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UNK Welcomes NCA

North Central Self Study
Chapter 6: Criterion 4
 
The institution can continue to accomplish its purposes and strengthen its educational effectiveness.

Marilyn Hadley-Working-Group Chair, Mike Bohnhoff, Ron Crocker, Phyllis Harris, David Hof

Criterion 4: Planning and Assessment

a. Current Resource Base

Students:
Plans/challenges we chose: To focus on UNK as a residential undergraduate campus with selected graduate programs

Faculty
Plans/challenges we chose: Maintain faculty positions and improve quality of faculty during time of high turnover due to retirements and other reasons

Financial
Plans/challenges we chose: Support scholarly teaching focus in academics; improve "residential" aspect in students services; utilize resources wisely through collaboration with other units in business/finance

Physical

b. Decision-making processes

c. Assessment

Student Performance Assessment

Academic departments have been asked to submit student academic performance assessment plans and reports annually during the last decade. Assessment of student academic performance has varied by department. Based on analysis of data collected and analyzed, the following trends have been identified:

Program Assessment

Based on a variety of program assessments that are conducted on a regular basis, numerous changes have been made that are consistent with the institution's strategic plan and have moved the institution forward. Academic Program assessments include Academic Program Review (APR) conducted at department level every 5 years; Coordinating commission reports conducted every 5 years, specialized accreditation reviews. Other units on campus have conducted annual reviews. Results of these assessments can be categorized as follows:

Academic:

Programs revised

Programs eliminated/consolidated

Programs prioritized

Student Affairs

Business & Finance

Other: University Relations, Technology, athletics, and affirmative action

Concerns: While a systematic student performance assessment system is being implemented at the department level, efforts to assess and learn from student performance during the past decade have been uneven.

Program assessment has taken place on a more consistent basis within units, although emphasis has been uneven.

d. Plans and planning processes

Strategic Planning committee

Description of how SPC worked during GSJ era.

Changes/outcomes as a result of work of SPC:

Concern:
The UNK Strategic Planning committee was not convened or reconstituted during 2002-03. Due to change in Chancellor, and pressure of budget cuts, a different system was used to gain input to make decisions.

e. Organization of and allocation of resources to support plans