Planning for Distinction
Support Services Report Template
Support Program Task Group
Co-Chairs
Jagdish Agrawal and Carolyn Nelson
Members
Jeanette Bicais, Brian Cook, Debby De Angelis, Linda Dobb, Stan Hébert,
Erik Helgren, David Larson, Joanna Lee, Erik Pinlac, Angela Schneider,
Borre Ulrichsen, and Jim Zavagno
Staff
Lori Erdman, Kris Erway, Denise Johnson, Amber Machamer, Sally Murphy
and Cheril Musser
A Message from the Steering Committee ........................................................................ 3
Background ..................................................................................................................... 4
Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 4
The Criteria................................................................................................................................................ 4
Scoring....................................................................................................................................................... 4
Information Provided ................................................................................................................................ 5
Unique Effort............................................................................................................................................. 5
Review Process.......................................................................................................................................... 6
Questions .................................................................................................................................................. 6
Mandated Service ........................................................................................................... 7
Relative Importance ........................................................................................................ 7
Relative Quality ............................................................................................................. 11
Relative Efficiency (cost effectiveness) ......................................................................... 12
Other ............................................................................................................................. 13
Appendix 1: Scoring Rubrics ......................................................................................... 14
October 25, 2013
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A Message from the Steering Committee
Purpose of Planning for Distinction (PFD)
Postsecondary education faces many challenges today that range from a precipitous
decline in public resources to debates about the roles of online instruction and
“competency-based” education. Given these challenges, President Morishita asked the
campus to embark on a comprehensive institutional review of both academic and
administrative programs called “Planning for Distinction”. He stressed that we need to
be engaged in defining the shape of higher education at Cal State East Bay within the
context of these state-wide and national issues. Now is a time to reinforce our basic
mission, shared strategic commitments and institutional learning outcomes. In order to
do this, we must be forward-thinking and ensure that we are investing our resources in
support of student learning and our areas of distinction.
Specifically, the PFD effort was intended to:
1. Generate information for a comprehensive review of the University’s programs
2. Identify areas of distinction and prioritize programs according to their distinctive
potential to advance the University’s mission
3. Generate guidance for strategic resource allocation for the future
The Steering Committee has welcomed your engagement over the past year as the
University’s two task groups have developed the criteria to be applied to each
instructional and support program, and we are looking forward to our next steps this fall
and winter. What follows is the report template that we ask you to complete so that it
can be submitted to the appropriate task group no later than November 1, 2013. Thank
you.
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Background
Introduction
The support services report template is organized by criteria and should be completed
by the manager, department chair, or director who is responsible for the service (the
complete list of services on the campus can be found here). In some cases the
questions are not rated, but the responses will be used to inform the task group and
assist with the overall evaluation. The template includes five criteria and each criterion
includes several questions. It is important that you attempt to answer as many of the
questions as possible, but you are not required to do so.
The Criteria
The following five criteria have been established for service evaluation:
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
Mandated service (legal, regulatory, policy, etc.)
Importance of service
Quality of service
Efficiency (cost effectiveness) of service
Other
Scoring
The task group will rate each service based on the above five criteria. Rubrics were
developed by the task group members to guide the service rating for each criterion. It
would be helpful for you to review the scoring rubrics before you begin to complete the
report. There are links to the scoring rubrics throughout the template.
All criteria are weighted equally. An overall score for each of the criteria will be created
simply by summing up the scores a service receives for questions within each criterion.
An average score will be computed for each of the criteria across all the services being
evaluated on campus. Using these means, the score of each service on each of the
criteria will be standardized. This process will rescale scores on each criterion from
negative to positive where 0 will be the central point. By using 0 as the cut-off point for
each of the criteria, services will be assigned to one of the 16 categories presented in
the following table. They will also be graphically represented within each cell to indicate
variation in scores across services within each cell.
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Information Provided
You will receive a separate package that includes data that will be used to respond to
questions 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3. You will need to return completed excel workbooks to the
task group. Please use the 2011-12 workbook to respond to questions 4.1 and 4.2. We
are also providing salary and operating expense information for 2010-11, but this is only
for your reference, it is not needed to reply to any question. Please note that employee
benefits costs are included on the spreadsheet so that the full cost of a service is
reflected here. If one or more of your services were included in the campus-wide
customer satisfaction survey in the spring, the details on the responses also will be
provided to you.
Unique Effort
The PFD effort is breaking new ground in a couple of ways. Our research on other
colleges/universities that have conducted a review, such as the one being undertaken
here, found only a very few that included administrative services along with academic
programs. Of those few institutions that included administrative units in their review they
all used an organizational department as the focus. CSU East Bay has deliberately
chosen to focus on “service” (service definition) rather than an administrative unit. This
focus will allow us to evaluate whether the services provided to the students, faculty,
staff and greater community are important, of sufficient quality and are efficiently
delivered. This requires us to think in a different way about what we do, and as a result
requires that you translate department information into service information.
This is also the first time that this institution has attempted such a comprehensive
review of itself. There was no roadmap to guide the task group in determining what
information to collect to advise managers and executives about the services at Cal
State East Bay. The questions presented in this report template reflect the best thinking
for East Bay at this time. We recognize that there may be barriers to the provision of
quality service because the service providers are dependent on action by another party.
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Whenever applicable, use the space provided in the report to explain further your
responses.
Survey Completion Process
You may open and close the template multiple times. To save any work you have done
before you close, you must move to another page using the “back” or “next” buttons at
the bottom of each page. You do not need to complete the questions in the order they
are written, you may work on any part of the report in whatever order works best for
you. When you have finished the report, you will be asked to forward it to your
supervisor/dean. The report will be submitted to the task group by the vice president or
college dean. The web tool will provide you with a link that you can forward to your
supervisor/dean so that they can open the report template on the web.
Questions
If you have any questions while you are completing the report, you should first ask your
supervisor/dean. However, you may also contact Lori Erdman at
lori.erdman@csueastbay.edu or 885-3938 with questions.
Name of the person completing this report:
Title of the person completing this report:
Supervisor/dean reviewing report:
Name of second reviewer (if necessary):
Service:
Division/College:
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Mandated Service
1.1 Please indicate below if any aspect of the service is legally mandated by any of the
following and provide the relevant reference.
Federal Law ________________________________________
State Law
________________________________________
Executive Order ______________________________________
Title 5 ______________________________________________
Campus Policy________________________________________
Any other ___________________________________________
Provide a brief explanation, if necessary, in < 60 words.
Importance of Service
Introduction: Briefly describe the service in terms of its primary function(s) and
purpose(s) using <120 words.
2.1 Who are the primary receivers of this service? (Please enter the percentage of each
user group that is relevant).
Approximate proportion of service directly
being received by each user group (if more
than one group). Must sum to 100%.
Constituent Group
Students
Faculty
Administrators/staff
Colleges/departments
Academic Senate and/or committees
Alumni
Community outside University
Other (Specify) _________________
Total
100%
Alignment with the University Mission:
University Mission Statement: Cal State East Bay welcomes and supports a diverse
student body with academically rich, culturally relevant, learning experiences that
prepare students to apply their education to meaningful lifework, and to be socially
responsible contributors to society. Through its educational programs and activities the
University strives to meet the education needs and to contribute to the vitality of the
East Bay, the state, the nation, and global communities.
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2.2 Please indicate the direct or indirect impact of the service on students for each of the
three University Action/Student Impact Areas listed below (for example processing
financial aid applications would be direct impact on students while managing utility
services would be indirect). Provide a brief narrative (<60 words each) explaining
your selection for each area.
Indicate
if this is
a Direct
University Action / Student
or
Evidence submitted to support the chosen
Impact Areas
Indirect selection (<60 words for each)
Impact
on
Students
Pre-college (helping
students to enter the
system)
During college (helping
students succeed while
they are at Cal State East
Bay)
After college (helping
students establish
meaningful lifework and
be socially responsible
contributors to society)
2.3 Applying the four choices presented below, please indicate the consequence of NOT
having this service on each of the actions in the left hand column. Provide a brief
narrative (<60 words each) explaining your choice.
4
University actions
will cease without
the service
3
University actions
will be severely
impacted without
the service
2
University actions
will be somewhat
impacted without the
service
1
University actions
will not be impacted
at all without the
service.
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Select a
number
from 1
Evidence submitted to support the chosen
University Actions/Student
through 4 selection
Impact Areas
from
(<60 words for each selection)
above
description
Pre-college (helping
students to enter the
system)
During college (helping
students succeed while
they are at Cal State East
Bay)
After college (helping
students establish
meaningful lifework and
be socially responsible
contributors to society)
2.4 Alignment with Shared Strategic Commitments
How does this service contribute to or align with any of the eight Shared Strategic
Commitments (SSC) listed below?
Shared Strategic
Commitments
If aligned or contributing, provide a
description.
(<60 words for each SSC)
Reinforce academic quality
through open-minded inquiry,
innovative teaching, engaged
learning, and distinguished
scholarship
Enhance our inclusive
campus, responding to the
backgrounds and interests of
our diverse community and
promoting their academic,
professional and personal
development
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Serve students first, by
expanding access and
enhancing each student’s
educational experience and
prospects for success as a
graduate and life-long learner
Foster a vibrant community
through enriched student
services and student life that
support student engagement
and learning
Continuously improve our
efficiency, transparency, and
accountability while practicing
mutual respect,
responsiveness, and
collaboration across the
University
Support the civic, cultural, and
economic life of all
communities in the regions
we serve through
partnerships that promote
education and social
responsibility
Demonstrate our continuing
record of leadership and
innovation in higher
education, focused on 21st
century skills, including
science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics
(STEM)
2.5 How might the demand for this service change over the next five years? (Please
choose one category below).
Likely to increase
Likely to stay the same
Likely to decrease
___
___
___
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Provide a rationale for your choice (assumptions, impact of new policy, etc.) in <120
words.
Quality of Service
3.1 Do you assess the quality of the service you provide?
Yes
No
If “Yes”, what benchmarks, best practices or measures of success, either internal or
external, do you use to measure service quality (e.g., timeliness, accuracy,
adequacy, meeting deadlines, quantity of service, satisfactory completion of
assignment, etc.)? Please describe in <120 words. If no, please explain.
3.2 During the last three years, have you adopted any measures to improve the quality
of this service? Please describe in <120 words.
3.3 What idea(s) do you have for improving the quality of this service within existing
resources (e.g. development of benchmarks, surveys, feedback, etc.)? Please
describe your plan(s) in < 120 words.
3.4 What ideas do you have for improving the quality of the service if additional
resources were provided. Please describe your idea(s) in <120 words.
3.5 Do you use any formal or informal process to assess the level of satisfaction of the
service users
Yes No
If yes, describe the process and most recent results in <120 words. If no, please
explain.
3.6 The university recently conducted a customer satisfaction survey for some services
(results for this service are attached, if applicable). Do you have any comment or
response to the results? Please describe in <120 words.
3.7 Do you have any formal or informal guidelines for personnel in your department
regarding how to treat/interact with receivers of this service?
Yes No
If yes, please describe in <120 words. If no, please explain
3.8 Does your service have annual goals (targets) of achievement regarding the quality
of the service provided?
Yes No
If yes, describe the annual quality goals (targets) and indicate if the service achieved
those goals (targets). Please provide evidence, if possible, in <120 words. If no,
please explain.
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3.9 Does your service have annual goals (targets) of achievement regarding the quantity
of service provided?
Yes No
If yes, describe the annual quantity goals (targets) and indicate if the service
achieved those goals (targets). Please provide evidence, if possible, in < 120 words.
If no, please explain.
Efficiency (cost effectiveness) of Service
4.1 Using the spreadsheet provided for all employees in your department, please
distribute salaries of individuals across all services provided to reach an educated or
reasonable estimate of the cost of providing the service. You will need to submit the
allocated spreadsheet when you return your report.
4.2 Using the spreadsheet provided, please distribute your department’s annual
operating expenses across all services provided to reach an educated or reasonable
estimate of the cost of providing the service. You will need to submit the allocated
spreadsheet when you return your report.
4.3 Using the spreadsheet provided, please distribute the square footage of work space
across all services provided to reach an educated or reasonable estimate of the use
of this resource. You will need to submit the allocated spreadsheet when you return
your report.
4.4 During the last three years, have you adopted any measures to improve the
efficiency (cost effectiveness) of providing this service (e.g. reducing salary costs,
operating expenses or use of space, or increased output without increasing cost.
Etc.)?
Yes No
If yes, please describe the measures in <120 words. If this is a new service
introduced over the past three years, please indicate. If no, please explain.
4.5 What idea(s) do you have for improving the efficiency (cost effectiveness) of this
service within existing resources (e.g. restructuring, merging, outsourcing, ways to
cut costs, technology, etc.)? Please describe those ideas in <120 words.
4.6 What idea(s) do you have for improving the efficiency (cost effectiveness) of the
service if additional resources were provided. Please describe your idea(s) in <120
words.
4.7 Do you have any plan(s) to improve the efficiency (cost effectiveness) of this service
in the next 1 -2 years (e.g. reducing costs, increasing productivity, etc.)?
Yes
No
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If yes, please specify whether these plan(s) involve reducing salary costs, operating
expenses and/or use of space. Please describe your plan(s) in <120 words. If no,
please explain.
4.8 Please describe the estimated output for this service for each of the past two fiscal
years (2010-11 and 2011-12), quantify if possible (e.g. volume, service tickets
resolved, people serviced, appointments, etc.) in <120 words.
Other
5.1 Are you aware of services similar to this one that are being provided by another
department at CSU East Bay? Yes No
If yes, please provide a list of those departments. How are the services described
here similar or different? Please describe in < 60 words.
5.2 Is there anything unique or distinctive about your service? Please describe what is
unique or distinctive in <120 words.
5.3 Are there any additional things about this service that you would like the task group
to know? Please describe/explain in <250 words.
October 25, 2013
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Appendix 1: Scoring Rubrics
Question 1.1
Scoring Rubric
Yes to any mandate = 1; No = 0
Question 2.1
NOT RATED
Question 2.2
Rubric
5
Service provides
evidence of
direct impact in
more than one
area
4
Service
provides
evidence of
direct impact
in one area
and indirect
impact in
one or more
area
3
Service
provides
evidence of
direct impact in
one area
2
Service provides
evidence of
indirect impact in
more than one
area
1
Service
provides
evidence of
indirect impact
in one area
Question 2.3
Rubric
4
Evidence shows
that University
actions are likely to
cease without the
service (at least one
area)
3
Evidence shows
that actions will be
severely impacted
without the service
(at least one area)
2
Evidence shows that
actions will be
somewhat impacted
without the service
(at least one area)
1
Evidence shows
that actions will not
be impacted at all
without the service.
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Question 2.4
Rubric
4
The response
clearly, consistently,
and convincingly
demonstrates it is
strongly aligned with
the SSCs
3
The response
clearly
demonstrates it has
compelling
evidence of
contributing to 3 or
fewer SSC’s
2
The response
partially
demonstrates
working toward
alignment with the
SSC’s
1
The response
demonstrates little
or no connection to
the SSC’s
Question 2.5
3
The response clearly,
consistently, and
convincingly
demonstrates a
strong rationale for
the demand choice.
2
The response
partially
demonstrates a
rationale for the
demand choice.
1
The response
demonstrates little or
no rationale for the
demand choice.
Question 3.1
Rubric
4
The response
clearly, consistently,
and convincingly
demonstrates a
process to assess
quality.
3
The response
clearly
demonstrates a
process to assess
quality.
2
The response
partially
demonstrates a
process to assess
quality.
1
The response
demonstrates little
or no process to
assess quality.
3
The response
clearly
demonstrates
efforts to improve
service.
2
The response
partially
demonstrates
efforts to improve
service.
1
The response
demonstrates little
or no efforts to
improve service.
Question 3.2
Rubric
4
The response
clearly, consistently,
and convincingly
demonstrates
efforts to improve
service.
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Question 3.3
Rubric
4
The response
clearly, consistently,
and convincingly
demonstrates
potential
improvement within
existing resources.
3
The response
clearly
demonstrates
potential
improvement within
existing resources.
2
The response
partially
demonstrates
potential
improvement within
existing resources.
1
The response
demonstrates little
or no potential for
improvement within
existing resources.
3
The response
clearly
demonstrates
potential
improvement with
additional
resources.
2
The response
partially
demonstrates
potential
improvement with
additional
resources.
1
The response
demonstrates little
or no potential for
improvement with
additional
resources.
Question 3.4
Rubric
4
The response
clearly, consistently,
and convincingly
demonstrates
potential
improvement with
additional
resources.
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Question 3.5
Rubric
4
The response
clearly, consistently,
and convincingly
demonstrates a
method to assess
service receiver
satisfaction.
3
2
1
The response
clearly
demonstrates a
method to assess
service receiver
satisfaction.
The response
partially
demonstrates a
method to assess
service receiver
satisfaction.
The response
demonstrates little
or no method to
assess service
receiver
satisfaction.
3
The response
clearly
demonstrates a
presence of
guidelines.
2
The response
partially
demonstrates a
presence of
guidelines.
1
The response
demonstrates little
or no presence of
guidelines.
3
The response
clearly
demonstrates
establishment of
appropriate goals.
2
The response
partially
demonstrates
establishment of
appropriate goals.
1
The response
demonstrates little
or no efforts toward
establishment of
appropriate goals.
Question 3.6
Not rated
Question 3.7
Rubric
4
The response
clearly, consistently,
and convincingly
demonstrates a
presence of
guidelines.
Question 3.8
Rubric
4
The response
clearly, consistently,
and convincingly
demonstrates
establishment of
appropriate goals.
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Question 3.9
Rubric
4
The response
clearly, consistently,
and convincingly
demonstrates
establishment of
appropriate goals.
3
The response
clearly
demonstrates
establishment of
appropriate goals.
2
The response
partially
demonstrates
establishment of
appropriate goals.
1
The response
demonstrates little
or no efforts toward
establishment of
appropriate goals.
3
The response
clearly
demonstrates
measures taken to
improve efficiency
2
The response
partially
demonstrates
measures taken to
improve efficiency
1
The response
demonstrates little
or no measures
taken to improve
efficiency
Question 4.1
NOT RATED
Question 4.2
NOT RATED
Question 4.3
NOT RATED
Question 4.4
Rubric
4
The response
clearly, consistently,
and convincingly
demonstrates
measures taken to
improve efficiency
Question 4.5
Rubric
4
3
2
1
The response
clearly, consistently,
and convincingly
demonstrates
potential for
improvement within
existing resources
The response
clearly
demonstrates
potential for
improvement within
existing resources
The response
partially
demonstrates
potential for
improvement within
existing resources
The response
demonstrates little
or no potential for
improvement within
existing resources
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Question 4.6
Rubric
4
3
2
1
The response
clearly, consistently,
and convincingly
demonstrates
potential for
improvement with
additional resources
The response
clearly
demonstrates
potential for
improvement with
additional resources
The response
partially
demonstrates
potential for
improvement with
additional resources
The response
demonstrates little
or no potential for
improvement with
additional resources
3
The response
clearly
demonstrates a plan
for improving
efficiency.
2
The response
partially
demonstrates a plan
for improving
efficiency.
1
The response
demonstrates little
or no planning for
improving efficiency.
Question 4.7
Rubric
4
The response
clearly, consistently,
and convincingly
demonstrates a plan
for improving
efficiency.
Question 4.8
NOT RATED
Question 5.1
NOT RATED
Question 5.2
Information provided = 1; no information = 0
Question 5.3
NOT RATED
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