STUDENT AFFAIRS ANNUAL REPORT (2025-2026) 6 Student Affairs Achieves Half of Strategic Plan KPIs in First Year, Exceeds Safety, Student Success and Financial Goals ABERDEEN, S.D. – In the first year of the Student Affairs Strategic Plan (2025-30), Northern State University has already achieved five of the plan's ten key performance indicators (KPIs), surpassing several student success, campus safety, and financial sustainability goals ahead of schedule. Building on the momentum of the previous strategic plan (2020-25), these accomplishments reflect the dedication and collaborative efforts of Student Affairs staff, students, and campus partners across the university. Released in October 2025, the Student Affairs Strategic Plan established measurable KPIs and a public dashboard to track progress, promote accountability and transparently demonstrate outcomes to the campus community. Planning for the initiative began in 2020 during development of the division's previous strategic plan and culminated in a collaborative process involving students, faculty and staff across campus. The university's strongest gains have occurred in campus safety and student well-being. According to findings from the 2025 Administrator-Researcher Campus Climate Collaborative (ARC3) Survey, two KPIs related to campus safety have already been achieved: • KPI 3: Campus Safety Perception – In 2022, 78% of female students agreed or strongly agreed they felt safe on campus. By 2025, that number increased to 87%, exceeding the 2030 goal of 85%. • KPI 4: Reporting Sexual Misconduct – In 2022, 43% of students agreed or strongly agreed they knew where to report sexual misconduct. In 2025, that number rose to 67%, surpassing the 2030 goal of 60%. In June 2026, Student Affairs announced that KPI 5 had also been achieved. • KPI 5: Safety in the Residence Halls – In 2022, 83.4% and in 2024, 86.9% of students reported feeling safe in their residence halls. In the spring 2026 ACUHO-I/Benchworks Resident Assessment, 90.8% of students reported feeling safe, exceeding our target of 90% ahead of schedule. More details on the 2026 ACUHO-I/Benchworks Resident Assessment will be shared this fall. Campus safety is a shared responsibility, and this progress reflects the collective efforts of many. Special recognition goes to Laine Converse, Michelle Dannen, Emily Waldon, Krista Bau, Officer Eric Paul and Northern's Community Assistants for their contributions to creating a safer campus environment. Student Affairs also achieved two additional strategic plan goals related to student success and financial sustainability:
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NzkyNTY=