Institutional Effectiveness at LHU

 

Institutional effectiveness at LHU consists of measures of continual improvement in advancing the University mission, especially as the mission is reified first in the Strategic Plan and University-wide planning aligned with the Strategic Plan. Effectiveness is measured and improvements are generated through an annual cycle of planning and assessment that occurs at all levels of the University. The planning stages involve i) data-based reviews of divisional, unit and program outcomes in light of the strategic plan (situational analysis), ii) modification or development of new goals, iii) development of initiatives to meet established goals, and iv) allocation of appropriate resources to meet those goals. The feedback loop that informs these planning stages is provided by annual reports of resources expended and assessment of program and learning outcomes. These annual reports and analyses provide the information with which LHU then determines a “new” situation that informs the next planning cycle.

 

                 Logic Model for Planning and Assessment at LHU

   

Key to this process is the Strategic Planning Oversight Committee (SPOC), a body responsible for i) evaluation of annual reports and recommendations from divisions and units across the University, ii) recommendations for implementation of LHU’s strategic plan, and iii) recommendations for periodic revisions to the Strategic Plan.

Data flows to the SPOC through multiple paths including annual reports from divisions and units, the University Curriculum Committee, learning assessment committees (the Academic Affairs Assessment Council and the Outcomes Assessment Committee), and the Fiscal Management Committee.

This information forms the basis for SPOC to evaluate progress in implementing the Strategic Plan and meeting the Mission of the University. The SPOC submits reports to the Vice Presidents which are then shared with University constituents during open forum discussions with Senior Administrators.

This is an on-going process that focuses on periodic review of the University’s strategic direction – including its Strategic Plan, Mission, vision and strategic values; the result is an integration of planning and resource allocation, and the documentation of the evidence used in the assessment process. Faculty, staff, students, external stakeholders, Trustees, and governing officials all provide direction and motivation for creating a sustained process of evaluation.