2.5

Section 2: Core Requirements

2.5 The institution engages in ongoing, integrated, and institution-wide research-based planning and evaluation processes that incorporate systematic review of programs and services that (a) result in continuing improvement and (b) demonstrate that the institution is effectively accomplishing its mission.

Judgment of Compliance:
Compliance

Narrative/Justification for Judgment of Compliance:
Christopher Newport University is in compliance with this requirement.

Mission and Vision Statements:
The university's mission and vision are guiding documents at CNU. Institutional effectiveness processes—planning, evaluation, assessment, budgeting, and decision making—facilitate continuous improvement while enabling stakeholders to gauge the degree to which the mission is accomplished and the strategic plan achieved.

Mission
The mission of Christopher Newport University is to provide educational and cultural opportunities that benefit CNU students, the residents of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the nation. CNU provides outstanding academic programs, encourages service and leadership within the community, and provides opportunities for student involvement in nationally and regionally recognized research and arts programs.

Our primary focus is excellence in teaching, inspired by sound scholarship. At CNU, personal attention in small classes creates a student-centered environment where creativity and excellence can flourish. Our primary emphasis is to provide outstanding undergraduate education. We also serve the Commonwealth with Master's degree programs that provide intellectual and professional development for graduate level students.

We are committed to providing a liberal arts education that stimulates intellectual inquiry and fosters social and civic values. CNU students acquire the qualities of mind and spirit that prepare them to lead lives with meaning and purpose. As a state university, we are committed to service that shapes the economic, civic, and cultural life of our community and Commonwealth.

Vision
Christopher Newport University, a small academically selective public university, is grounded in the principles of liberal learning and dedicated to the ideals of scholarship, leadership, and service. We celebrate the values inherent in the liberal arts and sciences and live as a community of honor to inspire our students to lead lives of significance. We aspire to be a preeminent, public liberal arts and sciences university. We will pursue excellence in all that we do and dedicate ourselves to those initiatives that will strengthen our teaching, our scholarship, our academic programs and disciplines, and our campus community. We will build an intimate, diverse, residential community which will attract the most academically talented, inquisitive, and intellectually adventuresome students. We will ignite in our students a love of learning and instill a sense of responsibility and civic duty that will give our graduates the knowledge and confidence to engage as responsible leaders and citizens in their communities, the nation, and the world.

Background
The youngest comprehensive university in the Commonwealth, Christopher Newport University, was founded in 1960 as a two-year branch of the College of William and Mary. The University became independent in 1977 and gained university status in 1991. In the last 10 years, CNU has continued to evolve, transitioning from a largely part-time commuter institution to a selective residential university. Change to the physical campus reflects this evolution.

Several factors contribute to the institution's continuous improvement, growth and progress, among them the management and leadership styles of the current administration and the requirements of a public institution. The president advocates interaction among faculty, staff and students (e.g., town meetings, freshman desserts at the President's residence, sporting events, meetings with Faculty Senate, Faculty Senate Executive Committee, and staff meetings); a commitment to quality (e.g., customer service training at HR, President's Leadership Program, Captains for Excellence Program, and faculty quality of teaching committee); and shared information among the administration (regularly scheduled meetings with staff). Furthermore, he advocates for quick, appropriate actions to address concerns (e.g., forming a retention task force and acting on their recommendations). Organizationally and operationally, CNU's administrative structure enacts this management philosophy to operate effectively and efficiently.

CNU is a public institution bound by planning, reporting and evaluation activities required of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) as well as legislation imposed by the Virginia General Assembly. Similar to the governing bodies of other states, SCHEV requires institutions to report tuition and fees, financial aid, course enrollments, completions, retention, and admissions.

Additionally, SCHEV has initiated the Report of Institutional Effectiveness (ROIE) “to provide evidence of institutional effectiveness — the extent to which institutions accomplish their missions and students achieve their educational goals.” The publicly available reports highlight the institution's accomplishments and demonstrate progress toward improvement in enrollments and funding, core competencies, and several institution-specific measures that examine student general education assessments in written communication, technology/information literacy, quantitative reasoning, and scientific reasoning. Institution-specific measures are self-selected and represent unique aspects of the institutional mission. CNU submitted data related to student learning, civic mindedness of students, and resources.

In addition to the ROIE, and as part of the Higher Education Reform Act, SCHEV is developing a battery of performance measures (Institutional Performance Standards) which will inform institutional effectiveness and guide institutional funding. These measures will more closely align with the mission of the institution and the needs of the state. The reports include enrollment, affordability, articulation agreements, retention and graduation rates, academic programs, faculty salaries, faculty productivity, institutional assessment, K-12 partnerships, economic development, and research. The plans are negotiated between the University and SCHEV and include justification and measures of progress. These plans guide planning in other departments of the university such as the Departments of Sponsored Programs and Assessment and Evaluation. Subsequent progress reports are evaluative in nature, recognizing positive efforts and needed change.

CNU also submits to SCHEV a six-year Restructuring Plan that incorporates academics, enrollment and financial information; a six-year Enrollment Plan; and, a six-year Capital Plan (six-year plans, SCHEV reports). The plans, which include justification and measures of progress, are negotiated between the University and SCHEV. These plans guide planning in other departments of the university. Subsequent progress reports are evaluative in nature, recognizing positive efforts and needed change.

Institutional Effectiveness at CNU
Public oversight is supplemented by significant planning and evaluation within the institution. CNU annually engages in planning and evaluation of goals articulated in the university strategic plan through academic and department reports. CNU incorporates systematic review of programs, services, and human capital that inform continuous improvement, especially in student learning. These processes are increasingly integrated, universal, and comprehensive. They incorporate the decision making, planning and evaluative activities of the University. Complementary components of this university-wide institutional effectiveness system include assessment plans, personnel evaluation, governance system, organizational structures, and program review. Institutional effectiveness efforts are supported and enhanced by CNU's institutional research data as well as that of peers found in a number of national and regional sources (e.g., SREB, SCHEV, IPEDS, College Board), through professional resources (e.g., Noel-Levitz, AACU), and proprietary assessment tools (ACT and ETS products, NSSE, IDEA, CUPA, and CIRP).

Organizationally, CNU has established units such as the Office of Institutional Research, Analysis, and Reporting; and the Office of Assessment and Evaluation to facilitate institutional effectiveness activities. These units provide support at all levels of the university by providing data; conducting analyses, research, and studies; and, facilitating planning and assessment.

To better convey CNU's integrated institutional effectiveness processes, ongoing planning and evaluation efforts are framed as follows: (a) Institutional, (b) Academic, and (c) Administrative and Support.

(a) Institutional/Macro level
A manifestation of the CNU mission is the University's strategic plan, Vision 2010, which broadly guides the operations of the university within five core themes (called Priorities) that represent areas the university community is committed to enhancing: (1) Liberal learning curriculum; (2) Culture of student learning and engagement; (3) Commitment to faculty; (4) Purposeful and aesthetically pleasing campus community; and (5) Engagement among campus and the larger community. Each priority has associated goals and strategies. The plan was developed collaboratively with significant interaction and participation of all segments of the university community.

The strategic plan influences budget decisions through the annual reporting and budgeting processes, as demonstrated in annual reports (e.g., Government, Marketing and Management, Philosophy and Psychology), annual academic reports to provost, and budget meeting agenda. All academic and administrative departments are required to reference goals of Vision 2010 in documenting their activities and accomplishments, in justifying proposed initiatives and in submitting budget requests (annual reports, academic annual reports, agenda of strategic planning sessions, budget request form). The achievement of goals and the attainment of priorities in the strategic plan are monitored by tracking progress through activities discussed in departmental annual reports and Assessment Records. Referencing Vision 2010 in these documents ensures all units and individuals recognize their contribution to the core priorities of the university, and the progress made by their unit toward achievement of the university mission and strategic plan.

The strategic plan is the primary document used to guide budget discussion and strategy development during presidential retreats with the administrative staff and the Board of Visitors. Short-term institutional planning, covering one academic year, takes place at each annual retreat. Evaluation of previous goals results in thoughtful strategies that lead to continuous improvement. Financial issues and capital projects; admissions and enrollment; institutional strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats; strategic directions; and, budget allocations are also discussed. Participants are informed of results of unit annual reports and evaluations, internal, external, and comparative data and analyses related to enrollments, tuition, fees, retention, admissions, and housing. Agendas of these presidential retreats and documents related to CNU's efforts to improve retention and create a new liberal learning council provide evidence of these important meetings and their products. Additional topics vary by year, usually focusing on issues of immediate concern.

CNU's governance system supports institutional effectiveness. The hierarchical structure of the committees ensures broad participation; an upward flow of recommendations, decisions and information, and that ultimate responsibility rests with the appropriate organization/individual. One influential committee is the Budget Advisory Committee (BAC). The BAC advises the President on matters pertaining to the operating budget (per the Handbook). The committee comprises top-level administrators and faculty: the president, the provost, the dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the dean of the School of Business, the chief of staff, the executive vice president, the director of planning and budget, and six members of the instructional faculty nominated by the Faculty Senate and appointed by the president. The president makes recommendations to the Board which ultimately makes University budget decisions as defined in the University Handbook .

Budget planning begins with a call for budget requests in late fall, for the subsequent academic year. Budget requests are developed at the unit level and submitted through the reporting chain to the provost or the respective vice president. The budget requests require justification that references goals of the university strategic plan. Prioritization and grouping occurs at this level before the budget is submitted to the BAC. Budget decisions are guided by the results of programmatic reviews, personnel evaluations, and strategic initiatives that result from the annual reporting process of the academic and non-academic units. Decisions are guided by the university mission, the university values, the university strategic plan, institutional priorities, and the results of previous assessments.

Planning and evaluation at all levels are guided by committees within the university governance system. Two committees, in particular, contribute significantly to institutional effectiveness: the Undergraduate Academic Program Review Committee (PRC) and the University Assessment and Evaluation Committee (UAEC). The PRC guides self-studies of academic programs. The UAEC guides assessment activities across all units on campus, academic and administrative.

The UAEC was created in 2000 to monitor and evaluate assessment planning and reporting. In 2000, academic and administrative and educational support units began participating in yearly assessments. As part of this process, departments and units submit Assessment Plans in which they (1) reference guiding documents such as CNU's Mission and Vision and their unit's own goals; (2) articulate three or more intended outcomes that result from the services; (3) provide two means of assessing each intended outcome; and (4) state criteria by which to evaluate the degree to which the intended outcomes were achieved. Academic departments frame outcomes in terms of what a student is expected to know, think, or do. Outcomes in administrative and support units is more varied, reflecting the diversity of the functions of these departments. Assessment Records connect assessment results to criteria. Units with mature assessment processes often provide longitudinal data, insightful interpretation of results, and descriptions of how the department used assessment results for improvement. An annotated Assessment Record of the English program highlights salient features of these documents.

The UAEC members—the Director of Assessment and Evaluation, five faculty members, and five administrators—evaluate Assessment Records according to congruency with guiding documents, outcomes, criteria used to determine success, methodology, results, and interpretation and use of results, and the degree to which departments have implemented the suggestions provided by past UAEC evaluations. Copies of the UAEC reviews of Assessment Records are sent to respective department chairs and assessment liaisons. Reviews of English , Social Work , and Master's of Arts of Teaching serve as examples. The Director of Assessment and Evaluation meets with the assessment liaisons from each department to discuss the evaluation ratings and to improve future assessment.

Classified staff are evaluated annually by the process required by the Commonwealth of Virginia. Instructional faculty evaluation follows the detailed process outlined in the University Handbook.

(b) Academic:
Academic programs are designed to meet the University mission as a liberal arts college. All academic department mission statements are published in the Undergraduate Catalog. Academic department chairs meet annually in the spring to review the annual reports, including results of any program reviews and accreditations, assessment results and achievements of goals in the university strategic plan. Academic departments submit annual reports (e.g., Government, Marketing and Management, Philosophy and Psychology) to the respective dean articulating goals and objectives, progress on previous year's goals and objectives, and the degree to which Action Agenda items identified through the program review process have been accomplished. The deans prepare an annual report of the College or School and forward it to the Provost.

Curricular planning and evaluation are purviews of the instructional faculty. Policies and procedures for curricular planning and assessment and related resource needs are highlighted in the University Handbook. Approval of courses and programs follows a hierarchical process that includes the department chair, the college or school's Curriculum Committee (which consists of a subset of department chairs in College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and several faculty and the Dean in the School of Business), the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, the Faculty Senate and then the Provost. At the graduate level, the proposal goes through the Program Chair, the Department, the Graduate Curriculum Committee, the Graduate Faculty Council (the graduate counterpart to the undergraduate Faculty Senate committee) and the Provost. Curricular assessments are summarized in the departments' annual assessment process and are often considered when interpreting results of program review reports. This process ensures thoughtful discussion leading to improved academic programs for CNU students.

Various committees within the governance system support institutional effectiveness. The Undergraduate and Graduate Program Review Committees help ensure academic program improvement. Likewise, the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee oversees curricula improvement; the Academic Status Committee, academic standards; and the Undergraduate and Graduate Admissions Committees, admission standards. The Faculty Review Committee ensures a quality faculty by reviewing and making recommendations for promotion and tenure. Also, as mentioned in the previous section, the University Assessment and Evaluation Committee facilitates the improvement of academic and administrative assessment and evaluation activities.

Ensuring quality teaching and learning is a priority for CNU. As noted in its mission, “The primary emphasis at CNU is on outstanding liberal arts and sciences undergraduate education with a focus on excellent teaching, sound scholarship, and small class sizes.” CNU uses a nationally standardized measure of student ratings of faculty effectiveness—the IDEA from Kansas State University. This instrument provides feedback on progress on relevant class objectives, the quality of the class, and the quality of the instructor. In addition, the diagnostic information includes more granular details about methods and styles. Evaluation results are sent to the faculty member, the department head and the deans, and become a component of the annual faculty evaluation. Deans, chairs and faculty use the results to improve teaching style, methods and content. Department heads and faculty use the results during the academic program review process. IDEA results are available for 2001-2002, 2002-2003, 2003-2004, and 2004-2005.

Instructional faculty evaluations follow guidelines published in the University Handbook. Teaching effectiveness is evaluated by means such as instructor self-evaluation, peer evaluation, and student evaluation. Faculty maintain current dossiers that indicate membership in professional societies and associations, attendance and participation in professional conferences and meetings, research activities and publications, examples of teaching activities and examinations, and all of their course syllabi. Guidelines related to faculty commitment and engagement at CNU are also found in the University Handbook. Annually, faculty submit 2-year and 5-year goals and objectives that are tied to the university strategic plan and the departmental mission.

The academic program review process —the comprehensive institutional effectiveness effort at CNU—dates back to 1982. The guidelines require a systematic, comprehensive, participatory, reflective and broad self study. This academic program area review covers curricula, faculty, students, organization, staffing, and resources and follows a five to six years rotating schedule. Departments follow published guidelines to write a report based upon a year-long self study. The report is reviewed by the Program Review Committee (PRC), which generates a report containing recommendations and commendations for the program under review. This report is sent to the appropriate dean, who develops a list of Action Agenda Items that the department must address or improve upon before the next PRC review. These action agenda items are shared with the department and the Provost. The departments report on their progress on their action agenda items each spring in their annual reports to the dean.

(c) Administrative and Academic Support:
Administrative and academic support units conduct unit level planning and evaluation informed by the university mission, university plan and goals, and by administrative initiatives and concerns. Because of the diversity of the units, methods vary. Many units conduct yearly program planning sessions that are guided by evaluation. As a result of these sessions, units reaffirm or update their missions, review their recent projects, analyze successes and obstacles, and discuss goals and objectives for the coming year.

Institutional effectiveness and improvement processes in administration are ensured through certain governance structures. The Intercollegiate Athletic Advisory Committee makes recommendations related to intercollegiate athletics. The Building and Grounds Committee is charged with preparing the campus landscape plan and making recommendations about the physical and built environment. The University Handbook Committee ensures accuracy and consistency of policies and procedures reported in the University Handbook . The Training and Development Committee makes recommendations on training programs. The Committee on Intellectual Property makes recommendations on patents and copyrights. Like the academic departments, the assessment activities of these administrative units are also supported by the University Assessment and Evaluation Committee (UAEC).

Student Services support units engage in annual retreats or strategic planning sessions. They reflect on the prior year's experiences, efforts, and achievement of goals and objectives. From the analysis, they establish new goals and objectives for the coming year, tying them to the strategic goals of the overall administrative unit. The product of this effort is an annual report that affirms the unit mission, reflects the prior year's progress, reports findings of evaluation and assessment, and articulates program needs and changes in the subsequent year.

Admissions, for example, holds an annual two-day retreat in the summer to plan for the upcoming year, reviewing the past year's objectives and the effectiveness of various programs such as over-night visits. They then consider new objectives and brainstorm about ways to improve their programs and procedures. For example, beginning in 2006-2007 applicant files will be reviewed by region instead of alphabetically. This change will enable staff to more critically analyze recruiting effectiveness by region and schools. Admissions coordinates with other areas on campus to ensure they have the most up-to-date information to convey to prospective students. At the end of the year, the dean of admissions submits a report to the president and vice-president of student affairs outlining the year's progress and goals for the upcoming year.

The Executive Vice President is responsible for the physical infrastructure of the campus. Campus master planning is discussed regularly among the president, executive vice president, the chief of staff, and the provost. Discussions reflect enrollment trends and projections, campus space needs, capital plans and state budget. Capital projects currently under construction include the Library and the Student Union. Recently completed projects include York River Hall, Potomac River Hall, James River Hall, Warwick River, Barclay Apartments, the CNU Apartments, the CNU Village, the Freeman Fitness Center, and the Ferguson Center for the Arts.

The above examples illustrate the ongoing planning processes in administrative and academic support services; however, they are not the only means of planning at CNU. Under leadership of the president, provost, and/or chief of staff, the university has on several occasions appointed special task forces to study and make recommendations on issues of concern to multiple academic and/or administrative areas, including retention, advising, and general education. Task force membership is representative of the functional areas directly and indirectly involved.

Actions and Results:
Vision 2010, CNU's Strategic Plan, is the manifestation of CNU's Mission. It guides the university, and helps measure its progress. Using the processes discussed above, the institution has taken actions that were informed by institutional effectiveness efforts. These actions, in turn, have led to demonstrable results. The table below presents actions and results in the context of Vision 2010. It includes (a) the goals of the university strategic plan, (b) actions taken by the university by goal, and (c) results that indicate the degree to which CNU is improving and achieving the goals of Vision 2010. Much progress has been made in the past two years since Vision 2010 was finalized in 2004, and more actions and results will be forthcoming through 2010.

CNU's Strategic Plan: Actions and Results
Click on link for each facet of Vision 2010

CNU Priority I: Vital Curriculum

A. Provide intellectually challenging and dynamic liberal learning curriculum

B. Support learning that cultivates critical and innovative thinking

C. Foster independent student learning

D. Connect liberal learning to ethical conduct and civic responsibility

CNU Priority II: Culture Of Student Learning and Engagement

A. Foster campus-wide commitment to academic life and culture.

B. Promote personal initiative, integrity and responsibility for learning.

C. Sustain and promote a climate of university-wide undergraduate and graduate intellectual engagement.

D. Connect liberal learning to community outreach through service and leadership.

E. Create learning opportunities that expand individual potential.

F. Foster a culture of academic success as reflected in retention and graduation rates.

CNU Priority III: An Inspired Faculty

A. Cultivate a faculty committed to teaching and learning excellence and to university citizenship.

B. Recognize and support faculty innovations and achievements tied to excellence in teaching, scholarship and service.

C. Affirm and support principles of shared governance.

CNU Priority IV: A Purposeful Campus Community

A. Cultivate a talented, inspired and diverse staff committed to the University's mission .

B. Sustain a program of intercollegiate athletics that enhances the quality of campus life and supports the mission of the university.

C. Employ state-of-the-art technology in the service of the university.

D. Reflect the University's character through creative and functional design.

E. Sustain a campus identified by outstanding architecture and natural beauty.

CNU Priority V: An Engagement Between The Campus And Larger Community

A. Foster and promote the civic benefits of the public liberal arts and sciences university.

B. Build community-university collaborative relationships.

C. Promote university-related opportunities for the region.

D. Promote the university as an economic, intellectual and social asset for the region.

As the preceding table demonstrates, CNU's initiatives, which are driven by Vision 2010, have had positive results. Average SAT scores and GPA of incoming freshmen have risen 200 and 0.7 points respectively in 10 years. In the same period, graduation rates have rocketed from 28% to 51%. Students have made gains in general education, and a new liberal learning curriculum was created to further enrich students' learning. Faculty teaching is rated as effective by students, and faculty are engaged in more research, often partnering with students. Several buildings have been erected and new services provided to enhance students' collegiate experiences. The community has also benefited. Members of the community have enjoyed access to the library, world-class entertainment, and even increased revenue due to e-commerce support. This progress is no accident. Indeed, it came from integrated planning, evaluation, assessment, budgeting, and decision making. In other words, institutional effectiveness processes have facilitated rapid improvement as CNU accomplishes its mission. CNU's commitment to continue, and improve upon, these institutional effectiveness mechanisms bode well for the future success of the institution and all it serves.

Additional Live Web Resources:
SCHEV Reports of Institutional Effectiveness: http://research.schev.edu/roie/