Web site to measure MSCTC performance
Published Tuesday, June 24, 2008
The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system has recently launched a new Web site that measures key performance indicators for Minnesota State Community and Technical College (MSCTC) and the system’s other 31 state colleges and universities.
“The public has asked us to be more and more transparent and communicative about what we’re doing and what our successes are, ” said Steve Guttormson, Public Relations Director for MSCTC.
The dashboard highlights data relating to net tuition in comparison to the rest of the country, median income, student persistence and completion, employment rate of graduates, licensure exam pass rates and percent change in enrollment and condition of facilities. The system is currently working on the development of four other indicators.
Ratings are given based on three main measurements: Needs attention, exceeds expectations or meets expectations.
Multiple campus colleges will be measured as one college. So statistics for the Fergus Falls campus will be included in MSCTC’s overall ratings.
MSCTC has five areas that meet expectations and one — net tuition — that needs attention.
The Board of Trustees for Minnesota State Colleges and Universities first began planning for the dashboard program two years ago, with the idea that it would provide colleges with a tool to measure strengths and weaknesses.
The program was also created with students in mind. In addition to other important factors associated with choosing a college or university, students now have a tool that may help them out with their decision, Guttormson said.
Minnesota is the first state to try out this system of published accountability, and as a result, has seen a great deal of national attention.
“Minnesota is being looked at as a leader in this. This is new. This is something that doesn’t appear to be being done in any other state system,” Guttormson said.
Officials are also hoping that the program will develop a type of accountability recognized by the Minnesota legislature.
“Maybe we’ll start to see a little more state support and we’ll see that (funding) percentage possibly balance out a little bit more,” Guttormson said.
Ten years ago, the state funded around two-thirds of higher education. Currently, the state’s funding contributes for around 50 percent.
The dashboard can be found on the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Web site at www.mnscu.edu.
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