PARTNERING FOR STUDENT SUCCESSPrepare K-12 students• UMworkswithMontanaschoolstoensureincomingstudentsarepreparedfortherigorsofhighereducation.52%ofincomingstudentsparticipatedinUM’srecommendedfullcollegepreparatorycurriculum,withtheincomingfreshmanclassaveraginga3.26GPAduringtheirhighschoolcareer.TheaverageACTscoreoftheincomingclasswas23.4(U.S.averageis21.1).

• Remediationratesareimproving:18.4%ofenteringfreshmenrequiredadditionalcourseworkinfoundationalmathand6.2%inwriting.

Transition to college• Partnering for Student Successcontinuestomakeprogress.Theannualretentionrateof72%resultedinathree-yearrollingaverageof72.9%for2009-2012.Atthesystemlevel,retentionforUMis79%,thehighestamongallMUSinstitutions.Thefirst-yearGPAofthe2011freshmancohortimprovedto2.80,approachingthetargetof3.00.

• BitterrootCollegecontinuestogrowrapidly,withenrollmentnumbersincreasingby71%thispastyear.TheMontanaDigitalAcademy,whichoffersadvanced,onlinehighschoolcoursesstatewide,enrolled6,636students,whiledualcreditenrollment(highschoolandcollegecredit)reached363.

Integrate early college curriculum• Oneinfourfreshmenenrolledinseminarsandexperientialopportunitiesduringtheirfirstyearofstudy.

• Tennewfreshmenseminarsfocusedonbigandenduringquestionswereofferedinspring2012aspartofthenewlyestablishedGlobalLeadershipInitiative.Elevenarescheduledforfall2012.Theseaddtothenumberofseminarsthatfocusoninternationaltopicsandissues,suchasthoseofferedthroughtheHonorsCollegeandinterdisciplinaryminors.

Engage students• Theretentionrateforupper-divisionstudentsingoodacademicstandingis82.3%(three-yearaverage);UMisworkingtoimprovestudents’persistencethroughoutreach,advising,andtheprovisionofdynamiclearningopportunities.

• Thethree-yearrollingaverageforthesix-yeargraduationrateis45.3%,whilethetwo-yearprogramsattheMissoulaCollegeofTheUniversityofMontanaaverage33.8%.

• Enrollmentinservicelearningcoursesandactivities(1,559students)andinternships(560)continuestobestrong.

Strengthen student support• Thenumberofstudentstakingadvantageofstudentsupportservicesin2012increasedoverlastyearwithmorethan22,300visitstoadvising/tutoringoffices.

THE UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA - MISSOULA

2012InstitutionalAssessmentReportUM 2020:Building a University for the Global Century

A linked and comprehensive planning, budgeting, implementation, and assessment structure is key to the cost-effective achievement of The University of Montana’s mission. Moreover, ensuring the adequacy and stewardship of resources is an ongoing and critical component of that mission.

The Institutional Assessment Report is published annually as an essential component of this resource management process. Assessment requires careful analysis of outcomes, comparing the results with established goals and objectives, thereby providing a rational basis for the next round of planning. These assessment results afford UM the opportunity to compare performance and experience with similar institutions, to choose strategic target comparators, and to assess the current status of achievement.

This document is an executive summary of the University’s annual assessment process. It summarizes performance outcomes for 2012 from many different assessment instruments and is organized around the five major strategic issues identified in The University of Montana Strategic Plan.

CSRDE report

• Montanafallsbehindotherstatesintheavailabilityofneed-basedfinancialaid.ThemostrecentWesternInterstateCommissionforHigherEducation(WICHE)datashowMontanaproviding$105perundergraduateFTE,comparedtotheWICHEaverageof$486andtheUSaverageof$488.

Emphasize faculty and staff development• TheFacultyDevelopmentOfficeheld23professionaldevelopmentsessions,attendedby366faculty.

• HERIfacultysurveydatashowUMfacultyaremoreinvolvedincommunityservicethantheirpeers(68.1%versus50.1%).

• ATraining/DevelopmentOfficerwashiredtocreate,promote,andimplementeffectivetraininganddevelopmentprogramsforstaffandothersinthecampuscommunity.

• AwardsgrantedonUMEmployeeRecognitionDaytotaled$19,500forstaffandadministratorswhodemonstratedexemplaryservice.

EDUCATION FOR THE GLOBAL CENTURYStrengthen foundational academic programs• Academicprogramsconductannualassessmentsandareevaluatedonaseven-yearcycle.Programsareassessedagainstprogram-specificlearningoutcomeswithresultspublishedonline.Morethan30programsarenationallyaccredited.

Two-year programming responsive to local, regional, state, and national needs• MissoulaCollegecontinuestoofferoutstandinginstruction.StudentsintheEnergyTechnologyProgramparticipatedinthenationalShellEco-marathonwithastudent-constructedsolarvehicle.Allgraduatesofthisprogramhaveobtainedemploymentorarecontinuingtheireducation.

• Anewassociate’sdegreeinPoliceSciencewasapprovedin2012toprovideapathwayforpoliceofficersseekingadditionalhighereducation.

Global engagement and leadership at all levels• TheGlobalLeadershipInitiative(GLI)waslaunchedin2011.TheGLImodelsaframeworkthatencouragesstudentstocontemplatetheiroveralleducationandfocusonsignificantinterdisciplinaryquestionsandchallengesfacedbypeopleinourglobalsociety.

• UMranks14thamongmedium-sizeduniversitiesinPeaceCorpsvolunteers.AnewPeaceCorpsprepprogramisamongonlythreeinthenation,andtheonlyoneatapublicuniversity.

Discovery and innovation through graduate education• Thenumberofgraduatedegreesawardedcontinuestorise,with775studentsearningmaster,professional,anddoctoralcredentialsin2012.

• Theadditionofnewgraduateprograms,suchasoneinSystemsEcology,willallowfurthergrowth.

DISCOVERY AND CREATIVITY TO SERVE MONTANA AND THE WORLDEnhance contributions by faculty and students through research• Facultyandstudentdiscoveryledto10patentapplications,10inventiondisclosures,andfivelicenseagreementsthisyear.

• TheCenterforBiomolecularStructureandDynamics(CBSD)atUMreceivedafive-year,$9.9million,CenterofBiomedicalResearchExcellence(CoBRE)awardfromtheNationalInstitutesofHealthtoinvestigatephysiologicalprocessesanddiseasesfromthestandpointofatomicstructure,chemistryandphysics.

Expand knowledge and cultural richness through creative scholarship• UMfacultyandstudentswereresponsiblefor370visualandperformingartsexhibitionsin2012,and598publicationsofscholarlyarticles(ISIcitations).

• TheAmericanCollegeDanceFestivalAssociationchosetheUMDanceProgramtoperformattheNationalCollegeDanceFestivalheldattheJohnF.KennedyCenterforthePerformingArtsinWashington,D.C.

Advance today’s discoveries to tomorrow’s products through technology transfer, contributing to the creation of innovations, jobs, and business opportunities.• Thevolumeofextramurallyfundedresearchactivitywas$64millionin2012.• UMresearchactivityisacatalystforeconomicactivity,producingnearly700high-payingjobs.

DYNAMIC LEARNING ENVIRONMENT People – Lead in recruiting, retaining, and developing the highest quality students, faculty, and staff•UMfacultycontinuetopublishresearchreports,technicalcomments,andinvitedcommentaryintop-tierjournals,includingninesuchcontributionsinScience and Natureoverthepastyear.

• UMjuniorZachBrownisa2011and2012UdallScholar,aswellasaTrumanScholar.• UMhadeightFulbrightstudentawardeesthisyear.• AlumnaAshleenWilliams,oneofUM’s2011FulbrightFellows,wasawardedaMitchellFellowshipforstudyinIrelandin2012.

• UMseniorBenMurphywasthewinneroftheNational-MTNAYoungArtistCompositionCompetition.

Programs – Provide programs of distinction, engaging local to world-wide partnerships, connecting programs to our unique locations• UMaddedaSystemsEcologyprogram(M.S.,Ph.D.),anAthleticTrainingMastersdegree,aminorinArabicStudies,aminorinFireScienceandManagement,aminorinGlobalPublicHealth,andanassociate’sdegreeinPoliceScience.

• Onlinestudentcredithourshaveincreased254%overthepast5years.

Infrastructure – Utilize technologies and practices that optimize the learning experience while modeling sustainability • InfinancialpartnershipwiththeUMFoundationandapprovedbytheAssociatedStudentsofUM,theGilkeyExecutiveEducationCenterwillbeconstructed,adding31,000additionalsquarefeetforclassroomsandoffices.InaccordancewithUMstandards,thisbuildingwillmeetorexceedLEEDSilverstatus.

• In2011UMinitiatedtheboundbooksrecyclingprograminadditiontodelivering666,930lbsofmaterialstorecyclingcenters,including6,360lbsoffluorescentlamps,72,300lbsofelectronicwaste,and588,270lbsofrecyclablematerials.

Culture – Inspire an atmosphere where engagement and passion for learning thrive• StudentsatUMhaveopportunitiestoattendandparticipateinhundredsoflectures,conferences,performances,andexhibits.Theycanjoinanyofmorethan180studentgroupssupportedbytheAssociatedStudentsofTheUniversityofMontana.

Place – Integrate the character of the campus environment into discovery and instruction• Studentsparticipateinthelocalcommunitythroughoutreach,culturalevents,andopenaccesstolearningopportunities.Inrecognition,theCarnegieFoundationhighlightsUMasaninstitutionofhigherlearningthatshows“CurricularEngagementandOutreachPartnerships.”ThePrincetonReviewincludedUMinthe“Guideto322GreenColleges”(2012edition).

• ThenewCrownoftheContinentinitiativeoffersanopportunitytoresearch,explore,andlearnaboutallaspectsofadynamicmountainecosystem.Lessonslearnedcanbeexportedtootherpartsofthenationandtheworld.

Analysis of Clark Fork River sediment (Dr. A. Wilcox and geosciences student)

PLANNING-ASSESSMENT CONTINUUM Link plans and resources• TheUMStrategicPlan,publishedinspring2011,wasdevelopedthroughacollaborativeeffortthatincludedinputfromdiverseconstituentsacrosscampus.CloselylinkedwiththenewNWCCUaccreditationprocess,itsetsthestrategicdirectionthatwillshapetheUniversityfortheremainderofthedecade,beginningwiththecurrentevaluationcycle.Theplanincludesperformanceindicatorsbywhichprogresstowardmissionachievementwillbemeasured.

• ThePlanning-AssessmentContinuumisanintegratedresourcemanagementstructurethatalignsinstitutionalprocessestoensurethatresourcesarestrategicallyshepherdedtofacilitatetheaccomplishmentofstrategicgoals.

• ThecombinedendowmentvalueforTheUniversityofMontanaandTheUniversityofMontanaFoundationwas$123,306,669.• TheUniversityhascommitted68.5%ofFY13generalfundstowardinstruction,academicsupport,andstudentservices–upfrom68.4%inFY12.The2020strategicgoalis70%.

Transparent and participative processes throughout the cycle• Faculty,staff,students,academicandexecutiveleaders,alumni,andcommunitymembersdirectlycontributed,andwillcontinuetocontribute,tothePlanning-AssessmentContinuum.

• 100%ofUM’sstrategicandoperatingplansarepublishedandavailableonline.Annualassessmentreportsandbudgetallocationsarealsopublishedandavailabletothecampusandthecommunity.

• Inspring2012,theUniversityBudgetCommitteeutilizedtheStrategicPlantodevelopbudgetrecommendations,andtheserecommendationswerepresentedtotheCouncilofVicePresidents,withfinalapprovalbythePresident.

Data-driven decisions and goal-setting• StructuredtoparalleltheStrategicPlan,thisInstitutionalAssessmentReport,alongwiththemoredetailedassessmentdatauponwhichitisbased,formsthecoreofthePresident’sannualStateoftheUniversityAddressatthebeginningofthenewacademicyear.

• TheUniversityPlanningCommitteewillupdatetheStrategicPlaninfall2012toreflectthecurrentassessmentdata,andwillrefinetheplanningprioritiesfortheupcomingbiennium.

Objective and timely assessment of outcomes• TheInstitutionalAssessmentReports,includingtheUMReportCard,arepublishedattheconclusionofeachfiscalyear.

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UM 2020:Building a University for the Global Century