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THE STATE EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT /
THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK / ALBANY, NY 12234 |
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TO: |
The Honorable the Members of the Board of Regents |
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FROM: |
Johanna Duncan-Poitier |
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COMMITTEE: |
Higher Education and Professional Practice |
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TITLE OF ITEM: |
Results of the 2003 Survey of the Higher Education Community |
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DATE OF SUBMISSION: |
December 23, 2003 |
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PROPOSED HANDLING: |
Discussion |
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RATIONALE FOR ITEM: |
To inform the Regents of the results of the 2003 service -satisfaction survey of the higher education community and to discuss opportunities for enhancing services |
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STRATEGIC GOAL: |
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AUTHORIZATION(S): |
SUMMARY:
The Department is pleased to present
the Regents with the results of the Department’s Fall 2003 service
satisfaction survey of the higher education community. Because the Department and the Board of
Regents play a pivotal role in supporting the work of higher education
institutions in New York State, it is important that the services of the
Department are relevant and provided in a responsive way. This survey was
designed to encourage college and university administrators to provide the
Department with an assessment of the programs, services, and resources provided
by the Department over the past year.
The findings reflect important leadership efforts made by the Regents
and the Department. Feedback from the
field reveals a new level of optimism in the higher education community. While
the survey results indicate that we have made significant progress in
strengthening the relationship between the Department and the higher education
community, they also identified opportunities for improvement.
Over
the past two years, Department staff and members of the Board of Regents met with hundreds of stakeholders in higher education, including
sector leaders representing the State University of New York (SUNY), The City
University of New York (CUNY), and independent and proprietary colleges and
universities; college and university presidents, deans and faculty; business
and union leaders; State legislators, and others. During these meetings and other conversations, key issues and
areas were identified that the field-at-large considered important. As a
result, the Department made a number of significant changes and improvements
driven by the needs of the field including:
o
Work is under way to ensure that
communications with the higher education community are more regular, timely,
and relevant;
o
The Department is making an extra
effort to actively seek input from the field before the Regents and the Department
take final action on issues that affect them;
o
The
Office of Higher Education continues work to align Department initiatives with
the priorities and needs of the field where possible; and
o
Continuous customer service enhancements and
process improvements are under way.
The results of the service-satisfaction survey help to demonstrate
that the enhancements have been well received.
Invitations to complete the Web-based survey were sent to all 266 higher education institutions in New York State, as well as other partners. The Department received over 170 completed surveys from a cross section of all sectors of the higher education community. Overall, the higher education community indicated that they are satisfied with their interactions with the Office of Higher Education – over 88 percent indicated that their interactions with the Office during the last year were good, very good, or excellent. Through the survey, members of the higher education community provided invaluable feedback to the Department on the important work that we do and the services we provide. We look forward to continued collaborations with the field in 2004 that generate success by building on our shared accomplishments and anticipating future needs.
SERVICE IMPROVEMENTS:
Throughout
the past two years, the Office of Higher Education has worked hard to foster a
new era of collaboration and
cooperation with the higher education community. After meeting
with hundreds of stakeholders in higher education, including sector leaders
representing the State University of New York (SUNY), The City University of
New York (CUNY), and independent and proprietary colleges and universities;
college and university presidents, deans and faculty; business and union
leaders; State legislators, and others, the Deputy Commissioner identified a
number of key areas the field-at-large considered important. As a result, the Department made a number of
significant changes and improvements driven by the needs of the field. The results of the service-satisfaction
survey help to demonstrate that the enhancements have been well received.
Ø Communication: As a result of recommendations from the field, the Office of Higher Education improved its approach to communication. Examples include:
- Providing the field with more information and data of importance to them.
§
Phase one of work to improve the Office of Higher Education Web site is now under way. Building on the positive feedback received
in response to the revamped Office of Teaching Initiatives Web site, the Office
of Higher Education’s enhanced site is now up-to-date
and easier to use. Recent
enhancements have enabled us to provide institutions with timely and expanded access
to data that is collected by the Department. The data is regularly used by the
Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities (cIcu), the Division of the
Budget, colleges and universities, researchers from across the nation and the
world, and others.
§ Teaching brochures were developed and distributed to prospective teaching candidates and college administrators to explain the pathways to teacher certification in New York State.
- Communicating with the
field regularly and in a timely
way.
§
Johanna Duncan-Poitier met with over 70 college
presidents one-on-one and visited numerous college campuses across the
State to better understand issues in the field.
§
Members of the Board of Regents, the Commissioner and
the Deputy Commissioner participated in numerous regional meetings with
college presidents in Rochester, the Mohawk Valley, Long Island, and the
Capital Region, among other key leadership events with college presidents, to
discuss critical issues related to the future of higher education.
§ The Office of Higher Education now provides regular updates on key issues. For example, ongoing information on the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requirements has assisted school districts in their efforts to meet federal standards for highly qualified teachers and paraprofessionals. Guidance on teacher preparation requirements and information on homeland security issues have also proven to be useful for the field.
- Seeking input from the field before the Regents and the
Department take final action on issues that affect the higher
education community.
The
Department regularly engages the Commissioner’s Advisory Council on Higher
Education, representing all higher education sectors, on policy initiatives
facing the Board of Regents to ensure that colleges and universities have
significant input, at an early stage, in shaping these critical policy
issues. Other groups, including the Professional
Standards and Practices Board and the Proprietary School Advisory
Council also meet regularly and provide significant input and feedback.
The
Department is now routinely engaging the higher education community when
considering policy decisions that will impact the State’s colleges,
universities, and proprietary schools.
Over the past year, for example, the Office of Higher Education created
two separate task forces to advise the Department on policies related to
off-campus instruction and distance learning.
The insights provided by these two groups have been invaluable.
The Department and the Regents have extensively involved the higher education community in planning for the development
of the Regents Statewide Plan.
The
Department has established a new system to foster greater feedback from the
field before regulations are brought before the Regents for consideration. An
example of this includes the development and extensive distribution of preliminary
draft leadership regulations before the
regulatory timetable began. Information on the preliminary
regulations, such as those on leadership, was made available on our Web site and by mail. Additionally, three public forums were held in
Buffalo, Albany, and New York City to hear comments on the preliminary
regulations for the preparation of school leaders.
Ø
Align
Department Initiatives with the Needs of the Field Where Possible:
The Office of
Higher Education is actively seeking to identify the priorities and needs of
the field and looking for ways to support them. For example:
- Advocating for Higher Education: In February,
Commissioner Mills made a persuasive argument for greater higher education
support in his testimony before the joint legislative fiscal committees as
part of the State Legislature's hearings on the Executive budget proposal.
Much of what we presented to the Legislature grew out of conversations
with the leadership of all four higher education sectors (SUNY, CUNY,
independent and proprietary colleges) and one-on-one discussions with
other members of the community.
- The Regents and the Department have begun developing a Statewide Plan for Higher Education (2004-2012) that is far-reaching, reflective of the Regents priorities, and developed jointly with all stakeholders in the higher education community.
- The Office of Higher Education and the Office of
Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities have
worked with sector leaders to develop a Regents priority legislation
proposal to provide funds to college campuses to increase access and
success of students with disabilities.
Ø
Customer Service:
Feedback from the field identified the critical processes that needed
improvement, and where cycle times in a number of key areas needed to be
reduced. For
example:
o
The
Office of Higher Education continues to expedite the program registration process
by completing reviews within 30 days (60 days for programs requiring a master
plan amendment).
o
Systemic links have been created between the Office of the Professions
and the Office of Higher Education. For example, information and applications
for the Regents Professional Opportunity Scholarship and
the Regents Health Care Opportunity Scholarship are
now distributed to interested individuals through the Office of the
Professions’ automated mailing system.
- Through increased efficiency and enhanced customer
service, significant progress has
been made toward improving the teacher certification process.
We continue our work to streamline the process for reviewing college-recommended applications; turn-around time from what previously averaged three to four weeks to process has been reduced to an average of one week to 10 days under the new system.
Staff continue work to reduce the processing time for transcript evaluation applications from 16 weeks to a goal of ten weeks.
Work is under way to reduce the processing time for BOCES-evaluated applications from an average of three to four weeks to two to three business days from receipt.
Streamlined and improved applications for teacher certification are now available.
Confirmation letters, acknowledging receipt of application materials, are now automatically generated and sent to applicants for teacher certification.
- Office of Higher Education staff continue to work to streamline the accreditation process for teacher education programs while maintaining high standards of quality. The Regents accreditation review process (RATE) has recently been praised by many colleges for creating an appropriate framework in which their teacher education programs can be effectively assessed.
- Based on feedback from the field, the Department has facilitated online submission of reports from 85 to 90 percent of the State’s Higher Education Opportunity Programs. Through the increased use of technology, the Department is continuing to examine ways to reduce paperwork across all programs (e.g., Teacher Leader Quality Partnership Program).
SERVICE SATISFACTION SURVEY:
In the summer of 2003, staff in the
Office of Higher Education developed a Web-based
satisfaction survey to begin
to evaluate the impact of service enhancements on the higher education
community. We decided to survey the field within the
past year since members of the higher education community indicated a need for
change in meetings and conversations. However, reliable, office-wide baseline
indicators upon which to measure progress were not available for previous
years. The survey
responses will help the Office of Higher Education continue to be responsive to
the field and to identify opportunities for enhancing
services well into the future.
Survey
Respondent Information
In the fall, an invitation to
complete the Web-based survey was sent to a representative sample of members of
the higher education community. The
Office of Higher Education received over 170 completed surveys. Completed
surveys were received from a cross section of all sectors of the higher
education community. In response to the
item, “please describe your institution or organization,” nearly half,
or 49 percent, of the respondents said “independent college or university”, 22
percent said “SUNY institution,” almost 8 percent said “CUNY,” 10 percent were
from proprietary colleges, and nearly 6 percent were from licensed non-degree
granting proprietary schools.
|
Respondents |
% |
|
Association |
1% |
| CUNY | 7% |
| Independent College or University | 49% |
| Licensed non-degree proprietary school | 6% |
| Not-for-profit organization | 2% |
| Proprietary college | 10% |
| SUNY | 22% |
| other | 3% |
When asked to
describe their primary position within their institution or organization,
respondents replied:
|
Primary Position |
% |
| CEO, President, Chancellor | 9% |
| CAO | 15% |
| Dean | 13% |
| Opportunity program coordinator | 21% |
| Grants Coordinator | 5% |
| College, university or school administrator | 31% |
| Association Leader | 1% |
| other | 5% |
HIGHLIGHTS
OF SURVEY RESULTS
The
service-satisfaction survey was designed to encourage college and university
administrators to provide us with an assessment of the programs, services,
and resources provided by the Department over the past year. The findings reflect important leadership
efforts made by the Regents and the Department.
§
Overall, the higher education community
indicated that they are satisfied with their interactions with the Office of
Higher Education – over 88 percent felt that their
interactions with the Office during the last year were good, very
good, or excellent.
§
Customer service provided by staff
received the highest ratings – 91 percent of
respondents agree or strongly agree that Office of Higher Education staff are
helpful when the respondent contacts them with questions.
§
Respondents indicated that they have seen
improvements in the following five key Office of Higher Education
services over the past year.
o
93 percent of respondents indicated that information
and services available on the Office of Higher Education Web site have
improved somewhat or significantly within the last year.
o
91 percent indicated that customer
service has improved somewhat or significantly within the last year.
o
88 percent reported that Department
advocacy for higher education has improved.
o
87 percent indicated that communication
with the Office of Higher Education has improved in the last year.
87 percent of respondents said the Bulletin
(the new Office of Higher Education newsletter), is good, very good, or
excellent.
88 percent think guidelines and
guidance memos (CEOs) issued by the Office of Higher Education are
good, very good, or excellent.
86 percent reported statistical data
and reports as good, very good, or excellent.
o
83 percent reported improvements in the availability
of information on upcoming events, developments, and other important news.
§
Over 69 percent of all respondents
reported that they had an opportunity to provide input during the development
of regulations affecting higher education.
When responses were segregated by position, over 78 percent of
respondents in leadership positions indicated that they had opportunities to
provide input into regulations.
§
Feedback provided by the Office of Higher
Education was reported by survey respondents as an area in need of
improvement.
Fifty-six percent of respondents felt that after considering input
from the field, the Office of Higher Education provided a rationale for
decisions and policies. Sixty-three
percent of respondents said that feedback from the Office of Higher Education
on suggestions or recommendations provided by their institution is timely; 66
percent thought the feedback was comprehensive. This constructive feedback has already impacted our work. We recently provided extensive comments to
the field in response to the valuable suggestions and recommendations we
received regarding the transcript evaluation pathway to teacher
certification.
§
The field provided other recommendations,
in the form of written comments, for the Regents and the Department to
consider as we continue our efforts to enhance resources and services. The “top ten” frequently cited
recommendations include:
1.
Improve staffing levels
– Respondents reported concern about staff being overloaded and the fact that
vacancies have not been filled.
2.
Provide additional support to individual
institutions – Respondents suggested that staff regularly
visit individual institutions and hold conferences to provide technical
support, regular updates, and individualized assistance.
3.
Ensure regulations, standards, and
documents are not overly prescriptive, and are clear and
easy-to-understand – Respondents recommended avoiding
over-regulation and bureaucratic language.
4.
Continue to enhance the Office of Higher
Education Web site – The field requested that the Department
make more information available on-line and make information easier to
locate.
5. Improve timeliness of reviews and
approvals – A number of respondents noted that the process for approving
new programs and changes to existing programs has improved; however, it could
still be more timely. Respondents
also requested more timely reviews and approvals of grants, scholarships, and
awards, as well as improved institutional license approval times.
6.
Improve
data collection – Respondents recommended the Department
increase the availability, timeliness, and scope of data provided to
institutions; collect data only if it is needed or will be used; collaborate
with partners to ensure data collection efforts are not duplicated, thereby
saving institutions time and resources; improve data collection procedures.
7.
Continue
to work as a partner with institutions – Respondents
suggested that the Regents and the Department continue to be proactive; seek
their input, recognize their needs and understand their environments; and
provide justification for decisions.
8.
Continue
to improve telephone and e-mail communications
– Members of the Higher Education community requested that Department staff
continue to respond to customer requests in a timely manner and provide
clear, complete, and consistent information.
9.
Reduce
paperwork required of institutions.
10. Continue
to provide the higher education community with important news, information
and updates.
NEXT STEPS:
While
the survey results show that the Office of Higher Education has been more
successful in recent efforts to align the work of the Department with the
needs and expectations of the higher education community, the findings also
indicate there is more work to be done.
In the coming year, the Department will:
o
Continue to
closely collaborate with sector leaders; college and
university presidents, deans and faculty; business and union leaders; State
legislators, associations and others to address the survey
recommendations. Their active
involvement is critical to the success of our work.
o
Engage members
of the Commissioner’s Advisory Council on Higher Education in a discussion of
the survey results. We will elicit
their suggestions for next steps that build on our shared accomplishments and
address unmet needs.
o
Expand and
improve communication channels so all members of the higher education
community have regular opportunities to provide input into Department
activities and initiatives, and at the same time receive timely feedback from
the Department on their recommendations.
o
Continue to
streamline processes and reduce paperwork as appropriate.
As we work to address the recommendations provided
by the field through the survey and other communications, we also need to
factor in the current staffing and fiscal challenges that continue to impact
our important work. However,
maintaining strengthened
relationships with the higher education community and credibility in the
field remains among our
highest priorities.