Mission and Mission Fulfillment

1. Mission and Mission Fulfillment Tom Miller University of Alaska Anchorage

2. UAA’s Context • Public university • Part of a system of three independently accredited campuses • Largest of three major campuses • 20,000 students • 2,000 staff • 1,200 faculty • Extended reach • Five community campuses

3. UAA’s Context • Comprehensive mission • 200 programs of study • Certificates to 2-year to graduate programs • Open access • Wide diversity of student body • Double identity • Community college • Four-year university

4. MissionUseful components for a Mission Statement • Identify purpose for activities: • discover and disseminate knowledge through teaching, research, engagement, and creative expression. • serve the higher education needs of the state, its communities, and its diverse peoples.

5. MissionUseful components for a Mission Statement • Identify important characteristics: • open access university • academic programs leading to associate, baccalaureate, and graduate degrees • rich, diverse, and inclusive environment • sustainable practices

6. MissionUseful components for a Mission Statement • Identify impacts – the result will be • Graduates prepared for: workforce, further education in…, citizenship, life-long learning • Students will demonstrate (critical thinking, leadership, etc.) • Economic development in region • Engagement in arts and humanities

7. MissionNot so helpful statements • Bragging: • We will be (renowned for, recognized for, famous for …) risk spending too much effort getting noticed • Comparisons or predictions: • We will double our (enrollments, space, foundation account, state appropriation, etc.) too many factors that institutions don’t control • We will be the top producer of aircraft mechanics in the state. Set benchmarks and thresholds in other documents

8. Mission Alignment with strategic and other operational plans • Common priorities and objectives • Common data sets to measure performance • Common reporting and evaluation • Program level reviews • System level performance reviews • Evaluation tied to improvement

9. Institutional Planning and Accreditation • Involved parties • Timeline • Collection of evidence • Role of values

10. Handling TransformationThinking deeply and in new ways… • The role and practice of institutional vision • When and how to include, delete or alter an institutional goal or core theme • When and how to measure effects

11. Mission Fulfillment • Definition of fulfillment: Broad range between unacceptable and superior.. • Acceptable Level of Performance – Internal or external guidance? Status or trends? Need for comparable data sets? • Evaluation of programs and services • Role of institutional indicators. Rolling up into Core Themes and Mission

12. The Use of Indicators • As markers of performance - not directly pointing to process or goal adjustment. Prompts for further review • Distinguish between poor performance and inconclusive data • Careful analysis needed to connect cause and effect • Properties of good evidence: meaningful, repeatable, verifiable, multiple measures • Steps between data collection and action

13. Engaging Institutional Constituencies in the Discussion Susan Kalina University of Alaska Anchorage

14. PrinciplesEstablished by Steering Committeefrom the outset • Transparency • Inclusiveness • Community Involvement • Sensitivity in Approach • Student Centered • Respect

15. Communication with University and Community • Initial briefings • Ongoing updates • Requests for feedback • Distributed results

16. New Standards and Process:Briefing All Major Organizational Units • Aims at improvement based on evidence of achievement • Engages entire institution • Encourages collaboration across units • Focuses on mission fulfillment • Provides an opportunity to adjust as we go along

17. Ongoing Updates and Briefings • Existing faculty, staff, student, administrative and community governance groups • In writing and in person • Additional focused briefings • Widely distributed drafts, clear feedback mechanism • Accreditation 2010 Web site

18. Feedback Solicitedat Each Major Step • Core themes • Outcomes and Indicators • Resources and Capacity • Performance and recommendations • Standards – reviewed simultaneously

19. Distributed Leadership Across Groups, Units, and Campuses • Steering Committee • Leadership team • Governance groups • Core Theme evaluation teams • Chancellor’s Cabinet

20. Intra-institutional Benefits and Implications for Practice • Engages the entire institution and community in meaningful discussion • Encourages dialogue across traditional boundaries and up and down the traditional hierarchy • Helps individuals and units see how they contribute to the mission as a whole and to see their connections to other units

21. Intra-institutional Benefits and Implications for Practice • Encourages thinking about efficiency of effort • Alignment with strategic plan and management processes (evidence collection and analysis, decisions, measure effects, improve) • Renews discussion of mission and strategic plan • Incentives for responsible groups to take control

22. Intra-institutional Challenges and Implications for Practice • Cost and time implications • Training and expectations of institution and the commission • Temptation to select only safe outcomes (easy to measure or easy to accomplish) • Unavailability of conclusive evidence – not enough, not directly related to performance • Inaccurate analysis • Actions not related to mission or overwhelmed by events