Louisiana State University and A&M College

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  2. COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATION
  3. PART 1. Signatures Attesting to Compliance
  4. PART 2. List of Substantive Changes Approved Since the Last Reaffirmation
  5. PART 3. Institutional Assessment of Compliance
    1. Section 2: Core Requirements
      1. 2.1 Degree-granting Authority
      2. 2.2 Governing Board
      3. 2.3 Chief Executive Officer
      4. 2.4 Institutional Mission
      5. 2.5 Institutional Effectiveness
        1. 2.5 Institutional Effectiveness (Continued)
      6. 2.6 Continuous Operation
      7. 2.7.1 Program Length
        1. 2.7.1 Program Length (Continued)
      8. 2.7.2 Program Content
      9. 2.7.3 General Education
      10. 2.7.4 Course work for Degrees
      11. 2.8 Faculty
      12. 2.9 Learning Resources and Services
      13. 2.10 Student Support Services
        1. 2.10 Student Support Services (Continued)
      14. 2.11.1 Financial Resources
      15. 2.11.2 Physical Resources
    2. Section 3: Comprehensive Standards
      1. 3.1.1 Mission
      2. 3.2.1 CEO evaluation/selection
      3. 3.2.2 Governing board control
      4. 3.2.3 Board conflict of interest
      5. 3.2.4 External Influence
      6. 3.2.5 Board dismissal
      7. 3.2.6 Board/administration distinction
      8. 3.2.7 Organizational structure
      9. 3.2.8 Qualified administrative/academic officers
      10. 3.2.9 Personnel appointment
      11. 3.2.10 Administrative staff evaluations
      12. 3.2.11 Control of intercollegiate athletics
      13. 3.2.12 Fund-raising activities
      14. 3.2.13 Institution-related entities
      15. 3.2.14 Intellectual property rights
      16. 3.3.1 Institutional Effectiveness
        1. 3.3.1.1
          1. 3.3.1.1 (Continued)
        2. 3.3.1.2
        3. 3.3.1.3
          1. 3.3.1.3 (Continued)
        4. 3.3.1.4
          1. 3.3.1.4 (Continued)
        5. 3.3.1.5
          1. 3.3.1.5 (Continued)
      17. 3.4.1 Academic program approval
      18. 3.4.2 Continuing education/service programs
      19. 3.4.3 Admissions policies
      20. 3.4.4 Acceptance of academic credit
      21. 3.4.5 Academic policies
      22. 3.4.6 Practices for awarding credit
      23. 3.4.7 Consortial relationships/contractual agreements
      24. 3.4.8 Noncredit to credit
      25. 3.4.9 Academic support services
        1. 3.4.9 (Continued)
        2. 3.4.9 (Continued - 2)
      26. 3.4.10 Responsibility for curriculum
      27. 3.4.11 Academic program coordination
      28. 3.4.12 Technology use
      29. 3.5.1 General education competencies
      30. 3.5.2 Institutional credits for a degree
      31. 3.5.3 Undergraduate program requirements
      32. 3.5.4 Terminal degrees of faculty
      33. 3.6.1 Post-baccalaureate program rigor
        1. 3.6.1 Post-baccalaureate program rigor (Continued)
      34. 3.6.2 Graduate curriculum
      35. 3.6.3 Institutional credits for a graduate degree
      36. 3.6.4 Post-baccalaureate program requirements
      37. 3.7.1 Faculty competence
      38. 3.7.2 Faculty evaluation
      39. 3.7.3 Faculty development
      40. 3.7.4 Academic freedom
      41. 3.7.5 Faculty role in governance
      42. 3.8.1 Learning/information resources
      43. 3.8.2 Instruction of library use
      44. 3.8.3 Qualified staff
      45. 3.9.1 Student rights
      46. 3.9.2 Student records
      47. 3.9.3 Qualified staff
      48. 3.10.1 Financial Stability
      49. 3.10.2 Financial aid audits
      50. 3.10.3 Control of finances
      51. 3.10.4 Control of sponsored research/external funds
      52. 3.11.1 Control of physical resources
      53. 3.11.2 Institutional environment
      54. 3.11.3 Physical facilities
      55. 3.12.1 Substantive change
      56. 3.13 Policy compliance
        1. 3.13.1 "Accrediting Decisions of Other Agencies"
        2. 3.13.2. "Collaborative Academic Arrangements: Policy and Procedures"
        3. 3.13.3. "Complaint Procedures Against the Commission or Its Accredited Institutions"
        4. 3.13.4. "Reaffirmation of Accreditation and Subsequent Reports"
          1. 3.13.4.a.
          2. 3.13.4.b.
      57. 3.14.1 Publication of accreditation status
      58. 3.13.5. "Separate Accreditation for Units of a Member Institution"
        1. 3.13.5.a.
        2. 3.13.5.b.
    3. Section 4: Federal Requirements
      1. 4.1 Student Achievement
      2. 4.2 Program curriculum
        1. 4.2 Program curriculum (Continued)
      3. 4.3 Publication of policies
      4. 4.4 Program length
        1. 4.4 Program length (Continued)
      5. 4.5 Student complaints
      6. 4.6 Recruitment materials
      7. 4.7 Title IV program responsibilities
      8. 4.8 Distance and correspondence education
        1. 4.8.1
        2. 4.8.2
        3. 4.8.3
      9. 4.9 Definition of credit hours
  6. PART 4. Institutional Summary Form Prepared for Commission Reviews
  7. FOCUSED REPORT
  8. QUALITY ENHANCEMENT PLAN (QEP)

3.3.1.2

Administrative Support Services

The institution identifies expected outcomes, assesses the extent to which it achieves these outcomes, and provides evidence of improvement based on analysis of the results in each of the following areas: 3.3.1.2. administrative support services.

Compliance Status

Louisiana State University and A&M College is in partial compliance with this principle.

Narrative

Louisiana State University and A&M College (LSU) is the state’s flagship university, committed to excellence through our academic programs and services [1]. To be successful in  achieving the four goals of Flagship 2020, discovery, learning, diversity, and engagement, demands outstanding faculty and students, quality academic programs, research, and services,  world-class resources, and effective and efficient administrative support.

Administrative support services provide the processes and infrastructure through which the entire university operates. As Robert Kuhn, Interim Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administrative Services, has commented, administrative support services are the “blood and limbs” that keep the university moving forward [2].  At LSU, most of the administrative support units are housed in the Division of Finance and Administrative Services (FAS) and report to the interim vice chancellor for Finance and Administrative Services.  The departments included in FAS are listed below [3].

  • Accounting Services,
  • Administrative Services & Risk Management,
  • Information Technology Services,
  • Auxiliary Services and the LSU Student Union,
  • Budget and Planning, Facility Services,
  • Human Resource Management,
  • LSU Police,
  • Procurement Services and Property Management,
  • Student Health Center, and
  • Trademark Licensing

The other administrative support services are the Office of Strategic Initiatives, the Office of the University Registrar, and the Office of Communications and University Relations. The Office of Strategic Initiatives reports to the executive vice chancellor and provost, the university registrar reports to the vice provost for Academic Programs, Planning, and Review, and the Office of  Communications and University Relations reports directly to the chancellor-president [3].

Planning and assessment activities for other units providing research or student support, such as Student Life and Enrollment, and the Office of Research and Economic Development, are described in the compliance certificates for Comprehensive Standards 3.3.1.3 and 3.3.1.4.

Strategic Planning in Administrative Support Services

Each office providing administrative support services is engaged in ongoing planning and assessment of their contributions to the university mission. The Handbook for Institutional Effectiveness describes the various requirements for planning and assessment of the academic support units [4].  These requirements include the following:

  • Strategic Planning;
  • Strategic Planning Annual Report;
  • Program Review for Support Units.

The strategic plan format for the administrative support units is the same as for the academic colleges and departments [5]. The strategic plan includes the mission and vision, values, goals, performance indicators, and strategies. The strategic plans for the FAS and for the Office of Communications and University Relations demonstrate not only the common general format but also the unique goals that distinguish the units on the basis of their specific missions within the university [6] [7].

The accomplishments and challenges of an administrative support unit and its progress toward achieving its goals as experienced on an annual basis are captured in the unit’s Strategic Planning Annual Report [8]. The annual report is organized into three sections. The first section is the Year-in-Review, which includes an overview of what has been accomplished and identifies the manner in which challenges that occurred during the previous year were managed. The second section is the Strategic Plan Update, which presents the mission, vision, and goals, along with reports on the performance indicators associated with each goal. This section includes a short narrative for each goal that analyzes and describes data from the performance indicators.  Programs and services that are not providing effective administrative support are identified. The third section, Priority Planning, provides an opportunity for the unit to establish priorities for the coming year with the intent of improving performance, including changes in program and services. Taken together, the three sections represent an in-depth and detailed analysis of the outcomes from the previous year and plans for improving during the upcoming year. The Strategic Planning Annual Report for FAS is included in the attachments [9]. This report uses mostly an outline format for addressing the accomplishments and challenges from the previous year and brief descriptions of performance outcomes related to each goal.

Program Review for Support Units

An internal program review for support units was initially introduced in 2011-2012. The basic concept is to provide a cyclical review process that parallels the program review process for the academic departments [10]. Because of the relatively large number of departments in FAS, the decision was made that program review of support units would be conducted at the division level, rather than trying to conduct separate reviews for each department within FAS.  However, the division’s Self-Study Report, the first step in the program review, must include each of the departments, as must the analysis provided by an off-site external reviewer and by an internal review panel.  The external reviewer is a well-established professional from the areas represented in the support unit. This reviewer receives the unit’s self-study; supporting materials, including the strategic plan and previous annual reports; and guidelines for preparing an off-site review [11]. The internal review panel members are LSU faculty, staff, and administrators who are familiar with the unit but not directly associated with it. As with the external reviewer, the review panel receives the same information from the unit but also has the external reviewer’s comments and recommendations and adds to the information by conducting on-campus interviews with the unit’s administrators and staff [12]. The Review Panel Report is submitted to the Office of Academic Affairs, which prepares an action plan that draws from the recommendations that are contained in the reports [13]. The administrative support unit receives the external and internal reports and the action plan recommendations. The unit is responsible for developing response strategies and timelines for accomplishing the recommendations.  During the coming years, the administrative support unit addresses the recommendations and tracks the progress made in its Strategic Planning Annual Report.

The three activities described above, strategic planning, strategic planning annual reports, and program review for support units, ensures that the institution’s varied administrative support services are guided by effective planning and ongoing outcomes assessments. As noted above, this comprehensive approach that integrates planning with both annual and cyclical assessments was initiated in 2011-2012. The decision was made that the initial review would be the first of the cyclical program reviews because the more in-depth nature of the review and the use of external and internal reviewers would be the best starting point for this process.

Specific Examples of Strategic Plans from the Administrative Support Units

This section presents selections from administrative support units’ strategic plans. The strategic plan serves as the road map for each unit to ensure that it stays on course in addressing its mission and vision and that the unit’s fiscal and human resources are best used to achieve the desired outcomes. Because strategic plans are several pages in length, the selections presented within this report are focused on a limited part of each plan. The entire plan is included in the attachments.

 

Excerpts from Finance and Administrative Services Strategic Plan [6]

Mission: The Division of Finance & Administrative Services (FAS) has, as its primary responsibility, the

stewardship and enhancement of the University's financial, physical, and human resources. The Division exists to serve and support the University's mission of instruction, research, and public service. FAS is committed to supporting the University’s Flagship 2020 goals.

Vision: FAS’s vision is to be a model in higher education for how to effectively and efficiently utilize

financial resources across the campus, to provide outstanding stewardship daily as we strive to lead the campus community in matters of finance and administration, and to ultimately deliver unparalleled

services and outcomes to the students, faculty, and staff that we serve.

Strategic Goal 4: FAS will continue to provide first rate campus infrastructure, amenities, and services conducive to the University’s Flagship status.

Action Items:

4.1: Invest in improvements to existing infrastructure

4.2: Improve the living, learning and working environment through capital construction projects

4.3: Maintain campus services which meet and/or exceed national standards

4.4: Work with the campus community to develop and implement long range planning efforts including

area master plans and development opportunities

Performance Indicators:

a.) Investments made

b.) Improvements realized

c.) Awards and Accreditations received within unit

d.) Progress toward long range planning documents

The excerpt from the FAS strategic plan highlights the link between the mission of the administrative support unit and the institution-level strategic plan, Flagship 2020. The significance of campus infrastructure in maintaining the flagship status and creating an environment for research, teaching, and service are clearly identified. The performance indicators specify the assessments that will be made to determine the success in moving the unit towards its goal.

 

Excerpt from Communications and University Relations [7]

MISSION: Promoting LSU worldwide through public relations, marketing, media relations, social media and recruitment efforts.

VISION: Leading the charge to spread Tiger pride around the world.

In fulfilling our mission and pursuing our vision, we are committed to the following VALUES:

INNOVATION: We use emerging methods to achieve our mission.

COLLABORATION: We are all on the same team.

ENJOYMENT: We value an engaged workplace, meaningful work and a balanced life.

EXCELLENCE: We maintain the highest standard of quality and accountability.

INTEGRITY: All we do will be based on sound ethical principles.

TRUST: We develop mutual respect by consistently exceeding expectations.

GOAL – INNOVATION: LOOK FOR INNOVATIVE WAYS TO PROMOTE LSU AND WORK WITH OTHER CAMPUS UNITS

Performance Indicator: Establish partnerships with LSU Purchasing, Ricoh, and all approved outside design firms and print shops to ensure these units are following guidelines on the LSU brand and PS‐10

Strategy: Utilize CUR website to serve as a central resource for instruction and guidance on the proper use and implementation of the LSU brand; distribute the brand standards and PS‐10 to all outside vendors and appropriate campus units

Strategy: Update PS‐10 to reflect current needs of the campus community and current and developing technology

Performance Indicator: Completely revamp the LSU homepage while maintaining the current level of visits to the page, which is approximately 16 million page views per year, or an average of 1.3 million per month

Strategy: Redesign the LSU homepage in a way that is appealing to visitors to the site, and generate content for the site that encourages visitors to return to the page often.

Strategy: Update upper tier of LSU.edu and key recruitment sites so they are optimized for mobile devices.

Performance indicator: Create communication plans for 100 percent of all senior colleges and major administrative units that will effectively guide their communication efforts to help them reach their goals.

Strategy: Utilize newly created OCUR communication plan template to create communication plans for these campus units.

Performance Indicator: Maintain or increase the number of engaged users on LSU social media accounts.

Current numbers for LSU’s primary social media accounts:

  • LSU Facebook page: 684,000 followers
  • LSU Facebook Reach, defined as the number of unique people who have seen a post:
  • Minimum of 30,000 per post
  • Twitter: 20,000 total followers
  • Twitter Mentions, defined as Tweets in which the term “LSU” appears: average of 3,000 per day

Strategy: Generate content that is useful and interesting to encourage user participation on social media sites.

Strategy: Maintain awareness of the latest trends in social media.

Strategy: Use social media accounts to drive prospective students to LSU.edu and generate interest in LSU among prospective students.

Strategy: Create social media policy that will guide user engagement on all sites.

Performance Indicator: Work with other campus units to share resources that can improve and promote the university.

Strategy: Partner with other campus units on Radian6, My Media Info, Acalog, and other useful resources to share costs and improve the university’s spend, while also providing strategic information that enables units to achieve communication goals.

Performance Indicator: Achieve regional and/or national advertising placements to help promote the university through creation of at least one TV spot per year; 4 unique billboards per year; and other miscellaneous outdoor signage.

Strategy: Utilize a media‐buying agency to maximize LSU’s advertising reach.

Strategy: Utilize relationships developed by the Athletic Department to place ads and TV spots.

Strategy: Collaborate with Undergraduate Admissions to target regional markets and place outdoor advertising in areas where LSU is recruiting students.

Strategy: Create image/ad campaigns to be used for both recruiting purposes and for LSU’s national TV spots.

Examination of the excerpt from Communications and University Relations Strategic Plan shows some variation in the use of performance indicators.  This one is specific and provides benchmarks from current media performance:

 

Performance Indicator: Maintain or increase the number of engaged users on LSU social media accounts

 

Current numbers for LSU’s primary social media accounts:

  • LSU Facebook page: 684,000 followers
  • LSU Facebook Reach, defined as the number of unique people who have seen a post:
  • Minimum of 30,000 per post
  • Twitter: 20,000 total followers
  • Twitter Mentions, defined as Tweets in which the term “LSU” appears: average of 3,000 per day.

In contrast to the above example, this performance indicator from the strategic plan is vague and will be difficult to measure:

Performance Indicator: Work with other campus units to share resources that can improve and promote the university.

One outcome from preparing the Strategic Planning Annual Report is the opportunity to identify weak performance indicators and to adopt other measures that will better assess the unit’s success in achieving its goals. Such an outcome will occur in this situation.

Reports for Administrative Support Units’ Program Reviews

Self-Study Reports

Although the support unit program review process was only initiated in 2011-2012, several of the units providing administrative support services have completed their self-studies. These program reviews were initiated on a rotating basis so that as each seven-year cycle repeats, only a limited number of units would be reviewed each year. FAS, Communications and University Relations, and the Office of Strategic Initiatives have completed their self-studies and have either finished the entire program review process or are now finishing the last steps in the process. The self-studies are comprehensive analyses of the work of the administrative support unit and are framed around the unit’s strategic goals and outcomes. Because these reports are extensive, they are included only as attachments to this report [14] [15] [16].

External Reviewer and Internal Review Panel Reports

The program review for support units provides for both an off-site external review from an outstanding professional and an on-campus visit by an internal review panel, composed of faculty, staff, and administrators familiar with the administrative support unit.  Reports from the external reviewer and the review panel are attached from the Office of Strategic Initiatives [17] [18]. The review panel receives the external reviewer’s report prior to conducting its on-campus visit to the administrative support unit. This process allows the review panel to verify the observations of the external reviewer and to address specific issues that the external reviewer may have identified in the off-site review. The review panel’s report includes recommendations for improving the unit’s programs and services.

Action Plans for Follow-up to Review Panel Recommendations

Based on the review panel’s report and recommendations, the Office of Academic Affairs prepares an action plan with specific recommendations for the administrative support unit. The recommendations must be relevant to improving the unit and manageable with the fiscal conditions and the practical environment within the university. The administrative support unit develops action items and a timeline for each recommendation. The final action plan is signed by the provost and the administrative leader of the unit. The administrative support unit is required to follow the progress on the recommendations until they are accomplished in the unit’s Strategic Planning Annual Report. The action plan for the Office of Strategic Initiatives is attached [19].

Concluding Observations

LSU has initiated a comprehensive approach for ensuring institutional effectiveness of the administrative support services. Most of these services are housed within FAS, which allows for the integration of services across the various departments. The benefits of strategic planning are reinforced through the requirement for annual reports to mark progress on the plan and also the introduction of a cyclical program review process. LSU is only in partial compliance because the institution has not fully engaged all administrative support units in the systematic planning and assessment process. It will require another year to complete the first round of program reviews for the administrative support units. However, this approach will result in a manageable and sustainable system for determining and documenting the institutional effectiveness of these units. LSU is fully committed to this approach and to improving its programs and services through thoughtful and analytical planning and assessment. 

File Attachments:
  1. [1] LSU Vision and Mission Statement [1] LSU Vision and Mission Statement
  2. [2] Finance and Administrative Services Annual Review: Self Evaluation, April 30, 2013 [2] Finance and Administrative Services Annual Review: Self Evaluation, April 30, 2013
  3. [3] University Organizational Chart [3] University Organizational Chart
  4. [4] Handbook on Institutional Effectiveness [4] Handbook on Institutional Effectiveness
  5. [5] Strategic Planning Instructions [5] Strategic Planning Instructions
  6. [6] FAS Strategic Plan [6] FAS Strategic Plan
  7. [7] Communications and University Relations Strategic Plan [7] Communications and University Relations Strategic Plan
  8. [8] Strategic Planning Annual Report Instructions for Support Units [8] Strategic Planning Annual Report Instructions for Support Units
  9. [9] FAS Strategic Planning Annual Report [9] FAS Strategic Planning Annual Report
  10. [10] Program Review Instructions for Support Units [10] Program Review Instructions for Support Units
  11. [11] External Reviewer’s Instructions for Support Units [11] External Reviewer’s Instructions for Support Units
  12. [12] Internal Review Panel’s Instructions for Support Units [12] Internal Review Panel’s Instructions for Support Units
  13. [13] Format for Action Plan for Program Review [13] Format for Action Plan for Program Review
  14. [14] FAS Self-Study for Program Review [14] FAS Self-Study for Program Review
  15. [15] Communications and University Relations Self-Study for Program Review [15] Communications and University Relations Self-Study for Program Review
  16. [16] Office of Strategic Initiatives Self-Study for Program Review [16] Office of Strategic Initiatives Self-Study for Program Review
  17. [17] Office of Strategic Initiatives External Reviewer’s Report for Program Review [17] Office of Strategic Initiatives External Reviewer’s Report for Program Review
  18. [18] Office of Strategic Initiatives Review Panel Report for Program Review [18] Office of Strategic Initiatives Review Panel Report for Program Review
  19. [19] Office of Strategic Initiatives Action Plan for Program Review [19] Office of Strategic Initiatives Action Plan for Program Review
Author: Stephenie Franks
Last modified: 7/1/2015 8:33 AM (EDT)