Criterion 5

Criterion Five. Resources, Planning, and Institutional Effectiveness

The institution’s resources, structures, processes and planning are sufficient to fulfill its mission, improve the quality of its educational offerings, and respond to future challenges and opportunities.

Core Components

5.A. Through its administrative structures and collaborative processes, the institution’s leadership demonstrates that is it effective and enables the institution to fulfill its mission.

1. Shared governance at the institution engages its internal constituencies-including its governing board, administration, faculty, staff and students-through planning, policies and procedures.

2. The institution’s administration uses data to reach informed decisions in the best interests of the institution and its constituents.

3. The institution’s administration, ensures that faculty and, when appropriate, staff and students are involved in setting academic requirements, policy and processes through effective collaboration structures.

5.B. The institution’s resource base supports its educational offerings and its plans for maintaining and strengthening their quality in the future.

1. The institution has qualifies and trained operational staff and infrastructure sufficient to support its operations wherever and however programs are delivered.

2. The goals incorporated into the mission and any related statements are realistic in light of the institution’s organization, resources, and opportunities.

3. The institution has a well-developed process in place for budgeting and for monitoring its finances.

5.C. The institution engages in systematic and integrated planning.

1. The institution allocates its resources in alignment with its mission and priorities, including as applicable, its comprehensive research enterprise, associated institutes and affiliated centers.

2. The institution links its processes for assessment of student learning, evaluation of operations, planning, and budgeting.

3. The planning process encompasses the institution as a whole and considers the perspectives of internal and external constituent groups.

4. The institution plans on the basis of a sound understanding of its current capacity, including, fluctuations in the institution’s sources of revenue and enrollment.

5. Institutional planning anticipates evolving external factors, such as technology advancements, demographic shifts, and globalization, the economy and state support.

6. The institution implements its plans to systematically improve its operations and student outcomes.