The South Dakota School of Mines and Technology has joined the South Dakota regental institutions in a national effort to deliver useful, comparable information to prospective students and their families. College Portrait, a new Web-based information tool, was introduced across the nation today, and will become a visible and important part of the School of Mines website. College Portrait is part of the Voluntary System of Accountability (VSA), an initiative undertaken by four-year public colleges and universities nationwide. Developed through a partnership between the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, and the public higher education community, the VSA is designed to help institutions meet the following objectives:
- Demonstrate accountability and stewardship to the public
- Measure educational outcomes to indentify effective educational practices
- Assemble information that is accessible, understandable, and comparable
"For the School of Mines, publishing our College Portrait is just one part of a multi-faceted approach we are taking to make the actions we take and results we generate public-both on campus and in the community," School of Mines President Dr. Robert A. Wharton, Ph.D., said.
The College Portrait presents a standardized set of data and information about an institution that prospective students, parents, legislators, and other members of the public can use to understand the essential characteristics of a school. Highlights include information on cost of attendance, degree offerings, living arrangements, student characteristics, graduation rates, transfer rates, and post-graduate plans. The Portrait also includes a College Cost Calculator, which enables students and their families to accurately estimate the net cost of attending a participating college or university, and the Student Success and Progress Rate, which uses data from the National Student Clearinghouse to provide an accurate picture of student progress across institutions.
To viw the VSA report from the School of Mines, or for more information on the Voluntary System of Accountability, visit http://accountability.sdsmt.edu/.
