USU measures success by peer institutions
In a effort to make Utah State University a better school, administrators compare it to what are called peer institutions.
Dave Buhler, associate commissioner for Utah’s Board of Regents, said the board designates peers for each of Utah’s 10 higher-education institutions based on similar missions, enrollment and budget, using data obtained from the National Center of Higher Education Management.
“We then submit a long list to each institution, and they suggest 10 peers from the list. The Commissioner’s Office reviews the list to see if it is reasonable. Assuming it is, that goes forward to the Board of Regents.”
Chris Fawson, vice provost for Academic and International Affairs, said, “The fundamental reason we compare ourselves with other peer institutions is to adopt or to improve our own performance with the help and experience of other schools.”
After looking at other schools, USU comes up with a planning process for academic success. Compact planning, which allows a university to allocate funds after an assessment of department viability, is that process.
Tom Milligan, spokesman for Colorado State University, said USU is not one of his university’s peers. Schools in other states can choose different peers they feel are more valuable.
Tyson Kendig, Pennsylvania State University spokesman, said, “Penn State provides National Higher Education with other schools they think stack up well with theirs.”
Milligan said Colorado State doesn’t use compact planning, but “we put our resources to the areas that have the highest priorities.”
Kendig said, “We have different types of planning so that we can run efficiently. We can’t compare specifics, but we make sure we are all in line with the mission of the schools to citizens of Pennsylvania.”
A list of data made available at President Kermit L. Hall’s State of the University Address shows USU has the highest new freshman acceptance rate among its peers. USU accepts 98 percent of applicants, compared to the average acceptance rate of 70 percent. At four percent, USU has the lowest number of minority students. The average among peers is 11 percent.
“By looking at our data compared to other peer institutions, we learn from their example and get new ideas,” Fawson said. “In general, [we] can look at their polices, so we can adopt the best polices to practice.”
Looking at the credentials of peer institutions allows students to better pick schools that fit them.
-emilywalker@cc.usu.edu