ISU Planning & Institutional Effectiveness Framework
Misson
Strategic Plan
Strategic Priorities
Institutional Plans
Unit, Program, & Department Level Plans
Opportunity Aligned Resourcing (OAR)
Outcomes, Assessment, & Reporting
Idaho State University’s planning and institutional effectiveness framework is designed to support and further ISU’s mission. This integrated framework forms the basis for ongoing and systematic planning, assessment, adaptation, and improvement.
The Planning and Institutional Effectiveness Steering Committee is responsible for fostering a culture of continuous quality improvement at ISU through the implementation of the Planning and Institutional Effectiveness framework.
Committee Membership:
- Jennifer Steele, Vice President for Finance and University Planning
- Cynthia Hill, Senior Vice Provost for Institutional Effectiveness and ALO
- Laura Ahola-Young, Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs
- John Marlowe, Director of Institutional Research
- Thomas Sharpe, Senior Data Scientist
- Adam Bradford, Provost and Vice President for Student Affairs
- Jenn Forshee, President Chief of Staff
- Craig Chatriand, Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management
- Renae Scott, Chief Information Officer
- Marty Blair, Vice President for Research and Economic Development
- Michelle Franklin, Project Coordinator
ISU’s Strategic Plan identifies goals and objectives to support and improve the achievement of our mission and provides overarching direction for institutional planning efforts at the university.
Institutional Plans are cross-functional planning efforts that provide strategic direction for major functions of the university, to include the Campus Master Plan, Strategic Enrollment Management Plan, and Academic and Research Plan.
Unit, Program, and Department-Level Plans support the university’s strategic and institutional plans by operationalizing priorities and improvements at the program and service level.
All ISU academic departments develop a 3-5 year Strategic Vision that articulates a data-informed road map for departmental success in alignment with ISU’s Strategic Plan and priorities.
The Office of Academic Affairs coordinates a rolling Three-Year Program Plan in accordance with State Board of Education (SBoE) Policy III.Z. This plan describes current and proposed programs, discontinued programs, and changes in modality.
All ISU administrative and support units participate in the Administrative and Support Unit Review (ASUR) strategic planning process on a rolling-five year schedule, with annual assessment and progress reports.
Program Health aligns Idaho State Board of Education Policy V.B.11 which requires institutions to incorporate program prioritization into the annual budgeting and program review process, and to provide annual updates to the Board. SBOE Policy III.F outlines the requirements for program prioritization, including criteria, timelines, and reporting requirements.
Opportunity Aligned Resourcing (OAR) is a forward-thinking framework for strategic institutional growth and sustainability. OAR is designed to steer ISU toward future goals by strategically aligning university resources with opportunities leading to mission accomplishment. OAR is a collaborative process that integrates expertise throughout the University to plan for strategically optimized resource allocation.
ISU’s budget model and annual budget development process allocate university resources in support of OAR and strategic and operational plans and priorities.
Assessment and reporting are incorporated into all planning structures at ISU, with annual review processes for evaluation of progress toward established goals and objectives and adaptation and adjustments as needed.
Regional Accreditation by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) involves an extensive self-study, assessment, and peer review process designed to assure ISU meets established quality and effectiveness standards, with an emphasis on student learning and achievement.
ISU academic programs are assessed annually in accordance with NWCCU standards 1.C.1 - 1.C. 7 and Idaho State Board of Education (SBOE) Policy III.X. The process is both continuous and systematic, as evidenced by annual program reviews, seven-year self-studies for programs without specialized accreditation, and external reviews for programs with specialized accreditation.
Assessment of student learning is of particular importance to academic units, who work to ensure ISU students demonstrate key learning outcomes for every course and program of study.
Administrative and support units conduct an annual assessment of progress toward their ASUR goals, submitting a progress report to the Planning & Institutional Effectiveness Steering Committee.
Additional assessment and reporting is provided through university and specialized accreditation, IPEDS, federal reporting, and Idaho State Board of Education reporting.