Chapter 6: SMSU as a Distinctive Organization

Being Committed to Improvement

Any organization desirous of maintaining its own distinctiveness, according to HLC guidelines, must be committed to improvement. Each chapter of this report illustrates that Missouri State is committed to improvement; thus, the report also illustrates that the institution strives to maintain its distinctiveness.

In particular, the self-reflective processes summarized in the section above illuminate the institution’s ability to recognize its strengths as well as its challenges. Each of the three long-range plans considered in this report set specific goals. Performance measures were designed to measure progress in reaching those goals. In fact, continuous planning, annual assessments of meeting goals, and publicizing the results help make Missouri State a distinctive organization. Also important in maintaining this distinctiveness is the use of the results for institutional improvement.

Because examples verifying that Missouri State is committed to improvement are found throughout this report, only a few are given below.

• The Center for Assessment and Instructional Support provides services that help departments establish assessment procedures and use these and other assessments to improve student learning. 
• The Academic Development Center provides assistance to faculty in the form of seminars, workshops, showcases, individual consultations, and library resources to improve teaching and learning. A variety of assessment measures are used to determine improvement of student learning and teaching practices.
• The Educational Technology Center provides equipment and facilities planning, equipment installation, and technical assistance.
• The Staff Development Center provides professional development opportunities for staff.
• The Committee for General Education and Interdisciplinary Programs monitors the general education program for the University. This includes recommendations for program changes, reviews of general education course proposals, and periodic assessments of general education courses.
• The Graduate Council and the Graduate College monitor all graduate courses and programs. Curricular changes must receive review and action by both the Council and the College. In addition, application for inclusion to the Graduate Faculty requires Graduate Council action.
• As first outlined in Welcoming the 21^st Century, Missouri State continues to move toward “selective enrollment” (Performance Measure 65). The assumption that retention and graduation rates would improve with more selective admission requirements seems to have been valid (Performance Measures 29 and 32).
• Processes for continuous improvement have been established by the Office of Student Affairs in a variety of ways, as outlined in its response to the question concerning evaluation and improvement. In addition to asking staff to set goals and objectives for 2004-05 and to assess all programs they offer, each unit has been asked to collect data that could be used to evaluate productivity as an expectation of meeting goals and objectives in 2004-05. A listing of assessment activities by office can be provided if requested. Consistent with other units at Missouri State, the Office of Student Affairs participates in the performance measure process. Each year they assess activities toward  published performance measures. For example, the current measures state
  • Retention rates of first-time, full-time freshmen at Missouri State-Springfield will be 78% in the following fall, 70% in the following  spring semester.
  • Graduation rates by 2006 for first-time full-time freshmen will be 65 percent or higher.
  • The number of transfer students from Missouri two-year institutions to Missouri State-Springfield will increase to 600 by FY06.
  • All first-time, full-time freshmen who have completed 23 college credits or less and have graduated from a Missouri high school will have completed the general education curriculum.
  • Seven percent of the Missouri State—Springfield campus enrollment will be minority students.
  • Institutional grants, scholarships and waivers will increase at the same percentage rate as required student fees.
  • The number of Missouri State students with 30 credits or more who are registered with Career Services will increase from 40% to 65%.
  • The average ACT composite of first-time, full-time freshmen at Missouri State-Springfield will be 24.0.
  • Ninety percent of first-time, full-time freshmen will have a selection index of 120.
  • In any year where the state appropriation equals the average per capita appropriations for comparable Missouri non land-grant institutions, the tuition and fee increase in the following year will not exceed the CPI. In those years following years where it does not, it will not exceed 5%.
  • By FY06, 18 percent of Missouri State enrollment (Springfield Campus plus Extended Campus) will be graduate students (Performance Measure 64).
• The Master Plan Committee offers a forum where ideas surface for discussion and further evaluation by University components and constituencies. After considering the proposals suggested by various campus constituencies, the Committee offers input to administrators regarding suitable sites for new/renovated campus facilities needed to support the learning environment. An annual output of the Committee is the Campus Master Plan Visioning Guide developed in graphic form to illustrate campus growth for the next quarter-century. Copies are available to anyone at the master planning display adjacent to the Bursar’s Office in Carrington Hall and are also available online.
• The Office of Sponsored Research advances the University’s mission to develop educated persons by providing students the opportunity to address real-world problems and develop critical thinking skills through participation in research, education, and service projects funded by grants and contracts.
• The University has a 25-year heritage of institutional research activities, and the Office of Institutional Research plays an influential role in many aspects of the University administration. Duties and responsibilities of the Office of Institutional Research include designing, analyzing, and presenting data and institutional research for the purposes of institutional planning, policy decisions, institutional marketing, and student and program assessment. The Office of Institutional Research is also responsible for reporting institutional data to various state and federal agencies.