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Office of Institutional Research and Planning Service Charter September 19, 2008 SERVICE CHARTER Office of Institutional Research and Planning University of the Virgin Islands OUR SERVICE CHARTER The Service Charter of the Office of Institutional Research and Planning tells you about:  WHO WE ARE  OUR VALUES  WHAT WE DO  OUR CLIENTS  OUR SERVICES  OUR COMMITMENT TO YOU  OUR SERVICE GUARANTEE  OUR SERVICE STANDARDS  HOW WE WILL BE ACCOUNTABLE  HOW YOU CAN HELP US  INFORMATION ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY  HOW TO CONTACT US WHO WE ARE The Office of Institutional Research and Planning is under the Provost Component of the University of the Virgin Islands. The Office was established to collect, organize, analyze, distribute and present data for planning, decision-making and policy formulation to support the University’s mission. OIRP also disseminates institutional data to external constituents, including federal agencies, our accrediting body, local government, and the public. The Office of Institutional Research and Planning supports student success and activities which contribute to the social and economic transformation of the U.S. Virgin Islands by the timely and accurate provision of data, statistics, and information. In summary, our primary mandate and function is to collect, analyze and report official data concerning UVI to internal and external entities 1 OUR VALUES We embrace UVI's value system that embodies the principles, ideals and beliefs of its students, faculty, staff, administrators, and trustees, and forms the foundation for UVI's actions.  Students First  Learning and Scholarship  Excellence  Teamwork  Collegiality and Shared Governance  Inclusiveness of Ideas  Principled Leadership  Supporting Our Community  Effective Use of Technology  Equitable Reward System WHAT WE DO The Office of Institutional Research and Planning (OIRP) is an essential component of the university providing data internally in support of data-driven decision making. In addition, OIRP provides data externally by completing mandated federal and accrediting body reports as well as providing data for our stakeholders in standard and ad hoc reports. OUR CLIENTS Our clients are administrators, faculty, staff, Board of Trustees, federal and regulating bodies, and the community. On an individual basis we provide students an opportunity to develop research projects for classroom use. OUR SERVICES We are dedicated to meeting your data needs by delivering an extensive range of services in OIRP, through the OIRP web site, and by offering an online, telephone and fax inquiry service. We will make available as many resources as possible in convenient electronic formats or in a format that best meets your needs.  Provide leadership in data collection, analysis and reporting  Provide timely and accurate information to internal and external constituents in support of data-driven decision making.  Provide compliance with federal and Middle States Commission of Higher Education regulations 2  Provide comparative data for UVI  Provide assistance in defining research needs and research design OUR COMMITMENT TO YOU We are committed to respecting the rights of our Clients, including:  the right to access services  the right to lodge a complaint  the right to privacy and confidentiality  the right to see information OUR SERVICE GUARANTEE To fulfill our service guarantee to you we are committed to having a well trained and supportive staff. To developing and maintain an open and accountable culture that is fair and reasonable in dealing with our clients. We will provide you with quality service by:  Providing you with courteous, responsive service.  Working with you to help you delineate your data requirements.  Recognizing that clients have different needs and personalizing our services and advise in ways that fit those needs.  Providing you clear, accurate, timely and relevant data.  Being clear and helpful in our dealings with you, giving reasons for our decisions.  Respecting the confidentiality of students, faculty, staff and personnel when releasing information and using it only in accordance with the law. All employees sign a confidentiality agreement.  Referring inquiries we cannot answer to an appropriate source.  Presenting our responses to your inquiries in a timely manner with the length of time dependent on the query.  Ensuring that our web site is user-friendly and well formatted. In delivering our services, we promise to honor the University’s “Top Seven” Service Promises: To smile To greet everyone we meet To know our jobs To treat your concern as our concern To follow up on queries To treat our co-workers as we would our customers Remember that communication and common courtesy matters 3 OUR SERVICE STANDARDS This charter describes the main services provided by the Office of Institutional Research and Planning. The following table describes how we will measure how effective we are in delivering our core services to our Clients. Appendix 1 Our Services Measures of effectiveness  Provide leadership in data collection, analysis and reporting Five examples per year of pro-active contacts with various components or university-wide activities. Responses dependent on one variable will be provided within 0-24 hours. (eg. Enrollment) Complex queries involving tracing several variables over several years and involving complex data analysis will be completed within three days to three weeks depending on the complexity of the question. 100% of all federal and accrediting bodies will be completed in an accurate and timely manner as indicated by documented due dates and submission dates Comparative timely comparative data from peer institutions will be available on the OIRP website 24/7.  Provide timely and accurate information to internal and external constituents in support of data driven decision making.  Provide compliance with federal and Middle States Commission of Higher Education regulations  Provide comparative data for UVI  Provide assistance in defining research needs and research design Of those individuals requesting assistance with either defining their research needs and research design 95% will indicate that assistance was provided. 4 The tables below show processing time service standards for our interaction with our clients. We aim to process 75% of cases within these service standards. However, the service standards are indicative only. Individual cases may be decided in longer or shorter periods than the service standard, depending on a range of factors, individual circumstances and the complexity of each case. Telephone Service Principles Service Standards Our telephones will be answered promptly We will respond to your calls within four (4) rings When answering the telephone, we will provide you with our name and work area We will be courteous, professional and helpful When we call you, we will provide you with our name and work area and tell you why we are calling All departmental business areas will have telephone service options during business hours We will respond to your telephone messages within one (1) working day. We will be accessible by telephone during business hours Our recorded messages will be current and give appropriate contact details during absences In person Service Principles Service Standards We will serve you within ten (10) minutes of your arrival, if you have an appointment We will serve you within 20 minutes if you do not have an appointment We will assist you promptly We will advise you, in advance, about any unexpected delays in attending to you We will be courteous, professional and helpful We will be neatly dressed and well presented 5 We will be accessible All departmental business areas will have in- person service options Our offices will be clean and comfortable, have clear signage and current, relevant information on display Interview Service Principles Service Standards We will advise you about interview arrangements in a timely manner. Where legislative timeframes apply, we will meet them We will inform you of any changes in arrangements before your scheduled interview We will give reasonable notice of interviews We will see you within ten (10) minutes of your appointment time and advise you, in advance, of any unexpected delays We will conduct interviews in a fair and reasonable manner We will consider the appropriateness of any interview and whether the required information could be obtained in another way We will actively address your diverse needs We will conduct interviews in locations that are as private and secure as possible and reflect the nature of the interview Written communication Service Principles Service Standards We will reply to all correspondence in a timely way using the most appropriate contact method – telephone, in-person or in writing We will respond to your correspondence promptly We will acknowledge email requests within one (1) working day of receipt, and provide you with a likely timeframe for our full response We will provide accurate, helpful and timely responses that are relevant to your needs We will identify ourselves and provide contact details in our written correspondence We will be courteous, professional and helpful We will record all of your correspondence on departmental databases and filing systems 6 All departmental business areas will have mail contact options We will be accessible in writing We will use out-of-office email messages when away from the office, and provide you with alternative contact details Applications and decisions Service Principles Service Standards We will acknowledge all applications within seven (7) working days – unless we make a decision in that time We will acknowledge applications promptly and inform you about the assessment process We will provide you with the details of any outstanding requirements, next steps and likely processing times in a timely manner We will identify ourselves and provide you with options for contacting us We will let you know how and when you need to provide information to us We will be courteous, professional and helpful Where you have a nominated representative, we will communicate with your representative We will be open and accountable and tell you the reasons for our decisions We will provide you with clear and timely reasons for our decisions and advise you of any review rights Our information Service Principles Service Standards We will provide clear, accurate, helpful and consistent information We will regularly review and update information to ensure it is current and meets your needs and expectations 7 Your feedback Service Principles Service Standards We will invite feedback and provide appropriate contact details in our client information We will acknowledge client feedback within one (1) working day of receipt We will resolve client feedback received via the web, email and telephone within ten (10) working days We value your compliments, complaints and suggestions We will resolve written client feedback received via the letter, fax or courier within 20 working days We will use your feedback to improve our services We will monitor and report on all feedback, and consider this in reviewing and improving our services HOW WE WILL BE ACCOUNTABLE We undertake to:  Monitor our performance against the standards set out in this Charter.  We welcome feedback on our performance, and suggestions for improvement from our clients and the public.  Provide explanations when our services do not meet acceptable standards of quality, timeliness or accuracy;  Formally review the standards set out in this Charter once a year and adjust them where appropriate in light of your comments and in response to ongoing changes;  Independently review our Charter at least every three years by inviting comments from clients, stakeholders and staff as part of its monitoring and review procedures. How You Can Help Us  We welcome your views and comments as a vital ingredient in helping us to monitor and improve the relevance and quality of our service to the community. 8  We will consider all suggestions fully and promptly in our planning for service improvement and, wherever possible, we will respond immediately.  We may occasionally seek your input to random surveys of how the community perceives our services and what services they need, including assessments of our performance. To help us help you, we ask you to:  Treat our staff with courtesy and respect  Attend scheduled meetings punctually;  Respond to requests for information by the department accurately, thoroughly and in a timely manner;  Provide us with changes in your circumstances promptly  Abide by any and all legal requirements and other obligations that clients are to meet in order to be eligible for services sought. To Help us Serve You Better  Let us know as soon as possible when we do not meet your expectations. We will investigate your complaint and tell you what we have done to resolve it.  To help us give you the best possible service, we welcome suggestions for improvement to address any difficulties you are experiencing.  We will try to resolve complaints satisfactorily and promptly. You can help us, by providing clear details of relevant facts, persons and dates when you make a complaint.  Complaints should be made to the person you have been dealing with (or that person's supervisor) or sent to our mailing address. Information about the Office of Institutional Research and Planning You can obtain information about the Office of Institutional Research and Planning by visiting our website at http://faculty.uvi.edu/iresearch/ The University of the Virgin Islands Strategic Plan and the most recent annual report are available through the University’s home page. The department’s strategic plan is also available through the University’s home page or can be obtained by contacting the department directly. A copy of the department’s annual report can also be obtained directly from the department. 9 10 HOW TO CONTACT US For all reference inquiries: Director Dr. Mary Ann La Fleur Postal Address: University of the Virgin Islands, Office of Institutional Research and Planning, #2 John Brewers Bay, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands 00802 Telephone Number 340.693.1013 Fax Number 340.693.1011 Email: mlafleu@uvi.edu Website: http://faculty.uvi.edu/iresearch/ To make a comment or a complaint: Mail To: Dr. Mary Ann La Fleur Postal Address University of the Virgin Islands Director, Office of Institutional Research and Planning, #2 John Brewers Bay, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands 00802 Telephone Number 340.693.1013 Fax Number 340.693.1011 Email: mlafleu@uvi.edu Website: http://faculty.uvi.edu/iresearch/