This National Hispanic University Capacity and Preparatory Review report contains responses to the 2002 letter from Dr. Ralph Wolff, Executive Director of WASC. It also incorporates the University’s goals as stated in the October 15, 2004 Institutional Proposal. The organization of this report is centered on four reflective essays.
The Strategic Planning essay presents the background and approach to developing this Plan and its implementation. It is important to notice that all WASC recommendations were taken into consideration and addressed throughout the plan. The report presents some thoughts on how Strategic Planning has influenced the University’s work as well as the lessons learned from having engaged in this process. Areas of success as well as areas needing improvement and finally, expectations for 2008 conclude the report.
The Financial Planning essay provides a historical context on leadership and is centered on the issues of sustainability. A section of the report outlines the sources or revenue and presents a financial strategy for increasing funds. It concludes with the plans to continue implementing a budget planning process on campus.
The Educational Quality essay presents the work accomplished to date related to educational quality and also acknowledges that there are several areas that require more attention. In order to do that, the essay also sets out the nine assessment principles that will guide NHU’s educational effectiveness work. Issues of faculty evaluations, multi-year contracts and peer reviews are also included since these issues are tied to educational quality.
The Student Support Services essay underscores the fact that the demographics and size of the student body have changed dramatically since WASC last visited the campus in 2002. Due to these changes, the university conducted an external evaluation of the services and program offerings. This essay outlines the recommendations made to the University and steps that have been taken to address some of those ideas. The issue of retention is highlighted and there is the plan to become a data driven organization in order to better understand our educational effectiveness issues.
The NHU acknowledges that there are several areas where more work is needed. The preparation of this institutional presentation has made us aware of those areas and has helped us concentrate on the needs that our institution has.
In terms of the work we see ahead to keep improving, it is clear that we must focus on sustainability. The Board of Trustees has made the commitment to work with the President and an advancement group to raise funds for the university. The issue of assessment in order to determine Educational Effectiveness will also be central in order to understand better best practices in student learning, particularly with our English language learning population.
For the 2008 educational effectiveness review, the NHU has several key areas on which to focus. We have made progress in the area of completing and evaluating the work accomplished in the strategic plan. In addition, the faculty and Provost have completed the protocol for Academic Program Reviews and have conducted reviews on Liberal Studies and Business. However work needs to be done reviewing and implementing the Student Assessment plans so that the University develops a coherent and consistent way of measuring student learning outcomes and the effectiveness of our University’s teaching. In addition, progress must be made in the area of orientation, evaluation, and professional development of both the adjunct and core faculty. In summation, the University has to recommit itself to strengthening its use of data, evaluation and assessment tools so that they are used in a systematic way to achieve quality assurance and educational effectiveness.
