Probation Area 1.A: Mission
NMHU is fully accredited. The following is historical data.
Task: As stated in the HLC action letter, Highlands must provide evidence that the institution has ameliorated the findings of non-compliance identified in this action that resulted in the imposition of Probation, Core Component 1.A:
- a broadly endorsed and formally approved mission statement including mission documents that guide University operations;
More information was provided in the HLC action letter:
The University meets Criterion One, Core Component 1.A, “the institution’s mission is broadly understood within the institution,” but with concerns for the following reasons:
- The newly formed mission statement has not been connected to the strategic plan and the budgeting process; although the new mission/student body application was approved on 2/29/16, nevertheless, as the visiting team pointed out and the IAC Hearing Committee agreed, the plan was not implemented; and
- These issues expose problems in shared governance that the visiting team and the IAC Hearing Committee both found problematic. (This matter is also addressed in Core Component 5.C with respect to strategic planning and governance.)
Resolution: Highlands needs to accomplish four things to resolve Probation Area 1.A:
- Formally approve a mission statement.
- Create mission documents that guide University operations. Specifically, we will create a mission section of the website, mission handouts, mission videos, and integrate the mission into the unit strategic planning process, the staff evaluation process, and the annual budget process.
- Annually distribute mission documents.
- Monitor that these documents are guiding University operations.
Background: In January 2015, Highlands initiated the HU Vision 2020 process, designed to generate a new Mission, Vision, Core Values, and Strategic Priorities. When the HLC visited campus in Fall 2015, the process was not yet completed. As a result, we lacked a formally approved mission statement and mission documents to guide University operations.
Concerns regarding mission were increased because Highlands has a history of producing a new mission but not following through on using that mission in university planning and strategic budgeting.
Overview of Status: By passing a new Mission, Vision, and Strategic Plan through the Strategic Planning Group, the Administration, the Student Senate, the Staff Senate, the Faculty Senate, the General Faculty, and the Board of Regents (final approval February 26, 2016), we have finished the first part of this task. Since then, Highlands has produced a number of mission documents that guide University operations, including Unit Strategic Planning forms, evaluation forms for Staff linking their duties to the strategic plan, and a Budget Process dependent on the Mission, Vision, and Priorities. We have created a webpage dedicated to the mission and are have produced mission document handouts for Fall 2016.