Recently I attended the annual meeting of the North Central Association Commission on Institutions of Higher Education. In this document, eight items of an effective assessment program are offered. A strong, readily-identifiable relationship exists between overall institutional mission and objectives and the specific educational objectives of individual departments or programs. Essentially, departments prepare a goal statement which flows from the University s Mission Statement. The institution motivates, recognizes, and rewards faculty efforts in assessment.
Faculty are responsible for the development of the plans in their departments.
They are also an important part of the assessment committee which set up the protocol for the plans and are responsible for the review of these plans. ENMU-Roswell, with a separate accreditation, is not part of the assessment effort here at the Portales campus. There is a need to determine how faculty at the Ruidoso Instructional Center should be included in our assessment efforts. Currently, through a coordinated effort of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Ruidoso Instructional Center, and the Assessment Resource Office, students that are graduating in the spring of 1996 will be assessed. An individual will be identified as the assessment coordinator for the Ruidoso campus for AY 96- 97.