Core Requirement 2.5

CR 2.5 The institution engages in ongoing, integrated, and institution-wide research-based planning and evaluation processes that (1) incorporate a systematic review of institutional mission, goals, and outcomes; (2) result in continuing improvement in institutional quality; and (3) demonstrate the institution is effectively accomplishing its mission. (Institutional Effectiveness)

Compliance Judgment:

X / In compliance
Partially compliant
Non-compliant

The following narrative provides evidence that:

· FMU employs formal planning and evaluation processes across the university

These planning processes are:

- Ongoing

- Integrated

- Research-based.

The planning processes incorporate a systematic review of:

- The institutional mission

- Institutional goals

- Outcomes.

The planning processes contribute to FMU’s:

- Continuous improvement

- Stated mission.

Rationale:

The University uses a multi-faceted system to ensure input and evaluation of all segments of the University’s system. The process is carried out by the University’s academic programs, support services, the Faculty’s Institutional Effectiveness Committee, the Office of Institutional Research, the University’s colleges and schools, and the President’s Senior Staff.[1]

According to the Office of Institutional Research website, “the ongoing cycle of program effectiveness studies ensures that the University maintains high standards in all programs and makes continuous efforts to improve the quality of student learning.”[2]

The processes for program planning and institutional effectiveness include an evaluation of programs by academic departments driven by program goals and missions. Periodic alumni surveys and exit surveys of graduating seniors also provide feedback on the quality of programs.

To assess instruction, students complete a course evaluation at the end of each semester for faculty review. Graduating seniors also complete an exit questionnaire regarding the effectiveness of faculty teaching. The programs and services that produce an Institutional Effectiveness Report are shown in Table 1 and Table 2:

Programs
Biology / Nursing
Chemistry / Physics and Engineering Technology
Early Childhood – (Undergraduate) / Political Science
Early Childhood – (Graduate) / Psychology – (Undergraduate)
English BA – Liberal Arts / Psychology – MSAP (Graduate)
English Composition / School of Business
English – Professional Writing / Sociology
History / Speech
Mathematics / Theatre Arts
Mass Communication / Visual Arts

Table 1. FMU’s Programs[3]

Services
Media Center / Teaching Materials Center
Rogers Library / Tutoring Center
Student Affairs / Writing Center

Table 2. FMU's Services[4]

The reports that these programs and services prepare provide a collection of data concerning:

· Program mission and goals

· Assessment activities

· Results and evaluation

· Improvements in place

· Planned improvements.

The data are then used to make improvements and changes, as needed.

For example, based on internal data collected through annual assessments, the Biology program implemented the following changes in 2005-2006:

· Added two newly-approved courses

· Acquired and installed new teaching and research equipment

· Implemented the use of computer interfaced laboratory exercises

· Renovated LSF 209 for laboratory space

· Converted one classroom into a wet lab

· Created a website for a student seminar and research opportunities awareness program

· Began a feasibility study of a master’s degree program. [5]

For 2006-2007, essential planned improvements for the Biology program will include:

· Obtaining seven office spaces for new and part-time faculty

· Converting McNair Science Building (MSB) 221 into teaching laboratories to accommodate the continuing rise in student enrollment

· Hiring new faculty to replace retiring faculty.[6]

Similarly, the History Department relied on internal data collected through annual assessments to initiate the following changes in 2006-2007:

· Hired a new faculty member with a specialization in nineteenth century Europe

· Installed hardware and software for a “smart” classroom

· Approved a course in the Gender Studies program.[7]

For 2006 – 2007, planned improvements for the History Department will include, but are not limited to:

· Expanding course offerings

· Replacing a retiring historian

· Installing a second “smart” classroom.[8]

The details of each Institutional Effectiveness (IE) report can be accessed through the Office of Institutional Research and are online at http://www.fmarion.edu/sacs/common_sources.

The Director of Institutional Research collects all individual IE Reports and develops a summary report that is posted on the web and presented annually to the SC Council on Higher Education. In addition, the Faculty’s Institutional Effectiveness Committee completes an annual review and evaluation of the reports, suggesting improvements in “the value of the studies,” as needed. The reports are maintained in The Office of Institutional Research “to provide support for data collection, analysis, and measurement by the authors of the reports.” Then all reports are provided to the President’s Senior Staff for use in planning and operating the University.[9]

Similar correlations between planning and effectiveness are evident at higher organizational levels as well. According to Dr. Kenneth Kitts, Associate Provost, each college/school follows the same approach for developing a strategic plan to evaluate the effectiveness of their programs. The process, described in FMU’s Annual Accountability Report, “is patterned on the model set forth in Dr. Fred David’s Strategic Management: Concepts and Cases (2001).[10] Dr. David is a Professor of Business at FMU and a nationally renowned expert on strategic planning. His model emphasizes a reflective, collaborative process in which stakeholders have an opportunity to chart a course for the University’s future through systematic assessment of organizational resources and needs” (Francis Marion University Strategic Plan).[11]

For liberal arts, education, and business, “the faculty identifies the strengths and weaknesses of their programs and refines the list for the final plan” (Kitts).[12] After developing the final plan, it must be approved by the faculty. At this level Kitts said, “FMU’s strategic planning is less research-based and focused instead on introspection, reflection, and group discussion as the university moves from concept to a final product.” Each item of the plan is thoroughly discussed and examined by stakeholders before the plan is finalized.[13]

Strategic planning is also linked to more general institutional goals. “The University mission statement serves as the main reference point for much of the input regarding our strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities” (Kitts).[14] Ultimately, widespread input through the university’s planning and assessment process is condensed and articulated in the university strategic plan, which is “aligned with performance results and planning assumptions” (Francis Marion University Strategic Plan).[15]

Between 2001 and 2004, strategic plans were developed and approved by the FMU School of Business, the School of Education, and the College of Liberal Arts. Alumni and local leaders also contributed to the planning process through compilation of a “community input” report on university initiatives and ideas for future projects. These documents formed the basis from which the university-wide strategic plan began to emerge.

A Special Committee on the FMU Strategic Plan was empanelled to direct this effort. The Committee met periodically from 2004 to 2006 to review and integrate items from the unit plans and community input report. In addition, the committee sought to balance the plan’s topical coverage by emphasizing areas of interest, such as the library and athletics, which had received comparatively little attention in previous planning efforts. The process of bringing these pieces together was transparent and deliberative. At every step the committee sought input from key stakeholders. The resulting university-wide plan was approved by the faculty on April 11, 2006[16], and by the Board of Trustees the following June.[17]

While this action represented the culmination of a long and deliberative process, the University recognizes that strategic planning is an ongoing concern. Consequently, strategic plans for all organizational units are kept up to date through periodic reviews. The School of Business will undertake such a review in 2007 – 2008, followed by similar exercises in the School of Education and College of Liberal Arts in 2009 – 2010.[18]

Action Plan:

Implement the following improvements:
X / Maintain our ongoing practice, as is.
None required.

Evidence:

The supporting documents that verify this compliance judgment include:

Core Requirement 2.5

[1] “OIR: Institutional Effectiveness.” About FMU. Francis Marion University. Updated: 17 March 2004. Available online at: www.fmarion.edu/sacs/article90859.htm. Accessed 15 April 2007.

[2] “OIR: Institutional Effectiveness.” About FMU. Francis Marion University. Updated: 17 March 2004. Available online at: www.fmarion.edu/sacs/article90859.htm. Accessed 15 April 2007.

[3] “IE Reports.” SACS: Common Sources. Francis Marion University. http://images.acswebnetworks.com/2017/614/IEReportsTable82007.doc. Accessed 29 May 2007.

[4] “IE Reports.” SACS: Common Sources. Francis Marion University. http://images.acswebnetworks.com/2017/614/IEReportsTable82007.doc. Accessed 29 May 2007.

[5]

“FMU's 2005-2006 Institutional Effectiveness Summary Report - Biology Programs.” Francis Marion University. Available online at: http://images.acswebnetworks.com/2017/77/Summary_of_Program_IE_Reports_2006-2006.pdf. Accessed 15 April 2007.

[6] “FMU's 2005-2006 Institutional Effectiveness Summary Report - Biology Programs.” Francis Marion University. Available online at: http://images.acswebnetworks.com/2017/77/Summary_of_Program_IE_Reports_2006-2006.pdf. Accessed 15 April 2007.

[7]

“History Program Institutional Effectiveness Report Academic Year 2005-2006.” Francis Marion University. 27 January 2007, p. 14 - 15. Available online at: http://images.acswebnetworks.com/2017/614/HistoryIEReport20052006.doc.

[8] “History Program Institutional Effectiveness Report Academic Year 2005-2006.” Francis Marion University. 27 January 2007, p. 14 - 15. Available online at: http://images.acswebnetworks.com/2017/614/HistoryIEReport20052006.doc.

[9] “OIR: Institutional Effectiveness.” About FMU. Francis Marion University. Updated: 17 March 2004. http://www.fmarion.edu/about/iereports/article6608c23302.htm. Accessed 15 April 2007.

[10] “Strategic Planning.” Annual Accountability Report; Fiscal Year 2005-2006. Florence, SC: Francis Marion University, 2005 – 2006, p. 11. http://images.acswebnetworks.com/2017/614/StrategicPlanning_AnnualAccountablilityReport_FiscalYear20052006.pdf. p. 5.

AND

“Fred R. David. Strategic Management: Concepts and Cases, 10th ed. New York: Prentice Hall, 2004. Available online at: www.fmarion.edu/sacs/article90839.htm.

[11]

“Francis Marion University Strategic Plan.” About FMU. Francis Marion University. Updated: 11 April 2006. http://images.acswebnetworks.com/2017/77/Strategic_Plan_Final.pdf. Accessed 15 April 2007.

[12]

Kitts, Kenneth (Associate Provost, Director of Graduate Programs, and Professor of Political Science). Informational Interview with Carmella Chestnut. FMU’s Formal Evaluation Process. 13 October 2006.

[13]

[14]

[15]

“Francis Marion University Strategic Plan.” About FMU. Francis Marion University. Updated: 11 April 2006. Available online at: http://images.acswebnetworks.com/2017/77/Strategic_Plan_Final.pdf. Accessed 15 April 2007.

[16] “Agenda for the General Faculty Meeting.” Meeting Minutes. 11 April 2006. Available online at: http://images.acswebnetworks.com/2017/77/Faculty_Agenda_41106.pdf.

[17] “Minutes of the Meeting of June 2, 2006.” Francis Marion University Board of Trustees. Available online at: http://www.fmarion.edu/about/minutes/article50066c42192.htm. Accessed 27 June 2007.

[18] Kitts, Kenneth (Associate Provost, Director of Graduate Programs, and Professor of Political Science). Informational Interview with Lynn Hanson. FMU Strategic Plan. 5 July 2007.