The University Of South Carolina Aiken

USC-AIKEN

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INSTITUTIONAL

EFFECTIVENESS

SUMMARY

REPORT

Submitted to:

SOUTH CAROLINA COMMISSION ON

HIGHER EDUCATION

JULY 1996

In the 1996 Institutional Effectiveness report, USC-Aiken is reporting on the components of General Education, Majors or Concentrations, Performance on Professional Licensing or Certification, Academic Advising, Entry-level Skills and Developmental Education, Retention and Attrition, Academic Performance of Student Athletes, and Facilities.

CHE will report on the components of Program Changes Resulting from External Reviews, Success in Meeting College or University Admissions Requirements, and Minority Student and Faculty Access and Equity.

The remaining components (except for Transfer from Two to Four Year Institutions, which is not applicable for USC-Aiken) are not scheduled to be reported this year.  Those include Procedures for Student Development, reported last in 1995 and reported next in 1998; Library Resources and Service, reported last in 1995 and reported next in 1998; Administration and Financial Processes and Performance, reported last in 1995 and reported next in 1998; Public Service, reported last in 1994 and reported next in 1997; and, Research, reported last in 1994 and reported next in 1997.

GENERAL INFORMATION

USC-Aiken continues in its dedication to the assessment and continuous improvement of student outcomes.  To this end, USC-Aiken has been selected as having Exemplary Programs by the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education (SCCHE) and the South Carolina Higher Education Assessment Network (SCHEA), as well as by the Library Director’s Association, in the seven following areas:

1. Assessment of the  English Major
2. Assessment of Retention and Attrition
3. Assessment of Written Communications in General Education
4. Assessment of Administrative Processes
5. Assessment of Speech Communication Concentration
6. Assessment of Library Resources and Service
7. Assessment of Advising

USCA has recently instituted five new academic programs and one new area of concentration in order to meet the growing needs of its students.  They are as follows: Industrial Mathematics (in conjunction with Aiken Technical College), Exercise and Sports Science, Comprehensive Science in Secondary Education, Chemistry in Secondary Education, Masters of Education, and Management of Golf Properties (concentration in the School of Business Administration and Economics).

1.  GENERAL EDUCATION

General Education at USCA is defined as a set of skills, knowledge and abilities that are generally recognized as integral to the concept of an educated person.  These knowledge, skills, and abilities include the following:

1. Thinking critically and analytically, questioning, searching out concepts;
2. Communicating effectively using numerical, notational, and other symbolic systems;
3. Appreciating cross-cultural perspectives;
4. Exploring values openly and critically;
5. Finding and examining relationships among disciplines, concepts and areas of study.

USCA requires all freshmen and seniors to participate in the assessment of general education.  The following assessment methods are used to study student outcomes in general education: College BASE (standardized exam) administered to freshmen and seniors; holistically graded portfolios from the English composition sequence; syllabi review; and surveys of current students, alumni, employers, and faculty.  USCA is currently developing the following methods:  surveys of entering and exiting students, and “in-house” measures.

The College BASE assesses interpretive, strategic, and adaptive reasoning.  The results of the past three years of data demonstrate there is a consistently larger percentage of seniors scoring at the high level of each reasoning skill level than there is for freshmen.  Additionally, the data of the past three years demonstrate that the seniors are showing slightly greater gains each year over the freshmen.  Survey data shows that employers, alumni, and students consistently rate the contribution of the general education curriculum to the development of critical thinking skills highly.

The results of the College BASE have consistently shown that the overall (composite) score of seniors is significantly higher than the overall score of freshmen.While, the composite score of the freshmen has remained relatively stable and consistently below the mean of 300 (279, 280, and 277, respectively for the past three years), the composite score for the seniors has been consistently above the mean, with increases over the past three years (i.e., 307, 313, and 320, respectively).  Moreover, the seniors consistently score higher than freshmen in all subject areas measured by the exam (i.e., English, mathematics, science, and social studies) and the senior scores in subject areas have consistently risen over the past three years, with the exception of English which has been inconsistent.

Within the subject area of mathematics, the cluster scores for algebra and geometry show no significant gains in the scores of seniors over freshmen.  However, there are consistent significant gains in the scores of seniors for the mathematics cluster of general mathematics (i.e., practical applications of mathematics formula, properties and notations, and competence in the use of statistics), and these gains have been steadily increasing over the past three years, with difference scores of 23, 31, and 53 respectively.

The strongest gains shown for seniors on the College BASE have typically been in the areas of science and social studies.  The most recent scores (AY 1995-96) indicated that the USCA seniors scored significantly higher than the comparison group of all of examinees taking the exam from all participating institutions in every subject area and on the composite score.

USCA has always seen consistent significant gains in its English scores of seniors over freshmen.  However, while increases have been shown in the senior’s cluster score of “Reading and Literature," there has been a decline in both freshmen and senior scores in the cluster area of “Writing.”  It is suspected that the increased number of transfer students is contributing to this.  (40% of USCA’s upper level students are transfer students.)  This suspicion is consistent with the data gathered by the Department of English’s Composition Sequence Assessment Portfolio, which shows satisfactory gains in writing across the sequence for the students who take the sequence at USCA.

The appreciation of cross-cultural perspectives was the lowest rated area of the five general education goals by current students; the next to the lowest rated item for alumni, although the positive ratings by alumni have increased approximately 16%; and the third lowest rating given by faculty. It is important to note, however, that a large increase occurred in the satisfaction ratings of current students in this area in the most recent survey. (Specifically, 76% of the 1995-96 sample gave ratings of satisfaction to this area, as compared to only 49% of the 1990-91 sample.)  This increase may be due to the emphasis that is currently being placed on this area in the curriculum.

With respect to the goal of exploring values openly and critically, the vast majority (74%) of alumni rated their ability in this area as having been impacted by their general education experiences.  Exploration of values was the second highest rated ability being affected by general education in the faculty survey, as well.  In the most recent student survey, approximately 78.3% expressed satisfaction with the effect of general education courses on the development of this ability, which was an increase of 2.3% over the year before.  Approximately 67% of the responding employers of USCA graduates rate our graduates as either good or excellent in the application of professional ethics in decision-making.

With respect to the goal of finding and examining relationships among disciplines, concepts, and areas of study, the results of survey data have been inconsistent concerning the students’ abilities.  The majority of alumni (72%) rated their ability in this area as having been affected by general education.  Additionally, while the majority of employers surveyed (62%) gave good and excellent ratings to the graduates’ abilities in this area, the percentage of employers giving these ratings was lower than had been found in other areas.  This ability was the lowest rated area by the faculty, with only 34% giving a rating of “adequately prepared” or better for the students in this area.  However, this area was tied for the second highest rating by current students of the five general education goals.  The students’ rating increased from 78% last year to 82% this year, and has shown consistent increases in satisfaction over the past five years (i.e., with the percentage of students rating this area as satisfactory having grown from 46% to 82% over the past five years).

Use of Assessment Findings - Based on the assessment of general education, the following has occurred:

1. USCA has instituted a new general education curriculum, which a special emphasis placed on cross-cultural perspectives.
2. Revisions are being made to the mathematics placement exam and the delivery of lower level mathematics courses.
3. The Department of English will phase out placement testing and English 100.  All new incoming students will be mainstreamed into a more intensive English 101 course, and all students will be required to pass a proficiency portfolio at the end of 60 hours.  Students failing the portfolio assessment will be required to take and pass English 201, Writing in the Disciplines.

2. MAJORS OR CONCENTRATIONS

Assessment of the majors from the following areas are reported in the current report:  Chemistry, Mathematics/Computer, Associate’s Degree in Nursing, and Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing.

A complete assessment report for each major can be found in the full Institutional Effectiveness Report on file with the SC Commission on Higher Education and the USCA Office of Assessment and Institutional Research. This summary will briefly highlight some of the major assessment findings for each major and a sample of changes that these results have brought about.

The following matrix provides a list of the assessment instruments used by each program for the major.

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Assessment Intrument*

	Chemistry	Math/Computer Science	Nursing (Associate)	Nursing (BSN)
Senior Exit Survey	X	X	X	X
Focus Groups w/Seniors	X
Transcript Evaluation		X
Capstone Course	X	X		X
Locally Developed Exam	X	X
Senior Research	X
Alumni Survey	X	X	X	X
Course-embedded		X	X	X
Peer/External Review	X	X	X	X
Student Tracking	X
Employer Survey	X		X	X
Advisory Board			X	X
National/Local Exam			MOSBY NCLEX
Review of Syllabi	X	X	X	X

 

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Chemistry - Findings from assessment have indicated that students have perceived weaknesses in their skills and knowledge of computer applications in chemistry.  This has been addressed by changes in several laboratory classes where a number of computer applications of data acquisition, handling, and reporting have been incorporated.  Further, the Department of Chemistry has held preliminary discussions with representatives of the Math/Computer Science Department to discuss the possibility of developing a new course for the chemistry majors.

Exit interviews with seniors have indicated some confusion in the past about the nature and purpose of Senior Research (ACHM 499).  The faculty has since defined a common set of expectations which are written on each Independent Study Contract for Senior Research.  Follow-up data show that the student attitudes have changed in response to this.

Exit interviews also indicated that students were not retaining the knowledge from the freshmen chemistry sequence as upperclassmen.  As a result, the faculty have made change to the instructional methods and texts used in those courses.  Further, some of the advanced courses are not as well integrated as they could be so that they compliment each other.  Thus, the Department is working to develop a one credit seminar course for chemistry majors that will begin in the middle of the program to address some of the concerns that they do not carry information forward from the early courses and do not integrate the material from one course into the next.

Mathematics/Computer Science -      The following problems have been identified as a result of this year’s assessment program.  Corrective actions are included.

1.  The number and variety of computer science courses needs to be increased.

ACTION:  A new course, ACSC 411 - Operating Systems, has been developed and will be offered for the first time during the Fall semester, 1996. Increased emphasis is being placed upon “special topics” to provide greater variety in computer science course offerings.  Further, the advent of a new major, Industrial Mathematics, is expected to create a new faculty position within the Department.  The individual filling this position should have a background in computer science, and thus, will increase the Department’s ability to offer a broader spectrum of computer science courses. 

2.  Students have some problems relating the math/computer science studies to “real world” problems.

ACTION:  The Department is aggressively developing a series of laboratory exercises to be included in AMTH 242 - Ordinary Differential Equations, to increase students’ appreciation of practical applications of math theory.  Credit hours for this course have been officially changed for academic year 1995-96 from 3 to 4 to accommodate the addition of the laboratory requirement.  The laboratory will require students to investigate a variety of physical applications of mathematical theory.  The first of these laboratory exercises was included in the course during the 1995-1996 academic year, and development of additional laboratory exercises is continuing.  The course is required for all math/computer science majors and well as engineering majors.

3.    Students felt that the support received from academic advisors was insufficient.

ACTION:  This group of students is the first to express dissatisfaction with academic advisors, and this finding is a surprise.  It is felt that aggressive action in this area may be premature, however this matter is included in the agenda for the first Department meeting in August, 1996.

4.    Some students feel that faculty teaching methods are ineffective.

ACTION:  The majority of math/computer science majors indicate satisfaction with the instruction they have received, but a minority indicate serious concerns on a recurring basis. The Department is aggressively developing the use of technology in a number of lower-level courses, and it is anticipated that success with these new teaching methods will lead to increased use of technology in all math/computer science courses.  The topic of student perceptions of faculty will be made a recurring topic of discussion at Department meetings in order to maintain an awareness of the importance of student attitudes. 

School of Nursing - The School of Nursing offers two degree programs: (1) the Bachelors of Science in Nursing and (2) the Associate Degree in Nursing. 

Bachelor of Science in Nursing: Findings from assessment at each level of the curriculum, including the senior project, provided evidence of improved ability to assess client's health care needs, interpret the resulting data base, prioritize clients' needs, plan and implement appropriate interventions, and evaluate the outcomes of nursing interventions in terms of needed changes.  These findings were discussed in the curriculum committee and strategies for continued improvement of student outcomes planned, including continued emphasis on writing throughout the curriculum, involving referral to the Writing Room when the need is recognized.  Activities to implement critical thinking behaviors in planning nursing care continue to be a priority.

As a result of curriculum revision based on student need, effective fall semester 1995 the senior project has been moved to ABSN 411 Leadership and Management.  This course will now be required during the final semester of the BSN program.  Criteria for the project have been developed by the faculty to ensure that this is an appropriate experience for the student to synthesize and apply his/her knowledge of the health care delivery system.

Of the seniors responding to the exit survey, 100% indicated that they plan to attend graduate school.  Of those 31% had already applied or been accepted to graduate school.  Narrative comments indicated that the graduates believed they had received a sound basis for continuing their formal education. 

Associate Degree in Nursing:  All applicants to the ADN Program for August 1994 and January 1995 were administered the NLN RN Preadmission Test.  Scores from this test were used to help validate the appropriateness of selected applicants. Based on the results of these measures, curriculum review was initiated with attention to the philosophy, curriculum framework and course content throughout the program.  Organization of course content will focus on making the amount of content consistent through the levels.

The clinical evaluations of each student included criteria addressing professional roles and appropriate professional relationships.  Faculty evaluations of each graduating senior revealed no apparent deficits in their ability to identify the roles and role functions of professionals from other health care disciplines.

All graduates were administered the ADN Exit Survey, and the School received a 100% response rate.  Of the students responding to the December 1994 Exit Survey, 90.3% reported plans to complete the bachelor’s degree in nursing.  Thirteen percent (13%) of these had already made application, and 64.5% planned to begin within one year.  Of the students responding to the May 1994 Exit Survey, 77.4% indicated an intent to complete the baccalaureate degree and 54.8% had already made application to a BSN program.  The majority of these (88.2%) indicted USCA as the school selected for attendance.

3.  PERFORMANCE OF PROFESSIONAL PROGRAM GRADUATES ON LICENSING AND CERTIFICATION EXAMS

A.    National Teacher Examinations

During the 1995-96 academic year 94 of the 97 (97%) USC-Aiken pre-student teaching students passed the Professional Knowledge section of the NTE Core Battery.  Ninety-one of the 103(88%) students, who completed student teaching during the 1995-96 term, passed the Professional Knowledge Examination. 

With respect to the Specialty Area Examinations, 120 of the 133 (90%) USC-Aiken pre-student teaching students passed the exam during the 1995-96 term.  Eighty-nine of the 103 (86%) students who completed student teaching during the 1995-96 term passed the Specialty Area Examinations. 

B.    National Council Licensure Examination For Registered Nurses(NCLEX-RN)

Of the 33 Associate Degree graduates writing for the above exam in May 1995, 96.9% passed, while 86.5% of 37 students taking the exam in May 1995 passed.

Based on the results of the NCLEX-RN, several curriculum modifications were implemented to the Associate Degree in Nursing Program.  These changes are detailed in the full Institutional Effectiveness Report.

4.  REPORTS OF PROGRAM CHANGES THAT HAVE OCCURRED AS A RESULT OF EXTERNAL PROGRAM EVALUATIONS

CHE reports on this component.

5.  ACADEMIC ADVISING

Surveys of students on satisfaction with Academic Advising have been implemented with various groups for the last three years.  This includes active students and alumni, as well as efforts to assess the faculty perspectives on this key academic process.  Additionally, during the Fall 1995 semester, Dr. Edward “Chip” Anderson, a nationally recognized expert on advising and orientation, was the keynote speaker in a campus-wide workshop for advisors, and was provided copies of key advisement and orientation documents from the campus for review and comment.  A pilot implementation of a standardized academic advisement survey was undertaken in the Spring of 1996, although the initial reaction from students and faculty is that a locally-developed instrument would be of greater benefit.

Consistently in the surveys of satisfaction, a large majority of students rate academic advising at USCA to be responsive to their needs and a valuable resource in their collegiate experiences.  From 1994 to 1996, the percentage of students on the annual student survey who rated the services provided by faculty in their chosen major as “Satisfied” to “Very Satisfied” has been 73%, 79.6%, and 73%, respectively.  Additionally, the most recent survey of alumni (for graduates in the class of 1991-92) indicate that 92.4% of those responding rated advising in their major as satisfactory, a rate that is comparable to the two previous alumni surveys of 95% for 1989-90 graduates, and 95.5% for 1990-91.  This information appears to correlate positively with a comprehensive survey of enrolled students on the Registration and Advisement processes completed during the Spring 1993 semester.  At that time, 87% of the students surveyed responded that overall they were “somewhat” to “perfectly satisfied” with the advisement process.  Finally, the review of advisement and orientation materials by Dr. Edward “Chip” Anderson prior to his fall 1995 visit included both commendations for the Advising Manual and the efforts at data collection on the campus.  He also suggested that enhancements to the quality of student/advisor interactions might be explored.

In an effort to maintain these high levels of satisfaction, the campus has implemented training programs that will orient every new faculty member to the duties and responsibilities of academic advising, along with periodic training opportunities for continuing advisors.  Additionally, in keeping with the recommendation of the Enrollment Planning Team, a group of “special advisors” was recruited from across the academic disciplines and put in place to provide intensive advisement services for provisionally admitted students.  These advisors receive special training and conduct “intrusive advisement” throughout the semester to give these students the care and attention needed to be successful.  This process is further augmented by the requirement that these students attend nine sessions on techniques for success in college.  Beginning with Fall 1996, these sessions have been incorporated into a 1-hour course that will be required of all students admitted with a predicted GPA below 2.0

6.  ENTRY-LEVEL SKILLS AND DEVELOPMENTAL EDUCATION

USCA offers four courses in three areas to develop students who are not prepared in the following basic skills areas:

1.    English - AEGL 100 - Basic Writing

2.    Mathematics - AMTH 098 and 099 - Beginning and Intermediate Algebra

3.    Reading - AEDR 121 - Effective Reading

Success in Developmental Courses - See Table 4 of the Act 255 report for specifics on success in developmental courses.  Overall, 101 (28.1%) first-time, full-time freshmen took English 100; 89.1% completed the course successfully and 72.2% of those exiting English 100 went on to successfully complete English 101 (however, 17 of the students did not attempt English 101).  With regard to Math 098 and 099, 196 (54.4%) first-time full-time freshmen took the courses; 29.1% successfully completed the course; and 69% of those passed the entry level class.  A total of 22 (66.1%) first-time, full-time freshen took AEDR 121; 95.5% successfully complete the reading course and 66.7% were successful at the next level.

Use of Findings/Future Plans - The results of these studies are  reviewed by the departments in which the courses reside.  Additionally, discussions are currently underway as to the possible revision of the mathematics placement test and negotiations are underway to contract with Aiken Technical College (ATC)  for the delivery of a remedial math course.  Likewise, a contract has been negotiated for ATC to deliver the reading course.  Both of these courses will be taught on the USCA campus by ATC faculty.  Finally, the Department of English will eliminate English 100 effective January 1997.  (See the discussion on General Education for more specifics regarding English.)

7.  SUCCESS OF ENTERING STUDENTS IN MEETING COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY ADMISSIONS STANDARDS

CHE reports on this component.

8.  ACHIEVEMENT OF STUDENTS TRANSFERRING FROM TWO TO FOUR YEAR INSTITUTIONS

This component is not applicable to our institutional type.

9.  ANALYSIS OF UNDERGRADUATE RETENTION AND ATTRITION

While USCA’s retention rates had been steadily increasing, beginning with the 1993 freshmen cohort, there have been declines in the students who returned their sophomore year.  These declines are consistent with major layoffs at the Savannah River Site, the area’s largest employer.  USCA is monitoring its retention of students very closely.

USCA was recognized as having an Exemplary Program in the Assessment of Retention and Attrition in 1994 by the SCCHE and the SCHEA Network.  Since that time, USCA reorganized several areas on campus in June 1995 in order to focus its efforts on the retention of students as a first priority.

COMPARISON STUDIES OF RETENTION - USCA has participated in two retention studies:  1) sponsored by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and the Sallie Mae Foundation, and 2) the Consortium for Student Retention Data Exchange (CSRDE) sponsored by the University of Oklahoma.  Both of these studies allow USCA to benchmark retention and graduation rates against similar institutions.  While USCA’s rates are consistently lower than the average of all respondents in these projects, the institution’s rates compare more favorably when comparisons are made with more similar institutions (i.e., small, public, less selective, high percentage of part-time undergraduates, etc.).  In fact, USCA’s graduation rates for females and African Americans were higher than those of the peer institutions in the CSRDE survey. 

COHORT TRACKING - USCA conducted in-depth studies of its 1988 first-time, full-time freshmen cohort, including transcript evaluations, coordination of tracking with other institutions, and follow-up telephone calls.  The results of these studies were extensive, and provided USCA with a clearer understanding of its students.  For example, it was found that only 16.4% of the students carried enough credit hours across the semesters to possibly graduate within four years, 33.6% of the students changed from full to part-time status (usually within one year), 16.1% of the students never declared a major and 24% of the students declared a major for which the completion was not offered at USCA, 26.5% of the students stopped-out during their education, and at least 8% graduated outside of USCA or the USC-System.  Further, studies of graduates show that 40% of USCA’s graduates are transfer students, and that less than 10% of the graduates each year represent the cohort upon which the institution’s graduation rates are based.

ENROLLMENT PLANNING TEAM (EPT) ACTIVITIES - In September 1994, an Enrollment Planning Team was established at USCA.  The EPT membership includes staff and faculty from a variety of areas that most directly impact, or have data related to, retention.  The purpose of the EPT is to compile and to analyze pertinent information on student enrollments at USCA in a way that encourages the review and (as appropriate) the revision of policies, practices, and planning.

The EPT regularly reviews retention data and makes recommendations for efforts to improve retention.  Some of those efforts include the following:

• Assignment of “at-risk” students to “special advisors” and required workshops/course for skill development
• Increased academic support services across the campus
• Increased evening course offerings and alternative scheduling for students
• Holding systematic focus groups with freshmen students to address retention issues
• Proposal of new tracking procedures to include not only first-time, full-time freshmen, but transfer and readmitted students
• Provision of student migration data to the academic departments so that those departments can better focus on retention issues
• Development of an 18-month cycle of intervention strategies aimed at students from the point of acceptance to the institution until the completion of the first year

Additional information regarding students’ intent to complete a degree at USCA is collected from entering and current students using survey measures.

10.  MINORITY STUDENT AND FACULTY ACCESS AND EQUITY

CHE reports on this component.

11.  ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF STUDENT ATHLETES

The overall graduation rate for the student athletes who entered USCA with grants-in-aid during the summer or fall 1989-90 academic year was 16.1% compared to 32.8% for all freshmen that entered during the same time period (this number includes all freshmen, not just first-time, full-time freshmen which are usually reported).  However, it should be noted that an additional student-athlete earned his degree in December 1995 (after the August 31, 1995 cutoff for this report), two student-athletes graduated from USC-Columbia, and two student-athletes earned an associate’s degree at USCA.  This would raise the total graduation rate to 32% for all degrees granted within the system if they were included.  Finally, the graduation rate for the men’s basketball team was 0%.  All five of the student-athletes who were on the men’s basketball team left the institution in good standing prior to graduation.

For the 1995-96 academic year, the average GPA of the USCA Athletic Department was 2.616.  Of the 185 student-athletes who participated during AY 1995-96, 58 (31%) earned a yearly GPA of at least 3.0.  Additionally, 21 current or former student-athletes graduated during the USCA May 1996 commencement exercises.

USCA continues to monitor student-athletes’ grades twice per semester.  An athletic study hall for freshmen and student-athletes with a GPA of less than 2.0 also continues to be conducted.

12.  PROCEDURES FOR STUDENT DEVELOPMENT

This component was reported on last in 1995.  Based on our schedule of reporting, it will be reported again next in 1998.

13.  LIBRARY RESOURCES AND SERVICE

This component was reported on last in 1995.  Based on our schedule of reporting, it will be reported again next in 1998.

14.  ADMINISTRATIVE AND FINANCIAL PROCESSES AND PERFORMANCE

This component was reported on last in 1995.  Based on our schedule of reporting, it will be reported again next in 1998.

15.  FACILITIES

The component of “Facilities” includes the assessment of the departments of Operations, Computer Services, Bookstore, Public Safety, and the Etherredge Center at USCA.

Operations - Completed assessment activities include a comprehensive appraisal of the Grounds Maintenance activities and accomplishments, the creation of comparative staffing and coverage standards for both Housekeeping and Facility Maintenance, a multi-year summary of completed work orders, and subjective reviews of the Administrative and Project Management areas.  Additionally, a set of specific success measures have been developed for implementation in the coming year to significantly enhance the ability of this office to discern and act upon key performance trends.

Findings for 1996 include a general decline in the ability of the Facilities staff to maintain the level of performance that has been demonstrated in earlier years.  While the facilities to be maintained have increased by 149% since 1980, the size of the staff in this unit has only increased by less than 10%.  The decline in service is particularly evident in the deterioration of grounds keeping outcomes, the comparatively lower number of employees per square foot for both Housekeeping and Maintenance activities, and in the increased time spent per completed work order over the last three years.  The Administrative and Project Management functions appear to be operating well, with increased expectations for the coming year.

Changes undertaken or implemented as a result of assessment findings are severely limited as a result of budgetary restrictions.  In the area of Project Management, the single employee in this unit has been certified to enter asbestos-contained areas and, as a result, is able to provide significantly improved supervision of a major project on the campus.  The Housekeeping staff has been reassigned duties more in keeping with the priorities and funding limitations of the campus, and the realignment appears to be working well.  It is the intention of this department to continue its emphasis upon preventive maintenance, improved data collection, and building campus-wide awareness of the maintenance issues that must be addressed to preclude further erosion of services and possible interruptions in classroom and administrative support.

Computer Services - Given the massive expansion of computing across the campus over the last ten years, surveys of campus users were undertaken beginning in 1995 to determine the level of satisfaction, as well as suggestions for alternatives to current practices.  These surveys have been continued in an effort to assess the impact of policy changes.  In January of 1995, the Chancellor appointed a campus-wide committee to review the entire area of information technology, with the charge to make specific recommendations for the future of that operation on the campus.

From the March 1995 survey to the March 1996 survey, dissatisfaction levels with current practices for ordering software dropped from 50% to 15%, for delivery of hardware dropped from 50% to 14%, for upgrades of software dropped from 52% to 28%, for delivery of software dropped from 54% to 14%, for upgrades of hardware dropped from 54% to 34%, for hardware repairs dropped from 42% to 16%, for ordering hardware dropped from 44% to 23%, and the timeframe for repairs dropped from 44% to 16%. The satisfaction levels of USCA’s faculty and staff with CSD’s quality of service rose from 60% to 76%, with the knowledge of CSD’s staff rose from 62% to 70%, with the helpfulness of CSD’s staff rose from 68% to 78%, and with the quickness of CSD’s response rose from 47% to 68%.  Additionally, the USCA Task Force on Campus Computing delivered its report in December 1995, with recommendations that would reshape the policy-making process, as well as campus expectations for information technology investments for the future.

Ways are being investigated to use the network to reduce the administrative paper flow further, to shorten the delivery time for requests from one office to another, and to change procedures in ways that are responsive to campus needs.  Training will become even more important as the remaining 250 old computers on campus are replaced and as their owners move into the Windows world for the first time.  The Campus Technology Committee, a group created as a result of the Task Force report, will be guiding USCA during this final phase of the modernization of the campus’ computing infrastructure.  Just as importantly, the Campus Technology Committee, CSD, and USCA will have to work out strategies to keep the computing hardware, software, and skills current once the initial modernization has been completed.

Bookstore - There are two primary areas of assessment at The USCA Bookstore are (1) verbal and written feedback on the level of service experienced by students, faculty, and  staff in the distribution of course materials and other merchandise and services, and (2) the financial solvency of the bookstore operations.  While the 1995-96 annual institutional current student survey contained only one question covering bookstore service, the vast majority (84.7%) of the students indicated satisfaction with the level of service provided by the bookstore (up from 77.7% the previous year).  The 1994-95 annual institutional faculty and classified surveys contain three questions covering bookstore service.  Of those responding, 75.8% to 87.1% indicated satisfaction with the quality of service provided by the bookstore, the helpfulness and knowledge of the bookstore staff, and the “quickness of response” of the bookstore.  In the Spring of 1995 the bookstore began conducting a bi-annual faculty survey that could more closely address service issues related to faculty needs.  In this survey, 83.1% of the faculty felt that the bookstore staff was courteous and friendly, and 75.9% felt that the bookstore ordered the right amount of course materials.  Only 50.9% of the respondents felt that the bookstore hours of operation were convenient, and  41.4% of the respondents felt that the physical appearance of the bookstore was inviting.  The financial solvency of the bookstore is measured by sales performance, and one indication of solvency is the return of 12% of gross sales to the University.

Based on the assessment data, the bookstore has made a number of recent changes, which include:

1.    Beginning Fall Semester 1996, the hours of operation  were extended to better service evening students. 

2.    A new computer system has been installed, which has greatly reduced the “wait” time for students when purchasing course materials and supplies.

3.    New cashier counters and a customer service desk have been added which have greatly improved the appearance of the store.

Additionally, a variety of new training methods have been instituted to ensure the maintenance of the high customer satisfaction ratings.

Public Safety - Annual surveys of faculty, staff, and students show consistent high ratings of satisfaction of the USCA Public Safety Department.  Specifically, in the 1995 Classified Employee Survey it was found that 92.1% of the staff were satisfied with the level of safety on campus, and 94.7% were satisfied with the level of security in their offices during the workday.  Similarly, the faculty survey has shown increased levels of satisfaction with the Public Safety Department, including 96.8% of the respondents who indicated satisfaction with the level of safety on campus in the 1995 survey compared to 91.2% in 1994, and 96.8% who indicated satisfaction with the courteousness of the Public Safety officers in 1995 compared to 94.8% in 1994.  The student survey has also shown increased levels of satisfaction with the Public Safety Department, as 87.9% of the students indicated satisfaction with the feeling of personal security/safety on campus in 1996 compared to 83.1% in 1995.  The high levels of satisfaction with the feeling of personal security on campus for both students and faculty are consistent with the lack of occurrence of violent crimes on campus.

To increase the competence and courteousness of their officers, USCA Public Safety has increased the hiring standards for its officers, as well as the training they receive.  Training for officers includes courses in cultural diversity, communication skills, and community-oriented policing, in addition to more technical training.  Further, in response to perceived illicit drug activities, the Public Safety joined the Multi-Jurisdictional Task Force.  As a member of the task force USCA’s Public Safety Department benefits from the resources, expertise and manpower needed to combat illegal drug activity and to share in intelligence gathering to help prevent this type of activity on campus.

In its attempts to be proactive, the department has turned more attention to providing an educational environment to the campus.  To this end, the department has conducted three self-defense classes and over 10 firearm safety courses.  Based on the extremely positive response to and desire for these courses, the department currently plans to offer self-defense courses to faculty, staff and students at least twice per semester.

Etherredge Center - After every season, program evaluations of the USCA Cultural Series are mailed to all the season ticket holders.  These surveys are designed to evaluate the quality of the programming and also the effectiveness of the staff.  In addition, the Executive Director personally calls members who do not renew.  This follow-up has shown very few dissatisfied customers.  Another, more comprehensive survey has been commissioned by the Development Office to evaluate all programs in the Etherredge Center.  This will be a professionally-developed survey that will evaluate the music, both vocal and instrumental, theater, art, and the programs sponsored by the Etherredge Center.  This year there have been over fifty-five thousand people attending the events in the Etherredge Center theater.  The results of this survey will be used to better accommodate the wishes and tastes of the broader community.

Finally, USCA’s annual current student survey now embeds a general question for students to rate their level of satisfaction with the Etherredge Center.  Of the 374 students responding to the survey, 108 (29%) indicated that they did not have enough information to judge the question.  Of the 265 students who did rate the question, 96.2% indicated satisfaction.

16.  PUBLIC SERVICE

This component was reported on last in 1994.  Based on our schedule of reporting, it will be reported again next in 1997.

17.  RESEARCH

This component was reported on last in 1994.  Based on our schedule of reporting, it will be reported again next in 1997.