UW-River Falls

Report of Visit to University of Wisconsin at River Falls

Michael F. Middaugh, Ed.D.
Higher Education Consultant

At the request of the institution, I visited the University of Wisconsin at River Falls on July 15 through 17 (2007). The purpose of the visit was to advise the University on how best to structure their Office of Institutional Research and how best to approach filling the vacant Director of Institutional Research position. A secondary purpose of the visit was to meet with campus planning personnel to present a professional development offering that describes the linkage between planning and assessment activity.

As is frequently the case, the secondary purpose of a visit becomes the context for the primary purpose. I spent the full day on Monday, July 16, presenting a workshop/seminar on integrating planning and assessment activity at the University. The first part of the seminar focused on best practice in long range and strategic planning, and how assessment of student learning outcomes and institutional effectiveness inform the planning process. The second part of the workshop examined concrete examples of how institutional effectiveness and student learning outcomes can be assessed, and this discussion was intended to provide guidance to the University in developing a research agenda for the Office of Institutional Research. On Tuesday, July 17, I met with the HLC Self Study Team, the University Data Group, and the Chancellor’s Senior Staff to continue discussions growing out of the Monday Seminar.

With respect to planning and assessment, the University is to be commended for substantial progress made in the development of a planning framework for the institution. I first met representative from the University over several months as they pursued components of the Society for College and University Planning’s Planning Institute. They had apprised me each time we met of their activities back home, and preparatory to my visit, had sent me a number of supporting documents related to planning at the University. The planning process is broadly participatory, and has resulted in the production of a Strategic Planning Grid, containing institutional planning goals and initiatives that are innovative and, appropriately implemented, will move the institution forward. I should point out that the institutional context within which planning is taking place is certainly conducive to success. The University has a relatively new Chancellor with a clear sense of vision for the institution. Moreover, the University is located in western Wisconsin, within a 45 minute drive from Minneapolis/St. Paul. As such, it has a robust market for student recruitment at both the undergraduate and graduate level, with the opportunity to meet the educational needs of both western Wisconsin and southeast Minnesota. Their positioning for significant institutional enhancement would be the envy of most other postsecondary institutions.

A few observations are in order based upon my discussion of planning with a broad range of campus constituencies:

The Strategic Planning Grid that the University has developed is a solid framework within which institutional resource allocation decisions can be made. However, 10 goals are a bit broad for strategic activity. In my view, the University needs to examine these 10 goals to determine which are of the greatest immediacy in getting the institution to coalesce around the plan, and to provide the greatest return on resource investment. That is not to say that the other goals are to be ignored – they should be funded and monitored as resources permit. However, the three or four most strategic goals should be the focus of resource allocation and reallocation activity, and progress with respect to their implementation should be routinely and systematically reported to the campus community.
While the Strategic Planning Grid assigns appropriate tasks and accountability to each goal, there needs to be more precise measures and timelines associated with the goal statements. What precisely is it that the University wants achieved, and what is the timeframe for achieving it?
If the Strategic Planning Process is to be successful, communication is the critical tool for achieving that success. Are all campus constituencies fully aware of the Strategic Planning Grid? Do they understand the process through which the 10 goals were arrived at? As the process is made to focus upon the three or four most strategic goals, what vehicles for consultation with the campus are anticipated? Similarly, how will the decision as to which goals are most strategic be communicated? And what strategies are anticipated for regular feedback on goal implementation.

` Clearly the success of strategic planning at the University will also have to be supported by a robust institutional research effort. Again, conversations with a broad range of campus constituencies result in the following recommendations:

As the University restructures its Office of Institutional Research, it should focus on two new hires. It should seek a Director of Institutional Research with experience at the Assistant Director or Senior Research Analyst level. While prior experience at a comprehensive institution is desirable, an appropriately credentialed individual from a different higher education sector should not be excluded. In the final analysis, institutional research is institutional research – only the contexts differ. Be prepared to offer the Director a competitive wage as determined from the CUPA Survey of Administrative Compensation. The Director will essentially be the face of institutional research at the University, engaging extensively with academic and administrative units to determine the full range of information needs. Consequently, the University should also hire a Data Analyst. This could be an individual with a master’s degree in the social or behavioral sciences, and proven experience with statistical software, relational data bases, and spreadsheet capability.
The University should assist the new Director in defining the institutional research agenda. In thinking about assessment of institutional effectiveness, I have appended at the end of this report the matrix that my office uses in its relationship with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The University might consider a comparable matrix predicated on HLC standards in thus area.
I strongly believe that an Office of Institutional Research should play a support role as opposed to a primary role in the area of assessing student learning outcomes. The University has an Assessment Office, and that unit – housed in Academic Affairs – should continue to work with faculty and chairs in defining appropriate learning assessment rubrics. Institutional Research should provide technical support, as needed – help in survey design, drawing samples, statistical analysis advice, etc.
In advertising for both Institutional Research positions, the University should utilize the job posting services of the following organizations: the Association for Institutional Research; the Society for College and University Planning; Association for Institutional Research of Upper Midwest; North East Association for Institutional Research; and the Southern Association for Institutional Research. The Data Analyst position should also be posted in the Graduate Offices of major research universities in the region.

` The University of Wisconsin at River Falls is a vibrant institution whose best days are still ahead. The decisions that are currently being made with respect to planning and institutional analysis can only accelerate the progress toward those glory days. It was my pleasure to assist in some small way with those decisions, and I am available for future assistance, as needed.