As evidence of ongoing assessment practices in administrative and auxiliary units, Auburn University submitted with its 2022 Compliance Certification Report (CCR) an assessment report from each unit in this functional area for the 2021-2022 Academic Year (AY). The Off-Site Reaffirmation Committee noted that “with only one year of assessment reports, there is insufficient evidence to support the assertion that assessment is an annual process.”

Prior to the 2021-2022 AY, strategic planning, assessment, and continuous improvement efforts were ongoing in administrative and auxiliary units across the university. However, these efforts were not systematic or consistently coordinated. As a result, reporting on these efforts took a variety of forms. For example, Human Resources has historically published an annual impact report that summarized its accomplishments each year,,. These outcomes were the result of strategic planning, goal setting, and continuous measurement of progress even though formal “outcome statements” were not included in the report itself.

Recognizing the need for more standardization in the assessment processes and reporting across these units, beginning in Summer 2021 the institution dedicated one (1) full-time equivalent (FTE) employee to piloting a more systematic approach to unit-level planning and assessment. The results of this effort (2021-2022 assessment reports) were included in the CCR submission and demonstrate tremendous progress toward a more uniform approach that is aligned with best practices in non-academic assessment.

The institution’s commitment to building a sustainable and effective assessment system among administrative and auxiliary units is illustrated by four key steps taken in the months leading up to this report:

1. Restructuring the Organizational Chart

The first step was the restructuring of the university’s organizational chart to include a newly created Office of Institutional Effectiveness that will “bring together key units to collectively focus on institutional quality, planning and improvement.” Ultimately this office will “provid[e] leadership to the Offices of Academic Insight, Information Technology and Institutional Research, as well as the university’s accreditation, Academic Program Review and data governance and management processes within the Office of the Provost.” Creation of this office was a critical step toward codifying the institution’s commitment to a variety of key institutional effectiveness practices.

2. Appointing an Assistant Provost for Institutional Effectiveness

The second step taken by the institution was the appointment of an Assistant Provost for Institutional Effectiveness to lead the Office of Institutional Effectiveness. As of January 1, 2023, the Assistant Provost “supports and enhances the institution’s academic operations through evidence-based assessment practices and strategic planning efforts while advancing the quality, access, and understanding of institutional data to support institutional decisions.” The inclusion of assessment among the Assistant Provost’s responsibilities further underscores the institution’s commitment to its long-term assessment needs.

3. Starting a New Assessment Cycle in Fall 2022

Thirdly, administrative and auxiliary units are continuing to build on the momentum from the 2021-2022 assessment cycle and began a new cycle in Fall 2022. As this process is still relatively new for many of these units, some are further along in the overall quality of their assessment practices at this time. Included as evidence here is preliminary documentation from some of those units that had strong outcome statements available at the time of this report,,,,. As the institution moves toward codifying expectations for assessment in administrative and auxiliary units, it is hoped that these units can provide leadership and examples of best practices for those newer to the process.

4. Building on Existing Assessment Strengths

Finally, Auburn will capitalize on the assessment expertise already present across campus to develop a process that is built on best practices and reflective of the differences in non-academic contexts.

In response to feedback in the previous reaffirmation cycle, Auburn created the Office of Academic Assessment, now called the Office of Academic Insight (OAI). Over the course of the last several years, the Office of Academic Assessment/Insight fundamentally changed the culture of assessment on campus by building an infrastructure for academic programs and general education that has tremendous buy-in from across campus. As evidenced in the institution’s 2022 CCR, the OAI has a proven record of high-quality, award-winning assessment processes. These efforts and accomplishments have been nationally recognized by the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment,. Auburn hopes to replicate the long-term success of the OAI across its non-academic units. The OAI, in partnership with other units known for robust assessment practices such as the Department of Assessment & Strategic Planning from within the Division of Student Affairs, will work together with administrative and auxiliary units to build a framework of unit-level planning and assessment that reflects the unique role of these units on campus while also upholding best practices in assessment. The institution is also exploring creation of a new leadership position whose primary responsibilities will include oversight and coordination of all administrative (non-academic) and auxilary assessments.