AES Assessment

Overview of AES (Administrative, Educational, and Student Support Units) Assessment

MSCHE and the CUNY system requires each college to systematically assess organizational effectiveness. The goals of this process are to enhance quality, innovation, and effectiveness in the delivery of administrative and support services. The Brooklyn College Assessment Steering Committee (BCASC) is composed of the associate provost and AVP of institutional effectiveness (ex-officio) and the vice presidents and senior vice presidents from the five administrative divisions at the college:

Academic Affairs
Enrollment Management and Retention
Finance and Administration
Institutional Advancement
Student Affairs

The BCASC sets the AES Assessment Goals and Objectives for each year in alignment with MSCHE Recommendations and Strategic Plan 2.0.

The college has built upon the university's reporting structure for the CUNY Performance Management Process (PMP) and the academic assessment model. The college requires each AES unit to identify its unit mission and document the alignment of its goals with the college's Strategic Plan and the unit mission to the college mission. Annual assessment reports are required and reviewed in a peer review working session on a cyclical basis. The units are assessed on administrative outcomes determined by the unit and/or division and on student learning outcomes for any student-facing units. The core components of the AES unit reviews include:

Assessment of effectiveness in meeting the unit's mission—achievement of organizational unit goal and outcomes;
Contributions of the unit to the achievement of college-wide mission and strategic plan goals;
Contributions of the unit to the attainment of the CUNY goals and targets;
Identification of critical issues facing the unit; and
Development of a multi-year plan to address critical issues confronting the unit.

Most AES units may conduct assessment on a recommended three-year cycle, with units reporting on assessment activities annually. Note that ultimately, the cycle length for AES units is at the discretion of the AES division head, with a maximum cycle length of five years. Along with annual reporting, units must conduct a CUNY-mandated External AES Unit Review. The recommended External Unit Review cycle length is currently being determined by the CUNY MSCHE Council.