STUDENT AFFAIRS ANNUAL REPORT (2025-2026) 14 • Accountability: Demonstrating progress toward the goals outlined in the strategic plan • Data‑Informed Decision‑Making: Ensuring that current, accurate information guides planning and improvement Central to the Student Affairs Strategic Plan (2025–30) is our commitment to measuring progress in meaningful and transparent ways. To achieve this, Student Affairs identified 10 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that track our advancement toward the goals outlined in the plan. Key Performance Indicators are quantifiable measurements that reflect performance in areas essential to student success, student experience, operational excellence, and institutional stewardship. KPIs provide clarity, reinforce shared priorities, and create a data‑grounded foundation for strategic decision‑making across the division. The dashboard represents a significant advancement in how the division tracks, reports, and communicates progress, creating a shared resource that will support intentional collaboration and strategic alignment across campus. The launch of the dashboard directly fulfills Key Result 34 of the Strategic Plan: “Work with Institutional Research and Web Services to create and publish a dashboard to track progress on the Student Affairs Strategic Plan (2025-30) KPIs.” This accomplishment highlights the importance of cross‑departmental partnerships in achieving our collective goals. This initiative would not have been possible without the leadership and technical expertise of Brenda Mammenga, Joe Zimmerman, and former President Nichols, whose vision and collaboration made the university’s first‑ever Student Affairs KPI dashboard a reality. As we continue to implement the Student Affairs Strategic Plan (2025–30), we look forward to celebrating additional accomplishments and sharing ongoing updates with the campus community. The progress reflected in the dashboard represents not only completed goals, but also the foundation for continued growth, innovation, and student success. Advancing Digital Accessibility in D2L May 2026 - Digital accessibility emerged as one of Northern's most significant academic and student success initiatives during the 2025–26 academic year. The effort was driven not only by Northern’s commitment to equitable access for students, but also by new federal requirements under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which require public institutions to ensure that digital content—including webpages, online course materials, documents, videos, audio files, and mobile applications—is accessible to individuals with disabilities. Complying with these regulations requires substantial institutional effort, including reviewing thousands of digital resources, training faculty and staff, and ensuring that educational technology platforms meet accessibility standards. Recognizing both the legal requirements and the educational benefits of accessible course design, a multidisciplinary team began working aggressively in spring 2025 to improve the accessibility of content housed within D2L. Following a required post-semester training hosted by Provost Wanous, Jason Henslee and Cassandra Maillet led a campuswide workshop for faculty in the Kessler's Champions Room. Additional resources were developed and made available through the university Knowledge Base, and further training opportunities were offered throughout the fall semester.
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