Periodic Department Review

A System of Affirmation

LaMont RouseExecutive Director of Assessment,

Accreditation & Compliance

Goals of the Presentation

■ How the review process works■ Review of the Process & Guidelines■ Preparing Your Department Review Binder■ Gathering Evidence of Success■ Questions and Answers

Purpose of Program Review■ Formally report on all goals

and objectives

■ Gather evidence to support your accomplishments

■ Identify opportunities for the future

■ Create a shared vision with your team

■ Affirm what you do

■ Prevents Mission Creep (and draft)

Why Have Program Review■ Middle States wants “clear

and compelling evidence” of a system of self improvement

■ It shows accountability to other primary constituents: Board of Trustees, parents, students, Cedar Crest Alumni, regional employers, etc.

■ Proves that we are committed to excellence

Program Review Process (Simplified Version)

■ Completed copies go to the Office of Assessment and the Assessment Committee;

■ The Office of Assessment & the Assessment Committee provides feedback;

■ The final version of the review document is then sent to the Provost who will then affirm the conclusions, etc.

■ Suggestions that have budgetary impacts are then built into future budgeting cycles

Time Line

■ Program review process is initiated by the Provost in September.

■ Departments under review are orientated to the process in September/October

■ Collect information from October – December

■ Build your report from January – March

■ Submit your report on or before April 1st

Time Line

■ Interview with the assessment committee occurs in April/May

■ Assessment committee affirms your report and recommendations to the Provost by May 30th.

■ The Provost produces a short report to the President and Board of Trustees during the summer.

■ Suggestions that have an impact on the budget are included in the upcoming year’s fiscal planning model.

Section 1: Mission, Goals & Objectives

■ Include in the binder the current mission statement. -- Long mission statements are usually wrong mission statements

■ In a paragraph or 2, explain how your department supports the mission of the College (note: Use the annual assessment report form for assistance)

■ Goals and Objectives should be limited to 4 to 6. (Representative but not necessarily exhaustive)

Section 2: Major Functions

& Services■ List the major functions and

services within the unit ( hint: look at job descriptions)

■ List services and functions which could exist. Briefly describe why they don’t exist.

■ Draw a flow chart that shows how your organization operates (keep it simple but representative)

Section 3: Goals and

Objectives■ Using your last 3 to 4

assessment reports, provide data for each goal and objective found in those reports.

■ Closing the Loop with the Data* In bullet format, describe any modifications you’ve made because of the data.

* How have operations been improved?

* What lessons have been learned?

Section 4: Forms, Surveys,

Policy Manuals ■ Collect all tools used to gather

data, rate employees, complete work, etc. (make sure they are blank)

■ Describe any ongoing support used from the data system that helps with measuring the unit’s progress (Example: Admissions might use applications as a way to measure progress)

■ Trying to prove that there is tools for gathering evidence and producing work.

Section 5: Personnel & Org. Structure

■ Provide a list of all full-time personnel and their official title in the unit (place a date on it)

■ Provide the latest resumes for all mid- and upper-level administrators

■ List any long-term part-time personnel in the unit (longer than 5 years)

■ Provide an organizational chart

Section 6: Facilities &

Equipment

■ Describe the adequacy of your current facility (1 page)

■ Describe the adequacy of your current equipment inventory (computers, software, etc) (1 page)

■ List and describe any needs in these areas. Please prioritize!

Section 6: Facilities &

Equipment

■ Describe the adequacy of your current facility (1 page)

■ Describe the adequacy of your current equipment inventory (computers, software, etc) (1 page)

■ List and describe any needs in these areas. Please prioritize!

Section 7: Planning & New

Initiatives

■ List and describe any significant plans that will be undertaken in the next 3 years (2 to 3 pages)

■ List and describe any significant new initiatives in the next 3 years

Section 8: Summary &

Recommendations

■ Summarize the main elements of the report (2 to 3 pages)

■ Summarize your overall recommendations of the department and any changes that you see moving forward.

* You can place these into bullet format if you’d like.

Section 9: Resources

■ Indicate what new resources you will need in the next three years.

■ Indicate how it will help the department

■ Justify the request by linking it to your mission, goals and objectives.

Section 10: Other

■ Create a “brag” sheet that demonstrates some of your work. Include:

■ Programs of events■ Flyers■ Other distributed materials■ Actual results from surveys

Working Tips

■ Divide the Labor (this should be a team exercise)

■ Work smart

■ Hold internal monthly update meetings

■ Find consensus when identifying needs and resources

Contact Information:LaMont Rouse

larouse@cedarcrest.edu