We utilize assessment in the Student Affairs division to help inform our practices with programming and to ensure the continual improvement to the services that we provide. This process is a great way to gather evidence for each department to highlight success while shedding light on the opportunities to improve our practices to best serve our students. Building a culture of evidence and making data informed decisions is a great practice for the departments in Student Affairs to maintain the high quality of service that is provided to our students.

Each department in the Division of Student Affairs undertakes a series of steps as part of the program assessment process. First, the departments complete a self-study using the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) Self-Study Guides. Next, departments undergo an internal review facilitated by an internal, campus committee made up of staff, faculty, and students. From there, departments go through an external review with an outside reviewer who provides a comprehensive summary to the department outlining areas of strengths and opportunities for improvement. Finally, using the feedback gleaned from the self-study, internal review, and external review, a department level strategic plan is established that identifies the key initiatives and actions the respective departments will focus on for the next five years.

Two committees of stakeholders from across the institution and division come together to create the Gold Team and the Mountain Lion Team to conduct the internal review. 

Gold Team 

• Team Lead: Dr. Megan Bell, Interim Assistant Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs and Executive Director for Student Learning and Assessment
  • Cerian Gibbes - Associate Professor, Geography and Environmental Studies, cgibbes@uccs.edu
  • Sandy Ho, Assistant Professor, Languages and Cultures & Assistant Dean, College of Education, sho@uccs.edu
  • Brett Fugate, Director, Academic Advising, bfugate@uccs.edu
  • Amy Sutz, Assistant Director, Financial Aid Compliance, asutz@uccs.edu
  • Molly Kinne, Director, Residence Life, mkinne@uccs.edu
  • Hannah Scobba, Graduate Student Rep, hscobba@uccs.edu

Mountain Lion Team 

• Team Lead: Brad Bayer, Senior Executive Director, Student Life and Assessment
  • Amanda Allee, Director, Office of Institutional Equity, aallee@uccs.edu
  • Jacqueline Bisaillon, Associate Director, Recruitment, jbisaill@uccs.edu
  • Skyler Rorabaugh, Director, Campus Recreation, srorabau@uccs.edu
  • Patty Witkowsky – Assistant Professor & SAHE Program Coordinator, pwitkows@uccs.edu
  • Ellen Burkhart – Director, First-Year Experience and Parent & Family Programs
  • David Fehring – Associate Director, Campus Recreation, dfehring@uccs.edu
  • Shaie Muhamad – Undergraduate Student Rep, smuhama2@uccs.edu

Student Success Program Assessment Plan

Step 1: Self-Study

• Department(s) conduct their own self-study based on established CAS Standards for their respective area(s) where applicable. An assessment instrument/scoring rubric, grounded in CAS standards and best practices, is used by each department for the self-study.

Step 2: Internal Review

• UCCS Student Success Assessment Team made up of representatives from the Student Success division, one faculty member, and one staff member from another division conduct an assessment of each respective department within the division.
• Assessment team is trained in advance based on established external review guidelines, objectives, and criteria.

Step 3: External Review

• External reviewer conducts a comprehensive external assessment of the department(s) and provides feedback on what is going well and recommendations for the future.
• The external reviewer should be someone with highly regarded credentials and credibility within the specific area being reviewed.

Step 4: Collective Analysis & Synthesis of results from the External Review, Internal Review, and Self-Study

• Department(s) review the results from the external review, internal review, and self-study
• Department(s) conduct a SOAR reflection to synthesize collective input and to establish key focus areas for short-term and long-term goal setting.
• External review summary is provided to divisional heads and LT for analysis and input.
• Full Program Review documents to include the results of from the external review are saved in an institutional repository as a record to support strategic planning, accreditation, and university-wide planning.

Step 5: Strategic Planning

• Each department completes a departmental Strategic Plan, which aligns with the Student Success Strategic Plan and the UCCS Strategic Plan.

Student Success Program Review Assessment Calendar

* = CAS Standards not Available

2016 – 2017

• Academic Advising Programs
• Parent and Family Programs
• Family Development Center
• Bookstore
• University Center/Conference Services
• Farm/Greenhouse

2017 – 2018

• MOSAIC – Multi-Cultural Student Programs and Services
• Gallery of Contemporary Art (GOCA)*

2018 – 2019

• Student Conduct Programs – Dean of Students
• Campus Recreation
• Residence Life and Housing

2019 – 2020

• Student Conduct Programs – Dean of Students
• Health Center and Counseling
• International Affairs

2020 – 2021

*Adjusted calendar to COVID-19

Note: Complete all previous program reviews that were on hold due to COVID-19

• Fraternity and Sorority Advising Programs – Begin Spring 2021

2021 - 2022

• Dining and Hospitality Services
• Disability Resources and Services
• Athletics*
• Career Services

2022 – 2023

• Veterans and Military Programs
• University Center/Conference Services
• Alcohol and Other Drug Programs
• Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Programs and Services
• Auxiliary Marketing*

2023 - 2024

• Student Leadership Programs
• ENT Center Artist Series*
• Theatreworks*
• Bookstore*

2024 – 2025

• Sexual Violence-Related Programs and Services
• Family Development Center
• Farm/Greenhouse

2025 – 2026

• Campus Activities Programs - Student Life
• Academic Advising
• GOCA
• Dining and Hospitality Services

2026 – 2027

• MOSAIC
• Dean of Students
• Parent and Family Programs

Check out these resources to look for more information about assessment and ways to get involved with assessment work!

Blogs

• Student Affairs Assessment Leaders Blog and Listserv

Professional Associations and Development Opportunities 

• NASPA Assessment and Research Knowledge Community
• NASPA Assessment, Persistence, and Data Analytics Conference 2020
• ACPA Commission for Assessment and Evaluation
• Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS)

UCCS Specific Learning and Volunteering Opportunities 

• UCCS Faculty in the College of Education: Leadership, Research, and Foundations
• UCCS coursework on assessment: LEAD 5310-Student Services Program Development and Evaluation 
• “Assestival” - Annual Student Affairs Assessment Event