Assessment
Each of us is a product of our collective history, I am no exception. My story does not start at Penn State Berks but currently I am writing chapters at Penn State Berks. When I came to the campus in January 2001 as the new chancellor, I realized that the college and even the University was not particularly focused on quantitative assessment. This was something that I felt clearly needed to change. Accrediting agencies across the country were asking institutions of higher education to be more accountable in our claims and that happens only with assessment. While Middle States was not yet to that point, I knew it would only be a matter of time. In that first semester at Penn State Berks we added the Office of Institutional Planning, Research and Assessment, knowing there would be a need for those services as we began to assess who and what we were. Within a year, the campus had an assessment plan for each academic program. The 2002-2005 Strategic Plan articulated specific objectives centered around assessment and the infusion of continuous improvement (CI) processes throughout the campus. The current strategic plan is no different with regards to assessment. Several initiatives and action steps reaffirm Berks commitment to assessment.
Given my familiarity with the standards of several regional accreditation agencies including Middle States, I knew how important program assessment was going to become. Therefore, under my leadership, I tried to foster a culture of assessment.
I assured the faculty and staff that we evaluate programs and services to improve student learning. At Berks, it is understood that assessment is not punitive and it is not personal. It is also understood that assessment is about striving to be the best Penn State campus and best college regionally.
Because of our continued assessment and a dedicated faculty and staff, Berks has served to be the model in several areas. For example, we know from the assessment and survey of our graduates that almost all of our graduates believe they are prepared for a future career and furthering their education. We also know that local employers want our students as interns and to fill permanent positions when available.
Berks faculty are no strangers to academic excellence. Berks faculty have been awarded grants and stipends from the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institutes for Health (NIH), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).
In addition to our academic excellence, our facilities and services have also served as a model for the University, regionally, and nationally. Campus Police have provided training to other non-Penn State campuses and to other local police forces in Berks County. Berks is at the forefront of campus sustainability efforts. I became the first Penn State signatory of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, an effort to address global warming. As a scientist, for more than three decades I have been actively promoting the concepts of sustainability and environmental stewardship.
In sum, assessment is not an expectation, it is what we do on this campus. Assessment is a way of life here at Berks. Therefore, a story about myself and about Berks would be incomplete without asserting Berks’ commitment to assessment. We like to say, at Penn State that the system is complex and that is true, but when it comes to how we do business, it should be quite simple—learn from each other and remember that all that we do is about the student. That said, it is always a pleasure to share what we do here and what Berks has accomplished.