SACS-COC Reaffirmation Committee recommendations seven through nine relate to Institutional Effectiveness and are clearly addressed below. The College recognizes the seriousness of these recommendations and has taken additional measures to ensure compliance with each of them.
Effective March 15, 2012, the Office of Institutional Research, Planning and Effectiveness (IRPE) was restructured to report directly to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. This office previously reported to the Vice President of Strategic Planning, a position that has been eliminated. This change in reporting structure ensures that appropriate oversight of all assessment, planning and research aligns with academic and administrative priorities and goals. It should also be noted that the College recognizes the deficiency in staffing and has taken aggressive action to remedy this deficit. On March 29, 2012, an offer was extended to the Director of Assessment. The Director of Assessment is being hired to assist all areas of the college in measuring performance at the institutional, program and student levels. The Director of Assessment, in conjunction with the Dean of Institutional, Research, Planning and Effectiveness, is charged with ensuring that the use of results is evident in unit planning and budget processing. While these efforts will need time to fully mature, significant achievement in all areas of institutional effectiveness are noted in each of the college’s response to the On-site Committee’s Recommendations.
Additionally, two Coordinator positions have been submitted through the budget process for approval. The first position serves as a Coordinator for Professional Development and Community Outreach. This position will work collaboratively with the faculty Chair of the Professional Development Committee and with unit planners to ensure Professional Development efforts emerge from data-driven information. The efforts of this position will close the loop in a 360-degree assessment cycle wherein the College collects assessment data at three levels: institution, program and student. The second position, Coordinator of Accreditation and Articulation, will ensure compliance with all accreditation efforts moving forward. These two positions are currently in the process for budget approval and will begin in Fall 2012 [ 1 ]. The College recognizes that compliance with SACS-COC and other state and regional accrediting bodies is an on-going process. Edison State College is confident of its current and future compliance with accrediting agencies.