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.