SOUTH PLAINS COLLEGE
Institutional Effectiveness Committee
September 11, 2009
9:00 a.m. – Founders Room
MINUTES
Members Present: Jay Driver, Mollie Melton, Rafael Aguilera, Ann Hebisen, Wayne
Langehennig, Phyllis Kennon, Patrick Logue, Katheryn Townsend, Randy Robertson, Cary
Banks, Sharon Bogener, Robert Plant, Brandon Awbrey, Andrew Ruiz, Christi Anderson, Dawn
Valles, Todd Gregg, Myrna Whitehead, Russell Hall, Yancy Nuñez, Rob Blair, Jim Walker, Sue
Ann Lopez, Jack Wardlow and Stephen John. Guests: Barbara Webb (attending for Deborrah
Caddell), Julie Gerstenberger, Teresa Salinas, Beth Glass, Allison Perrin, Phil Anderson.
Members Absent: Kimbra Quinn, Dennis Churchwell, Ginger Mulloy, Debra Britton.
The Institutional Effectiveness Committee met at 9:00 a.m. September 11, 2009 in the Founders
Room. Minutes of the April 17, 2009 meeting were approved by consensus.
The following new members were introduced and welcomed to the committee: Cary Banks,
Sharon Bogener, Robert Plant, Brandon Awbrey, Sue Ann Lopez and Dawn Valles. Committee
members also recognized and thanked Julie Gerstenberger, Teresa Salinas, Beth Glass, Allison
Perrin, Lesa Wood and Phil Anderson for their service and participation on the committee.
These colleagues, whose terms on the committee ended this past spring, were presented
appreciation certificates.
The following agenda items were discussed.
Supervisors Network – LeadSPC
Rafael Aguilera reported that the Supervisors Training Network Subcommittee will meet soon
to discuss and plan professional development opportunities for the fall semester. Subcommittee
members will work with the Human Resources Office to identify professional development
topics. Feedback from past participants will be used to plan this year’s program.
Assessment & Outcomes Subcommittee
Jay Driver reported that the last meeting of Assessment & Outcomes Subcommittee was April
10, 2009. Minutes of the subcommittee meeting were provided. Subcommittee
recommendations to revise the Institutional Effectiveness Planning Report matrix the have been
adopted and should provide a better tool for planners to document the results of assessment
and how the results were used for improvement and change. The subcommittee will continue to
monitor and facilitate greater institutional awareness of the requirements of the SACS standard
3.3.1 outcome assessment.
Update on SACS Five-Year Interim Report
Yancy Nuñez presented information on the SACS Five-Year Interim Report that is being
prepared for submission to the Commission on Colleges. The Interim Report is required to
document and demonstrate that the college is in compliance with 14 accreditation standards
required by the U.S. Department of Education. Nuñez explained the parts of the interim report
and that the Administrative Council is currently gathering information for the report. The
report is due to the COC October 19. He recommended that IE Committee members become
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familiar with the Standards of Accreditation that are posted on the SACS website,
www.sacs.org. The college will begin preparing for its next reaccreditation with an internal
audit conducted during 2011-12. Information and data for the Self-Study will be gathered and
compiled in 2012-2013. The Quality Enhancement Plan will be developed prior to the on-side
campus visit scheduled for sometime during the 2013-14 academic year.
Employer Survey/Graduate Survey Update
The Employer Survey that was developed by Instructional Deans and reviewed by the IE
Committee was piloted during the spring semester. Data results compiled by Noel-Levitz
Educational Consultants were presented to committee members. The survey indicated that
there is a high level of satisfaction among employers who employ SPC technical graduates.
Performance gaps between level of importance and level of satisfaction are very low for nearly
all of the survey statements. Stephen John reported that the 2008 graduate cohort is currently
being compiled for the graduate survey to be administered this fall.
Results of the Support Services Survey
Committee members reviewed a summary of the results of the Support Services Survey that
was administered this past spring. Results were distributed to function area supervisors during
the summer and were reviewed by the Administrative Council at its summer planning
workshop. Employee satisfaction with administrative support service areas improved from the
previous survey that was administered in 2005. Survey results have been posted to the website.
Institutional Plan for 2009-13
Copies of the 2009-13 Institutional Plan were made available. The plan was formally adopted by
the Board of Regents on Sept. 10, 2009, following a month-long review and comment process.
Institutional Effectiveness Performance Report
A review draft of the IE Performance Report for 2008-09 was presented which is now aligned
with the Coordinating Board Community College Accountability System. John reported that
the report includes peer group comparison data that is reported by the Coordinating Board.
SPC belongs to the Large College Group which includes Amarillo College, Blinn College,
Central Texas College, Del Mar College, Laredo Community College, Texas Southmost College
and Tyler Junior College.
Jack Wardlow reported on the Coordinating Board staff’s efforts to fine-tune the Community
College Accountability System. Last year the community college advisory committee worked
with CB staff to address measures that would document “excellence” within college programs.
Wardlow said the group examined contextural measures such as outstanding program
recognition from external bodies and exceptional licensure passage rates. He said the
discussion is shifting to value-added education and assessment. This assessment philosophy
seeks to demonstrate the degree of progress a student is making in the educational process and
if the college is adding value to the student. This approach shifts the focus from tracking cohorts
of students to tracking individual students. Wardlow said he has been gathering information
from a value-added assessment system that the Ohio Higher Education System Board has been
developing and piloting. IE Committee members discussed various aspects of this concept.
Committee members were asked to review the Performance Report and submit comments prior
to Oct. 1. The finalized report will be presented to the Board of Regents meeting on Oct. 8.
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08-09 IE Committee Plan Review
The Institutional Effectiveness Planning Report for the IE Committee’s 08-09 plan year was
reviewed and discussed by committee members. The report outlined committee
accomplishments and progress on its stated objectives for the past year.
09-10 IE Committee Objectives
The following objectives were presented to the IE Committee for its 2009-10 plan of work. The
objectives are linked to the 2009-13 Institutional Plan.
1. Leverage the resources of MySPC to provide employee access to IE resources.
(Continuation objective; Inst. Plan Link 6.3.1)
2. Continue to work with instructional leadership and faculty to develop process and best
practices for assessing student learning outcomes. (Continuation objective; Inst. Plan
Links 1.4.1, 1.4.2, 8.2.4)
3. Implement and leverage LeadSPC Supervisor Training Network to provide professional
development in leadership, communication and planning activities. (Continuation
objective; Inst. Plan Link 6.2.3)
4. Implement and institutionalize the graduate follow-up survey process and
system.(Continuation objective; Inst. Plan Link 8.2.2, 8.2.3)
5. Study the college’s Program Planning and Review process to identify available and
needed IE resources in order to comply with accreditation criteria. (Continuation
objective; Inst. Plan Link 6.4, 8.3)
6. Strengthen institutional research to accommodate increasing need for data to make
decisions and demonstrate accountability. (New objective; Inst. Plan Link 6.3.1; 8.1)
These objectives will be presented to the Administrative Council for feedback, John said.
Wardlow was asked to serve as chairperson for an ad hoc subcommittee that will be established
to address Objective 6 above. Committee members were asked to indicate their preference for
subcommittee work. A list of subcommittees and current membership will be distributed.
Adjournment
With no further business or announcements, the meeting adjourned at 10:30 a.m.
Next Meeting
Friday, November 20, 2009, 9 a.m., Founders Room
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