Accreditation 2017 Self-Study Team Leaders Meeting Notes

Attendees

Meeting Purpose

This meeting was convened to review the progress of the self-study process, address challenges faced by subcommittees, coordinate the timeline for completing the self-study report, and prepare for the upcoming site visit scheduled for Fall 2017.

Agenda Items

1. Updates from Standard Subcommittees

Standard 1 - Mission and Integrity

Professor Martinez reported that the Standard 1 subcommittee has completed 75% of their draft report. They are currently finalizing the evidence documentation, particularly regarding the institution's mission and strategic plan alignment. They have identified several areas for improvement but note that the university's mission statements across various documents show good consistency.

Standard 2 - Preparing for the Future

Dr. Williams indicated that his team has completed the majority of their work but is awaiting additional data from Institutional Research regarding enrollment projections and resource allocation models. The committee has identified several strengths in the institution's planning processes but has also highlighted concerns about long-term fiscal sustainability.

Standard 3 - Student Learning and Effective Teaching

Dr. Davis shared that her committee has completed 80% of their report. They have developed clear narratives demonstrating the institution's commitment to student learning and are currently working on documenting assessment processes across all academic programs. They have requested additional information from program coordinators regarding the use of assessment data for improvement.

Standard 4 - Acquisition, Discovery, and Application of Knowledge

Dr. Wilson reported that his group has reviewed all related policies but is still collecting evidence regarding faculty scholarship and creative activities. They are working closely with the Office of Academic Affairs to document teaching quality and support for scholarly work. Some challenges have been encountered in gathering comprehensive data from non-tenure track faculty.

2. Cross-Standard Issues Identified

The Provost asked team leaders to identify any issues that may be relevant to multiple standards. The following cross-cutting themes were identified:

• Assessment utilization: Multiple committees noted challenges in documenting the use of assessment results for decision-making.
• Resource allocation: Concerns about budget constraints affecting program quality were raised by several subcommittees.
• Congruence between policy and practice: Some gaps were identified between documented procedures and actual practices.
• Technology resources: Ensuring adequate technological infrastructure for teaching and administrative operations was highlighted as a cross-cutting concern.

3. Timeline Review

David Thompson reviewed the critical path for the self-study process and emphasized the importance of meeting the following deadlines:

• April 30, 2017: Complete draft of all standard reports
• May 15, 2017: Initial integration of all standard reports
• June 10, 2017: Distribution of integrated draft to full campus community for feedback
• July 15, 2017: Feedback review and revisions completed
• August 15, 2017: Final report submitted to accreditation commission
• October 2017: Site visit preparation
• November 6-8, 2017: Accreditation site visit

4. Resource Needs and Support

Several subcommittees requested additional support to complete their work:

• Institutional Research needs additional staff support to generate customized reports
• IT Services assistance needed for documenting technology infrastructure
• Assistance needed from advancement office to document alumni outcomes

Provost Johnson confirmed that additional resources would be allocated where feasible and asked department heads to work with the accreditation office to prioritize requests.

5. Evidence Documentation

Karen Brown demonstrated the digital evidence room that has been established for organizing and storing all supporting documentation. She noted that:

• All evidence must be properly tagged according to the evidence matrix developed by the Steering Committee
• Confidential materials should continue to be stored in the physical evidence room
• All subcommittees should complete uploading evidence by May 1 to allow for proper organization before site visit

6. Site Visit Preparation Planning

Detailed planning for the site visit began with the following decisions:

• A site visit coordinator will be appointed by April 15
• Each subcommittee chair will act as lead for meetings related to their standard
• A draft schedule for the site visit will be developed by May 30
• Student, faculty, and staff focus groups will be organized

7. Next Steps

8. Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 4:30 PM. The next Accreditation Self-Study Team Leaders Meeting is scheduled for April 12, 2017, at 2:00 PM in Conference Room A.

Supporting Documentation

Evidence Repository Structure

The following table outlines the organizational structure for evidence documentation:

Standard	Key Themes	Required Evidence	Responsible Party
Standard 1: Mission and Integrity	Mission alignment, ethical behavior, governance	Strategic Plan, Board Minutes, Code of Ethics	Professor Martinez
Standard 2: Preparing for the Future	Planning, resources, assessment	Budget reports, enrollment data, assessment plans	Dr. Williams
Standard 3: Student Learning	Teaching quality, assessment, student support	Course syllabi, assessment results, student outcomes data	Dr. Davis
Standard 4: Knowledge Application	Faculty scholarship, research, resources	Faculty CVs, research grants, library statistics	Dr. Wilson

Self-Study Timeline Overview

• January - March 2017: Subcommittee work on data collection and report drafting
• April - May 2017: Report integration and initial campus review
• June - July 2017: Campus feedback period and report revision
• August 2017: Final report submission
• September - October 2017: Site visit preparation
• November 2017: Accreditation team site visit
• December 2017: Follow-up and response to site visit findings