JOHN Q. PUBLIC UNIVERSITY

Developed by: Todd E. Long, M.Ed.

This case study of Institutional Planning and Accountability

identifies various innovative best practices aligned with the university’s institutional efforts affiliated with the Office

of Institutional Planning and Accountability.

PURPOSE

John Q. Public University is an independent liberal arts university located in South Carolina. It offers Bachelor’s degrees in 25 major fields of study, and is well known for its programs leading to graduate and pre-professional studies (medicine and other health professions, law, commerce, and advanced graduate study across academic disciplines). The university is committed to providing superior students an undergraduate and graduate education defined by excellence, engagement and transformation.

UNIVERSITY IN REVIEW

The University’s core values not only serve as the

philosophical underpinnings of the institution’s mission, but they serve to govern attitudes, behaviors, and decisions in

daily activities among stakeholders.

INSTITUTIONAL PLANNING AND ACCOUNTABILITY

– People come first-We are committed to creating an inclusive

environment where we respect our differences as we pursue academic purposes

– Stewardship of resources is critical to accomplishing the University’s mission

– Integrity as an academic institution drives our daily activities. To include but not limited to: a passion for teaching and learning, and a belief that every employee and student had a right to learn and progress as far as he or she is able.

CULTURE OF EVIDENCE

• A commitment to gather and use the data needed to make decisions, assess the results of those decisions, adjust priorities, strategies, decisions, and adjust priorities and strategies as needed

• Regular, clear, transparent communication about priorities, progress, and problems

• Adherence to sound principles of shared governance

• Clear three-year goals • Specific and measureable

objectives, detailed action plans, and accountable leaders for each goal

• Assessments/performance indicators

THE PURPOSE OF THE THIS STUDY IS GUIDED BY A SHARED VISION AND GROUNDED IN MISSION WITH:

• Improve internal and external communication • Institute regular “town hall” events. • Expand the use of current technologies to expedite the

flow of information. • Increase opportunities and support for staff

development. • Institutionalize data-driven decision-making

INSTITUTIONAL PRIORITIES

• Provide accurate and meaningful assessment data which is easily accessible and used to improve effectiveness and efficiency.

• Build a culture of continuous improvement.

• Increase and enhance diversity programming and service activities.

• Build cohesion of diversity efforts.

• Renew ties within the minority communities in which we serve

INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS

• Student Success/student initiatives

• Excellence in Teaching and Learning

• Institutional Effectiveness

• Professors Scholarly Activities

• Maintain regional and national accreditation standards as identified per discipline.

• Increase collaboration with businesses and organizations in our region

• Financial viability-local, state, federal funding sources

INSTITUTIONAL PRIORITIES:

• Recruit, attract, and enroll a diverse body of students who are achievement oriented and determined to succeed

• Student learning and development will be the highest priority

• We are committed to continuous improvement

• Preparing students to compete with other graduates in their chosen fields of study in a global society

• Students will persist to graduation at increasing rates.

• Create an organizational structure to coordinate community engagement activities.

• Student Global awareness and experiences

• Strengthen the University’s competitive edge • Strengthen the image of University • Strengthen the identity of University • Align resources and programs effectively across schools

and colleges within the university.

STRATEGIC PLANNING AND INSITUTIONAL PROMINENCE

• Enhance the recognition of students, faculty, staff, and community stakeholders

• Implement a successful multifaceted marketing plan • Seek program validation through national

accreditations and the expansion of new programs • The number of students who matriculate, the number of

students who utilize university support services and the number enrolled in Trio and STEM programs

STRATEGIC PLANNING AND INSTITUTIONAL PROMINENCE

• Planning, Evaluation and Staff Enhancement • Safety, Security and Wellness • Retention and Graduation Rate Improvement • Visibility and Positioning • Student Life and Development • Housing and Residential Life • Campus Culture and Decorum • Diversity and Globalization • Leadership Development and Service

CRITICAL AREAS DEFINED

• Student satisfaction survey/Noel Loevitz • Student evaluation of faculty • Ongoing collaboration with stakeholders in the department of Institutional

Assessment and Compliance • The number of faculty who maintain appropriate credentials within their

discipline • The number of faculty who complete scholarly activities (publication,

research, conference presentations) • The number of students who attend and present at local and national

conferences in conjunction with professors • The number of students who engage in research with faculty • The number of students who pass certification and licensure examinations

within their chosen fields of study (local and national board credentialing) • Revisiting on a biannual basis the goals and objectives across the university

community/disciplines as related to institutional assessment

INSTITUTIONAL ASSESSMENT BEST PRACTICES

• New Student Orientation • Hierarchical Needs • Connection (Affiliation and Belonging) • Social Integration • Intellectual and Cultural Enrichment • Purpose and Direction • Personal and Social Development • Leadership Development • Personal Attention, Regard and Recognition

ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT-FOCUS AREAS

• The approach to addressing and implementing the "Active Engagement” elements include integrated, active, comprehensive and holistic methods.

• "Integrated" means that the strategic plan will be carried out across departments and involve cooperation with units and all university departments. We will be collaborative.

• "Active" means that the approach emphasizes outreach, prevention, structure and action. We will exhibit passion

• “Comprehensive" means that the approach addresses myriad factors related to students' success and progress at the University. We will benchmark and implement best practices.

• "Holistic" means that the approach recognizes that students‘ performance in, success at, and adjustment to university life are affected by numerous factors and forces that interplay in their lives. We will be compassionate.

ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT

• Small private institution with a strong foundation in undergraduate and graduate liberal arts disciplines

• Accreditation- regionally accredited by one of the six regional accrediting agencies recognized by the US Department of Education

• Trustees: 31 trustees serve as the governing body of the university under the terms of the charter of the university founding

• Enrollment (On-Campus headcount): 1,608 • Men: 796, Women: 812; Minorities: 272 • Students from out of state: 689 • Full-time students and other university housing: 93 percent • Students studying abroad not counted above: 57

FACT SHEET

Financial Data: • Resident Student Comprehensive Fee, 2013-2014: $45,795 • Commuting Student Comprehensive Fee (tuition & fees):

$34,555 • Financial Aid: 91% of students receive financial aid • 5% receive scholarships • 4% pay out of pocket

FACT SHEET

UNIVERSITY DEMOGRAPHICS

Significant strides have to be made in this area in order for the university to be successful in carrying out action items in concert with the Strategic Plan.

PLANNING, EVALUATION, AND STAFF ENHANCEMENT

Student Health Services , Counseling and Disability Services and Recreation, Intramurals and Fitness all will be actively involved in health and wellness programming on campus.

SAFETY, SECURITY, AND WELLNESS

Student Retention Data- 90.12 % of the first year students returned in 2014-2015 In order to improve the quality and size, and to fully and properly shape the desired characteristics of new classes, we have to enlarge the size of our applicant pool by saturating our current market and seeking “new markets” to tap into. University administrators have experience at other institutions and have visited other colleges and universities, utilized the Internet, and researched enrollment management models across the country in order to better assess which strategies, mechanisms and organizational structures will work best for John Q. Public University given its current personnel and technology infrastructure

RETENTION AND GRADUATION

• President's Student development Luncheons,

• Student Forums

• Student Round Table discussions

• Extended cabinet meetings open to general public

• Open communication channels

• Accessibility of university administrators to students

• Participation by students in university governance and on major ad hoc committees

• University’s responsiveness to student issues

VISIBILITY AND POSITIONING

STUDENT LIFE AND DEVELOPMENT

• complement students’ intellectual development

• enrich their cultural exposure and provide study abroad opportunities

• promote their social integration into the university community

• provide student leadership training and opportunities

• encourage student volunteerism

• facilitate their participation in extracurricular activities and other wholesome facets of campus life

• contribute to their personal and civic development

• During the life of this plan, the Student Services Division will develop and implement a well-grounded, conceptually sound and integrated, comprehensive student life and development programs, in conjunction with the Freshman and Sophomore Class Deans and General Education.

• the student life program must reflect the diversity that exists among the student population.

STUDENT LIFE AND DEVELOPMENT

• Housing and Residential Life is a key ingredient in institutional planning to effectively and concertedly address the hierarchical needs of the university’s students. The goal is to provide a residential environment in which facilities, programs and services meet and are responsive to students' needs and interests, complement their total development and, at the same time, are effectively administered and efficiently operated

RESIDENTIAL LIFE AND HOUSING

RESIDENTIAL LIFE AND HOUSING CONTINUED

Over the three years covered in this Plan, we will focus on three areas critical to improving residence life: (1) residential facilities, including improvements to existing facilities and the refurbishing of our halls, (2) residence life programming, and (3) administration and operations within the Housing and Residential Life department. An early imperative will be the development of a comprehensive student housing plan to include housing demand projections, identification of related issues and problems, and recommendations for solutions and infrastructure needs and improvements geared towards overall student satisfaction

Safety and security provisions are among the hierarchal needs designated as strategically critical in this three-year plan. The ultimate goal is to provide a safe and secure environment in which all members of the University community may confidently engage in their respective activities and which complements the university’s mission, activities and plans.

CAMPUS CULTURE AND DECORUM

The University Judiciary Committee (UJC) is tasked with hearing and handling cases and ensuring that we are abiding by our Code and judicial processes. However, annually we seek to improve the system by (1) refining the system's implementation mechanisms; (2) improving the training of the members of the University Judiciary Committee (UJC); and (3) familiarizing students both on and off campus and the broader University community with the system and the Code. Compliance with Title IX, Jean Clery reporting and ADA compliance

STUDENT JUDICIAL SYSTEM-STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT

STUDENT JUDICIAL SYSTEM-STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT

Emphasis will be placed on:

-Programmatically saturate the campus with opportunities for students to dialogue and learn about differences.

-Students live, study, work and recreate in close proximity to each other, we have to equip them with the necessary skills and abilities to handle differences and learn respect for differences of others within a university community

DIVERSITY AND GLOBALIZATION

Leadership Development Process Strategy

• Enhance personal growth, decision-making, civic responsibility, and leadership advancement and training

• Work collaboratively with others toward a common goal.

• Demonstrate effective social interaction skills appropriate to the occasion, task, and audience.

• Influence others ethically toward achievement of a common goal to effect positive change.

• Demonstrate accountability for one's decisions and actions

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT AND SERVICE

• Foster a sense of belonging in all students • Provide exemplary student care support and

advocacy • Further develop and deliver crisis management

protocols training and education for the University community

• Engage campus and community partners in support of the whole student experience

HOLISTIC STUDENT APPROACH

• The University is in the process of breaking ground for a 15 million dollar state of the art innovative Student Center.

• The Student Center will be a one stop facility focusing on the following holistic approaches:

• Disability Services, Counseling, Academic Tutoring, Student Code of Conduct, Title IX, Trio Programs, Veteran Services, Wellness-Fitness Center, Food Court, Student Government Association, Alumni Relations, Student Affairs, Career Services and Leadership

HOLISTIC STUDENT APPROACH CONTINUED

WEBPAGE OF THE OFFICE OF INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH

• Assessment is the ongoing process of: Establishing clear, measurable, expected outcomes of student learning ensuring that students have sufficient opportunities to achieve those outcomes systematically gathering, analyzing, and interpreting evidence to determine how well student learning matches expectations

• Using the results of the information to understand and improve student learning

• Planning at the university includes aligning the University Mission, and the Strategic Plan, to include:

• Freshman Surveys, First and Second Year Experience Surveys, Senior Exit Surveys, and Alumni Surveys

• About-The mission of Institutional Research is to provide leadership and guidance to the Board of Trustees, executive team, faculty, and staff in support of accreditation, assessment and strategic planning at the university. Responsible for submitting accurate and timely reports to the university’s accreditor, the IR consulting team collaborates with constituents to implement nationally-recognized practices and standards, to build capacity for continual evidence-based improvement, and to demonstrate integrity in all reporting.

• Accreditation- The university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SAACS)to award the Bachelor of Arts degree, Bachelor of Arts Pre-Professional Studies degree, Bachelor of Science degree, Master of Arts degree, Master of Arts in Teaching degree, Master of Business Administration degree, Master of Science degree, Master of Education degree, and the Master of Public Administration degree.

• The Office for Institutional Research (IR) coordinates and publishes results from several national and internal surveys conducted at the university. IR maintains an Institutional Survey Calendar to avoid the collection of duplicate information and provides resources to ensure sound survey methodology and design.

WEBPAGE OF THE OFFICE OF INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH

• Institutional Research, Assessment and Planning emphasized assessment as a mechanism for enhancing student learning and services, curricular programs, pedagogy, and the university community overall. This strategy reflected a fundamental assumption that assessment for improvement leads directly and inevitably to assessment for accountability. Institutional Research, Assessment and Planning also provided quality information and analyzed services to support planning, assessment, and decision-making at all university levels.

• Institutional Research, Assessment and Planning encouraged and supported continuous improvement throughout the institution by assisting all university departments in the development and implementation of high quality assessment plans, effective practices and decision support services to enhance programs and services. The university strived to be a source of conceptual leadership and assistance in developing and overseeing university institutional processes for research, assessment, and planning using outcomes from the aforementioned processes for institutional renewal and fulfilling the university’s mission and strategic plan.

INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH, ASSESSMENT, AND PLANNING SUMMARY

Barlock, R., W., Dooris, M., J., & Sandmeyer, L., E. (2004). Integrated planning for enrollment, facilities, budget, and staffing: Penn State University. New Directions for Research 123 (1), 2004. 89-96.

Delaney, A. (2009). Institutional researchers’ expanding roles policy, planning, program evaluation, assessment, and new research methodologies. New directions for institutional research. 143, 29-41.

Dooris, M. J., Kelley, J.M., & Trainer, J., F. (2002). Strategic planning in higher education. New Directions for Higher Education 116 (2), 2002. 5-11.

Haberaecker, H. (2004). Strategic planning and budgeting to achieve core missions. New Directions for Institutional Research 123 (1), 2004. 71-87.

Jasinski, J. (2004). Strategic planning via baldridge: lessons learned. New Direction for Institutional Research 123 (2), 2004. 27-31.

Jasinski, J., Kelley, J., M. & Seymour, D. (2004). Linking planning, quality improvement, and institutional research. New Directions for Institutional Research, 123 (2), 2004. 49-56.

REFERENCES

Kelley, J.,M., Trainer, J., F. (2004). A team approach to goal attainment: Villanova University. New Directions for Institutional Research 123 (1), 2004. 97-104. Middaugh, M. (2007). Creating a culture of evidence academic accountability at the institutional level. New directions for Higher Education. 140, 15-28. Morest, V. (2009). Accountability accreditation and continuous improvement building a culture of evidence. New directions for Institutional Advancement. 143, 17-27. Paris, K. (2004). Moving the strategic plan off the shelf and into action at the university of wisconsin-madison. New Directions for Institutional Research (2), 2004. 121-126. Seymour, D. (2002). Linking planning, quality improvement and ir: los angeles city college. New Directions for Higher Education 116 (2) 2002. 59-69. Warzynski, C, C. (2004). Future-search conferences at Cornell University. New Directions for Institutional Research 123 (2), 2004. 105-112.

REFERENCES