The measurement of progress toward strategic goals is foundational to the success of any strategic planning effort.
The Ohio State University aspires to be consistently recognized among the nation’s top ten public comprehensive research universities by 2020. To gauge our progress toward that goal, the university has developed a dashboard with clickable scorecards that chart performance in six defining areas: academic initiatives, medical center initiatives, resource generation, advancement, talent, and physical environment.
The university’s Board of Trustees uses these scorecards for monitoring progress and accountability. The scorecards are updated prior to each regular meeting of the Board and are discussed each time by the relevant Board committee. For example, the Academic Affairs and Student Life Committee considers the academic initiatives scorecard; the Medical Affairs Committee considers the medical center initiatives scorecard; and so on. The color-coded performance indicators show progress in these areas at a glance and, so, help focus necessary resources in areas where action may be needed.
All of the metrics on the Academic Initiatives scorecard are related to the core goals of the institution. For example, the Enriching Educational Experiences score, based on data from the National Survey of Student Engagement, helps us to understand how well we are achieving our goal of providing “an unsurpassed, student-centered learning experience.” Our national ranking among public universities for total research expenditures captures one aspect of our contribution to the advancement of fundamental knowledge.
Metrics for other scorecards are related to the strategic initiatives of the Medical Center; Advancement; Talent, Culture, and Human Resources; and to the One Ohio State Framework. Whenever possible, standard metrics established by professional organizations or accrediting bodies have been incorporated in these scorecards.