Accountability Measures
A Guide to the Accountability Measurement System
The goal of the University of Missouri Accountability Measurement System is to provide transparency and accountability regarding the university’s overall performance. Closely tied to the University of Missouri System Strategic Directions Plan, approximately 80 measures are organized into five major themes:
- Teaching and Learning
- Research and Discovery
- Community Service and Engagement
- Economic Development
- Developing and Managing Human, Financial and Physical Resources
Data are reported for each campus with some campus-specific measures also included. Each measure has three years of historical data, the current year’s data and data that represents a peer group average or facsimile. In some cases, peer group data are not available and/or another source of comparable data is more appropriate.
This information is used to help each campus set its three-year targets. To assess progress, the actual results for each measure are compared to the campus targets annually. The annual update is presented to the University of Missouri Board of Curators in January for the prior fiscal year.
Column Guide
Below is a brief description for each column in the accountability report:
No.: represents the number of the measure within each of the five themes for easy reference
FY07-FY10: represents data from July 1 to June 30 of that fiscal year
Indicators: a colored “stoplight” based on progress toward the three-year target or directional arrows where the measure does not have a target
Green: met or exceeded target
Yellow: in progress
positive trend
neutral
negative trend
Target: what the campus wants to achieve within three years, or by FY12. The target can be above, below or at the same level as the baseline. Not all measures have targets. Some measures are provided for trend information only.
Benchmark: represents the top-performing peer institution in FY07. The availability of comparison data typically lags behind the most recent fiscal year. Benchmarks are provided for those measures where “best in class” has meaning.
Peer average: the arithmetic mean of the FY07 peer institution data and /or similar data source (e.g. Moody’s financial ratios). The availability of comparison data typically lags behind the most recent fiscal year. Peer averages are not provided for certain measures where the information would not be meaningful.
Data Definition/Notes: used to provide additional information and perspective of data being presented.
Reviewed 2011-08-08.
