3P2 Evaluation and Recognition

Evaluation and Recognition focuses on the assessment and recognition of faculty, staff, and administrators’ contributions to the institution. This includes, but is not limited to, descriptions of key processes for:

Designing performance evaluation systems for all employees
Soliciting input from and communicating expectations to faculty, staff, and administrators
Aligning the evaluation system with institutional objectives for both instructional and non-instructional programs and services
Utilizing established institutional policies and procedures to regularly evaluate all faculty, staff, and administrators (3.C.3)
Establishing employee recognition, compensation, and benefit systems to promote retention and high performance
Promoting employee satisfaction and engagement
Tracking outcomes/measures utilizing appropriate tools

Designing performance evaluation systems for all employees

Southeast Tech believes that employee evaluation is about assessing how the employee contributes to the overall performance of the Institute. This contribution not only includes fulfilling job performance as outlined in the job description and the Institutional Employee Code of Conduct, but also includes meeting agreed upon goals and completing professional development activities. Southeast Tech’s evaluation process, however, does differ according to position - full-time to part-time and faculty to staff (Table 3P2.1) (3.C.3).

**Table 3P2.1**
CAPTURE
Full-Time Staff	Full-Time Faculty (3.C.3)
NOTE: The following staff process was piloted two years ago in Southeast Tech’s Student Success Center and has been expanded to more areas since. The goal is to continue expansion until all staff are using the new process. While the previous process was similar, this new process is stronger and assures integration with the strategic plan. Each spring Southeast Tech employees are asked by their immediate supervisor to provide input on what goals the employee would like to pursue in the coming year. This includes two types of goals: Action Goals, which are directly related to job responsibilities or are within the ability and scope of the position to complete and are directly tied to Institutional goals; Professional Growth goals, which are goals directly related to the professional growth of the employee. The employee is instructed to develop these goals to directly link to Southeast Tech’s strategic plan. The immediate supervisor prepares a similar list of goals for the employee.	The faculty evaluation system is a negotiated process (involving input and agreed-upon processes by the faculty negotiation team and administration), which clearly delineates the procedure for faculty evaluation. During faculty members’ first three years, they are on probationary status and are under the Formal Evaluation Cycle with three classroom observations each year. Faculty beyond three years of experience are evaluated on a three-year cycle, each with different inputs: Cycle 1: Formal Evaluation - this cycle includes three key inputs: 1. Prior to a formal classroom observation, faculty complete a Pre-Observation Guide form providing specific information regarding the lesson to be presented. 2. Faculty also complete a Survey of Involvement form indicating their participation in Southeast Tech activities, teams/committees, etc., their promotion of Southeast Tech in the community, and their work toward meeting Institutional goals and/or mission. 3. Student input is gathered through the Student Survey of Instruction, allowing students to evaluate their classroom experience. Cycle 2: Alternate Evaluation - There are four options for this evaluation: 1. conduct a formal classroom observation (see #1 above); 2. complete a Survey of Involvement (see #2 above); 3. participate in Peer Coaching (working with another faculty member to improve in a specific area, which may include classroom visits and teaching techniques) or 4. participate in Peer Mentoring (assisting a probationary faculty member). Regardless of the option, students still complete the Student Survey of Instruction. Cycle 3: Non-Evaluation - no formal evaluation is required An Academic Administrator may also perform an Informal Evaluation - a visit to the classroom that is not scheduled with the instructor prior to the observation. General Education faculty who teach transferable courses are also evaluated by the South Dakota university system in every class every year using the IDEA evaluation tool. Results are shared with Southeast Tech administrators and the faculty member.
DEVELOP AND DECIDE
New staff and administrators are reviewed after the first 30 and 60 days of employment. An optional 90 day evaluation may also be performed. Veteran staff are evaluated annually. Administrators in their first three years are evaluated annually; veteran administrators are evaluated every three years. Prior to July of the upcoming fiscal year, staff meet with their immediate supervisor to determine which goals will be pursued over the coming year. Using both the employee’s and the supervisor’s goal recommendations, the process is collaborative with goals agreed upon by both. Administration reserves the right to require specific goals. Final goals are documented on Employee Performance Summary forms. Through a dropdown box, the form requires that all goals align to one of the strategic goals or the Institute’s mission and vision. All new goals begin in the “Active” stage. Each goal must also include a short title and longer description of the goal, including purpose and measures to be used for evaluation of the goal outcome. The form also includes a goal review area for reflection, which is to be completed by the employee and supervisor at the end of the fiscal year. Finally, sections are provided for review of overall employee performance that is directly linked to the Common Learning Outcomes expected of our graduates (Employee Characteristic Review), an area to highlight key employee work in meeting overall institutional needs, including recruitment, retention, accreditation/compliance work, committee/institutional support, and community outreach. Finally, a section is provided for recommendations for the coming year. This assures that all aspects of the employee’s job performance are evaluated and are directly related to the criteria that we hold as expectations for our graduates.	New faculty are automatically placed in the three-year probationary track and have three classroom observations per year. Veteran faculty (4+ years of experience) rotate through the three cycles, with rotation determined by the evaluation handbook. Veteran faculty on the Formal Evaluation Cycle have one classroom observation. Date for formal classroom visits are determined by administration and faculty prior to the visit. The choice of process for the Alternate Evaluation Cycle work is determined between faculty and administration prior to the October 1 date of the academic year. Administration works with faculty to determine peer coaching and peer mentoring assignments. Administration determines which courses will have students complete student surveys and attempts to survey both first and second year students while not overwhelming the number of surveys any individual student completes. Administration reserves the right to automatically assign faculty to specific evaluation processes as needed.
DEPLOY
Once employee goals are set, the employee, with assistance as needed by the immediate supervisor, works toward completion of the specified goals. A mid-year review meeting of the immediate supervisor and the employee is encouraged but is not required. In many cases, such a meeting is unnecessary because of the frequency of the interactions between the immediate supervisor and the employee. In other cases the mid-year review serves as a valuable opportunity to assure that progress toward goals is occurring.	Cycle 1: Formal Evaluation Once the formal classroom visit date is set, the faculty member completes a Pre-Observation Guide form, which details lesson goals and objectives, teaching methods to be used, expected outcomes, and areas of focus during the observation. The Academic Administrator then attends the class and completes the Classroom Evaluation form, which is designed to assist the administrator in effectively measuring the faculty member’s classroom strengths and weaknesses and provide comments for improvement. After the classroom visit, faculty members complete a Post-Observation Guide form, which assists in their reflection regarding the presentation. Faculty also complete the Survey of Involvement form. Student surveys are conducted (two classes for veteran faculty and all classes for probationary faculty). Cycle 2: Alternate Evaluation Classroom Observation - see above Survey of Involvement - see above Peer Coaching – the paired faculty meet throughout the year and document their experiences and outcomes on the Peer Coaching Progress form. Peer Mentoring – throughout the year, an assigned veteran faculty member who is part of the Academic Mentoring Program works with the probationary faculty member and documents their experiences on the Peer Mentoring Progress form. The peer mentor and mentee then meet with an Academic Administrator to reflect on the experience.
EVALUATE GOAL PROGRESS
Prior to the end of the fiscal year (June 30), immediate supervisors request employee input regarding goal progress toward the established goal measure. For those goals that were not met or were partially met, employees provide input as to what barriers kept them from meeting the goal measure. Similarly, the immediate supervisor provides input on the completion of the goals. Along with the request for goal progress updates, immediate supervisors and employees provide input on possible goals for the coming fiscal year. Comparisons toward the establish goal measures are made. Through a joint supervisor and employee review, the goal status is moved from ”In Progress” status to “Goal Met”, “Goal Partially Met”, “Goal Not Met”, “Goal Continued” or “Goal Removed”. The immediate supervisor completes the Goal Review section for each goal, including summaries of both the employee and supervisor responses. The immediate supervisor and employee then complete the Employee Characteristic and Key Process Work sections. The Employee Characteristic section is based on the Institute’s CLO’s and provides the opportunity to discuss CLO strengths and CLO growth opportunities. The Key Process Work section is designed to describe how the particular employee provides services to key process work at the Institution, including student recruitment and retention, compliance/accreditation work, committee or other institutional service, and community outreach. Finally, the employee and supervisor complete recommendations for goals for the following year. It is Southeast Tech’s goal that the final evaluation be inclusive of both employee and supervisor input; however, administrators retain the right to determine what will or will not be included on the final form. Once completed, both the employee and the immediate supervisor sign the evaluation form.	Cycle 1: Formal Evaluation After every classroom observation, the administrator and faculty member meet to review the information gathered from the Pre- and Post-Observation Guide forms as well as the Survey of Involvement form. Student surveys are also reviewed. Cycle 2: Alternate Evaluation Classroom Observation - see above Survey of Involvement - see above Peer Coaching - Faculty involved in Peer Coaching meet with an Academic Administrator to review outcomes, establish opportunities for improvement, and complete the evaluation process. Peer Mentoring - See Peer Coaching above. For General Education faculty, South Dakota university system information is also reviewed. At the end of the evaluation cycle when all required elements are completed, the Academic Administrator completes the Comprehensive Evaluation form, which summarizes the evaluation for the given cycle and indicates future employment status. If there is a concern, a plan to assist the faculty member in meeting faculty requirements is developed between the immediate supervisor and the faculty member and documented on the Plan of Assistance form.
COMMUNICATE AND PUBLISH
Immediate supervisors submit all completed evaluation forms to the HR department. The HR department assures that all staff are properly evaluated and provides a list to the Administrative Team of staff who have not been evaluated. It is up to the President or designee to work with each administrator to assure that all staff are evaluated on an annual basis. All relevant forms and required documents are then filed in personnel records by the HR department.	Completed evaluation forms are submitted to the HR department, which assures that all faculty are properly evaluated and provides a list to the Administrative Team of which faculty have not been evaluated. It is up to the President or designee to work with each administrator to assure that all faculty are evaluated on an annual basis. All relevant forms and required documents are then filed in personnel records by the HR department.
REFLECT
Southeast Tech uses the Noel-Levitz Employee Satisfaction Survey to gather data regarding employee satisfaction with the evaluation process. Survey results are reviewed by the Human Resources Department and the Campus Climate Team to determine opportunities for process improvements. The Human Resources department or a designee tabulates goal completions by strategic goal connections to determine process success (3R2).	Because the faculty evaluation process is included in the negotiated agreement, reflection occurs as part of the negotiated agreement process. Faculty communicate their requests for changes to their negotiating team, while administrators communicate their requests to the administrative negotiating team. These are then discussed as part of the agreement process.

Part-Time Staff and Part-Time Faculty Evaluation:

Besides student employees, Southeast Tech hires only a few part-time staff and temporary positions for short periods of time. These individuals are supervised and evaluated by the person directly responsible for their work assignments, and while there is no formal process for these positions, their immediate supervisor provides them with direction and determines their job performance and contributions to the Institute on a daily work basis.

Part-Time faculty are evaluated by their direct Academic Administrator during their first semester and periodically after that. Student Survey of Instruction forms are also completed by students and are part of the evaluation process (3.C.3).

Continued Employment: Should an employee not meet required standards for job performance, steps are taken to improve performance or remove the individual from employment. The required steps vary and are based upon negotiated agreements.

Soliciting Input From and Communicating Expectations to Faculty, Staff, and Administrators

Through the Capture part of the evaluation process, Southeast Tech is able to assure that input is solicited from faculty, staff and administration as part of the evaluation process. Additionally, the process provides the opportunity for communication of expectations, and later reflection on job performance, through the Evaluate and Communicate and Publish parts of the process.

Aligning the Evaluation System with Institutional Objectives for Both Instructional and Non-Instructional Programs and Services

By requiring that Action and Professional Development Goals align to the Institute’s strategic plan or mission through the evaluation process above (see Develop and Decide staff section), the Institute assures that goals align to Institutional objectives, whether instructional or non-instructional. Since the faculty evaluation process is specifically developed for instructional goals and Institutional involvement, this evaluation process also aligns with Institutional objectives (see Capture and Develop and Decide faculty sections).

Utilizing Established Institutional Policies and Procedures to Regularly Evaluate All Faculty, Staff, and Administrators (3.C.3)

The Evaluation Process described above is an annual process unless indicated otherwise (3.C.3). The faculty evaluation is documented in the Faculty Handbook as part of the negotiated agreement.

Establishing Employee Recognition, Compensation, and Benefit Systems to Promote Retention and High Performance

Employee Recognition:

Employee recognition is both a personal decision of the giver and personal preference of the receiver. What one person believes is recognition may not be to another. For example, formal recognition in front of all employees may be recognition for some individuals and embarrassment for others. Southeast Tech tries to be sensitive to the recognition preferences of the individual while still maintaining a process that recognizes employee contributions overall:

BLUE: Building a stronger campus climate has been a major initiative of the Institute over the past five years. Based on recent campus climate surveys, a sub-committee of the Institute’s Campus Climate Team developed a formal employee recognition process in 2013 called BLUE: Bold in our attitude, Leadership in all we do, United in our teamwork, and Excellence in our customer service. Any employee can recognize another employee in these areas by completing a simple form on the internal STInet site. The form requires that the employee check the area of recognition and provide specific details. Once submitted, an email is sent to a designated recognition processor who assures that the recognition is sent to the individual and to the immediate supervisor. Once a year, all the recipients are recognized at an all-campus Monthly Meeting. The name of each recognized employee is displayed and a random drawing is held with the winner receiving a Southeast Tech Bookstore gift certificate. To acknowledge and encourage more individuals to nominate employees, the person who made the winning nomination also receives a gift card. NOTE: While this process proved to be successful, it recently faltered and is being re-established for implementation in 2017-2018 (3R2).
Years of Service: The Human Resources department recognizes milestones in years of service annually at a spring Monthly Meeting. New employees and those reaching 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30+ years of service are recognized with service pins.
Events: The In-Service Committee and Campus Climate Team develop annual events for all employees to celebrate the Institute’s accomplishments and all employee contributions to that success. These are developed as part of the processes associated with these two groups and have included:
- Off-campus employee social events;
- Good News Reports at monthly meetings;
- Published articles and news briefs on accomplishments located on the Southeast Tech website and shared with the news media and the institute’s Tech Times magazine or featured in the annual President’s Report;
- In-Service celebrations and opportunities to build campus connections and foster camaraderie;
- Personal and specific acknowledgements through emails, thank you notes, words of appreciation, and recognition in front of peers at building or department/program meetings.

Compensation and Benefits:

To assure that Southeast Tech is offering a competitive salary and benefit package, the Administrative Team reviews salaries and benefits, comparing current salary and benefits to similar packages at other higher education institutions as well as within industry. Industry comparisons are especially important given the technical nature of our programs and the need to lure highly skilled technical individuals from industry into teaching. Because compensation and benefits have a significant impact on the Institution’s overall budget, the process used for the development of this system is completed as part of the Annual Planning process (4P2).

Most Southeast Tech employee group salaries and benefits are directly tied to the Sioux Falls School District negotiated agreements. Therefore, the exact compensation and benefits for Institute personnel are generally tied directly to how these groups are recognized within the District. This includes clerical, custodial, specialists, and administration. Only “employment contract” individuals are not designated as part of an official bargaining group and have their salaries and benefits directly determined by the Institute. Salary and benefit adjustments for this group are comparable to the adjustments made with the other negotiating groups.

The only negotiating group that works directly with Southeast Tech administration for adjustments to compensation and benefits is faculty. Through the Sioux Falls Education Association (SFEA), a faculty contract negotiation team works with Southeast Tech administration within the negotiation process to develop a compensation and benefits package for faculty.

NOTE: Recent legislation passed by the state in March 2017 removed all unions at the technical institute level across the state as of July 2017. Southeast Tech is currently working on how this will affect the Institute’s current employee processes, including compensation and benefits.

Promoting Employee Satisfaction and Engagement

Employee Retention is closely tied to employee engagement and satisfaction. Therefore, Southeast Tech strives to develop a culture of participation and input. This is accomplished through a variety of processes:

Campus Climate Team: The Campus Climate Team is the key team given the responsibility to work directly on promoting a positive campus climate.

The team’s process begins with the capturing and analyzing of the inputs directly related to the campus culture. Chief among these inputs is the Campus Climate Survey, conducted every other year. In previous years, Southeast Tech used a survey developed internally; however, starting in 2014, the Institute began using the Noel-Levitz College Employee Satisfaction Survey (CESS). The change was made to allow the Institute to collect comparative data regarding employee satisfaction as well as to better gauge significant changes in employee satisfaction levels. Additional inputs have included follow-up surveys developed to gather data on specific campus issues or to determine employee interests and in-service topics.

The Campus Climate Team holds a summer strategy retreat to review these inputs and develop potential actions and targets for the coming year. The team has several standing committees that work on specific topic areas throughout the year: Wellness, Recognition, Community Involvement, and Communications. As plans for the coming year are developed, the plans are assigned to a standing committee or are undertaken by a new committee. Additional employee membership is added to individual committees as needed.

A plan of action is then developed by each subcommittee for deployment over the coming year. In most instances, the approval of the Campus Climate Team is all that is needed to pursue an action; however, should other approval, input, or financial resources be required, the team seeks approval from the appropriate level.

Deployment is then completed by the sub-committees with members seeking outside support from various campus resources as needed.

Although the Campus Climate Team meets only three to four times a year, the process has been successful through the use of subcommittees. These subcommittees meet monthly or even weekly, as needed. Subcommittees report their progress at each Campus Climate Team meeting with actions adjusted as needed.

Once deployed, actions are tracked for effectiveness and are filtered back to the Campus Climate Team where the team and the Office of Institutional Research analyzes any data and compares results to established targets to determine overall effectiveness.

Meeting minutes are documented on the Team page of STInet, and actions are communicated to the entire campus through emails and Monthly Meeting reports.

Finally, during its summer retreat, the Campus Climate Team uses the collected data and implemented action information to reflect on how well the process worked and how it can be improved. Adjustments are then made to the process, which begins again by capturing the inputs.

Campus Teams/Committees: Teams and committees play a significant role in Southeast Tech’s planning, continuous quality improvement and daily operations processes. The team/committee roles in planning processes are described in 4P2 (strategic planning) and in 6P2 (AQIP Framework). Some teams/committees, such as the Curriculum Committee (1P4) serve a specific and well-defined purpose such as maintaining the Institute’s viability in specific areas. All of these teams/committees have developed processes and procedures that best meet their needs. Most meet monthly, if not more, to discuss concerns, develop and improve processes, and build a working community. All use the “Deploying Actions Process” described in 6P1. Some teams have learned that functioning as sub-committees that report back to the main committee three or four times a year has made them more effective. The emphasis on this team-based approach has helped Southeast Tech move its action projects forward, improve productivity, and provide better support services and stronger academic programming. Table 3P2.2 provides a list of Southeast Tech’s main teams/committees and their primary functions.

**Table 3P2.2**
Team/Committee	Purpose	Membership
AQIP Futures Team	Oversees AQIP process and AQIP teams, coordinates institutional information and data management process, recommends to administration future institutional changes. Reviews actions from all teams/committees through end-of-year summary reports to assure integration from across the Institute (6P2).	President, HLC Liaison, AQIP team representatives, building representatives (faculty, staff and administration)
AQIP Education Design & Delivery	Monitors student academic outcomes, develops, implements and recommends institutional-level program design and delivery methods (1P3).	One academic administrator, faculty representatives from all buildings, staff representative
AQIP Celebrating Learning Team	Communicates student learning assessments to stakeholders, assists program faculty in developing, analyzing, and completing program assessments and setting targets, monitors program assessments/targets and develops Institutional assessment reports, develops and implements Institutional-level student learning and student support assessments (1P1).	One academic administrator, institutional research representative, HLC Liaison, faculty representatives from all buildings, staff representative
AQIP Student Success Team	Monitors student satisfaction and student needs. Develops, implements, and recommends Institutional-level student success and satisfaction improvements (2P1).	Student Affairs administrator, representatives from support service areas, additional faculty and staff representation from all buildings
AQIP Campus Climate Team	Monitors employee campus climate. Develops, implements, and recommends Institutional-level employee campus climate improvements (3P2).	Administrator representative, faculty and staff representatives from all buildings
AQIP External Stakeholder Relationships Team (New 2016-2017)	Monitors external stakeholder relationships and satisfaction. Develops, implements and recommends relationship-building initiatives (2P3).	Administrator, marketing, foundation, career center, high school liaison, and recruitment representatives, faculty and staff representatives from across campus
Campus Technology Committee	Identifies, prioritizes, and recommends areas for expansion of technology utilization and on-going and specialized training. Assists in developing an on-going comprehensive Campus Technology Plan and recommends funding strategies and priorities for major technology expenditures (5P3).	Chief Information Officer, faculty and staff representatives from all buildings
Module Managers Committee	Provides guidance and a decision-making process regarding the management of the Campus Management System (5P3).	Chief Information Officer, database manager, module managers for all Jenzabar modules, one academic representative
Curriculum Committee	Provides guidance and decision-making for curriculum, textbook and technology changes that affect teaching and learning.	Faculty representatives from all buildings, Registrar, CIO, Bookstore Manager, Academic Administrator
Credential Committee	Approves the credentialing activities of faculty for renewal purposes in accordance to state-approved credential guidelines (3P3).	VP of Academics, faculty from across campus
In-Service Committee	Provides guidance and decision-making for faculty in-service agendas and in-service direction (3P3).	Academic Administrator representative, faculty representatives from all buildings, staff representative
JumpStart Committee	Provides guidance and decision-making for Spring, Summer and Fall JumpStart sessions (2P1).	Academic Administrator, CIO, and members from student success, general education, information technology and academics
Safety Committee	Provides input to ensure the safety of all stakeholders (5P3).	Administrator representative, faculty and staff representatives from all buildings
Scholarship Committee	Reviews applications and awards scholarships. Assists with the planning and volunteering for the scholarship reception (5P3).	Institutional Advancement Officer, faculty and staff representatives from across campus
Policy Committee	Reviews and revises institutional polices on a three-year rotation (5P3).	Board member, President, Vice Presidents (all), faculty and staff representatives

To assure all employees are invited to participate, the President’s Office sends out an annual email request to all employees with a list of teams/committees for their consideration. Employees can simply respond back to the email with the teams/committees they would like to join. The President’s Office then provides this information to the appropriate administrator or employee who oversees the team/committee. Current team/committee members rotate out of the group according to the by-laws established by the team/committee (6P2).

Program/Department Teams: Daily operations and the associated processes are developed and revised through program/department teams. These teams function differently according to the specific Institutional area and play a significant role in the area’s effectiveness. Through these teams, Southeast Tech strives to involve faculty and staff in the design of work processes and therefore the opportunity to contribute to their own success as well as the success of the Institute. Most of Southeast Tech’s continuous improvement initiatives have been employee, not administrator, driven. Whether it is the creation of a new form or a new process, Southeast Tech believes that input from those involved in that process is critical to the success of the Institution. That involvement also leads to improved productivity and employee satisfaction.
Strategy Forums: Southeast Tech hosts an annual strategy forum (summer) on a topic important to the maturation of the Institute (6P2). The topic may be set by administration, the Futures Team, or through an all-campus survey, depending upon the year and the immediate needs of the Institute in meeting its strategic plan objectives. Depending upon the subject, some employees may be chosen specifically to participate in the forum; however, forum participation is generally open to the entire Institute through an email invitation from the President’s Office or by the administrator overseeing the forum. Facilitators for the forum are chosen by the President or designee and may include administrators, faculty or staff. Facilitators assure that all participants receive the necessary communication and materials for the forum, prepare and conduct the forum, collect forum results, and present the results to the Futures Team. The Futures Team then determines what specific team or committee will work with the collected results to analyze data and implement actions based on the forum input. The Deployment process (6P1) is then followed to assure final actions are completed and that communication and reflection occurs.
Professional Development: Providing opportunities for continued employee training both on and off campus helps employees develop their skills and increases employee satisfaction and engagement. While development budgets are tight and not every employee receives the opportunities they deserve, Southeast Tech is working on ways to provide more opportunities for employee development as well as a way to assure that development is planned with employees on an annual basis through the evaluation process (3P1).
Employee Mentoring: The faculty mentoring process provides opportunities for veteran faculty to share their expertise with new faculty, and the peer coaching process provides veteran faculty the opportunity to share their skills with and learn new skills from other veteran faculty from across campus (see Cycle 2: Alternate Evaluation section). The Institute is currently working toward the development of similar mentoring processes for staff to be piloted in 2017-2018.
Employee Evaluation: The purpose of employee evaluations is employee growth, and as such, the process provides an additional way to engage individuals and improve satisfaction. By using the interactive evaluation processes described above in Performance Evaluation Systems, Southeast Tech administration has the opportunity to discuss employee needs and individual concerns and address them on a personal level. The process also provides opportunities to determine professional development needs so that these needs can be met, which also encourages engagement and leads to employee satisfaction.
In-service: Southeast Tech has established nine in-service days to be held each year for faculty professional development. The topics and agenda for in-service days are generated by the In-Service Committee, which is made up of faculty, staff and administration (3P3).
Employee Monthly Meetings: Communication is vital to assuring employee satisfaction. To provide a consistent and direct communication opportunity with all employees, Southeast Tech holds monthly all employee meetings throughout the year. To assure that nearly all employees can attend, offices are closed for the hour meeting. However, some classes are still in session and the childcare center remains open. These meetings include Good News Reports (positive events that have occurred since the last meeting), reports by teams/committees and departments, President reports on happenings and events (such as legislation) that directly impact the Institute, action project and goal updates, and program/department presentations to help assure all employees understand the roles played by other Institutional areas. Guest speakers are invited to cover important information, such as campus safety, community involvement opportunities, and assessment and accreditation updates.
Academic Building Monthly Meetings: The Academic Administrative Team holds monthly building meetings to improve communication with academic areas. While these meetings and topics are generally designed specifically for faculty and academic staff, Admissions and Student Success staff frequently attend these meetings and share important details in their respective departments.

All of these processes and activities promote employee engagement and satisfaction.

Tracking Outcomes/Measures Utilizing Appropriate Tools

Southeast Tech has developed an annual staff goal-setting and evaluation form that connects staff goals to the Institute’s Strategic Plan and/or Mission/Vision. Therefore, the key measure of the evaluation process are the outcomes of these goals. (This is a new process piloted from 2014-2017 in Student Success, which will be expanded into other areas for 2017-2018 as the new Strategic Plan is implemented.) The Institute tracks the following:

# of Goals Set
% of Goals Met/Partially Met/Continuing
% of Goals Met/Partially Met
# of Goals by Strategic Plan Pillar or Mission/Vision and # Met, Partially Met, Continued, Not Met, or Removed

Because the goal-setting and evaluation process is new to the Institute, no target has been set at this time.

Southeast Tech believes that evaluation processes and employee contributions to the Institution include meeting employee needs and employee satisfaction as key to our success. Southeast Tech uses the Noel-Levitz College Employee Satisfaction Survey to determine employee satisfaction in these key areas:

Job Performance Assistance and Meeting Employee Needs
Empowerment, Employee Recognition and Appreciation for Work
Employee Satisfaction (Spirit of Teamwork, Pride for Institution, Employee Overall Satisfaction and Employee Departures)