Criterion Four - The institution can continue to accomplish its purposes
and strengthen its educational effectiveness.
UW-River Falls has as a strength the respect it maintains in the region, and
with the leadership in the UW-System, the Board of Regents, and the state government.
The faculty and administration are committed to the mission and goals of the
university, knowing that attention to these matters is an ongoing organization
activity that is never fully completed. The recent accelerated planning surrounding
the Reach for the Future process, while attempting to reallocate resources and
simultaneously increase educational effectiveness, demands more inclusive communication
among the various University constituencies. Institutional survival may be predicated
on fiscal strength. Yet an essential issue has developed with respect to continued
institutional achievement of agreed-upon purposes. This can be addressed by
more effective methods of • communication in bringing all stakeholders
into the change process currently underway.
Not only is UW-River Falls redesigning programs to meet emerging needs, but
it also is reallocating resources to maintain strengths and correct weaknesses
and to meet changing educational needs. Recently admitted students enter the
university with increasing levels of academic achievement and ability. Significant
changes are improving many academic programs within the University, especially
the innovations available for faculty through enhanced instructional technology
and information resources, along with increased professional development opportunities.
The Graduate Studies program has clearly focused on restructuring towards a
more scholarly status.
While the need for assessment has been cited in prior NCA reports, not all departments
in the University have fully incorporated the value of assessment as a philosophy
supporting planning. The concern at this point is to link the considerable efforts
at self-evaluation and planning which have engaged the campus community for
the past several years with a more dynamic approach to assessment. How the Reach
for the Future initiative will improve educational outcomes has yet to produce
clear documentation. Significant growth in campus diversity has yet to be attained.
A reflective analysis of goals met and restructuring completed should be balanced
with a more sensitive appraisal of the impact of these changes on internal and
external perceptions of faculty, students, and administrators. There is a consensus
among all constituencies that the UW-River Falls is an exceptionally good institution,
and that these constituencies wish to share in resolving issues surrounding
the Reach for the Future implementation.
UW-River Falls has engaged in a significant strategic planning process. Reach
for the Future. This process has involved participants from all constituencies,
reflecting a commitment to consultative planning. The resulting goals support
the overall institutional goals. The planning process includes an annual systematic
evaluation of both progress and the goals themselves. The Team commends the
university for this significant effort which can serve as a model for other
institutions as well as additional UW-River Falls programs.
The institution may face challenges with continued implementation of the plan.
With the number of people who have become invested in the plan through their
efforts and their loyalty to the university, UW-River Falls will need to direct
attention to recognizing and maintaining the personal commitments that are being
made. The intensive effort that went into this plan and the speed with which
the plan progressed have set a high level of expectation among participants
regarding outcomes.
The Office of Institutional Research was re-created a few years ago and reflects
a commitment to provide support for strategic planning and academic reporting
needs. Capable leadership exists in this office to provide planning expertise
for both academic and non-academic units.
Each year the colleges engage in a planning process that includes specific goals
and objectives identified by departmental chairs and other College administrators.
The Dean discusses these goals and objectives with college leaders during the
annual performance evaluation and planning process. This process results in
the establishment of an updated set of College goals that focus on program initiatives,
staffing, enrollment targets, facility updating, and other plans directed at
specific programs. The written objectives are shared with faculty and staff
of the College and forwarded to the Provost/Vice Chancellor and Chancellor for
review.
The Long-Range Planning Committee for Athletic Facilities has worked closely
with the Department of Health and Human Performance, with the Hunt/Knowles staff,
and with the Office of the Campus Planning to address present and future needs.
In February 1998, the Chancellor recommended that a new Health and Human Performance/recreational
building be forwarded to the University of Wisconsin System as a campus priority.
The new facility would be located near the Hunt/Knowles Complex. It would consolidate
all physical education, athletic, and recreational facilities into one central
location.
The Office of Admissions appears to have a good understanding of institutional
mission and is able to effectively market programs to appropriate students.
Its success in that regard can be seen in the consistent long-term increase
in the standardized admissions test scores for the entering freshman class.
The unit faces at least two major challenges. The first is to maintain this
pattern while the university works to increase enrollments. The second is to
maintain the level of in-state students given the legislative interest in educating
the citizens of Wisconsin. The latter challenge may be particularly difficult
as a significant portion of the service area includes the Minneapolis/St. Paul,
Minnesota metropolitan area, resulting in a large number of out-of-state students.
The admissions office appears to enjoy capable leadership and to have a good
working relationship with other administrative offices. The unit's involvement
in the strategic planning process helps to assure that admissions and marketing
priorities are consistent with other institutional priorities.
To the institution's credit, current and future efforts toward international
education are reflected in its select mission statement (letters g, h, and i),
in the faculty and student handbooks, in the fairly large number of committees
and subcommittees on campus, in the colleagues themselves (international program
coordinators), and in the Reach for the Future document (goal VIII). The challenge
for the institution, similar to that of diversity issues discussed under Criterion
V, is to better match philosophy and intent with greater success in efforts
applied.
The team finds that UW-River Falls has met Criterion Four.