5P5 Decision Making Process

The Administrative Team meets weekly and is the primary decision-maker within the organization, but the team relies on recommendations from many other committees and teams throughout the institution. Committees typically address issues related to operations, while the AQIP teams address long-term strategies. Each committee or team works to develop strategies for improving their designated areas and provide input on the direction of the institute. The teams and committees address some issues directly and make recommendations to the Administrative Team for others. All action projects must align with one of STI’s goal areas. Action projects are reported in the Action Database and subsequently reviewed by administration when budgeting and scheduling are addressed.

External governing entities include the Sioux Falls School Board, STI Council and the South Dakota Department of Education. The School Board is the official group which approves budgets, the Strategic Plan, and major initiatives. The STI Council performs an advisory function to advocate and support STI, reviews and recommends the adoption of the budget to the school board, and provides input into STI’s goals and strategic plans. Finally, the South Dakota Department of Education has approval authority for STI’s program offerings and instructor credentialing. STI’s administrators work directly with these governing bodies and bring the institute’s recommendations to them for approval. Table 5.1 describes various groups and their decision-making roles.

Table 5.1 Teams, Membership and Their Decision-Making Roles

Team/Entity	Membership	Purpose
SD Dept. of Education Division of Career & Workforce Education	Appointed by Governor	Approve funding and new programs, conduct yearly program reviews
School Board	Elected officials	Set policy; approve budget
STI Council	Representatives from community and school board	Advocate for the institute; provide input on strategic goals; review, recommend budget
Administration	President, VP of Academics, VP of Finance and Operations, VP of Student Affairs and Institutional Research, Director of Health, Director of Academic Support, Director of Students, Director of IT, Director of BIT	Lead major processes: planning, budgeting, human resources, enrollment, retention, academics, facilities, advancement, technology, student support services, business and industry training
AQIP Futures Team	Administration, staff, faculty	Lead strategic planning and continuous quality improvement
AQIP Education Design & Delivery Team	Administration and faculty	Design and make recommendations regarding curriculum, instructional strategies, and other academic topics
AQIP Student Success Team	Administration, staff, faculty	Design and recommend strategies for student success
AQIP Campus Climate Team	Administration, staff, faculty	Design and recommend strategies to improve employee campus climate
Action Project teams	Administration, staff, faculty	Plan, implement and monitor institutional projects
Curriculum Committee	Administration, staff, faculty	Approve curriculum, textbooks; monitor program and curriculum development and revision
Information Technology (IT) Dept.	Director of IT, IT staff	Set direction for IT delivery; maintain IT services
Program Teams	Faculty and academic staff	Manage programs, set curriculum; teach; recommend program planning and budget
Institutional Department Teams	Administration, staff, and faculty within the department	Improve internal processes, complete tasks and provide student and institute support for areas within the control of the department; set department action projects and budgets
Marketing and Marketing Committee	Marketing department	Manage communications, advertising and the marketing plan
Foundation Board	Community, administration, faculty, and staff	Raise funds for scholarships and other institutional needs
BIT Division	Administration, staff, faculty	Provide on-going and customized training for certifications, skills enhancement, and career opportunities.
Student Government Association (SGA)	SGA Advisor, elected student program representatives	Provide input and request changes to better meet student needs

The Deploying Actions Process chart provides a pictorial representation of how decision making and action implementation occurs.

The AQIP Futures Team developed the flow chart to represent the process that occurs as action projects are developed and deployed. Whether the action project involves program development, a request for resources, or changes within a department, the general flow of the process occurs with this pattern.

As Chart 5.1 shows, STI takes the following steps in developing and implementing its action projects. As indicated on the chart, this process directly links to the AQIP categories.

Capture: STI first identifies stakeholder needs through a variety of sources, including enrollment, retention and graduate rates, survey data, input from outside sources, etc.
Develop: Once a need has been identified, STI develops an action project by researching and justifying the need, identifying expected outcomes, and linking the action project to a strategic goal. Finally, the developed plan must be documented in the Action Database.
Decide: Depending upon the level of the action project, a decision is made about whether or not to pursue it. The final decision to continue with the action project may involve state or federal offices, the STI Council or Sioux Falls School Board, STI administration, or a program or department team or an STI committee.
Implement: Various factors play a role in implementing a particular action project. Expenses may need to be budgeted, infrastructure may need to be developed, relationships may need to be developed, etc. Each of these areas is addressed as the action project is implemented.
Evaluate: Final outcomes of the action project are evaluated based on various measures. These results are discussed and revisions are made to the action project to make it more effective.
Publish: Publication of action projects can take many forms, both internal and external, depending upon the action project and at what level it impacts the institute. These publications may include Student Learning or Action Databases, meeting minutes, emails, the President’s Report, newsletters, etc. Finally, the process loops back to stakeholders to capture additional stakeholder needs and repeat the cycle.