7.3     Administrative Effectiveness

The institution identifies expected outcomes of its administrative support services and demonstrates the extent to which the outcomes are achieved.

Non-Compliance

            The institution defines its administrative services as those within the areas of Administration and Finance; Research, Innovation, and Economic Development; and University Advancement. Three cycles (2015-2016, 2016-2017, and 2017-2018) of administrative assessment plans, reports, and reflections were provided for each of the units engaged in the process. Per the assessment process described in Standard 8.2.a, units complete the planning cycle in “late Spring/Summer into early Fall;” therefore, the 2018-2019 planning cycle was not completed at the time the Compliance Certification was finalized.

            The documents for the previous planning cycles outline units’ mission, goals, measures, findings/action plans, and reflections. A summary table of completion for each stage of the unit planning and reporting process indicates that participation is highest at the planning step and lowest at this reflection step. These data are further confirmed by review of the unit level reports provided in table 2; while most units have identified goals and measures, many units have not completed the findings and/or reflections portions of the report. Additionally, three units appear to have not submitted goals at all – research, advancement services, and alumni affairs. (Note, this is a discrepancy from table 1, which indicates that two units did not submit goals.) Of those units completing all the findings and/or reflection portions of the report, “continuous monitoring” was frequently the recommended action based on the planning results. The institution also provided descriptive evidence of improvements that result from planning for approximately one-third of the administrative units. However, it is not clear that this sample is representative of all administrative units. No summary is provided for the Vice President for Research.

iNSTITUTION’S rESPONSE

UL Lafayette continues to assess and achieve outcomes of its administrative support services. Three full cycles of assessment for 2015-2016, 2016-2017, and 2017-2018 were provided in the initial compliance report, with supporting narratives provided for approximately one-third. As requested by the Off-site review committee, the 2018-2019 assessment reports are provided in Table 7.3 – 1 for the departments providing administrative support services within the division of Administration and Finance and the division of University Advancement. Following the table, an explanation of the assessment efforts for Research is provided.

Assessment reports for departments reporting to Administration and Finance and University Advancement were maintained in LiveText’s Assessment Insight System (AIS). In 2018-2019, the Vice President of University Advancement and each of his directors redesigned their assessment process by identifying five division-wide goals related to philanthropy, engagement, communication, infrastructure, and stewardship. All departments within University Advancement (Advancement Services, Alumni Association-Affairs, Communications and Marketing, and Development) then developed individualized unit measures to assess those division-wide goals. As a result of this division-wide change, the assessment reports for the University Advancement’s departments are found within one larger VP University Advancement report beginning in the 2018-2019 cycle. 

Table 7.3 – 1: Assessment Reports by Administrative Departments in Most Recent (2018-2019) Assessment Cycle

The Office of Institutional Assessment works with division-wide assessment liaisons to promote best practices, including formulating descriptive improvement plans based on the analysis of results. Within each report, improvement narratives linked to specific goals and criteria are located within the section labeled “Results & Improvements.” When criteria are not met, an improvement must be identified; in those cases where all criteria have been met in a given cycle, departments are still expected to identify an improvement informed by assessment data. Additional year-end reflection questions provide insight into the assessment process and the analysis of results and improvements; these reflections are available in the section labeled “Reflections.” VP University Advancement used a modified assessment template which accounts for all departments reporting outcomes against the common division goals. As such, the improvements and reflections are located in sections labeled “Summary of Improvement Narratives” and “Reflections”, respectively.

The Off-site review committee noted a discrepancy in the compliance report between Table 7.3 – 1 (Completion by Administrative Departments over Three Assessment Cycles) and Table 7.3 – 2 (Assessment Reports by Administrative Departments over Three Assessment Cycles). In Table 7.3 – 1, the total number of units reported using the assessment template in Live Text was 22; of those, 20 completed the Assessment Plan elements and 15 completed the Assessment Report elements. In Table 7.3 – 2, a total of 23 units are listed and three of these units (not two) are shown to have not submitted assessments for 2017-2018. The discrepancy lies with the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs because the VP Research maintained assessment records independently of LiveText. In 2012-2013, the VP Research distributed an annual report titled State of Research at UL Lafayette. When the University’s 2015-2020 Strategic Plan was implemented, the VP Research aligned its outcomes, metrics, findings, and results to the key performance indicators identified in the plan. The following documents demonstrate the assessment efforts for the VP Research enterprise:

·         Progress Report of Strategic Plan – Update and Action Plans

·         Dashboard (2014-present)

Conclusion

The University’s transition to the LiveText assessment reporting system resulted in changes in how divisions and the units within them report their annual assessment plans. Where the identification of overarching goals (i.e, Advancement, Research) created a better structure for assessment methodologies within those areas, those changes to the assessment process led to new, more coordinated reporting. The additional reports provided above demonstrate the ongoing commitment of all administrative units to the ongoing assessment and continuous improvement processes at UL Lafayette.

sUPPORTING dOCUMENTS

·         Progress Report of Strategic Plan – Update and Action Plans

·         Research Strategic Dashboard (2014-present)

·         State of Research at UL Lafayette