The Office of Assessment at Western Carolina University was established in spring of 2006 as part of an overall campus commitment to continuous quality improvement of institutional programs and curricula.
In an effort to expand the campus focus on assessment activities and to reinforce the importance of the assessment function as an academic priority the office was separated from University Planning and situated within the Office of the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.
Both offices, however, will continue to complement and support the other in promoting overall issues related to planning and institutional effectiveness. The Office of Assessment, specifically, will be responsible for providing support services to all campus units in their program assessment efforts.
Currently, the Office of Assessment consists of a director and an administrative assistant.
The director, Melissa Canady Wargo, has over ten years of experience in institutional assessment, research, and planning. Most recently, she was Director of Assessment at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, TX where she was responsible for the establishment of an institutional Office of Assessment. In that position, she provided oversight for all academic assessment activities, program review, and was a key staff person in the University's SACS reaffirmation process.
Prior to TCU, Melissa was Coordinator of Assessment at the University of Texas at Arlington and Coordinator of Institutional Research and Assessment at Oklahoma State University in Oklahoma City.
In her position as Director of Assessment here at Western Carolina University, Melissa will establish an accessible, client-based office whose key role will be to support to all campus units in their assessment efforts.
In addition, the Office of Assessment staff will be supported by a planning and assessment analyst located in the Office of University Planning. This individual will be responsible for providing technical and analytical support related to campus assessment activities, as necessary.
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