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Office of Strategy and Institutional Effectiveness

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Sherman Hall at sunset

Office of Strategy and Institutional Effectiveness

Mission

The Office of Strategy and Institutional Effectiveness (OSIE) supports @ 2026 ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ's mission by coordinating strategic planning, institutional research, assessment, accreditation, and institutional reporting. The office works collaboratively across the University to support informed decision-making, institutional accountability, and continuous improvement aligned with the University’s strategic priorities.

About

The Office of Strategy and Institutional Effectiveness (OSIE) serves as @ 2026 ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ's central coordinating office for strategic planning, institutional research, assessment, accreditation, and institutional reporting. The office works collaboratively with Academic Affairs, Student Success, Finance and Administration, and other University units to coordinate these institution-wide responsibilities and guide continuous improvement across the University.

By bringing these functions together, OSIE helps ensure they are aligned with the University's mission and strategic priorities. Because these responsibilities extend across every division of the University, the office reports directly to the President.

Staff

Dr. Amy Patrick Mossman, Executive Director
Institutional liaison for HLC, IBHE, IAI, NC-SARA
Email: ap-mossman@wiu.edu

What We Do

The OSIE Office provides leadership, coordination, and resources in the following areas:

Assessment

  • Support academic and cocurricular units in developing learning outcomes, assessment plans, and annual reports in coordination with the academic program and co-curricular assessment coordinators.
  • Provide training, consultations, and resources to strengthen evidence-based assessment practices.
  • Facilitate annual university-wide assessment cycles and feedback processes to promote continuous improvement.
  • Align academic program and cocurricular assessment frameworks to create a shared, campuswide approach to student learning.

Accreditation

  • Lead and coordinate all institutional accreditation efforts with the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
  • Support academic programs with discipline-specific accreditation and IBHE reporting requirements.
  • Maintain accreditation documentation and oversee compliance with federal, state, and system-level regulations.
  • Facilitate processes related to substantive change, professional licensure disclosures, NC-SARA reporting, and IAI course submissions.

Strategic Planning

  • Guide the development, implementation, and progress tracking of the University’s strategic plan.
  • Support academic and administrative units in setting goals aligned with ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ’s mission and priorities.
  • Provide data-informed insights, planning tools, and dashboards that strengthen decision-making.
  • Coordinate integrated planning across divisions to ensure coherence, transparency, and mission alignment.

Leadership & Collaboration

  • Partner with faculty, staff, students, and campus leaders to promote a culture of continuous improvement.
  • Communicate updates, expectations, and resources related to assessment, accreditation, and planning.
  • Work closely with the President, Provost, Student Success, Finance and Administration, Foundation, and Institutional Research to ensure that strategic initiatives and reporting needs are met.
  • Serve as a campus and external liaison on assessment, accreditation, and planning matters.

What the Executive Director Does

The Executive Director of the Office of Strategy and Institutional Effectiveness (OSIE) provides University-wide leadership for strategic planning, institutional research, assessment, accreditation, institutional reporting, and continuous improvement. Working collaboratively with University leadership, faculty, and staff, the Executive Director coordinates institution-wide planning and institutional effectiveness initiatives, supports informed decision-making, and helps ensure the University meets its strategic, accreditation, and external reporting responsibilities.

A Campuswide Integrator and Resource

The Director works with faculty, staff, administrators, and students across the University to build a cohesive culture of continuous improvement. This includes communicating updates and expectations; offering consultations, workshops, and training; and ensuring that our assessment and planning processes are transparent, evidence-based, and aligned with institutional priorities. The Director also partners closely with Institutional Research to ensure the right data, tools, and methods are used to support decision-making.

Assessment Leadership: Academic and Cocurricular

While programs and units assess their own learning outcomes, assessment at ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ is strengthened by a collaborative, cross-divisional University Assessment Team. The academic program assessment coordinator, co-curricular assessment coordinator, and the OSIE Director work together and with the Student Learning Assessment Committee (SLAC) and Subcouncil on Assessment in General Education (SAGE) to provide coordinated support and guidance that help units:

  • Identify meaningful learning outcomes
  • Build and refine assessment plans
  • Conduct annual assessment of academic and cocurricular learning
  • Submit clear, consistent reports
  • Document results and impacts
  • Use findings to strengthen programs

The Director collaborates with both assessment coordinators to ensure consistent, aligned, institution-wide practices.

Accreditation Oversight and Compliance

The OSIE Office leads all work related to institutional accreditation with the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). This includes preparing major reports, coordinating reviews and site visits, maintaining compliance records, managing timelines, and interpreting HLC and IBHE policies for campus stakeholders.

The Director also supports program-level accreditations by offering guidance, promoting consistency, coordinating reports to IBHE, and assisting with specialized requirements such as IAI submissions, professional licensure disclosures, NC-SARA reporting, Regular Substantive Interaction (RSI) expectations, and substantive change protocols.

While the Provost’s Office manages curricular oversight and academic operations, the OSIE Director ensures that all curriculum-related changes are recorded, communicated, and compliant with state, federal, and accreditor regulations.

Strategic Planning and Institutional Alignment

The Director leads the design, implementation, and evaluation of the University’s strategic plan. This work includes:

  • Facilitating unit-level planning and goal-setting
  • Ensuring alignment between institutional priorities and unit initiatives
  • Developing metrics, dashboards, and progress-tracking tools
  • Coordinating the publication of planning documents
  • Supporting a campus culture of data-informed decision-making

Where the Provost’s Office oversees academic strategy and operations, the OSIE Office maintains the University's integrated framework for long-term planning across all divisions.

Campus Coordination and Administrative Leadership

The Director regularly partners with the President, Cabinet, Deans, Department Chairs, Student Success leadership, Financial Administration, and faculty governance bodies to ensure policies and processes reflect accreditation expectations, assessment needs, and strategic goals.

When to Contact OSIE

Email osie@wiu.edu if you need help with:

  • HLC, IBHE, NC-SARA, or disciplinary accreditation questions
  • Substantive change, licensure disclosures, or IAI submissions
  • Strategic planning guidance, unit goals, or progress measures

Our office can answer general questions about university-wide assessment planning and reporting. We work closely with the assessment coordinators. For specific questions regarding curricular assessment (general education and academic programs), please contact the Academic Assessment Coordinator, Professor Damon McArthur, at d-mcarthur@wiu.edu. For questions regarding co-curricular assessment, please contact the Co-Curricular Assessment Coordinator, Dr. Michelle Janisz, at ma-janisz@wiu.edu.

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