In preparation for the selection of the new University president, four outside consultants will be interviewing selected Nicholls constituents Jan. 28 through Jan. 31 on campus. This interview process will complete the next step in the institutional review of Nicholls that was commissioned by the University of Louisiana System last fall.
According to a similar review held at the University of Louisiana at Monroe last January, the purpose of an institutional review is to assess the general conditions of the university from an objective, yet informed, perspective, identify and address issues affecting the university and help form a tentative future agenda.
“I think the institutional review will help, because it will offer well over 100 people the opportunity to talk about their perspectives on the strengths and weaknesses of Nicholls,” Alice Pecoraro, vice president of academic affairs and coordinator of the institutional review on campus, said.
Those interviewed will include randomly selected faculty, randomly selected students, all administrators, all department heads, all deans, all directors, several staff members, alumni, benefactors and community leaders. According to Sally Clausen, ULS president, the interviews will contain specific questions and last about 30-40 minutes per person.
The review process began in December 2002 when Nicholls submitted major documents such as the University bulletin, faculty handbook, strategic plan, budget, news articles and department annual plans to the review team. The consultants conducting the review also received information from the ULS board regarding Nicholls in preparation of their visit.
After the interviews being conducted this month, the consultants will put together a final report, which will contain suggestions, evaluations and comments on several aspects of the University.
“There’s always room to improve a university. Even the very best corporation will be looking for ways to do work better and more efficiently,” Clausen said.
Academic programs, procedures, administration, athletics, budget, safety, admissions, graduation rates, technology and other university aspects will be evaluated. Pecoraro said she predicts the report will be ready four to six weeks after the consultants complete the interviews.
“I’m very optimistic about the institutional review, because I know that Nicholls is an excellent institution and that we serve students very well here. I’m very proud of all the academic programs and support services that we offer,” Pecoraro said.
“I feel we meet the needs of the students in the region and beyond, and the consultants will recognize our strengths.”
James Fisher, the most published writer on leadership and organization in higher education today, will serve as the review team chair. Fisher is currently professor of leadership studies at the Union Institute and president emeritus of both the Council for Advancement and Support of Education and Towson University. Fisher has conducted hundreds of reviews for private and public institutions and coined the term “institutional advancement.” He has also been a consultant to over 300 colleges and universities.
James Koch, distinguished professor of economics and president emeritus at Old Dominion University in Virginia, will serve as a consultant on the review team. He is also former president of the University of Montana and was named one of the 100 most effective college presidents in the United Sates by the Exxon Foundation.
Review team member, Farris Womack, is a former executive vice president and chief financial officer at the University of Michigan. He has maintained a consulting practice specializing in financing and administration of higher educational institutions since his retirement.
Scott Miller, president of Wesley College in Delaware, is the final member of the review team. Miller served as president of Lincoln Memorial University and was a professor of leadership studies. He is currently president-emeritus at LMU and serves on Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld’s Education Roundtable.
“They (the consultants) are coming with a lot of professional experience and are in a very good position to listen to what Nicholls constituents say and be able to determine strengths and some areas that may need improvement,” Pecoraro said.
Clausen has recommended a complete institutional review whenever there has been a change or possible change in leadership in order to help the incoming administrator. ULM went through a president selection and institutional review process last year. ULM’s institutional review yielded over 50 suggested improvements as well as comments on all the basic components of the university.
“The report and its recommendations provided not only a roadmap for initial changes at ULM, but also, and more importantly, freed me from the time-consuming task of their discovery and prioritization. I was able to immediately address the most pressing problems of the institution,” James Cofer, president of ULM, said.
Clausen and Pecoraro said they expect the review to not only help the president improve the University but also assist and motivate other staff members and faculty.
“The review tends to spark innovative ideas and spark people into action,” Clausen said.
“It (the review) certainly will be a very good instrument for the University to use,” Pecoraro said.
“One of the reports Nicholls has to do for its next accreditation is a Quality Enhancement Plan, and I believe that the outcome of this institutional review will be very helpful to us in developing our QEP.”