STANDARD 10 - PUBLIC DISCLOSURE

Introduction | Description | Appraisal | Projection

The university presents itself through appropriate media, both centrally and through its various units, to a variety of audiences: students, alumni, the public, governing bodies, accrediting agencies, and government officials. Statements and information that purport to represent the official position or policies of the institution come from designated offices and administrators. Less official documents and information which still, however, reflect the university and serve to shape its image in the minds of various "publics" or constituencies come from a variety of sources and are more decentralized. This chapter explores the policies and practices the university uses in presenting itself and disclosing essential information as accurately, clearly, and completely as possible. For a public university the extent of disclosure is theoretically unlimited but, in actuality, is balanced against rights of privacy guaranteed specifically, as in the case of student privacy rights under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, and generally for all students and employees as private citizens under state and federal law.

In accordance with the Commission on Higher Education's policy and procedures for Third Party Comment, UMass Dartmouth circulated an official notice in the months prior to March 2000, inviting public comment on the university's qualifications for continuing accreditation and announcing the self-study and the visit of the NEASC-appointed evaluation team in April 2000. The notice was published in appropriate publications such as the alumni magazine, campus newspaper, staff newsletters, and local newspapers, and on the self-study Web site along with the complete self-study report.

Communications

The university makes itself and its programs known through many offices and individuals. By policy and recent practice, the Chancellor and the Executive Director of Information, News and Publications are the spokespersons for UMass Dartmouth on institutional issues. Key administrators may also be designated by the Chancellor to speak for the institution in their areas of oversight. Examples of institutional issues are public safety, student admissions and housing policies, social issues such as student conduct, and topics of institutional achievement such as grants and prizes won by faculty or alumni. Such official statements are reviewed for accuracy, truthfulness, timeliness, and consistency.

The university is required by federal law to make available information regarding the certification requirements of the Drug Free School and Communities Act of 1989 and Title XIII of the Higher Education Act of 1965. In compliance with these acts, the Department of Public Safety submits a monthly Uniform Crime Report to the FBI. The Department also produces a brochure entitled, A Guide to Campus Safety and Law Enforcement, which reports crime statistics for the university community and outlines safety and security services, sex offense policies and procedures, and policies on student conduct regarding alcohol, drugs, and hazing. This brochure is made available on campus.

Other unit administrators, especially college deans, and members of the faculty and professional staff are encouraged to be responsive to public or special-group interest in their programs, research, or expertise. The News and Public Information Office develops and disseminates information on university activities and individuals to the mass media, electronic media via mail and the Web, and special interest publications such as trade and professional journals.

The Admissions Office is the university's most consistent source of communication to prospective students and the public concerning the institution's academic programs and overall image. Representatives of the Admissions Office, acting as recruiters, interviewers, or spokespersons are often the face of the university and have a significant impact on how the university is perceived in terms of quality, accessibility, and desirability.

Publications

The UMass Dartmouth General Catalogue is the official source for information on the university's mission, policies, programs, and qualifications of the faculty. It is the main vehicle by which the university presents itself and its academic programs to students and the public. It also serves as the contract between the institution and matriculating undergraduate students. The Catalogue is produced in the Office of the Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.

The Graduate Catalogue, also produced under the supervision of the Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, in consultation with the Graduate Council, is the official document describing the graduate offerings of the university. Each academic department offering a graduate program produces a separate brochure on its program, in accordance with the information contained in the Graduate Catalogue.

The Division of Continuing Education produces a catalogue of its courses and other offerings, both credit and non-credit, for each of its major semesters: Fall, Spring, and Summer. This catalogue, and other announcements from the Division, differ from the undergraduate and graduate catalogues in that their audience is both students and the general public, and the courses listed must meet minimum enrollment to run. A small number of university majors is offered through the Division, mainly to working adults.

The Student Handbook is the principal publication for enrolled students and is distributed to new students following admittance to the university and at various campus sites and offices. The Handbook is an official university document which contains information on student rights and responsibilities, university policies, code of conduct policy, Student Judiciary policies and procedures, standards of student behavior, as well as information on university services, resources, and programs. The Handbook is produced by the Coordinator of Judicial Affairs in the Student Affairs Division.

The publications of the Admissions Office provide the official tone, images, and narrative which tangibly convey the policies and identity of the university. These publications include the Admissions Viewbook, the "applicant yield" brochures for the five colleges, and various brochures targeting high school juniors or students interested in living on campus. All of these official publications are written, edited, and designed by the professional communications staff of the Office of Publications.

The College Now Program, which offers an alternative-admissions option for low income, ethnic minority, first generation, bi-lingual, and disabled students publishes, through the Publications Office, a program brochure and recruitment materials describing its programs and special admissions procedures.

Many academic and administrative units from departments to centers, produce publications, in cooperation with the Publications Office, focused on specific educational opportunities such as the Honors program, the minor or certificate in gerontology, labor studies, or the Center for Marine Science and Technology. Other offices produce campus life publications, for example, Housing and Residential Life (Guide to Living), the Athletic Department, the Counseling Center, and the Health Office.

The university also represents itself to the larger community through its Web page, occasional print and electronic advertising, and more than a score of official publications used for recruitment, retention, and fund-raising purposes. Prominent examples of external publications are the alumni magazine, UMass Dartmouth, produced annually for "Alumni and Friends of the University," and a newsprint version produced three times a year. Official internal communication is on a weekly basis in This Week, and seven times a year through The Observer. These official publications, regardless of their specific purposes, are issued through the university's publications office to ensure consistency of design and editorial standards. Publications personnel are experienced in representing the campus and its people accurately and fairly.

Major university publications with frequency of publication, and department responsible for their production include:

Course Availability

The Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogues list the courses offered by the university with descriptions of their content and programs. Information about the instructor, or the time of offering is contained in the semester Course Listings booklets. Neither publication indicates an instructor's unavailability due to sabbatical or other leave, nor the frequency with which a particular course is offered. In highly structured curricula, such as in engineering, students are able to determine the broad availability of courses by referring to the sequence of courses by year in the undergraduate catalogue. In many less structured majors, a student cannot determine the availability of particular courses from the various catalogues or listings. Academic advisors attempt to fill this void by communicating to students in their majors about the sequencing of courses. Some departments require faculty to submit course listings for the next academic year one year in advance.

The Office of the Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, in compiling information for the university catalogues, requests that departments eliminate courses from their general listings which have not been offered within the last four years, in compliance with CIHE guidelines..

Promotion and Marketing

The university promotes and markets itself through all of its publications, especially those publications which represent the views or programs of the university in an official capacity. A new logo, released in 1999, is designed to better promote UMass Dartmouth and to create a consistent visual identity for the university. In accordance with this new logo, the Publications Office introduced a pro-active and effective licensing and trademark policy, in accordance with University system guidelines. This policy protects the integrity of the UMass Dartmouth name by not allowing its misuse for commercial gain or any other cause that may be detrimental to the university.

Of course, since it became part of the University of Massachusetts system, the campus has had the advantage of general advertising and image-building from the President's Office, including a large-scale campaign recently aired in the Boston and Providence television markets. The campaign was of very high quality in scope and production and led to greatly increased visibility for UMass Dartmouth and the entire UMass system. In addition, the Division of Continuing Education has produced a number of radio, television, and print ads advertising the university's programs principally to an adult population.

The Office of Admissions has contributed to the enhanced image and reputation of the university with its use of more effective and visually attractive recruitment materials. The Office has also experienced an increase in its professional and clerical personnel, from five and six respectively in 1991, to six and seven in 1999. In 1991, high school recruitment was concentrated on the immediate region with some visits to other targeted districts in the state and Rhode Island. Today, all schools in the state are visited, as are many in Rhode Island and some in Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York. The professional staff now attend all major regional and state school fairs. The operating budget for Admissions grew accordingly, from $235,000 in FY92 (adjusted for inflation) to $351,500 in FY99.

Documentation of Outcomes

The university has yet to develop universal measures for learning outcomes aside from grades in individual courses and a student's grade point average. Partial exceptions to this statement are found in the assessment measures now being put into place to measure general education learning outcomes, and in professional fields, like Nursing, which require a licensure exam, and are able to assess the general effectiveness of their curricula through the pass rates of their students. In a related activity, the Career Resource Center publishes annually its survey of the graduating class of two years prior. Respondents give data on their salary, their occupation in relationship to their major, and their opinion of the academic preparation they received. The report is intended primarily for internal use, but is available to alumni and the general public. Center administrators provide interviews and data to media on career opportunities and placement outcomes.

The publication, UMass Dartmouth, both in its magazine and newspaper formats provides news on the careers of graduates, news about faculty achievements, and general news about the university. The publication is mailed to all alumni as well as area and state legislators, faculty and staff, and business executives. In addition, the Alumni Association has an individual section on the UMass Dartmouth Web page which provides news about graduates, the university, and the Association, and enables alumni to present news about themselves. The Admissions Viewbook and the individual college brochures provide information about the career or graduate-studies status of alumni, testimonials from students and alumni about their academic experiences, and information on faculty achievements in the areas of teaching, research, and community service. Finally, the News and Public Information Office provides continual information on university programs, accomplishments, awards, initiatives, etc. through news releases, press conferences, and outreach activities.

Availability and Review

The university distributes all of its publications free of charge to appropriate audiences and upon request to all others. For example, the faculty/staff newspaper, the Observer, published seven times a year, is distributed to all employees and mailed to approximately 400 off-campus individuals, including retired faculty and state legislators. Thereafter, it is distributed free to all others while supply lasts.

The Executive Director of Information, News and Publications is the public information officer for the university. As such, she responds to inquiries for information from citizens, campus personnel, students, public officials, the media, and others. It is office policy that inquiries be handled as quickly as possible by the appropriate persons. In addition, formal Freedom of Information Act requests are also funneled through the public information office, as well as to senior administrators and legal counsel. The institution does not advertise the availability of its audited financial record but makes it available to anyone who requests a copy. Statements about UMass Dartmouth's accreditation status with accrediting bodies are carried in the General Catalogue and in pertinent brochures of the five colleges.

The frequency of most official publications, e.g., the Admissions Viewbook and the staff/faculty newspaper, ensures that information is current. Rigorous review processes conducted by the news and publications offices with the cooperation of the appropriate departments help assure accuracy. The undergraduate and graduate catalogues are issued annually and updates are printed as needed to correct for changes since publication. The catalogues are reviewed by each department or office in coordination with the Office of the Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.

Communications and Publications

Consistency and accuracy in public disclosure and the coordination of official announcements and information are achieved through the designated spokespersons for UMass Dartmouth, the Chancellor and the Executive Director of Information, News and Publications. All other officers of the university, and the Admissions Office, may be called upon to represent official views or policies of the University in their areas. All employees, including faculty and staff, represent the university in a myriad of ways, many of them unintentional.

The university's efforts in public disclosure are generally well-organized and efforts are made to ensure that an accurate and generally positive portrayal of the university is conveyed both internally and externally. In the area of publications there is considerable professionalization and greater overall coordination of official and less formal printed materials. The Publications Office produces all official Admissions publications, but has a tangential role in the production of the undergraduate and graduate catalogues. These official academic documents are produced through the Office of the Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, in close cooperation with academic Departments and appropriate administrators. Although central coordination of university publications does not extend to the academic catalogues, this has not adversely affected their accuracy and consistency. Internal consultation within and across divisions assures coordination and completeness of policy statements and data.

A comprehensive Graduate Catalogue was produced for the first time in 1997. The appearance of a separate graduate catalogue reflects the growth of graduate studies and the increased emphasis on graduate programs in the university's mission. Greater administrative responsibility and coordination were achieved with the inclusion of graduate studies in the title and duties of the Associate Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs.

In addition to increased funding for publications, the university has also developed an official Web page through which it presents itself (www.umassd.edu). The Web site is described simply as the "official Web page of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth." There is no general disclaimer about the accuracy or currency of the information presented in the official pages. The only disclaimer is for information in linked unofficial sites: No other attempt is made to distinguish between the two types of information or sites.

Course Availability

The university does not guarantee through its current procedures that all courses listed in the academic catalogues are active and available within a period of three years. However, most departments are careful not to continue listing courses that have not been offered within four years and the Division of Academic Affairs, which is responsible for the catalogues, has initiated a process of reminding departments to undertake such a "housecleaning." To date, this is a voluntary activity with no automatic disqualification of inactive courses identified through computer lists.

Promotion and Marketing

The promotion and marketing of the university has developed considerably during the 1990s, and plans are in place to begin a coordinated effort in marketing research. Staffing has increased in the Foundation Office, and the Alumni Office has increased its activities and expanded its outreach. These two offices have the principal responsibility for initiating and coordinating the university's annual giving and capital campaigns. The results of these efforts are seen in the dramatic increase in giving both individually in large gifts and through the annual giving campaign of the Alumni Association. For example, the UMass Dartmouth Foundation increased its fundraising in the last five years from $500,000 to $5.5 million in FY99. (See "Fund-Raising," Standard Nine, p. 96.) With the dramatic political shift from state support to state assistance of higher education (state appropriations were 46% of the total at UMD in FY98), attitudes both internally and in the public about the appropriateness and need for fundraising by a public university have changed. The results of these changes is seen in the amounts raised in recent years and in the percentage of the increase just in the last five years; a period coinciding with the university's centennial celebrations and campaign and the Chancellorship of Peter Cressy.

Outcomes

WWe verify certain claims related to "statements and promises regarding such matters as program excellence, learning outcomes, success in placement, and achievements of graduates or faculty" (NEASC Self-study guide, p. 29). While this claim is essentially true of the last two categories, in the areas of program excellence and learning outcomes, we have had no adequate measures aside from grades and graduation rates. In addition, since we have neither developed nor implemented an educational outcomes assessment process we cannot verify claims regarding learning outcomes, except partially in programs which have national testing requirements for their graduates, such as Nursing and Accounting. Progress in bringing our public statements more in accord with our ability to assess them in these areas will come only when the university begins to implement a program which makes learning objectives more explicit and measures them adequately.

Availability and Review

The university produces sufficient documentation through brochures, catalogues, and public statements to permit the public and potential students to form an accurate view of the opportunities, programs, and services it offers. Internally, the official publications of the university are published on a regular schedule and reviewed thoroughly for accuracy, currency, and consistency.

The university gave increased attention to its public presentations and image in this decade. This process was encouraged by the incorporation of UMass Dartmouth into the state University system in 1991. As a result the university has gained visibility nationally and regionally, and has, in general, re-shaped itself through reallocation and specific program emphases, including accelerated efforts for accreditation of the College of Business, and resource allocations and fund-raising on behalf of Portuguese Studies and Marine Science.

In the coming years the university will have to assess the changes of the 1990s and come to terms with its need to develop a more cogent planning process and outcomes assessment. Both of these efforts will involve active reference to the mission and objectives of the school. Public disclosure activities, including publications, will have to be brought into harmony with the planning process and the inevitable shifts in priorities and program structure. To achieve this, the News and Publications Offices will take an active role in the planning process so that it can reflect accurately the dynamics and results of planning and prioritizing to the public and vital constituencies, including central governance bodies and legislators. The News Office will also begin, in AY1999-2000, to develop processes to increase the school's promotion and marketing activities through implementation of a marketing research plan and procedures.

Course and program availability must be portrayed accurately in the official publications of the university. Any courses that have not been offered within the last three years will be placed on inactive status prior to a review and possible final removal of the course from the Registrar's lists. The university planning committee will consider the issue of availability in its efforts to identify more fully the resource implications of instructional activities. In this context availability involves both the de-listing of inactive courses and the providing of students with more detailed information about long-term-scheduling and frequency of offerings. These measures will also improve "truth in advertising" in our official publications

A review process to assess the adequacy and relevancy of all university publications, in addition to the current review of content, will be established as part of the university effort to assess the operations of all university offices in accordance with their published objectives.

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