While strategic plans serve as North Stars for tracking long-term institutional goals, institutions need a beacon to guide them home. Without a framework to meaningfully assess institutional effectiveness, schools struggle to create focused, iterative quality improvement processes.   

California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), a university providing integral education focused on alternative ways of knowing, social and environmental justice, and radical transformation recently harnessed WSCUC values and Standards, adopting these as an overarching framework for assessing institutional effectiveness.

Adopting WSCUC values created an institutional context that provided opportunities to improve learning, satisfaction, well-being, and success. We invite you into the conversation about how to harness the positive, transformative power of the Standards.

Karen McClendon, Dean, Institutional Effectiveness, California Institute of Integral Studies
Kathy Littles, Provost, California Institute of Integral Studies
Kris Brandenburger, Executive Dean, IR, Strategy, and Innovation, California Institute of Integral Studies

Institutions of higher education operate on multiple, often conflicting cycles—daily student needs, annual budgets, curriculum assessments, and long-term accreditation processes. Misalignment across these cycles can create inefficiencies and stress. This session will explore how institutions can synchronize these rhythms for better outcomes. Attendees will gain practical tools to map and align their institution’s cycles, ensuring strategic cohesion and agility. Join this session to discover actionable strategies for streamlining operations, fostering collaboration, and enhancing both student success and institutional effectiveness.

Colin Marlaire, Provost, Pacifica Graduate Institution