SOUTH PLAINS COLLEGE
Institutional Effectiveness Committee
October 28, 2005
9 a.m. – Founders Room
MINUTES
Members Present: Lee Cox, Rafael Aguilera, Dick Walsh, Fran Cotton, Julie Gerstenberger,
Dane Dewbre, Jack Wardlow, Teresa Salinas, Lesa Wood, Rob Blair, Kristi Barker, Gail Platt, Jay
Driver, Teresa Green, Denny Barnes, Frances Coats, Jeri Ann Dewbre, Charlotte Nichols,
Stephen John
Members Absent: David Conner, Darrell Grimes, Stephanie Jones, Marla Cottenoir, Kimbra
Quinn, Phil Anderson, Larry Nichols, Cary Marrow, Tim Winders, Pam Burnett
The Institutional Effectiveness Committee met at 9 a.m. October 28, 2005 in the Founders Room.
Charlotte Nichols was introduced as the student representative to the committee. She is a
sophomore from Levelland and serves are reporter for the Student Government Association.
The following agenda items were discussed.
Status Reports and Action Items from IE Subcommittees: Chairs of the IE Subcommittees
presented the following progress reports.
Planning Processes Subcommittee: The Planning Subcommittee presented a revised Planning
and Budgeting Calendar for 2005-06. The subcommittee met twice and in their discussion felt
the 2005-06 Planning Calendar indicated that departmental planners would prepare two IE Plan
Reports in a given year, one to chart progress on yearly objectives and a second that would
identify next year objectives for budgetary purposes. It has always been the intent that planners
work with one planning document each year. The committee recommended clarifying the
planning and budgeting activities listed on the calendar to reflect this intent in the revised
calendar. During the month of February, departmental planners would update progress on
their current year IE Plan Report (complete sections 5 and 6 if appropriate). They would also
identify those planning objectives for the next year (06-07) that would require budgeted
resources. These objectives would be added to the current IE Plan Report and presented at the
Planning Hearings in March.
The subcommittee has also begun to identify information, documents, resources and reports
that would be assembled and made available through an Institutional Effectiveness website.
Assessment and Outcomes Subcommittee: Gail Platt provided a written progress report of the
subcommittee’s work. The subcommittee met September 16, 2005 and discussed the following
items:

Common skills and perspectives (from the Core Competencies and Basic Intellectual
Perspectives, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board) already identified as
components of the core curriculum by the department chairs and faculty in Arts and
Sciences;
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
SCANS skills and competencies (from the U. S. Dept. of Labor) already identified as
components of the technical courses by department chairs and faculty in the Technical
Division;

List of skills and qualities to characterize SPC students/graduates identified by the
department chairs (both A & S and Technical Division) under the direction of Deans Rob
Blair and Jay Driver;

Involvement of faculty in assuring that students possess important skills and qualities;

Involvement of community and business leaders in validating the importance of those
skills and qualities for business and community well-being.
The following action plan was proposed and approved by the subcommittee:
1. The Deans (Rob Blair, Marla Cottenoir and Jay Driver) will ask the department chairs to
discuss/define/refine the initial list of skills and qualities to characterize SPC
students/graduates to reach consensus regarding the common learning outcomes.
2. The Deans will ask the chairs to suggest strategies for involving faculty in the process of
discussing and understanding the skills and qualities.
3. The Deans will report their findings to the subcommittee at the next subcommittee
meeting, tentatively set for Friday, 9:00 am, October 21.
The Deans met with the Departmental Chairs Oct. 7, and at that meeting discussion on learning
outcomes was tabled until assessment and learning outcome information from the SACS
Conference in December can be presented. Darrell Grimes and Jay Driver are scheduled to
attend the SACS conference.
The 6th Annual Assessment Conference at Texas A&M University is scheduled for February 2325. Dr. Platt indicated that Title V funds could be used to send two college representatives to
this meeting. The Title V Management Team is considering this option and will make a decision
following the SACS Conference.
Employee Survey Subcommittee: Jeri Ann Dewbre reported the online Support Services
Survey has been closed and that 313 employee responses had been received. Response data will
be compiled and analyzed. The Subcommittee hopes to have the results ready for review by the
January 20, 2006, meeting.
New Employee Orientation Results: Dick Walsh presented the evaluation results for all three
days of New Employee Orientation. A complete report and group memory of the Day 3 NEO
activity had been emailed earlier to all IE committee members. Dr. Walsh reported that
participating employees provided good comments and feedback that will be used in planning
next year’s orientation.
SSI and Faces of the Future Survey: Stephen John reported for Kimbra Quinn that the Student
Satisfaction Inventory (Noel-Levitz) will be administered to selected groups of students the
week of Nov. 14. The survey results will be compared to baseline data collected during the Fall
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2004 semester. The ACT Faces of the Future Survey that was scheduled to be administered this
fall will be re-scheduled for Fall 2006. The two student surveys will be administered in opposite
years.
Virtual College of Texas SACS Review: The Virtual College of Texas is undergoing an
accreditation self-study and review by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
Because SPC is a host college, we will be involved in completing an Abbreviated Compliance
Certificate (ACC) for the VCT self-study and review. John reported that a group has already
met to begin to review the ACC requirements and organize SPC’s response. John indicated the
college would be undergoing a “mini-self-study” as a result of its involvement in the VCT. Our
recent Self-Study Report will provide a lot of information for our response to the ACC. Select
members of the IE Committee may be asked to help prepare compliance narratives and identify
supporting documentation..
Meeting Dates for the Year: The IE Committee will meet on the following dates:Friday, Jan. 20,
2006, 9 a.m.; and Friday, March 31, 2006. Meeting will be held in the Founders Room.
With no further business, the meeting adjourned: 9:45 a.m.
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