Example Assessment Page

The Student Support Services program tracks data to follow how well we are achieving our outcome objectives displayed in the “Goals and Learning Outcomes” tab below. The Program uses this data to target and improve activities in achieving these goals.

Mission Statement

Student Support Services seeks to support disadvantaged students who have potential to meet the challenges of higher education by strengthening and developing their academic and self-management skills. Its focus is to insure that participants in the program have a realistic chance to persist in school and graduate from Utah State University. To accomplish these objectives Student Support Services provides services to enhance students' academic success, personal skills, and social skills. Providing services in these areas corresponds to the University's mission to support students' intellectual development, personal growth, and community advancement.

Vision Statement

The USU Student Support Services will be an exemplary TRIO program for its best practices in serving disadvantaged students by providing "holistic and integrated services" at Utah State University, the state of Utah, and the region.

Goals and Learning Outcomes:

To assist in reaching our stated mission, the Financial Aid Office will:

  • Provide accurate, timely service to students.
  • Maintain compliance with federal law.
  • Train staff to meet changing demands.
  • Publicize aid opportunities and serve as a resource to campus and the larger community.
  • Promote professional development and remain abreast of industry changes and best practices.

Foundational Documents

The Financial Aid Office adheres to the requirements of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (as amended), the regulations and guidance issued by the US Department of Education, and the guidelines established by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA).

Assessment Plan/Matrix 2017-2018

Goals
(Objectives and Learning Outcomes)
Assessment Tool
(Criteria)
Data Source
Documentation
Timeline Responsible
Persons
Map to
Division Goals
Increase our office’s participation in state, regional, and national professional association activities and trainings. Track number of employees attending or participating in association events and conferences. Program information or registration data. Spring/Summer 2018 Director Student Affairs Goals 1, 3, 6, and 7
Thoroughly evaluate exit counseling process and our compliance with federal requirements. Implement revisions as necessary FSA Handbook, NASFAA materials, best practices from other schools Argos reports, Banner data and processes, individual student files, and FSA Handbook. Spring 2018 Director, Associate Director, Team Lead (Counselor) Student Affairs Goals 2 and 6
Conduct a feasibility study on the creation of an authenticated student message system for financial aid-related questions and communications. Evaluation of ServiceNow and its functionality, paired with interviews of office staff and student focus group to define requirements. Employees and current student feedback, as well as documentation of business requirements and testing. Spring/Summer 2018 Director, Associate Director, Systems Analyst Student Affairs Goals 1, 3, and 6
Carefully scrutinize how we deal with SAR C codes that require institutional resolution. Make revisions as necessary, focusing on student experience. Evaluation of current processes in Banner and CampusLogic, including timeliness and content of student messaging. Argos reports, CampusLogic and Banner data, as well as resources from the Department of Education. Spring 2018 Director, Assigned Counselors Student Affairs Goals 1 and 6
Implement new strategies for managing cohort default rate and reaching out to support at-risk students and drive appropriate corrective action. Review of former students and risk factors, as well as best practices from other schools and industry leaders. Carefully track student responses to our efforts and resulting action to avoid default. Spring 2018 Director, Program Coordinator Student Affairs Goals 1, 3, and 6
Evaluate and refine awarding process, including removing supplemental requirements, reducing manual adjustments, and automating summer process. Review of current procedures, system processes, and areas that currently require manual intervention (looking for areas of opportunity for automation and simplification). Data from Banner and Argos reports, as well as interviews with counselors and identifying best practices at other institutions. Spring/Summer 2018 Director, Associate Director, Assistant Director of Computer Operations Student Affairs Goals 1 and 3

Outcomes Data

Please see the documents below for historical data measuring office effectiveness. They include total aid disbursed each year since 2004-05, as well as the summary from our most recent student satisfaction survey (conducted in October 2016) and our most recent Self Study Report.

Continuous Improvement

In the 2016-17 academic year, the Financial Aid office implemented a number of changes to better serve our students and keep pace with federal requirements:

  • Partnered with CampusLogic, bringing the verification process, as well as the gathering of other required documentation, online for students and parents.
  • Added past loan amounts to the student acceptance screen, in order to better inform student borrowing decisions.
  • Addressed conflicting data between 2016-17 and 2017-18 FAFSA data, as required by the US Department of Education.
  • Completely revamped our office website to be more intuitive and user-friendly.
  • Realigned alphabet queues for counselors to better utilize resources and improve service.
  • Implemented Appointment Manager, allowing students to schedule their own appointments with a Financial Aid Counselor.
  • Increased proactive communications to students in an effort to anticipate and resolve problems early.
  • Awarded 2017-18 Pell Grant funds during summer 2017 in preparation for the implementation of year-round Pell Grants to benefit our students.
  • Brought default management efforts back in-house to allow for more strategic efforts suited to the needs of our former students.
  • Hired three additional student employees to better manage workload and student outreach efforts.

Supporting Documents