Revitalizing the role of values and objectives in institutions of higher education: Difficulties encountered and the possible contribution of external evaluation

This article is concerned with improvement in institutions of higher education through enhancing the role of values and objectives in guiding effort and evaluating outcomes. The term objectives is used in a broad sense to include general statements of institutional purposes, more specific instructional, research and public service goals, and professional and personal objectives of the academic community, as well as the goals of clients and the larger community within which a college or university operates.Difficulties are identified that stand in the way of optimization in determining and reassessing basic objectives and in working with objectives once they are determined. The possible contribution of external evaluation is considered, including that of accreditation agencies and evaluation research. Two additional approaches are suggested: a governance audit and, especially, an optimization review. An outline is provided of points that could be considered in an optimization review. Attention is given to an institution having access to and drawing upon diverse perspectives and needed capabilities. The role suggested for the external evaluator is that of providing insights that facilitate an institution in developing its own capacity for sustained self-study and improvement.