The Center's Mission
The IDEA Center is a not for profit organization whose mission is to serve colleges and universities committed to improving learning, teaching, and leadership performance. The Center supports the evaluation and development of both programs and people.
To stay on the cutting edge, the IDEA Center's experts constantly evaluate and reevaluate our products, and have done so for more than 25 years. Extensive data collection, research, and feedback from those using our products, has resulted in continuous enhancement of our products.
The emphasis of the IDEA Center always remains on improving teaching, learning, and the higher education process.
The Center's History
The IDEA Student Ratings System originated at Kansas State University during the 1968-69 school year. Its emphasis was unique, as it provided constructive feedback aimed at improving the quality of instruction and student learning.
During the next seven years, the system was perfected and refined to assist in the improvement of instruction at Kansas State University. With help from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, The IDEA Center was established in 1975 and the IDEA student ratings instrument was made available to other colleges and universities. Since that time, other instruments have been added to assist institutions in the assessment and improvement of administrator performance. IDEA Feedback for Department Chairs, IDEA Feedback for Deans, and IDEA Feedback for Administrators serve to provide information to assist higher education leaders to become more effective.
In 2001, The IDEA Center established not-for-profit status to more effectively serve its mission to hundreds of institutions of higher education. The Board of Directors is comprised of representatives from Kansas State University and other national leaders in teaching, learning, evaluation, and higher education leadership.
Good teaching. Better learning. Quality personnel management. Thoughtful decision making. And reaching goals. That's what today's institution of higher learning is all about. That’s what The IDEA Center is all about.
The IDEA Center, Inc. Board of Directors
| Chair | Elizabeth A. Unger* | |
| Vice Provost for Academic Services and Technology | ||
| Kansas State University | ||
| President | William H. Pallett* | |
| President | ||
| The IDEA Center | ||
| Secretary/Treasurer | Thomas A. Rawson* | |
| Vice President Administration and Finance | ||
| Kansas State University | ||
| Directors | Charles Bonwell | |
| President | ||
| Bonwell Associates | ||
| Larry Braskamp | ||
| Professor Emeritus | ||
| Loyola University - Chicago | ||
| M. Duane Nellis* | ||
| Provost | ||
| Kansas State University | ||
| Mary Lou Higgerson | ||
| Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the College | ||
| Baldwin-Wallace College | ||
| Bradley A. Kramer* | ||
| Department Head, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering | ||
| Director, Advanced Manufacturing Institute | ||
| Kansas State University | ||
| Christine Licata | ||
| Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Senior Associate for AAHE | ||
| National Technical Institute for the Deaf / Rochester Institute of Technology | ||
| Peter Seldin | ||
| Distinguished Professor of Management | ||
| Pace University | ||
| Jeff Seybert | ||
| Director for Research Evaluation and Instructional Development | ||
| Johnson County Community College | ||
| Cia Verschelden | ||
| Director of Assessment and Associate Professor | ||
| Kansas State University | ||