Environmental Scan Internal & External Environmental Reports

• 2017-2018 Allegheny Conference Inflection Report
• 2019-2020 Prepared for the Future Report 
• 2022- Survey of College and University Presidents Report 
• 2020- Employment Data by Occupation and Race for the Pittsburgh Region 
• 2020-2030- Next is Now Report 
• Envisioning Workforce Equity Report 
• Leading Through Crisis 
• Survey of the Higher Education Landscape 
• 2021- National Student Clearinghouse Enrollment Report 
• Pittsburgh Perspectives 
• Tomorrow's Learners and Their Mindsets 
• Undergraduate Retention and Graduation Rates
• The Shrinking of Higher Education
• Half of U.S. Adults Without Degrees Want More Education 
• 6 Post-Pandemic Predictions 
• Demand among Black, Latino students fuels college entrepreneurship programs 
• 17% of 2022 College Grads Run Their Own Businesses
• Low College Enrollment Threatens to Cause Long-Term Consequences

Inflection Point 2017-2018- Supply, Demand, and the Future of Working in the Pittsburgh Region
Executive Summary

Prepared for the Future: Policy recommendations to increase access for students to Pennsylvania's dual enrollment, early college in high school, and pre-apprenticeship programs
Executive Summary

Understanding Today’s and Tomorrow’s Learners and Their Mind-Sets
The Different Types of Potential Learners and What They Want
Executive Summary

2020-2030 Next is Now
A 10-Year Vision of Vitality for the Pittsburgh Region
Executive Summary

Organizational Description: Key Organizational Characteristics

The purpose of the Organizational Profile Assessment is to develop a comprehensive review of your institution using items aligned to a national quality framework.

As you review and complete, should you have any questions, please reach out to us.

Educational Programs and Service Offerings

1. What are your main educational and service offerings?

• Undergraduate (BA, BFA, BS) and graduate degrees (MA, MBA, MEd, MFA, MS, EdD, Ph.D., PsyD).
• Beginning work on a series of noncredit badges and certificates.
• Clearly defined internship and co-op pathways in the local industry.
• Newly launched outreach initiatives for underrepresented high school populations.
• Newly launched informational opportunities on careers and college success for high school students (on campus and on high school sites).
• Serve as an employment resource for local Pittsburgh businesses in need of student workers of all levels of experience – post-pandemic placement resource.

2. Out of the list above, rank the offerings in terms of importance to your organizational success, discuss the importance (e.g., high enrollment program, partnership program w/ other institution(s) or industry, high placement rates, % transfer, cost, includes stackable credential(s) embedded in degree)

1. Undergraduate and graduate degrees.
2. Clearly defined intern and co-op pathways in the local industry.
3. Beginning work on a series of noncredit badges and certificates.

1. How are your key educational programs and offerings delivered?

• Face to face, both residential and commuter.
• Hybrid
• Online (being revamped into an online school with greater customer focus and faster produce innovation).

Mission, Vision, Values, and Culture

1. Please list (or provide a URL to) your organization’s mission, vision, and values.

Mission: https://www.pointpark.edu/about/mission/index

Vision: https://www.pointpark.edu/about/mission/index

Core values: https://www.pointpark.edu/about/mission/index

2. In a paragraph or less, how would you describe your organization’s culture?

The organization’s administration is nimble and willing to innovate while also having the appropriate processes in place to maintain business functions. The culture of academic affairs is evolving with greater curricular innovation. Academics is providing deans in each school who will provide both innovation and process. Often feelings of a lack of innovation based on limited resources, which in term can limit people’s thinking

3. Please list your organization’s core competencies.

• Process ensuring institutional stability.
• The presentation of performing arts.
• Exploiting Downtown career opportunities for students.
• Preparing students for careers and vocational pursuits.

Workforce Profile

1. How many staff does your organization employ?

The approximate percent distribution of employees across divisions is (adjust divisions as necessary):

• Academic Affairs: (Includes all areas reporting to the Provost- full and part-time): 645 (76%)
• Student Affairs:59 (7%)
• Enrollment Management: 44 (5%)
• Executive (includes areas reporting to the President):  12 (1%)
• Finance/Administration: 94 (11%)

2. What segments exist in your workforce? FT Fac/Staff, Student workers, etc.

• Full-time Faculty    129
• Full-time Staff        261
• Part-time Faculty    320
• Part-time Staff       144
• Students (including Grad assistants)
• 238 (includes federal work-study, apprenticeships, grad assistants)

3. What organized bargaining units exist within your workforce?

• Full-time faculty - Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh / Communication Workers of America, Local 38061, AFL-CIO, CLC
• Part-time faculty - United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union, AFL-CIO, CLC
• Engineers - International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 95-95A, AFL-CIO
• Clerical – United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union, AFL-CIO, CLC
• Stagehands - International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States and its Territories and Canada

4. What do you believe the key drivers of engagement to be for employees at Point Park University?

• Respect and civility
• Competitive Salary and benefits
• Professional Development
• Opportunities for Growth and Advancement
• Flexible work schedule, including remote work opportunities
• Diversity and inclusion
• Open internal communications

5. Have any recent changes taken place in your workforce? (i.e. reduction in force, reorganization, etc.)

• Several staffing changes or additions within the executive level (President, Provost, HR, General Counsel, Advancement)
• Staff turnover rates have increased in 2022

6. Please list any key health and safety requirements, if any.

Assets

1. Share (or provide the URL to view) the last 3 years of enrollment data (total SCH) –

2021-22 Factbook – Page 33 (https://www.pointpark.edu/about/admindepts/institutionalresearch/media/files_factbook/factbook-2021-22.pdf)

2. Share (or provide the URL to view) the last 3 years of completion rate / graduation rate –

2021-22 Factbook – Page 124

4. Share (or provide the URL to view) last 3 years of % growth (or actual $) in Foundation (non-athletic foundation)
5. Share last 3 years of revenue-cost ratio for athletics
6. Please list any capital assets beyond facilities or properties that you believe are important to consider in visioning the future of PPU.

Organizational Structure

Provide an organizational chart showing reporting lines and governance bodies within your institution.

2021-22 Factbook –

The Executive Office org chart is on Page 8

Academic Reporting Structure is on Page 10

Student Picture 2022

See Fact Sheets for each college and the University as a whole for undergraduate and graduate student mix, program information, etc.

Factsheets for the University and each of the Schools are available from this webpage: https://www.pointpark.edu/about/facts/index

Stakeholders, Suppliers, Partners/Collaborators

Please utilize the table below to provide a list of our stakeholders, suppliers, and partners/collaborators. In addition, state expectations are associated with those stakeholders. Some examples are provided below.

NOTE: Expectations can be from the stakeholders’ perspective. (i.e., what the stakeholder expects from PPU) or from PPU’s perspective (i.e., what do we expect from stakeholders).

For example, for students as stakeholders, students expect that PPU will deliver and support a high-quality education that prepares them to be successful citizens. Conversely, we expect students to put forth effort in the classroom to remain engaged.  There can be multiple expectations for each stakeholder.

Other examples of what workforce/industry expects from PPU:

1. Be agile for collaborating on and creating training
2. Deliver industry-based credentials (IBCs)
3. Sustain and increase quality graduates

Example of what PPU expects from workforce/industry:

1. Partners with PPU to offer support; financial and engagement with our students (apprenticeships/internships), and advisory roles.

Current Strategic Plan 

https://www.pointpark.edu/about/mission/strategicplan/index

The University’s mission is supported by the four strategic initiatives, which provide direction and guidance to the University. The four strategic initiatives are Academic Excellence, Quality Student Experience, Managed Resources, and Community Engagement. There are also four strategic initiative committees of the Board that meet semiannually to review annual progress toward the overall completion of the Strategic Plan.

Supporting the four strategic initiatives are broad-based goals developed by the University prior to the approval of each five-year plan. Goal development is an inclusive process, occurring at the institutional, unit, and program levels.

The planning process’s next step requires each department and unit area to construct objectives corresponding closely to the goals. The objectives are integrated into the Annual Operating Plan (AOP), helping the University determine which goals are accomplished at the end of the five-year cycle. The Annual Operating Plan spans each academic year (September 1 through August 31) and includes the objectives and tasks that departments undertake to help Point Park accomplish long-range goals and further the mission of the University.

 Objectives are developed using the SMART methodology to ensure that they are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. Objectives contain key elements that allow for progress monitoring and accountability that including:

• Intended Results --- The outcomes that are expected as a result of accomplishing an
• objective
• Assessment Measures – The tools and methods used to measure the outcomes
• Actual Results --- The outcomes that actually occurred at the end of the planning year
• Use of Results --- The extent to which the results are used for continuous improvement
• Gap Analysis --- The difference between intended results and actual results

Finally, each objective has associated tasks that contain information about the specific actions needed to occur to accomplish the objective. Specifically, tasks:

• have a specific start, due, and completion dates
• have costs associated with them and the funding of those tasks must be approved by
• planning unit/budget managers.
• can be assigned to any individuals or units within the University.
• and their progress is tracked through regular status updates (quarterly)

Tasks and objectives are updated regularly by the departments and tracked in the strategic planning

software system -Strategic Planning Online (SPOL.) Dashboards generated from this system,

which provide an update on the goals, objectives, and tasks, are reviewed at the semi-annual

strategic initiative Board subcommittee meetings. At the planning year’s end, a final dashboard

gap analysis is presented, showing the difference between planned objectives and completed

objectives. Each summer, planning units begin formulating objectives and tasks for the upcoming planning year, beginning on September 1st. New objectives are reviewed and approved by higher-level planning unit managers.

Competitive Environment

1. What are your opportunities for growth in relation to the markets you serve?

• Online/non-traditional education.
• Badges and certificates.
• Nimble enough to develop unique, high-demand degree programs.

2. Who are the top competitors to your institution?

A copy of the final subsequent enrollment report is uploaded to our IR Team Files.

3. What are your current strategies to retain and complete students once enrolled at PPU?

PPU leverages a holistic approach to student success and retention. The system is cyclical and continuous and begins at pre-matriculation and continues through subsequent terms and graduation. Retention strategies are embedded within each of these stages:

Mitigation strategies to address enrollment/retention risks:

1. Pathways to Success advising model
   1. Implemented in 2014 to address student concerns that registration advising was inconsistent.
   2. The academic departments created 8-semester course sequences that would serve as a registration map for students that would allow them to graduate in 4 years.
   3. Concurrent to that, the process of registration was transferred to the Center for Student Success where success coordinators help students stay on their guided pathway, as well as help them to connect to important student support and services.
2. Foundations for Success
   1. Two-week summer program designed for new freshmen who are academically at risk
   2. Addresses organization, time management, and some basic remedial support.
3. Retention Management System (FinishLine)
   1. Communication flow system that allows instructors and other student support areas to issue early alerts whenever they feel students need help. Our office of Student Intervention will triage those situations to make sure students get the help they need to be successful.
4. Retention Prediction Modeling
   1. Using statistical modeling to identify the highest risk students. That information is confidentially shared with department chairs and other support areas so that specific strategies for these students can be implemented.
   2. Examples include more intentional communications, encouraging students to join clubs and other organizations, providing information about policies in different ways, etc.
5. Class attendance tracking/Low mid-term grade initiatives
6. Not Yet Registered Initiative
   1. Intentional outreach to students not yet registered for an upcoming term. This includes leveraging a variety of communication tools, such as texting, email, phone, and social media.
   2. Reasons for non-registration are logged and addressed (if it’s something we can control)
7. Success Grant/Emergency Fund
   1. A small pool of contingency funding specifically for students who run into unexpected financial issues and need short-term/one-time support.
   2. Decisions to award this funding are dependent upon rubric scores and other pertinent background information.
8. Retention-related Data collection
   1. Continuous analysis of complete withdrawal surveys, as well as notes from success coordinators and the retention management system, are used to make improvements.
   2. Leverage DFW reports to identify high-risk courses and embed tutors in those courses.

3. What differentiates PPU from other 4-year institutions in the Pittsburgh metro area? (Robert Morris, Pitt, Carnegie Mellon, for example)?

We do not compete with Pitt or CMU – they are research Universities.  We are more like RMU, but RMU seems to be nimbler than us (from launching new programs and articulation agreements perspective).

4. Are there opportunities to work together with other 2-year or 4-year institutions to increase opportunities for potential and current students?

Yes: Shared services, co-development of programs, shared resources.

5. What KEY changes are affecting your competitive position in the market?

• Shrinking demographic
• National debate on student debt
• Questioning of the value of the college degree
• Where have the males gone?
• Tight labor market with high employer demand
• Institutions dedicating more resources to financial aid – buying students
• Branding and reputation compared to other schools

7. What KEY sources of data do you utilize from inside and outside of the education sector to better understand student (for-credit and non-credit) recruitment opportunities? training and program development?

Strategic Context

Please utilize the table to document your key strategic advantages and challenges, as an organization.

Performance Improvement

Please provide a brief description of your performance improvement system, including:

• Processes for evaluating key organizational projects and processes
• Processes for improvement of key organizational projects and processes

Program Review: The Program Review process evaluates the status, effectiveness, and progress of academic programs, as well as identifies the future direction, needs, and priorities of academic programs.  A Program Review is conducted by internal members of the university and may include external reviewers.  It comprises a self-evaluation by the program and the program committee(s). Within Program Review, self-evaluation has a primary purpose of bringing about improvement and ensuring that the program is meeting its goals.

PARA: The PARA committee supports faculty, staff, and administrators in efforts to provide transparent support, direction, and structure to a performance-based resource allocation process, equitably prioritizing objectives that efficiently use university resources, align with the university’s strategic goals, and rely on comprehensive assessment for continual improvement.

Student Learning Assessment: Student Learning Assessment “helps determine whether students can integrate learning from individual courses into a coherent whole. It is interested in the cumulative effects of the education process” (Palomba and Banta). The outcomes information in program assessment is used to improve courses, programs, and services. Each program should have at least 5 measurable program objectives. Each year one objective is assessed. Numerous constituencies should be involved, including faculty, department chairs, program directors, appropriate administrators, advisory boards, and, of course, students.

Essential components of Student Learning Assessment:

• Clear, Measurable, and Meaningful Goals/Objectives/Outcomes
• Indirect Assessment Measures:
  • Program Review Data: enrollment/graduation rates, advisory group recommendations, career placement stats, graduate school placement rates
  • Focus Group Info: interviews with students, faculty, employers
  • NSSE or SSI scores (Student Perception Surveys)
  • Number of student hours spent in community services, collaborative learning activities, active learning, pertinent extra-curricular activities
  • Student self-reflection essays
• Direct Assessment Measures:
  • Portfolios of student work scored by a rubric
  • Capstone projects, theses, exhibits, and performances scored by a rubric
  • Pre-Post tests
  • Student Publications/Conference Presentations
  • Field experience rating sheets
  • Course-embedded test questions
  • Research papers scored by rubric

University Assessment: The University Assessment process develops articulate written statements, expressed in observable terms, of key institutional and unit-level goals that are based on the involvement of the institutional community. From these statements, objectives or strategies to achieve those goals are designed. Each year chosen objectives are assessed based on the achievement of those key goals. The use of the results improves programs and services with appropriate links to the institution’s ongoing planning and resource allocation process. Unit level outcome assessment results feed into divisional level assessment results which should be used to inform Strategic Planning initiatives and the Annual Operating Plan’s specific objectives. In addition, all assessment results should also inform our Dashboard Indicators.

Organizational Structure: Spans and Layers

As you think about your organizational structure, share your thinking about efficiencies

• Across leadership structure (layers; include thoughts about direct report headcount per supervisor, and by division)
• Within divisions (spans)

* See Org Chart(s)