Approved September 14, 2026
I. Purpose
UC Merced is committed to the continuous improvement of student support services and co-curricular programming and the advancement of student learning, development, engagement, belonging, well-being, retention, persistence, and success. To ensure the effectiveness and quality of student support services and co-curricular programming, all student support units shall engage in ongoing assessment and periodic program review.
This policy establishes expectations for a coupled annual assessment and periodic program review of student support units to ensure alignment with and effective support of institutional goals, promote evidence-based decision making, demonstrate accountability, and inform planning and resource allocation.
II. Scope
This policy applies to all student support units, including those in the divisions of Academic Affairs, Equity, Justice, & Inclusive Excellence, Enrollment Management, and Student Affairs and Engagement. For the purposes of this policy, student support units are defined as administrative units in which staff provide support, programming, and services to students via direct interaction with students. This work is intended to advance student success and related operational objectives and/or foster students’ development of specific knowledge, skills, attitudes, behaviors, or values - articulated as student learning or developmental outcomes.
III. Relationship to UC Merced's Administrative Review Policy
This policy establishes the expectation for the ongoing assessment and improvement of services and programming of those units that work directly with students. In contrast, UC Merced’s Administrative Review Policy enables the select review and improvement of administrative services and processes, especially those that cross divisions in support of critical academic and operational functions.
IV. Guiding Principles
Assessment and program review of student support services and co-curricular programs shall be guided by UC Merced’s Principles of Assessment.
V. Oversight and Responsibility
The Periodic Review Oversight Committee (PROC) is responsible for tracking that each division meets the requirements of this policy, receiving division reports, and identifying and as appropriate disseminating institutional trends and their implications in support of institutional improvement. As appropriate, PROC may direct division reports to relevant committees, including those charged with student success.
Division heads are responsible for ensuring the requirements of this policy are met within their respective divisions and for updating PROC annually on 1) the division’s compliance with this policy and 2) annual assessment and program review outcomes, including a brief summary of findings, actions taken to address findings, and the efficacy of past actions as ascertained through re-assessment.
VI. Annual Assessment and Periodic Program Review Requirements
Each division head is expected to establish a coupled annual assessment and periodic program review process for the student service units under their purview, with the results of annual assessment feeding into the program review process.
Program review should take place at least once every eight (8) years, following a publicly available schedule. Divisions are responsible for determining the number and scope of reviews, establishing the schedule, and funding program review activities.
Where delivery of a student support service involves more than one division or unit, divisions/units are strongly encouraged to collaboratively conduct assessment with the goal of maximizing positive impact and reducing administrative overhead.
Assessment and program review practices should be guided by UC Merced’s Principles of Assessment, informed by relevant professional standards, and conform minimally to the criteria outlined below.
A. Criteria for Annual Assessment
Divisional processes for annual assessment should support achievement of each unit’s mission with responsibilities established within each unit for examining 1) students’ achievement of the unit’s intended student learning and/or student development outcomes, if appropriate for the unit, 2) metrics the unit tracks on an ongoing basis to demonstrate its achievement of student success and/or related operational objectives,[1] 3) actions to improve student achievement of learning and/or development outcomes and/or student success/operational objectives in response to these findings, and 4) the unit’s progress implementing its action items from the previous program review and/or prior annual assessments. To clarify the outcomes to be assessed in each unit, divisions are encouraged to make use of logic models, rubrics, disciplinary standards, and other established assessment tools.
To ensure that workload remains manageable, units will generally be encouraged to focus on a subset of their objectives and/or outcomes each year with the aim of 1) completing a comprehensive assessment of its student success and/or related operational objectives and/or learning outcomes at least once in the period between program reviews, and 2) timely reassessment after implementation of improvement strategies to determine impact.
Annual assessment processes should establish how unit reports will be collected, disseminated, archived, and summarized for PROC.
B. Criteria for Program Review
Divisional program review processes will include minimally the following elements: 1) a self-study and report, developed by the unit(s) that reflects on unit data, including the results of annual assessment,[1] as well as any relevant disciplinary standards, 2) a site visit by one or more external reviewers, 3) a written report from the external team, and 4) development and implementation of an action plan in response to the review findings, with progress tracked in the unit’s annual assessments.
At the division head’s discretion, program review requirements may be fulfilled by contracted external professional organizations or consultants. In determining if a full or partial substitution for the division’s review process is appropriate, division heads should consider alignment with the division’s expectations for program review, including whether the review will include sufficient evidence or data provided by UC Merced, the opportunities for stakeholder participation, and potential benefits for development of staff capacity for reflection, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
[1] For units that contribute to an administrative service reviewed under UC Merced’s Administrative Review Policy, a brief summary of the outcomes of the administrative review relevant to the unit should also be included in the self-study.
