Student Involvement & Leadership Assessment

Mission Statement & Vision

We create opportunities for co-curricular involvement, student empowerment and leadership development.

Our vision is to create an inclusive campus culture where students are engaged and our community understands involvement outside of the classroom positively enhances their Utah State University experience.

Assessment

In an effort to measure and improve our impact and fufil our mission and vision we've created goals and desired outcomes. 
We measure annual

Foundational Documents

All staff in the Student Involvement and Leadership Center adhere to the ethical and professional guidelines and policies in the Utah State University Policy Manual and ethical code of conduct, as well as additional policies and procedures of the Division of Student Affairs, the USU Student Code of Conduct and the USUSA Constitution, Charters and Bylaws.

As a Student Affairs department, SILC also uses the professional competencies and standards of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA). Professional staff in SILC have also adopted and adhere to the ethical standards of different organizations in their individual areas of expertise such as:

Assessment Plan/Matrix 2017-2018

Goals
(Objectives and Learning Outcomes)
Assessment Tool
(Criteria)
Data Source
Documentation
Timeline Responsible
Persons
Map to
Division Goals
1. Develop and implement a departmental assessment system for planning, decision-making, budgeting, and marketing. SILC Event Evaluation Assessment Form, TSC Pre-Event Planning Guide, Training and Retreat Assessment Survey, Self-Study Reports, Individual Event Surveys, Qualtrics, Divisional Assessment Reports Individual program assessments, students, staff Ongoing Nathan Laursen, Megan Crosland Goal 3, 4 and 8
2. Improve and progress the academic success of student leaders, measured by completion and GPA. Track GPA for students and number of credits completed each semester. Scholarship letters, Banner access, election declarations Progress will be tracked at the end of each semester. Office staff and advisers. Goal 5, 6 and 8
3. Provide co-curricular opportunities, trainings, programs, and events focused on diversity, inclusion, social justice, sexual harassment, Title IX, etc. Spreadsheet listing all staff and students and which trainings they have taken. The spreadsheet, plus documentation kept in other departments (Parking and Transportation, Title IX, etc.) Process starts at USUSA Officer trainings in May, and continues throughout the year at mandatory trainings for each group. Linda Zimmerman, Kevin Webb, Megan Crosland, Sophia May, outside departments. Goal 2 and 7
4. Be fiscally responsible in handling student fees with transparency. Student Fee Board documentation, meetings, and process. (External reports, articles about Fee Board). Ensuring and counting that meetings are open. Fee Board minutes, and required Fee Board form Fee Board process begins in October, meetings held in January and February, budgets approved by USUSA officers in May. Linda Zimmerman, Sophia May, USUSA President, officers, and committee chairs. Goal 3 and 6

Continuous Improvement

SILC Assessment

In January of 2016, two staff members were given the additional responsibility of leading, training, and reporting in assessment for the Student Involvement and Leadership Center. Changes were made to the event planning documents to include measurable objectives for each event. Each student is required to list at least two objectives per event. The SILC Event Assessment Form was implemented and is required for all events and programs within our department. A standardized reflection and evaluation form was created for program training retreats. One staff member attended the NASPA training on assessment in spring of 2016. Card swiping was implemented at events to better reach students in attendance. Our office is currently researching software solutions to organization and assessment management, such as CampusLabs.

Academic Success

In accordance with divisional and institutional goals of increasing completion rates, our department raised the credit requirements for student leader scholarships in Student Media and Spirit Squad from 12 credits per semester to 15. GPA requirements for these two groups were also increased from 2.5 to 2.75. Grade reports are created each semester for Student Media, Spirit Squad, Fraternity and Sorority Life, and USUSA Officers, Directors, and Council Presidents. Several of our staff members are professors of leadership related courses that students have the opportunity to take. (USU 2160).

Trainings

In accordance with divisional goals, our department provides trainings to our student leaders each semester in areas such as sexual harassment, Title IX, diversity, etc. This year, it was added to the USUSA Officer charters that their councils and committees must be given the opportunity to be QPR trained. These trainings took place throughout the beginning of fall semester.

Student Fee Transparency

Working with the division’s chief financial officer and business services staff, the Student Fee Board Chair developed and instituted a more detailed and itemized Student Fee Budget Report, required for each student fee administrator to submit annually regardless of whether or not they are requesting a change to their fee. The report’s objective is to increase transparency of expenses related to student fees.