Executive Summary
Chapter One: Introduction

Notre Dame College becoming the finest, small, Catholic liberal arts college in the Great Lakes region.

Growth at Notre Dame College is attributed to three reasons. First, the College is maintaining and strengthening its legacy. Second, the College understands that from an organizational perspective, it is a turnaround institution. And third, the College has a vision.

Maintaining and Strengthening the College’s Legacy
The College’s legacy is tightly entwined with the Sisters of Notre Dame and their history, charism, and presence. The Sisters serve on the Board of Directors, work as faculty and staff, and support the College’s activities.

Notre Dame College as a Turnaround Institution
Notre Dame College remained a single-sex college until 2001. While an all-women’s college, full-time enrollment declined by more than half over a 30-year period. This decline created a sustained, long-term period of constrained resources.

The College cannot depend on fund raising as a way out of its financial fragility. Instead, the College is currently focused on enrollment as a strategy for turning around its serious challenges. Traditional enrollment is increasing but it is still below an optimal point to support the College’s operations. Full-time enrollment must grow to about 1,200 to 1,400 undergraduate students to reach economic stability.

The Vision of Notre Dame College
Dr. Andrew Roth, President of the College stated, “at Notre Dame College we will dream great dreams and live large lives so that in 10 years the next generation of leaders will find a college ‘poised to assume its place as one of the finest, small, Catholic, liberal arts colleges in the Great Lakes region.’”

This will be achieved by replacing a culture of austerity with a culture of execution and achievement; slow, steady, incremental growth; and creativity in programming, finances, distribution, recruitment, and promotion.

Self-Study 2000 and Surrounding Accreditation Events
In 1999 and 2000, the Steering Committee prepared for the 2000 reaccreditation visit. The Self-Study Report acknowledged that as a women’s college, Notre Dame College “struggled with the recruitment of traditional students…”

  • September 22, 2000: the Board of Trustees voted to admit men beginning in January 2001.

  • October 23-25, 2000: the Peer Review Team representing the Higher Learning Commission reported concern about the College’s low enrollment and the seemingly rapid adoption of coeducation. The Team recommended that a monitoring report be submitted by November 1, 2003.

  • Early in 2003, Dr. Anne L. Deming announced her retirement as President of the College.

  • On July 1, 2003, Dr. Andrew P. Roth assumed the Presidency and was inaugurated as the College’s 13th President on November 2, 2003.

  • The College submitted its monitoring report due on November 1, 2003. The Higher Learning Commission’s staff analysis concluded that (1) the College made a significant effort in addressing the concerns of the 1990 and 2000 comprehensive evaluation teams, and that a number of initiatives support the College’s efforts to increase undergraduate enrollment and retention; (2) although strategic and assessment plans have been developed, planning and budgeting decisions have been made without the involvement of all constituents and without the use of assessment and program review data.

  • A second monitoring report was submitted on November 17, 2004 and provided extensive information regarding the strategic planning process that had been strengthened over the year since the previous report. No further reports were required prior to the comprehensive visit scheduled for March, 2007.

Addressing the Higher Learning Commission Findings of 2000
The Visiting Team of 2000 provided a list of six concerns. The College has continued to address these concerns resulting in significant improvements.

  1. Failure to reverse the erosion in traditional undergraduate enrollment (while maintaining the success in recruitment of part-time and graduate students) continues to be a concern and efforts to address this problem need to be incorporated into a comprehensive strategic and tactical plan.

  • Since admitting its first coeducational class in Fall, 2001, the College made steady tactical progress by halting the erosion of traditional undergraduates and by growing its total enrollment.

  • A new Dean of Undergraduate Admissions was hired, staff was added, and the operating budget was increased.

  • The Dean implemented a new recruitment strategy, now a campus-wide priority based on quality admissions personnel, personal-touch customer service, and focused marketing.
  1. The College lacks a formal, on-going strategic planning process that involves all constituents and is based on assessment results. Formalized planning for the changes in enrollment strategy is limited. Scarce resources clearly limit budget choices but budget decisions need to be integrated into the planning and assessment processes.

  • The College created its Institutional Policy and Planning Committee as one positive strategy to increase involvement in planning.

  • The College moved expeditiously to resolve its immediate financial and enrollment challenges.

  • Current strategic thinking includes a goal to attract a high quality and diverse student population of sufficient size to ensure both the College’s survival and to create a vibrant learning community.

  • Strategic initiatives include enrollment and retention, land acquisition, facilities planning, campus safety, and new academic programs.
  1. There is confusion about the roles and responsibilities of faculty and administration in shared governance. Faculty and administration need to clarify when the corporate faculty makes final decisions, when it shares decisions with administration and when it gives non-binding advice.

  • One important sign of a healthy clarification of faculty governance was the major revision of the Faculty Senate Constitution and Handbook.

  • Concerning the faculty-administration partnership, the Faculty Senate and its key committees, the Educational Policy and Planning Committee (EPPC) and the Faculty Affairs and Development Committee (FADC) have taken appropriate decision making steps.

  • The new Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Senate Steering Committee work closely to identify key issues important to the academic life of the College.
  1. The College needs to give priority to investing in human capital by committing resources to competitive salaries and professional development of faculty and staff.

  • The President committed to amend faculty salaries until Assistant and Associate level faculty are at least at the 25th percentile in the State of Ohio.

  • The budget for faculty development has increased over three years.

  • The President discusses the College’s future with faculty and staff at scheduled lunches and dinners.
  1. The Board needs to take a much more active role in fund raising. It needs to retain and attract members whose primary role is to give or bring resources to the institution.
  • Recruitment and retention of students is the preferred strategy for assuring the College’s financial security. The College does not expect Board members to contribute as their primary role. Currently, the goal for Directors’ participation in giving is 100 percent of current active members contributing at least $1,000 annually.
  1. All files of full-time, part-time, and adjunct faculty do not contain official college transcripts.

  • The College maintains faculty files containing a completed application form, curriculum vitae, and an official transcript from the college or university granting the highest degree.

Executive Summary
Chapter Two: Criterion One
Mission and Integrity

Criterion Statement: Notre Dame College operates with integrity to ensure the fulfillment of its mission through structures and processes that involve the Board, administration, faculty, staff, and students.

Notre Dame College was founded by the Sisters of Notre Dame in 1922 and it holds sacred the history and charism of its founders. In its first years, the College’s Board of Trustees was exclusively Sisters of Notre Dame, as was the administration and most of the faculty. Today, the Board of Directors includes six Sisters of Notre Dame or 20 percent of the total membership, the faculty of 39 includes five Sisters of Notre Dame, and there are two Sisters on staff.

Notre Dame College’s mission documents are clear and articulate publicly the organization’s commitment.

The mission documents state goals for the learning to be achieved by Notre Dame College students. In addition to the Mission Statement, syllabi are to link the tenets of the Statement of Purpose to the course objectives. Students then understand how the course connects to the College’s larger purpose.

The second mission document is the Catholic Identity Statement. As a Catholic college, Notre Dame College seeks to develop minds through which Christ thinks, hearts through which Christ loves, voices through which Christ speaks, and hands through which Christ serves.

The Values List of the Notre Dame College Community defines the College’s code of ethics. This document was formulated in 2000 as part of strategic planning. After its creation, faculty and staff accepted it as a clear and honest statement of the College’s code of ethics. The Values are service to students, fairness, honesty, respect, diversity, collaboration, excellence, creativity, and celebration.

Through its mission documents, and the direction they provide, Notre Dame College recognizes the diversity of its learners, other constituencies, and the greater society it serves.

Notre Dame College addresses diversity within the community values and common purposes it considers fundamental to its mission. Twenty percent of the undergraduate student body, omitting international students, is African-American. The College promotes diversity by offering scholarships to minority students. The College was the first in the country and is the only college in the Cleveland area that offers up to half-tuition scholarship through the City Year Scholarship Program. Twenty percent of the graduate student body is African-American or hispanic.

Religious preference is another indicator of diversity. Since 2003, more than 47 percent of first-time, first-term freshmen report Roman Catholic as their religious preference.

Understanding and support for the mission pervade Notre Dame College.

An online survey of students, faculty, and staff in Spring, 2006, provided evidence of understanding and support for the mission. The findings included that the goals and action of the administration of Notre Dame College are congruent with its mission.

To support its mission, the College re-established an office of Campus Ministry in February, 2005. This is the College’s single most dramatic and public reaffirmation of its Catholicity. Campus Ministry performs six functions: (1) creating campus ministry mission documents, (2) forming the faith community, (3) appropriating the faith, (4) forming the Christian conscience, (5) educating for justice, and (6) facilitating personal development.

Notre Dame College’s governance and administrative structures promote effective leadership and support collaborative processes that enable the organization to fulfill its mission.

Board policies and practices document the Board’s focus on Notre Dame College’s mission. Each Board member serves on one of five standing committees. Committees bring recommendations to the Board for discussion and disposition.

At the broadest level, Notre Dame faculty share responsibility for governance of the College. Committees provide an important link in the total governing structure of the institution. The Educational Policy and Planning Committee (EPPC) is a standing committee of the Faculty Senate and is responsible for 12 functions relating directly to curriculum and academic processes.

The President’s staff is composed of six senior staff members, each responsible for managing a major function of the College. Weekly meetings address recruitment, retention, budget, and broad College-wide issues.

Notre Dame College upholds and protects its integrity.
The Board exercises its responsibilities to the public to ensure that the organization operates legally, responsibly, and with fiscal honesty. Notre Dame College understands and abides by local, state, and federal laws and regulations applicable to it.

Notre Dame College has been accredited by The Higher Learning Commission since 1931. In 2005 the Education Division received accreditation for its professional education program from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.

Notre Dame College abides by all Title IX athletic requirements. The College abides by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The College created a committee to review its sexual assault policy and procedures. Two initiatives resulted: (1) Development of Policies and Procedures on Sex Offenses and (2) Creation of the Sexual Assault Resource Committee (SARC).

The College presents itself accurately and honestly to the public and meets and consults with internal clients to ensure accuracy in news releases, advertising, printed collateral, and the Notre Dame College website.

Executive Summary
Chapter Three: Criterion Two
Preparing for the Future

Criterion Statement: Notre Dame College’s allocation of resources and its processes for evaluation and planning demonstrate its capacity to fulfill its mission, improve the quality of its education, and respond to future challenges and opportunities.

Notre Dame College realistically prepares for a future shaped by multiple societal and economic trends.

The strategic imperatives for Notre Dame College were, and still remain clear. The College must continue to increase enrollment, strengthen institutional operations, and turn financial fragility into financial stability. As the College’s recovery continues, it is very important to meet stated goals and to maintain credibility with its Board of Directors and the entire College community.

Notre Dame College’s environment is supportive of innovation and change. Its planning documents reflect a sound understanding of the organization’s current capacity. The College community has begun refining four strategic goals designed to facilitate a more formal, strategic conversation throughout the campus.

The President’s April, 2006 Strategic Thinking document outlines four strategic goals for the College’s future direction: (1) To create a distinctive Notre Dame College education anchored in the liberal arts, attuned to professional preparation, cognizant of students’ multiple learning needs and styles, sensitive to its Catholic heritage, and focused on the need “to not only prepare students to earn a living, but also to learn how to live a life.” (2) To attract a high quality and diverse student population of sufficient size to ensure both the College’s survival and to create a vibrant learning community. (3) To attain the financial, human, and physical resources necessary to ensure both the College’s survival and to position it for the pursuit of excellence. (4) To create an academic and administrative culture of accountability and assessment.

The Institutional Policy and Planning Committee represents the entire campus community. The IPPC will grapple with the Strategic Thinking document in order to complete a strategic plan by Summer, 2008.

Executive Summary
Chapter Four: Criterion Three
Student Learning and Effective Teaching

Criterion Statement: Notre Dame College provides evidence of student learning and teaching effectiveness that demonstrates it is fulfilling its educational mission.

Notre Dame College’s work to develop a comprehensive and continuous process to assess student learning is a three-part story.

Prior to and including 2000, it was difficult to awaken the faculty to see assessment as an institutional initiative requiring consensus on goals, collection of evidence, and communal interpretation of that evidence so that changes could result. In spite of the faculty accomplishing several steps toward developing an assessment process, they were without direction from an active assessment committee. Evidence collected was without the expectation of taking it to the next step of analysis; it remained in cartons or folders, lacking analysis and interpretation.

During Spring, 2005, faculty were introduced to a common assessment language, useful ideas, and steps to follow in an assessment process based on Barbara Walvoord’s research and practice. The first five steps focus on identifying course objectives, choosing two or three outcomes and their assessment methodology, and gathering evidence of student success. Most faculty members are engaged in these steps; the remaining steps have yet to be incorporated in the assessment process.

There are three current initiatives that include major assessment components. In February, 2005, the Education Division applied for the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and earned provisional accreditation in October, 2005. The College began a Bachelor of Science in Nursing program which was approved by the Ohio Board of Regents, the Higher Learning Commission, and the Ohio Board of Nursing by November, 2006. And, in 2005, seven faculty members and one administrator attended the Alverno College Institute (Connecting Student Learning Outcomes to Teaching, Assessment, and Curriculum).

Notre Dame College creates effective learning environments.

Classroom arrangement matches the type of interaction that occurs in the course: traditional seating, seminar rooms, classrooms with the flexibility to rearrange furniture, computer labs, and a SMART Classroom. The SMART Classroom was built in 2005 and includes 40 laptops and a projector system that projects computer and video images on touch screen white boards. This environment encourages students to interact in the learning process.

The College also provides learning support. The Advising Center helps students plan their programs and coursework. Students who benefit from tutoring and study groups can utilize the Dwyer Learning Center.

Technology support is available through numerous computer labs, wireless capability, and access to printers.

Notre Dame College’s learning resources support student learning and effective teaching.

Four resources are available to students. The Library offers artistic events, flexible hours, and access to OhioLINK. The Dwyer Learning Center provides free academic support including study skill development, individual tutoring, study groups, and test proctoring. Instructors utilize Web CT to post assignments and tutorials. The Academic Support Center for Students with Learning Differences is a fee-based service that provides students with skill development, instruction, adaptive equipment, and support groups.

Executive Summary
Chapter Five: Criterion Four
Acquisition, Discovery, and Application of Knowledge

Criterion Statement: Notre Dame College promotes a life of learning for its faculty, administration, staff, and students by fostering and supporting inquiry, creativity, practice, and social responsibility in ways consistent with its mission.

Notre Dame College demonstrates through the actions of its Board, administrators, students, faculty, and staff, that it values a life of learning.

Professional development opportunities for administrators, faculty, and staff have increased over the last few years. The Faculty Affairs and Development Committee (FADC) is the advocate for faculty development and is charged with the distribution of funds for all programs. Professional development for staff is based on institutional priorities such as increasing enrollment, preparing for reaccreditation, improving Office Suite computer skills, and responding to campus safety issues.

College publications regularly provide announcements of scholarly, civic, and athletic accomplishments. In addition, students and faculty are recognized at the Spring Honors Convocation. Three awards are presented to students at Commencement. Staff are recognized at General Meetings.

Although Notre Dame College is not primarily a research institution, scholarship on the part of faculty and students is plentiful. Faculty have produced artistic works and performances, led discussions of research findings, given presentations at workshops and professional meetings, applied for and received grant funds, and engaged in consultations.

Notre Dame College demonstrates that acquisition of a breadth of knowledge and skills and the exercise of intellectual inquiry are integral to its educational programs.

As a liberal arts college, Notre Dame College affirms its belief in the worth of the liberal and fine arts as values in themselves and as a basis for all other undergraduate professional and technical studies. The 42 or 43-credit General Education Requirements (GER) are the foundation of all degree programs and are integrated into major programs. Part of the EPPC’s responsibility is to review and evaluate these requirements.

The Master of Education program expands the educational foundation of the College by including preparation of master teachers. The program provides a solid grounding in the philosophical foundations of classroom teaching, an in-depth exploration of pedagogical skills, and skills required to design and implement a research project.

Notre Dame College assesses the usefulness of its curricula to students who will live and work in a global, diverse, and technological society.

The Educational Policy and Planning Committee (EPPC) is a standing committee of the Faculty Senate. Its primary duty is to review, approve, and recommend changes in the curriculum. The Faculty Senate Constitution and Bylaws provides a five-year, 11-step program evaluation plan.

Notre Dame College provides support to ensure that faculty, students, and staff acquire, discover, and apply knowledge responsibly.

Student Development staff carries out the mission of education and care. The staff recognizes each student as an individual with social, emotional, spiritual, physical, intellectual, and psychological needs. Student Development includes 12 departments or services that facilitate the growth of each student in an atmosphere of support, encouragement, and mutual respect.

Executive Summary
Chapter Six: Criterion Five
Engagement and Service

Criterion Statement: As called for by its mission, Notre Dame College identifies its constituencies and serves them in ways both value.

Notre Dame College learns from the constituencies it serves and analyzes its capacity to serve their needs and expectations.

Notre Dame College is committed to instilling a sense of social responsibility in its students. As such, service learning is a key component in the education of a Notre Dame student. With over 40 clubs, organizations, and initiatives from which to chose, service opportunities abound. Some of these are the FalconCorps, Kappa Gamma Pi, and the Education Council.

From the first inquiry about Notre Dame College by an interested applicant to the ongoing relationship cultivated with every graduate, every effort is made to make the experience a positive one. Results of surveys assist the College by suggesting changes linked to curricular choices and extra-curricular participation.

Notre Dame College demonstrates its commitment to diversity in all aspects of campus life. The Black Scholars Organization sponsors events that promote diversity. The College celebrates the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. The Tolerance Resource Center is a regional headquarters for research, outreach, and education. The Performing Arts Center is frequently utilized for exhibits and events focused on diversity.

Notre Dame College has the capacity and the commitment to engage with its identified constituencies and communities.

Since 2003 vast improvements have been made to the College’s website. Department sites have been expanded and are kept current. The result is that events, new program initiatives and other campus developments are available to the community. In addition, online and blended courses are offered through the College and its Center for Professional Development.

In addition to curricular activities, the College provides a number of co-curricular initiatives that establish relationships with external communities. Examples include Library art exhibits and presentations, history students employed as docents in local museums, opening residence halls to local children for Halloween celebrations, and the athletic teams offering clinics to aspiring athletes.

Notre Dame College demonstrates its responsiveness to those constituencies that depend on it for service.

Notre Dame College has articulation agreements with two community colleges. Collaborative efforts with Boards of Education enable students to gain valuable teaching experiences in diverse settings. The Library collaborates with other academic libraries through OhioLINK and consortia throughout the state. Transfer policies enable learners to complete a smooth transition to the College from former institutions.

Transfer policies and academic department practices are regularly assessed. Transfers are encouraged to participate in orientation activities.

Notre Dame College participates in numerous partnerships at the local, state and national level that focus on shared educational, economic and social goals. Some examples include College360, the Northeast Ohio Council on Higher Education, the Council of Independent College’s tuition exchange program, and the Ohio Writers’ Celebration.

Internal and external constituencies value the services Notre Dame College provides.

The College provides its constituencies the opportunity to evaluate its services through surveys, evaluation forms, verbal comments, email, and letters. Most response is positive. Suggestions for improvement are valued and implemented where possible.

Executive Summary
Chapter Seven: Conclusions

At the conclusion of each chapter, considerations were provided by the teams responsible for the criterion chapter to improve the College’s strategic thinking and operational planning. These considerations will be provided to the Institutional Policy and Planning Committee as it takes on future planning for the College. These considerations are organized by the four goals that were identified by the Steering Committee early in the Self-Study process. They range from the straight-forward and simple to the complex and resource-laden.

In addition to the considerations, the Institutional Policy and Planning Committee will include the recommendations of the Visiting Team’s report in its strategic thinking. This is a welcome task as Notre Dame College seeks to become…”the finest, small, Catholic, liberal arts college in the Great Lakes region.”