The Office of Planning and Institutional Assessment facilitates the University's planning, improvement and assessment initiatives.
The Office uses organizational change tools to help departments and units develop strategic plans, improve key processes, assess institutional needs, and develop collaborative team environments.
Services of the Office of Planning and Institutional Assessment are provided free of charge to The Pennsylvania State University and are adapted to the specific needs of departments or individuals.
What's New
Quality Endeavors Newsletter Issue No. 113 October 2008 - Leveraging Excellence in Higher Education
Quality Advocates summary - October 1, 2008 "Implementing Your Strategic Plan"
Strategic Planning at Penn State - Strategic plans for each of Penn State’s colleges and budget units were submitted during summer 2008. Many of these plans are on the Web, and can be accessed at our Web site at http://www.psu.edu/president/pia/strategic_planning/strategic_planning_brochure/. The University-wide plan is under development and will be published summer 2009.
Assessing the Impact of the Spellings Commission: The Message, the Messenger, and the Dynamics of Change in Higher Education
This report written by Brent D. Ruben, co-authored by Louise Sandmeyer and Laurie Lewis, was recently published by the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO). The report reviews the work of the Commission, discusses how college and university leaders perceive the future impact of the Commission’s work, and examines the process of change in higher education. The full report and a summary of the report are available at http://www.nacubo.org/x7.xml.
Reports
Characteristics of At-Risk Students - presented at the 2008 Association for Institutional Research annual conference by Michael Dooris and Marianne Guidos
This paper examines correlates of success for lower-income students who have a rocky academic start at Penn State. It addresses the question of: What are the characteristics of those lower-income, lower-ability students who – unlike the other 80% of freshmen in that same high-risk category – overcome financial and academic barriers to earn degrees?
Toward Research Transparency: Fostering Collaboration, Increasing Accountability, and Building a Knowledgebase Using Open Source Methods - presented at the 2008 Association for Institutional Research annual conference by Daniel Nugent and Nicholas Warcholak
A complex project often requires greater collaboration among team members, increased accountability, and the creation of a robust knowledgebase. This report proposes that adopting some existing practices and tools primarily used by open source software engineering communities can facilitate these efforts.
Spotlight on Quality Improvement
Streamlining Administrative Processes
Eva Pell, Senior Vice President for Research and Dean of The Graduate School
"SIMSreports presents me with the real-time status of Penn State's grant..."
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Contact
Office of Planning and Institutional Assessment
The Pennsylvania State University
502 Rider Building
University Park, PA 16802-4819
Phone: (814) 863-8721
Fax: (814) 863-7031
Email: psupia@psu.edu
Copyright 2006-2008 The Pennsylvania State University
This publication is available in alternative media upon request
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Web page last modified 2008-10-09
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