Review Procedures for Establishing Institutes, Centers or Similar Organizations:
Evaluation of Existing Centers and Institutes:
Detailed Guidelines for Periodic Evaluation of an Existing Center or Institute
According to University and campus policy, each Center or Institute at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is to be reviewed, at a minimum, once every five years. This review is conducted under the direction of the Provost in consultation with the Vice Chancellor for Research. They, together with faculty appointed from each School and College, comprise an Evaluation Committee which conducts the review using a self-study as a basis for their work. The sequence of events is described in Section I. herein. A report is submitted by the Provost to the Chancellor making a recommendation about the continuation of each Center or Institute. The Chancellor, in turn, makes a recommendation to the President of the University.
The University (DOC T96-096) and campus (P97-ADH17) documents identify the general rubrics within which campus review takes place. In general, the review should:
• Confirm that the Center or Institute meets the tests of appropriateness of the Center or Institute to
the mission and goals of the campus and of adequacy of resources; and
• Make a considered judgment about the quality and effectiveness of the activities and the efficiency
of expenditures to achieve the organization's stated purposes and the campus' mission.
Furthermore, “centers shall be evaluated on their success in meeting their own goals and objectives, as well as their substantive contribution to the mission of the campus”. Termination could be recommended “for reasons such as a prolonged period of inactivity, insufficient level of funding,… misconduct of employees, disappearance of clientele served”.
While no single set of questions or standards of measure fit all organizations, specific criteria can help to inform the self-study preparation. Section B, “Criteria and Measurements for Self Study” lists six specific area of evaluation. As part of the self-study process, the Director of each Center or Institute is asked to comment on the subset of these items that is appropriate. The responses and additional documents comprise the self-study report to the Evaluation Committee. Text for each applicable topic should describe the extent to which a Center's or Institute's activities might apply, or provide evidence of a measure of satisfaction on the part of intended users or benefiting constituency
A. Evaluation Committee
B. Criteria and Measurements for Self-Study Report
General Guidelines
Definitions and Distinctions
Creation and Approval of Centers and Institutes
Approval Guide Contents
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