Committees Formed for AQIP Projects

Work on Northern’s three Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) action projects continues, according to Leonard Heldreth (Academic Affairs). Heldreth said steering committees for all three projects have recently been appointed and the committees have begun work on goals and timelines.

The action projects include a campus-wide outcomes assessment process, a new student numbering system and interactive Web site, and revisions to the advising process.

“For outcomes assessment, we included some people already familiar with Northern’s assessment process to date,” said Heldreth.

The outcomes assessment action project has three committees: Academic Senate outcomes assessment committee, which will monitor and critique the outcome assessment plans for all academic departments with major fields of study; the senate liberal studies committee, which will monitor and document the outcomes assessment activities for general education; and the student services outcomes assessment committee, which will oversee the outcomes assessment plans for all non-academic departments that are directly related to student services.

Outcomes assessment committee members are as follows: Heldreth as chair, Bill Bernard (Academic Affairs), Jim Gadzinski (ACAC), Paul Lang (Criminal Justice), Carolyn Lowe (Education), Kevin McDonough (Academic Information Services), Paul McKelvey (Continuing Education), Jim Scheiner (Business), Tom Stanger (Counseling and Consultation), and student Brandon LaVictor. One additional member from the senate’s liberal studies committee will be added to the group.

Heldreth said the campus-wide Banner computer system currently being installed will play an integral role in the development of a new student numbering system and interactive Web site.

“Banner can easily generate and assign students an ID number and the Banner system also includes many Web applications that will enhance Northern’s overall Web presence,” he said. “This project may go significantly faster than we originally anticipated.”

The committee members for this action project include Bernard as chair, Gloria Clocklin (Nursing), Janice Coombs (Financial Services), Felicia Flack (AdIT), Tim Kutchen (Communications and Marketing), Mel Matulewicz (Housing and Residence Life), Kimber Olli (Registrar), Kim Rotundo (ACAC), Sandra Poindexter (College of Business), and students Andy Becker and Tim Tanis.

The committee for the advising committee consists of Heldreth as the chair, Bernard, Gadzinski, Mike Andary (Technology and Occupational Sciences), Chris Fries (Vocational Support Services), Lynne Gerhardt (Education), Jane Milkie (Art and Design), Robert Regis (Geography), Susan Verduin (First Year Experience) and students Kyle Ortiz and Ryan Charter.

This group is meeting weekly to develop a Web page that will highlight possible goals for NMU’s advising program. Students, alumni, faculty and staff will then be asked for input on the goals.

Heldreth said, “The advising project creates a multitude of questions, such as, ‘Should advising be mandatory? Should advising emphasize helping students graduate, guiding them in their career choices or both?’ Only when we are fairly clear about the goals of the advising process can we design a system that achieves those goals.”

Heldreth said Web pages are being added to the AQIP site that include the names and e-mails of all committee members as well as the committees’ meeting schedules, agendas, minutes and support materials.

“All in all, we’re staying close to the timetable that we proposed to AQIP last spring, and we hope to continue to move these programs forward in a timely fashion,” said Heldreth.