Index to the Location of Evidence Relating to the Commission’s Criteria for Accreditation Found in Missouri Western State University’s Systems Portfolio

Criterion Two – Preparing for the Future. The organization’s allocation of resources and its processes for evaluation and planning demonstrate its capacity to fulfill the mission, improve the quality of its education, and respond to future challenges and opportunities.

Core Component 2a. The organization realistically prepares for a future shaped by
multiple societal and economic trends.

• Western’s planning system takes into account institutional capacity with respect to people, operations, data requirements, and partnerships (Categories 4, 6, 7, 8, 9).
• Western plans into the future, taking into account changing conditions and how these changes impact students and other stakeholders, operations, and performance (O8, Figures 3.2 and 3.3, 4C2, 4P5, 5P2, 8I1-8I2).
• Western has created a structure and authority for decision making that is participatory and results-oriented (Category 8).
• Western understands the challenge and adventure of shaping the future with an increasingly global perspective (Figure O.2).
• Western’s planning evidences attention to changing societal, economic, and technological trends (O8, 2C1, 3P3, 4C3, 7P2, 9C1).

Core Component 2b. The organization’s resource base supports its educational programs and its plans for maintaining and strengthening their quality in the future.

• Western’s resources support its current educational programs and its plans for maintaining and strengthening their quality. The level of state funding presents challenges requiring reallocation of resources internally (O8, 2C1, 6I1, 6R2, Figure 8.1, 8P6, 8I2).
• Budget data and the priorities articulated in Western’s Strategic Plan are particularly important in shaping the decisions of those in key administrative positions (5P3, 6P3, 8P6).
• Western understands the critical importance of its human resources and provides training and development for all its employees (4P1-4P9, 4R1-4R3).
• Western intentionally sets and meets its planning goals (Figures 1.1-9.1).
• Western has been accredited continuously by the North Central Association since 1919 (O1).
• Western has demonstrated flexibility in planning, sustaining quality, and growth during reduced state funding (O1, O8).
  

Core Component 2c. The organization’s ongoing evaluation and assessment processes provide reliable evidence of institutional effectiveness that clearly informs strategies for continuous improvement.

• Western’s Annual Progress Report on the Strategic Plan provides reliable evidence of institutional effectiveness across the seven areas of strategic planning (Figures 1.1-9.1).
• Annual unit reports on planning goals aligned with institutional planning goals provide evidence of Western’s dedication to continuous improvement and to achieving results (8P1).
• Western is improving its systems for collecting, analyzing, and using data to support decision-making (2C1, 2P1, Figures 2.3 and 2.4, 2R3, 2I1, 7C1, Figure 7.2, 7P3-7P4, 7P6-7P7).
• Western’s Systems Portfolio indicates it is using data and feedback loops to set targets for improvement across its systems (Improvement sections in nine AQIP Categories).

Core Component 2d. All levels of planning align with the organization’s mission, thereby enhancing its capacity to fulfill that mission.

• Western engages in broad-based systemic planning that involves faculty, staff, administration, and community groups in initiating and implementing improvements that advance Western’s mission, values, and goals (6C, 8C1-8C2).