The continuous agility process (CAP) is a systematic, ongoing process that’s designed to keep academic affairs fresh, relevant and market-savvy. It’s an agile framework, and the goals within it are tracked and assessed on an ongoing basis. Each academic year brings a fresh set of goals and priorities.
Recent Progress
Provost Dr. John Jasinski recently updated Missouri State University’s Board of Governors about CAP progress during the 2023–24 academic year. We’ve summarized highlights below.
Related to Academic Realignment
The following school names were announced:
- School of Agricultural Science and Conservation, effective January 4, 2024
- School of Construction, Design and Project Management, effective July 1, 2024
- School of Earth, Environment and Sustainability, effective November 1, 2023
- School of Health Care Professions, effective July 1, 2024
- School of Health Sciences, effective July 1, 2024
- School of Hospitality and Agricultural Leadership, effective January 4, 2024
Leadership News
Academic affairs welcomed several talented academic unit leaders into new roles as department heads or school directors.
Dr. Melissa Bledsoe was named dean of the Darr College of Agriculture. This appointment became effective May 1. When her appointment was announced, Jasinski described her as “the right choice to lead the Darr College of Agriculture as it continues to evolve, offering unique ‘farm-to-fork’ curriculum and learning experiences.”

System Improvements
Missouri State rolled out two new systems that are of critical importance to academic affairs.
The transition to the Brightspace learning management system was complete by May 13, the first day of summer 2024 intersession.
Review processes in academic affairs transitioned to Faculty Success, which was an option for both tenure and promotion submission and for annual reviews. More than 40% of total applicants submitted tenure and promotion applications through Faculty Success last fall, and more than 500 annual reviews were conducted in the system.
Special Projects
Working groups were developed to research, provided recommendations and, as needed, take action regarding certain focused projects. Examples of these projects include:
- The team from the Honors College enhancement task force assessed the current state of the Honors College. Last November, they presented a summary of their findings to Faculty Senate. This summary, with further analysis and discussion-based questions, was then shared with academic affairs leadership in December. In March, the task force submitted a list of recommendations to the office of the provost. An action plan is currently in development. Academic Expressions will share additional information about these efforts soon.
- A group led by Dr. Kathy Nordyke, director of citizenship and service-learning, assumed ownership of the eJournal of Public Affairs, a scholarly, peer-reviewed journal published by Missouri State. This team has infused new life into the eJournal and created a viable path for its continued publication. Academic Expressions will share additional information about these efforts soon.

Building a Data-informed Culture

The university’s overall approach to data and analytics was an area of special focus for the 2023–24 CAP. During the past several months, major strides toward building a data-informed culture were enacted. In January, Dr. Ken Brown, chief academic strategy officer, took on a special project to transition and help transform the office of institutional research. In April, Dr. Egon Heidendal joined Missouri State as the new director of institutional research. Two weeks ago, we shared the news that the office of institutional research will evolve into an expanded unit that’s dedicated to institutional effectiveness.
“Access to accurate and timely data insights from across all institutional areas is critical as we build out a data-informed culture,” Jasinski says. In coming months, we anticipate sharing more developments about these efforts in Academic Expressions.
Comparison Data
A team led by Brown was charged with researching Missouri State’s comparison data, which is gathered from the College and University Personnel Association (CUPA), and ensuring that this data is accurate and complete. CUPA data is used to evaluate faculty compensation at one institution in relation to the compensation of faculty — in the same discipline and of the same rank — at peer institutions. This process provides key context to faculty and administrators when they make hiring, salary and equity-based pay raise decisions.
The team recommended that Missouri State compare itself to institutions in two Carnegie Classification levels: “Master’s Colleges and Universities – Larger Programs” and “Doctoral/Professional Universities.” This significantly expanded the set of peer schools, which increased the likelihood that comparison data will exist for most disciplines at Missouri State. This change resulted in data submission that was more complete and accurate. The process and the changes in data submission were reviewed with various groups, including the leadership of academic affairs and Faculty Senate. The team also worked with individual faculty, departments, schools and colleges in programs that didn’t have CUPA comparison data from a broad selection of peer institutions.
Accreditation
Missouri State’s next Higher Learning Commission (HLC) site visit is scheduled for March 2026. The Assurance Argument for this cycle must be submitted by January 2026.
An oversight committee, which meets monthly, is working to ensure that the Assurance Argument and evidence are on track to completion. Jasinski and Dr. Tamera Jahnke, dean of the College of Natural and Applied Sciences, are co-leading these efforts. A few months ago, we spoke with Jahnke about this process. In May, we spoke with Mary Bohlen, assessment and accreditation consultant, about Missouri State’s current Quality Initiative, a key component of the accreditation cycle.
Beyond these highlights, CAP included several other outputs and processes. We look forward to sharing details about other CAP outcomes in the future.