Standard I

Defining Institutional Mission and Effectiveness

Mission

Questions

1. What is the Mission of the College of Micronesia-FSM?
   Reply: Historically diverse, uniquely Micronesian, and globally connected, the College of Micronesia-FSM is the national institution of higher education of the Federated States of Micronesia. Originally established to develop teacher education, its current mission is to provide educational opportunity - academic, vocational and technical - for all people. Aimed at nourishing individual growth and national unity, scholarship and service, COM-FSM is dedicated to developing integrity, critical thinking skills, a breadth of vision, and the habit of reflection in an educational environment enriched by cultural traditions.
2. How was the Mission statement approved?
   Reply: The mission statement was developed through an intense collaborative process in which representatives of college and community stakeholders met repeatedly to come to consensus on precise language that reflects all views and that most completely and accurately states the mission of the college. From the college, persons on the Planning Council include representatives from each of these areas: administration, faculty, staff, Staff Senate, students, and Board of Regents. Additionally, those representing the college came from all four state campuses as well as the national campus and the Fisheries & Marine Institute. From the community, persons representing each of these areas participated in the development of the mission statement: business, churches, women, youth, persons with disabilities, traditional cultural leadership, and governmental bodies of the four states as well as the national government. Once this group prepared a mutually acceptable mission statement, the document was presented to the college cabinet, which approved it. The statement was then authorized by the college president and finally ratified by the college's Board of Regents, at which point it formally became the institution's mission statement.
3. What is the process for revising the mission statement and making revisions as necessary?
   Reply: The college views the mission statement as a living document and subject to change as necessary to keep pace with the evolution of the college. As an intrinsic part of the Strategic Plan of the college, the mission statement is subject to semiannual review during strategic planning sessions. Should a determination be made that changes are needed, the process described in section b.), above, will be repeated to ensure that a diversity of stakeholder representatives cooperatively revise the statement to reflect the necessary changes.
4. How does the college communicate its mission?
   Reply: The college communicates its mission statement in a variety of ways. The mission statement is prominently featured in many of the printed publications of the college, including the catalogue. It is electronically transmitted through the college's web page, and several college employees have begun appending it to their e-mail signatures. Plaques engraved with the mission statement are hung in buildings at each of the state campuses as well as at the national campus. The mission statement is read aloud at orientation sessions for all incoming students and at important official gatherings such as commencement ceremonies. It is submitted with each funding proposal/request to granting agencies and government bodies More importantly, the college's mission is communicated beyond just the words of its mission statement. The mission is communicated through the actions of the college, the programs it offers the community, and the education it provides its students. Thus, the mission is communicated through the daily life of the institution, the participants in programs, and the graduates of the college
5. How does the College ensure that the Mission Statement remains central to the College's planning and decision-making?
   Reply: As part of the college's Strategic Plan, the mission statement is an intrinsic part of all planning and decision-making at the college. Additionally, the mission statement is posted in the meeting rooms (board rooms) where planning and decision-making meetings are generally held. Furthermore, the mission statement is read aloud at meetings of the college's Board of Regents and at other pertinent meetings to remind all present of the central unifying principles guiding the work being done at those meetings.
6. To what extent does the College of Micronesia-FSM clearly define its Mission?
   Reply: Through the process of its construction as described above in section b.) and through the mechanisms for ongoing review and revision, the mission statement continues to clearly define the mission of the college.
7. To what extent do the members of the college community understand the Mission of the College?
   Reply: Three factors lead the college to believe its mission, through the mission statement, is fully understood. First, the language of the statement was agreed upon by a wide variety of stakeholders and college officials; thus each of the representative in the creation of the mission statement, including those from within the college community, believed the ideas could be understood by members of the groups represented. Second, the mission statement is purposefully phrased in plain language to optimize its comprehension. Third, the mission statement is widely communicated in a variety of modalities (print, electronic media, oral readings, etc.) to enhance understanding regardless of a person's ability to access the information, disabilities, and/or learning style.
8. How does the College evaluate to what extent the College community understands the Mission of the College?
   Reply: No comprehensive evaluation has been undertaken concerning the college community's understanding of the mission of the college. If a need is perceived that such a study would be useful in improving the life and work of the institution, the college's Office of Research and Planning is well-equipped to undertake such a project.
9. To what extent do external constituencies understand the Mission of the College?
   Reply: Because of the extensive depth of involvement of the external constituencies in the creation of the mission statement and the ongoing review thereof through the work of the Planning Council, the college has great confidence in the ability of the external stakeholders to understand the mission of the college.
10. How does the College evaluate how well its external constituencies understand the Mission of the College?
    Reply: In a similar vein to item h.), above, the college has not to date undertaken a specific evaluation project concerning the understanding by the external constituencies of the mission of the college. However, the college's Office of Research and Planning certainly has the capacity to undertake such an evaluation should the need to do so be perceived.
11. What evidence does the College have that its external constituencies understand the Mission of the College?
    Reply: In addition to the full participation in the creation of the mission statement, the college believes the increasing response to its presence and programs to be evidence that its external constituencies understand the institution's mission. For example, the college includes its mission statement and descriptions of the manifestations of the mission in funding proposals and requests, and the college has enjoyed ongoing success in funding by governmental bodies and NGOs. Requests from the community have come to the college for specific professional training programs (e.g., the request for a trial counselors program from the office of the country's Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the request for a health assistants' training program from the local and state hospitals) as well as for a wide variety of non-credit continuing education programs. The increase in participation in programs evidences that community members believe in the mission of the college. The increase in job applications indicates that people understand the mission of the college and want to be part of the exciting work which that mission implies. The dramatic increase in student applications evidences that not only the potential students themselves, but their parents, teachers, and mentors recommending that they apply to the college understand its mission and what that means to its graduates.
12. What are the broad educational purposes of the College of Micronesia-FSM?
    Reply: As laid out in the mission statement of the college, its broad educational purposes are to provide educational opportunity - academic, vocational, and technical - for all people. Specific broad aspects of these purposes include an emphasis on individual growth, national unity, scholarship, and service.
13. What is the intended student population of the College?
    Reply: The mission statement indicates that educational opportunity is provided by the college to all people. Thus, while it is true that the core nucleus of the current college population is comprised of traditionally-aged college students (immediately post-high school), applications are accepted (indeed, encouraged) from non-traditional and returning students for degree-bearing programs. Additionally, continuing education and community programming is provided to adults from many walks of life. Finally, children are served through several programs, mostly emanating from the Division of Education.
14. To what extent are we clear as a college about whom we are targeting as our potential students? Reply: In many cases, our funding sources define those whom we can target as potential students. For instance, a grant-related project may specify certain criteria that must be met by participants in a particular program. When such limitations are not present, programs are more widely advertised and information encouraging participation is disseminated to the community at large.
15. In what ways have we as a College ensured that our Mission remains central to decision-making and planning? Reply: By making the mission statement an intrinsic part of the Strategic Plan, by using the mission as a guideline for budgeting, and by placing the mission statement and the living proofs of the mission of the college in the forefront of the way the college represents itself on every occasion, the college has ensured that its mission remains central to decision-making and to planning.