Using Relationship-Rich Strategies to Build a Culture of Assessment
Shari Ellertson, Associate Vice Provost for Strategic Insights and Institutional Effectiveness, Boise State University
Teresa Focarile, Director of Educational Development, Center for Teaching and Learning, Boise State University
Our program assessment reporting process was created not only to operationalize accreditation standards, but to cultivate broad faculty engagement and build the proverbial culture of assessment. To do this we created opportunities for ongoing faculty development, implemented a rigorous faculty peer review process, provided clear and consistent support, and implemented a feedback loop on the process itself. In this session, we will share our relationship-rich assessment practices and discuss how they have cultivated a culture of assessment over the last ten years. We will further guide participants through an exercise to consider the application of relationship-rich strategies to their contexts.
From Attrition to Achievement: A Data-Driven Four-Pillar Strategy for Business Program Retention
Jennifer J. Newmann, Program Director, Business Education, Bryan University
When retention in Bryan University’s business programs declined, we turned to data – not guesswork. This session shares a replicable, four-pillar strategy grounded in evidence: curriculum resequencing for scaffolded rigor, targeted course redesign, coordinated intrusive advising, and faculty development paired with cohort mentorship. The results were clear – course pass rates rose from 73% to 86% over five years, including a sustained recovery above pre-pandemic baselines. Attendees will leave with a practical framework they can adapt for their own programs, grounded in accreditation-aligned evidence and honest reflection on what the data actually showed.
Mission Fulfillment and Sustainability Fellowship Presentations
Heather Bennett, Vice President, Institutional Engagement and Strategic Initiatives, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
Scaling Undergraduate Research for Equity and Institutional Effectiveness: A Collaborative, Data-Informed Model
Hideki Takei, Professor and Department Co-Chair, Central Washington University
This session presents a scalable, evidence-based model for expanding equitable access to undergraduate research while strengthening institutional effectiveness under resource constraints. Drawing on a multi-year case from Central Washington University, the session highlights how early outreach, faculty mentoring activation, and low-cost process redesign can increase student participation, improve representation of historically underserved and underrepresented students, and enhance operational efficiency. Through coordinated institutional partnerships, the model integrates student achievement, assessment, and continuous improvement, generating actionable evidence aligned with NWCCU accreditation expectations. Participants will gain a practical, transferable framework for aligning student success initiatives with institutional and accreditation priorities.
Concurrent Sessions #3 – 1:45-2:35 p.m.
The Power of Partnership: How NWCCU, ISU, and NAC Built a Pathway to Workforce Pell Innovation
John Louviere, Chief Officer for Online Enterprise and Extended Learning, Idaho State University
Matt Freeman, Associate Officer, Idaho State University, Albion Institute
RaeLyn Price, Associate Officer for Workforce Training, Idaho State University, Albion Institute
Tony Zhang, Funder, ZaristAI
Rebecca Busacca, President, The National Accreditation Commission
As a programmatic accreditor, NAC operates alongside NWCCU’s accreditation processes and in collaboration with state and system partners to provide efficient, continuous, program-level quality assurance for short-term workforce credentials. Reducing duplicative efforts at quality assurance and signaling approved programs through the institution’s accreditation status with NWCCU will meet the needs of constituents, including students and communities. The model evaluates: (1) Alignment of program competencies with current workforce and labor market needs; (2) Pathways for stacking credentials and transferring credit into accredited certificates and degree programs; and (3) Ongoing outcomes, including employment, earnings, learner success, and value relative to program cost.
Panelists will trace that journey from first introduction to functioning pilot: how NAC’s AIHub platform supports real-time program evaluation and Workforce Pell eligibility screening, how ISU plans to use the AIHub to design credit-stacking pathways from short-term credentials to longer-term academic goals, and how the pilot is now positioned to help expand the defense industrial base through ISU’s program offerings. The pilot’s outcomes tracking will produce ISU program-level outcomes data, giving advisors, students, and families credible, contextualized evidence of credential value rather than a single ROI figure. Attendees will leave with a real-world model demonstrating how programmatic and institutional accreditors and institutions work together in ways that unlock innovation, uphold integrity, and deliver measurable impact.
When AI Joins the Assessment Team: Frameworks, Use Cases, and Faculty-Friendly Strategies
Lindsey Brown, Director, Office of Assessment for Curricular Effectiveness, Washington State University
Armine Ghalachyan, Assessment Specialist, Washington State University
Sara Mahuron, Assessment Specialist, Washington State University
Drawing on practical applications from our institution, this session will demonstrate how AI can streamline assessment tasks to increase capacity for meaning-making and evidence-based decisions. Beyond efficiency, we will highlight how AI can help strengthen alignment between program learning outcomes, institutional mission, and post-graduation pathways, bringing new perspectives, analytic power, and strategic support in a resource-constrained and rapidly evolving higher education landscape. We will also describe our framework for developing and sharing these strategies with our faculty partners. Attendees will consider use cases for AI and leave with actionable ideas for incorporating AI into program assessment on their campuses.
How Do You Know It’s Working?: Assessment Practices to Ensure Program Quality
Boyd Baggett, Associate Academic Vice President – Curriculum, Brigham Young University – Idaho
Ed Harri, Executive Vice President, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
This session will be a guided discussion about assessment best practices in programmatic assessment to ensure your students are receiving the learning and return on investment they expect from a high-quality program. We’ll cover what’s required approaches to meet NWCCU’s new assessment Standards (1.C) as well as the new Federal regulations on program-level return on investment and assessment of innovative programs like reduced-credit bachelor’s degrees and programs that qualify for Workforce Pell.
The Viewfinder National Campus Climate Data Center: An Inside Look at Data from the Northwest Region of the United States
Gabriel Reif, Vice President for Research and Evaluation, Viewfinder Campus Climate Surveys/Insight into Academia
The Viewfinder National Campus Climate Dashboards are a groundbreaking resource that aggregate campus climate survey results from more than 200,000 students and employees across 140+ colleges and universities nationwide. For the first time, higher education leaders, practitioners, and researchers can access a centralized repository of data to explore how diverse groups of stakeholders perceive and experience their institutional environments. The session is grounded in extensive survey research and quantitative analysis and will combine a live demonstration of data with interactive discussion. Attendees will have opportunities to reflect on the implications of national and local trends and findings for their own institutions.
Connected Learning in Practice – Applied Bachelor’s Degrees for Adult Learners
Sunaina Virendra, Faculty and Department Chair, Skagit Valley College
Darren Greeno, Vice President Academic Affairs, Skagit Valley College
This session explores how Skagit Valley College’s Bachelor of Applied Science in Management (BASM) approached the design of an applied bachelor’s degree around the realities of adult learners. Built on the premise that accessibility, timely completion, meaningful professional learning, and workplace relevance are not mutually exclusive goals, BASM integrates recursive cross-disciplinary learning, connected curriculum design, embedded learner support, and applied managerial education to support persistence, completion, and workplace relevance. The session will also examine how lessons learned through BASM informed broader institutional thinking around bachelor’s degree design, curricular coherence, learner support, and connected learning across Skagit Valley College’s applied bachelor’s degrees.
Navigating Student Affordability: Using Data to Inform Program Feasibility
Justin Atkins, Director of Accreditation and Academic Assessment, Utah Valley University
Sam Gedeborg, Senior Director, Academic Planning and Effectiveness, Utah Valley University
Quinn Koller, Director of Academic Strategy, Utah Valley University
This presentation aims to provide a clear format and process for assessment of program feasibility without relying solely on enrollment trends. Formatted to focus on program analysis and student affordability, this presentation will provide recommendations for building a replicable, data-driven feasibility report that links student affordability to institutional financial health. Our model includes how to integrate gainful employment metrics and other CIP-code benchmarks from tools like GrayDI to build reports. Move beyond anecdotal budget conversations to transparent, program-specific, benchmark metrics that offer greater financial decision making for programs that offer positive student return on investment.
Cutting and Reinvesting in Academic Programs: Strategic Reallocation in the Utah System of Higher Education
Steven Hood, Assistant Commissioner for Academic Affairs, Utah System of Higher Education
James Sage, Associate Provost, Southern Utah University
T. Chase Hagood, Vice Provost for Student Success, University of Utah
In 2025, the Utah State Legislature passed a law requiring public institutions to cut 10% of their budgets, with a clear focus on reducing academic program budgets and reinvesting these funds in high-demand programs. Institutions were allowed to identify reallocations outside academic programs to increase operational efficiency and support workforce alignment. This presentation will describe how colleges and universities in the Utah System of Higher Education are addressing this challenge and share best practices that may be useful for other states.
Concurrent Sessions #4 – 3:00-3:50 p.m.
Ask the Liaisons
Ed Harri, Executive Vice President, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
Chris Bragg, Senior Vice President, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
Lindsay Couzens, Senior Vice President, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
Teresa Rivenes, Senior Vice President, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
Join NWCCU staff liaisons for an engaging, interactive session designed to tackle the most pressing accreditation questions submitted by our member institutions. Whether you’re navigating the process for the first time or looking for clarity on specific requirements, this is your chance to gain direct insights and practical guidance from the experts. ALOs and all interested attendees are encouraged to submit their questions in advance using the “Ask the Liaisons” question box located at the registration table.
Data in Action: Aligning Analytics, Leadership, and Student Success
Rosemary Thackeray, Assistant to the President for Assessment and Planning, Brigham Young University
Zachary Barrus, Associate Director of Institutional Research and Assessment, Brigham Young University
What if your data could tell you which students are most likely to graduate, where they are getting stuck, and how many credits they are taking that do not help them progress toward a degree? This session will take participants inside Brigham Young University’s student success analytics efforts, showing how leaders are turning scattered data into clear, usable insights. Presenters will share examples of predictive graduation modeling, D-E-W grade dashboards, credit utilization reports, and other tools designed for academic leaders. Attendees will leave with practical ideas to make data more visible, more actionable, and more useful for improving student success.
People, Plans, and Purpose: The Power of Inclusive Strategic Planning
Kristen Handley, Institutional Effectiveness Director, University of Alaska Southeast
Abi Spofford, Chief of Staff, University of Alaska Southeast
The University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) finalized a strategic plan centered on inclusive, university-wide participation and the synthesis of existing priorities. In a landscape of limited resources, aligning all existing plans and priorities, up to the system level, was vital for securing university-wide buy-in and engagement. This presentation outlines how UAS prioritized inclusive participation and data-informed planning over rapid execution, leveraging campus-wide feedback to ensure comprehensive institutional alignment. Discover how this commitment to transparency and university engagement resulted in a successful accreditation commendation, demonstrating that deep institutional involvement is a driver for sustainable success and mission fulfillment.
Using the Carnegie Classifications as a Tool to Drive Institutional Analysis and Student Success
Sara Gast, Deputy Executive Director, Carnegie Classifications, American Council on Education (ACE)
This session will explore how the 2025 Carnegie Classifications can be used by institutional leaders and accreditation officials to better understand an institution’s data and equip them with tools and analysis that can further institutional behavior that is focused on student success. Attendees will learn about the updates to the Carnegie Classification methodology in the latest release and unpack the new Student Access and Earnings Classification, which examines two questions: Are institutions providing access to a student population that is representative of the locations they serve? And after students leave an institution, how much are they making compared to their peers in their job market? Attendees will also learn about takeaways and early research from the Carnegie Classification staff, have the chance to interact with new tools to analyze and benchmark data, as well as hear the latest on the next release in 2028 – and ask their questions.
Leveraging Institutional Culture and Climate to Sustain Academic Leadership
Dimitria A. Harding, Vice President of Academic Affairs, Miles Community College
This presentation aligns with several Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities Standards that emphasize institutional effectiveness, governance, meaningful discourse, and human resource development. Primary alignment includes Standard 1.B.1 (Improving Institutional Effectiveness), which focuses on the institution’s use of continuous assessment and planning to improve organizational performance, and Standard 1.B.3, which emphasizes inclusive planning and stakeholder engagement. The session also addresses Standard 2.A.2 (Effective Leadership Systems) and Standard 2.A.4 (Inclusive Decision-Making), highlighting the importance of clearly defined authority, accountability, and shared governance. Psychological safety and transparent communication align with Standard 2.B.2 (Meaningful Discourse and Independent Thought), while the emphasis on onboarding, mentoring, professional development, and fair evaluation directly supports Standards 2.F.1, 2.F.2, and 2.F.4 related to human resources. Together, these standards underscore that leadership retention is a critical component of institutional quality, integrity, and long-term effectiveness.
Courage, Caring, and Code: How Joyce University Went from Observing AI to Building It
Josh Knotts, President/CEO, Joyce University of Nursing and Health Sciences
AI is a transformative force in higher education, but many institutions struggle to understand how to maximize its benefits. This session focuses on how Joyce University is applying a spirit of innovation to rapidly prototype new solutions for students and faculty using AI. We’ll demo several tools we’ve built and launched, including Guinea Pigs, a QA bot; Daymaker, a student support intervention agent; and Policia, an agent that supports policy governance. We’ll also share best practices and takeaways for building a culture of empowerment and innovation with AI at the center.
Innovation with Integrity: Building Equitable Credit for Prior Learning Pathways
Rebecca A. Schwartz, Executive Director of Strategy, Innovation, and Effectiveness, Carroll College
Explore how Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) can expand equity, recognize lived experience, and support student success while maintaining academic rigor and institutional integrity. This session examines practical approaches to developing challenge exams, portfolio courses, and innovative CPL pathways that validate experiential learning, cultural knowledge, volunteerism, and community engagement as college-level learning. Participants will engage with real-world examples, implementation strategies, and policy considerations designed to help institutions build sustainable, student-centered CPL programs aligned with accreditation standards, institutional effectiveness, and equitable access initiatives.
