describe the importance of community relations to human service organizations.
Vocationally Useful Skills
  • Students will use the Internet to locate information relevant to legal and service dimensions of governmental and nonprofit human service agencies.
  • Students will use Excel to format and analyze statistical data. 
  • Students will use Excel to set up a template for financial record-keeping.
  • Students will use Publisher to create a brochure for an organization's clients/community.
Attitudes
  • Students will acquire empathy for particular populations through exposure to lobbyists & other advocates.
  • Students will understand the personal and emotional costs of human service initiatives.

 
Correlation to Program Outcomes & Educational Standards.
   

The content and methods used in this course comply with the learning outcomes established by the Department of Psychology (http://a-s.clayton.edu/psychology/outcomes.htm) and the Department of Social Sciences.

The content of this course syllabus also correlates to education standards established by national and state education governing agencies, accrediting agencies and learned society/ professional education associations.  Please refer to the course correlation matrices located at the following web site: http://a-s.clayton.edu/teachered/Standards%20and%20Outcomes.htm

Special Accommodations.
   
Individuals with disabilities who need to request accommodations should contact the Disability Services Coordinator, Student Center, Room 214, 678/466-5445, disabilityservices@clayton.edu

Last updated August 16, 2007
Harrison Home
Clayton State University