Office of Institutional Assessment, Research and Planning

What does AES Unit Assessment mean?

Administrative Educational Support (AES) Units are the offices and services that help students succeed both inside and outside the classroom. This includes services such as libraries, tutoring centers, academic advising, disability support, financial aid, student activities, and admissions. While these units don’t grant degrees, they play an essential role in supporting the University’s mission and enhancing the overall student experience. Following guidance from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), these units regularly assess their work by setting clear goals, measuring their progress toward meeting those goals, and using the results to make improvements. This process helps ensure that the services students rely on are effective, meaningful, and continuously improving.

What does IE Unit Assessment mean?

Institutional Effectiveness units are the offices and departments that keep the University running smoothly behind the scenes. This includes areas like finance, human resources, facilities, procurement, research, and advancement. While these units don’t provide direct instruction or student services, they play a vital role in supporting the University’s mission. Following SACSCOC Standard 7.3, these units regularly assess their work by setting clear goals, measuring how well they’re meeting them, and using the results to make improvements. Assessment often focuses on things like efficiency, quality of service, compliance, and stakeholder satisfaction. By tracking outcomes and making improvements, administrative units show how they contribute to the overall effectiveness and success of the University.

Who Participates?

Both the Administrative Educational Support and the Institutional Effectiveness units take part in the University’s annual assessment process. Each unit regularly reviews its services to see how well they’re working and documents the results every year. In line with guidance from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), the University recognizes that academic and student support units play a direct role in helping students succeed—whether through resources like libraries, tutoring and writing centers, student services, financial aid, residence life, admissions, or other programs that enhance the academic and campus experience. Administrative units also play an important part by keeping the University running smoothly behind the scenes. These include areas such as finance, facilities, human resources, procurement, advancement, and other offices that support the University’s mission. Each unit designates one or more Program Coordinators who make sure assessment activities are completed and submitted on time, following University guidelines. Some units may also use their annual reports to meet assessment reporting requirements, helping streamline the process while promoting continuous improvement.