Category Nine examines the organization’s relationships-current and potential-to analyze how they contribute to accomplishing the mission. It examines processes and systems related to:

Identification of key internal and external collaborative relationships
Alignment of key collaborative relationships
Relationship creation, prioritization, and building
Needs identification
Internal relationships
Measures
Analysis of results
Improvement efforts

Answer the following questions about Category Nine.

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Context for Analysis (C)

9C1
What are your institution’s key collaborative relationships?

businesses, and other organizations. Also address the nature of the relationship (existing or emerging, feeder or receiver, community support, outsource, etc.). Activity that promotes internal collaboration among employees is best addressed in Category Four, Valuing People.

External collaborative partners might include organizations that are the sources of entering students (high schools, community colleges, places of work); organizations that are the destination of exiting students (four-year institutions, graduate schools, places of work); suppliers such as food services, book suppliers, and student recruiting services; external agencies such as state coordinating boards or state, local, or national governments; religious organizations; and other institutions or consortia of institutions.

9C2
In what ways do these collaborative relationships reinforce your institutional mission? If applicable, how do the relationships support changes in your institutional directions as addressed in Category Eight, Planning Continuous Improvement?

Involvement of external collaborative partners in planning processes may also be addressed in Category Eight, Planning Continuous Improvement.

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Processes (P)

9P1
How do you create, prioritize, and build relationships with the following?

Educational institutions and other organizations from which you receive your students
Educational institutions and employers that depend on a supply of your students and graduates who meet their requirements
Organizations that provide services to your students
Education associations, external agencies, consortia partners, and the general community with which you interact

9P2
How do you ensure that the varying needs of those involved in these relationships are being met?

9P3
How do you create and build relationships within your institution? How do you assure integration and communication across these relationships?

9P4
What measures of building collaborative relationships do you collect and analyze regularly?

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Results (R)

9R1
What are your results in building your key collaborative relationships?

9R2
Regarding 9R1, how do your results compare with the results of other higher education institutions and, if appropriate, organizations outside the education community?

For 9R1 and 9R2, address historical trends and patterns, as appropriate.

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Improvement (I)

9I1
How do you improve your current processes and systems for building collaborative relationships?

9I2
With regard to your current results for student learning and development, how do you set targets for improvement? What specific improvement priorities are you targeting, and how will these be addressed? How do you communicate your current results and improvement priorities to relationship partners, faculty, staff, administrators, and appropriate students and stakeholders?