[Vision2020] Institutional Check-up - The Power of Outside Review

[Tom Hansen]

>From the Opinion section of today's (January 18, 2008) Moscow-Pullman Daily
News with thanks to Doug Baker, Vice President and Provost at the University
of Idaho.

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HIS VIEW: Institutional check-up - the power of outside review 

By Doug Baker

Outside expert review by peers is a process that a great university uses to
improve its strength. Faculty and administration routinely engage this
process, whether it is for publishing a manuscript, monograph, or book;
seeking a competitively funded research grant; or evaluating people for
promotion and tenure. 

So it only follows that a great university will engage a similar
institutional process. Outside reviews occur during accreditation, and also
should occur as part of an ongoing continuous improvement process to improve
national competitiveness. And great, proud and confident universities, such
as the University of Idaho, do such analyses in an open and transparent way.
In many respects, outside review is like undergoing a physical exam, where
one gets poked, prodded, evaluated and lectured to in ways that can be
uncomfortable, but that help identify ways to improve one's health. 

The University of Idaho has chosen to essentially undergo a "physical" - a
critical examination of programs that are important to the vitality of the
institution as a flagship research university, and are key to our aspiration
to improve national competitiveness. A year ago, the university took another
bold step and commissioned the Yardley Research Group, a national higher
education firm, to conduct a strategic assessment of graduate programs at
the university. The preliminary report-- available on the university Web
site - is now being shared with deans, Faculty Council, and academic
departments. It's a snapshot of where the university's graduate programs
were at that time, and the frank and independent assessment provides
valuable food for thought.

Since then, we've made tremendous progress in strategic areas of education
and research, such as investing in Blue Ribbon multidisciplinary programs
including Water of West, bio-nanotechnology and bio-regional planning. But
the Yardley Report identifies other opportunities where we could strengthen
and refine our programs to make the University of Idaho more nationally
competitive.

Indeed, Richard Westerberg, University of Idaho regent and State Board of
Education member commented "The Yardley Report sounds like the kind of
effort that leads to improvement by study and benchmarking. For the
University of Idaho to open itself to this type of objective review takes
courage and has some risks, but it is clearly the way forward. I look
forward to the study results and the university's resulting action plan."

For the university, the opportunity is to give the entire report our full
attention and consideration, with fact checking and feedback, and to do so
openly and objectively. We don't have to agree with everything that's in the
report. But what is clear is that strongly integrating and strengthening the
university's graduate and research programs will benefit the whole
institution, including its high quality undergraduate experience. Continuing
to build integrated, multidisciplinary graduate education and research
programs also will help identify critical problems faced by the state,
nation, and world, and develop solutions for those problems.

The Yardley report offers a framework for discussing improvements and serves
as a catalyst for taking actions to move the university forward. The report
is part of a comprehensive strategy to strengthen and integrate efforts to
enhance our excellence such that we can consistently compete for research
support, and attract top students in research and creative activity.

President Tim White joins me in affirming that the report is another
opportunity to examine renewal of our people and programs, is part of the
overall strategic planning process, and is an opportunity for our community
to look to the future and strengthen the institution for successive
generations.

Doug Baker is vice president and provost at the University of Idaho.

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Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"If I wanted to overhear every tedious scrap of brain static rattling around
in your head, I'd read your blog."

- Bill Maher