Projects

 The projects led by the Senior Vice Provost are foundational to OSU’s ability to deliver high-quality, equitable, and innovative education. They drive continuous improvement, support student success, and ensure that OSU’s academic programs remain relevant and impactful in a rapidly changing world.

Academic Unit Assessment

Academic Unit Assessment (AUA) is a transformative approach at OSU, replacing traditional periodic reviews with a data-driven, holistic evaluation of colleges and academic units. Led by Alix Gitelman, Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, this process:

• Uses Data for Continuous Improvement: AUA leverages refined data dashboards to provide timely, actionable feedback to colleges, reducing the burden of extensive self-studies and costly site visits. This enables units to focus on improvement rather than compliance.
• Holistic Evaluation: Each unit is assessed across undergraduate and graduate program success, research and creative activity, and issues of access, equity, and inclusion. This ensures that OSU’s academic offerings remain current, inclusive, and aligned with institutional goals
• Supports Student Success: By examining retention, persistence, and graduation rates for all student populations—including transfer, first-generation, and high-need students—AUA helps OSU identify and address barriers to student achievement.

Academic Program Renovation

Academic Program Renovation is a strategic initiative to modernize and revitalize OSU’s academic offerings:

• Curriculum Reform: Renovation projects focus on updating curricula to reflect current disciplinary standards, workforce needs, and student interests. This ensures that OSU graduates are prepared for evolving career landscapes and societal challenges.
• Enhancing Learning Environments: Renovations often include upgrading facilities, classrooms, and labs to support active learning and hands-on experiences, which are essential for student engagement and success.
• Alignment with Strategic Goals: These projects are coordinated with institutional priorities, such as increasing graduation rates and fostering equity, ensuring that every program contributes to OSU’s mission of prosperity widely shared.

Academic Analytics

Academic Analytics is the backbone of evidence-based decision-making at OSU:

• Data-Informed Strategy: Analytics platforms enable the university to track key metrics—enrollment, retention, graduation, and program outcomes—across all units. This supports strategic planning, resource allocation, and continuous improvement.
• Transparency and Accountability: By making data accessible to leadership and stakeholders, Academic Analytics fosters a culture of transparency and accountability, ensuring that decisions are grounded in facts and aligned with OSU’s values.
• Driving Innovation: Analytics help identify trends, gaps, and opportunities for innovation, allowing OSU to adapt quickly to changing educational landscapes and student needs.

Why these Projects are Critical

• Mission Fulfillment: These initiatives are directly tied to OSU’s strategic plan, “Prosperity Widely Shared,” which aims to ensure every student graduates, drive big discoveries, and fuel a thriving world.
• Student Success and Equity: By focusing on assessment, renovation, and analytics, OSU can systematically dismantle barriers to student success, amplify access, and promote equity across all academic units.
• Institutional Excellence: These projects enable OSU to maintain accreditation, meet external benchmarks, and demonstrate excellence in teaching, research, and service
• Strategic Adaptability: The Senior Vice Provost’s leadership ensures that OSU remains agile, responsive, and forward-thinking, positioning the university as a leader in higher education