“Creating a culture of evidence” is the organizing theme of this institutional portfolio and the central impetus of the principles, practice, and procedures that underpin the University’s mission, educational efforts, and strategic planning processes.

The 1997 Phase II CSUS accreditation report to the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) asserted that the University had developed “an institutional commitment to using evidence to improve institutional quality and effectiveness.” (p. 97) The campus is particularly interested in identifying specific evidence of its efforts in strategic areas, analyzing that evidence on both institutional and programmatic levels, and using its findings to make planning and resource decisions.

The University collects a wide variety of data in order to make the most informed decisions possible. For example, nationally normed surveys, locally generated survey instruments, and focus groups are all sources of information about student and community perceptions. Student performance is assessed in various disciplinary and program-based settings and analyzed in the academic program review process. Institutional data is collected and analyzed by the Office of Institutional Research. All of these sorts of evidence are presented in this portfolio.

Both internal and external stakeholders influence our assessment directions. Internally, program-level assessment is driven by an assessment policy that was first recommended by the CSUS Faculty Senate in 1992 and approved by the President. The policy was based on the premise that the process of creating a culture of evidence for assessment and improvement would, of necessity, be ongoing and evolving. A revised policy and format were approved for the 1996/97 academic year and in 2000, the Faculty Senate approved a two-year pilot program centered on the definition and use of a set of baccalaureate learning goals to be addressed by the assessment efforts of every academic program. Institutional-level assessment is driven internally by the University’s commitment to a broad-based planning process that involves all key constituencies in the maintenance, assessment, and evolution of a strategic plan to guide decision making, resource allocation, and continual improvement.

Individuals and organizations outside the University community are also interested in our programs and activities. Accreditors such as WASC, ABET, and the NCAA review our programs on a regular basis. Additionally, the CSU system has undertaken a series of assessment initiatives to support institutional change and improvement. Similarly, as a public university, CSUS must satisfy the changing expectations of the legislature and citizens of the state of California.

To undertake any sort of change in an institution as complex as CSU Sacramento is a challenge. To effect a shift in an academic culture’s basic paradigms requires commitment, energy, and persistence. As evidenced by this institutional portfolio, the faculty, administration, and staff of CSUS are focusing their efforts on improving the effectiveness of our educational enterprise ----moving us closer to our goal of being a high quality, publicly accountable, accessible, regionally-sensitive institution of higher education.