At its December 16th meeting, the Board of Trustees reviewed the college’s most recent Institutional Effectiveness Assessment Report.

The college’s institutional effectiveness assessment program has several components, including a state-mandated Performance Accountability Report submitted to the Maryland Higher Education Commission, Academic and Student Affairs program reviews, an ongoing series of Institutional Research analytical reports, an annual Enrollment Management and Marketing Communications Report, federal Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) reporting, participation in the National Community College Benchmark Project (NCCBP), program completion analyses prepared by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, and an Institutional Effectiveness Assessment Report.

The college’s Institutional Effectiveness Assessment Measures were developed by the college’s Planning Advisory Council and adopted by the college president in spring 1999. They were approved by the Board of Trustees on June 21, 1999. Revised in 2003, 2008, 2012, and 2015, the measures are grouped under the goals enumerated in the college’s Mission Statement. Collectively, they answer the fundamental accreditation question asked by Middle States: “Is the institution fulfilling its mission and achieving its goals?”

The report presents five-year trends in the values of the 60 measures and compares them to benchmarks or target values established by the college president. Dr. Ball approved the current benchmarks on April 28, 2015.

At its February meeting each year, the Planning Advisory Council reviews the report with a focus on those measures falling short of benchmark values. The measures prompt the development or revision of improvement strategies, and inform strategic, area, and unit planning efforts.

In many cases, the college’s goal is higher than state or peer college averages. So a measure may not meet the college’s goal, but still be well above state or national averages. At the moment, the college meets its benchmark for 63 percent of the measures. The goals are to be met by June 30, 2020.

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