The Regents’ Gold and Maroon measures for progress cards

At their October 9th meeting, the U of M Board of Regents discussed what their expectations are for setting goals and measuring the success of the University and its institutional strength using a progress card framework. The measures they are recommending for implementation are broken into two groups, Gold measures that establish a future-looking road map and Maroon measures that indicate current performance.

Gold measures and goals:

• 4-year graduation rate of 65% for the Twin Cities 2017 cohort
• 6-year graduation rate of 82% for the Twin Cities 2015 cohort
• 4-year graduation rate of 54% for system Pell-eligible students in 2017 cohort
• Twin Cities freshman average ACT score greater than 28

Maroon measures and goals:

• 3-year graduation rate greater than 65% for Twin Cities transfer students
• More than 5,250 graduate and professional degrees awarded
• Median undergraduate debt at graduation for system-wide students to grow no faster than CPI (corrected for federal and state policy changes)
• Maintain recent gains in the Graduation Success Rate for athletics

You can read even more about the Regents progress card goals in the docket materials from their October 2015 meeting.

Update on the ongoing Graduate and Professional support alignment efforts

Last Spring,  Provost Karen Hanson proposed a new model to realign our institutional support for graduate and professional education in response to concerns expressed by numerous faculty, staff and students. These efforts are ongoing, but there have been a few updates recently:

• Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Education Henning Schroeder has been asked to transition to a new role to lead the development of a professional education community
• A search committee will be developed in the near future to identify a new Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Education
• An FAQ has been posted addressing some of the most common questions and feedback themes about the current version of the proposed model

U of M’s accreditation efforts underway

Every ten years, the University of Minnesota goes through a re-accreditation process with our accreditation agency, the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). This process is required by the U.S. Department of Education to assure that all members of HLC meet specific regulations and expectations, and being accredited has significant impacts on the University, including the ability to offer degrees and the availability of federal financial aid for our students. As foundation of the University’s student finance, financial aid and student records, ASR plays an active role in the accreditation efforts.

There are five criteria for accreditation upon which the University will be assessed: Mission; Integrity (Ethical and Responsible Conduct); Teaching and Learning (Quality, Resources, and Support); Teaching and Learning (Evaluation and Improvement); Resources, Planning and Institutional Effectiveness.

These five criteria weave throughout the entire enterprise of the University and its offerings. ASR was tasked with providing information for inclusion in the accreditation documentation that addressed: assignment of credits, program length and tuition; information on transfer of credits to the University from other institutions; processes used to verify student identity in distance courses; Title IV status; Student Finance financial audit results; institutional default rates; participation in private loan programs; campus crime information, athletic participation and financial aid, and related disclosures; Student Right to Know information; and Satisfactory Academic Progress and Attendance Policies.

The HLC evaluation team will be on campus October 26 and 27 for their on-site visit and interactions with the campus community. After their visit is complete, the University will hear whether or not it remains accredited by HLC.

Read more about the University's accreditation.

All Campus meeting recap

Approximately 60 student records, financial aid, student finance, and One Stop staff from all five University of Minnesota campuses convened in St. Paul this past Monday and Tuesday for the 2015 Fall All Campus meeting. The meeting consisted of general sessions which provided information of interest to all attendees, including:

• Sue Van Voorhis and Grant Clavelle provided a look forward to the initiatives and priorities facing our groups in the upcoming year. 
• John Vollum provided a glance back at the lessons learned during the Upgrade.

Staff continued to build relationships with their peers and network at the Monday evening reception. Thank you to all the participants who helped support another successful All Campus Meeting.

ISSP annual conference hosted by U of M

Approximately 190 higher education administrators attended the 2015 Institute for Student Services Professionals (ISSP) annual conference hosted by the University of Minnesota on October 11-13. Robert McMaster, Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education, presented to attendees with a keynote entitled "The Role of Student Services in Student Success: How does the work within One Stop align with University goals?" The conference also featured a tour of the One Stop Student Services center and other student services offices in Bruininks Hall.

Look for more information about this event in an upcoming News & Notes article from the Employee Engagement committee as they highlight professional development and opportunities for ASR staff.

Next week’s Fall Staff event

Don’t forget the ASR Fall Staff event starting at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, October 28, 2015! Here are a few updates and reminders:

• Attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about ASR's units and leadership during a poster session with prizes.
• Coffee will be provided, but to promote sustainability, please plan on bringing your own water container.
• Reciprocal parking information can be found here. For people without reciprocal parking, validation will be provided at check-in.

New location for Graduate Student Services & Progress starting November 9

On November 9, the Graduate Student Services and Progress (GSSP) office currently located in 160 Williamson Hall will move to the One Stop Student Services center in Bruininks Hall. The GSSP office in 160 Williamson Hall will have limited service (no walk in service; available via email and phone) after Wednesday, November 4 for the move and re-open with full service in its new location on November 9.You may continue to contact GSSP at 612-625-3490 or gssp@umn.edu.

Office of the Registrar's St. Paul staff moving to Williamson Hall

The St. Paul Office of the Registrar staff will be moving to Williamson Hall between November 19-20, 2015. The move will allow the staff to be closer to their colleagues and create more opportunities for integration and cross-training across the OTR units.

E2 survey reminder

The Employment Engagement Survey is now open through Friday, October 30. Please remember to complete the survey by this date. As of October 16, the Office of Undergraduate Education has 43% participation; the University overall has a response rate of 32%.

Spring 2016 registration updates

Students will have access to their spring 2016 registration queue time starting November 2. The spring 2016 registration time table can be found on the One Stop website and will be updated the morning of November 2. As a reminder, spring 2016 registration begins Tuesday, November 10 for students admitted to degree and certificate programs. Open registration begins Friday, December 4.

New Schedule Builder available Oct. 26

A new version of Schedule Builder will be available on Monday, October 26. Under the new version, students will have the option to explore, plan, and see a calendar view of their schedules. With the start of spring 2016 registration quickly approaching, we anticipate this new version of Schedule Builder to be highly accessed and we encourage you to notify other staff members about this change.

UMTC begins transition to new voicemail system

UMN IT will begin the process of introducing a new voicemail system to the UMTC campus starting Oct. 26. Voicemail users will receive a voicemail with instructions for the transition, which can be done anytime before Dec. 1. The new system offers the same features, including a voicemail-to-email tool.

Contingency planning for the unexpected

Academic Support Resources units are beginning work on contingency plans to evaluate and better prepare themselves in case of future, unexpected system outages during critical times, such as registration and the beginning of spring term. Hope for the best, but plan for the worst. These types of forward-thinking efforts are critical to ensure the success of U of M faculty, staff and students during high-stress parts of the year.

E2 Survey available on October 12

On October 12, all faculty and staff systemwide will receive this year's employee engagement survey from the Hay Group. The survey will take staff and faculty about 10 minutes to complete and the results will be made available in early 2016. ASR uses these results to create annual action plans to address employee concerns and build on strengths. A message earlier this week from UMN President Eric Kaler encouraged staff to participate and provide feedback about their work experience at the University.

Invite: ASR Fall Staff Event

Click here to find directions to Hubert H. Humphrey Hall.

Check out a sample TED Talk here.

Save the Date: OUE Staff event

Please save the date for the Office of Undergraduate Education’s staff upcoming event on Monday, November 30, 2015 from 9:30 - 11 a.m. in Coffman Memorial Union’s Great Hall. Stay tuned for additional details.

Vacation, Sick & Comp Balances report available

UMN Human Resources would like to remind you that you can review a summary report of your vacation and sick leave accrued and taken for each pay period. Here’s how:

• In MyU, click “Key Links” then “Reporting Center.” 
• Under Human Resources Management, find and click “Payroll & Time.”
• Select the “Vacation, sick and comp balances” report.
• Enter your Employee ID and submit.

When the report comes up, click on your ID on the left-hand side of the page, and select the fiscal year 2015-2016 to view this report  for balances since the start of the new payroll fiscal year.

Wondering how the Tate Renovation project is going?

There’s a webcam for that! The College of Science & Engineering has set up a Tate Science and Teaching Renovation webcam, so that the campus community and general public can keep tabs on the construction progress. Check it out here, the Tate Renovation webcam.

What are the financial impacts of graduating (or not) in four years?

At the Registrar’s Advisory Committee meeting on Monday, October 5, Tina Falkner highlighted some of the key impacts to students for graduating, or not, in four years. The Office of Student Finance has been compiling data and research to determine the long-term effects of staying in college longer than 4 years and what impact completing a degree can have on lifelong earnings.

View the full Financial Impacts of Graduating in 4-years handout for all the details*.

*Data and information based on UMN Twin Cities campus.

Looking at the impact of the Upgrade on ASR Training & Support team inquiries

• First week of fall term 2014 (92 calls and emails)
• First week of spring term 2015 (95 calls and emails)
• Week that grades were due spring 2015 (394 calls and emails)
• First week of fall 2015 (214 calls and emails)