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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>Dear COPLAC Institutional Research Officers:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'> Registration for the 2013 COPLAC Annual Meeting (20-22 June at Shepherd University) is now open at <a href="http://www.shepherd.edu/coplac/">http://www.shepherd.edu/coplac/</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'> We hope that you will be able to join us for this important meeting. COPLAC Board Members (the 27 Presidents/Chancellors) agreed in January that IR and IE Officers will be key players in a new branding and communications effort, and that it would be helpful to bring a group of institutional research and institutional effectiveness officers together this summer at Shepherd. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'> The preliminary agenda includes:<o:p></o:p></p><p style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-family:Symbol'>·</span><span style='font-size:7.0pt'> </span>Discussion and refinement of the current COPLAC data profile. While some discussion of this document has taken place over the past few years via email, we believe that it would be good for the group to meet in person and agree specific changes moving forward. <o:p></o:p></p><p style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-family:Symbol'>·</span><span style='font-size:7.0pt'> </span>Creation of a data-drive set of COPLAC “Quality Indicators” that can be used in future branding and communications efforts.<o:p></o:p></p><p style='background-repeat:initial initial'>As I mentioned in an earlier email, the COPLAC Board has launched a two-year effort to strengthen branding and communications. A new communications committee has been created, and this committee is drafting a set of COPLAC common “Quality Indicators”. The Board believes that when consortium-wide “Quality Indicators” have been identified, they should be "outcomes oriented" and supported by appropriate qualitative and quantitative data. This is where IR and IE expertise will prove invaluable. <o:p></o:p></p><p style='background-repeat:initial initial'>The proposed “Quality Indicators” should be available by early May, but they will likely include information on graduation rates and debt load. Some of this data is available in the current data profile, but there was some interest shown in the potential for break outs to include (if possible) graduation rates for transfer students (and other non-true freshman). We will need your expertise to think through other potential data points (NSSE?) that support the "value added" features of a public liberal arts education.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Thank you for your consideration. I realize that budgets are tight and travel funds limited, but it would be great to have a strong turn-out for the Annual Meeting at Shepherd. Would you let me know at your convenience if you plan to attend?<o:p></o:p></p><p>Sincerely,<o:p></o:p></p><p><o:p> </o:p></p><p>Bill<o:p></o:p></p><p><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Bill Spellman<br>Director<br>Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges<br>One University Heights<br>Asheville, NC 28804<br>(828) 350-4590</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><a href="http://www.coplac.org/" target="_blank">www.coplac.org</a></span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><img border=0 id="_x0000_i1025" src="http://www.coplac.org/images/coplac_email_logo.gif"><o:p></o:p></p></div></div></div></div></body></html>