Telling an Evidence-Based Story of Mission Fulfillment and Educational Effectiveness

Since its founding in 2002, Nevada State College (NSC) has focused its attention on fostering an inclusive and innovative educational environment for students. NSC fulfills this mission in part through a comprehensive focus on assessment that includes regular participation in NSSE. NSC has incorporated NSSE in the creation of benchmark comparisons with peer institutions, promotional materials, and the accreditation process. For example, first-year student results that were significantly higher than those at peer institutions on nine of the ten Engagement Indicators helped NSC demonstrate its strong institutional emphasis on academics and supportive faculty. As part of the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) accreditation, NSC incorporated NSSE results in its Mission Fulfillment & Sustainability Report to produce a comprehensive portrait of what it means to be a mission-driven institution. NSSE results demonstrated key elements of the mission and were used to inform the identification of quantitative thresholds for determining the fulfillment of objectives. Nevada State College exemplifies how NSSE data can be incorporated into an evidencebased story of institutional effectiveness.