| Southern Polytechnic State University | P & P No.: 206.0 |
| Policy and Procedure Manual | Date: November 1987 |
| Revised: February 1998 |
Planning
Strategic planning positions the university for the future and sets
its long-term direction. It identifies and assesses the institution’s relevant
strategic advantage and sets the stage for the development of the institutional
operational plan and funding priorities.
The operational plan contains the action plans developed by campus units to move the strategic plan forward. It includes the objectives, action plans, and resource requirements needed to achieve the strategic results.
The planning process is an on-going, campus-wide activity. Responsibility
for guiding the process lies with the Leadership Team, the Campus-Wide
Planning Council (CWPC), and the Department of Institutional Research,
Planning and Assessment.
Leadership Team
The Leadership Team is presided over by the President and consists
of the President’s assistants; Vice-Presidents; Deans; Director of Institutional
Research, Planning and Assessment; Moderator of the Faculty Senate; President
of the Student Government Association; and Chair of the Staff Council.
The Leadership Team is responsible for setting the strategic directions
for the university and ensuring the achievement of the strategic plan.
The Leadership Team is further responsible for communicating the results
of the planning process, including planning and budgetary priorities and
budgetary decisions, to the campus.
Campus-Wide Planning Council
The Campus-Wide Planning Council (CWPC) serves as an advisory body
to the Leadership Team and the Department of Institutional Research, Planning
and Assessment. The CWPC provides input into the planning process through
the representation of its membership. The CWPC consists of the Leadership
Team; a representative appointed by each of the Vice Presidents; all academic
department heads; one faculty representative from each school/college;
Director of Extended University; Coordinator of Institutional Research;
Director of the Library; immediate past Moderator of the Faculty Senate,
immediate past Chair of the Staff Council; Vice President of the Student
Government Association; and ad-hoc members as needed. The council is chaired
by the Director of Institutional Research, Planning and Assessment.
Department of Institutional Research, Planning and Assessment
The Department of Institutional Research, Planning and Assessment is
responsible for coordinating the implementation of the provisions of the
P&P on planning and assessment for all units of the university.
Assessment
Assessment is a continual process that is integrated into day-to-day
campus activities. It seeks to ensure that the university’s goals are achieved
and appropriate improvements are implemented. The strategic plan sets the
long-term direction. The operational plan makes it happen. On-going assessment
helps the university determine how well it is performing as an institution.
The university’s assessment activities have two purposes: 1) accountability and 2) improvement. First, assessment helps the university to determine whether it and its units are accomplishing their intended objectives. Second, assessment provides information that allows faculty and staff to improve the university’s processes, programs, services and student learning outcomes. The processes of assessment, described below, generate the information needed to provide feedback into the planning cycle for continual improvement.
1) Accountability Function
Internal/External Environment
As part of the strategic planning cycle and/or when special circumstances
arise, the CWPC reviews the key performance areas (KPAs) and the internal
and external environment by means of an analysis of university strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Information gained through the
analysis is used by the Leadership Team to update the strategic plan.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Related Strategies
The key performance indicators are the measures through which the university’s
efforts to implement the strategic plan are assessed. The Leadership Team
annually measures the achievement of each KPI and its related strategies.
The Department of Institutional Research, Planning and Assessment annually
publishes and distributes the KPI results to the appropriate internal and
external audiences.
Assessment of the Operational Plan
Individual campus units assess the achievement of departmental objectives.
Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes — Degree Granting and General
Education
Assessment of student learning outcomes is used to better understand
and improve student learning. Southern Polytechnic assesses learning outcomes
on two levels—general education and degree granting programs. The university’s
general education program is based on five categories of learning (communication,
critical thinking, culture and the individual in society, quantitative
reasoning, and science and technology) that are considered critical components
of a superior technical education regardless of a student’s major. Assessment
data from the general education learning outcomes are forwarded to the
General Education Assessment Committee. The General Education Assessment
Committee is an advisory committee reporting through the Department of
Institutional Research, Planning and Assessment to the President. The committee
has representatives from every school/college and the Student Affairs Division.
This committee reviews the information collected to determine if the expected
results have been achieved and forwards its recommendations to the vice
presidents, deans, department heads and faculty for use in curricular and/or
program improvements. Both the general education and degree granting programs
use the assessment methods outlined in the document titled "General Education
and Degree Granting Programs Assessment of Learning Outcomes." This document
is updated annually by the Department of Institutional Research, Planning
and Assessment.
Strategic Planning
The following process is revisited every three years by the Leadership
Team with Campus-Wide Planning Council input. Assessment of the strategic
plan takes place periodically as necessary in response to changing internal
and external environmental conditions.
| Steps | Activities |
|
|
Review the vision, mission, guiding principles for strategic action, key performance areas (KPAs), key performance indicators (KPIs), and their related strategies to determine if they need to be changed |
|
|
Assess the internal strengths and weaknesses of the university as well as its external environment; based on this assessment identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for each KPA |
|
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Review statement of purpose for each KPA and make changes, if necessary |
|
|
Review current measures and develop future targets for each KPI by establishing one-year, three-year, and five-year goals for the university |
|
|
Develop strategies for accomplishing the new one-year, three-year, and five-year goals for each KPI |
|
|
Use the strategic plan to develop operational objectives |
Operational Planning
The following process is revisited annually.
| Steps | Activities | By Whom | Timeline |
|
|
Develop next fiscal year’s departmental plans (objectives, action plans, assessment methods, and resource requirements) based on the strategic plan | Academic Department Heads, Directors, Faculty and Staff | October |
|
|
a. Present next fiscal year’s departmental budgetary needs, linking expenditures to planning | Academic Department Heads present to their respective college Dean and the Director of Inst. Research, Planning and Assessment (IRPA) | November |
| b. Present next fiscal year’s departmental budgetary needs, linking expenditures to planning | Directors present to their respective Vice President and the Director IRPA | November | |
|
|
a. Develop next fiscal year’s college/school plans based on the strategic plan | Deans | November |
| b. Present next fiscal year’s college/school budgetary needs, linking expenditures to planning | Deans present to the Vice President and Assistant Vice President for Academics and the Director of IRPA | November | |
|
|
a. Develop next fiscal year’s divisional plans based on the strategic plan | Vice Presidents | December |
| b. Present next fiscal year’s divisional budgetary needs, linking expenditures to planning | Vice Presidents present to the President and Director of IRPA | December | |
|
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Develop the next fiscal year’s proposed budget based on the divisional plans | Leadership Team | Early January |
|
|
Review the next fiscal year’s proposed budget and any redirections; forward suggestions to Leadership Team | CWPC | Mid-January |
|
|
Review CWPC’s suggestions; make changes to the next fiscal year’s proposed budget and redirections where applicable | Leadership Team | Late January |
|
|
a. Finalize the next fiscal year’s university
budget upon receipt of Board of Regents authorization
b. Send feedback regarding next fiscal year’s finalized budget to the Deans, Academic Department Heads, and Directors |
President and Vice Presidents
|
April
|
|
|
a. Assess the effectiveness of processes,
programs, services and student learning outcomes; assess the achievement of current fiscal year’s departmental/school/ college/divisional objectives; take appropriate action b. Assess the total budget expended according to the planned budget |
Vice Presidents, Deans Academic Department Heads,
Directors, Faculty and Staff
CWPC |
April-July
September |
|
|
Revise next fiscal year’s departmental, college/school, and divisional plans, if necessary, based on final budget feedback | Vice Presidents, Deans, Academic Department Heads, Directors | May-September |