The Collaborative Periodic Review Report

Dr. Daniel P. Larson President Dr. Anne Herron Vice President of Academic Affairs and Student Affairs Professor Christie Waters Division Chair, Associate Professor Maureen Erickson Director of Assessment, Assistant Professor

“ If you want people motivated to do a good job, give them a good job to do.” Frederick Herzberg

Certainty. We all need an amount of certainty. We need to know that there is more than a reasonable chance that no harm will be done to us  Clear Information about assessment – expectations, process, difference from evaluation, how information will ultimately be used, good, honest, clear, articulate communication Uncertainty. If we could predict the future, if we knew everything that is going to happen to us, we would be bored out of our minds.  Involvement in visionary planning for the institution (silos can snuff out the human spirit), information about the workings of the institution, how will assessment data be used for change, get involved in one major goal assessment that will lead to college growth that matters ( an amount of excitement), provide an investment Significance. Every one needs to feel that they are important. That they matter. That they are worthy of respect.  Awards/ rewards, financial support to show it (budget allocation), tenure “credit”, How about a Thank You Connection and love. No man is an island. We need to be loved and appreciated. We need to connect with other people.  Team building efforts, knowing your assessment work will be seen and used by those who make institutional decisions, being involved in those decision making processes, i.e. weekend workshop entwining team work, being part of the process and thanks, a show of human appreciation

Growth. We need to feel that we are evolving, that we are improving. We need to feel that we are on an upward course of self-development and self-fulfillment.  Tenure, autonomy to be creative with assessment, opportunity for development through conferences and other professional development opportunities, allowing assessment to mean much more than reports handed in in June. Contribution. It is just normal to feel the need to contribute in some way to someone. It makes us feel good to do so. Contribution is the final stage in human development. Once a person can fulfill his own needs the need for contribution automatically kicks in.  Be allowed to be a part of the planning process (the college community), get feedback about assessment, autonomy to work outside of your “field” and contribute to the larger college community

Cayuga Community College Founded 1953 in Auburn, New York Sponsored by Cayuga County 10-member appointed Board of Trustees credit headcount: 7,755 ─ record! 23% growth in , highest of all thirty SUNY community colleges credit-free headcount – 3,800 compared to in Eight different versions of Fall semester underway, including 15 weeks, 8 weeks, first half, second half, late start, weekend intensive, online, concurrent enrollment

Financial aid: $28 million last year, compared to $24 million previous year FTE employees: 265, with 71 full-time and 183 part-time faculty operating budget: $31.4 million Foundation corpus: $12.53 million Main campus in Auburn, New York Branch campus in Fulton, New York 1994 – 91 students, 2 classrooms 2001 – current 50,000 s.f. location 2006 – designated branch campus, offer complete degree programs Fall 2010 ─ nearly 1,400 students

Access: Convenience, Flexibility, and Partnerships Increasing demand for online courses offerings – 4,300 students in Accelerated Sunday program for adults – 869 students in Cayuga Advantage – 1,237 high school juniors & seniors in University Center – on-campus bachelor’s and master’s programs through Keuka College, Empire State College … new partners include Excelsior College…others to come

Rural and manufacturing area, more than 30 years in decline Once-stable population, now aging, emigrating, wondering about future Strong in public and private higher education, with 15 institutions Distinctive Finger Lakes assets – four seasons, lakes, vineyards, arts, tourism, history, culture In transition – need for 21 st -century economic development New skill sets needed – who and how to gather and disseminate?

 An accurate, evidence based portrait of the institution, the degree to which it meets the standards of excellence, and the progress it has made since the Self Study  A report that the entire college community supports  A document that can serve as a blueprint for institutional renewal and transformation  An efficient and effective process

 Employ faculty, administration and staff with the necessary knowledge and skills.  Provide them with the necessary training and support.  Involve all of the college stakeholders.  Communicate to them the PRR purpose and process.

 What are the major roles and responsibilities in producing the PRR?  What specialized skills and knowledge are needed?  Who in the institution has those competencies?  Create a plan to organize and document the human resources requirements.

RoleResponsibilityCompetency Executive Management  Authorize PRR budget  Support PRR goals with Board of Trustees and college community  Recruit PRR team members  Final approval  Recognized college leadership

RoleResponsibilityCompetency PRR Co-Chairs  Plan, execute, and control the project  Provide overall management to the PRR  Secure appropriate resources and delegate project work  Monitor progress and manage the schedule  Accountable for communications and status reports  Knowledge and experience with Middle States Self Study and PRR process  Experience managing projects or chairing committees  Complementary project management skills

RoleResponsibilityCompetency Institutional Research  Provide the data required for the PRR  Design and administer any surveys required to provide evidence for the PRR  At least 5 years experience in IR  Knowledge of the Data Base Management System and the Report Writing System

RoleResponsibilityCompetency Reader  Insure that the PRR conforms to MLA standards.  Edit the PRR to give it one voice.  Edit the PRR so it is well written and easy to comprehend  Knowledge of MLA standards  Knowledge of the institution

RoleResponsibilityCompetency Administrative Support  Publish and mail the PRR  Provide support for arranging meetings and other logistics  Experience with administrative support Technology Support  Create a website to house the PRR documents and evidence  Experience with college website and network administration.

RoleResponsibilityCompetency Steering Committee  Accountable for the work of investigating and writing the PRR.  Determine the status of the institution, and progress made on the Self Study recommendations, for an assigned area.  Write a draft response for their area.  Review and edit the PRR.  Selected to provide broad representation and knowledge of all areas of the institution

Committee MemberTo Analyze and Document Senior Finance Administration  Financial data and trends  Institutional budgeting process Assessment Director  Assessment of student learning  Assessment of institutional effectiveness Dean of Enrollment Management  Enrollment trends and projections Director of Institutional Research  Everything – this is your data source Director of Institutional Planning  Planning processes

Committee MemberTo Analyze and Document Department Chairs  Alignment of mission and curriculum  Assessment of student learning Faculty Members  Alignment of mission and curriculum  Assessment of student learning Student Support Services  Student success

 Recruiting the “volunteers”  Training  Support  Communication

 Here is a task for the Executive Management – persuasion of this type should be in their skill set.  Appeal to volunteers’ desire to serve the institution.  And let them know what they can get out of the experience:  An opportunity to learn more about the institution and the work that their colleagues do.  The opportunity to impact the strategic direction of the college.

 PRR Chairs and as many members of the Steering Committee as possible should attend Middle States training opportunities.  Serving on an Evaluation Team is an invaluable experience.  The entire college community should receive some background information on the purpose of the PRR as well as the PRR process that the college will use.

 Time!!  All parts of the process, planning, data collecting, analysis, meeting, writing, etc., require large amounts of time. Most of us already don’t have enough hours in the day to do our jobs.

 Communication is the key to a collaborative process.  As more people are included in the process more communication will be required.  We need a Communication Plan.

 What are the important communications and what is their purpose?  Who is the audience for the communication?  Who is responsible for sending out the communication?  How frequently should they be used?  What format should be used?

 Include the initial communications to organize and plan the PRR.  Include the final communications to let he college community know the results of the report and to capture the lessons learned from your experience.  Remember the goals of the PRR: evidence based, inclusive, useful & efficient.

CommunicationFormat / Frequency Personnel PRR Plan: Scope, tasks, timeline, HR plan & communications plan Report  From: PRR Steering Committee  To: President PRR Status Reports: Provide information and details on PRR status Report / Monthly  From: PRR Steering Committee  To: Board of Trustees, General Faculty meeting, Dean’s Council meeting PRR Website: provide access to Self Study documents and data Website  Manager: Webmaster  Contributors: PRR Steering Committee

CommunicationFormat / FrequencyPersonnel Challenges & Opportunities: Gather input from the college community on what they see as the institution's challenges and opportunities Information gathering sessions at various meetings: Faculty meeting, Dean’s Council meeting, etc. Chair: PRR Chairs Attendees: Various Lessons Learned: Capture lessons learned Meeting Chair: PRR Chairs Attendees: PRR Steering Committee

 What went well?  What would we do differently?  How can we prepare for the future efforts?

 It was an inclusive and collaborative process.  The process did much more than satisfy our reporting requirements – it was an opportunity to reflect on the past 5 years to see what we have accomplished, what has changed and where we need to focus our efforts to continue to achieve our mission.

 Clarify the process for reading and editing early on.  Allow for the fact that the timeline may be revised / adjusted by the President or other important stakeholder.

 Start collecting evidence early: have the committee define well in advance what evidence will be required and develop a plan for gathering it.  Be judicious in making specific recommendations in the Self Study. (43 is perhaps too many?)  Do more to recognize our accomplishments.

 Develop a Master Planning Plan: a timeline for organizing and integrating our planning efforts such as the Environmental Scan, Strategic Plan and Facilities Master Plan.  Develop a Succession Plan for leadership for the Middle States Self Study and PRR.