Strategic Planning Accountability Initiatives
Voluntary System of Accountability (VSA)/College Portrait Initiative
The 2006 report issued by the U.S. Department of Education’s Spellings Commission brought a heightened awareness of the issues of access, affordability, and accountability to the higher education community. The National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC) and American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) responded to the report by creating a Voluntary System of Accountability (VSA) that incorporates the development of web-based information that outlines an institutional profile and data on student engagement and core educational outcomes in the form of a College Portrait http://www.voluntarysystem.org/index.cfm
In spring 2008, the Task Force on Student Success explored the need for increased transparency in and accountability of student learning as it relates to student success at NIU. The task force recommended that NIU participate in the VSA initiative
Related to Strategic Planning Imperatives
- To preserve, strengthen, and extend NIU’s teaching and learning environment.
- To make NIU an institution of “first choice” for faculty, students, and staff
Anticipated Outcomes
- Serve as a source of institutional data for prospective students and their families
- Give faculty, staff, students, administrators, and other constituencies a means of comparing NIU to other NASULGC colleges and universities
- Offer an additional means of reporting effective NIU educational practices, strengths, and outcomes
- Contribute to NIU’s evidentiary portfolio for Higher Learning Commission (HLC) reaccreditation
Progress on the Initiative
- Council of Deans’ recommended participation in the VSA
- Selected members for the College Portrait Advisory Committee
- Scheduled first meeting of the Advisory Committee
- Developed job description for research associate
- Gained approval to conduct search for research associate
- Plan to launch participation in College Portrait in summer 2009
External Review of Doctoral Departments
In spring 2009, in conjunction with its ongoing program review processes, NIU initiated external reviews for departments that offer doctoral degree programs. The evidence gained from these reviews is expected to augment the information assembled and evaluated in the NIU review of academic degree programs conducted over an eight-year cycle. On average, three external reviews will be conducted each year. A team of two reviewers per program will visit campus for approximately two days; meet with faculty, staff, students, and administrative constituencies; and tour facilities. Materials related to departmental resources; faculty and student achievements; program curriculum, enrollments, degrees awarded, and costs; program assessment; peer comparisons; and future plans will be sent to the reviewers in preparation for the campus visit. Reviewers will submit reports of their visit to the dean and provost.
Related to Strategic Planning Imperatives
- To preserve, strengthen, and extend NIU’s teaching and learning environment.
- To make NIU an institution of “first choice” for faculty, students, and staff
Anticipated Outcomes
- Provide external validation of program quality
- Enhance decision making and short- and long-range planning
- Foster program improvement
- Improve the program review process
Progress on the Initiative
- Developed criteria for the selection of external reviewers
- Established processes and schedules for conducting the reviews
- Developed format for supplementary information
- Created format for external reviewer reports
- Scheduled four (4) external reviews in spring 2009
- Initiated processes for two (2) external reviews in fall 2009
