Andrew Hibel, HigherEdJobs: What does a Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness do?
Dr. Paula Gill, Belmont University: As the Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness, I am charged with evaluating the university’s progress toward its performance objectives and seeking ways to improve services and processes that provide value for students. Belmont’s emphasis on institutional effectiveness is guided by its mission. Belmont is an institution committed to student learning, entrepreneurial thinking and action, and exceptional administrative services. Over the last 10 years, Belmont University has engaged in a series of broad institutional planning discussions in order to define more precisely its strategic position and sharpen its focus on goals designed to enable it to fulfill its educational mission effectively. If interested, our goals to continue this trend of innovation and improvement are listed at The Office of Institutional Effectiveness webpage.
Hibel: What was your career path? How did it lead to your current position?
Gill: In 1994, I began my 20-year service to Belmont as mail services coordinator in the university mailroom. I progressed to director of student financial services, associate dean of enrollment services, and most recently, vice president for institutional effectiveness.
I have been extremely fortunate during my career at Belmont to have a wonderful mentor who challenged me to be a lifelong learner, to spend time reflecting on my talents and gifts and how they could translate into meaningful work and service to others.
I came to understand that my talent and gift for moving along the continuum of strategic to deployment was relevant in any position from the mail room to the board room. The ability to see the big picture and then dive deep into the micro details to ensure successful execution while having a desire to bring others along in the process opened doors for increasing levels of responsibility in the institution.
I often say that each of us has a wonderful story, and it should be our goal to discover how we can use our story to impact the lives of others in a positive way. Part of my story is the fact that I began in the mail room and have moved to a senior-level position at Belmont. The most interesting part of the story though is contained in the chapters in between and all of the characters who played a significant role in my personal development and helped me transition through the always interesting plot. My story is one of dreams, challenges, perseverance and commitment.
Over the years, I earned a Bachelor of Science degree at Belmont and both Master of Science and Doctor of Education degrees from the University of Alabama–taking classes while I worked full time.
Hibel: Why do you think the importance of institutional effectiveness has grown and in what ways have institutions converted the idea of importance to actual implementation in regards to effectiveness practices?
Gill: The importance has grown in part because of the rapid change taking place in the world. We have seen industries and organizations disappear because they did not respond to the changing environment. Higher education institutions are becoming increasingly intentional about institutional effectiveness efforts to help their organizations meet the needs of the students, the needs of future employers, and the needs of their city, their state, and the world.
Institutional effectiveness is about building quality in all that we do.
Like Belmont, many institutions are creating positions that are responsible for looking across the institution for opportunities for improvement and appropriate change. This is in part due to the fact that data-informed and people-centric decision making and change takes a lot of time. You must have the ability to see the big picture and the ability to dive deep into the details, moving from strategic to execution.
Hibel: Strategic planning is an important process in achieving an institution’s vision. However, some institutions may experience resistance from staff and/or faculty regarding planning or working toward specific goals. If you were advising colleagues on the issue of staff and faculty engagement on their campuses, what are three strategies you would recommend to increase commitment to the institution’s vision and goals?
Gill: Yes, I believe strategic planning plays a critical role in achieving an institution’s vision. The process of strategic planning is where some institutions may experience resistance from faculty and staff. If I have to limit my response to three strategies for an effective planning initiative, I would include the following:
- Develop an institutional planning process that is transparent and inclusive.
- Be intentional about ongoing communication efforts to all faculty and staff throughout the process. You cannot over communicate during the strategic planning process.
- Develop a transparent and inclusive process for college level and administrative unit level planning to ensure that local level strategies, tactics and measurements roll up into the institutional goals and are aligned with the budgeting process.
Gill: We have seen the landscape of higher education change dramatically over the last decade. Higher education leaders are faced with increasing financial and accountability pressures from parents, accrediting agencies, and state and federal government. No industry or organization can continue to do the same things in the same way and expect different results.
We must commit to continuous improvement of our administrative systems, and we must explore and question the curricular needs of our students in the knowledge-based economy. To do nothing is a travesty to the institution and to those we serve. This is an exciting time in higher education and we have an opportunity to approach our institutional goals in an innovative fashion that can shape the future.
Hibel: Is there a general career background or specific skills that professionals seeking a position within institutional effectiveness should possess?
Gill: At many institutions, institutional research and institutional effectiveness are used synonymously. At Belmont, the term institutional effectiveness is used in a broader context. In my role, I am looking across the institution and helping identify areas for improvement that will add value to students and make the institution more effective. To do this, you must have the ability to understand the concept of systems thinking. Basically, you are viewing the organization as a system of interrelated parts; therefore, you must understand the implications to all parts of the system when implementing change to organizational structure, curriculum, processes and services, and finances. I began my continuous improvement and change learning journey by reading and studying the work of W. Edward Deming, Eliyahu M. Goldratt, John Kotter, and Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner to name a few. To lead sustainable change efforts you must value the opinions of others and have the ability to truly listen to others before making a decision. The ability to think critically, gather appropriate data to inform discussions, and involve front line folks in the process are also important.
Institutional effectiveness is also about looking forward. First we begin by making sure we understand ‘why’ we do what we do. Is there clarity about the mission of the institution? Next, we engage in conversation about the what, and next we will go about answering the how and who questions. Oftentimes groups spend a lot of time trying to figure out the how and who before they have a clear understanding of the what. As we consider the future of higher education and our responsibility to prepare students to be solvers of problems that have yet to be identified, we must have a process for hearing the voices and gathering input from of our internal and external communities and then using that information to move forward.
Hibel: What type of professional development opportunities, either on or off campus, would you suggest that professionals in the area of institutional effectiveness pursue?
Gill: During my career I have welcomed every opportunity for any professional development available both on and off campus. Belmont has a Center for Executive Education that provides leadership training to high potential leaders, and when the chance came along for me to attend the 18-month leadership institute, I jumped at the opportunity. Regardless of your career path, I believe you should take advantage of professional development opportunities to enhance your skill set, network with others in your industry or organization, and to expand your views. We must all be conscious of the fact that it is so easy to get tunnel vision when you have been in one area or one organization for several years.
I am very engaged with the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) and Network for Change and Continuous Innovation (NCCI). Both of these organizations promote institutional effectiveness through their programming and resource materials.
Hibel: After reviewing Belmont’s Office of Institutional Effectiveness website, it is evident that many projects are team-focused working on evaluating current situations and seeking potential innovations or improvements. Why do you think teams work well at your institution and what is your philosophy on successfully leading a team?
Gill: Belmont is like every other institution or organization in that there are times teams work well together and there are times when it’s a challenge. In general, I believe that Belmont is filled with faculty and staff who not only understand but also fully embrace the institution’s mission and are willing to work incredibly hard to see it fulfilled. When your teams know their ultimate goals and missions, it’s a lot easier to perform well together.
My philosophical approach to leading is team is one of mutual respect and collaboration. You have to be able to listen well, use good judgment, problem solve, model inclusion, make decisions, and be diligent with communication. When leading a team you must also be clear about the team’s goal(s) and their decision making role and whether it is consultative or collaborative. It can be very frustrating for individual team members without clear goals and expectations, and a project plan.
Hibel: One final question to end the interview–what aspect of working in academia are you most passionate about and why?
Gill: The academy is filled with students, faculty and staff who are curious, ambitious and smart, which creates an energetic and thoughtful environment that makes a university campus an exciting place to work. It’s important for everyone to seek to learn something new every day, but it’s certainly an easier undertaking within the academy among people who are committed to promoting excellence and education. This setting fosters a philosophy of cooperation and collaboration and creates a work environment that brings joy to people in their work. In addition, I am passionate about helping others be the best they can be so this is a perfect fit for my skills and career goals.