Evaluation of the Sea Grant Program Review Process (2006) / Chapter Skim
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The NSGCP engages this network in conducting scientific research, education, training, and extension projects designed to increase assessment, development, utilization, and conservation of coastal resources by providing assistance to promote responsive research and training activities and to broaden knowledge and techniques (National Sea Grant College and Program Act, 1966 [P.L.
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. The resulting 1994 report, A Review of the NOAA National Sea Grant College Program, recommended several actions, including strengthening the strategic planning process at the national level, clarifying the roles and responsibilities of the National Sea Grant Office (NSGO)
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Both the previous and current review procedures (adopted in 2003 in response to the Sea Grant Act of 2002) will be assessed as specified below: · Review the effectiveness of the evaluation and rating system in deter mining relative performance of programs with regard to manage ment and quality of research, education, extension, and training activities; · Evaluate whether there have been improvements in programs as a result of the evaluation process; · Evaluate the 2003 review procedures for their ability to meaningfully segregate individual programs into five categories based on com petitive scores; and · Compare the effectiveness of the previous and 2003 review proce dures with regard to the dual objectives of maximizing the quality of each program and of rating programs relative to each other for the purpose of determining performance-based funding.
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In addition, there is a consensus among the directors of individual Sea Grant programs that the evaluation process instituted in 1998 in partial response to the 1994 report has led to improvements in their programs, despite the fact that many within this group are openly critical of some aspects of the process. Finally, several members of the Committee have first-hand, longterm experience with the Sea Grant program and it is their considered opinion that the changes instituted since 1994 have strengthened the overall program.
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The Director of the National Sea Grant College Program, under supervision of the Secretary of Commerce and in consultation with the National Sea Grant Review Panel and the individual Sea Grant programs, should strengthen the ability of the National Sea Grant Office to carry out meaningful, ongoing internal assessment in order to complement periodic, external assessment currently taking place. STRATEGIC PLANNING The importance of strategic planning in program development, implementation, and evaluation was emphasized in the 1994 NRC report.
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As discussed earlier, strategic planning is a critical basis for implementation, review, and evaluation of institutional programs. The Director of the National Sea Grant College Program, under supervision of the Secretary of Commerce and in consultation with National Sea Grant Review Panel and the individual Sea Grant programs, should modify the benchmarks and indicators, as needed, to ensure that the performance of each program is measured against the objectives outlined in the separately approved, program specific strategic plan called for in the previous recommendation.
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The Director of the National Sea Grant College Program, under supervision of the Secretary of Commerce and in consultation with the National Sea Grant Review Panel and the individual Sea Grant programs, should shorten the duration of and standardize the PAT site visits, based on the minimum time and material needed to cover essential, standardized elements of the program assessment. If, as recommended in chapters 3, 4, and 5 of this report, the annual evaluation process carried out by the NSGO is modified so as to provide a reliable and credible assessment of individual programs, changes to the PAT process to improve reliability will be less urgent.
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Review material prepared for the annual review should include an effective annual report, supplemented by material that demonstrates the extent to which the annual activities combine to form a cohesive ongoing program of activity organized to accomplish the objectives of appropriately ambitious strategic plans. The Director of the National Sea Grant College Program, under supervision of the Secretary of Commerce, should rank the individual Sea Grant programs based on a program evaluation process that includes more robust, credible, and transparent annual assessments of each individual Sea Grant program.
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The Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the National Sea Grant Review Panel, should take steps to ensure that sufficient human and fiscal resources are available to allow robust, ongoing, and meaningful interaction among the Director of the National Sea Grant College Program, the staff of the National Sea Grant Office, the directors of individual Sea Grant programs, and the administrators of the home institutions of individual Sea Grant programs. While the purpose of this study was not to provide specific recommendations about how the NSGO should be organized, staffed, or funded, it does seem appropriate to point out various approaches that might be considered for achieving this recommended action, without significantly expanding the size of the NSGO staff.
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The Director of the National Sea Grant College Program, acting under authority of the Secretary, should direct the National Sea Grant Review Panel to undertake the development of a systematic review of the "state of the Sea Grant program" once every four years. The review should rely extensively on information collected during the annual and periodic assessments, augmented with a site visit to the National Sea Grant Office, and it should focus on how the program is functioning as a whole.
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